Chapter 12 – A Born Female Lead

Jiang Niannian looked on in surprise at her biological dad—who was a full two heads taller than her biological mom—getting his ear yanked down and nodding submissively with his back hunched.

What was going on here?

By the time the family got home, it was already past four in the afternoon. Just as they entered the village, the big yellow dog barked excitedly.

[Niannian, your grandpa, grandma, and your third uncle’s whole family are at your house. They’re probably waiting for you to come back and formally acknowledge your roots! Oh, and thanks for pulling that thorn out for me today. I’m eating way better now!]

Jiang Niannian hadn’t known what was happening at her grandparents’ house.

“Thanks, Big Yellow.”

She turned to Wang Yingxiu and said, “Mom, Grandpa and Grandma are at our house waiting.”

Wang Yingxiu frowned and gave Jiang Weiguo a look, then pulled Niannian aside and whispered to her about the situation with the old house.

“Your eldest uncle and your dad are twins. I’ve never met your uncle, but based on the memories I received, he was bullied by their stepmother and ran away from home.

That stepmother came into the family when the twins were ten. She brought with her a son two years younger than your dad.

That son is your third uncle. He has three kids—an 18-year-old son, a 16-year-old daughter, and a 12-year-old younger son.

The stepmother also gave birth to a daughter—your little aunt. She’s 20 this year and is currently looking for a husband.

That’s the situation at the old house.

Let me tell you—”

While talking, Wang Yingxiu had Jiang Weiguo walk ahead, while she continued whispering to her daughter from behind.

“Before I transmigrated here, the whole extended family still lived together.

The original host was treated like a beast of burden. She cooked for the entire family, and even while pregnant, she had to carry a child on her back and work the fields.

And still, she didn’t get enough to eat. They claimed she didn’t contribute enough work points, and all the food was distributed by that awful stepmother—what a classic toxic old woman.

Worst of all, your dad was a fool for filial piety.

The original host bled out during labor and had no will to live. She passed, and I arrived. There’s no way I was going to live like a blood bank!

Just after I got out of my confinement month, the first meal I cooked—I used up all the rice at home and stewed all the meat. There wasn’t much meat back then, but there were eggs—and I ate them all.”

Jiang Niannian thought about how she had also eaten up all the eggs from Jiang Dahe’s family and couldn’t help laughing. Yep, definitely mother and daughter.

“And then?” she asked.

Wang Yingxiu lifted her chin.

“And then I raised hell. I demanded to split off from the main family. If they didn’t agree, I threatened to chop people or set fire to the house.

They couldn’t deal with me, so they agreed to divide up the household. But even after that, they kept coming over to leech from us. Your dad is so filial—just one sigh from the old man and he’d hand over grain.

I fought with him so many times. I even told him I’d leave him if he kept it up. That finally scared him straight.

Just after the New Year, your third uncle wanted to borrow money to get your eldest cousin married. I refused. Instead, I went and contracted a fish pond.

Now they tell people we’re broke, but clearly they smelled something good today and came sniffing around. No matter what, don’t give them an inch of face.”

Jiang Niannian thought: Wow, her mom could totally be the female lead of a 1980s-era novel.

She turned her head and noticed the big yellow dog from the village chief’s house following beside her. Was it here to spectate the drama?

When they got home, the first thing she saw in the courtyard was a middle-aged woman pacing near the kitchen.

“That’s your third aunt.”

Niannian realized that her obedient-girl persona might not survive the day. Might as well embrace her true nature and be herself.

She took the initiative and greeted, “Hello, Third Aunt.”

The woman had a short bob haircut and a slightly plump figure. She gave Niannian a thorough once-over, then let out a disinterested “Hmm” through her nose.

Her gaze quickly fell on the bag in Niannian’s hand.

Niannian was now wearing a new outfit: pink blouse and black trousers. Her fair skin and new clothes made her look poised and elegant—she definitely had that refined, urban girl aura. Of course, if you ignored the visible bruises.

Upon seeing the third aunt reach out to grab the bag in her hand, Jiang Niannian instantly raised her arm and slapped the hand away.

“Mom, I’ll go put these away first.”

Wang Yingxiu had also noticed her sister-in-law’s move and frowned.

“Alright, go put them in your room.”

When Jiang Niannian got to her bedroom door, she saw that the padlock was missing and the door was ajar.

Inside was a young woman opening her wardrobe, clicking her tongue in disappointment at the empty shelves. When she noticed Niannian, she slammed the wardrobe door shut and pouted.

Unbelievable. What kind of people were these?

“Who are you? This is my room. You’re not welcome here. Get out!”

She tossed her clothes on the bed and took out the little sparrow from her pocket, placing it somewhere high and safe.

Then she turned to the girl in the room. The girl rolled her eyes and stood up to size Niannian up. Her eyes then gleamed as they locked onto the clothes on the bed.

“You’re the one who was switched with Xiaolin, right? My niece from the city?

I’m your little aunt, Jiang Meiling.

Earlier they said you guys were broke, but now you’ve bought such nice clothes. Wow, my second sister-in-law is really generous.”

As Jiang Meiling reached out to touch the clothes, Niannian immediately grabbed her wrist and began dragging her out.

“Ow! What are you doing?! That hurts! Ow ow ow! Let me go! Mom! Mom, it hurts!”

Seriously? A grown woman screaming for her mom after getting caught doing something wrong?

Niannian shoved her out of the room.

“If you enter my room again without permission, I’ll hit you every time I catch you!”

Hearing the commotion, everyone else rushed outside and saw Jiang Meiling on the ground in the courtyard—right next to some chicken droppings. She’d gotten some on her hand and instantly burst into tears.

“Mom! Waaaah! She hit me! I’m her elder and she dares to hit me! Is this even acceptable?”

Niannian scoffed.

“You? An elder? You sure don’t act like one.

Barging into my room and rummaging through my things—what, you think this is your house?

Try it again and I’ll really teach you a lesson!”

By now, Niannian had spotted two older people—around sixty—clearly her so-called grandparents.

There was also a middle-aged man who looked younger than her dad.

Plus, a boy around 17 or 18 who looked mature for his age, and a 12-year-old standing next to her own mischievous younger brother.

The first to speak was probably her third uncle.

“So this is the niece from the city, huh? So delicate. Someone just looked around your room and you made such a big fuss?

You’ve only been back a minute and you’ve already hit your little aunt? What kind of upbringing is that?”

Wang Yingxiu immediately stepped in to defend her daughter.

“Third brother, you call that good upbringing? Your sister barges into someone’s room and rifles through their things—anyone else would’ve thought it was a thief!

Since everyone’s here, let me introduce you all.”

She gestured and introduced the family.

“Your grandparents, your third uncle and aunt, and your little aunt.

Those two are your older male cousins. As for the girl cousin, no idea where she is. You’ll meet her eventually.”

Niannian nodded at everyone out of politeness.

After making the rounds, she noticed no one seemed interested in giving a red envelope, nor were they showing any signs of leaving. Jiang Meiling was helped up, and her mother-in-law went to fetch water so she could wash off the chicken poop.

When the step-grandmother heard her daughter’s upbringing being criticized, she scowled and spoke up.

“Second daughter-in-law, what exactly is going on? Aren’t you going to explain to us why Xiaolin suddenly isn’t your biological daughter anymore?”