“Mom, what on earth are you doing! Why are you scolding my sister again?”
Ji Chunhua’s memories were interrupted by a crisp and clear voice. She stiffened abruptly and immediately lowered her head.
But her eyes held a bone-chilling coldness and a deep, thick hatred.
When Xu Li saw Ji Qin, her face instantly broke into a wide smile as she put on a completely different expression.
“Aiya, look at our Ji Qin, up so early?”
“My daughter is so considerate, knowing to put in the effort for her own lifelong happiness!”
Hearing this, Ji Chunhua only wanted to laugh.
Only after dying once did she see through it all. Every time her stepsister took her along to a matchmaking session, it was merely to make herself look better by comparison. And in her previous life, because she was constantly being put down, she grew increasingly disinclined to dress up. Later on, she didn’t even bother with personal hygiene.
The thick layer of dust and grime completely covered her originally fair skin. On top of that, she didn’t even comb her hair, leaving it disheveled all day.
She looked just like a fat, slovenly female ghost!
Even the wild dogs in the village shunned her.
Except for Ji Qin.
Ji Chunhua tugged at the corner of her mouth, too lazy to speak further with this mother-daughter pair. She silently walked to the kitchen, slung the straw basket over her back, and prepared to go up the mountain to dig wild vegetables.
Whoever wanted to go to the matchmaking session today could go; she wasn’t going.
Besides, she needed to think of a way to escape the fiery pit that was the Ji family as soon as possible, to get far away from this venomous bitch Ji Qin and this rotten lot!
What blood ties? They never had any for her.
A scorching flame quietly ignited in Ji Chunhua’s eyes, and her perpetually hunched back unconsciously straightened.
Behind her, Ji Qin, who had just been about to call out to her, was suddenly taken aback by this sight—
…Was it her imagination?
Why did that fat sow Ji Chunhua seem a little off today?
Could it be… she had also been reborn?
Impossible.
Ji Qin immediately comforted herself.
In her previous life, she must have been blind to elope with that deadbeat, fraudulent rich merchant.
And only after leaving did she realize they weren’t going overseas at all, but were on the run from debtors everywhere!
Even his funding of the village projects was something he did for a powerful patron.
Later, as they drifted from place to place, she fell gravely ill.
That bastard didn’t have the money to treat her, so he abandoned her at the hospital and ran off on his own!
Such a once-in-a-lifetime, fate-defying opportunity would naturally be given to someone as outstanding and beautiful as her.
Her circumstances were so good, yet she met such a tragic end. It must be that even Heaven felt it was unjust for her!
How could a stupid fool like Ji Chunhua receive such a thing? Did she deserve anyone’s pity?
But Ji Qin still felt a faint sense of unease, so she hurriedly followed after Ji Chunhua.
“Mom, I’ll go help my sister.”
“Help her for what! Aiya, be careful not to hurt your hands, Ji Qin!”
“You’re going to be a rich man’s wife in a wealthy family. You can’t get any scars for the sake of this money-losing good-for-nothing!”
Heh, you’re really overthinking it.
Ji Chunhua thought to herself as she quickened her pace.
Ji Qin said this every time, but she never once lifted a finger.
Instead, she would just chatter away beside her, slowing down her progress.
This would cause her to get beaten and scolded in the end.
Walking on the road, the biting, dry winter wind leaped into her nose.
Ji Chunhua felt the chill seep in through the collar of her tattered, padded floral jacket, but her eyes suddenly began to well up.
No matter what, she was alive again.
This is great, truly great.
Heaven, thank you.
In this life, I will definitely not be a wronged ghost who takes the fall for others again.
I will live a very good life!
Yaohe Village was under the jurisdiction of Yu County. In this northern region, winter brought a bone-piercing cold.
The black earth would crack from the frost, and leafy green vegetables could only be grown in greenhouses.
Therefore, their prices were extremely high.
The people of Yaohe Village mostly relied on farming. During the cold winter, almost every household had no income. They basically ate either potatoes or steamed coarse flour steamed buns and cornbread buns. They ate few vegetables, and most people’s lips were dry and chapped.
But there were always some resilient wild vegetables on the mountain, which became extremely sought-after at this time.
Everyone scrambled to go up the mountain to dig wild vegetables before the heavy snow fell, afraid that if they were late, others would have picked the mountain bare.
This activity was a staple of almost every winter.
It was going to snow today, Ji Chunhua knew.
Even before her tragic death, she didn’t like snow.
And she liked winter even less.
Because the cold north wind would make the well water even more bone-chilling. Every time she finished washing the whole family’s clothes, Ji Chunhua’s hands would be covered in chilblains.
They were both painful and itchy, and her already chubby fingers would swell up grotesquely.
Several times when she went to the latrine, she almost wet her pants because her shivering hands couldn’t untie her trousers.
But now, Ji Chunhua felt she liked it all.
As long as she could live, she liked everything.
She was very content and very grateful.
Ji Chunhua followed the path already covered in a thin layer of snow to go up the back of the mountain. There were fewer people here because the path was difficult to walk.
But she didn’t expect that just as she reached the foot of the mountain, Ji Qin would catch up.
“Sister! Sister, wait for me!”
“I’ve been calling you for ages, why are you ignoring me?”
Ji Qin grabbed Ji Chunhua’s soft arm, acting incredibly affectionate.
She whined, “Is it because Mom hit you again just now?”
“Did it hurt?”
Ji Chunhua immediately pulled her arm away and said with a steady expression, “Yes, she hit me with the broomstick. It hurts a lot.”
“Ji Qin, don’t touch it for now.”