Rebirth to Save Myself

As Ye Zhenzhen read it aloud, word by word, Mr. Lu visibly panicked, but Mrs. Lu didn't seem to notice. She didn't argue with Ye Zhenzhen and Su Xia, and directly said to Lu Lu, "Is that what you think too? That your parents are the ones who bought and sold you?"

Lu Lu nodded and then said, "Aren't you planning to have me go back and marry that old man, and then use the money he gives me to buy a house in the city for my brother to get married?"

"How could you think of us like that? We provide you with food, clothing, and education. Isn't that enough? Now that you're grown up and your parents are getting old and need your filial piety and care, you start saying we're going to sell you to an old man?" Lu's mother looked at Lu Lu in disbelief, each word of her accusation hitting her heart like a hammer blow.

“You want me to be filial and take care of you? I’ll be able to take care of you after I graduate from university and find a job. Can’t you wait a little longer?” Lu Lu asked sadly.

“No, we’ve finally found a suitable candidate, how can we let you ruin it so recklessly?” Before Mrs. Lu could speak, Mr. Lu answered, and his answer made all four people present feel disgusted.

“Lu Lu, your parents have always treated you well since you were little. Look at the girls in the village, which one can go to university? Most of them go out to work and earn money to support their families after graduating from junior high school, but you can continue to high school. So many girls envy you. The neighbors all told me that girls don't need to study so much, and that they won't want to come back once they run away. I even scolded them because I know that Lu Lu would never be the kind of person to abandon her parents.” Seeing that Lu Lu’s father’s words had made the four of them dislike him, Lu’s mother quickly changed her approach and started playing the emotional card.

When Lu Lu heard her mother say this, she said, "When I was in high school, I was praised by the Education Bureau for getting the highest score in the county. You had no choice but to let me continue my studies. You also embezzled the 500 yuan that the county awarded me. You almost didn't even pay my high school tuition. If it weren't for my homeroom teacher's repeated special treatment, I would have been expelled from school long ago."

“You can’t deny that we let you continue your schooling. That’s a fact, an unchangeable fact,” Mrs. Lu kept emphasizing.

“I applied for student loans myself to go to university, and I earned my living expenses by working part-time. You didn’t contribute a single penny.” Lu Lu then talked about her university life. She even had to help out at a restaurant during the Chinese New Year just for that little bit of money.

"So what? Does that change the fact that we raised you from a baby and put in so much effort?" Lu's mother completely ignored the fact that she hadn't helped with her daughter's college education and kept talking about how hard she had worked to raise her.

“She certainly deserves credit, but didn’t you raise Lulu just to marry her off to an old man?” Su Xia suddenly asked.

"What old man? He's quite wealthy. Besides, Lu Lu won't need to have children after marrying him. She can just chat with her husband, cook, and go to the beauty salon every day. How enjoyable! Don't you girls these days not want to have children?" Lu's mother gave examples of how good it would be to marry into that family.

"You're truly remarkable, able to describe a nanny so elegantly!" Su Xia gave Lu's mother a thumbs up, then continued, "There's a difference between not wanting to have children and being unable to have children. According to you, that wealthy man must have one or more sons, so he doesn't need Lu Lu to have children to inherit the estate. Without children to rely on, if the old man dies and leaves all his estate to his sons in his will, what will Lu Lu get?"

Before the old man died, Lu Lu still had to take on the responsibilities of a wife, caring for him, cleaning up his excrement and urine—isn't that the job of a nanny? Oh, wait, even nannies get paid, so the old man probably wouldn't give Lu Lu any money! Your so-called chatting and going to the beauty salon all depend on the old man paying for it. If he doesn't pay, how can you go? I don't think the old man would agree to Lu Lu working outside either. So, will you help Lu Lu out and give her some money to live on?"

“What are you going to give us? That money is barely enough to help my son get married, let alone give her any extra money. Besides, she married a rich man, so she should be the one helping us. That’s her own brother. If she’s bullied by her in-laws, shouldn’t her brother stand up for her?” When Mr. Lu heard that he had to spend money to marry off his daughter, he immediately jumped up and started cursing at Su Xia.

"Pah! You can't stand to see Lu Lu doing well!" Ye Zhenzhen spat at the two of them, then said emotionally, "She finally escaped from the mountain village, and you want her to go back, just for that little bit of money. Do you think your son is so ugly that he can't get a wife if he's poor? If that's the case, shouldn't you reflect on whether it's a problem with your genes that makes your son unable to get a wife?"

