When the original host was abused by her adoptive brother and sister-in-law, no one in Jian Family Village had stood up for her. Now that Jian Jia had beaten He Xiaohong, those same villagers who once urged the original host to endure in silence were telling He Xiaohong the same thing: quarrels were inevitable within a family, and since she had been at fault first, she should just let it go.
In the end, pain did not hurt unless the knife cut into one’s own flesh. Everyone was merely here for the spectacle.
Watching as the villagers helped the sobbing He Xiaohong away, Jian Jia pressed her lips together and lowered her eyes, concealing the chill in her gaze.
After the onlookers dispersed, she sat beneath the tree and slowly drank from her bamboo tube. Amid the clean fragrance of wheat stalks, she carefully sorted through the plot of the original novel as she remembered it.
In the story, the original host had been arrogant, sharp-tongued, and already married, a love-obsessed village woman. She despised the hunter husband who had rescued her from misery and instead pined obsessively for Xu Lingsheng, the most renowned scholar in the surrounding villages. She clung to him shamelessly, wheedling and pestering, diligently fulfilling her role as the malicious supporting character.
When Jian Jia arrived, however, the original host was still an unmarried maiden and had not yet met the hunter husband. Though her family had suffered misfortune, she was still dreaming of marrying the man she loved.
So how did she end up marrying Hunter Qin Yi?
That had to do with her gambling addiction to an adoptive brother.
After Jian Xiaoqiang was adopted into the Jian family, his standard of living rose sharply. He frequented gambling dens more and more often, placing ever larger bets. Not long ago he lost a large sum of silver. Fearing the gamblers would cripple him, he conceived the idea of marrying the original host off in exchange for bride price money.
In the novel, upon learning this, the original host panicked. Afraid of becoming the concubine of Landlord Zhang and losing any chance of being with the scholar she adored, she packed up her valuables and entrusted them to a trusted sister-in-law in the village to deliver to Xu Lingsheng, hoping that once he received them, he would come to propose.
What she did not know was that Xu Lingsheng’s heart belonged to the beauty of the neighboring village, the novel’s true female protagonist, Liu Siyao. He had no romantic feelings for the original host. In fact, he was already weary of her relentless pursuit and would never come to propose.
After waiting several days in vain, she did not see Xu Lingsheng, but instead saw the broad and burly Hunter Qin Yi from a remote mountain valley twenty li away.
Faced with the choice of either leaving with Qin Yi or becoming the concubine of a landlord past sixty, the original host, filled with resentment yet powerless, chose Qin Yi and thus began her path of darkening and self-destruction.
Jian Jia set down the bamboo tube with a complicated expression and pressed two fingers to her brow. “Ah…”
If it were someone else, they might curse the original host. Yet she now occupied this body. No matter how much she disagreed with the original host’s actions, she could not bring herself to condemn her. Without the original host, she would not have this second life. Since she had come, she would live well, for herself and also do some things on the original host’s behalf.
Over the past two days, she had considered many options. At first she wanted to leave Jian Family Village and seek her fortune elsewhere. But this was an unfamiliar ancient world, with too many things beyond her understanding. Moreover, it was not a kind era for women. Leaving the village and establishing herself alone would be exceedingly difficult.
Yet she truly did not wish to remain in Jian Family Village. She was not the original host, and in front of the latter’s relatives and acquaintances she might reveal inconsistencies. Besides, those so-called relatives were no saints, and with an adoptive brother and sister-in-law she could not drive away, she could never live the life she wanted.
As for Xu Lingsheng, whom the original host had coveted, she had no intention of seeking his help. Though he was the most renowned scholar for miles around and a few words from him could ease her circumstances, the thought of the novel’s plot only made her want to keep her distance from its male and female leads.
Jian Jia was clear-headed. She only wanted an ordinary and happy life, not entanglement in anyone else’s love and grudges.
After much deliberation, leaving Jian Family Village with Hunter Qin seemed a good option.
In the original story, that hunter husband had sold off his property to gather the bride price out of gratitude. From that alone, his character appeared decent. Moreover, he had never forced the original host to do anything she did not wish to do. Faced with her unreasonable behavior, he had chosen tolerance and forbearance.
Compared with the scheming relatives around her, being with someone loyal and respectful would offer far more peace of mind. If Hunter Qin Yi truly appeared as in the novel, she would seize that chance to leave.
Before departing, however, there were matters to settle. Glancing at the drifting clouds overhead, she rose, brushed off her clothes, and walked resolutely toward the end of the village.
Jian Family Village had fifty or sixty households, most related by blood or marriage. Though not wealthy, each family lived in brick-and-tile houses. The household Jian Jia headed toward stood at the village’s end. The original host had called its head Third Uncle.
