5
In the countryside, when night falls, there wasn’t much to do, so people go to bed early.
Jiang Suisui lay in bed, occasionally turning over and listening to the creaking of the wooden boards as she gradually drifted off to sleep.
She was sound asleep, but someone on the other side was wide awake.
Jiang Miaomiao was seething with anger after a long day. When she got home, her mother, Zhang Cuihua, was waiting for her, pointing a finger at her nose and scolding, “Where have you been?! I didn’t see you at all, and you haven’t done any chores around the house!”
Jiang Miaomiao felt even more irritated with her mother. In her younger days, she had feared Zhang Cuihua, but now…
With an impatient tone, Jiang Miaomiao retorted, “Why should I do it?! Why doesn’t Jiang Xiaoqiang have to help?!”
“Aiya! How dare you talk back to your mother? Your brother is not the same as you! He’s the only child we have, destined for great things!” Zhang Cuihua snapped, grabbing a stick and swinging it towards Jiang Miaomiao.
Jiang Miaomiao hadn’t been hit by her mother in thirty years and had completely forgotten how to dodge quickly. As a result, she took a solid blow to her back, leaving her dazed with pain.
“Ma!” Jiang Miaomiao screamed in desperation.
Zhang Cuihua’s voice was even louder than hers. “What? Still not satisfied?!”
Jiang Miaomiao had no choice but to plead, “I’m sorry, Ma. Please stop hitting me.”
Zhang Cuihua tossed aside the stick. “Go clean the pigpen.”
“Okay…” Jiang Miaomiao quickly lowered her head and went outside.
She held her breath against the stench as she cleaned the pigpen. Fortunately, in her past life, she had been used to hard work, so returning to farm chores didn’t feel too unfamiliar.
After finishing the cleaning, Jiang Miaomiao was called by Zhang Cuihua to feed the chickens, fetch water, and chop firewood.
She was so busy that she barely had time to think about Song Weizheng and Jiang Suisui.
Finally, when she had a moment to spare, Jiang Miaomiao asked Zhang Cuihua, “Ma, what’s going on between Jiang Miaomiao and Song Weizheng? Why did they suddenly get engaged?”
Zhang Cuihua, raising her voice in annoyance, replied, “What’s it to you? Are you jealous? Do you want to get engaged too? If you really want to, then stop running to the young intellectuals’ place every day. Isn’t that a little embarrassing?”
“Ma…” Jiang Miaomiao tugged at the corners of her mouth, feeling a bit awkward. “I was just curious about the newcomers from the city. I won’t go anymore.”
“As long as you don’t slack off on your chores, I don’t care whether you go or not. Those young intellectuals are not our kind of people. When they first arrived, they were so high and mighty, acting like they were above everyone else,” Zhang Cuihua complained.
“And what happened? They came to our place, had to work in the fields, and turned out to be as weak as little chicks, crying about it. What a shame!” Zhang Cuihua held a deep disdain for city folks who couldn’t handle physical labor.
“Yeah, I won’t bother with them anymore,” Jiang Miaomiao replied dismissively, nodding in agreement.
She returned to the topic. “Ma, what’s really going on between Song Weizheng and Jiang Suisui?”
Zhang Cuihua looked puzzled. “Haven’t you heard? The whole village has been talking about it for two days.”
Jiang Miaomiao had just been reborn today, so of course, she hadn’t heard anything.
Zhang Cuihua continued, “It’s actually quite embarrassing. Suisui fell into the river yesterday, and Song Weizheng rescued her. Oh, they were hugging and cuddling! I heard Suisui’s clothes got soaked through!”
Jiang Miaomiao’s expression gradually grew serious. The incident of falling into the river had happened in her previous life too, but Jiang Suisui hadn’t actually succeeded!
What on earth was going on this time?
“Is Song Weizheng really so kind? Did he personally jump into the water to rescue her?” Jiang Miaomiao asked, seeking confirmation.