"My son is handsome and smart, how dare you insult him, you filthy woman!" Mr. Lu stepped forward to hit Ye Zhenzhen, but was stopped by Chen Wanying with a mop.

"Don't come any closer, or else, or I won't be polite." Chen Wanying held up the mop, trying to make herself look fierce.

"Since that family is so good in your eyes, why not let Lu Lu's mother, that is, you, marry into them? Anyway, you're past the age of having children, and you've spent your whole life doing farm work, so taking care of people must be a piece of cake for you," Su Xia said coldly.

"Yes, this way you get the money for your son and don't have to sacrifice Lu Lu, perfect!" Ye Zhenzhen clapped her hands in praise, her admiration for Su Xia had reached its peak!

"You, you, you!" Mr. Lu was so angry that he couldn't speak.

“If he were to take a liking to me, what would I say, right? Lu Lu is my own daughter, and I carefully chose this marriage. Although he is a bit older, his most important quality is his loyalty. Lu Lu will definitely not be bullied if she marries him.” Lu's mother endured Su Xia's sarcasm and continued to persuade her.

"No need to say anything, Mom. I'm not going back with you. This marriage is either you marry him or you settle it yourself. From today onwards, I'm severing ties with you. As for the money you mentioned for raising me, I'll pay you back after I graduate from university and start working," Lu Lu said, stepping forward to her parents.

"Sever ties? Fine, I'll see how far you can go after severing ties with us! When you want to come back, you'd better think twice about what use you are!" After saying this, Mr. Lu angrily pulled Mrs. Lu out of the dormitory.

"Let's go, let's go." Chen Wanying carefully walked to the dormitory door, peeked out, and turned to the three of them.

"Luckily you arrived in time, otherwise I would have fought with them!" Ye Zhenzhen rolled up her sleeves, still angry as she recalled what Lu's parents had said back then!

"Thank you for helping me today," Lu Lu said.

"Hey, no need to thank me! We're roommates, and I'm your classmate. If I don't help you, should I help your parents?" Ye Zhenzhen waved her hand dismissively and got ready to work.

She and Chen Wanying hadn't arrived much earlier than Su Xia. They met downstairs at the dormitory, since the girls' dormitory aunties wouldn't let boys in. So Lin Zhe asked Ye Zhenzhen to help Chen Wanying carry her luggage. As soon as they went upstairs, they found Lu Lu and her parents arguing. Ye Zhenzhen rushed over and started a fierce struggle with Lu's parents, managing to get the better of them for a while, but Lu's parents didn't get any advantage either, so the two sides remained deadlocked.

Su Xia looked at Lu Lu and asked, "Have you figured out the question I asked you last time?"

"I've figured it out. Before, I thought they would change their minds because they're my parents. But it was all just wishful thinking. They made a scene at my school because I didn't go home for Chinese New Year, and this time they even announced it to my classmates. I don't want to live like this anymore." Lu Lu said sadly. She knew her father didn't love her. She only felt a trace of maternal love in the occasional hints her mother showed, so she naively thought that this time it was definitely her father's decision.

“Yes, being a parent is the easiest thing in the world. They can bring you into the world without your consent, and how they treat you depends on their mood. They don’t seem to understand that children are also individual beings with their own thoughts.” Su Xia nodded and then said.

“Your parents went too far. If they dare to come again, I’ll beat them up for you,” Ye Zhenzhen said indignantly, raising her fist.

"Thank you." Lu Lu bowed to the three of them to express her gratitude, and then Chen Wanying was the first to go up and help her up.

"Don't say that, Lulu," Chen Wanying said softly.

"Since you feel bad about it, then treat us to a meal. I'm sure you earned some money during your winter break, right?" Su Xia said, knowing that if she didn't give Lu Lu a way out, Lu Lu would keep brooding over the three of them helping her today.

"Okay, I'll treat you to dinner," Lu Lu said with a sigh of relief.

"Then I won't be polite! I've been craving the spicy hot pot from the third canteen for so long!" Su Xia said happily.

“Yeah, when I got home I ordered mala tang (spicy hot pot), but it didn’t taste like the one from the third canteen!” Ye Zhenzhen chimed in.

"Don't worry about me, we can go outside the school to get something good to eat." Lu Lu was afraid that everyone would deliberately choose the school cafeteria's dishes in order to save money.

