Shen Ning awoke to a cacophony of noise. The first thing she saw were several heads crowded around, staring at her. Startled, she shot upright, her eyes gazing blankly at her surroundings.
“Wife of the Li Family’s Third, try to look on the bright side. The dead can’t be brought back to life.”
“That’s right, life must go on.”
“You’re still young, with a long life ahead of you. Don’t do anything rash.”
Amidst the chattering of the uncles, aunts, and grannies, Shen Ning figured out her current situation and assimilated the original owner’s memories.
She had transmigrated. She was now in the early 1980s, in the body of a young woman who shared her name.
Except this young woman was a bit of a wild one.
She had found a man for herself, designed a plot where she fell into the water to force the Li Family’s Third, who was back in the village to visit family, to marry her. Unfortunately, he was called away by a telegram on their wedding day.
The man in her memories was tall and straight-backed, with a dignified air. You couldn’t find a more handsome young man in all the surrounding villages!
Bewitched by his face, she had completely ignored the fact that he had three children at home and had insisted on marrying him without a second thought.
Fortunately, he sent back his allowance every month, so life was manageable.
Perhaps heaven didn’t want them to have it too easy. A bolt from the blue came in the form of a telegram, stating that Li Shan had gone missing during a mission. His whereabouts were unknown, the search had been fruitless, and he was very likely sacrificed. The telegram was sent to inform them and offer condolences.
Overwhelmed by the shock, the original owner had fainted, and that was when she arrived.
But that wasn’t all. A series of images flashed through her mind.
There was ‘her’ tormenting the three children, hitting, scolding, and pinching them.
Then she was seen discussing selling the three children with someone.
Next, ‘she’ was snuggling up to a man with an unfamiliar face, a cloth sack slung over her shoulder.
In the next second, that man, a wicked smile on his face, was counting money with one hand while handing the trussed-up ‘her’ to a much older man with the other.
The final scene was of an emaciated ‘her’ lying on a straw-padded mattress, the blood flowing from beneath her staining a large patch red.
Her ashen face was devoid of life.
Terrified, she subconsciously clutched her chest. The thumping of her heart against the fabric was the only thing that gave her a sliver of security.
Was that ‘her’ ending?
Seeing how pale she was, the crowd’s eyes filled with a bit more sympathy.
She was just a young girl, after all. No matter her past faults, her fate was enough to make anyone pity her. To be widowed at such a young age, with three children at home and the family’s pillar of support suddenly gone—who could possibly accept that?
“Wife of the Li Family’s Third, things have come to this. You can only try to accept it.”
Shen Ning raised her sleeve and wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, looking at the old man who had spoken.
This was their village chief, Zhao Fuquan.
In terms of seniority, she had to call him Second Grand-uncle.
“Second Grand-uncle, I know. I’m sorry for worrying you all. I’m fine. It’s just that the news was a bit sudden. I… I’ll head home first.”
Her personality was, after all, different from the original owner’s. All she could do was put on a brave face, force a smile, and pretend to be fine while clenching her teeth and burying the pain in her heart.
With that, she quickly turned and walked toward the house in her memory.
Behind her, the crowd watched her retreating figure and let out a collective, deep sigh.
Her family’s future looked bleak.
Actually, for Shen Ning, this wasn’t entirely unacceptable. If she had to share a bed with a complete stranger the moment she transmigrated, now that would have been something she truly couldn’t handle.
A widow was a widow, and kids were kids. At least she wouldn’t starve to death… right?
Standing in the dilapidated courtyard and looking at the rundown house with its front door that still had a gap even when closed, Shen Ning took back her previous thought.
How was this house not drafty from all sides?
How could they be so poor?
How could anyone be this poor?
The grains of rice left in the rice vat could be clearly counted, the baskets were empty, the cupboards were empty, everything was empty.
Did they not eat before?
Another memory flashed through her mind: a certain lady, upon receiving the monthly allowance, would immediately go on a spending spree, eating, drinking, and having fun.
As for what came after, that was a problem for later.
She had truly mastered the art of living on credit.
Shen Ning now reasonably suspected that the original owner might have fainted because there was no more money to squander, and with no food stored at home, she was going to starve.
With a bang, the rickety kitchen door was pushed open. Shen Ning turned to look, a little worried the door might fall off its hinges and the frame might collapse.
It could crush the three little ones at the doorway.
Right, these were the three children Li Shan had left behind.
Shen Ning met their gazes, and her brow twitched. That look?
The original owner had left her three hand grenades!
Adhering to the principle of “I won’t move if the enemy doesn’t,” she forced a very ugly smile. “You’re back. First…”
She had wanted to say, “Let’s eat first,” but thankfully stopped herself in time.
With the rice vat scraped clean, she had no idea what they were going to eat tonight.
The next second, the eldest boy at the front, like a little firecracker, charged and rammed into her, sending her stumbling.
Luckily, she grabbed the stove to keep from falling.
“You…”
“What are you doing! Don’t you touch that! We have no food left! You spent all the money, and now we have nothing to eat! Dad is dead too, so get out of our house!”
Although the six-or-seven-year-old boy was thin, he was strong. He pushed and pulled, determined to shove her out.
Shen Ning grew annoyed from being pushed around. Having no other choice, she squatted down and tightly trapped him in her arms.
She held his arms and legs firmly, immobilizing him.
But she had underestimated how tough a child could be. Unable to move his limbs, he used his body, bucking and sending Shen Ning toppling backward onto the ground.
The big one and the little one were now rolling on the floor.
This really ticked her off. With a flip, she pinned the little brat beneath her, using her absolute weight advantage to control him.
“Can you talk properly now?!”
The little boy under her was still shrieking, “I won’t give in! I won’t! Waaah—”
The moment he started crying, the two little ones standing at the door began to cry too. The three demonic wails were about to pierce her eardrums.
“Waaah—”
“Waaah—”
“Stop crying!”
Shen Ning’s final roar successfully halted the three children’s crying. However, their mouths turned down in pouts, and they began to sob uncontrollably, large tears rolling down their cheeks.
Their suppressed weeping was even more pitiful than their earlier howls.
She got up and pulled the child from under her, patting the dust off his clothes and sighing inwardly.
The original owner was really something else. She enjoyed herself, then just up and left, leaving such a huge mess for her!
She glanced at the three kids glaring at her with hatred and at the house that was drafty from all sides, and sighed again.
A living person can’t be defeated by their circumstances!
“Your dad is dead, but you still have me, don’t you? From now on, stick with me. I won’t let you starve!”
[Ding, Favorability +1, Points Mall unlocked!]