Over at the Feng household, ever since the Lin family extorted 200 yuan from them, Ge Jinhua cursed Chen Caohua every day. She blamed her for running away and causing their family to lose money.

But as the saying goes, speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

One day, a haggard woman carrying a bag showed up at the Feng family’s door.

“Dad, Mom, I’m back!”

Ge Jinhua squinted, then jumped up in rage when she recognized Chen Caohua, the very woman who had run away.

“How dare you come back, you shameless wretch! You ran off with another man, and now you dare show your face here? Get lost!”

Chen Caohua dropped to her knees with a thud.

“Mom, I didn’t run off with anyone! I went south to find work!”

“Liar! I went to your family’s home, and they told me you ran away with a man named Huang Shitao. Our family doesn’t want someone like you. Get out of here!”

Chen Caohua clung to Ge Jinhua’s legs, pleading desperately, but Ge Jinhua refused to relent. She threw Chen Chuncao’s bag far away and slammed the door shut.

“Scram! Don’t come near our house again!”

Hatred flashed in Chen Caohua’s eyes. You old hag, why don’t you just drop dead already?

But she dared not voice her thoughts and instead continued crying out pitifully.

“Dad, Mom, I know I was wrong! Please let me in!”

“Leave!”

“Feng Jun, Feng Wen, Feng Wu! Mommy’s back! Open the door for me!”

Hearing their mother’s voice, the three children began crying and shouting, “I want my mom!”

Ge Jinhua scolded them angrily, “You ungrateful little brats! Your mom abandoned you long ago. I’ve been the one raising you!”

“I still want my mom!”

Hearing the commotion, the neighbors came out to investigate.

“Chen Caohua? Didn’t you run away with another man? Why are you back now?”

“I didn’t run away with anyone!” Chen Caohua defended herself. “I heard there were good job opportunities in the south, so I went to make money with a friend.”

“Why would you need to work? Doesn’t Feng Tianqi’s military stipend cover everything?”

That struck a nerve. Chen Caohua’s voice turned aggrieved.

“Tianqi’s money all goes to my mother-in-law. I don’t even get a penny. I have to ask her for money just to buy toilet paper. That’s why I wanted to earn some money for myself.”

The neighbors nodded in understanding. They all knew Ge Jinhua’s stingy reputation.

Public opinion quickly turned in Chen Caohua’s favor.

Inside the house, Ge Jinhua’s chest burned with anger as she overheard the gossip.

“That wretched woman! She’s learned to play innocent and badmouth me now?”

Feng Fugui, her husband, remarked, “Well, you were a bit too stingy before.”

Ge Jinhua slapped him hard. “Whose side are you on, you useless man?!”

“You old hag, just let her in already! Don’t embarrass us in front of the neighbors!”

Left with no choice, Ge Jinhua opened the door, grabbed Chen Caohua by the hair, and yanked her inside.

“Get in here!”

“Mom! That hurts!”

“You’re lucky I’m not pulling harder! Stop whining!”

Once the door was shut, Ge Jinhua beat her again. The children ran out, shielding their mother.

“Don’t hit my mom!”

Ge Jinhua nearly fainted from rage.

“Ungrateful brats!”

Seeing that the children refused to leave their mother’s side, Ge Jinhua begrudgingly allowed Chen Caohua to stay. After all, she and Feng Tianqi were still legally married, so there wasn’t much she could do.

But Ge Jinhua laid down a condition: because the family had lost 200 yuan, Chen Caohua had to repay the money. Otherwise, the debt would always hang over her head.

When Chen Caohua heard Lin Ning’s name, an intense hatred flared in her eyes. That wretched girl again!

In her previous life, Lin Ning had taken her man and her children. And now, in this life, she was interfering once more!

Yes, Chen Caohua had also been reborn.

In her past life, she had lived miserably. Feng Tianqi was often away in the military, and Ge Jinhua controlled all the household finances. Chen Caohua had to ask for every penny she spent and bore the brunt of the household chores.

Eventually, Huang Shitao, a friend of her brother’s, began showing her kindness, and the two became involved. Huang convinced her to run away with him to the south, promising riches and opportunities.

But once there, Chen Caohua realized that wealth depended on ability, not location. Both she and Huang were country bumpkins with no real skills.

When their money ran out, Huang forced her into prostitution. Though she tried to escape, he imprisoned her in a small room, where she had no choice but to service clients day after day.

After more than five years, Chen Caohua managed to knock Huang unconscious and flee.

Initially, she tried working in a factory, but she couldn’t endure the hardships. In the end, she returned to her old ways, becoming a streetwalker to survive.

By her forties, her looks had faded, and she returned to Dong’an County. There, she learned that Feng Tianqi had remarried a woman named Lin Ning.

After leaving the military, Feng Tianqi had started a real estate company and become one of Yongzhou City’s most prominent businessmen.

Through her children, Chen Caohua reconnected with Feng Tianqi and eventually resumed their relationship.

At first, she wanted to remarry him. But recalling how Ge Jinhua had tormented her, she decided to let Lin Ning stay in the countryside to care for the old hag while she enjoyed the good life in Yongzhou.

It wasn’t until Ge Jinhua and Feng Fugui passed away that the Feng family cast Lin Ning aside, and Chen Caohua revealed her true colors.

In her past life, Chen Caohua harbored deep hatred for two people: Ge Jinhua and Lin Ning.

Ge Jinhua had tormented her and withheld money, while Lin Ning made her look bad in front of Feng Tianqi and the children, who constantly compared the two women.

To survive in the Feng household, Chen Caohua had swallowed her resentment, but it only festered and grew.

Eventually, when Feng Tianqi discovered her past in the south, he abandoned her, and her children disowned her out of shame. She died in bitterness and regret.

When Chen Caohua woke up in her reborn body, she found herself back in the moment she had just fled south with Huang Shitao. Without hesitation, she escaped and returned to the Feng family, determined to secure her future with Feng Tianqi.

Hearing Lin Ning’s name now, Chen Caohua asked, “Mom, where is Lin Ning? I’ll go get the money from her!”

Ge Jinhua had the same idea.

“She’s working as a scrubber at the public bathhouse. Let’s go together!”

Forgetting how Lin Ning had humiliated her last time, Ge Jinhua marched out with Chen Caohua, ready to confront Lin Ning and demand money.