8
The reason Song Yuxue knew all this was because she had seen with her own eyes, more than once, how people in the village would deliberately provoke her brother, saying things right in front of him just to get a rise out of him.
But her brother was no pushover. He never argued back with words—he would just raise his fist. Over time, some people in the village would only whisper behind his back and never dared to confront him to his face.
Remembering those people and those incidents, Song Yuxue sat quietly, clenching her small fists out of sight. If the villagers bullied her and her brother, she didn’t want to play with any of them anyway.
“I even held you and changed your diapers when you were little—remember that?” Jiang Miaomiao leaned in again when she saw Song Yuxue wasn’t talking, her tone teasing.
Song Yuxue glanced at her, her expression souring.
Because her house was close to the Jiang family’s, she had supposedly been left in their care occasionally when she was very young but that was before she turned three, and Song Yuxue didn’t have any particular memory of it. Once she could walk and take care of herself, she stayed at home alone and could even help look after her mother!
Besides, who would feel happy about being reminded of being diapered as a baby?
Song Yuxue didn’t want to engage with Jiang Miaomiao. She still remembered the time she had overheard the older village girls gathered together, chattering away, running down her brother as if he were worth nothing—and Jiang Miaomiao had been one of them!
They said he was poor and stubborn, had a mother in poor health and with a bad family background, and a good-for-nothing little sister who was nothing but a burden. They said there was no way he’d ever find a wife—he’d be a bachelor for life!
Thinking of all that, Song Yuxue pressed her lips together and said, “I don’t remember.”
Hah! What an ungrateful little brat!
Jiang Miaomiao was taken aback and felt a bit annoyed.
As if she wanted to change her diapers anyway! Jiang Miaomiao scoffed inwardly.
Back then, she had been run ragged taking care of things both inside and outside the house, on top of watching after her younger siblings. Why would she want to bother with someone else’s kid especially Song Yuxue, the one whose father had died and who was rumored to have brought bad luck?
But her grandmother, of all people, had a soft spot for meddling. Whenever someone came asking for help, she’d relent and take the child in, leaving them to be looked after by Jiang Miaomiao and her siblings.
Jiang Suisui was lazy, greedy, and loved to play—she couldn’t sit still for long before slipping away. And the boys from her second uncle’s family were even less likely to look after a little girl. So it always fell to her and her sister Jiang Xiuxiu!
That said, Jiang Miaomiao usually dumped the task on Jiang Xiuxiu and only pitched in when absolutely necessary.
Still, wasn’t that some kind of kindness toward this Song Yuxue? It had only been a few years—how could she be so ungrateful? Who else in the whole village even bothered with her family?
Jiang Miaomiao let out an awkward “heheh” and said, “You were young then so it’s not surprising you don’t remember. Go home and ask your brother—he’ll know.”
“Oh.” Song Yuxue replied flatly, showing no reaction.
The next moment, she heard Jiang Miaomiao say, “Speaking of your brother, haven’t there been some happy developments lately? How are you feeling about it? You’re about to have a sister-in-law.”
Song Yuxue had heard quite a few people gossiping about this in recent days, but they only whispered behind their backs. This was the first time someone had come right up to her and brought it up and especially someone who had once said her brother would never find a wife and would be a bachelor for life.
Song Yuxue replied expressionlessly, “Happy.”
Jiang Miaomiao: “…”
Was that genuine or not?
Refusing to give up, she pressed on: “Do you know who your future sister-in-law is?”
Song Yuxue: “Of course I do.”
Jiang Miaomiao: “…”
It’s Jiang Suisui! That lazy, greedy, domineering Jiang Suisui! Are you sure you actually know?! Jiang Miaomiao wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shout.
She felt a little speechless and could only force a smile and say, “What a coincidence, isn’t it? We’re fated to be connected—I looked after you when you were little, and now your brother is about to marry into our family. It’s just… ah, what a pity…”
She deliberately left her sentence half-finished, letting out a meaningful sigh.
Song Yuxue was still young after all. She had been listening with perked ears, and when Jiang Miaomiao suddenly stopped, her curiosity got the better of her, and she couldn’t help but ask, “What’s a pity?”
Seeing this, Jiang Miaomiao curled a smug smile: “Nothing, nothing. As long as your brother likes her, that’s what matters. You just said you were happy to have a sister-in-law, didn’t you?”
Song Yuxue wanted to say that her brother doesn’t like her, and she was not happy at all! But she swallowed the words before they came out.
No matter what happened in her family, she couldn’t go around blabbing about it and let others gossip. That was a lesson she had learned ever since she was old enough to understand things—she wasn’t about to give anyone the satisfaction of laughing at them.
So Song Yuxue just nodded and said, “Yeah, it’s good.”
Jiang Miaomiao was puzzled. Why was this kid so hard to deal with? Did she have to spell it out even more directly?
She pressed on: “Does your brother really like Jiang Suisui? Because what I’ve heard seems to say otherwise.”
Song Yuxue shot back: “What have you heard?”
“Well… it’s actually kind of embarrassing for our family.” Jiang Miaomiao put on a look of disgust. “My cousin—she’s never had a good temperament. Ever since she was little, she’s been domineering—whatever she wants, she has to have it. I really didn’t expect her to go this far for your brother—deliberately falling into the water…”
She watched Song Yuxue’s expression as she spoke. Seeing no reaction, she continued, “I figure Brother Song probably didn’t have a choice either… He must be suffering inside, but it’s hard for him to tell you, so of course you wouldn’t know.”
Song Yuxue stayed silent. She genuinely didn’t know what to say, because, after all, she felt that everything Jiang Miaomiao said was right!
