Chapter 11

Her Retribution Is Him

Xu Jiajia’s gaze fell on the woman.

With a rectangular face, slanted eyes, high cheekbones, and thick lips, the woman looked like she embodied pure meanness.

Xu Jiajia frowned at her aggressive demeanor and coldly asked, “Who are you? What are you doing making a scene at our house this early in the morning?”

Zhao Chunlan, who loathed Xu Jiajia for being the unexpected obstacle in her plans, spat back, “I’m Shen Yuebai’s stepmother. Who do you think I am?

“Shen Yuebai’s father doesn’t approve of your marriage. Call it off immediately.”

After Shen Dazhu left the Xu household, Grandma Xu had been waiting for Zhao Chunlan to show up and cause trouble.

Upon hearing the commotion, Grandma Xu didn’t come out right away but instead fetched a ladle of urine from a wooden barrel and splashed it onto Zhao Chunlan. “What kind of stepmother are you?! Get lost! Or I’ll beat you to death!”

Soaked in urine, Zhao Chunlan nearly lost it and screamed, “You old hag! I’ll fight you to the death!”

Fearing Zhao Chunlan might harm Grandma Xu, Xu Jiajia tripped her.

Zhao Chunlan fell, hitting her teeth on her lip, causing her mouth to bleed. Both in pain and anger, she sat up wailing, “Oh, heavens! This little wretch is trying to kill me! She’s not even married yet and already bullying her stepmother. What’ll happen once she’s in the family…”

Grandma Xu stormed over, grabbed Zhao Chunlan by the hair, and slapped her face repeatedly. “I’ve wanted to beat you for a long time! You came here asking for it. Don’t blame me. Keep screaming, and I’ll keep hitting!”

Zhao Chunlan tried to fight back but was stopped by Xu Jiajia. Outnumbered, she quickly gave in. “Stop, stop! I won’t scream anymore.”

Grandma Xu finally let her go.

Zhao Chunlan planned to call reinforcements, but seeing her elder son, Shen Zhou, arrive, her confidence returned. She straightened her back and shouted, “Second son, help me teach that wretch Xu Jiajia a lesson! She hit me!”

But Shen Zhou, meeting Xu Jiajia’s piercing gaze, shrank back nervously. “I-I don’t hit people. I just heard you’re marrying my brother, so I came to see if you needed help.”

Zhao Chunlan was furious. “You ungrateful brat! Traitor!”

Shen Zhou couldn’t understand why his mother hated his elder brother so much. His brother was great—handsome, capable, and dashing in his military uniform.

Everyone in the village admired his big brother, except for their mother.

“Mom, stop embarrassing yourself and go home.”

Zhao Chunlan nearly fainted with rage. “You little brat! Just you wait!”

Shen Zhou wasn’t fazed. “If you dare hit me, I’ll run away again, and you’ll never find me.”

This threat worked. When Shen Zhou was twelve, Zhao Chunlan had beaten him, and he ran off to the mountains for a night, leaving her and her husband frantic. Since then, she hadn’t laid a hand on him.

Now hearing his threat, Zhao Chunlan’s tone softened slightly. “We’re family, but you’re helping outsiders. How can I be happy about that?”

Shen Zhou shook his head. “Mom, she’s my sister-in-law, not an outsider. Keep talking like that, and I’ll get mad.”

Zhao Chunlan was on the verge of exploding. Pointing at Shen Zhou, she barked, “What do you know? Go home now! I don’t want to see you!”

Shen Zhou stood firm, even stepping in front of Xu Jiajia protectively. “No way. If you don’t go, I won’t either. Who knows if you’ll bully my sister-in-law!”

Zhao Chunlan was so angry she almost fainted. She gritted her teeth and spat out, “Fine. We’ll go home together.”

Only then did Shen Zhou smile. He pulled out five ten-cent bills from his pocket and handed them to Xu Jiajia. “Sister-in-law, here’s a wedding gift. I wish you and my brother a long and happy life with lots of kids.”

