Bao Shanyan furrowed her brows, seemingly pondering the authenticity of Gu Jianing’s words.

In truth, Gu Jianing also knew that her words weren’t entirely reliable, but she was confident that Bao Shanyan would be tempted.

Sure enough, the next second, Bao Shanyan asked, “How are you going to help me?”

A hint of slyness flashed in Gu Jianing’s eyes as she took a step closer and whispered the plan.

Seeing Bao Shanyan’s expression darken after hearing the plan, as if she didn’t quite agree, Gu Jianing said, “If we follow the normal marriage process, you should know that Wen Zhuqing would never marry you.”

“So, we have to use unconventional methods.”

“However, I think the process isn’t important; the result is what matters.”

“Once you’re married, and he’s in your home, everything will be under your control.”

Seeing Bao Shanyan’s furrowed brows relax, Gu Jianing knew she had hit the mark.

However, Bao Shanyan didn’t agree immediately.

“Alright, I’ll give you a day to think about it. Give me your answer by this time tomorrow.”

Gu Jianing wasn’t in a hurry to get Bao Shanyan’s reply right away, but she added a sense of urgency, “Of course, if you refuse, I’ll find someone else to cooperate with.”

After saying this, Gu Jianing turned and left.

She didn’t look back as she walked away, but she could feel Bao Shanyan’s gaze fixed on her.

It wasn’t until she turned the corner that the intense gaze finally disappeared.

Gu Jianing let out a slight sigh of relief.

She thought that Bao Shanyan would most likely agree.

Because, having been reborn, she knew that Bao Shanyan’s liking for Wen Zhuqing was a kind of fanatical, even somewhat perverse, attraction to someone like him.

However, in her previous life, Bao Shanyan had been restrained by the Gu family’s influence in Huaihua Village, which prevented her from acting on her feelings for Wen Zhuqing.

Later, when Gu Jianing married Wen Zhuqing, it became even more impossible.

But…

Bao Shanyan settled for the next best thing and targeted someone else.

In other words, that person was, to Bao Shanyan, a substitute for Wen Zhuqing.

As Gu Jianing passed by the educated youth point, she happened to see a slim, delicate-looking young male educated youth carrying a bundle of firewood inside.

When he saw Gu Jianing, he nodded and gave a shy, polite smile.

Gu Jianing also nodded, watching his retreating figure.

This young educated youth, seventeen years old, was named Lu Weixian.

In her previous life, not long after she and Wen Zhuqing got married, Lu Weixian somehow ended up marrying Bao Shanyan, and even moved into the Bao family as a live-in son-in-law.

Lu Weixian had been sent down to Huaihua Village at the age of fifteen, and now two years had passed.

It was said that after coming to the village, he had been constantly studying, always believing that the college entrance exams would eventually be reinstated, and he wanted to work hard to get into university and return to the city.

So, no one had expected that he would marry Bao Shanyan, and even move into her family.

What was Lu Weixian’s fate in her previous life?

He died…

Not long after the college entrance exams were reinstated, he was found dead in the mountains, seemingly from an accident.

It wasn’t until much later that people discovered that Lu Weixian had actually been beaten to death by Bao Shanyan.

The Bao family had a history of bipolar disorder, making it easy for them to lose control of their temper. Once an episode struck, they would become violent.

During the years of his marriage to Bao Shanyan, Lu Weixian had been subjected to domestic violence by both Bao Shanyan and her mother, Bao Yingzi.

Lu Weixian wanted to fight back, but he was no match for the fists of the Bao mother and daughter.

He couldn’t even find anyone to stand up for him.

The last time, because Lu Weixian expressed his desire to take the college entrance exams, fearing that he would pass and escape her control, Bao Shanyan, in a fit of rage, lost control and beat him to death.

Afraid of being discovered, she carried his body to the mountains and disguised it as an accident.

As for Lu Weixian, he had been sent down to the countryside in the first place because he was the unloved child in his family, so he was sent in place of his older brother.

No one cared whether he returned to the city or how he was doing.

Even when Lu Weixian died in the countryside, not a single member of his family came.

Thus, his death was initially ruled as an accident, and it wasn’t until many years later, when Bao Shanyan was arrested for another crime, that the truth came to light.

As for why Lu Weixian had married into the Bao family in the first place, it was also Bao Shanyan’s design.

Gu Jianing thought to herself, both Wen Zhuqing and Bao Shanyan were scum.

If these two scumbags could end up together, it would be a case of internal digestion, sparing others from their harm.

She was curious to see whether Wen Zhuqing would be beaten by Bao Shanyan or if Bao Shanyan would be deceived by the cunning and hypocritical Wen Zhuqing.

In fact, before approaching Bao Shanyan today, Gu Jianing had felt somewhat conflicted.

Although Wen Zhuqing’s actions toward her and her family in her previous life were undoubtedly those of a scumbag, in this life, those things hadn’t happened yet.

Should she preemptively strike against Wen Zhuqing for something that hadn’t occurred?

What if Wen Zhuqing in this life was different from the one in her previous life?

Gu Jianing wasn’t feeling soft-hearted toward Wen Zhuqing, but she couldn’t help having some reservations.

However, soon something happened that erased all her reservations.

On the very afternoon she approached Bao Shanyan, her mother, Yao Chunhua, suddenly rushed home in a panic.

At that time, Gu Jianing had just finished giving her sister-in-law, Yang Manman, an acupuncture session and was coming out of her room when her mother grabbed her hand.

Yao Chunhua looked flustered and anxious, her brows furrowed with worry, and her hands trembling slightly. “Daughter, what should we do? Something’s happened. The pigs I’ve been raising, something’s wrong with them.”

Gu Jianing quickly stepped forward and patted her mother’s back. “Mom, don’t panic. Take a deep breath and tell me slowly. What’s wrong with the pigs?”

Yao Chunhua took a deep breath, then clutched her daughter’s hand and explained.

Huaihua Village had a small pig farm that raised about ten pigs each year. Of course, the farm wasn’t privately owned but belonged to the Huaihua Village collective. At the end of each year, half of the pigs had to be handed over to the commune, while the other half were either slaughtered or sold, with the proceeds distributed to the villagers.

Working at the pig farm wasn’t considered heavy labor, and it earned ten work points a day. At the end of the year, the workers could also get a few extra pounds of pork.

Since Gu Jianing’s father was the village chief, his wife, Yao Chunhua, had been given this task.

Yao Chunhua’s job was to cut grass for the pigs and clean the pigsty every day. The work wasn’t too strenuous, and she still had time to go home to cook or rest.

Back then, many people had envied Yao Chunhua for getting this job.

Yao Chunhua had been working at the pig farm for three years. At first, some villagers had been unhappy about her getting the job, but as the pigs grew fat and healthy by the end of the year, they could no longer complain.

For these three years, Yao Chunhua had done an excellent job, and there had never been any accidents.

But today…

As soon as Yao Chunhua entered the pigsty, she noticed that the nine pigs inside didn’t seem quite right.

They were listless and not as lively as usual. At first, Yao Chunhua thought they might be hungry, so she hurriedly cut some grass to feed them.

However, the pigs, which usually fought over the grass, didn’t eat it this time!

Some of them took a few bites but then spat it out.

If it had just been this, Yao Chunhua wouldn’t have panicked.