For Jiang Wanting, she had known Chen Meiling for less than half a day, yet the word “Mom” slipped out so naturally.  

In her past life, Jiang Wanting had always felt a distance between herself and her mother. As a child, she often envied other kids who could act spoiled, cute, and clingy with their mothers. She tried imitating them, attempting to be affectionate, but her mother would always respond with the same stern expression, lecturing her instead.  

Jiang Wanting was raised to be upright and outstanding, but she lacked the warmth and liveliness of an ordinary family.  

Chen Meiling was different. She was just an ordinary rural woman, yet she would go to any lengths to protect Jiang Wanting. This gave Jiang Wanting a whole new understanding of what a mother-daughter relationship could be.  

The feeling of being shielded like this rushed straight to her head, overwhelming her.  

Jiang Wanting stepped forward, spreading her arms to block Chen Meiling. Her heart raced—this was the first time she had ever done something so “reckless.”  

The old Jiang woman never expected this usually obedient, submissive girl to knock her to the ground and even talk back. Her authority in the household was being challenged.  

The old hag scrambled up from the ground. “You damn bastard, how dare you hit me!” she spat through gritted teeth, lunging to grab Jiang Wanting and kick her again.  

In her past life, Jiang Wanting had always been prim and proper—she had never encountered such a shrewish woman before. Instinctively, she stumbled backward but tripped over Chen Meiling behind her.  

Seeing this, Chen Meiling immediately got up and tried to hold the old woman back. But Chen Meiling was frail, no match for the old hag’s strength. She endured the kicks and punches, shouting, “Go back inside! Lock the door! Hide in the room and don’t come out!”  

Jiang Wanting spotted a shovel leaning against the wall and grabbed it. Only then did she realize she wasn’t as strong as she thought—lifting the shovel took considerable effort. Her body was alarmingly weak, with barely any meat on her bones. Having nearly drowned three times not long ago, she felt weak all over and suspected she might even be running a fever.  

This was just terrible.  

Clenching her teeth, Jiang Wanting hoisted the shovel, circled around, and swung it with all her might at the old woman’s back.  

With a loud thud, the shovel smacked against the old woman’s head, sending her crumpling to the ground.  

Jiang Wanting’s shovel clattered to the floor. A wave of fear hit her. Did I just kill her?

Chen Meiling crouched down to check the old woman’s breathing. “She’s fine—probably just knocked out,” she said, standing up with a hand on her knee. She picked up an enamel mug from the ground and steadied Jiang Wanting, who was also swaying unsteadily. “Go lie down. I’ll make you some sugar water to help you recover.”  

Jiang Wanting didn’t protest, collapsing onto the hard wooden plank as she waited for Chen Meiling.  

Only now did she have the energy to take in the room. It clearly wasn’t a proper bedroom—more like a converted storage shed. Half of the space was cluttered with unused planks, firewood, an axe, wire, and other odds and ends. Against the wall were two larger, bare wooden boards serving as beds—one where she now lay, the other presumably Chen Meiling’s.  

A small stack of bricks by the wall functioned as a makeshift table. Aside from that, a wire stretched from the ceiling, holding up a patched-up shirt that looked freshly washed and hung to dry. These were likely all their possessions.  

The harsh living conditions unsettled Jiang Wanting, who had never experienced hardship in her past life. Given the old hag’s viciousness, it was doubtful they’d even have dinner tonight.  

Before Chen Meiling could return with the sugar water, Jiang Wanting passed out again.  

In her unconscious state, fragments of the original Jiang Wanting’s life flashed before her like a revolving lantern.  

For eighteen years, the original Jiang Wanting had endured abuse in the Jiang household, saddled with endless chores but barely fed. Only after a group of educated youths arrived in the village did her life improve slightly.  

Among them was a male youth named Wang Jianmin, who often secretly gave her half an ear of corn or a sweet potato to fill her stomach. Occasionally, she even got an egg.  

Knowing that Wang Jianmin was going hungry to share his rations with her, Jiang Wanting repaid him by taking on his laundry and mending his clothes and socks.  

But a year ago, rumors suddenly spread that Jiang Wanting and Wang Jianmin were involved in an improper relationship. People claimed to have heard noises in the cornfields, seen shadows moving by the well, or even caught the two kissing behind trees in broad daylight.  

The stories were so vivid that Jiang Wanting didn’t know how to respond. She simply hid at home for a long time, refusing to go out.  

During this period, her cousin Jiang Daya grew close to Wang Jianmin. She borrowed high school textbooks from him, often studied with him, and the two encouraged each other, becoming role models for others.  

The more Jiang Daya progressed, the worse Jiang Wanting’s reputation became. Even when she stayed home, new gossip emerged—shifting from Wang Jianmin to the lame man in the village, then to someone’s dim-witted son.  

Last month, Wang Jianmin and Jiang Daya both passed the college entrance exams, becoming the pride of the entire village. The village loudspeakers even broadcasted their achievements for three straight days.  

