……
After leaving the Zhao family’s home, Yu Yin still hadn’t found an opportunity to give Zhao Ping’an the money she’d been hiding.
Every time she tried to bring up the money, that kid Zhao Ping’an seemed to know exactly what she was up to and always managed to change the subject.
Yu Yin knew he was stubborn, but she hadn’t expected him to be this sensitive.
“Ugh, what am I going to do?” Yu Yin kicked a pebble at her feet. “The people from the provincial capital are coming tomorrow to pick up the bride. I’m about to leave—what will that kid Zhao Ping’an do without me?”
“He lives such a rough life—he’ll definitely go hungry without me.”
Yu Yin said this without a shred of shame.
“Ouch!”
“Ow, ow, ow! Who the hell threw a rock at me—”
“Hey, so you’re Brother Ping’an’s older sister.”
“What are you doing here? Have you eaten yet?”
The stone Yu Yin had kicked flew and hit someone, startling her.
Just as she was about to apologize, a familiar yet unfamiliar teenage voice rang out.
Yu Yin looked in the direction of the voice and saw the boy who had helped Old Master Ye yesterday—his name was Ye… what was it again?
“Big Brother Ping’an’s sister, it’s me, Ye Dong. Don’t you remember me?”
Ye Dong immediately dropped his scowling expression and sauntered over, rubbing his shoulders with a carefree air.
Only when he got closer did Yu Yin realize that Ye Dong was even taller than she was—which meant he was taller than Zhao Ping’an.
For such a tall young boy to call her “Big Brother Ping’an’s… sister.”
It was a bit strange.
“Hello, Ye Dong.”
“Big Brother Ping’an’s sister, you can just call me Little Ye or Ah Dong.” He paused, and a flicker of guilt crossed his carefree face. “Big Brother always calls me that.”
It was easy to see through the boy—he was clearly lying.
But come to think of it, Zhao Ping’an hardly ever interacted with the villagers; even if he did, the connections wouldn’t be deep.
It was as if he were trying to… avoid causing trouble for others.
The thought had barely crossed his mind before Ye Dong continued, “Sister, what are you doing here? Did you just come from Big Brother’s house? He hasn’t left the house today—is he okay?”
“Have you finished the bird eggs we collected a couple of days ago? If so, I found a new nest today—I’m sure there’s a whole clutch of eggs in it.”
“So you and Ping’an were the ones who collected the bird eggs?” Yu Yin was a little surprised.
As she looked at Ye Dong—who seemed unusually enthusiastic and proactive, yet also a bit naive and eager to please—a thought flashed through her mind.
“Of course!” Ye Dong puffed out his chest. “Big Brother and I get along great.”
Actually, that wasn’t true. It had always been him who sought out Zhao Ping’an.
Zhao Ping’an had rarely paid him any attention.
But that didn’t matter. Powerful people—especially tough guys who were good at fighting—always had their quirks.
Ye Dong knew this all too well.
“Hehe, I’m serious, sis. I really get along great with Big Brother.”
Yu Yin suddenly raised her hand and patted Ye Dong on the shoulder. “I believe you.”
“Since you and Ping’an get along so well, and I’m about to leave, is there one favor I could ask of you before I go?” Yu Yin said solemnly.
Ye Dong blinked, then immediately adopted a serious expression as well. “Just tell me, sis. As long as it’s for Big Brother’s sake, I’ll do my absolute best.”
Yu Yin raised an eyebrow. This young man didn’t seem so dumb after all.
Yu Yin pulled out a hundred yuan bill she’d prepared long ago from her pocket; this was for Zhao Ping’an before she left.
Zhao Ping’an had always looked after the female supporting character, and he was the one who had made her feel at home since she’d arrived in this world. He was just like the younger brother she’d had back at the orphanage—he was the only one she was worried about before leaving.
“Can I leave this money with you?”
“Then every so often, buy some food for Ping’an. If you can, get him some meat to help him regain his strength.”
She paused. “I know it’s a hassle…”
“It’s no hassle at all—not in the least.” The usually stern Ye Dong immediately broke into a broad smile.
He’d always known that Brother Ping’an was such a good person—how could no one care about him?
This sister was someone who cared about his big brother, and from now on, Yu Yin would be like a real sister to him.
“Sis, don’t worry. I’ll definitely make sure Big Brother gets the nourishment he needs. By the time we meet again, Big Brother will definitely be taller than me.”
Yu Yin: “……”
Young man, do you realize you just unintentionally made a joke about your older brother’s height?
Yu Yin stifled a laugh; the tenderness in her eyes and brows made her look like a camellia swaying in the breeze.
Ye Dong didn’t yet understand romantic feelings between a man and a woman; he simply thought Sister Ping’an looked truly beautiful at that moment—and exceptionally gentle.
