Chapter 4: Past Life, Present Life

Jiang Laidi didn't know how much time had passed. She felt as if she had become a newborn baby, unable to speak, with her vision shrouded in a veil, only able to make out vague shapes. To survive, she had no resistance as she drank from an unfamiliar woman's breast, until she began to hear voices from outside and her eyes gradually began to see color.

She was in an extremely simple and dilapidated house, with stone walls on all four sides painted white, though it was clear that the paint had been there for years. It was starting to peel off, and dark stains were left on the surface. She was lying on a dirt bed that ran the length of the room. The bed took up half of the space, and on it were a few folded quilts with brightly colored red floral patterns, typical of the 60s and 70s — cheerful but vulgar.

Next to the dirt bed was a sturdy wooden cabinet, locked with a brass lock. Jiang Laidi had no idea what was inside. Aside from this, the room only had a small table by the window, on which sat an oil lamp. Its outer paint was chipped, but the gourd-shaped glass was polished clean, indicating the owner cherished this object.

Jiang Laidi stared at everything around her. This scene reminded her of the 60s and 70s in China, but where exactly was she now? That difficult and turbulent era — she had no courage to relive it.

"Good boy, what are you thinking? Frowning like an old man." A familiar female voice interrupted her thoughts, and Jiang Laidi's body froze. This voice, she would never forget in this life.

"Nonsense, my grandson is just fine. You, as his mother, just know how to talk nonsense." Miao Sanfeng entered with some egg water and, hearing her daughter-in-law’s words, shot her an annoyed glance. Turning her attention to the child in her arms, she smiled like a blooming chrysanthemum.

Miao Sanfeng’s appearance shattered Jiang Laidi’s last shred of hope. She had returned, back to the year she was just born. The hardships she had endured in her previous life, was she really going to live through them again?

"Ah, why is my good boy looking so sad? Is he hungry? Mei Zi, hurry and drink this egg water, good boy, grandma will hold you."

She was cradled in Miao Sanfeng’s arms, looking up at the same harsh and mean old lady from her memories, who now gazed at her with affection and kissed her face repeatedly. Jiang Laidi was stunned, unable to react.

Back then, eggs could be sold for eight cents — no small amount in those days. Every household only had a few chickens, and all the eggs were meant to be sold. When Gu Dongmei gave birth to her daughters, forget about egg water, she didn't even have a bowl of warm water to drink. After giving birth, she had to get back to work. The older daughters would take care of the younger ones, raising them in a tumble of hardship.

Gu Dongmei looked at the egg water in front of her, her eyes sparkling. She glanced at the baby in her mother-in-law’s arms. Everything was so different now.

“Mom, where are you?” Gu Dongmei was drinking the egg water when a crisp female voice came from outside. The curtain was lifted, and a woman with shoulder-length hair and a bright, beautiful face entered.

Jiang Laidi’s mind jolted. This was her little aunt! In her past life, her little aunt had helped her take her niece abroad. After the death of her eldest sister, her aunt had fought with her grandparents and brought the remaining sisters to her side, preventing them from suffering the same fate as her eldest and second sisters. Her little aunt had changed their lives.

Jiang Laidi looked at her younger, beautiful aunt, tears welling up in her eyes.

“You, you’re shouting so loud you’ve made your nephew cry.” Miao Sanfeng shot a glare at her daughter as she entered, noticing that the baby had started to whimper.

Jiang Dazhen, her aunt, didn’t argue, and simply placed her large bags on the table. She reached out and took the baby from Miao Sanfeng’s arms. Jiang Laidi nestled into her aunt’s embrace, feeling completely at ease, her initial panic at being reborn melting away.

"Look, my little nephew really likes me." Jiang Dazhen grinned, showing off to Miao Sanfeng. "Oh, by the way, I brought some pig bones for broth. Mom, get it boiling. This is good for milk production. My sister-in-law didn’t eat well when she was pregnant, so now she needs to make up for it."

Miao Sanfeng immediately got up from the bed and began rummaging through the things her daughter had brought. She smiled broadly but still had to complain. “What pig bones? They have no fat. Just wasting money.”

Jiang Dazhen had brought a lot of things: pig bones, some rare fruits, and a can of milk powder.

"Little sister, why did you bring such expensive things?" Gu Dongmei looked at the can of milk powder, somewhat embarrassed. At this time, milk powder was a luxury, something people would hide away, not give away. Her little sister had already been more than generous with the family, and she didn’t want to take advantage of her.

"It’s nothing. It was a gift for my husband. They sent us two cans, so I kept one for myself. But this is my nephew. I can’t be stingy with him." Jiang Dazhen said without concern, kissing the baby in her arms several times.

Jiang Laidi blinked. She had just realized something she had missed earlier. It seemed that everyone had been treating her as a boy, but wasn’t she supposed to be a girl? Has her rebirth altered her gender?

