After Ji Chunhua ran home, she realized the snow had stopped.
Unlike in her previous life, the sun had actually come out on this day.
On her way back, Ji Chunhua thought it over and over, still feeling that Ji Qin was acting strange.
In the end, she could only come up with one absurd and terrifying possibility—that Ji Qin had also been reborn.
And for some reason, she didn’t seem to plan on giving up on the matchmaking fair and waiting directly for the wealthy businessman to appear. Of course, she would definitely not marry the pig farm owner Yu Guang again. The reason Ji Chunhua guessed Ji Qin had also been reborn was because her fear of Yu Guang was too obvious.
But right now, there was something even more important: Ji Qin… seemed to be interested in Duan Hu.
That can’t happen.
Ji Chunhua frowned, her fair, plump face almost scrunching up into a ball.
Duan Hu was a good man; he couldn’t marry a vicious woman like his stepsister.
He would have terrible luck, he… would he end up like Yu Guang in her previous life, going mad and committing suicide in the end?
Ji Chunhua didn’t dare think further. In any case, she had to stop it.
She didn’t know how to repay his kindness, but at the very least, she couldn’t watch her benefactor jump into a pit of fire!
Ji Chunhua directly tossed the basket in the yard and turned to run, ignoring Ji Yang cursing behind her for coming back with so few wild vegetables.
Xu Li walked out of the house while weaving a straw basket and stopped him: “Alright, Dayang, leave her be.”
“If she really gets chosen by someone, whether they’re blind or lame, we’ll just say ‘Amitabha.’”
“It’s better than her staying at home eating and drinking for free.”
Ji Yang clicked his tongue. “Then who’s going to do all the work at home if she gets married?”
“Our Qin Qin can’t do it.”
“Oh, my silly son,” Xu Li walked over and ruffled Ji Yang’s head. “How could our Qin Qin not get chosen today?”
“It’s definitely going to be some extremely wealthy family.”
“By then, even if that fatso really gets married, Qin Qin can hire people to do the work for us with her money! Anyway, we’ll just wait to enjoy our good fortune!”
Ji Yang slapped his forehead, instantly beaming with joy. “Right, right!”
“I really am stupid!”
…
Ji Chunhua hurried all the way to the activity courtyard built just two years ago in front of the Village Committee.
Now that the sun was out, even before entering, many people were standing on the path outside the gate.
There were both male and female comrades, ranging from seventeen or eighteen to over thirty years old, not only from this village but also from the two neighboring villages.
This was indeed a large-scale matchmaking fair.
Ji Chunhua clenched her fists, making up her mind.
Today, she just had to make sure Duan Hu wouldn’t take a liking to Ji Qin. As for that Yu Guang, Ji Chunhua wasn’t worried at all.
In her previous life, when Yu Guang woke up from his drunken stupor and saw her, the disgust in his eyes was so thick it turned dark.
Although he was older, he still liked pretty women. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have known about Ji Qin’s affair and kept tolerating it, hoping she would tire of playing around and continue living with him.
But just in case, Ji Chunhua didn’t deliberately tidy up her appearance.
She remained disheveled and dirty-faced.
As for her own marriage, Ji Chunhua was actually starting to consider it now.
If someone really took a liking to her, as long as their character wasn’t an issue, Ji Chunhua wouldn’t be opposed to getting married.
Because it was the only way she could quickly escape that den of wolves and tigers.
Of course, this was just a thought, and it wasn’t something she could decide on her own.
Ji Chunhua found a less crowded spot to stand, and before long, she was spotted by Ji Qin.
Ji Qin first ran over with a face full of joy and relief, but upon seeing that her sister hadn’t changed her clothes or tidied herself up, her expression instantly darkened. “Sis, didn’t I tell you to clean yourself up?”
“…This is fine,” Ji Chunhua replied quietly, staring at her toes.
“…Alright then.” Ji Qin decided not to push too hard.
This one had always been gloomy as hell, like a fat rat in a filthy gutter.
It wasn’t something that could change overnight anyway.
Whether Yu Guang would take a fancy to a fat woman wasn’t the point—what mattered was that she had to catch Duan Hu’s eye!
As soon as Ji Qin arrived, countless eyes instantly locked onto her like radar.
Without a doubt, Ji Qin’s looks were among the best in the Ten Villages and Eight Shops, making her the undisputed village belle of Yaohe Village.
Though not exceptionally fair-skinned, her eyes were upturned and alluring, captivating at a glance, and her figure was slender and graceful.
Besides, girls who didn’t do rough work had delicate, smooth hands.
Not like Ji Chunhua, whose hands were covered in glaring pits and scars.
Moreover, Ji Chunhua hadn’t bothered to tidy up at all; her skin was dusty and grimy, making it impossible to tell her true complexion.
At first glance, anyone would think she was just a fat woman—and a sloppy one at that.
“Hello, comrade, you must be Ji Qin.”
Soon, a man with a square, honest face walked over and handed her a piece of grass paper with his personal information written on it.
“I wrote this myself.”
The neat handwriting showed he was educated.
He smiled confidently. “I’ve heard about you before. I hope we can get to know each other.”
Ji Qin was taken aback. Though her only target today was Duan Hu, her vanity got the better of her, and she replied with a cheerful smile, “No problem. I’ll remember your details.”
Seeing how beautiful and straightforward she was, the man grew even more fond of her.
Blushing, he scratched his head, stammered a few “good, good”s, and then walked away.
This scene repeated itself over the next dozen or so minutes.
Meanwhile, Ji Chunhua quietly took a step back, trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible.
At the same time, she clearly noticed the difference in how Ji Qin spoke to others compared to how she spoke to Duan Hu.
With other male comrades, she didn’t refuse them outright, but her tone remained normal—cheerful and straightforward.
Yet when talking to Duan Hu, she put on an act of being willful and sweet.
Her voice practically dripped with honey.
The stepsister duo of Ji Chunhua and Ji Qin drew attention wherever they went. They were quite well-known in the village.
Every time Ji Qin shone brightly, surrounded by admirers, Ji Chunhua inevitably ended up being trampled underfoot.
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before she heard the murmurs from the crowd.
“You know, Ji Qin’s mother really had it rough. This Ji Chunhua is Old Ji’s daughter from his previous woman… but Ji Qin’s mother was Old Ji’s first wife! And she gave him a son and a daughter.”
“Especially Ji Qin—what a beauty she is, just like a movie star.”
“Then look at Ji Chunhua… Oh dear, I can’t even tell if she’s pretty or not. She doesn’t even bother with personal hygiene! So filthy!”