Ye Dong’s face flushed slightly, and he scratched his head sheepishly.
“Sis, I won’t let you down. I’ll keep this money with my great-grandfather, and I’ll take it from him when it’s time to help Big Brother Ping’an get back on his feet.”
“I’ll definitely make sure not to lose it.”
Great-grandfather—that was Ye Taigong.
Ye Dong was clearly trying to win Yu Yin’s trust.
Yu Yin felt even more reassured.
She nodded. “I believe you.”
“And thank you.”
“By the way, Ye Dong, will I be able to send you letters once I’m in the provincial capital? You know that if I wrote directly to Ping’an, the villagers would surely…”
“Of course you can, Sister. Whenever I receive a letter, I’ll just say it came from my aunt in the city. Don’t worry—my great-grandfather just told me to look after Brother Ping’an, so he won’t object.”
“Thank you.”
Yu Yin was truly at ease now.
This was the purest kindness she had felt since she’d been transported into the book.
Actually, this era wasn’t so bad after all.
……
“Oh, the ‘capitalist’ young lady is back.”
“Mom—”
“The ‘capitalist’ young lady who swindled our family out of money is back.”
After parting ways with Ye Dong, Yu Yin headed toward the Yu family home. The moment she stepped through the door, she saw Yu Xiaoqiu—her face twisted with such hatred that she looked as if she wanted to kill her—shouting into the inner room.
Before long, a group of people emerged from the inner room.
There was her eldest uncle, Yu Liangcai, and his wife, Wang Zhaonan; her eldest cousin’s wife, Zhu Lan, and her eldest cousin, Yu Dong, whom she’d met once; her cousin Yu Nan, whom she’d never met but had heard was studying away from home; and her second aunt, Yu Xiuxiu—who’d hardly ever come home since her marriage—and her husband, Chen Kun.
It really was a huge family.
Yu Yin quickly pulled her raised foot back.
Not only that, but she also hurriedly backed away, retreating all the way out the courtyard gate.
Her reaction made the faces of those who had been plotting mischief turn grim.
“What are you backing away for? Get in here!” Wang Zhaonan snapped, her eyes flashing with fury.
Her second aunt, Yu Xiuxiu—who had married into another family—also chimed in, feigning concern: “Yin Yin, hurry up and come in. Your uncle and aunt are so good to you. Even though they know you’ve broken their hearts, they still prepared a whole table of food just for you. You really should be grateful. Come on in—it looks ridiculous for the whole family to be waiting for just you to eat.”
Yu Yin felt sick to her stomach and hurriedly took a few steps back.
Her defiance—and the fact that she seemed to be running away even faster—left everyone stunned.
The first to react was Wang Zhaonan’s precious youngest son, Yu Nan, who had been studying away from home.
He had always been the tyrant of the household; everything the family spent on food, drink, and entertainment had to be prioritized for him, and even his own older brother had to give way to him.
Yu Nan had always believed that everything in the family belonged to him, including the money his parents had saved.
But now, all the family’s money had been given to that slut Yu Yin.
Furious upon hearing the news, he returned from the county seat that very day.
“You dare run away? Do you want me to kill you?”
As soon as those words left his mouth, Yu Yin’s body began to tremble uncontrollably.
At the same time, a series of unfamiliar memories flooded her mind—fragments of Yu Nan beating her in the past.
Whenever the female supporting character in his memory disobeyed or failed to meet Yu Nan’s expectations, Yu Nan would kick her, punching and kicking her—every blow landing with a thud. Sometimes he would even beat her with a stick, while the rest of the family stood by as spectators, watching coldly.
These were memories Yu Yin hadn’t initially received, and they weren’t described in the book.
The book only mentioned that the female supporting character had been timid since childhood, lacking her own thoughts. No matter how much Uncle Yu’s family mistreated her, she would forgive them with the self-sacrifice of a saint and devote herself to them.
Looking back now, it was nothing like that at all.
This was fear accumulated over years of beatings—she was powerless to resist.
Although Yu Yin was now in control of this body, as soon as Yu Nan’s furious voice exploded in her ears, or as soon as she saw his angry face, she couldn’t help but tremble and give in.
If she’s like this, what would happen if the female supporting character were here?
Memories of the female supporting character flashed through her mind over and over, along with the book’s descriptions of her cowardice and helplessness after the marriage swap.
An unprecedented rage exploded in her chest. Yu Yin grabbed a stone from the ground and hurled it with all her might.
“Thud.”
The stone struck Yu Nan on the head.
“Ah!”
“You bitch, how dare you hit me?”
“Grab her! I’m going to kill her!”
“Yu Yin, you bitch, how dare you hit my son? I’ll kill you!”
