Jiang Yan heard every word of their conversation.
At last, she understood why she was the one who had ended up marrying Huo Zhanting.
So Jiang Meng had been reborn!
But then why was she so determined to marry Lu Zekai?
Because his father was a shameless old lecher? Because his mother was a sharp-tongued, vicious old hag? Or because she wanted to wait for him to rise through the ranks and get rich before he poisoned his long-suffering wife?
Oh, right. By the time Jiang Yan was poisoned to death, Jiang Meng had already been beaten to death by her second husband a year earlier, so she didn’t know about any of that.
Since Jiang Meng wanted to marry him so badly, then let her.
Jiang Yan certainly wasn’t going to marry Lu Zekai.
As for Huo Zhanting, he died young, and the novel hadn’t said much about him. But just the fact that marrying him would let her become a mother without going through pregnancy, give her money and a house, and spare her from having to fulfill her marital duties…
Most importantly, he would die in battle as a regiment commander. His death compensation would be a hefty sum, and as the widow of a fallen martyr, she wouldn’t have to worry about anyone bullying her!
Yeah. This could work!
As for his two troublesome brats—could they possibly be worse than the wolf cubs she’d dealt with in the apocalypse? A few good beatings would straighten them out.
Besides, identity checks were strict in this era. You needed an official letter of introduction just to go anywhere.
Not a single person in the entire Jiang family genuinely cared about the original Jiang Yan. If she stayed here, she’d only be waiting to be sold off.
The more Jiang Yan thought about it, the more she felt that marrying Huo Zhanting wasn’t such a bad deal.
Still, although she’d made up her mind, as the old saying went, it was easy to invite a god in but hard to send one away. She wasn’t going to let them get rid of her that easily!
Jiang Yan leaned comfortably against the bed, leisurely contemplating her new life.
After dinner.
Lin Shujuan brought Jiang Yan the household registration booklet, the letter of introduction, and a train ticket. “Your father has already sent your information to the army so you and Huo Zhanting can get your marriage certificate. And I’ve bought your train ticket too!”
One had to admit, Jiang Meng’s promise of a rosy future was incredibly tempting. Lin Shujuan had really gotten things done quickly.
Jiang Yan didn’t take the documents. She merely looked lazily at Lin Shujuan.
“Huo Zhanting gave a thousand yuan as the bride price, right? Even though you never raised me, we’re mother and daughter, after all. I won’t ask for much of a dowry. Just give me that thousand yuan, and I’ll marry him!”
Lin Shujuan immediately shrieked like a goose. “You little brat! You dare ask for a thousand yuan as your dowry? Why don’t you just go rob someone? You plague-bringing jinx! You damn curse!”
“No. Not a single cent!”
Jiang Yan’s expression turned cold. “I want a thousand. Not a cent less. Otherwise… you can have Jiang Meng marry Huo Zhanting!”
“Then keep starving!” Lin Shujuan snarled. “Starve until you’re willing to marry!”
If she didn’t need this wretched girl to marry in Jiang Meng’s place, she would have starved her to death already!
Jiang Yan wasn’t threatened in the slightest. She smiled meaningfully.
“I’ll wait until you’re begging me to take the money!”
Lin Shujuan was furious enough to feel it in her liver. “I’d have to be insane to beg you to take money! You little brat! How come you weren’t starved to death before? What a heartless, ungrateful wretch!”
Fuming, Lin Shujuan stormed away and even locked Jiang Yan’s shabby little room from the outside.
Jiang Meng had been waiting nearby. Seeing Lin Shujuan emerge in a rage, she couldn’t help asking worriedly, “Mom, what happened? Did Yan Yan upset you?”
“Upset me? She did far more than that!” The mere mention of Jiang Yan made Lin Shujuan furious. “Do you know what that little brat said? She actually demanded a thousand yuan for her dowry! Ugh! She’s nothing but some wild girl, a money-losing burden. Does she even deserve a dowry?”
Jiang Meng also thought Jiang Yan didn’t deserve one. She didn’t deserve to have a dowry at all.
“But Mom, if you don’t give her a dowry, what if Yan Yan refuses to marry?” Jiang Meng asked, pretending to be worried.
“Hmph. She doesn’t get a choice!” Lin Shujuan said viciously.
……
The next morning at breakfast.
Lin Shujuan deliberately didn’t call Jiang Yan to eat, hoping to teach her a lesson and make her face reality.