“What? You don’t believe me?” Zhang Cuihua shot her a sideways glance. “If you ask me, Song Weizheng comes from a bad family background and has two burdens to deal with. If someone is willing to marry him, of course, he’d be happy about it!”
Jiang Miaomiao immediately raised her voice, “What are you talking about! Song Weizheng never paid any attention to Jiang Suisui before! There’s no way he would want to marry her!”
Zhang Cuihua retorted with confidence, “His family is poor! How could they come up with a bride price? Plus, with his mother being a capitalist’s daughter, he’ll never get ahead in life!”
Jiang Miaomiao was at a loss for words, muttering under her breath, “What capitalist’s daughter… Is it really possible for a capitalist’s daughter to end up in our village?”
Moreover, in a few years, all the capitalists would turn their fortunes around. Of course, she couldn’t say that now; no one would believe her.
“Hey, you! Are you looking to argue with me today? Feeling a bit rebellious, huh?” Zhang Cuihua was infuriated by Jiang Miaomiao’s defiance, poking her forehead with her finger. “Wasn’t the capitalist’s daughter criticized back in the day? How could Song Dashun have been done in by her? Don’t let that slip outside, or you’ll get us into trouble!”
Jiang Miaomiao lowered her head, not daring to fight back, and silently endured, “I understand… I was just curious about Jiang Suisui getting engaged suddenly, so I said a bit too much…”
Zhang Cuihua shot her a suspicious glance. “What? Are you thinking of getting engaged too?”
Then, a thought struck her, and her gaze turned sharp. “You’re still thinking about that young intellectual, aren’t you?! Let me tell you, it’s out of the question!”
“Ma!” Jiang Miaomiao quickly exclaimed, “No! I don’t want to marry a young intellectual! Absolutely not!”
Seeing her insistence, Zhang Cuihua finally calmed down. “Do you really think that young intellectuals are something special? Here, we’re all farmers and have to work in the fields! Dreaming about going back to the city is just that—a dream! Just look at the young intellectuals who came ten years ago; do they still dare to dream like that?”
After her lengthy lecture, she glanced at Jiang Miaomiao again. “But you are of the age to get married, and Jiang Suisui is already engaged… However, we can’t be as foolish as she is and marry carelessly. I’m determined to find you a good match.”
Jiang Miaomiao had often heard her mother talk about finding a good family for her, but she knew exactly what that meant. A “good family” in her mother’s eyes was one that could provide a hefty bride price.
But without a dowry, the only suitors willing to offer a large bride price would be older men, widowers, or those with some issues.
A wave of long-forgotten despair washed over Jiang Miaomiao. “Ma, am I even your daughter? Can’t you find me someone reliable? Stop focusing solely on the bride price!”
Zhang Cuihua ignored her daughter’s feelings and replied matter-of-factly, “What else matters if the bride price isn’t important? If someone can offer a good bride price, it means they have money! If you marry into money, you’ll live a good life! Besides, I’m counting on your and Xiuxiu’s bride prices to help get a wife for Xiaoqiang!”
Grandpa Jiang and Grandma Jiang had four children in total.
The eldest, Jiang Xiumei, married and moved away, only coming back for holidays and festivals.
The second child, Jiang Jianguo, and the third, Jiang Hongjun, followed.
The youngest is Jiang Suisui’s father.
Zhang Cuihua married Jiang Hongjun, but from the moment she stepped into the family, she was overshadowed by the second daughter-in-law, Liu Juan.
Liu Juan came into the family and got pregnant right away, giving birth to twins—two sons! Not long after, she got pregnant again and had another son!
As for Zhang Cuihua, she ended up having two daughters!
Thinking about this, Zhang Cuihua looked at her two daughters, Jiang Miaomiao and Jiang Xiuxiu, feeling frustrated and suffocated! How wonderful it would be if they were all boys!
