Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

When Cheng Jinxiang mentioned this, everyone noticed that Wang Guixiang was indeed wearing a silver bracelet on her wrist. It was made of real silver and had openwork patterns carved on it, making it beautiful and exquisite.

This is the silver bracelet that Cheng Jinxiang wore when she married into the Zhao family. Her mother told her to keep it safe, but unfortunately, it was taken by Wang Guixiang because of her cowardice.

When Wang Guixiang saw that everyone's eyes were on her silver bracelet, she immediately cried out guiltily, "Cheng Jinxiang, don't talk nonsense. This is not your bracelet. This is clearly a bracelet that I bought with my own money."

She was comfortable wearing this bracelet and had worn it for several years. She had long considered it her own, so she was reluctant to return it to Cheng Jinxiang.

Besides, aren't your daughter-in-law's things your own?

Upon hearing this, Cheng Jinxiang felt even colder. This bracelet had been lent to her for several years and had now become hers. It was truly outrageous!

"Alright, let me ask you, where did you buy this bracelet?"

Cheng Jinxiang asked this question on purpose, and Wang Guixiang stood there stammering, not knowing how to answer. Since she was a liar, it would naturally take her a long time to come up with an answer.

Xu Meihua immediately saw through Wang Guixiang's guilty conscience and mocked her without hesitation, "I think this bracelet belongs to her daughter-in-law. She's just making up a little lie and saying it's hers so she doesn't want to return it."

Xu Meihua's words were agreed upon by everyone around her. Seeing this, Wang Guixiang quickly said, "What do you know? This...this is...no, it's none of your business. This is a bracelet I bought myself. Why should I tell you which store I bought it from?"

As Wang Guixiang spoke, she straightened her back slightly. As long as she stubbornly denied it, what could Cheng Jinxiang do to her?

Cheng Jinxiang had already seen through Wang Guixiang's little scheme. She said, "Alright, if you won't tell me, I will. This bracelet is part of my dowry. Although it's made of silver and not very valuable, it's not just one; it's a pair. My mother paid a craftsman to make it, and it has a mark on it. The other bracelet is on my eldest sister, Cheng Jinxi. The pair of bracelets are almost identical. If you want to know if it's real or not, I'll have my sister wear her bracelet for everyone to see later. You'll know at a glance."

“Mother-in-law, I don’t know what you have to explain. If the bracelet my eldest sister brings is exactly the same as the one you’re wearing, how will you explain it? I think you should stop making up stories. This is my dowry, and Tiesheng knows that. It would be bad if it made things awkward for everyone.”

Cheng Jinxiang stood up for herself this time, retorting to Wang Guixiang, making Wang Guixiang's face turn pale and then red.

Those who overheard the story basically understood the truth. It was quite obvious that the bracelet belonged to Cheng Jinxiang, and that Wang Guixiang, the mother-in-law, had taken her daughter-in-law's dowry. This woman was even more despicable!

"This is no mother-in-law! How can she be so shameless and try to embezzle her daughter-in-law's dowry?"

“I think this silver bracelet looks quite antique. Maybe it was passed down from the older generation, so they want to keep it.”

"Tsk tsk tsk, if she were my mother-in-law, I would definitely run away if I married into this family. She wants to take advantage of everything, and she even takes what isn't hers. She's shameless."

Seeing everyone around her cursing her, Wang Guixiang angrily retorted, "How much is this piece of junk worth? A hundred or two hundred yuan at most. You've only worn this broken bracelet for a few years, how can you be so inconsiderate as a daughter-in-law? If it were any other normal daughter-in-law, she would have given the bracelet to her mother-in-law as a token of filial piety. Unlike you, you embarrassed your mother-in-law in public. My son is truly unlucky to have married you!"

Everyone exchanged bewildered glances: Holy crap! She took her daughter-in-law's things for herself, then turned around and blamed others for wanting them back? Seriously, with Wang Guixiang's terrible character, why should anyone be filial to her? After all, she's just a mother-in-law, not their mother!

Xu Meihua couldn't stand it anymore and stepped forward, saying, "Wang Guixiang, what normal mother-in-law is like you? Not only do you bully and order your daughter-in-law around, but you also seize her dowry. You have no shame! Let me tell you, if Jinxiang were my daughter, I would definitely make her divorce your second son. Don't think your son is so special. Besides, Jinxiang is really unlucky to have such a wicked mother-in-law like you."

Wang Guixiang immediately became furious upon hearing this, "You old geezer, what did you say? Say it again if you dare!"

After saying that, Wang Guixiang picked up a broom from the ground, intending to use it to hit someone.

