Something big had happened in Jiangjiazhuang. It had not even been a month since Old Man Jiang passed away, when Old Lady Wu suddenly switched the childhood marriage arrangement that originally belonged to the second branch’s Jiang Xiaoyu and gave it to the eldest branch’s Baozhu instead.
Why such obvious favoritism?
The second branch only had one granddaughter, Jiang Xiaoyu. But the eldest branch had two granddaughters, Jiang Xiuzhen and Jiang Baozhu, and also two grandsons, Dazhu and Erzhu.
Old Lady Wu was thinking long term. If her precious granddaughter married well, she could later help support her beloved grandsons. On top of that, Jiang Baozhu and Jiang Xiaoyu’s arranged childhood engagement had already been going smoothly. Old Lady Wu was more than happy to switch things around.
Not only that, she even planned to marry Jiang Xiaoyu off to a widowed man who had lost his wife and was raising three children alone.
A perfectly beautiful eighteen-year-old girl, forced to become a stepmother.
Why?
Because the other party was willing to pay eighty-eight yuan in bride price.
In 1958, eighty-eight yuan was a huge sum. Rice cost one mao three per jin, millet only seven fen. That amount of money could buy enough grain to feed a family for more than half a year.
He Xiulian could not bear to send her daughter off to become someone’s stepmother. But with such a strong and biased mother-in-law, she had no say. She could only beg again and again.
“Mom, Xiaoyu is also your granddaughter. You say you favor sons over daughters, yet you dote on her cousin. Our Xiaoyu is just as beautiful. How can you bear to send her to be someone’s stepmother?”
Old Lady Wu snorted coldly.
“Why should she compare to Baozhu? Baozhu was born with fortune-telling saying she would bring great wealth to the family. What about your Xiaoyu? Even before she was born, she caused a pig to die at home. She’s a jinx. If she becomes a stepmother, no one will despise her. Hurry up and send her away before she drags down the family’s luck.”
Jiang Baomin’s eyes were red with anger.
He had known since childhood that his mother favored his elder brother. After marriage, nothing changed. Later, when the elder brother’s family had two daughters and two sons, he became even more unwanted. Yet the strange thing was, she still doted on the eldest granddaughter.
Just a month ago, before his father died, he finally learned the truth. He was not his mother’s biological son at all. He was actually the child of his father’s younger sister who had given birth out of wedlock. His father had taken him in, but his mother had always hated him for “eating the family’s rice” and made him work like a cow and horse.
But after so many years, hadn’t that already been repaid?
“If that’s how it is,” Jiang Baomin said coldly, “then let’s split the family. Xiulian and I will take Xiaoyu and move out. That way, whenever anything happens, you won’t blame it on Xiaoyu again.”
Split the family?
Old Lady Wu immediately panicked. The second branch worked like oxen in the fields. If they left, who would do the labor?
“No splitting while I’m alive! Your father may be gone, but I’m still here. You’re not going anywhere!”
Jiang Baomin did not back down this time. Supporting He Xiulian, he suddenly spoke up.
“Xiulian is three months pregnant.”
Everyone froze.
He continued calmly, “Old Doctor Wang just checked her pulse. She’s almost forty now. This pregnancy means she cannot do any heavy work. If you refuse to split the family, then I’ll stay home and take care of her. Let the eldest brother’s family support us.”
“How can that be!” Old Lady Wu immediately shouted. “Why should your sister-in-law and brother-in-law support you?”
“Why not?” Jiang Baomin’s voice turned sharp. “Sister-in-law has been through four pregnancies. She never worked from conception until the child was weaned. Why can’t Xiulian? If you don’t agree, let’s go to the commune secretary and reason it out!”
The eldest brother’s couple quickly exchanged looks with Old Lady Wu.
In the end, they compromised.
“Mom, the second sister-in-law is in poor health anyway. If she can’t work, that’s another mouth to feed. It’s better to split them off. But if you’re unwilling, we can set a condition: they must agree to Xiaoyu’s marriage first. Once the bride price is collected, then we split.”
Old Lady Wu hesitated.
But thinking it over, the second branch would not earn eighty-eight yuan in who knows how long. And with two adults and one child eating without contributing much labor, it might balance out.
“Fine,” she finally said. “We’ll split, but only after Xiaoyu agrees to the marriage. Otherwise, no splitting!”
“No,” Jiang Baomin refused firmly. “We can take less in the split, but Xiaoyu will not become a stepmother.”
At that moment, Jiang Xiaoyu woke up.
She had been a kindergarten teacher in her previous life. With fewer children now, competition among teachers was fierce, and workplace pressure was heavy. Parents were difficult, and the boss squeezed them constantly.
Eventually, she collapsed from exhaustion.
At the last moment, she felt unwillingness, but also relief. A lifetime of being overworked like a laboring mule ended just like that.
Her only regret was that she had not spent all her money, and her unpaid bonus was still stuck with her boss. Before dying, she even “visited” him in a dream and forced him to donate the money to a fatherless child in her class.
She had been an orphan herself, so she had nothing left to cling to.
When she opened her eyes again, she had transmigrated into the 1950s into a girl with the same name.
This was a world inside a novel. The original owner had already passed away, leaving the body for her. That made things easier emotionally.
Since she was here, she would live well.