Liu Juan often flaunted her situation in front of her, saying, “Oh, Cuihua, I really envy you! Two little treasures. Unlike me, with three sons making a racket all the time. I dream of having a daughter!”
Zhang Cuihua was so angry but couldn’t express it. Not having a son made her feel inferior! A few years later, she finally gave birth to a son, Jiang Xiaoqiang! She felt so proud and vindicated!
From then on, Zhang Cuihua made sure that her two daughters, Jiang Miaomiao and Jiang Xiuxiu, always prioritized their younger brother and took care of him. Anything good to eat, play with, or wear was all reserved for Jiang Xiaoqiang, raising him to be spoiled and domineering—more so than Grandma Jiang spoiled Jiang Suisui.
Using her bride price to find a wife for Jiang Xiaoqiang?
Jiang Miaomiao felt a surge of anger. Why should her bride price be used to marry off Jiang Xiaoqiang?
In her past life, she had always yielded to her parents. She never questioned their decisions, except for that one time she rebelled over Shen Zhiwen. She had been obedient, letting others dictate her life.
Now, she suddenly realized that even if Shen Zhiwen had never come into the picture, her fate would still likely have been miserable.
For Jiang Xiaoqiang’s sake, her mother would undoubtedly drain her bride price dry. Even after getting married, she would still have to support Jiang Xiaoqiang.
A sense of despair washed over Jiang Miaomiao. Without Shen Zhiwen, all she had left were her mother and brother.
Her only way out now was to marry Song Weizheng.
With Song Weizheng’s promising future, it wouldn’t be a problem for him to support her entire family for a lifetime.
Jiang Miaomiao became more determined than ever since her rebirth; she had to win over Song Weizheng!
But for some reason, everything was being disrupted by Jiang Suisui.
In her past life, she had clearly failed, so what had gone wrong this time?
Could it be… that Jiang Suisui was also reborn?!
A chill ran through Jiang Miaomiao at the thought, but she quickly dismissed it. No, it couldn’t be possible.
How could there be so many rebirths in the world?
And why would fate favor someone like Jiang Suisui?
She had already received so much throughout her life; why should she compete with Jiang Miaomiao now?
Tossing and turning in bed, Jiang Miaomiao decided to go find Song Yuxue tomorrow to gather some information.
Song Yuxue’s father had passed away shortly after she was born, and her mother’s health had deteriorated, leaving her unable to get out of bed and reliant on medication. At just over ten years old, Song Weizheng had to work in the fields while also taking care of his ailing mother, often leaving Song Yuxue to be looked after by others.
Whenever Song Yuxue was sent to the Jiang family, it was usually Jiang Miaomiao and her sister, Jiang Xiuxiu, who played with her. Jiang Suisui was too busy with her own indulgences to care for a child.
Jiang Miaomiao considered her relationship with Song Yuxue to be quite good. Getting closer to her future sister-in-law would only benefit her chances with Song Weizheng.
With this thought, she slowly drifted off to sleep.
Jiang Suisui was awakened early by the crowing of roosters. She opened her eyes and glanced out the window, but it was still dark outside.
Instinctively, she turned back to bed, closed her eyes, and tried to fall asleep again, only to hear the sound of movement coming from outside.
Grandpa Jiang and Grandma Jiang were already up.
Jiang Suisui became a bit more alert. She struggled to get up, opened the door, and called out to Grandma Jiang, “Grandma, you’re up so early! Is there something that needs doing? I can help!”
In the countryside, people rose before dawn to prepare for their work, and Jiang Suisui felt a bit guilty about enjoying food and drink at the Jiang household without contributing.
Even though Grandma Jiang spoiled her unconditionally, it was mainly because she was her granddaughter.
Jiang Suisui was still unable to fully accept her current identity. She felt guilty about living under someone else’s name and couldn’t comfortably accept the kindness of the original owner’s family.
Moreover, compared to the domineering and willful demeanor of the original owner, she believed that if she behaved a bit more obediently, she might have a better chance of surviving longer.
**