The entire Jiang family pooled money to send Jiang Daya to school. The old Jiang woman even borrowed a hundred yuan from the village chief, promising to repay it within a month. But then the old woman changed her mind, deciding to marry Jiang Wanting off to the chief’s eldest son, Da Niu, instead—so the debt would be canceled.

On the night before Wang Jianmin and Jiang Daya were set to leave, under the cover of darkness, Wang Jianmin pulled Jiang Wanting aside to a secluded spot. With a solemn expression, he asked her, “I don’t care about the rumors. I don’t care who you’ve been with. I’m leaving tomorrow—do you want to come with me?”

Jiang Wanting hadn’t seen Wang Jianmin in a long time, so his sudden proposal left her stunned.

“Go with you where?”

“To Beijing. Come with me to school. I’ll find you a job in the city—or if you don’t want to work, I’ll rent a place for you, and you can just cook for me. Leave this godforsaken village behind. Come with me and live a good life!”

Jiang Wanting couldn’t remember how she had responded that night—because just then, she jolted awake from her feverish sleep on the wooden plank, drenched in cold sweat, her heart pounding.  

The sight before her confirmed once again that she had truly been reborn.  

But the man from her dream still filled her with dread and suffocation.  

Because that educated youth, Wang Jianmin, was none other than her husband in her past life—the man who had never touched her after marriage, the man who had exploited her family’s wealth, the scumbag who had secretly maintained another family and a lover on the other side of the city!  

Jiang Wanting racked her brain, trying to recall if she had missed any details. If that dream was real, then Wang Jianmin should have been studying in Beijing for the next four years—not appearing in Pingcheng, let alone relentlessly pursuing her for a year before marrying her.  

In her past life, Wang Jianmin had never gone to university.  

A sudden thought struck her: If I’ve been reborn in this village, does my past life’s family even still exist?

“Did you have a nightmare?” Chen Meiling’s gentle voice sounded beside her as she reached over to touch Jiang Wanting’s forehead. “Good, your fever’s gone. Here, drink some sugar water.”

She brought the enamel mug to Jiang Wanting’s lips. “I’ll get you a cornbread bun later. Tonight, I’m going out for a bit. You rest here at home.” 

Jiang Wanting gulped down the sweet water in one go, licking her lips, which were still cracked and dry. “It’s so late—where are you going?” She glanced outside. The sky was pitch black.  

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll bring back something for you to eat.” Seeing that Jiang Wanting was fine, Chen Meiling turned to leave but soon returned with a dry, hard cornbread bun. “Your grandmother locked everything else in the cupboard. This is all I could get for now. You nearly drowned today, so you must be weak. Eat this to tide you over. I’ll go find something better.”

Only then did Jiang Wanting remember the troublesome old woman. “How is she?”

“Still sleeping. I carried her back to her room earlier. She woke up for a bit in the afternoon but went back to sleep.” Chen Meiling averted her gaze unnaturally. “Just lie down. I’m going out—”

“Wait.” Jiang Wanting grabbed Chen Meiling’s wrist, causing her to yelp in pain.  

Jiang Wanting immediately sensed something was wrong. Pushing up Chen Meiling’s sleeve, she saw her wrist swollen horribly.  

Looking closer, she noticed bruises on Chen Meiling’s face and one eye swollen shut—clear signs of a beating.  

“What happened? Who did this?” Even without asking, Jiang Wanting could guess it was that damned old woman. “Was it her?” 

“No one did it. I just fell.” Chen Meiling tried to brush it off. “You… you must be hungry. Let me get you—” She still wanted to avoid the subject.  

Jiang Wanting was furious. Why won’t she just say it?

She was sick of her past life’s self-righteous sacrifices—silently enduring, thinking she was doing the right thing for everyone. But in reality, she had only been fooling herself.  

This time, Jiang Wanting wanted direct communication—no more hiding, no more misunderstandings.  

“Did that old hag beat you?” she demanded outright, hoping Chen Meiling would nod and admit it instead of evading.  

Chen Meiling sighed, sitting down on a small stool with her head bowed. After a long silence, she finally said, “No, I really just fell.” She didn’t see the point in saying it—better to keep her daughter in the dark than make her live in fear. Right now, the most important thing was finding a way to borrow money and get Jiang Wanting out of this place. Anywhere would be safer than here.  

Jiang Wanting didn’t push further. Habits and personalities couldn’t change overnight. Chen Meiling’s nature was so much like her past self that Jiang Wanting’s anger wasn’t just about the secrecy—it was also directed at her own past weakness.  

“Be careful if you’re going out this late,” Jiang Wanting finally relented with a sigh. “Take something to defend yourself.” Change couldn’t be forced. She had to be patient.  

Chen Meiling visibly relaxed. “I’ll take a hoe. Don’t worry.”

After watching Chen Meiling leave, Jiang Wanting stepped outside, skirting the chicken coop until she reached the kitchen. Two inner rooms flanked it, used for living quarters. Inside the kitchen, she quickly spotted the locked cabinet—undoubtedly containing the eggs, steamed buns, and meat Chen Meiling had mentioned.