Yu Yao: “…”
This villain was really a block of wood who didn’t understand romance at all!
She might as well have been flirting with a blind man—what a waste of effort.
Seeing the two exchanging glances, Zhao Chunhua grew even more annoyed.
“Bah! You just entered the house and you’re already bragging about ‘your man this, your man that.’ Showing off that you’ve got a man backing you? Shameless!”
Yu Yao looked surprised. “I’m showing off my own man, fair and square. What’s there to be ashamed of?”
Zhao Chunhua was momentarily choked by her righteous tone, but unwilling to lose face, she immediately raised her hand to slap her, intending to establish dominance.
Quick as lightning, Yu Yao darted behind Liang Hui, and the slap went straight toward him instead.
Liang Hui grabbed Zhao Chunhua’s wrist and shoved her.
The next second, Zhao Chunhua let out an earth-shattering wail.
“This is outrageous! The new niece-in-law is instigating her husband to beat his aunt!”
“People of Hukeng Village, come judge this!”
“Oh, I can’t live like this anymore!”
“Split the family! If I keep serving these ungrateful wolves, I’m a fool—this household must split!”
Hao Lizhi returned home with the 2,800 yuan, beaming as he handed it to his wife, Wang Yuelan.
Clutching the thick wad of bills, Wang Yuelan smiled brightly. “Didn’t expect Old Zhang to be so wealthy.”
“Not Old Zhang—it was given by Liang Laosi,” Hao Lizhi corrected.
Wang Yuelan paused mid-count, surprised. “Wasn’t she supposed to be promised to Old Zhang?”
She had heard that Old Zhang once beat a wife to death—he would definitely be able to control Yu Yao.
She deeply detested this willful daughter left behind by her husband’s first wife and had hoped Yu Yao would marry poorly.
Hao Lizhi didn’t care. “Whoever pays more gets her. More money—what’s there to worry about?”
He added, “We’ll cook a couple of extra dishes at noon and have a drink!”
Wang Yuelan frowned. “Getting an extra 800 yuan is good, but if Yu Yao marries into the Liang family, won’t she clash with Xueqing again?”
“No problem!” Hao Lizhi waved his hand. “Xueqing is marrying in with a dowry, while Yu Yao was bought by Liang Laosi. Their statuses aren’t the same.”
Hearing this, Wang Yuelan relaxed and smiled again. “I’ll go prepare some food for drinking.”
Feng Xueqing had been reborn.
In her previous life, everything had gone smoothly for her, and she had a perfect ending—a true winner in life.
Yet on her deathbed, she ignored her gray-haired husband and instead couldn’t stop thinking about Liang Hui, who had died young.
His strikingly handsome face lingered in her mind, leaving her with a trace of regret.
If there were another life, she would definitely treat Liang Hui better.
If she had treated him better, perhaps he wouldn’t have turned dark.
With this obsession, Feng Xueqing was reborn to a time before she married into the Liang family.
“Creak—”
Her mother, Wang Yuelan, pushed the door open and happily shared good news: “Your father has promised Yu Yao to Liang Laosi and got a bride price. He says he’ll prepare a good dowry for you!”
Feng Xueqing, with memories of her previous life, found all this familiar.
But… wait.
“My father promised Yu Yao to… who?”
She must have heard wrong.
“To Liang Laosi,” Wang Yuelan said, curling her lips. “Since he offered more than Old Zhang, that wretched girl got lucky.”
Originally, they had planned to marry Yu Yao off to Old Zhang to grind down her stubborn temper, but unexpectedly she still ended up marrying into the Liang family.
Although Liang Laosi lacked education, he was famously handsome and hardworking—Yu Yao had gotten off easy.
Feng Xueqing was stunned.
In her previous life, Yu Yao had been sold to the old bachelor for 2,000 yuan and lived in the alley in front of the Liang house.
She was beaten almost daily and, driven mad with jealousy at Feng Xueqing and Liang Haifeng’s loving marriage, constantly schemed against her.
But Feng Xueqing had a “lucky koi” constitution—every misfortune bounced back onto Yu Yao.
Her own fortune grew better and better, her marriage sweeter, while Yu Yao’s life became more miserable until she was eventually beaten to death by the old bachelor.
Now that Feng Xueqing had just been reborn, the plot had already deviated drastically, filling her with a sense of panic.
“Why is she marrying Liang Hui?!” Feng Xueqing’s voice suddenly rose. “In the previous life, he never married!”
Wang Yuelan was confused. “What do you mean ‘in the previous life he never married’?”
Feng Xueqing’s thoughts were in chaos. “I can’t explain it in a few words. In short, this marriage must not happen…”
“It already has.” Wang Yuelan took out a paper-wrapped bundle and handed it to her. “Your father said this is for your dowry.”
Feng Xueqing had a “lucky koi” constitution.
Eight years ago, at thirteen, she had given Hao Lizhi a blessing: may everything you wish for come true, may all go smoothly.
After that, his luck really did improve.
First, his robust father-in-law suddenly died, leaving him the butcher shop. Then his wife died as well, and he smoothly brought his new lover home.
That new lover was Wang Yuelan—Feng Xueqing’s biological mother. The two had been secretly involved for a long time.
Hao Lizhi, a live-in son-in-law, was both insecure and arrogant.
He disliked the strong personalities of his wife and daughter.
Wang Yuelan’s docile nature perfectly satisfied his male ego.
With his wishes coming true, those he disliked either died or were sold off. At last, he—the once submissive son-in-law—became the head of the household.
Now proud and satisfied, Hao Lizhi doted on Feng Xueqing, whose words seemed almost magical, far more than on his own biological daughter.
Feng Xueqing opened the paper bundle and counted—exactly eighty ten-yuan bills.
“Only 800 yuan?”
Wang Yuelan’s eyes flickered. “Your younger brother is still small, and there are many expenses at home… actually, 800 yuan is already a lot for a dowry around here.”
Even the village chief’s daughter only received 500 yuan.
After all, once a daughter marries, she belongs to another family.
But Feng Xueqing was not satisfied. “Don’t think I don’t know—my father got 2,000 yuan from selling Yu Yao to Old Zhang. If marrying her to Liang Hui only brings 800, then cancel this marriage and let Yu Yao marry Old Zhang instead.”
In her previous life, she had also only received 800 yuan—but she hadn’t complained.
Because Yu Yao had married the old bachelor and suffered daily torment, while watching Feng Xueqing and Liang Haifeng live in love.
Compared to that, the dowry didn’t matter.
But in this life, for some reason, Yu Yao didn’t marry the old bachelor but Liang Hui instead—Feng Xueqing couldn’t accept this silent loss.
Wang Yuelan didn’t expect her usually gentle daughter to become so calculating, and her face darkened.
“How can you be so selfish? Are you planning to drain your family dry just to get married?”
“Take it or leave it. I only have 800 for you. The rest is saved for your brother to build a house and get married.”
“Instead of picking a fight with me, save your strength for dealing with Yu Yao after you marry into the Liang family.”
“She’s your sister-in-law now!”
Feng Xueqing’s pupils shrank.
She suddenly remembered something extremely important.
The blood jade bracelet left behind by Liang Hui’s mother—that had been her golden finger (cheat) in her previous life.
She couldn’t let Yu Yao get it.
Thinking of this, Feng Xueqing could no longer sit still.
With a “whoosh,” she stood up, leaving only one sentence behind:
“I have to go to the Liang family right now!”
And with that, she ran off without a trace.