Chapter 1 – Reborn, Yet Schemed Against Again

“Jingchu, listen to your mother. You put this in Yajuan’s things.” As Zhang Guifen spoke, she stuffed something into Xu Jingchu’s hands. “If she loses her reputation, then you’ll be the only one who can go to the capital. The jobs and the men will all be yours.”

Xu Jingchu froze, staring blankly at everything before her. Hadn’t she died? How could this be…

On the wall, the calendar clearly showed: June 7, 1980.

She had been reborn!

Reborn to the moment before the Lin family came to take her and Qin Yajuan to the capital.

The Lin family lived in the military compound in Beijing. During the war, both the Xu and Qin families had shown them great kindness. Now, Commander Lin wanted to repay the favor by bringing the two girls to the capital: one to arrange work for, the other to marry into the family as a daughter-in-law.

In her previous life, Zhang Guifen told Xu Jingchu to do this, claiming it was for her own good. In truth, she only wanted her daughter’s success so that her own family could benefit.

When Xu Jingchu refused, Zhang Guifen beat and cursed her, and finally threatened her with death. Unable to bear the thought of her mother dying, Xu Jingchu agreed outwardly, but secretly swapped the harmful powder for medicine that treated back pain.

Yet Zhang Guifen’s supposedly flawless plan was exposed by Qin Yajuan. To save herself from being drowned in spit and ridicule from the villagers, Zhang Guifen insisted it had been Xu Jingchu’s own idea all along.

Xu Jingchu tried to explain, but Zhang Guifen collapsed to the ground, wailing about raising an unfilial daughter. “Unfilial”… the others thought she was blaming herself for not teaching her daughter well, but Xu Jingchu understood the real meaning—if she didn’t shoulder her mother’s crime, she was unfilial.

Still clinging to the hope of earning her mother’s love, Xu Jingchu bowed her head and endured the villagers’ scolding and accusations. With that leverage, Qin Yajuan blackened her name in the Lin household, painting her as immoral.

Because Qin Yajuan was manipulative and calculating, the Lin family grew to dislike Xu Jingchu, quickly gave her a random job, and ignored her afterwards.

Meanwhile, Qin Yajuan smoothly married into the Lin family.

Only much later did Xu Jingchu realize—it had all been Qin Yajuan’s plan from the very start.

Qin Yajuan had arranged for her mother to “accidentally” let slip to Zhang Guifen, while pretending to chat with someone else, that: “If Jingchu loses her reputation, then the jobs and men will all be Yajuan’s. She’ll enjoy wealth and prosperity for a lifetime, and I’ll live well too!”

Qin Yajuan knew Zhang Guifen well. Hiding by the wall, Zhang Guifen would never think of warning her daughter, but instead would urge Jingchu to strike first. After all, the thought of living a good life through her daughter was far too tempting—for herself, her precious son, and her grandson.

Even though the powder had been replaced with back medicine, in the end it was still proven to be harmful. At the time, Xu Jingchu couldn’t understand how. Later she learned—that too had been Qin Yajuan’s handiwork.

Qin Yajuan had prepared two sets of powder. First, to frame Xu Jingchu. Second, as a backup: if Zhang Guifen didn’t have the heart to push her daughter into the fire pit, then Qin Yajuan would still find another way to ruin Xu Jingchu’s reputation while keeping herself clean.

“Are you stupid?” Zhang Guifen snapped when Xu Jingchu stayed silent too long. “You’re only good-looking, but you’ve got no brains. And your looks come from me. Today, whether you want to or not, you’re going.”

“Fine,” Xu Jingchu answered directly.

Zhang Guifen was stunned. The threats and curses on the tip of her tongue, even the hand raised to slap, suddenly had no place to land.

Clutching the powder, Xu Jingchu walked out. Having just been reborn, she needed time to take everything in.

In her last life, she was constantly schemed against by Qin Yajuan, earning the Lin family’s hatred. Her own family bled her dry. Starved for love, she clung to even the smallest scraps of kindness.

When her husband Wang Yuejin treated her slightly better, she slaved tirelessly for his family. Later, chasing the tide of “going into business,” she struggled endlessly to earn money for him.

She overworked herself, her health broke down, and she lost several pregnancies. Wang Yuejin, never a good man to begin with, grew bolder, openly bringing his illegitimate child into their home. He even lectured Xu Jingchu: “A proper wife should act like one.”

When Xu Jingchu died depressed and ill, all Wang Yuejin and her family cared about was her money. No one cared for her. Her illness could have been cured!

This life, she swore—she would never be so foolish again!
Men were unreliable. Her family was unreliable. Only herself she could rely on!

So they wanted to scheme against her? She would scheme against them all.