Jiang Miaomiao went on: “You probably know my cousin too—she’s like a child herself, not even as mature as you are at your age! When she marries into your family, you might even have to take care of her. Don’t mind it too much, alright?”
Hearing this, Song Yuxue couldn’t help furrowing her brows slightly: “It’s my brother who’s marrying her, not me.”
“Oh!” Jiang Miaomiao put on a show of lament. “That’s not how it works. Once she marries in, you’ll be her sister-in-law. My cousin usually can’t cook or do laundry at home. When she comes to your house, won’t you have to help her with all that?”
Jiang Miaomiao studied her expression as she spoke and continued, “But then again, it wouldn’t look good to have a young girl like you waiting on your sister-in-law all day. Maybe your mother will end up doing it instead…”
At those words, Song Yuxue immediately got a bit angry. Her brows furrowed and her lips pressed together, her expression turning sour—clearly, she was already picturing potential future scenarios.
Seeing that her little dose of poison was working, Jiang Miaomiao felt a surge of satisfaction. She leaned in, patted Song Yuxue lightly on the shoulder, and said in a sincere, comforting tone, “Don’t be upset. And don’t fight with your brother over your sister-in-law later. Once they’re married, they’ll be a family—you’ll all be outsiders. Don’t ruin the harmony. By then, your mother will be her mother-in-law—she probably won’t want to make things too ugly with her daughter-in-law, so she’ll just have to swallow her pride…”
Song Yuxue couldn’t hold it in any longer. She cut her off angrily: “You’re talking nonsense! Even after they get married, my brother won’t treat me like an outsider! And he won’t make my mother wait on her!”
“Oh dear!” Jiang Miaomiao quickly covered her mouth, looking troubled. “I’ve talked too much—I was wrong, I was wrong! Don’t take it to heart. Ah, I just feel for your family. Brother Song works so hard every day, taking care of your mother and raising you single-handedly. He really deserves to marry a virtuous and capable woman who can help him.”
“But in the end…” She shook her head and sighed, looking deeply regretful. “Marrying my cousin, he’ll not only have to take care of the two of you—he’ll have to take care of her too. Oh, Brother Song’s fate really is a bitter one…”
“Jiang Suisui has a terrible temper too. Whenever we used to make her angry, she’d hit us and yell at us, and then she’d go tattle that we were bullying her. How could we even dare to say anything? How could we possibly bully her? Look at her—all plump and well-fed—and then look at me…”
She rolled up her sleeve to reveal her thin, bony arm and showed it to Song Yuxue: “Tell me, could I really bully her? I’d be lucky if she didn’t bully me!”
After saying that, Jiang Miaomiao looked Song Yuxue up and down and sighed, “Xiao Xue, look at you—you’re so thin too. You should eat more while you can. And be nicer to your mother, or else later…”
She was so absorbed in her talk that she didn’t notice Song Yuxue’s eyes had already turned red with anger.
“Oh dear!” Before Jiang Miaomiao could finish her sentence, Song Yuxue suddenly stood up. Caught off guard, Jiang Miaomiao was knocked off balance and nearly fell flat on the ground. By the time she regained her composure, Song Yuxue had already pushed past her and stormed off in a huff.
“Xiao Xue! Xiao Xue!” Jiang Miaomiao quickly scrambled to her feet and chased after her for a few steps. Seeing that Song Yuxue wouldn’t turn back, she couldn’t hide her displeasure and muttered under her breath, “What a piece of work! I was being nice and talking to her, and she still acts so high and mighty! No wonder—she’s the daughter of a capitalist’s daughter, completely lacking in manners! She’s a perfect match for that wild-natured Jiang Suisui!”
As she said this, she completely forgot that the very person she was scheming to win over—Song Weizheng was also the son of that same “capitalist’s daughter.”
Annoyed as she was, Jiang Miaomiao had successfully planted her seeds of discord in front of Song Yuxue, so the outcome was still satisfactory.
Next, she needed to show herself in a good light in front of Song Weizheng, win over Song Yuxue even more, and ideally, have Jiang Suisui embarrass herself a few more times until they couldn’t stand her anymore.
As for Song Weizheng’s sickly mother—she wasn’t even on Jiang Miaomiao’s radar. She remembered from her past life that his mother hadn’t lasted long after that; she had died not long after, and apparently it had been quite an ugly affair. But back then, Jiang Miaomiao had been completely fixated on Shen Zhiwen and hadn’t paid much attention to other matters. She only vaguely recalled hearing that it had something to do with a lover.
Jiang Miaomiao found it rather surprising too. Song Weizheng’s mother had been bedridden for years, frail and sick, yet she still managed to have a lover on the side. She clicked her tongue, her expression complicated.
In any case, his mother was a minor character who would soon be out of the picture, so Jiang Miaomiao didn’t take her seriously at all.
Actually, if she hadn’t just seen Song Yuxue’s face and been reminded of the big star Zhao Ruyan from her past life, she wouldn’t have paid much attention to Song Yuxue either. What could a little girl like that do?
But Zhao Ruyan was different! She had truly been famous across the country. Every one of her movies was a massive hit, and her billboards could be seen everywhere on the streets. Her movie discs sold out the moment they hit the shelves—you couldn’t even get your hands on one. Even the bald, pot-bellied, stingy old man Jiang Miaomiao had married in her previous life—the one who was both poor and miserly—had worshipped Zhao Ruyan as his goddess!
His daily routine consisted of ordering Jiang Miaomiao around to greet customers, cook and serve dishes, wipe tables, and wash dishes. Meanwhile, he would turn on the DVD player he’d specially spent money to buy, pop in one of his carefully treasured Zhao Ruyan movie discs, crack open a beer, and enjoy Zhao Ruyan’s beauty along with the customers in the shop.
**