Chapter 27

Lin Xixi listened, dumbfounded.

Qiao Wei hooked the stool over with her foot. “Sit.”

Lin Xixi, in a daze, was pushed down by her shoulder and sat down. Qiao Wei herself hugged Wu Nier and sat on the small bamboo chair.

Although the small bamboo chair wasn’t high, the stool was even shorter. Qiao Wei instantly gained a dominant position over Lin Xixi.

Lin Xixi hadn’t fully recovered her senses after sitting down.

Although she appeared as a teenage girl, her soul was that of a middle-aged woman from the 1990s with limited education. She was originally from a rural area and had a bit of superstition in her bones. Experiencing the miraculous event of rebirth intensified her superstition.

“Because of her rebirth, it caused Yan Lei’s original wife to survive”—this statement was really hard to accept! It felt as if it was destined that Yan Lei, this great man, had no fate with her.

“Xiao Lin,” Qiao Wei let Wu Nier sit on her lap, waving her hand in front of Lin Xixi’s eyes. “Xiao Lin?”

Oops, she seems to have confused this aunt. I hope it’s not too shocking for her.

Regardless, Qiao Wei hoped that Lin Xixi could understand that the current situation had changed and that her plan of “marrying Yan Lei and living a good life” should be scrapped.

Unfortunately, when Lin Xixi came to her senses, she looked up at Qiao Wei with a sudden fierceness in her eyes.

Qiao Wei’s heart sank.

It was no use; evidently, Lin Xixi was fixated on marrying Yan Lei.

Her guess was correct.

In reality, Lin Xixi wasn’t fixated on Yan Lei; she was fixated on “wealth and prosperity.”

As the saying goes, blocking someone’s path to wealth is akin to killing their parents, and there is some truth to it. When Lin Xixi regained her senses and saw Qiao Wei’s fair complexion and healthy lips, her first thought was: She is hindering my path to wealth!

After Qiao Wei’s explanation, Lin Xixi no longer doubted that she had also experienced rebirth. However, in that moment, she thought, If it weren’t for her, if it weren’t for her… It’s all her fault!

But seeing Qiao Wei tightly sealing her lips and looking at her with a profound gaze, Lin Xixi suddenly woke up and quickly averted her gaze.

“Cough… ” She tried to conceal it. “This is truly fate. Aunt Qiao, you… shouldn’t have, shouldn’t have…”

Qiao Wei smiled, waiting for her to speak.

Lin Xixi knew she should say something like “fate couldn’t be avoided.” However, the air stuck in her chest made it unbearable. The words reached her lips, but she couldn’t say them. She felt uneasy.

Qiao Wei should die; only then could she make room for herself.

Seeing Lin Xixi’s face contort, Qiao Wei, not wanting to make things difficult for her any longer, lowered her head and rubbed Wu Nier’s fluffy little head. “Wu Nier, tell Auntie, do you want to eat canned peaches?”

Wu Nier’s eyes lit up at the mention of “eating.” “Eat! Want to eat! Wu Nier wants to eat!”

Resources were scarce, and any available food was quickly devoured by the children. For those a bit older, like the soldiers, they even plucked the flowers placed at the entrance of the Town Committee office to eat the nectar.

They plucked the flowers so roughly that each time the staff from the propaganda office came out with sticks to chase them away, the children dispersed like birds and beasts.

But they dared to do it again next time.

Qiao Wei knew that canned peaches were rare during this time, so whenever she found them, she would buy and hoard them. Nevertheless, in the end, canned peaches were just canned peaches and not something like gold or silver nuggets.

Just as long as others didn’t know, she bought four cans at once.

Qiao Wei stood up, put Wu Nier on a small bamboo chair, and said, “Wait here. Let’s go, Xiang Xiang; we’ll open the canned peaches for Wu Nier to eat.”

Having eaten them yesterday and now again today, why was she so fortunate? Yan Xiang joyfully said, “Okay!”

