Chapter 6

On a not-too-hot morning in summer, a gentle, cool breeze wafted into the room through the window, carrying with it the rich fragrance of gardenia blossoms from beyond the eaves.

Su Xi sat at the writing desk, absentmindedly playing with wildflowers stuck in an empty tin can and flipping through the books on her desk.

After a quick scan, she found that mathematics was relatively simple for her; all she needed was to go through it once again. Chinese, on the other hand, posed more difficulty. With little time left before the high school entrance exam, she had to devote herself to memorizing again.

What troubled her was the imminent end of the college entrance exam in a few years. Her current body had just finished junior high school, and now it was June. The high school entrance exam was approaching.

If she succeeded in getting into high school, following the normal progression of three years of high school and then six years of medical school for a total of nine years, Time was tight.

Moreover, she liked to be well-prepared in advance. In her plan, graduating from university by the age of 65 was ideal. During this period, she had to climb at least four levels.

Fortunately, she had been a medical student before, which eased some of the pressure.

With this in mind, Su Xi shook her head and decided to eliminate all distractions and start working hard. If she didn’t get into high school, all her future plans would be in vain.

Although there were some slots that could be obtained through recommendations, she couldn’t bring herself to use her parents’ connections after failing. Even in the face of failure, she couldn’t bring herself to use the network of the deceased parents of the original owner.

Thankfully, she possessed the memories of the original owner. The original owner’s grades were not outstanding, but not bad either.

She quickly immersed herself in her academic pursuits, following her original memory.

After a while, a voice echoed in the courtyard: “Xixi, are you home?”

The voice stirred Su Xi out of her concentration. She put down the pen in her hand, turned her somewhat stiff neck, and replied, “Yes.” Then she stood up and walked towards the door.

Just a few steps outside, she met a girl with wax-yellowish and dark, dry skin.

Su Xi saw that she was getting closer and smiled, “Sanya, why did you come?”

The newcomer was “Su Xi’s sister,”  named Su Sanya. She was 2 years older than Su Xi, who was 17 years old this year, and a child of the Su Laiwang, Su family from the eastern part of the village.

When it comes to Su Laiwang, there is also a famous family in his village. Su Laiwang gave birth to nine children, except for the firstborn, who was a boy; the subsequent eight were all girls. This unique gender distribution caused quite a stir in the village, and Su Laiwang’s wife, due to the strain of giving birth to so many girls, had a slightly bent back compared to others.

In fact, nowadays, having eight or nine children is not uncommon, but families with such a peculiar male-to-female ratio are indeed rare.

Su Laiwang and his wife have an extreme preference for boys over girls. Apart from the eldest, Su Guangzong, the other eight girls, from the eldest to the youngest, didn’t even have proper names.

And Wang Cuilan, whom Su Xi met while washing clothes in the morning, was Sanya’s sister-in-law.

As Su Xi sifted through memories about Su Sanya, Su Sanya also appraised Su Xi’s clean clothes and seemingly glowing white skin, her eyes dimming slightly.

It truly was enviable.

Even if she could live her life again and go back to the most beautiful age of 17, and even though she had taken special care of her appearance before meeting Su Xi, she still couldn’t lift her head in front of her.

Yes, Su Sanya had been reborn a month ago, from the year 1976 at the age of 33 to the year 1960 at the age of 17.

At this moment, she hadn’t been sold by her cruel parents to the widower who would eventually beat her to death.

And Su Xi in front of her hadn’t been married off by her two overly indulgent brothers to the man who would hold her in the palm of his hand.

Now that fate had granted her a second chance, Su Sanya decided she would snatch Su Xi’s man, expose her brothers’ misdeeds, and see how the two, who hadn’t reached high positions in the village after more than a decade, could escape the condemnation of their fellow villagers.
In a moment of thought, Su Sanya blinked her eyes, cleared the haze in her eyes, and approached Su Xi with a natural smile, taking her hand. “I thought there was no one at your house. I came to see you. I heard you had a high fever a few days ago. I couldn’t leave my house, but today I finally found a chance to sneak away. I came to check on you. You won’t blame me for coming so late, will you? How’s your health? Are you okay?”

Su Xi was a bit confused by her enthusiastic questions. She effortlessly broke free from her grip and, as Su Sanya looked over in surprise, walked towards the stone table in the courtyard. “Why would I blame you? Besides, I’m fine. I’ve been okay for a while now.”

After the two of them sat down at the table, Su Sanya wanted to hold Su Xi’s hand again.

Su Xi is not accustomed to intimate contact with people, especially women.

Therefore, as Su Sanya’s hand neared hers, Su Xi skillfully avoided it by stroking her hair.

