Wen Ye walked at the front.
Her face was tightly set.
Since she had gotten involved in this matter, there was no way she could just slack off and follow the original plot anymore.
Forget it. With her bad temper, she couldn’t tolerate swallowing this anger anyway—it would be too suffocating.
Whatever the outcome, she would enjoy herself first.
Being a village girl? So be it.
Better than waking up one day to find several gaunt, starving children clinging to her, crying “Mother, mother,” or suddenly becoming an effortless mother or old woman overnight.
After Wen Ye and the others left Old Madam Wen’s room, a little boy rushed toward them like a cannonball.
“Father! Mother!”
This was Wen Ye’s cheap younger brother, Wen Chuizi, nicknamed Yuanbao. He was only eight years old this year.
He had gone up the mountain early that morning to collect firewood and had just returned.
“Second sister… don’t go to jail… wuwu…” Wen Chuizi hugged Wen Ye tightly. He had heard all the village gossip on the way back.
They said his eldest sister was going to marry an old man, and his second sister had chopped Grandma and might go to jail—he was scared out of his wits and cried loudly.
Wen Ye looked at him and sighed slightly.
“Don’t worry. That old woman is tough as nails. I’m not going to jail.”
Only then did Wen Chuizi nod through tears.
The group returned to their low, cramped thatched hut in the third branch.
Although the immediate crisis had been resolved, the five of them still sat inside the house with heavy hearts.
Madam Lin, Wen Laosan, and Wen Lan were all extremely frightened. They had ruined the marriage arrangement and injured Old Madam Wen—afterward, she would surely come to settle accounts with them.
Wen Ye knew what they were thinking, but she had no time to cater to their emotions.
She had no real ties to them to begin with. Transmigration was not her choice.
Even occupying this body, she could not instantly love them.
But since she had decided to take responsibility for this messy family, she would try to shoulder the duties of a daughter and sister.
She would provide support where needed and help where possible—but emotional reassurance? That she truly could not offer right now.
Wen Ye said, “No matter what, we must find a way. We absolutely have to split the family.”
“R-really?” Madam Lin was shocked. She had thought Wen Ye was just speaking in anger earlier.
Wen Laosan frowned. “Splitting the family… that’s too serious…”
Wen Ye glared at him. “So selling my sister wasn’t serious?”
Wen Laosan immediately fell silent.
Wen Lan’s eyes flickered with hope, but she said softly, “But… Grandmother won’t agree.”
“I don’t care whether she agrees or not,” Wen Ye said.
Since she had decided to live here, she would create the best possible living conditions.
They would split whether they agreed or not.
“But… how can we split the family?” Wen Lan asked worriedly.
“That’s simple. Eat when you want, sleep when you want, and just don’t work! Who can’t be lazy?” Wen Ye said.
Madam Lin was stunned. “If we don’t work, your grandmother will beat us to death.”
“Let her try. If she hits us, we hit back,” Wen Ye replied.
“No, no!” Madam Lin panicked. How could she hit her mother-in-law…
Wen Ye said impatiently, “Why is it okay for them to hit you, but not okay for you to hit them?”
“Because…” Madam Lin struggled to find an answer. She had already been conditioned into submission, and only felt fear. “People will call me unfilial…”
“Does your grandmother care if people call her cruel and unkind? Does your aunt care if people call her lazy? Does your uncle care if people say he shamelessly sold his niece? They’ve already thrown away their dignity—why are you still clinging to yours?”
Madam Lin, Wen Laosan, and Wen Lan were all left speechless. It actually sounded… somewhat reasonable.
“Or do you want them to sell your eldest sister again tomorrow? And then me and the little one after that?”
“No! No one is allowed to sell my children!” Madam Lin suddenly erupted with emotion.
Wen Laosan’s mind was also in chaos, but the thought of his children being sold was absolutely unacceptable.
“Then what are we waiting for? Stand up! Those who refuse to be slaves!” Wen Ye said, slapping the table.
“Wow, second sister… that line is strange, but why do I feel so excited?” Wen Chuizi clenched his fists.
“Haha, I didn’t expect the first one to awaken would be my little brother,” Wen Ye said, patting his head.
Madam Lin, Wen Laosan, and Wen Lan all looked at Wen Ye with shining eyes. They also felt something burning inside them.
“Alright, it’s decided. Whoever ruins my plans, I’ll chop them,” Wen Ye said, slamming the firewood knife onto the table.
Everyone jumped in fright, almost crying.
Five days ago, this girl had almost drowned in the river. After waking up, she had been silent and distant. They thought she had gone foolish from the water.
But now she was talking—and it turned out she wasn’t foolish at all.
She was insane.
Madam Lin looked at Wen Ye worriedly. Maybe she should take her to a doctor… or a shaman?
Wen Ye suddenly said, “By the way, why does that old witch hate our third branch so much?”
Wen Lan quickly covered her mouth and glanced at Wen Laosan.
Wen Laosan sighed bitterly. “It’s my fault… I was born unlucky.”
Wen Lan whispered the reason to Wen Ye.
It was said that when Wen Laosan was born, Old Madam Wen took her three sons to a fortune teller. The eldest and second were said to be wealthy fates; the third was said to be a pauper’s fate.
From then on, she disliked Wen Laosan.
The eldest was called Wen Duocai (“More Wealth”), the second Wen Duoliang (“More Grain”), while the third was named Wen Duoshi (“More Stones”).
The best food was given to the first two branches; the third only got leftovers.
After they married and formed their own families, the third branch naturally became the household’s labor and the one exploited the most.
The eldest grandson was Wen Chengwen, the second Wen Chengwu, while the third branch’s child was called… Chuizi.
Wen Ye’s mouth twitched. “So… why is the little one called Chuizi?”
Wen Lan: Is that the point?!
Wen Chuizi immediately raised his hand. “I know! I know!”
Wen Ye: “Go on.”
“When I was born, Grandma stepped on a hammer on the ground and fell hard. Just then my father ran out shouting, ‘I’ve got a son! I’ve got a son! Mother, what should we name him?’
Grandma yelled, ‘Name? Name what name—just call him Chuizi!’ So I became Wen Chuizi. Uncle Wang next door told me that. Father, is that true?”
He looked full of curiosity.
Wen Laosan looked ashamed and said nothing. It was indeed true.
Whether Wen Chengwen or Wen Chengwu, their names were chosen by fortune tellers. Only his son was casually named after a hammer.
Madam Lin felt heartbroken. That was why she never liked the name Chuizi and always called him Yuanbao instead.
As they were talking, Madam Luo’s shouting came from outside.
“Are you all dead inside?! Mother is lying in bed because of you, and you’re still useless? Hurry up and cook dinner!”
Madam Lin panicked instinctively and was about to go out, but Wen Ye stepped in front of her and strode outside, opening the door with a bang.
“We’re not dead—but you definitely should be!”
“Since my mother married into this family, you and Second Aunt have never cooked a single meal. My mother has cooked for sixteen years—now she will rest for sixteen years! From now on, cooking is your job!”
“You—!” Madam Luo was furious. “What nonsense! When have I ever been lazy?”
“Did you cook yesterday?”
Madam Luo choked.
“Did you cook the day before? The day before that?”
None of them were her! Madam Luo was completely speechless.
“If you didn’t cook, then it’s your turn now. Get back in there and cook!” Wen Ye said, hands on hips, domineering.
Madam Luo was furious but also frightened, remembering Wen Ye’s violent behavior earlier.
This girl was someone who even dared to attack her own grandmother—she was clearly unhinged.
Better not provoke her for now, or she might really get slashed again.