Mother and son went into the house to open the cabinet and get the canned peaches. Qiao Wei took the opportunity to educate Yan Xiang: “When you have something good, you have to know how to share.”

Yan Xiang puffed up his little chest. “Share with friends, not hide it!”

Qiao Wei opened the can, divided it into three bowls, took two bowls, Yan Xiang held his own, and they came out together. Wu Nier was too small, and Qiao Wei was afraid she wouldn’t be able to hold the bowl, so she called her from the shade to under the eaves, picked up a square stool for her to use as a table, and let her sit on a small stool to eat.

The third bowl was, of course, for Lin Xixi—she was a guest.

But Lin Xixi didn’t take it.

Lin Xixi looked at the bowl, which held a spoonful of syrup and two peach halves at the bottom. One can of canned peaches only contained five or six peach halves, so each person got at most two pieces.

Canned peaches were nothing special; in the 1990s, how could one serve canned peaches to entertain guests? A cup of “Guozhen” or “Gollego” would be more appropriate. Alternatively, opening a bottle of Coca-Cola or Sprite wouldn’t be bad either.

Lin Xixi’s despondent heart suddenly regained confidence.

She had lived for an additional lifetime and had seen the world of the 1980s and 1990s. It was not something this era’s people could compare to.

Qiao Wei might still be alive, but so what? Don’t be fooled by her “urbanite” demeanor. Lin Xixi had experienced things that Qiao Wei had never seen.

Moreover, since Qiao Wei wasn’t reborn, she was just a young girl in her twenties.

When Sister Yang introduced Qiao Wei to Lin Xixi, because Qiao Wei had finished high school, Sister Yang naturally categorized her as one of the “educated people.”

Thinking of this, Lin Xixi sneered.

“Don’t even mention that Qiao Wei didn’t finish high school; even if she did, what kind of cultured person would she be? Twenty years later, college graduates dare to call themselves cultured individuals. High school students are not as popular as vocational school and technical school students.

The two words ‘wealth and nobility’ are like carrots dangling in front of Lin Xixi, temporarily out of reach but irresistibly tempting her to move forward. You can’t just give up without even trying; after all, wealth and nobility are sky-high aspirations.

Living in a villa! Riding in a small car!

Lin Xixi smiled reservedly. “I don’t need it; you eat. It’s a rare treat.”

The last sentence was pure sarcasm. People from the 1960s have seen what good things are. A can of yellow peaches is considered a treasure.

To others, this sentence may sound polite, but Lin Xixi didn’t know that Qiao Wei fully understood the subtle sense of superiority being flaunted.

“It is a rare treat indeed. I happened to pass by the supply and marketing cooperative, casually took a look, and saw them on the shelf, so I quickly bought them.” Qiao Wei sat down again and unabashedly began to eat.

She didn’t even politely decline again; she was really petty. Lin Xixi’s sense of superiority became even stronger, and her frustration and annoyance were swept away, reigniting her fighting spirit.

“Aunt Qiao.” She brought the conversation back. “What relatives did you visit?”

Qiao Wei took a bite of the yellow peach without lifting her eyelids and answered, “Distant relatives.”

“How come I heard that you don’t have any relatives?” Lin Xixi’s eyes flickered. “Where did these relatives come from?”

She had a basis for saying this. When borrowing money, Sister Yang told her that all of Yan Lei’s original family members had passed away, and there were no relatives present during the burial, which sounded quite pitiful.

“Who told you that?”

“Oh, I heard… um, I heard from my sister-in-law.”

“Sister-in-law?” Qiao Wei finally raised her eyelids. “Since I arrived in this town, I haven’t discussed my family’s affairs with anyone. Zhao’s sister-in-law doesn’t know anything about my family. Why would she make up stories about me behind my back? My parents did pass away, that’s true, but my family’s relatives are not extinct!”

Qiao Wei stood up with the bowl in her hand and said, “No, I have to ask my sister-in-law Zhao. I haven’t offended her; why would she curse me behind my back?”

