Rebirth of a Top Student's Handbook

In Zhou's mother's eyes, children are the property of their parents. Parents work hard to raise their children, so the children must be filial to their parents and think about their parents in everything. This is why Zhou's mother is extremely filial to her own parents while being very controlling of Zhou Min.

The table was quiet during the meal. Zhou Min, who used to be talkative, no longer felt awkward in silence. This was perhaps the best gift time had given her; she would no longer make foolish mistakes out of ignorance. You see, Zhou Min used to be terrified of silence, always feeling awkward in quiet situations. At those times, she would try to make conversation, but the more she said, the more mistakes she made. Now, Zhou Min always remains still, thanks to Chen Sheng, because this was all honed through their cold wars.

Seeing that Zhou Min remained silent, Zhou's mother grew restless. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Minmin, your grandmother asked why you didn't come over today. She misses you."

"Forget it, she has so many grandchildren, who am I to her?" Zhou Min said without looking up.

"How could you say that to your maternal grandmother? Your maternal grandparents have spoiled you for nothing. You're a family of ungrateful wretches, heartless bastards!" Upon hearing Zhou Min's disrespectful remarks to her maternal grandmother, Zhou's mother immediately lost her temper and forgot all her previous mental preparation.

“If you think about them so much, why get married? Wouldn’t it be better to go home and be their slave for the rest of your life?” Zhou Min replied directly.

"I'll make you work like a cow or a horse..." Zhou's hot-tempered mother immediately pushed the bowl away, picked up a fire poker, and rushed towards Zhou Min.

Seeing that things were getting out of hand, Zhou's father immediately got up to stop them, pulling Zhou's mother along while advising, "What's all this fuss about? Let's eat."

But even though Mr. Zhou was tall and strong, he couldn't withstand the two angry women. Mrs. Zhou, while breaking free from Mr. Zhou, swung a stick at Zhou Min, yelling at him, "Eat shit! Get out of here! I'll beat this ingrate to death! If I'd known it would be like this, I shouldn't have given birth to him! Why don't you just die? It would be so much better if you were dead..."

It happened again. In fact, this kind of scene had occurred many times in Zhou Min's memory. Whenever Zhou Min didn't want to visit her maternal grandparents with her mother on the weekend, her mother would hysterically scold her like this. But this was the first time it had been this serious. After all, in the past, Zhou Min only didn't want to visit relatives and hadn't challenged her maternal grandparents' authority.

I remember that the real big fight with Zhou's mother in my past life was after the college entrance examination. It was also around that time that Zhou Min gave up and started dating early, and applied to a remote university just to escape home.

After Zhou Min went to university, she gradually broke free from her mother's control, and her mother gradually began to give in out of unease.

In truth, Zhou Min had long wanted to escape everything before her. She was a contradictory person, filled with both pride and inferiority. Her pride stemmed from her mother's constant indoctrination that she was stronger than any boy and should never lose to one. Her inferiority complex arose from her mother's telling her that her aunt's children were like her uncle's dogs, barely scraping by. Not only had her mother been a slave to her family for years, but she had also forced Zhou Min to be extremely respectful to them, instilling in her a deep-seated sense of inferiority.

Having been reborn, Zhou Min was already fed up with dealing with all the annoying things her mother-in-law's family did, so she wouldn't indulge her mother-in-law anymore. She would take drastic measures while her mother-in-law was still young. Unlike in her previous life, when she overcame her psychological barriers and tried to sever ties with her mother-in-law's family, she was forced to give in again upon seeing her mother-in-law's heartbroken, weeping, and frail body.

In this lifetime, Zhou Min wants to take advantage of her mother's good health to tell her: You can't force me. I want to see what you will decide when I tear off the veil that masks their true colors.

Thinking of this, Zhou Min turned around and went back to her room, locking the door behind her. Soon, her mother arrived, and Zhou Min packed her luggage while listening to the loud banging on the door.

As she smashed things, Zhou's mother cursed, "You debt collector, get out of here right now! Don't die in the house! Get out, go as far away as you can, preferably die outside. Then your father and I will pretend we never had you..."

Zhou Min put down what she was holding, smiled wryly. Yes, her mother probably couldn't imagine how hurtful those words were. Although in the countryside, parents could say all sorts of vicious things to their children, Zhou Min wondered if she was the only one who constantly contemplated suicide because of her mother's hurtful words. The biggest reason Zhou Min had grown up was undoubtedly her cowardice; she lacked the courage to die.

As a child, Zhou Min repeatedly planned to run away from home and even commit suicide, but she always hesitated and gave up at the crucial moment. She still deeply cherished this world; she felt there was so much she didn't know, so much she hadn't seen, and so much she hadn't learned. It was her fear of the future and her curiosity that allowed Zhou Min to endure her mother's scolding time and time again and survive healthily.

Thinking of this, Zhou Min had to say thank you to Chen Sheng. If Chen Sheng hadn't helped her apply to such a faraway school, she wouldn't have been able to escape her mother's control so easily and discover how wonderful the world is.

Zhou Min quickly packed her things amidst her mother's scolding. She counted the forty-odd yuan she had painstakingly saved over this period and decided to take advantage of the winter break to go out and calm down.

Hearing the sounds of Zhou's parents' conversation fading into the distance, Zhou Min slung her schoolbag over her shoulder and left home. Perhaps because her parents were too engrossed in their conversation, neither of them noticed Zhou Min's departure.

Zhou Min walked alone to the road behind the village and slowly made her way forward. If she saw a car on the road, she would flag it down. Of course, there were no buses running at this time, and private cars rarely stopped. In the past, Zhou Min might have felt embarrassed, but the Zhou Min of today was someone who could give a report to thousands of people without batting an eye. These rejections were nothing to her.

Finally, after Zhou Min's persistent efforts, a car stopped, and she quickly ran over. The window rolled down, and the drivers appeared to be a couple. The driver was a man in his thirties, and the passenger, presumably his wife, was elegantly dressed. Just as Zhou Min reached the right-hand window, she heard the elegantly dressed woman ask, "Little sister, where are you going?"

“I want to go to the county town. If it’s not on your way, you can take me there,” Zhou Min quickly replied.

"What a coincidence, we're also going to the county town. But why are you alone, little sister?" the older woman continued to ask.

"My parents aren't home; they've gone to visit relatives. I'm going too, since I have the day off, but it's too late, and there are no more buses." Zhou Min made up a reason to get by.

"Then get in the car." Upon hearing her older sister's words, Zhou Min immediately opened the back door, got in, and took off her schoolbag, placing it aside.

The older woman saw Zhou Min's actions in the rearview mirror and couldn't help but ask, "What grade are you in, little sister?"

“I’m in my third year of junior high,” Zhou Min replied.

"Oh, I can't believe you're already in your final year of junior high at such a young age." The older sister was saying this when her gaze shifted to Zhou Min's chest and stopped. After a pause, she continued, "Little sister, how old are you?"

"13."

"So young, and already in the third year of junior high?" The older sister was a little surprised by Zhou Min's answer, but what she really wanted to say was that she was so well-developed at such a young age.