“Sigh. Chuxia, it’s not easy for our family. Your brother has two small children, your younger brother hasn’t even found a wife yet, and your sister is still in school. So many mouths to feed, and it’s all thanks to you that we get by. Without your support, your father and I would be exhausted to death.”

As soon as Luo Chuxia became conscious, she heard the voice of a woman sighing and crying, lamenting how hard and difficult her life was.

She opened her eyes and saw the woman sitting in front of her. The woman had thin eyebrows and a fair, smooth face, though now it was creased with a mournful expression, making her look around her forties or fifties.

The woman held her hand tightly; her hand was rough, but it was clean and well-kept.

With a look of difficulty yet gratitude, the woman gazed at Chuxia, implying in every word that the family was struggling and needed money.

If it weren’t for Chuxia providing financial support, the family would starve to death.

Luo Chuxia felt utterly bewildered. Wasn’t she just home after pulling an all-nighter, finishing a surgery?

What was going on now?

The woman in front of her, along with the surroundings, seemed like something out of an old TV drama, completely unreal.

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her head as a set of memories that didn’t belong to her was forcibly implanted into her mind.

It took several minutes for Chuxia to understand what had happened, and she was left in complete disbelief.

She had actually transmigrated into a book!

In the book “The Legendary Businesswoman of the Era,” the male lead was unstoppable, defeating every enemy who dared oppose him, turning them into stepping stones on his path to success.

Cen Huai’an was the biggest antagonist in the story, the one who funded and built industries to confront the male lead, only to end up losing his life in the end because of the female lead!

As for Chuxia, unfortunately, she was Cen Huai’an’s biological mother, who had only three words dedicated to her in the story: “died from illness.”

Chuxia: What?

What a pointless transmigration.

The woman in front of her didn’t notice that her daughter had changed, continuing to wipe her eyes with a handkerchief and lament about how tough things were at home.

Not far away stood a little boy with a large head and a small body, extremely thin, resembling the refugees Chuxia had seen while working as a doctor in Médecins Sans Frontières, with nothing but large, protruding eyes.

The way he stared at Chuxia’s hand was like a wolf cub, ready to pounce and tear it apart at any moment.

Chuxia had seen this look before in refugee camps—a starving child who had spotted food.

When Chuxia met his gaze, her heart trembled.

Was this really the villain described in the book?

The one who fought the male lead until the bitter end, and had it not been for a moment of softness toward the female lead, the male lead would never have defeated him?

How could he look so pitiful now?

“Chuxia?”

Mother Luo sensed something was off. Usually, after crying for a bit, Chuxia would give her the money. But what was happening today?

However, she knew her daughter’s temperament well.

Chuxia couldn’t stand hearing about the family’s difficulties, especially when it came to her beloved younger brother being unable to find a wife.

Mention that, and she’d surely hand over the money.

Chuxia tried to push her mother’s hand away, but she found she had no strength at all.

The reason she was so weak was because she was starving.

The person in front of her was the original owner’s mother.

She couldn’t see that her daughter was so emaciated, nor that her grandson was as hungry as a refugee.

All she cared about was getting money from the original owner.

The original family favored boys over girls, raising Chuxia to be weak and obedient.

Whenever Mother Luo cried, the allowance given by her husband was handed over without hesitation.

Otherwise, with her husband’s substantial allowance, there was no way she and her son would be starving like refugees, eventually leading to her weak and sickly death.

Chuxia couldn’t understand the original owner’s mindset.

Sacrificing herself and her son just to earn a few words of praise from her mother—no one in their right mind would do such a thing.

Gathering what little strength she had, Chuxia finally pulled her hand back, though Mother Luo hadn’t been holding on tightly.

Then, with a cold gaze, she looked at her much healthier mother and said, “I have no money.”

Mother Luo’s crying stopped abruptly. “That’s impossible! Doesn’t Zhengnian send money every month around this time?”

Chuxia looked at her mother with a faint, mocking smile. “Mom, you seem to remember that quite clearly.”

“I…” Mother Luo faltered for a moment, sensing something in her daughter’s words, but quickly regained her composure.

She knew Chuxia well—soft-hearted and easily swayed.

This must be the result of some gossipers filling her ears with nonsense.

Those people were outsiders. No matter what they said, it couldn’t compete with the words of her own mother.

She reached out again to grab Chuxia’s hand, but Chuxia dodged it.

Mother Luo was momentarily stunned, but she quickly wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, sighed, and said, “Chuxia, your mother is only concerned about you. I’m worried that Zhengnian might not be treating you well. He’s gone for years at a time. If it weren’t for me and your brothers looking out for you, how hard would life be for you and your son?”

Hearing this, Chuxia almost wanted to laugh out loud.

Mother Luo was truly skilled at playing the victim and manipulating others. No wonder the original owner had been deceived into losing her life.

She looked at Mother Luo without saying a word, then turned and stood up, opened the door, and softly collapsed to the floor.

“Mom, please, I beg you, give An’an and me a way to survive!”
Tears began to fall instantly, and Luo Chuxia cried even more pitifully than her mother.

This was originally just a dormitory building, so the neighbors quickly came out.

At a time when there wasn’t much entertainment, gossip was something everyone enjoyed.

Luo Chuxia’s mother, Luo’s Mother, panicked immediately.

She rushed over to pull Chuxia up, her brows furrowed, her voice tinged with urgency, “Chuxia, what are you doing? Get up quickly!”

But there was no way Luo Chuxia was getting up. To deal with a sly and manipulative person, you have to beat them at their own game and leave them with no escape.

Luo Chuxia cried even harder, “Mom, don’t hit me, please have mercy on An’an and me. We haven’t had a full meal in a month. Every time Zhengnian sends money back, I give it all to you. Just this once, let me keep it, or An’an and I will really starve to death, waaah~”

By now, the neighbors had all gathered around.