Although it was a fictional world, its history matched exactly what she had learned. It was 1958 now. Going to the city for rationed grain was far better than what was coming in the countryside collectivization era.
Taking care of children?
She used to handle a class of over twenty kids. Each one was a precious little boss. You could not even raise your voice without complaints from parents. Compared to that, raising three children in this era should be easy.
The more she thought about it, the better the situation looked. At least she had not transmigrated into the Warring States period.
Now she even had a “job opportunity”: marry a man and become a stepmother. As long as she negotiated salary with Mu Chengfeng like an employer, it was basically a job.
So Jiang Xiaoyu got up at once, took off the damp towel from her forehead, and walked out.
“Dad, Mom, I agree to the marriage. But the family must be split. Otherwise, I’ll just stay unmarried. Let Dazhu and Erzhu support me in the future.”
…
Jiang Xiaoyu agreeing to marry made Old Lady Wu curl her lips in satisfaction. At least the eighty-eight yuan bride price was secured.
The eldest branch also relaxed. Even though Old Lady Wu did not favor Jiang Xiaoyu, she was the most troublesome one in the family. If she did not get her share of eggs, the next day there would be none left in the coop.
They could not hit her either. And if anyone dared to touch her, the second branch would turn the house upside down.
Now that she was willing to marry, it was a good outcome.
He Xiulian still could not accept it. Her beautiful daughter, why must she marry a man nearly thirty years old and become a stepmother to three children?
“I’d rather not split the family than let you suffer like that,” she said softly. “A non-biological child, no matter how well you raise them, won’t be grateful.”
But Jiang Xiaoyu did not think so.
In her world, she had seen everything online. Biological children could be unreliable too. In the end, everyone depended on themselves.
Becoming a stepmother was just a job. She would raise the children until adulthood, nothing more. No emotional expectations, no old-age support. That was perfect.
“Mom, I really am willing,” she said seriously. “Marriage is just about food and clothes. I heard he’s a military doctor with a good salary. Farming depends on the weather, and in bad years people starve. Following him at least I won’t go hungry or freeze.”
He Xiulian fell silent.
A woman’s marriage was like reincarnation. If the family was bad and the husband unkind, life would be like suffering under a dim lamp for a lifetime.
Jiang Baomin sighed too. He knew too well how hard Xiulian’s life had been.
But Jiang Xiaoyu was only eighteen. What did she understand? What if she regretted it later?
“I’m afraid Mu Chengfeng may not even like you,” he said.
Jiang Xiaoyu did not care whether Mu Chengfeng liked her.
To her, he was just an employer. As long as he paid on time, she would do her job as a stepmother properly.
Old Lady Wu, however, had her own calculations.
That granddaughter of hers who studied in the county had already gone to nursing school and married well. Her mother-in-law was also a stepmother, and she had once been at odds with Mu Chengfeng’s previous wife.
That woman had been strong and capable, suppressing the stepmother and the entire in-law family.
Now they wanted a new wife for Mu Chengfeng, preferably young and fiery, someone who would clash with the children and make the household unstable.
If it became unbearable and they divorced again, Mu Chengfeng would struggle to remarry. Then the children would naturally be controlled.
Jiang Xiaoyu was perfect for this role.
No brothers to support her, parents were honest farmers, no backing at all. She was also a bit sharp-tongued.
If she later divorced and returned home, she would be less valuable. She could be married off again for another bride price.
A perfect pawn.
Old Lady Wu immediately agreed.
“If you’re willing, then we’ll split the family. But you must meet him first. If he doesn’t agree, then this marriage is off. I’ll ask your cousin to arrange a meeting.”
Jiang Xiaoyu immediately stopped her.
Mu Chengfeng was a military doctor with good conditions. If he heard she was only eighteen and the younger cousin of his prospective sister-in-law, he might not even bother to meet her.
“Don’t call him,” she said. “Give me money. I’ll go there myself.”
Old Lady Wu worried she would run away and refused.
Jiang Xiaoyu simply said, “If you don’t give it, I won’t marry.”
That immediately silenced Old Lady Wu.
In the end, she reluctantly pulled out a handkerchief wrapped in layers and handed over the money.
Jiang Xiaoyu snatched it at once. Her eyesight from working with children made her sharp. At a glance, she knew it was only a little over ten yuan.
“You said five or six yuan for travel. Why bring so much?”
“Better safe than sorry,” she replied calmly. “Do you expect me to sleep in the open or stay at my cousin’s house? I’m a pretty girl. Are you comfortable with me staying under the same roof as her husband?”
The elders immediately panicked.
“Just give it to her,” the eldest brother and sister-in-law quickly said. “The bride price will cover it later.”
Bride price?
Why should they enjoy her money?
Without arguing further, Jiang Xiaoyu turned and handed two yuan to He Xiulian.
“Mom, keep this for emergencies.”
He Xiulian refused immediately. “Didn’t you just say you need money for travel?”
“It’s enough,” Jiang Xiaoyu said. “If it’s not enough, I’ll ask Mu Chengfeng for it later.”
Jiang Baomin sighed. “What if you don’t succeed? You won’t even have money to come back.”
Jiang Xiaoyu treated this like an interview.
With such a clear job target, how could she fail?
“Don’t worry, Dad,” she smiled. “I’m this pretty. How could Mu Chengfeng refuse me?”