Jiang Lai insisted on complaining at this moment, which puzzled Little Buding.
"Why must you choose this time to make a fuss? If you behave, wouldnât your advantage emerge when compared to Jiang Qu?"
"Advantage my ass, I donât care. I just want them to feel bad inside."
In her past life, if this couple had paid more attention to the original owner, she wouldnât have been abandoned by He Xing, met that scumbag with eight sisters, and eventually died in childbirth at home with nobody caring.
The original owner was still calling for her mother till the end; where had her mother gone?
Jiang Qu is getting married, and the whole family went to the city to arrange her wedding house.
Were Jiang Sheng and Liu Shuping fond of Jiang Lai?
They were, indeed.
But the human heart is inherently biased; with an accomplished eldest son and a daughter who excels both in studies and love, even finding a fiancé who is a well-known young entrepreneur in the county, what about Jiang Lai? She dropped out, stayed home aimless, is sensitive, prone to anger and unpredictable. Under such stark contrast, Jiang Lai, the youngest daughter, has become an increasingly worrisome presence.
Thatâs why whenever Jiang Qu says anything, it goes unquestioned. She claimed Zhang Wei is a good person, and the parents believed it, eager to marry off Jiang Lai without any background check. It was only after she got pregnant that they discovered Zhang Weiâs family had eight sisters, each troublesome.
The original owner harbored resentment in her heart.
Jiang Lai, having inherited her body, naturally has the obligation to voice all the original ownerâs unsaid words and fulfill her unaccomplished tasks.
For instance, now that the family is grieving over the mistake made by their most outstanding child, Jiang Lai doesnât mind adding fuel to the fire, since she doesnât yearn for this familyâs love.
Liu Shuping stared blankly at her youngest daughter with bloodshot eyes.
She realized she hadnât looked at her little daughter this closely for a long time. In a sudden glance, Liu Shuping hadnât expected the impression of that crying, fussing child to now have the appearance of a grown girl.
But the daughterâs eyes were cold, devoid of any warmth.
Liu Shuping wanted to speak but didnât know what to say.
"Mother, I donât expect you to favor me, but I hope you and Dad can take some time to teach me how to ride a bicycle."
After speaking, Jiang Lai handed Liu Shuping a bowl of porridge and then turned to leave.
"Sheâs crying, crying terribly,"
Jiang Lai was indifferent.
"If you have a child, raise them well, otherwise youâre just bringing a child into the world to suffer."
That evening, Jiang Sheng, after a day of smoking, made a decision.
"Let He Xing come for the betrothal tomorrow, find a good day, and quickly get the marriage done."
Liu Shupingâs tears were almost dry, yet learning that her most cherished daughter was marrying a pauper made her feel stifled and hurt.
But with things already at this point, there was no solution; they couldnât continue letting villagers gossip, Jiang Sheng was, after all, a brigade leader whose reputation mattered.
He Xing was straightforward; he found a matchmaker and brought betrothal gifts the very same day.
Two cartons of Hongtashan cigarettes, some prime pig leg meat, pure-colored cloth, and two bottles of fine Jiannanchun wine; all placed inside a carrying frame. When arriving at Jiangâs house door, Jiang Sheng, mindful of appearances, greeted them.
Inside the house, only the matchmaker kept talking.
"He Xingâs conditions are pretty decent; heâs well-built and receives seventy yuan monthly as dismissal funds. Plus, he legit earns around 180 every month! The best part? There are no in-laws to cater to, just a healthy grandmother who needs no care. Erya marrying him should bring no hardship!"
Jiang Sheng puffed his cigarette, scanning the betrothal gifts, acknowledging the sincere intent.
"Alright, have your grandmother pick a good date; after Eryaâs high school exams, the wedding will happen."
He Xing nodded in agreement; he originally promised Jiang Qu to marry once he could buy a house in the city where she attended college.
Jiang Qu aimed for Beijing University of Finance and Economics, yet buying property in Beijing was far beyond his current capacity.
Marrying earlier posed no problem to him; he still had a thousand-odd savings, sufficient to support Jiang Qu through college post-marriage.
Once Jiang Qu learned the betrothal arrangements were set, she confronted Liu Shuping with red eyes.
"I wonât marry now; weâll discuss after I get into college. Thereâs only half a year before my high school exams."
"Yes, mom understands. Your dadâs explained clearly to him: post-exam is the time. For now, just focus on studying without worrying about other matters. Getting married after college wonât interfere, besides, many college students nowadays attend school with spouses and kids."
Jiang Qu remained upset, pushing away the fried egg Liu Shuping made, turning to face the wall.
With rebirth, she initially saw everything going as planned, yet the trajectory veered unexpectedly.
Now everywhere at school and the village, all were criticizing her. Previously, she was the gentle, resilient scholar in classmatesâ eyes, the docile, clever daughter among relatives and friends, and the admired girl in the village, definitively seen as a future university student.
And now?
Jiang Quâs dizziness persisted, the sudden blow kept her bedridden for three days.
On the fourth day, she finally rose, packed her bag to head to school.
Upon opening the door, standing outside was He Xing.
The man seemed just finished with farm work, wearing a pair of old white gloves, a shabby black jacket, and mud-stained military-style shoes.
Jiang Qu frowned.
"Where were you busy all morning?"
"Tidying the wasteland at home; itâs perfect timing to join in sowing wheat with everyone else."
Jiang Qu instinctively questioned.
"Why bother with that field? Such a waste of time."
"Grandmother insisted, saying since weâre about to marry, itâs essential to have two plots for crops annually as food, after all, Iâm still a farmer; whereâs a farmer without farming?"
The word âfarmerâ abruptly pricked Jiang Quâs heart.
All her current endeavors aimed to escape this soil-rooted life, whereas the man before her, chosen to share her future, had willingly stepped deeper into it.
"The wedding is near; Iâm under pressure, I need to focus on exams, get into a good college for a better future for us. Arenât you pressured? How do you still have energy for farming?"
Jiang Quâs words instantly erased the smile off He Xingâs face.
He detected the complaint and disdain in Jiang Quâs tone.
She disfavored the identity of a farmer.