Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Shi Zhihui, puzzled, said, "Big sister, what are you doing? Why are you giving me so many eggs? Is there something you need my help with? Just tell me, you don't need to bring all this."

Cheng Jinxi said with a smile, "Relative, you're the matchmaker for my son. I was busy for a while and couldn't come to visit. Now that I'm done, I had to come and see you."

Without saying a word, Cheng Jinxi gave the eggs to Shi Zhihui, who couldn't refuse and accepted them.

Then Cheng Jinxi took out 100 yuan from his pocket and stuffed it into Shi Zhihui's hand.

Shi Zhihui dared not accept it and quickly refused, saying, "Sister, this won't do. Look at this... oh dear... what kind of person would I be? How can a matchmaker accept food and gifts? If word gets out, people will laugh at me to death!"

Cheng Jinxi insisted on giving the money to Shi Zhihui: "Oh dear, aren't you just slapping me in the face? No matter what, you were my son's matchmaker, and I'll remember your kindness for the rest of my life. This money isn't for you, it's not for you. I had time to leave and didn't bring anything valuable. Take it and buy the child something nice to eat."

Shi Zhihui tore at it for a long time, but in the end she couldn't escape it and had to give in.

Although she shouldn't accept the money, well... it wouldn't cause any problems if she did, would it?

Moreover, there weren't any major changes on Lao Ma's side; it was just a matter of saying a few nice words.

Shi Zhihui knew what to say, so she cheered up and pulled Cheng Jinxi into her home for a while. After exchanging pleasantries, Cheng Jinxi left.

After leaving Zhihui's house, Cheng Jinxi returned to her parents' home and saw her younger sister, Cheng Jinxiang, playing with the children. She sighed and asked, "Sister, are you going home tomorrow?"

Cheng Jinxiang didn't want to go back, but she had no choice but to go back.

There's a lot going on at Old Zhao's house. I heard Wang Guixiang is out and causing trouble at home all the time, which is driving her crazy. But it's also a big deal for her own older sister's son, Xiang Jia, that she can't afford not to go.

Rural people don't have many special requirements, but marriage is the most important thing for them.

In a person's life, they only get married once, so Cheng Jinxiang didn't want to spoil everyone's mood, so she said, "I'm going back. I still have to attend my nephew's wedding banquet."

“You can’t drink alcohol, but you have to go to accompany the new bride. And your older brother has to go too.” After saying that, Cheng Jinxi went to find Zhao Da’e’s uncle.

Cheng Jinxi went home in the afternoon. No one had gotten married in Jurenzhangzi for many years, simply because they were poor.

Compared to Dongtaizi Village, Juren Zhangzi was even more impoverished. Moreover, the recent chicken plague meant that people from other areas were forbidden from buying chickens and ducks here. Although some people secretly sold them to vendors, most of the chickens and ducks died and were simply thrown away.

This made things even worse for the already struggling village.

But no matter how difficult things get, life goes on; there's no way around it. If you're in this situation, you have to get through it. No matter how tough it is, you can only try to find a way.

Tomorrow is Laba Festival, and Zhou Yuren asked a few people to go buy vegetables. Some families in the village also brought over tables, chairs, and other furniture, preparing to use them for the occasion.

Zhou Yuren invited Zhao Tiesheng and Zhao Laosan to accompany him while drinking, and also invited his elder brother Zhou Puren and his nephews Zhou Tianxiang and Zhou Tianjun.

The village accountant, Yao, and the team leader also came, and everyone was quite happy. After all, the imperial examination staff was no longer the same as it used to be; it had fallen into disrepair.

It's been about seven or eight years since any young men here have gotten married. All that's happening are daughters getting married. Getting married means adding a family member to the household.

The group set up a plastic shed in front of the house, intending to use it for guests to eat when they came.

It was during the off-season for farming, so many people came, making it very lively.

……

Zhou Yuren and Cheng Jinxi discussed together what to buy at the Laba Festival market.

Zhao Da'e chimed in, "We should find a cook for the ninth day. Cooking ourselves doesn't feel quite right."

Cheng Jinxi: "Hiring a chef costs money, right? Let Chunwen cook some dishes."

Zhou Chunwen: ...

Okay, okay, I'll be the cook. If I end up eating all the new family members away, don't blame me.

"Shall we set off some firecrackers?" Cheng Jinxi suddenly asked.

None of them dared to speak.

"Then let's buy some firecrackers," Cheng Jinxi said to herself.

……

Meanwhile, Wang Guixiang also heard about this and discussed it with Zhao Tingxu at home: "Da'e's aunt's son is going to find a wife, and Da'e's mother will definitely come back. You'll see how I humiliate her then."

