Chapter 2

Ruiduo stretched out her dirty little hand to help Gu Zhenqi wipe her tears, but she herself was also crying big fat tears because her mother was crying. In her soft, childish voice, she tried to comfort her:
“Mommy, don’t cry. Ruiduo will stay with you, protect you, and won’t let anyone bully you. Mommy, are you hungry? Wait for me, I’ll go snatch some food back for you!”

Before Gu Zhenqi could react, Ruiduo dashed toward Chen Yue like a cannonball. Seeing his little sister rush forward, Fei’an refused to fall behind. With a swoosh, he too shot out like another little cannonball.

When Chen Yue saw these two kids charging at her without a care for their lives, she rolled up her sleeves, cracked her knuckles, and prepared to teach them a lesson — these brats always ruined her plans!

“Heh, got guts now, huh? Trying to defy me? I’m your third aunt, and you dare stand up to me? I’ll beat you to death — let’s see who dares stop me! You protecting her is worthless! Means nothing!”

Chen Yue’s words stabbed right into Gu Zhenqi’s heart. In her previous life, she indeed wasn’t a good mother. Many people, including her own parents, believed she was unworthy. That’s why the heavens punished her — by taking away her two little angels so early.

It left her alone for the rest of her life, clinging to nothing but cold numbers. Even in death, she never found peace.

But this time around, Gu Zhenqi swore to herself — no more. She would protect her children with her life. She would love them wholeheartedly and strive to be the best mother in the world.

She wouldn’t give fate a reason to take them again. She wouldn’t let anyone hurt them or take them from her.

From the moment she was reborn, her son and daughter had become her entire life.

Thinking of this, Gu Zhenqi quickly tried to stop the kids:
“Ruiduo, baby! Fei’an, sweetheart! Stop! Leave it to Mommy. I’m the adult here — if I can’t even protect myself, how can I protect you?”

Ruiduo and Fei’an stopped immediately. Not because they were obedient — but because they were stunned by what Gu Zhenqi said.

Since birth, their mother had never once referred to herself as “Mommy.” She had never spoken to them so gently, and certainly never called them “baby” or “sweetheart.”

Fei’an noticed his little sister’s emotional reaction. Though he was thrilled inside, he still kept a calm expression, reaching out to hold Ruiduo’s small hand.

Ruiduo asked in disbelief:
“Brother… did Mommy really say that just now? Did our mommy… finally start to love us?”

“Mm. Mommy’s starting to love us now.”

Fei’an seemed to be answering his sister, but more than that, he was saying it to convince himself.

Ruiduo clenched her tiny fists and encouraged herself:
“Ruiduo has to keep trying hard to love Mommy, then she’ll love me and Brother even more!”

“Wow, Gu Zhenqi! What’s this, did you overdose on rat poison today and have a sudden epiphany? What’s this called again… yeah… ‘a dying man speaks kind words’? No… no… with someone like you, even if you die, you’ll still be a selfish, conniving snake!” Chen Yue sneered sarcastically, full of venom.

Seeing that nasty smirk again made Gu Zhenqi’s teeth ache with fury. If anyone caused the tragedy of her two children in the past life, it was Chen Yue — she was the executioner, the one who had truly killed them.

In her past life, Gu Zhenqi had mostly ignored Chen Yue — the kind who would come to her parents’ home for a meal one day, snatch an egg the next, then mock her and belittle her to make up for how unfairly she was treated by her in-laws.

At most, Gu Zhenqi had shot back with a few sharp words, silencing her. But the food? She never cared about that. When she was a girl, her parents spoiled her, her brothers doted on her — she never lacked good food.

While others in the village had meat once a year, she had it often. Her eldest brother was a skilled hunter, her second brother sneaked into the black market, and her third brother was strong and earned full work points every day. Her family had plenty of food throughout the year.

In those days of scarcity — when food and clothes were hard to come by — villagers often had to eat thin porridge with wild vegetables and coarse bread. Yet in her home, every meal was solid. They even ate fine grains several times a month — buns, dumplings, noodles, thick soups… she always ate until she was full.

So to fight with Chen Yue for a bite of food? She couldn’t bring herself to stoop that low. It was beneath her.

But now? Reborn with all her hatred intact? Not even a sip of rice soup would Chen Yue get from her ever again.

“You know what they say — only the good die young. A disaster like me? I’ll live a long, long life — long enough to watch you rot, bone by bone, until there’s nothing left. Then I’ll be kind enough to pull the weeds off your grave!”

Chen Yue was riled up now. She put her hands on her hips and launched into a full-on shrew tirade:
“Gu Zhenqi, you little bitch! You’re the one who’ll rot until not even your bones are left! A venomous woman like you, just wait till the sky cracks open and a bolt of lightning strikes you dead—”

But Gu Zhenqi had no intention of wasting her precious reborn time on this shrew. She just wanted to hug and kiss her precious children.

She had a lifetime ahead to deal with Chen Yue — and plenty of ways to do it. Beating a rural shrew like her? That was child’s play.

She quickly walked to the wall, grabbed the big broom, and started whacking Chen Yue with all her strength:
“Get out! Get the hell out of the Chen house! If you dare come back again to mooch, I’ll beat you every time I see you!”

Chen Yue shielded herself with her arms and yelled:
“Gu Zhenqi! What right do you have? Don’t forget — your surname is Gu, mine is Chen! This is the Chen house. If anyone should leave, it’s you! Stop hitting me! Stop — or I’ll tear you apart!”

From the sidelines, Ruiduo clapped her hands in delight:
“Mommy’s amazing! Go Mommy! Hit her—!”

Fei’an echoed:
“Hit her! Hit her—!”

Chen Yue exploded with rage and turned her venom on the children:
“What are you brats cheering for? This shrew is hitting me now — next time, she’ll be hitting you, beating you to death—!”

Ruiduo, her thin little face full of resolve, said clearly:
“She won’t. Mommy would never hit me or Brother. Mommy loves us. She only hits you because she hates you. You deserve it. You tried to steal Mommy’s food!”

Fei’an nodded firmly:
“Deserved. Deserved—”

Ruiduo and Fei’an never lied. Gu Zhenqi had never laid a finger on them — but she had emotionally neglected and ignored them. And in her past life, when she thought back on this, she realized: that kind of coldness, that indifference… sometimes it was worse than hitting them.

“She didn’t hit you before, but who says she won’t later? Didn’t she just hit me?”

“Oh? You still have the strength to talk? Looks like I went too easy on you. A broom’s not enough for you, huh?”

As soon as she said that, Gu Zhenqi tossed aside the broom, ran into the house, and came back out holding a feather duster. She raised it high — and it rained down on Chen Yue like a storm.

Chen Yue screamed in pain:
“Oww! Owww—”
She ran around the yard, no longer able to keep arguing.

“Get out! Get out now! If you come back, I’ll beat you again!”

Each strike from Gu Zhenqi came harder than the last. Chen Yue couldn’t take it anymore and fled toward the courtyard gate.

At the gate, she shouted one last threat:
“Gu Zhenqi! Don’t get cocky! I’ll go get my older sisters — all of us will come back and deal with you. I’ll skin you alive, you little whore!”

After Chen Yue was gone, Gu Zhenqi dropped the feather duster and let go of all the fury that had possessed her. She turned to Ruiduo and Fei’an with a gentle smile.

She crouched down, opened her arms, and said tenderly:
“Come here, babies. Come to Mommy’s arms. Let me give you a proper hug!”