She pretended to step forward and confront Sister Yang. Lin Xixi couldn’t really let her go, so she grabbed her arm and held her back, saying, “No, no, I just said it casually. In fact, I heard it from someone at the vegetable market…”

The conversation had reached this point, and Lin Xixi decided to go all out. She stared directly at Qiao Wei and said, “I overheard people gossiping at the market, saying… you didn’t go to visit relatives but eloped with someone.”

Sister Yang had told Lin Xixi about this using phrases like “heard” and “rumored,” as it was difficult to verify due to the passage of time.

Qiao Wei didn’t die; she was brought back by Yan Lei. But if she had really eloped, the couple would have to face some shame. However, the way this couple looked didn’t seem like something was wrong. It made Lin Xixi uneasy, fearing that Sister Yang’s information might not be accurate. So, she wanted to confirm it.

As long as she could find the slightest trace to prove this was true, she didn’t need concrete evidence. She just had to spread the news widely enough to end Yan Lei and Qiao Wei’s marriage, enabling her to take Qiao Wei’s place.

Just to confirm it!

Lin Xixi didn’t even dare to blink, not missing any subtle changes in Qiao Wei’s expression!

Unexpectedly, when Qiao Wei heard such an offensive accusation, her face changed from indignation to a sudden realization. She sighed and said, “What am I even thinking? Just casually listening at the market. Actually, I feel embarrassed to tell you, but yesterday morning I overheard them talking about you.”

Don’t self-incriminate. Never self-incriminate; instead, bounce the question back.

Sure enough, with Qiao Wei’s response, Lin Xixi was taken aback. “Talking about me? What could they possibly say?”

“Look, I’m embarrassed to say.” Qiao Wei looked ashamed and quickly redirected the attack. “They said you were flirting with men, being improper. They all said you were not decent, and they warned each other to be careful, not to let their husbands be seduced by you.”

As soon as Lin Xixi heard this, she became furious. “Nonsense! I didn’t do anything!”

In her younger days, Lin Xixi was bold and daring. She married her fellow youth because she got pregnant before marriage.

But this incident haunted her for the rest of her life. Every time they argued, her husband would sarcastically call her licentious. Her mother-in-law wouldn’t give her face, openly scolding her and blaming her for ruining her son’s life.

The neighbors knew all about it due to frequent quarrels and backbiting.

Lin Xixi regretted it deeply. She had thought many times in her life that if given the chance to start over, she wouldn’t allow anyone to hold onto such a weakness for her entire life.

She had wanted to marry Yan Lei with her head held high.

Who would have thought that Qiao Wei would tell her that her reputation was already ruined?

This sharp jab hit Lin Xixi’s sore spot, and unsurprisingly, she fell into the trap of self-incrimination. “I didn’t, I really didn’t. I work at my uncle’s house every day, taking care of the children. I’m proper! Even when I go to buy groceries, I bring Wu Nier and Jun Jun with me! My sister-in-law can testify! I’m proper and innocent!”

She was emotionally stirred, almost jumping in place.

Though she had the appearance of a young girl, Qiao Wei could see the traces of middle age in her.

After being ruthlessly worn down by life for half a lifetime, even with a rejuvenated appearance, Lin Xixi still couldn’t hide the inherent anxiety.

Qiao Wei poked the last piece of peach into her mouth with chopsticks, pulled out the chopsticks, and pointed at Lin Xixi’s face. “Let me tell you, those gossiping women in the market, just ignore them. Let them say whatever they want. As long as you’re righteous, you shouldn’t care. Don’t bother with them; the more attention you give, the bigger the issue becomes, and the more people know about the gossip, the worse it is for your reputation.”

Lin Xixi was still quite agitated. “They’re just talking nonsense; I didn’t do anything! Tell me who said it, and I’ll shut their mouths! Who is it?”

Qiao Wei said, “I didn’t see their faces, but they should be the same group of people who talked about me behind my back. After all, they know both of us. If you heard someone gossiping about me, who was it? Let’s go find them!”

As she said this, she stood up.

Lin Xixi was suddenly at a loss for words.