That night, a second book appeared inside Zhou Qingling’s storage space. It was titled “The Counterattack Life of a Country-Bumpkin Sweet Wife”. The female lead was none other than the original owner’s second elder sister, Zhou Qingcha.
It described how the female lead grew up in a rural household that favored sons over daughters, and how she relied on her intelligence and beauty to attract her husband.
After marriage, she studied embroidery and learned how to manage shops day after day. Through perseverance and wisdom, she earned her in-laws’ approval. Throughout various conflicts and difficulties, she resolved every crisis with cleverness and resourcefulness, eventually living a complete and happy life.
However, there was a small flaw—an only regret in the female lead’s life.
That was the fact that she never had children of her own.
In the third year of marriage, she brought her younger sister into the household as a second wife. The two sisters served the same husband together, becoming a well-known story in the town.
A year later, the younger sister gave birth to a baby boy. The female lead took care of everything, personally attending to her sister during confinement and nursing her with meticulous care.
Who would have known that half a year later, her younger sister suddenly fell seriously ill and was reported to have died.
After that, the plot never mentioned her again. She only appeared once in the female lead’s old-age memories, accompanied by a single sigh: “My younger sister was not blessed.”
“I…”
Damn it, she wanted to kill someone. She truly wanted the kind of violence where a white blade goes in and a red blade comes out. She didn’t even know what to say anymore—her face twitched in rage as she took a deep, heavy breath.
Breathe in, breathe out—calm the heart. She forced herself to think carefully about her own storyline in the book.
Honestly, she felt quite fortunate. At least she had the advantage of knowing the plot in advance. Otherwise, she would have died without even knowing how she died.
Just like the original owner in the book—she provided a child, never enjoyed even a single day of comfort, and then simply disappeared from existence. So she was just a tool? And a tool with no good ending at that.
Looking at the female lead’s mind, it was impossible not to admit she was formidable. At first, the original owner in the book had also been unwilling to marry as a concubine, but under her elder sister’s painted promises, she step by step fell into what seemed like a sweet marriage—when in reality, it was a bottomless abyss.
The female lead gained both reputation and solved her own problems.
The original owner had only one mind, while the female lead had eight hundred; and all of them were sharp. Meanwhile, the original owner’s only “mind” was empty.
Now that it was her turn, all those ghosts and schemes could go to hell.
She would never become anyone’s tool. Trying to step over her corpse to rise in status? Spit. Dream on.
She re-read everything related to her role in the book in order to plan her future path.
After finishing, the book inside the storage space disappeared.
June was the season of the monsoon rains. For many consecutive days, the sun had not shown its face.
Washed clothes refused to dry and began to stink within two or three days, forcing them to be washed again.
The air was damp and heavy; even people felt as if they were about to mold.
Zhou Qingling finally understood why there was a song that went: “The sun has come out, oh, Joyful Sheep.”
She used to wonder what was so happy about the sun coming out. Now she finally understood—it was truly something worth being happy about.
After noon, the atmospheric pressure became frighteningly low. Thick black clouds churned overhead, signaling an approaching storm. The already hot air carried a faint chill.
Households in the village shut their doors, preparing for the heavy rain.
Zhou Qingling was lying on a wooden bed preparing to take a nap when she suddenly heard the sound of ice striking the ground and rooftops, mixed with the howling wind outside.
She immediately put on her shoes and opened the door slightly. A cold gust rushed in, making her shiver uncontrollably.
Ice the size of wild chicken eggs fell from the sky, smashing into the ground and instantly leaving small pits in the soil.
If it hit a person, it would surely leave a large bruise, she thought.
She quickly closed the door. The wind rattled the leaves outside. There was no time to worry about anything else—the only concern now was whether the broken kitchen hut could withstand the hail.
Even though she had the storage space as a cheat and would not be buried or injured, it would still be absurd if she emerged completely unharmed and unscathed after the house collapsed.
More importantly, one should never underestimate human ingenuity. She could already hear something snapping.
She quickly grabbed a washbasin and placed it over her head. She then packed the nearly empty salt jar and a small amount of lard into a clay jar—the most valuable items in the kitchen.
All her truly valuable belongings were already inside the storage space. She could not take care of anything else now; the priority was survival.
She opened the door and ran straight toward Father Zhou and Mother Zhou’s room.
In that short distance, she felt the pain of hail striking her body. With one hand holding the basin on her head and the other protecting the clay jar against her chest, she hurried forward.
When Mother Zhou heard the noise, she quickly opened the door. After Zhou Qingling entered, she finally felt as if she had escaped disaster. Her clothes were soaked halfway through.
Mother Zhou looked at her miserable appearance, then at the things in her arms, and showed a satisfied expression.
Zhou Qingling, seeing her expression, immediately understood that her actions were in line with Mother Zhou’s expectations.
Mother Zhou took the items. She had to admit that although the third daughter was not as beautiful as the second, she never caused trouble for the family. She was hardworking and responsible—just like her.
She handed her a set of clean clothes.
Just as Zhou Qingling finished changing, there was a loud “boom”—the kitchen hut collapsed.
Through the door crack, Mother Zhou exclaimed: “Child’s father, the kitchen has collapsed!”
Her heart ached deeply. All the grain was locked in Father Zhou and Mother Zhou’s room. The kitchen was now left with only pots and utensils.
But the iron pot on the stove was expensive—one pot cost 150 copper coins!
She could not help but feel relieved that the third daughter had managed to bring out the oil and salt in time.
Zhou Qingling: “……”
You really are my biological mother.
The eldest son’s family naturally heard the commotion as well. Lin Guihua, holding her belly, said: “Luckily the third sister ran out in time, otherwise she would have been buried alive.”
Zhou Guanghai nodded in agreement. The third sister truly had a strong life.
The hail continued for a while before finally stopping. If it had not stopped, even Father Zhou and Mother Zhou’s room would not have been safe, as two leaks had already formed. Mother Zhou quickly placed basins to catch the water.
But the rain continued without pause.