Xu Meihua retorted fearlessly, "Go ahead and say it! Do you think I'm afraid of you? You're just a selfish and wicked mother-in-law. Anyone who gets stuck with a mother-in-law like you is doomed for eight lifetimes."

Wang Guixiang couldn't stand being insulted and immediately wanted to hit the person. Fortunately, someone pulled her back, preventing her from actually doing so. There was also an element of deliberate intent on Wang Guixiang's part. She knew she couldn't beat Xu Meihua and would only get beaten up if she went forward. Rather than doing that, she pretended to be pulled back by someone else, so she didn't go forward to settle scores, rather than being a coward herself.

Cheng Jinxiang tugged at Xu Meihua's clothes to calm her down, then stood in front of Xu Meihua and said to Wang Guixiang, "Didn't you say I was distorting the truth? Now you admit it yourself, the bracelet is mine, so give me back my silver bracelet."

Cheng Jinxiang didn't even want to call her mother-in-law anymore. She felt that calling this kind of person her mother-in-law was an insult to the word "mother-in-law".

Wang Guixiang was also furious. She saw that Cheng Jinxiang, who used to listen to her so obediently, dared to talk back to her and embarrass her on the spot. Wang Guixiang felt a surge of anger.

What she didn't know was that Cheng Jinxiang had always harbored resentment towards her, but this resentment had been bottled up inside. Coupled with Wang Guixiang's previous constant forbearance, this made Wang Guixiang think that Cheng Jinxiang was easy to manipulate. But now, Cheng Jinxiang had a brush with death in the hospital, almost experienced the pain of losing her child, and even had a terrifying nightmare. The nightmare was blurry yet very real, as if she had personally experienced it.

In her dream, her youngest daughter, whom she had given birth to with great difficulty, was indeed given away by Wang Guixiang. Overwhelmed with grief and anger, she fell ill and never recovered. Her eldest daughter, without her protection, suffered greatly in the Zhao family, where Wang Guixiang constantly beat and verbally abused the goose.

The dream was blurry; she could barely see the images. But she could clearly feel the sadness in the dream—the pain of losing her daughter and the indignation of not being able to protect her eldest daughter. It felt so real, as if it had actually happened. This was the main reason why Cheng Jinxiang's personality changed so drastically.

Cheng Jinxiang thought that if her eldest daughter hadn't stopped Wang Guixiang from giving her younger daughter away at the hospital, she might be in the same situation as in her dream, suffering from illness and depressed after returning home, not daring to resist Wang Guixiang.

The complex and sorrowful emotions from her dream deeply affected Cheng Jinxiang. She harbored intense hatred for Wang Guixiang, but was constrained by the Zhao family's situation. If she wasn't satisfied, her husband, Zhao Tiesheng, wouldn't side with her; he would definitely side with Wang Guixiang. As for the rest of the Zhao family, they were even less likely to side with her, and her own family consisted of only a few people. Her mother had been paralyzed for many years, powerless to help, yet still kind-hearted. Her elder brother's family was also struggling, and Cheng Jinxiang didn't want to trouble him. Her elder sister, Cheng Jinxi, still needed to find a wife for her son, and Cheng Jinxiang naturally wouldn't let her sister play the villain at this crucial juncture.

After much deliberation, she decided that the only way to get justice for herself was to go to the crowded market. Cheng Jinxiang, of course, would no longer tolerate it and would retaliate as she saw fit.

Wang Guixiang was also furious and cursed, "Shameless thing. You eat and drink at my house, and you still come out to slander our Zhao family. Cheng Jinxiang, you really have no shame."

Cheng Jinxiang sneered: "Your Zhao family is dirt poor. Everything you eat, drink, and use comes from me helping you farm and sell grain. And you think everything is yours? Do you think that just because you sit on the kang all day, crops will grow? That the weeds will disappear? That the corn will magically grow back in the fall? There's no such thing as a free lunch. Wang Guixiang..."

Cheng Jinxiang asked coldly, "Do you dare say you haven't twisted the truth? Today, I'd like everyone to be my witness. If you, Wang Guixiang, are a good mother-in-law, I'll kneel down and apologize to you in the street. But if everyone says you're wrong for what you did, then since you just hit me, I have to pay for it!"

Wang Guixiang cursed incessantly, denouncing Cheng Jinxiang for rebelling against the Heavenly Gang and being unfilial in every way.

A passerby said, "Hey girl, you're too kind. Anyone with eyes can see that you've been wronged. Don't worry, I support you."

"Yes, girl, your mother-in-law is really vicious. Not only does she bully you, but she also takes away your dowry. I just can't stand it anymore."