Zhao Tingxu: "Come on, you're really afraid things won't turn out well. If this keeps up, we might as well give up on living together."

Wang Guixiang was filled with resentment: "Life was already unbearable, if I can't live like this, then no one else can either."

……

That evening, Zhao Da'e went to see Zhao Tingming and asked him to go to Zhou Yuren's house on the tenth day of the lunar month to inquire about the matter.

The task of finding a suitable person was to be assigned to the task. Originally, Zhou Yuren wanted Accountant Yao to handle it, but Zhao Da'e felt that Zhao Tingming was more suitable, so he begged Zhao Tingming to go instead.

Zhao Tingming couldn't refuse, so he agreed.

Zhao Da'e secretly lent her aunt, Cheng Jinxi, a thousand yuan from her meager savings. She knew her aunt didn't have much money.

I've been eating and drinking at Cheng Jinxi's house for two or three months, so I'm bound to need some money, especially since I have some savings.

Cheng Jinxi didn't have much money, so he accepted it.

The next day was Laba Festival.

Zhao Da'e went to the market with her mother Cheng Jinxiang and cousin Zhou Chunwen to buy some things. Cheng Jinxiang had been staying at her parents' home for almost a month to recover from childbirth, and it was time for her to go out for a walk. In addition, her nephew had something to do, so she, as his aunt, had to go out.

It just so happened that it was market day, and her eldest sister Cheng Jinxi and her family were all busy, so she thought she'd help her sister buy some things. Otherwise, she wouldn't feel comfortable letting her children go shopping.

Of course, Cheng Jinxiang had also heard that Wang Guixiang was out, and he thought it would be good to go back to his hometown. Whether there was anything going on or not, he wanted to have a fight first, so as not to make himself uncomfortable and let others benefit.

The streets were bustling with people at this time of year, with donkey carts and oxcarts carrying passengers to the market. Small vendors lined both sides of the road. In the dead of winter, with little to do, people came out to the market—a kind of leisurely outing. Children, in particular, loved to come to the market at this time; perhaps their parents could even buy some candied hawthorns.

As the group walked onto the road, a woman selling steamed buns saw Cheng Jinxiang and her eyes lit up. She immediately called out, "Girl, wait a minute."

When Cheng Jinxiang heard someone calling her, she turned her head in confusion and looked bewildered when she saw the woman.

Seeing this, Zhao Da'e nudged his mother, Cheng Jinxiang, and reminded her, "Mom, this is Lao Ma's mother, Xu Meihua."

Xu Meihua is almost seventy years old and in good shape. She usually likes to make steamed buns, and since it's market day today, she thought she would make some steamed buns and bring them to sell here, hoping to earn some extra money.

Upon hearing Zhao Da'e's words, Cheng Jinxiang suddenly realized what was going on and quickly exclaimed, "Aunt Xu, what a coincidence to run into you here!"

Xu Meihua had been selling steamed buns here for years, so Cheng Jinxiang had seen her a few times. But after giving birth, there's a saying that pregnancy makes you stupid for three years, and she forgot some things.

When Xu Meihua saw Cheng Jinxiang, she went up to her and asked, "Are you here to the market? Want some steamed buns? My granddaughter seems to be dating your older sister's boyfriend... I heard it's your older sister's boyfriend... How's he doing?"

Cheng Jinxiang naturally praised Zhou Tianfu to the skies, but she couldn't be too exaggerated: "My nephew, that guy is impeccable. Apart from having a bit of buck teeth, he's great. Capable and hardworking."

Zhou Tianfu does have slightly protruding teeth, but it's not too serious.

Xu Meihua smiled and said, "That's not a big problem. As long as he's capable and can support his family, that's fine."

And so, the two chatted for a while longer.

Xu Meihua asked, "I've often heard people say that your mother-in-law is not a very good person... Aren't you staying at your parents' house and planning to go back to your husband's house? Won't you suffer if you go back?"

As the saying goes, good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels fast. Wang Guixiang's actions were already common knowledge in the nearby villages. Xu Meihua was also curious. Although Wang Guixiang had now come out of the fenced house and was staying with the Zhao family, she told everyone that she was imprisoned because of her good daughter-in-law and good granddaughter. Xu Meihua had heard some rumors, but being from another village and an outsider, she only heard snippets at the market and couldn't get detailed information from elsewhere. However, today she happened to see Cheng Jinxiang. Her granddaughter was going to be introduced to Zhou Tianfu, and Cheng Jinxiang was Zhou Tianfu's third aunt. If her granddaughter and Zhou Tianfu got together, they would be considered relatives. Since they were relatives, she thought it wouldn't be wrong for her to inquire about some things.