“Jingchu, I’ve been looking for you,” a voice called out—it was Qin Yajuan.

“Looking for me?” Xu Jingchu said coldly. For someone who had schemed against her countless times and pushed her into the mud right from the start, she had no patience.

“My mom said your family has medicine for back pain. She told me to come ask you for some.”

Back medicine… that was the excuse Xu Jingchu had used last time when handing Qin Yajuan the powder.

She’d told her to mix the powder with water and apply it to her waist. According to Zhang Guifen, “The powder and water will activate it, and then let Laizi go over.”

Laizi was the village loafer—lazy, lecherous, and shameless.

But now… no one had mentioned it, and Qin Yajuan was the one asking for it?

“I don’t have any,” Xu Jingchu refused firmly. She had already suffered once—this time she had to be extra careful.

“Then I’ll just ask your mom.” Qin Yajuan turned to leave.

“Wait.” Xu Jingchu quickly pulled her back. If Qin Yajuan went to ask Zhang Guifen, she’d only be forced into it, and once things blew up, she alone would take the blame.

“The back medicine is rare. I didn’t want to part with it earlier, so I lied.” Xu Jingchu twisted her patched-up clothes between her fingers, acting embarrassed.

“You know my mom’s back isn’t good,” Qin Yajuan softened her tone. “Just give me a little.”

“How do you even know we have medicine?” Xu Jingchu pressed.

Qin Yajuan’s eyes flickered before she calmly replied, “I heard it from someone. Just give me a straight answer—will you or won’t you?”

“My family spent a lot of money on it.” Since Qin Yajuan was so eager, Xu Jingchu wasn’t about to let her off easily.

“How much do you want?” Qin Yajuan asked bluntly.

“Ten yuan!” Xu Jingchu named a steep price.

“Robbery!” Qin Yajuan complained.

“Then go ask my mom. See how much she wants.” Zhang Guifen was infamous in the village for being stingy. Her price would only be higher. Gritting her teeth, Qin Yajuan agreed.

“Tomorrow, same place. Money first, medicine after.”

Xu Jingchu had agreed, but in her heart she was determined—this time she would never give Qin Yajuan any chance to frame her!

The next afternoon, they met at the riverbank. Money exchanged, medicine handed over.

But before dark, the village head sent someone to summon Xu Jingchu to the Qin household—Qin Yajuan had nearly been poisoned.

“The… the powder, I bought it from Jingchu to treat my mom’s back. But the moment I smelled it, I felt unwell. I quickly threw it away,” Qin Yajuan explained.

“Jingchu, if you didn’t want me to go to the capital, you could have just said so! Why ruin my reputation? How will I live the rest of my life?”

Sitting on the kang, Qin Yajuan sobbed pitifully, while her mother held her, wailing loudly, demanding the village head deliver justice.

“Xu Jingchu, what do you have to say?” The village head took a puff of his pipe, his expression stern. Around them, the villagers craned their necks eagerly to watch the spectacle.

“Yajuan says the powder I gave her wasn’t right. Then she should prove it. If I say it’s back medicine, none of you would believe me anyway.”

Xu Jingchu spoke calmly. Facing a roomful of suspicion, she showed no fear. She’d dealt with plenty of shameless people in business before. Why should she be afraid of Qin Yajuan?

“I say she’s framing me, trying to ruin my reputation.”

“Yajuan, Jingchu’s point makes sense,” the village head said, turning to her. “Do you have proof?”

As if she had expected this, Qin Yajuan stopped crying. “There’s still some powder left. Let the village doctor check.”

The village head agreed, and a young man quickly ran to fetch the doctor.

“This is ground-up medicine for back pain,” the doctor concluded after smelling and even tasting it.

“No! Impossible!” Qin Yajuan cried, begging the doctor to check again.

Xu Jingchu didn’t miss the determination in her eyes.

Combined with how she’d pushed to get the powder in the first place…

Something about Qin Yajuan was off.

“It’s definitely back medicine,” the doctor said firmly. “If it were harmful, would I still be standing here fine after tasting it?”

With even the doctor confirming it, the onlookers dispersed. The village head’s face was dark—Qin Yajuan had made a fuss over nothing.

Realizing the tide had turned, Qin Yajuan quickly wiped away her tears. “I never said Jingchu’s medicine was bad. I just said it made me feel unwell. Since I’m about to go to the capital, I was scared something might happen. That’s why I called the village head and everyone.”

“Enough. No one’s accusing you,” the village head snapped, swinging his sleeves as he left.

After everyone was gone, Qin Yajuan and her mother sat on the kang, whispering to each other. How had the powder they’d prepared in advance somehow turned into real back medicine?