Seeing so many people standing by her side, Cheng Jinxiang felt a warmth in her heart.

Zhao Da'e also felt that his mother was quite assertive today. Otherwise, what gave her the right to act tough just because Wang Guixiang is old?

Wang Guixiang spat on the ground and shouted, "You, surnamed Cheng, listen to me! I'm not exaggerating when I say you're twisting the truth. You claim to be diligently serving me, your mother-in-law, in my Zhao family, but what have you done? As the saying goes, of the three unfilial acts, the greatest is having no descendants. Not only do you not have a son, but even your daughter is cursed to bring me bad luck. Twice in a row, this wretched girl has sent me to the countryside. As a parent, you haven't raised your children well, that's your fault. But you're here arguing with your in-laws, embarrassing me in front of everyone—isn't that all your fault?"

"My Zhao family is incredibly unlucky to have married you. You say I took money that you and Tiesheng worked so hard to earn, but don't you know that this was money Tiesheng secretly gave me as a tribute? What business is it of yours, an outsider, that I took my son's money? Yet you go around bragging that I took your money, saying I was going to use it to build a new house for my youngest son. You're just spouting nonsense, turning black into white, ruining the Zhao family's reputation, and trying to sow discord between me and my son. What a vicious woman you are!"

At this point, Wang Guixiang straightened her back slightly, speaking with considerable confidence. In Wang Guixiang's eyes, she had taken the money and spent it. But it was her son's money! What business was it of her daughter-in-law's?

Hearing this from the side, Zhao Da'e couldn't help but retort, "Why did you lie to us? You clearly offered to take the money from my parents and keep it for them, but you secretly spent it all. It wasn't for you at all. My dad never said this money was for you."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Da'e felt someone pulling him. He turned around and saw Cheng Jinxiang pulling his hand and shaking her head. "Da'e, this is an adult matter. Don't get involved."

Everyone felt that Wang Guixiang had gone too far. The idea that "of the three unfilial acts, the greatest is to have no offspring" was a deeply held belief among the older generation, who emphasized the necessity of having a son. Wang Guixiang was one of them.

What era are we living in? The slogans on the walls say that boys and girls are the same.

Cheng Jinxiang answered slowly and deliberately, “I’ve been with the Zhao family for so many years. During the day, I work in the fields, and at night I come back to take care of your whole family. I cook the meals, I wash the clothes, and before bed, I even sew shoe soles for you all. How can I not be taking good care of you, Mother-in-law? Even the shoes you wear were made by me. If you think I’m an unfilial daughter-in-law, then throw away the shoes. Don’t wear the shoes I made.”

Furthermore, Tiesheng has never told me that he gave you any money as a gift. Over the years, Tiesheng and I have earned at least tens of thousands of yuan, which we originally planned to use to build a new house. It was you, Mother-in-law, who personally told us to keep this money safe with you. How can you deny it? You even claim that Tiesheng gave you money as a gift. Mother-in-law, you lie without batting an eye. If you insist on arguing with me, then come with me to see Tiesheng and let us confront him face to face.”

"If Zhao Tiesheng really took money from me to give you as a gift without my consent, then it was his idea, but he didn't ask my opinion. Half of this money is what I earned, so I need to get the other half back. Zhao Tiesheng didn't discuss it with me properly before taking tens of thousands of yuan to give to you, letting you squander it on food and drink. I wonder if he'll sell me tomorrow to get the money, and then use that to give to you, my mother-in-law. I'm really scared. If he really says that, then this marriage is over. You and your children can live on your own. I'm an outsider, and I'm not going to put up with this. I'll just get a divorce. Wang Guixiang... do you dare say that my husband really said that all the money we worked so hard to save was given to you for nothing?"

Listening to this, Zhao Da'e felt much better: "Yes, yes, at least I stood up for myself this time. Who's afraid of going against Wang Guixiang? At worst, we'll just get a divorce!"

Some people just need to be taught a lesson; the more you back down, the more they go too far. It's as if other people's patience and tolerance are a given. Wang Guixiang is a prime example—a bully who preys on the weak. If Cheng Jinxiang's family weren't so powerful, would Cheng Jinxiang even have a chance to step in?

If Wang Guixiang had more brothers on her mother's side, they would have beaten her to a pulp long ago. Would there be any need for reasoning? Besides, Zhao Tiesheng was also very upset that the money he and his wife had saved was gone, but there was nothing he could do. Moreover, Zhao Tiesheng had never said that he would give the money to Wang Guixiang; it was money he had saved to build a new house.