It had taken him a long time to save up this money.

All for This Day

Zhao Chunlan grew increasingly bitter. Her ungrateful son had never given her money before! She reached out to grab the cash, but Shen Zhou noticed her halfway through and warned, “Mom, if you dare to take it, I’ll disown you.”

Zhao Chunlan left the Xu household in tears—not because of the beating from Grandma Xu and Xu Jiajia, but because her son had angered her to the point of despair.

From afar, Xu Jiajia could still hear the mother-son quarrel.

“I got splashed with a ladle of urine by that old hag, and you didn’t even help me!”

“They were celebrating a happy occasion, and you came to stir up trouble. If it were me, I’d splash you too.”

“Are you really my son? Why do you always side with outsiders?”

“That’s something you know better than anyone! In fact, I should ask you: am I really your son? How come I and Sanmao are so kind-hearted, yet you’re so malicious? You can’t even tolerate big brother!”

Zhao Chunlan let out a shrill scream. “Argh! You little brat! I’ll beat you to death!”

Shen Zhou stood unmoved and pointed to his face. “Go ahead. Which side will you hit first, left or right?”

His calm retort instantly defused Zhao Chunlan’s fury. She sighed in frustration, “How did I give birth to such an idiot?”

Shen Zhou replied bluntly, “It’s karma for how you’ve treated my big brother. If you had been kinder to him, I wouldn’t be like this.”

Zhao Chunlan clutched her chest, silently reminding herself, He’s my biological son. He’s my biological son.

As their voices grew more distant and eventually faded, Xu Jiajia turned to Grandma Xu with a smile. “That kid’s not bad.”

Grandma Xu, who had only ever seen Shen Zhou as a rebellious troublemaker, chuckled. “Zhao Chunlan can’t control him. Every time, he makes her so mad she’s hopping mad. But the boy genuinely admires Xiao Shen and has real affection for his big brother.

“It’s just that Xiao Shen’s childhood experiences made it hard for him to accept that family.”

Xu Jiajia’s heart ached for Shen Yuebai. Happy people heal through their childhoods; unhappy people spend a lifetime healing from them. She turned to Grandma Xu. “Grandma, I want to buy Ah Yue a Dacron shirt and a pair of Liberation shoes.”

Grandma Xu instinctively reached for money, but her pockets were empty. She looked embarrassed. “Your dad took all the money to visit relatives. He’s spreading the word about your wedding date and promised to bring back some things from town. I gave him everything we had.”

Xu Jiajia remembered the stash of private savings the original owner had kept. She ran into the house and retrieved a bundle of cash from a clothing pocket.

The stack was made up of coins and small bills—ten-cent, twenty-cent, and fifty-cent notes, along with one- and two-cent coins. Though old, they were neatly organized.

She counted five yuan in total and frowned. This isn’t enough for Dacron.

[Host, you can earn money.]

Grandma Xu, overhearing this thought, almost jumped in shock. In these times, private business dealings could get you publicly criticized!

This damned system is full of bad ideas.

Grandma Xu wanted to stop Xu Jiajia but didn’t want her to realize she could hear her inner thoughts. While Grandma Xu hesitated, Xu Jiajia’s inner voice rang out again.

[Guagua, private trade isn’t allowed right now. How else can I make money?]

[Host, you can take a civil service exam! A single job can sell for hundreds. Even if you don’t pass, don’t you have 600 yuan saved? Withdraw it!]

Xu Jiajia admitted to herself that she was clever and lucky when it came to exams, but success wasn’t guaranteed. She’d only give it a try.

As for the 600 yuan she had saved, she wasn’t planning to use it. That money was meant for her elders’ future.

[I’ll think about it.]

[Host, you were a top student in your past life. Passing an exam should be a piece of cake for you. Believe in yourself!]

Shen Yuebai entered just in time to catch the last remark. A thoughtful expression crossed his handsome face. A past life? Could it be that Jiajia is reincarnated with memories of her previous life?