She closed her eyes to feel herself, and with shock, realized there was something new between her legs. Her heart pounded as she opened her eyes. It felt like a bolt from the blue. After decades of living as a woman, was she really going to live a different life this time?

Miao Sanfeng, hearing her daughter’s words, nodded in approval. “This is what I’ve been saying. If there’s anything good, we should share it with the family. When something goes wrong, it’s the natal family that will back you up.”

Jiang Dazhen turned her head, avoiding her mother’s gaze, rolling her eyes in frustration. She had had enough of her parents' preference for boys. At least she had a good marriage, so they treated her better. But if not for her eldest brother, she would never have bothered bringing anything to them. Did she ever send anything to her second brother’s family?

"Mom, go ahead and cook the bone broth. I’ll take care of things here," Jiang Dazhen waved, eager to speak with her sister-in-law.

Miao Sanfeng muttered to herself as she walked out, still thinking about where to hide all the things to avoid someone stealing them.

Jiang Dazhen took off her shoes, climbed onto the bed, and sat cross-legged with her nephew in her arms. She looked at her soft-hearted sister-in-law and gave her a piece of advice.

"Now that you’ve had a son, you need to toughen up. With the way the second couple behaves, do you really want your children to be under their thumb for life? When you had no son, your parents stood by them. But now that you do, you need to think about your daughters, too."

Jiang Dazhen respected her eldest brother and his wife, but she couldn't stand their weak attitude. Da Ni was still such a young child. She had to work for her family’s labor points. Did the family lack anything? They were just filling the gap for the second couple, raising a bunch of useless freeloaders.

Gu Dongmei understood her sister-in-law’s intentions. Now that she had a son, she no longer owed the Jiang family anything. If the second couple came knocking for handouts again, she’d have the courage to stand her ground.

Jiang Dazhen gave her a deep look, hoping she could stand firm. If the parents didn’t set the tone, then the children would have no chance.

Jiang Laidi’s eyes brightened. She had yet to meet her older sisters, second, third, or fourth. Her eldest sister was still alive, and her second sister hadn’t married the fool from the neighboring village. Everything had started over. Perhaps the reason for her rebirth was to prevent those things from happening and ensure her sisters’ happiness.

Jiang Laidi felt she had found the purpose of her rebirth. Her previous despair faded, and she was determined to live a different life this time.

"Ah, so that’s why the magpies were chirping today. Our big benefactor has come back to the village." A sharp, high-pitched voice cut through the air.

Fan Xiaojun had been gossiping in the village shop when she heard people talking about her sister-in-law bringing large bags into the old house. It seemed like the whole family was involved. Fan Xiaojun couldn’t sit still and rushed over to the old house.

As soon as she entered, her eyes scanned the room, searching for anything valuable. But after a thorough inspection, she found nothing noteworthy. When her gaze landed on Jiang Dazhen, she brightened.

"That outfit is new, right? It looks beautiful. Your husband must treat you really well, unlike your second brother, who has no skills and can only make do with a patched-up life."

Jiang Dazhen wore the latest style of women’s Linen jacket, with a wide collar and double-breasted buttons. The tailoring emphasized her waist, making her look both fashionable and dignified.

This outfit must have cost a lot of fabric tickets. In the village, no woman would dare to spend money on something like this. They would have been beaten by their husbands for wasting money.

Fan Xiaojun glared at the outfit, her jealousy burning. She almost wanted to rip it off and wear it herself.

"Second sister-in-law, you’re a rare guest. Didn’t bring anything? Your big sister-in-law just had a son, and as the younger sister-in-law, you should’ve at least brought a basket of eggs." Jiang Dazhen couldn’t stand her petty, small-minded second sister-in-law. She looked at her empty hands and mockingly said.

Fan Xiaojun, not wanting to give anything, was livid. She would’ve liked to tear down the old house. Why was the eldest family getting all the good things? The baby, weak as a monkey, would’ve been better off dead. Only then would everything from the big family be hers.

She hadn’t thought that her prayers and wishes hadn’t been enough to stop the eldest family from having this troublesome child. Just thinking about how her family’s subsidies would shrink in the future made her blood boil. She even had thoughts of killing the baby in Jiang Dazhen’s arms.

"Heh heh, you’re joking. My second brother and I are barely making ends meet. Where would we have eggs to bring?" Fan Xiaojun said stiffly. Suddenly, she slapped her forehead, pretending to remember. "Ah, I forgot, Aiguo and Aibang haven’t had lunch yet. I need to rush back and cook."

Fan Xiaojun, unable to gain anything, stood up and hurried to leave. Jiang Dazhen wasn’t like Gu Dongmei, she wasn’t someone who could be bullied.

Both Gu Dongmei and Jiang Dazhen knew her character and didn’t stop her. Fan Xiaojun stomped her foot angrily outside the house. She was sure her little sister-in-law had brought something good, but it was all going to the eldest family. She couldn’t stand it.

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Chapter 4: Past Life, Present Life