"No, I also miss the spicy hot pot from the third canteen," Chen Wanying said.

"This was prepared by my mom, one for each of you." Su Xia took out the gifts that Chen Chunqi had prepared from her suitcase; they were all food items.

"Wow, Auntie is so thoughtful! My mom didn't prepare these for me. As expected, Ms. Zheng is lazy." Ye Zhenzhen took Su Xia's things and then started calling her mother.

"Hey, Ms. Zheng, my roommates all gave me gifts. I sent you photos on WeChat, did you see? Look how thoughtful their mothers are, and look at you. I don't care, you have to prepare something and send it over. It's settled then, bye!" Ye Zhenzhen hung up the phone in a hurry and happily unpacked the package and started eating.

"Thank you, Auntie!" Chen Wanying and Lu Lu accepted the gift together and said at the same time.

"Don't mention it. My mom asked you to take care of me, so I'm giving you a little bribe in advance so you won't turn your back on me later."

"Wow, then we'd better think this over carefully, don't you think, Lulu?"

"Yes."

"Then you can spit it out now!"

"No way. You think you can just spit it out of my mouth? No way."

Seeing her roommates interacting as usual, Lu Lu felt a warmth in her heart. She was truly afraid that after everyone knew about her family situation, they would treat her differently, or look at her with pity. In high school, her parents had also come to cause trouble once, and after that, her former close friends began to avoid her. Talk about their parents would suddenly stop and apologize. She really hated this treatment and gradually distanced herself from them. That's why she treated her roommates coldly in college; she felt that if they knew about her family situation, the high school experience would repeat itself.

That evening, after everyone tidied up their dorm rooms, they headed to the third canteen for spicy hot pot. Since someone was treating, no one held back and ordered only what they could finish. Su Xia couldn't help but sigh, "If Lu Lu hadn't been treating, I wouldn't have been willing to order that big steak."

"Yes, thank you so much, Boss Lu, for your generosity. I will cherish this hot pot meal," Ye Zhenzhen said.

"Hmph, pretentious." Lin Zhe sneered as he sat next to Chen Wanying. He had insisted on joining her for dinner after hearing that she was going to eat with her roommates again.

"Ah Zhe, don't talk about Zhenzhen like that," Chen Wanying said, tugging at Lin Zhe's sleeve.

"Okay." Lin Zhe responded gently to Chen Wanying, then glared at Ye Zhenzhen.

Ye Zhenzhen was baffled, but being magnanimous, she didn't hold it against Lin Zhe. Just then, the spicy hot pot was ready, and everyone enjoyed a hearty meal together. She returned to her dorm, patting her slightly protruding belly with satisfaction.

On the third day, Lu's mother came to the school alone and found Lu Lu, saying to her, "Are you really not going back to your parents to get married? Are you really going to cut ties with us?"

"Mom, you forced me to do all this."

“Sigh, Mom doesn’t want things to be like this either. But look around, which family in the village doesn’t do it this way? If you don’t, you’ll be considered an oddball. Don’t blame your dad, he only got to marry a good wife because of Yaozu. They all say that marrying a good wife means you don’t have to struggle for decades. Your dad and I are farmers, and we don’t want you and Yaozu to continue our lives.”

"But you can't push me into a fire pit. I'm also your child. Just because I'm a daughter, can you just abandon me like that?"

“We haven’t abandoned you. This family is one we’ve chosen after a long time. They’ve assured us they won’t mistreat you if you marry into their family.”

"Enough! How can you take a casual promise seriously!"

"Forget it, your dad is still angry. Just focus on your studies. You didn't come home for Chinese New Year, so remember to come back and visit your mom during summer vacation."

After speaking, Lu's mother left, leaving Lu Lu with mixed feelings. Her mother was also a victim. Her mother's family was too poor, and her uncle couldn't afford to marry her, so he simply married her off to her father. In their area, women were considered a financial burden, their greatest value being to secure a dowry for the men in the family. In extremely poor families, wife-swapping was even practiced to offset the dowry.

It's absurd, yet so true. From a young age, she witnessed her father beating her mother whenever he was dissatisfied, berating her for being useless in bearing a son to carry on the family line. He cursed her for spending tens of thousands to marry her mother, saying it was a huge loss to have given birth to such a worthless child as Lu Lu. Things only improved after Yao Zu was born. Yao Zu, Yao Zu, her father proudly named him, as if afraid no one would know he had a son.