Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

Jin Dayong's cold shout startled Jin's wife, who was about to throw a tantrum. Married for many years, Jin's brother usually ignored her, but had never lost his temper with her. However, the habitually arrogant Jin's wife only froze for a moment before quickly regaining her composure. But fearing that she might truly anger Jin's brother and be beaten, she didn't continue her outburst. She simply muttered curses as she went back to her room, packed a few clothes, and went to her parents' house.

Seeing that it was already pitch black outside, Aunt Jin was worried about her daughter-in-law's safety and asked her eldest son to go and bring her back.

“Mom, don’t mind her. We didn’t do anything to her. She’s the one who’s making a scene. She treats her two nephews like treasures and doesn’t care about our Gou Dan at all. What kind of mother is she? It’s good that she goes back this time. It’ll let her see clearly how much her sister-in-law treats her.”

Although what she said was true, Aunt Jin was still worried that something might happen to the person on the road, so after thinking for a moment, she said to her son...

"Follow behind her and make sure she's really gone into her parents' house before you come back. It's only about two miles away. Eryong, you go with your older brother."

Jin Dayong wasn't really keen on going, but his mother insisted, and his younger brother dragged him out.

The two men intended to protect Jin's safety, but on the pitch-black village road, Jin, initially too angry to feel any fear, suddenly realized that two men were following her. When she walked quickly, the two behind her walked quickly as well. When she slowed down, the men behind her slowed down as well.

Confirming that the two men were indeed following her, Sister-in-law Jin, terrified, began to stumble and run forward. However, the village road was uneven, and she stumbled and fell every three steps. By the time she reached her parents' house, she was covered in mud and her hair was disheveled. If you didn't look closely, she looked like a beggar.

Sister-in-law Jin stayed at her parents' house for about ten days, and no one from the Jin family went to pick her up. For the first two days, her sister-in-law was quite polite to her, after all, this younger sister-in-law always brought a lot of nice things whenever she came back. Moreover, her sister-in-law's in-laws had secured a good marriage, and her own family would inevitably need her sister-in-law's family to help them in the future.

A few days passed, and her sister-in-law began to sense something was amiss. Even if the couple had a fight, they should have come to pick them up by now, as they had been back for several days. So much time had passed, and the Jin family still hadn't shown up. Gradually, her sister-in-law became increasingly impatient with her. At mealtimes, she would speak sarcastically and throw things around.

A few days later, seeing that no one had come to pick her up, her sister-in-law couldn't sit still any longer. She cornered Jin's sister-in-law in the house and demanded that she tell the truth.

Only after asking did I learn that this sister-in-law wasn't just throwing a tantrum at her husband, but at the entire Jin family. She had even argued with her mother-in-law before coming back, and was thus kicked out by her in-laws. I was furious; I almost poked a hole in my sister-in-law's forehead with my finger.

"Your sister-in-law got such a good marriage, and instead of trying to please her and pamper her, you dare to covet her things in front of your in-laws? Is your brain filled with shit?" After saying that, she also dragged Jin's sister-in-law's mother into the conversation.

"Mom, look at your good daughter! She's been kicked back by the Jin family! And she kept it a secret from us, just staying home and freeloading for over ten days. If I hadn't felt something was off and come to ask her, she would have kept it from us forever."

Upon hearing her daughter-in-law's words, Jin's mother's triangular eyes immediately widened.

"Is what your sister-in-law said true? Were you really kicked out of Jin's family?"

Seeing her mother's expression, Sister-in-law Jin also became somewhat intimidated and said timidly.

"No, Mom. I wasn't kicked out. I just had a fight with Dayong, and I wanted to come back and stay for a few days."

"Alright, stop trying to fool this old woman. My family is poor and doesn't have enough food for you. Go back to your own home. You've always been ungrateful. Don't you see how hard your brother and sister-in-law have worked to raise their two sons? Why are you still thinking of coming back to eat and drink at your parents' house?"

These were words that Jin's mother used to say often, and she never thought there was anything wrong with them. As a member of the Jin family, she naturally had to eat and live in the Jin family.

But then she thought about what her mother-in-law had said to her sister-in-law before she came back, and then she thought about how her own dowry when she got married consisted of only a quilt, a pair of pillowcases, and a set of clothes. Her mother hadn't given her a single copper coin from the betrothal gifts sent by the Jin family. Even her change of underwear was something her mother-in-law had to provide for her after she arrived at the Jin family home.