Upon hearing this, the most enthusiastic neighbor, Sister Li, immediately put her hands on her hips and pointed at Luo’s Mother, scolding, “Pah! I’ve seen mothers who like to take advantage, but I’ve never seen one who would starve her own daughter and grandson!”

“Not only does she take their money, but she beats them too! Normally, Yulan( Lou’s Mother ), you look so delicate, like you wouldn’t even dare to kill a chicken. Who knew you could be so ruthless!”

“Ruthless indeed! I could never bring myself to starve my own daughter and grandson.”

“Yulan, you’ve really gone too far. Look at what Chuxia and An’an have become! I always wondered why Zhengnian’s allowance, which isn’t small, left them living like they were in a famine. Now I see it was all taken by you.”

“Shameless!”

“Exactly, with both of you working and your son earning money too, you’re still greedy for your son-in-law’s money. You’re truly heartless!”

The loud and soft criticisms and the contemptuous glances around her made Lou Yulan’s face turn bright red as she was on the verge of tears.

She hurriedly waved her hands, speaking in a crying voice to explain to the people around her, “I didn’t…”

“Oh, you’re the one feeling wronged now? We all have eyes; we’re not blind.”

“I’m not, you all… you’re all bullying me!”

Throwing down these words, Lou Yulan turned and ran off crying, as if she had been greatly wronged.

A woman who couldn’t stand her behavior spat on the ground in Lou Yulan’s direction, “Hypocrite! Old fox!”

Luo’s Mother wasn’t good at arguing.

In the past, she always used her perceived weakness to get what she wanted, and it always worked.

As long as it was a man, she’d play the pity card and talk about her hardships, and they would help her.

She was very perceptive, even with women, as long as she targeted the right ones, they would fall for her act too.

She never imagined that her own daughter, who had always been under her control, would use her tactics against her, leaving her without a defense.

But she didn’t think she was wrong.

She only blamed the hateful people around her and Luo Chuxia.

It wasn’t until she had run far from the courtyard that she slowed down, her expression changing several times before settling into a grim look that didn’t match her appearance.

She gritted her teeth, “Chuxia! You really are my good daughter.”

But soon, Lou Yulan resumed her gentle and kind appearance. Even though she was getting older, some old men were just drawn to that type.

Back at the family compound, Sister Li had already helped Luo Chuxia up. “Chuxia, it’s okay, your mom’s gone now. Stop crying. You did well just now. How could you give all your money to your mother’s family? What about you and An’an?”

“Exactly. You were too naive before. Look at An’an; he’s five years old, yet he’s not even as tall as my son, who isn’t even four.”

In the past, many neighbors had tried to give Luo Chuxia similar advice.

After all, despite a few particularly difficult ones, most people in the neighborhood were kind-hearted and eager to help.

But Luo Chuxia never listened.

Whenever someone brought it up, she would argue that her mother’s family was struggling, and that her mother had no choice but to come for help.

Eventually, people stopped saying anything, thinking that something was wrong with Luo Chuxia’s head.

At that time, no one was wealthy, and all they could do was give Cen Huai’an a bite to eat when he was starving and express a bit of sympathy.

Now, seeing that Luo Chuxia seemed different from before, and considering how her mother had gone too far—trying to snatch money and even resorting to violence—the neighbors couldn’t stand by.

They wouldn’t tolerate someone throwing their weight around in their compound.

People in those days were very united, especially within the same factory; they always sided with their own.

Luo Chuxia smiled gratefully at the people around her. “Thank you, Aunties and Sisters, for your help. I wasn’t thinking clearly before, but I won’t make that mistake again. I’ve seen the truth now.”

Sister Li slapped her thigh and laughed heartily. “That’s the spirit! No need to thank us; we’re all neighbors.”

“Yes, yes. You’ve helped us out before too, so it’s all mutual.”

It was fortunate that the original Luo Chuxia, despite not listening to advice, had always been willing to lend a hand when neighbors needed help.

Otherwise, no one would have stood up for her just now.

Her son, on the other hand, hadn’t said a word or made a move since she fell and started crying at the door.

He simply stood there, watching her and his grandmother with a wary gaze.

Luo Chuxia sighed inwardly: This poor child clearly has some issues!

But it’s no wonder, given that he’s been starving all his life.

The original Luo Chuxia could barely take care of herself, so the fact that he even survived was remarkable.

She didn’t plan on trying to reform him just yet—his sense of caution was deeply ingrained.

Even though she had never been married or raised a child, she had rotated through the pediatrics department during her medical training, so she understood children’s psychology to some extent.

Cen Huai’an stared at her, the desperate look in his eyes from earlier now replaced by cold indifference, as if she were a stranger, not his mother. then suddenly “Grumble grumble!”

The sound of a growling stomach broke the silence between them.

Luo Chuxia looked at Cen Huai’an, but his expression remained unchanged, as if it wasn’t his stomach that had growled.

Instead, Chuxia touched her own stomach, realizing that she was very hungry—so hungry that she felt weak.

She checked the kitchen, only to find a few wilted vegetable leaves and nothing else.

Fortunately, the money and ration tickets that the original Luo Chuxia’s husband had sent hadn’t been handed over yet.

Otherwise, she really would have starved to death right after transmigrating.

“Come on, let’s go eat. Today, we’re going to the state-run restaurant.” Chuxia beckoned to Cen Huai’an.

Cen Huai’an didn’t respond, pressing his lips together tightly, looking at her with distrust.

But after Chuxia stepped out the door, he hesitated for a moment before following her, not forgetting to lock the door behind them.