With murderous intent closing in from all sides, Yu Yin finally couldn’t hold back any longer and turned to flee.
At that moment, she felt a murderous intent even deeper than that of anyone in the Yu family; she wanted to kill Yu Nan and destroy the entire Yu family…
But how could she possibly do it alone?
That scum, Yu Nan, was currently a sophomore at Ning’an County High School. Rumor had it he did well in school; last semester, he’d even been named an outstanding student.
For someone who appeared so perfect to the outside world, unless Yu Yin was willing to sacrifice her future and actually kill Yu Nan, otherwise—
“What are you doing hanging around the village entrance for no reason?”
“Those who know you would say you’re desperate to get married; those who don’t would think you’re trying to run away.”
A figure came running hurriedly through the darkness. It was already night, and after fleeing the Yu family, Yu Yin had been hiding here and there before finally arriving at the village entrance.
By then, there were no longer any people chatting at the village entrance; it was so quiet that even the faint rustling of leaves in the breeze could be heard clearly.
“Ping’an?” Yu Yin called out.
The figure drew closer, revealing Zhao Ping’an’s sweat-drenched face. He suppressed his ragged breathing and snapped, “Who else did you think it would be?”
“Come on, let’s go home.” He held out his hand to Yu Yin. “I’ll send you on your way tomorrow.”
Tomorrow was the day the groom’s family was coming from the provincial capital to fetch the bride. If anyone had thought about it deeply, they would have realized that this marriage arrangement from the provincial capital was highly suspicious.
The betrothal gifts and dowry had all been handled through a matchmaker. It was one thing that the groom—being a soldier—hadn’t shown up, but the fact that not even his own mother had come to see her future daughter-in-law was a major problem.
However, no one was digging deeper into it right now, and Yu Yin knew the reason and didn’t mind.
Suddenly, Yu Yin thought of something and grabbed Zhao Ping’an’s hand with her other hand.
She asked excitedly, “Ping’an, if I were to do something bad right now, would you help me?”
Zhao Ping’an: “……”
Wasn’t that a given?
If he hadn’t helped her, would he have searched for her frantically after learning she’d been beaten by the Yu family?
Zhao Ping’an snorted. “Just say it, and I’ll do it.”
“Do you want to beat that bastard Yu Nan to a pulp? Just you wait.” He shook off Yu Yin’s grip.
Yu Yin felt like crying and laughing at the same time. She threw her arms around the struggling Zhao Ping’an and said silently to the female supporting character who had long since vanished: “You see? There’s still one person in this world who cares—who really, really cares—about you.”
“You’re not alone.”
As soon as those words left her mouth, the last trace of gloom still lingering in her heart dissipated.
Yu Yin felt a sense of relief unlike anything she’d ever experienced before. She patted Zhao Ping’an’s stiff back. “Leaving him crippled is too lenient.”
“Let me teach you another truth, Sister: seeking revenge isn’t simply about crippling or killing someone to satisfy your desire for retribution. If you want revenge—if you want to make them wish they were dead—you have to strike at what matters most to them.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m not telling you yet. Isn’t the Yu family in complete chaos right now?”
“It’s not just the Yu family. Aunt Ye heard that the Yu family was going to beat you up and went to tell Grandfather. Now even Grandfather knows about it.”
Yu Yin felt a warm glow inside. She silently apologized once more in her heart, then whispered a few words in Zhao Ping’an’s ear, instructing him on what he needed to do.
“Is that it?”
“Make sure the Yu family keeps Yu Nan from returning to the county seat for now, and help you get some things out of the Yu household to bring to the scene? How is that a ‘bad thing’?”
Zhao Ping’an had thought Yu Yin was planning to take action against that bastard Yu Nan.
“That’s it. I’m heading to the county seat. Once you get the items tomorrow, come meet me there.”
“Now?”
“Now.”
“No way. It’s already dark—what are you going to do in the county seat? Besides, do you have a pass?”
Yu Yin slapped her forehead; she’d almost forgotten about that.
In this era, you needed a pass to travel anywhere; otherwise, you couldn’t go a single step.
“Then I’ll go get one from the village chief.” Yu Yin ran toward the village chief’s house.
Seeing that he couldn’t stop Yu Yin, Zhao Ping’an stomped his feet in frustration, but eventually followed her.
Zhao Ping’an secretly resolved that if the village chief wouldn’t help, he’d call on the favor his great-grandfather had left him.
Who would have thought that as soon as they arrived at the village chief’s house—without even exchanging pleasantries—the village chief’s own mother immediately issued the certificate to Yu Yin.
She even went so far as to give Yu Yin a certificate of household registration transfer.
It was as if heaven itself was on her side.
With her household registration transferred, whether the Yu family lived or died was no longer her concern.
Author’s Note:
None