Though not the clan head, Third Uncle held influence in the village. When the clan head had proposed adopting a male heir into the Jian family, Third Uncle had also wished to have his unmarried youngest son adopted. Unfortunately, compared with the clan head’s cunning, he had fallen one step short. Though peace was maintained on the surface afterward, the rift had only deepened.
Her adoptive brother and sister-in-law relied on the clan head’s backing to sell her. How could she let them remain comfortable?
Soon she reached Third Uncle’s spacious tiled house. Wheat grains were spread out to dry in the yard, and several of his young grandsons watched over them.
Seeing Jian Jia, the chubby boys barely lifted their heads. The original host had never liked interacting with children, so their indifference was natural. Jian Jia had not come to cultivate rapport either. She stood still and called out, “Is Third Uncle at home?”
The boys exchanged glances. The eldest reluctantly rose and walked toward the courtyard gate. “Grandfather, Aunt Jia Jia is here.”
A figure moved within. Third Uncle’s slightly hoarse voice sounded. “Jia’er, what brings you here? Come in and sit.”
Jian Jia did not bother with pleasantries. “Third Uncle, I don’t want the wheat from my fields anymore. Please have someone harvest it later.”
As soon as she spoke, Third Uncle emerged. Lean and dark-skinned, he sized her up skeptically. “What?”
She repeated, “The wheat in my fields is yours.”
Having lived so long, he did not believe in windfalls. He knew each family’s situation well. Though reluctant to meddle, the yield from her few mu of land was indeed good. After a moment’s thought, he packed his tobacco, took a couple of draws, exhaled pale smoke, and said evenly, “If there’s something to say, speak plainly.”
Jian Jia appreciated dealing with such people. Lowering her voice, she said quickly, “My adoptive brother and sister-in-law have sold me. It will likely happen within days. I want to take my dowry with me.”
In the original story, they had not only withheld the hunter’s bride price but also kept the original host’s dowry. She had been pushed out the door with nothing but a few everyday outfits.
Jian Jia wished she could slap those vile relatives in the face and reclaim everything. But she knew her limits. She could not take several mu of wheat with her. Exchanging them for her dowry was already a fair outcome.
Third Uncle fell silent, gripping his pipe. Third Aunt, more temperamental and already displeased with the clan head over the adoption matter, slapped her thigh. “I knew that Granny Qian was sneaking around the estate the other day. So that’s it! Those beasts!”
What good match could Jian Xiaoqiang find? Whoever offered the highest bride price would take her.
Seeing his wife about to continue shouting, Third Uncle raised a hand to stop her and nodded slowly. “All right!”
Only then did Jian Jia exhale in relief. “Thank you, Third Uncle.”
Perhaps it was the generous wheat or her resolute bearing, but after a few more puffs, Third Uncle’s eyes shifted with complicated emotion. “I won’t let you leave the village without a word.”
As he watched her departing figure, he sighed. “Second Brother, I have wronged you…”
By generation, Jian Zhishan, Jian Jia’s father, had been his second brother. Jian Zhishan had lived a life of benevolence. If he knew that after his death the kin he had protected not only failed to help his daughter but had taken advantage of her, what would he think?
But such was the world. Before profit, what was kinship and righteousness?
With many hands working together, Third Uncle’s family harvested all the remaining wheat in a single afternoon. After nightfall, they would haul it home.
Imagining her adoptive brother and sister-in-law’s twisted expressions when they discovered this, Jian Jia felt a flicker of satisfaction. Yet when she returned home and saw Jian Xiaoqiang’s dark expression, her smile vanished.
Thin and slouching in oversized clothes, neck craned forward, he resembled a dressed-up wild monkey. After obtaining the Jian family’s deeds, he had funds to gamble again and was rarely home except to eat and sleep.
At the sight of his accusatory stance, Jian Jia knew what was coming. Tired and thirsty, she only wanted water, so she stepped around him toward the kitchen.
Though she had never dared to openly defy him before, today she had beaten He Xiaohong and now ignored him. How intolerable. Jian Xiaoqiang’s eyes bulged as his ducklike voice rang out, “Stop. You disrespectful wretch, who said you could leave?”
He Xiaohong staggered out, her face swollen and mottled with bruises. Beneath her puffy lids, bloodshot eyes glared venomously at Jian Jia. With Jian Xiaoqiang home, her backbone had returned. Clutching his arm, she embellished tearfully, “Husband, look at her. She beat me earlier, and now she pretends not to see you…”
Jian Xiaoqiang glanced at her, irritation flashing in his eyes. She was his woman. Jian Jia beating her publicly was the same as slapping his face.
His expression darkened further. “An elder sister-in-law is like a mother. You dared strike her in public. Do you even acknowledge me as your elder brother? After all the effort we put into arranging a good marriage for you, is this how you repay us?”