Su Sanya’s movements stiffened for a moment. Whether it was a coincidence or not, she withdrew her hand with a forced smile. Her eyes carefully scrutinized Su Xi, who seemed even more beautiful, and she expressed concern, saying, “It’s good that you’re okay. If I hadn’t taken you to the back mountain, you wouldn’t have been scared into a high fever by that skull. Oh, look at me, always bringing up the past. Xixi, don’t be afraid.”

Su Xi…

Was this what they called good sisters?

They were worse than plastic sisters, weren’t they?

Ignoring the obvious jealousy in Su Sanya’s eyes and the implications of her words, Su Xi realized that Su Sanya harbored ill intentions toward the original Little Su Xi.

Moreover, with this reminder, Su Xi recalled that it was Su Sanya who had suggested going to such a remote place to search for the so-called flowers. 

Why did she suggest it?

Su Xi knew she had transmigrated into a novel, but at the time, she had only skimmed through it briefly. She had forgotten most of the details, so what role did Su Sanya play in the original Little Su Xi’s world?

However, no matter what, Su Xi is too lazy to guess. She was busy studying, and time was precious. If it turned out that the original Little Su Xi’s death was related to Su Sanya, she would seek revenge.

With this in mind, Su Xi tentatively said, “I’m really fine. Haven’t you noticed that I look much better now? My face is even more beautiful.”

Sure enough, as soon as Su Xi said these words, Su Sanya seemed surprised that someone could shamelessly praise themselves. Her facial expression momentarily twisted, and she forced a smile, insincerely saying, “Our Xixi has always been beautiful.”

Su Xi gave Su Sanya a look as if to say, “You do have an eye for beauty.”

Su Sanya… wanted to curse!

Life was truly unfair. Su Xi had a good family background and exceptional looks, and she ended up marrying such an outstanding man. If Su Sanya had such a good family, she was sure she would look even more stunning.

Unlike herself, whose so-called family treated her like livestock, she struggled even to have a decent meal.

Remembering that she was still hungry, Su Sanya turned her eyes and sighed, “You’re still fortunate; everyone at home pampers you, raising you so well. Unlike me, it’s almost noon, and I haven’t even had breakfast yet.”

Su Xi raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. It seemed like she wanted “Su Xi” to offer her some food. Recalling the memories of the original owner, Su Sanya had indeed taken advantage of her generosity numerous times.

Being different from the naive and innocent original owner, Su Xi casually replied, “Well, I do have good luck.”

As for the breakfast issue, she skipped it directly and pretended not to hear it.

Su Sanya choked at her words. Did this brat not know she had good fortune? Even after her parents died, they left behind a substantial amount of compensation.

However, following the usual routine, shouldn’t Su Xi, at this point, be giving her a concerned look and offering her something to eat? After all, they were supposed to be best friends.

Could it be true, as the sister-in-law said, that Su Xi’s life at home was not as comfortable as before? 

Otherwise, why would she personally be washing clothes now?

No, Su Sanya dismissed this thought as soon as it surfaced. Even after more than a decade, everyone still doted on Su Xi.

Then, was it that Su Xi didn’t want to share her food?

Remembering the delicious pastry she had eaten at Su Xi’s place a few days ago, Su Sanya couldn’t control the growling hunger in her stomach. She was genuinely hungry, and no one cared about the well-being of girls like her. She had only had a bowl of rice soup in the morning, without a single grain of rice in it. Why should Su Xi enjoy tender and delicious food while she suffers?

Unable to accept returning empty-handed, Su Sanya, driven by hunger, couldn’t bother with being subtle. She directly spoke up: “What I mean is, I’m hungry.”

Finishing her words, Su Sanya looked at Su Xi expectantly, thinking, “Now she’ll surely offer me something tasty to eat. I don’t believe Su Xi doesn’t have something delicious.”

To her surprise, Su Xi understood but immediately stood up, grabbing Su Sanya’s sleeve and pulling her towards the door. “You’re hungry? Then go back and have your meal; I won’t keep you.”

Su Sanya “……”

This plot wasn’t right. Shouldn’t Su Xi immediately bring out the best food at home for her?

Su Sanya walked along Su Xi’s path to the door in a daze, and only then did she realize that Su Xi had really changed.

She looked at Su Xi in disbelief, feeling that today’s Su Xi was somewhat different from the silly girl in her memory.

She opened her mouth, wanting to ask something, but didn’t know where to begin.

She looked at Su Xi with an uncomfortable look and hesitated to speak.

Su Xi, uninterested in her performance, escorted her out and decided to close the courtyard gate to prevent this annoying nonsense from happening again.

As Su Xi was about to close the door, Su Sanya raised her bony hand, pressing it against the door, and scrutinized Su Xi through the gap, as if trying to see through her entirely.

After a while, just as Su Xi was growing impatient, a malicious intent flickered in Su Sanya’s eyes. She stared directly into Su Xi’s eyes and, in a nasty tone, inquired, “I almost forgot to tell you, Xixi, do you know that two men were executed in the neighboring commune half a month ago?”