But just as they sat down and began eating, Jiang Yan suddenly yanked open the door of the storage room with enough force to make it bang.
With her hair sticking up like a bird’s nest, she climbed out of bed and walked into the living room.
“Oh, you’re having breakfast? Well, don’t mind if I do!”
The moment she finished speaking, Jiang Yan shot forward like a gust of wind. She grabbed the steamed buns and pickled vegetables from the table, along with the hot soy milk and fried dough sticks, and rushed straight into Jiang Meng’s bedroom.
Jiang Meng’s bedroom had a lock.
Door shut. Lock turned.
The entire sequence was completed in one smooth motion!
Lin Shujuan finally realized what had happened. She rushed after Jiang Yan and nearly slammed straight into the door.
“Bang, bang, bang…” She pounded on the door while cursing, “You filthy bumpkin who eats like a pig! Give those steamed buns back to me! Hey! Bring them out! Did you hear me?!”
Jiang Yan treated her like a wild boar squealing in the woods and ignored her completely, focusing wholeheartedly on eating.
Lin Shujuan had prepared three large white steamed buns, three big fried dough sticks, and a large basin of soy milk. Jiang Yan lifted the basin and took a huge gulp.
Sweet.
Lin Shujuan must have added sugar!
In the 1970s, sugar was an incredibly precious commodity.
It was just as precious in the apocalypse.
During her twenty years in the apocalypse, Jiang Yan had only eaten sugar once. She smacked her lips now, savoring the sweetness lingering in her mouth.
Mmm. It was even sweeter than she remembered.
Jiang Yan wolfed down the steamed buns and fried dough sticks, gulping down the soy milk.
Only after stuffing the last piece of pickled radish into her mouth did she finally feel satisfied.
Outside the door, Lin Shujuan’s cursing continued, joined by Jiang Meng and Jiang Jianguo. Their pounding made the door shake with loud thuds.
Fortunately, the door to Jiang Meng’s bedroom had been made from good-quality lumber that Jiang Jianguo had stolen from the lumber mill. It was extremely sturdy. Otherwise, they would have beaten it to pieces by now.
Jiang Yan glanced at the solid bedroom door, picked up the empty plates, and walked over.
Then she suddenly opened the door.
Lin Shujuan, who had been pounding on it, suddenly found nothing beneath her hands and stumbled forward.
Jiang Yan quickly raised a hand and pressed down on Lin Shujuan’s head, stopping her from crashing into her.
“Off you go!”
With one push, Jiang Yan sent Lin Shujuan staggering several feet away. She then casually shoved the empty plates and bowl into Jiang Meng’s arms.
“I’m living in this room from now on!”
It wasn’t a request. It was a notification.
“You’re both biological daughters of the family. You’ve enjoyed nineteen years of the good life, so it’s my turn now,” Jiang Yan added.
Jiang Meng was already livid.
“Jiang Yan, you’re dreaming! Get out of my room—ah!”
Before she could finish, Jiang Yan shoved her away too.
Jiang Meng was wearing little leather shoes with heels. The heel of her right shoe couldn’t withstand the weight it was supposed to bear and snapped.
Jiang Meng twisted her ankle, dislocating the bone. The pain made cold sweat break out across her forehead.
“Meng Meng, where are you hurt?” Jiang Jianguo hurried over to support his daughter. When he saw her swollen, reddened ankle, fury blazed in his eyes.
“Jiang Yan, you’re asking to die!”
Jiang Jianguo glared at Jiang Yan as if he wanted to eat her alive.
He had always been a quiet, mild-mannered man. Usually, Lin Shujuan was the one who played the villain and charged into battle on his behalf.
This was the first time he’d ever lost his temper so badly.
Even Lin Shujuan was startled into silence, temporarily forgetting to curse Jiang Yan.
But Jiang Yan didn’t give him the slightest bit of attention. She simply ignored him and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.
All the fury in Jiang Jianguo’s chest lodged in his throat, unable to go up or down. He was so angry he nearly drove himself to death!
It was Jiang Meng’s cries of pain that finally pulled him back from his rage.
His concern for his daughter won out. Forcing down his anger, Jiang Jianguo took Jiang Meng to the hospital.
After the whole family left, Jiang Yan happily stretched out on Jiang Meng’s soft bed and fell fast asleep.
It seemed that the body she’d had in her previous life was slowly merging with this frail body. Right now, she needed large amounts of food and sleep.
Jiang Yan slept all the way until lunchtime, when the delicious aroma of meat finally woke her.