Chapter 1: Rebirth, Back to Before the Marriage

Inside a shabby clinic, on a crude hospital bed, Jiang Xiaoci lay covered in injuries.

Not far away, a nurse and a doctor were whispering:

“That woman is so pitiful. She comes here a few times every month, and each time she’s covered in bruises. Looks like she’s being beaten by her husband.”

“Pitiful? If she’s being beaten, why doesn’t she get a divorce? Must be her fault. Otherwise, why would her husband hit her?”

Jiang Xiaoci slowly turned her head to look at the two speaking. They quickly walked away when they noticed.

At that moment, a bright-looking woman in a yellow dress walked in. She looked down at the barely alive Jiang Xiaoci and smiled smugly as she approached.
“Sis, I came to see you.”

“Get lost!” Jiang Xiaoci said weakly.

Last night, her ribs had been broken by Lu Yaozu. Now, even speaking caused her to frown in pain.

Seeing how pathetic she looked, Bai Miaomiao picked up a fruit knife and began peeling an apple.
“Don’t be so fierce. You’re about to die, and I’m about to marry Brother Yaozu. The two of us marrying the same man, one after the other — that makes us sisters of a kind. You should be happy I came to visit. After all, your aging parents died back in the countryside. I’m the only one who’d come see you.”

“What did you say?” Jiang Xiaoci stared at her in disbelief. “My parents… you’re lying, aren’t you?!”

Bai Miaomiao smiled.
“Why would I lie to you? Your parents were supposed to return from the countryside last month. But if they had come back, they would’ve backed you up — how would I be able to marry Yaozu then? So of course, they had to die out there.”

“You… it was you… you— cough!”

A mouthful of blood spurted from Jiang Xiaoci’s mouth, splattering on Bai Miaomiao’s beautiful dress.

“Ah! You bitch! You ruined my dress! It’s brand new — cost me 50 yuan! Can you even afford to pay for it?”
Furious, Bai Miaomiao raised her hand and slapped Jiang Xiaoci hard across the face.

Jiang Xiaoci’s head turned with the force of the slap, her eyes glaring fiercely.
“Pay? That money of yours — it all came from my dowry! And now you expect me to pay? You shameless bitch! You murdered my parents, and you still dare show your face to me?”

“Why wouldn’t I dare? I want to see you suffer! You fool — you still don’t know, do you? Your parents were sent down to the countryside because I told Yaozu to report your family. You looked down on people too much — back then when Yaozu came to propose, your family rejected him!”

“So your whole family had to be reported, your property confiscated, and the whole household exiled. Your parents panicked and married you off quickly, even gave you half the family fortune as a dowry! And you, you idiot, really thought Yaozu would be good to you? Everything — every step — was part of my plan!”

“If my family hadn’t demanded too high a betrothal gift and Yaozu’s mother couldn’t afford it, do you really think they’d have chosen you? You married him without asking for a dowry and even brought your own — you’re nothing but a desperate, pathetic woman. Who would respect you?”

“And now that you’re dying, let me tell you one more thing — your parents gave you a pair of jade bracelets as part of your dowry. Turns out, they’re a mother-child space artifact. Yesterday, while I was cooking, I accidentally cut myself and my blood touched the bracelet. I bonded with it and discovered how magical it is. Now that private business is allowed again, I’ll use your bracelet to become rich. And you—hahaha!”

“Bai Miaomiao… you—”
Jiang Xiaoci’s gaze dropped to her wrist, where she saw her jade bangles — now worn by the woman in front of her. Her mouth overflowed with blood.

Doctors and nurses rushed in upon hearing the commotion.

“Patient, don’t get emotional! You’re still injured! Quickly, re-bandage her and give her a sedative!”

“No need,” Bai Miaomiao said coldly. “She doesn’t have any money left to pay for her treatment. Even if you save her, it’s pointless. She still owes last week’s hospital bills.”

The doctors and nurses were stunned.
“You can’t pay? Didn’t you say someone would bring the money soon?”

They let go of her. Jiang Xiaoci’s body collapsed back onto the bed. The last thing she saw was Bai Miaomiao’s twisted, triumphant face.

When Jiang Xiaoci opened her eyes again, everything around her was different.

She looked around in surprise — wasn’t this her old bedroom in the house they lived in before her parents were exiled?

Why was she here?

Her heart pounded violently. The pain and hatred from the moment before her death still echoed in her chest, refusing to calm.

She instinctively placed a hand on her chest. Her body was cold, drenched in sweat.

Outside, familiar sounds rang out — footsteps, conversation from outside the room, the ringing of a bicycle bell, children laughing and playing.

So real. So unlike the dead silence of the hospital.

What was going on?

She moved slightly — the wooden bed was hard and poked her back painfully.

Touching the sheets, she felt the rough fabric and the faint scent of washing powder — her mother’s scent, warm and comforting. Not the icy, sterile smell of disinfectant.

Jiang Xiaoci suddenly sat up.

The room was small. An old wooden desk sat by the window. Her textbooks and handwritten notes were neatly stacked on top.

Then her gaze fell on the calendar — bold red numbers clearly printed:

“January 15, 1975.”

Her eyes widened. Impossible!

1975?

She was only 18 in 1975. When Bai Miaomiao caused her death, she had already been married for years!

Her heart raced wildly, confusion and disbelief flooding her mind.

She jumped to her feet, stumbling forward — and realized she was light on her feet, no longer in the battered, broken state of a woman who’d suffered years of abuse.

Hands shaking, she grabbed the calendar, blinking furiously as if afraid she was mistaken.

She checked over and over — but it really said 1975.

Even if the date was wrong, the year couldn’t be a mistake.

So what had happened?

Just then, she heard a familiar voice — soft, affectionate, with a hint of amusement.

“Xiaoci, why are you hiding in your room? Come out quickly!”

Her whole body froze. She was stunned.

It was her mother’s voice. Her mother was calling her.

When she didn’t respond, her mom raised her voice in worry.

“Xiaoci?!”

She instinctively answered, “Yes, I’m coming.”

She took a few steps and realized — she was barefoot.

Forcing herself to stay calm, she put on her shoes and, still in a daze, walked out of the room.

Was this a dream?

Even if it was, getting to see her beloved parents again — even in a dream — was a blessing.

With complicated emotions, she walked into the living room.

And then — she saw a familiar figure:

Lu Yaozu.

Jiang Xiaoci’s eyes went blank. Her shoulders trembled. She bit her lip so hard it nearly bled — barely holding back the seething hatred in her heart.

Seeing her daughter standing frozen, staring at Lu Yaozu, Jiang’s mother smiled, thinking she was just surprised.

She walked over and nudged her daughter’s shoulder, laughing,
“Xiaoci, why are you standing there in a daze? Yaozu is here to propose marriage.”