In an instant, Sister-in-law Jin felt a surge of grievance and resentment towards her parents.

"Mother, every time I've come back, I've brought good things home. Even the hairpin you're wearing and the clothes you're wearing now were all bought by me. It's just that I didn't bring anything back this time. How does that mean I'm deliberately staying home to freeload?" Before she could finish speaking, her mother slapped her across the face.

"You brat, haven't I been giving you face all these years? Now you're getting more and more outrageous. If you have this temper, why don't you use it at your husband's house? Why are you causing trouble at your parents' house? The things you brought back before, you took them willingly, did I ever say you wanted them?" After saying that, she pulled the silver hairpin out of her hair and threw it on the ground, her triangular eyes looking coldly at her daughter who was covering her face.

"Take it away! Do you really think I want your junk?"

Sister-in-law Jin covered her face as she looked at the silver hairpin her mother had thrown on the ground. It was a silver hairpin that her mother-in-law had given her as a reward after she gave birth to her son. She cherished it dearly because it was her only piece of silver jewelry.

That year, when visiting relatives during the Spring Festival, she made a point of wearing the silver hairpin her mother-in-law had given her, feeling very pleased with herself. When her mother saw it, she said that she was so old and had never worn a silver hairpin before, and that her daughter was quite accomplished, and so on.

Hearing her mother's words, she took the hairpin off her head and rubbed it in her hands for a long time. Although she was very reluctant to part with it, she finally gave it to her mother.

What did her mother say at the time? Sister-in-law Jin thought hard. Yes, her mother didn't want her hairpin at the time, but she insisted on giving it to her.

“Oh, I don’t want it. This was given to you by your mother-in-law. What would it look like if I took it? Besides, your mother is old. How many more years can she live? Why would she wear such nice things when she’s about to die? You’re young and it will look good on you.”

She had initially felt some reluctance, but those words from her mother instantly vanished. She forcefully inserted the silver hairpin into her mother's hair.

"Mother, just wear it. Let's see who dares to say anything. Since this hairpin was given to me, it's mine. I can give it to whomever I want."

Under her insistence, her mother reluctantly accepted the hairpin. Actually, her mother hadn't taken the hairpin willingly; she had simply stuck it in her mother's hair, and her mother hadn't taken it off herself.

This happened many times; her mother never asked for anything from her, it was always her who gave it to her.

Sister-in-law Jin couldn't quite describe her feelings, but there was one emotion she could clearly identify: regret. She looked up at her mother, her eyes slightly red, and asked...

"Mother, are you really not going to take this hairpin?"

"Hmph, I didn't care about it in the first place. If you hadn't insisted on giving it to me, I wouldn't have bothered wearing it." Jin's mother thought she understood her daughter's personality perfectly, and she spoke without any politeness.

"Alright, since you don't like it, I'll take it back. I don't want you to wear it so much." Sister-in-law Jin bent down and picked up the hairpin that was covered in dirt.

Upon hearing Jin's sister-in-law say this, her own sister-in-law became anxious and quickly tried to dissuade her.

"Mother, little sister, what are you two doing? Mother and children, you're your own flesh and blood, why are you arguing like this?" She then looked at her mother-in-law.

"Mother, you have a sharp tongue but a soft heart. You cherish the hairpin my little sister gave you so much! You tell everyone it's a gift from your filial daughter. How can you say such things in front of your own daughter? I say you should wear it quickly." After saying this, she tried to take the silver hairpin from Jin's sister-in-law's hand. But Jin's sister-in-law dodged her.

"Little sister, what are you doing? Are you really angry with Mother?" Jin's sister-in-law said somewhat displeased.

“I wasn’t being stubborn. It was just that Mom said she didn’t care for it, so I didn’t force her to wear it,” Sister-in-law Jin said calmly.

Hearing her daughter say that, Jin's mother's temper flared up instantly, and she said to Jin's sister-in-law...

"Fine, fine, your husband's family has found a good in-law family. I, as their old mother, can't say anything more. You get angry over a few words. Take your broken hairpin and get out of here. Go back to your Jin family and never set foot in our poor relatives' door again. I won't ask you to wear mourning clothes when I die. I'll just pretend I don't have a daughter like you." As she cursed, she suddenly burst into tears.

However, no matter how much her mother cried or belittled herself this time, Sister-in-law Jin felt it was all pointless. Now, all she could think about was whether her mother-in-law would try to manipulate Jin Xiaoqiao in this way.