In her previous life, her mother had arranged a good match for her, and she had happily married into the Qin Family, only to find out that on the surface they were polished like golden eggs, but inside just as hollow as donkey dung.
Mr. Qin had poor health and spent years on medication, spending god knows how much on medical expenses.
The Qin Family was under the control of Mrs. Qin and the Eldest Son of Qin Family, Qin Han; Qin Yang’s salary never reached her hands.
Qin Han had a lot of influence; sometimes, even Mrs. Qin would listen to him.
Her husband, Qin Yang, was an emotionless work machine, aloof and inconsiderate. They did not consummate their marriage on their wedding night, and he returned to work the next day.
He could barely make it home twice a year, and during their many years of marriage, she never saw him smile. Each encounter was just another glimpse of his coffin-like face.
Being constantly at odds with her sister-in-law, she felt ignored and endured endless humiliations in that house.
What kind of marriage was this? She was practically living like a widow, and marrying into the Qin Family was like becoming a servant to them.
Six months later, to make matters worse, they brought back a son of some colleague; she was still a virgin, yet she was expected to be a stepmother to another’s child, and Qin Yang even favored that child over their own.
That child was ungrateful, causing Qin Yang to divorce her, destroying her reputation.
Li Guangyuan, whom her family looked down on, turned out to be visionary; shortly after they married, he started doing business and it grew bigger and bigger.
In her past life, she never became an official’s wife, but Lin Chuxia ended up as a rich lady, living in a small western-style house, driving a car, wearing the most fashionable clothes, even more glamorous than those officials’ wives.
Reborn, she would not walk the same path nor leap into the same pit of fire. It was time for Lin Jiayi to enjoy the life of a rich lady, too.
Having said that, she suddenly remembered something. “Mom, you need to give me more for the dowry.”
“Fine, you can take the whole eighty yuan,” Mother Lin had no intention of keeping the dowry money for her eldest daughter.
But Lin Jiayi was not satisfied. “Eighty is not enough; give me two hundred,” she thought about Li Guangyuan’s business ventures which would need capital. If she didn’t know her mother was the type to only receive and not spend, she’d have even wanted those three hundred yuan from the Qin Family.
Sure enough, Mother Lin’s brow furrowed. “Your younger brother is also getting older, and I need to save money for his marriage.”
“My brother is only fifteen. Give me the money now. When he gets married, Guangyuan might be successful by then. We could provide the money for his wedding…”
Lin Chuxia was lying in bed, the old house had poor sound insulation, and she could vaguely hear the conversation next door, yet inside she felt a sense of peace.
She knew that in her previous life, Lin Jiayi’s life was not satisfying, with a husband who was often absent from home, but for her, it was perfect.
She needed a place for herself, not a husband.
Her fingers gently touched the spot where her ring should be; closing her eyes, her consciousness entered a new realm.
Upon her rebirth, she found that the ring on her ring finger, a valuable ancient ring she had won at an auction in her previous life, had merged with her body, and now it came with a space of its own.
This space was none other than the private villa she had bought in her past life; in the villa’s courtyard, there was now an ancient water well.
In her last life, Lin Chuxia had read some novels mentioning things like the Space Spiritual Spring. This afternoon, out of curiosity, she confirmed that drinking water from the well really made her feel refreshed and light, even after a hard day’s work.
It was precisely because of this golden touch that she decided to take things step by step. After all, she was not the only one reborn; who knows what advantages Lin Jiayi might have.
………
The marriage was settled, and the household began bustling with preparations.
Dowries were simple to prepare, especially in the countryside. Those with means would make a couple of new cotton quilts, tear a few yards of fabric to tailor some new clothes. Those less off didn’t even need to prepare quilts; just wrap up the cotton quilts already in use at home, take some old clothes, and send them over.
The practice of “three turns and one snap” was a luxury only the well-off in the cities cared for. Lin Chuxia had never even dreamt of such things in her previous life.
She only believed in one thing: relying on oneself trumps relying on anyone else. Others might dream of marrying a rich man to become a wealthy lady, but she wanted to be the rich one herself.
In her past life, she became wealthy, but everyone referred to her as Mrs. Li. This life, she wanted everyone to remember the name Lin Chuxia.
A distant and familiar voice came from outside the courtyard, “Chuxia, Chuxia…” Along with the voice, a figure entered the courtyard.
Seeing the familiar figure, warmth flooded Lin Chuxia’s eyes – it was her good friend, Sun Lanlan.
The two grew up together. All the kids in the village liked to befriend her elder sister, who was spoiled by the family, wore nice clothes, and was articulate.
Only Sun Lanlan didn’t care for what others said; she always considered her as her best friend and looked down on her elder sister.
Finding Lin Chuxia alone at home, Sun Lanlan didn’t beat around the bush and pulled her into conversation.
“How come I hear that you’re marrying into the Qin Family? Wasn’t Li Guangyuan the one you were set up with originally? How did it change? Did Lin Jiayi play some tricks?”
Even though the Qin family had better conditions than the Li family, the sudden change in the wedding plans worried Sun Lanlan. Lin Jiayi was definitely not that kind-hearted.
Lin Chuxia looked at her, eyebrows raised, ready to fight a battle for her at the slightest admission. She couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.
This Lanlan was truly wonderful.
In her previous life, Sun Lanlan married a year later than she did. Their fates seemed to run parallel – except Li Guangyuan started abusing her only after he rose in status, while Sun Lanlan’s husband started with beatings and scolding mere days after their wedding.
In those times, domestic fights were a common occurrence; some even believed that if a woman was beaten, she must have deserved it. If everything was done right, why would a man strike you?
Sun Lanlan had three older brothers and grew up pampered in her family. Naturally, her family did not take the beatings sitting down.
Her husband understood this well; every time he hit her and she threatened to return to her parents, he would cry, beg for forgiveness, and even kneel.
Sun Lanlan had a soft heart, but one time after a beating left her bleeding profusely, she couldn’t bear it and went back to her family.
Her brothers would not stand for it, and they taught the man a lesson, ensuring he promised never to hit Sun Lanlan again before letting it go.
Yet, as soon as Sun Lanlan returned to her husband’s house, she was brutally beaten at the doorstep – worse than before, to the point of miscarriage.
Their unborn child that Sun Lanlan didn’t even know about yet was lost to the beating. To make matters worse, her husband locked her up, forbidding her from returning to her parents.
In despair, Sun Lanlan ended her life with a bottle of pesticide.
Seeing her still smiling, Sun Lanlan frowned even harder, “You’re still smiling, this is a huge deal for a lifetime. If Lin Jiayi really played tricks, I’ll go and bring this to the Party Secretary, we’ll see if we can’t get some justice.”
Lin Chuxia took her hand and sat down on the edge of the bed, “No need to go, I am willing to marry Qin Yang.”
Sun Lanlan was stunned, “Have you met Qin Yang? Chuxia, think this through. I think Li Guangyuan is also quite alright, at least we’ve met him. Qin Yang works in another city, hardly comes home twice a year, and he’s quite a few years older than you. Who knows why he’s still unmarried at his age.”
She was worried that Lin Jiayi knew about Qin Yang’s shortcomings and hence swapped grooms with Chuxia.
“I haven’t met him, but I am willing to marry him.”