Chapter 2

In the army, Gu Qingyan received a telegram saying that his mother had fallen and injured herself at home. He immediately became worried.

At home, aside from his elderly mother, there were only two children—no one else to help. He hurriedly applied for leave and rushed home in great haste.

But the moment he stepped inside, he was met with a forced marriage—his supposed bride a woman of unknown origin. His identity was special, and although his family didn’t know the details, he still needed to be cautious, so he flatly refused.

The original host, upon seeing Gu Qingyan, found that the man was even more handsome than in the photo. Unlike Shen Muyan’s pretty-boy looks, Gu Qingyan was tall and upright, with thick brows, well-defined features, and a complexion not too pale—a rugged, masculine kind of handsome.

Lin Xi still remembered that when she first read this part of the book, she had secretly drooled a little over his appearance.

And that was exactly why the original host was dead set on marrying him. She even told him outright about her background and experiences.

Gu Qingyan had specially gone to the county to call a comrade to verify her claims, and in doing so, learned all about the original host’s so-called “glorious deeds.”

He always felt that in this woman’s eyes—whether looking at him or at his family—there was a hint of disdain and contempt. Marriage was a lifetime commitment; he didn’t want to make such a rash decision, so he still refused.

What he never expected was that this seemingly quiet and beautiful young lady would, just like his mother, threaten to kill herself if he didn’t agree to the marriage.

One held a kitchen knife to her neck; the other clung to a pillar, shouting that she wouldn’t live unless he married her.

He had no choice but to agree. He had originally thought that marrying her like this would make him feel a bit guilty, especially since he was essentially bringing her in to help care for the elderly and the children.

But who would have thought—by the afternoon of their wedding day, she had completely changed. The original host figured that since the marriage certificate was already in hand, she no longer needed to keep up the act of pleasing this country bumpkin family.

She immediately began setting household rules—demanding that all money be handed over to her, that she eat separately from everyone else, and that they could only eat after she had finished.

The two children were often yelled at for the smallest things. She was nothing like the obedient, gentle person she had pretended to be before marriage.

Gu Qingyan, urged by his mother to endure, somehow made it to the evening—only for the original host to try to force him into consummating the marriage, even attempting to seduce him by taking off her clothes. Furious, Gu Qingyan packed his things and returned to the army that very night.

That same night, the original host threw a huge tantrum, demanding that her mother-in-law hand over money. Tian Yufen refused—it was the life-saving money of her daughter and son-in-law, and her son had said it must be saved for the children.

From then on, the original host lived in constant drama and chaos, and eventually even hooked up with a flashy young man from the village who had returned from outside.

Flattered and giddy from his sweet talk, she ran away with him—only to be sold to human traffickers, who in turn sold her to an old bachelor, where she was tormented to death.

After piecing all this together, Lin Xi smacked her lips in relief—thank goodness she had crossed over before being sold to that old bachelor, or she might’ve had to “drop dead on the spot” for real!

Having sorted her thoughts, she sat up, ready to find some medicine for the big bump on her forehead.

Gurgle—

Her stomach was staging a protest. Looking around, she saw nothing in the room except the bed she was sitting on and a cabinet.

There had been a few biscuits in the cabinet, but the original host had eaten them yesterday.

Touching the still-aching lump on her head, she sighed helplessly. Since fate had given her a second life in this book, she would make the most of it and live well.

Just as she stood up to look for something to eat, there was a knock on the door, followed by a slightly hoarse female voice:

“Time to eat.”

Already hungry, Lin Xi hurried to open the door. Standing there was a woman holding two bowls of rice and side dishes. Her face showed worry and unease, and she didn’t dare to meet Lin Xi’s eyes.

Tian Yufen felt nervous—there was no meat today for her daughter-in-law. Would she lose her temper? What if she started scolding or smashing things again, or found an excuse to hit the children?

When Lin Xi opened the door, Tian Yufen pushed the bowls forward slightly and said, a bit sheepishly:

“The Liu family didn’t slaughter a pig today. At home we only have two old hens left, and I’d like to keep them for eggs. Today, you can have eggs instead. Tomorrow I’ll definitely buy meat for you…”

She didn’t dare continue speaking, quietly waiting for Lin Xi’s outburst. Even if she hit her today, she still wouldn’t kill the last two hens.

Yangyang and Xingxing were still small—they needed the eggs for nutrition. If there was only one egg, the two of them might not even get a taste, so the hens had to be kept.

Lin Xi looked at her and knew this was now her mother-in-law. She was dressed in coarse blue-gray cloth patched in many places, so worn it had faded. Her hands, holding the bowls, were covered in calluses and cracks, with traces of dirt that couldn’t be washed away.

In the past, the original host would have looked at all this with disgust, refusing even to let them look at her. But now, Lin Xi only felt a wave of sadness.

In their era, life was truly hard. Just a few years earlier, many people had starved to death. Even now, countless families still couldn’t get enough to eat—many had to give away or abandon their children.

If she had been born in this era instead of coming from decades later with an outsider’s perspective, she might have lived just as hard a life as everyone else.

This woman was only in her forties, but she looked more like she was in her sixties, with much of her hair already white.

Decades later, women in their forties were well-groomed and used skincare products, and even those sixty or seventy-year-old ladies who danced in public squares didn’t look as worn down as the woman before her.

Seeing Lin Xi silent, Tian Yufen was puzzled—no yelling? No cursing?

She even dared to sneak a glance at Lin Xi, then exclaimed in surprise:

“What happened to your forehead? It’s so bruised! I have medicine in my room, I’ll get it for you.”

Hearing her reaction only made Lin Xi feel even more bittersweet. In the past, the original host would berate her whenever she saw her or the children, complaining about their rustic smell.

She also demanded meat at every meal—and not just any meat, it had to taste good.

In an era when having enough to eat was a challenge, such demands were nearly impossible for an ordinary rural household. Even more so when the whole family depended on the son’s army allowance to get by.

At first, Tian Yufen had tried to reason with her, but when she saw the original host becoming more and more excessive—resorting even to hitting people—she stopped.

The more she spoke, the nastier the curses became, and the harsher the beatings for the children.

Eventually, Tian Yufen had no choice but to scrimp and save to buy meat for her, praying she wouldn’t crave chicken—otherwise the last two hens would be gone too.

Watching Tian Yufen hurry back to her room to fetch medicine, Lin Xi sighed. Even after being treated so badly, she still cared.

As Lin Xi stepped outside, she saw two little ones staring intently at the white rice and egg custard on the table.