Moreover, Wang Guixiang's second imprisonment caused quite a stir. After all, being imprisoned twice in just one month is unique for her. The first time, she was mistaken for a human trafficker and someone tried to give away her own granddaughter. To put it nicely, it was giving her away; to put it bluntly, it was selling her granddaughter for money. Wang Guixiang's story is truly shameful, and many people have been criticizing her after hearing it. Xu Meihua's accounts from others are inaccurate, mostly embellished and fabricated. It's better to ask the parties involved; they will know more.

Cheng Jinxiang encountered Xu Meihua, who was asking her about Wang Guixiang. She paused for a moment, then turned around and suddenly spotted Wang Guixiang in the distance, seemingly buying something. The so-called enemy…

They might not necessarily be enemies, but Cheng Jinxiang felt uneasy whenever she saw Wang Guixiang. She lowered her head for a moment, then her eyes reddened slightly, and she said in a tearful voice, "Alas... my mother-in-law... alas... alas... it's a long story."

Upon hearing this, Xu Meihua panicked. She first comforted her, "Girl, don't cry. Why are you crying? Tell your aunt what happened." Then, her gossipy nature kicked in, and she continued, "How did your mother-in-law mistreat you and your children?"

Cheng Jinxiang tearfully recounted, "My mother-in-law threw a bankbook at my daughter, Da'e, and without saying a word, she accused my daughter of stealing money. She said Da'e stole 30,000 yuan from the bankbook and used it. She even threatened to drag my daughter away and throw her over the fence, and wanted to beat her up. But after a thorough investigation, it turned out that my mother-in-law had orchestrated the whole thing. She first withdrew the money from the bankbook herself, and then turned around and said that my daughter had stolen it. I felt so wronged. It was clearly not my daughter who did it, but my mother-in-law insisted that my daughter did it. How could I not feel wronged!"

Just thinking about the injustice Da'e suffered made Cheng Jinxiang's eyes redden, and tears streamed down her face. She had kept this grievance bottled up inside, but few people had heard her voice. What kind of grandmother treats her own granddaughter like this?

Zhao Da'e tugged at Cheng Jinxiang's clothes, looking at her with concern, "Mom, what are you doing? It's so cold..."

And crying in front of strangers is a bit outrageous, isn't it? Zhao Da'e was small and didn't see Wang Guixiang coming over from not far away, so naturally he didn't know what Cheng Jinxiang meant.

Xu Meihua felt sorry for Cheng Jinxiang and wiped away her tears. "Good child, don't cry. Wang Guixiang does all sorts of inhuman things. Has she lost her mind? How could she think of framing her own granddaughter for stealing money? In the end, she even got herself into trouble."

After saying that, she said to Zhao Da'e, "You're such a good child, even though you've suffered so much injustice."

Zhao Da'e lowered her head sadly, looking heartbroken, but she didn't say anything. Zhao Da'e didn't care much about these things; as long as her mother was alright, that was enough for her. As for herself, she didn't care much.

Xu Meihua felt a pang of sadness listening to this. She couldn't help but spit out a curse. "What Wang Guixiang did was truly inhuman! What kind of grandmother does that? It's such a disgrace to you, child. Sigh, I don't know what your grandmother was thinking, letting you suffer like this. She wants to ruin your reputation! You're still so young, not even seven years old, an age for carefree play. That Wang Guixiang is a devil! She deserves to be in jail; it's a good thing she's in!"

But Xu Meihua was also puzzled. She asked Cheng Jinxiang, "Girl, what do you think your mother-in-law is trying to achieve by doing this?"

This was what Xu Meihua really wanted to know. Cheng Jinxiang first wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, but her eyes were still red, making people feel sorry for her. Cheng Jinxiang then sniffed and couldn't speak for a long time. Anyone with eyes could see that she had suffered a great injustice.

Without thinking, Cheng Jinxiang blurted out what she knew, "Auntie, what other reason could there be? It's because I gave birth to a girl. You know, my in-laws are very sexist. They treat my brother-in-law's son like a treasure, but they beat and scold my daughter all the time. They like to pull my daughter's ears hard for no reason. If I hadn't stopped them, my daughter's ears might have been ruined. Just because I gave birth to two daughters, my mother-in-law has been looking down on me and making things difficult for me everywhere."

There are some things I can't say; saying them would make me seem unfilial. I've been so good to my mother-in-law, serving my in-laws with all my heart and soul for years, working tirelessly without complaint. But what have I gotten in return? A bunch of ungrateful wretches!

Cheng Jinxiang couldn't help but shed tears when she thought about what had happened before. She felt wronged, truly wronged. Apart from Zhao Da'e and her own daughter, there was really no one to help her back then. Even her own husband just stood by and watched.

Some things just can't be said. If we keep talking about them, Cheng Jinxiang will really be upset.