Chapter 1 It turns out that the clown is me

“I think Lin Suisui is in real trouble this time. I heard that the leader of the Changzheng Army has taken a liking to him as a son-in-law. He’ll probably divorce her soon. After enjoying a good life for so many years, it’ll be pitiful for her to be left without a man.”

“What’s so pitiful about that? If she hadn’t drugged Chang Zheng and seduced him with those slutty, lowly tricks, would he have ever married her? If you ask me, she totally brought this on herself.”

“Exactly. A wild girl like her somehow managed to marry an officer and stay at home taking care of her son without even having to work, still having enough to eat and wear. A person’s luck is predetermined—she just used hers up early. What’s waiting for her now are the hard days.”

“That’s right. By the way, when do you think Chang Zheng will come back to divorce her?”

“Probably soon. He might just send a letter and be done with it.”

…

That morning, Lin Suisui had gone to the neighboring production team to sell her two hens to a family who had just had a baby. On her way back, as she passed through a narrow alley, she overheard the gossip about herself.

In the past, if she had heard such things, she would’ve gone home and cried silently in her room. But now, listening to those words, her heart remained still, without a ripple.

After all, being given a “second life,” the sting of such rumors was nothing compared to life and death.

She could now see things more clearly—largely because of a dream she had last night. In the dream, she discovered she was living inside a book. In the story, the male lead was Huo Changzheng, and she was merely a disposable first wife. After they divorced, her real parents were reported as capitalists. Given her questionable family background and no longer having the protection of a military wife status, she was subjected to all kinds of abuse and ultimately died miserably on the streets.

After her death, Huo Changzheng married the daughter of a high-ranking official and soared to success, reaching the pinnacle of his career.

She had initially dismissed it as a nightmare—until she cut open a scented sachet her birth parents had left her, and found a jade pendant identical to the one mentioned in the report. Only then did she fully believe it.

Since Heaven had given her a sign, of course she had to seize the opportunity—at the very least, to stay alive.

By now, Doubao was probably waking up, so Lin Suisui quickened her pace to return home. But before she reached her front door, she spotted Liu Xiaohua standing on tiptoe, craning her neck to peek inside.

Her expression darkened, but she still called out, “Mom.”

As soon as Liu Xiaohua saw her, she broke into a fawning smile and asked, “Suisui, where did you go?”

“I went to buy some meat to make soup for Doubao.”

Hearing that, Liu Xiaohua’s eyebrows shot up. “Your nephew hasn’t had meat in ages. Share half with me so they can have a taste too.”

Lin Suisui sneered inwardly, but kept a calm face and replied, “I didn’t manage to buy any.”

Liu Xiaohua’s smile froze awkwardly, but Lin Suisui ignored her and went straight to open the door. Liu Xiaohua followed her inside.

“Mommy, you’re back!”

As soon as Lin Suisui stepped in, Doubao ran over on his short little legs. She bent down to pick him up and asked gently, “Doubao, you’re awake?”

“Mm-hmm! I’ve been up for a while. I already brushed my teeth and washed my face.”

Doubao had an eager expression, hoping to be praised. But Liu Xiaohua, standing to the side, was clearly annoyed. She put one hand on her hip and pointed at him with the other, scolding, “Doubao, if you were already up, why didn’t you open the door when I called you just now?”

Doubao lifted his head from Lin Suisui’s arms and looked at Liu Xiaohua. Don’t be fooled by his age—only four years old—his cold stare was strikingly similar to Huo Changzheng’s.

“I was afraid you’d steal my food again, so I didn’t dare open the door,” he said in a crisp, clear voice.

Even Liu Xiaohua, thick-skinned as she was, couldn’t handle that. Embarrassed and angry, she glared at him. “You little rascal really knows how to hold a grudge. I just took two candies from you.”

“Last time it was two candies, the time before that two cookies, and during the Dragon Boat Festival…”

Seeing that Doubao was about to list every offense, Liu Xiaohua hurriedly cut him off and changed the subject, asking Lin Suisui, “Everyone in the village’s been talking about how Changzheng was picked by a leader—have you heard?”

Lin Suisui didn’t respond, just nodded.

Liu Xiaohua didn’t care about her cold attitude and quickly continued, “So what are you going to do? It’s obvious now that Huo Changzheng is aiming high and wants to dump you. You should have some pride and just divorce him already.”

Lin Suisui looked at the eagerness in her face, barely able to suppress a sneer. She asked instead, “Mom, are you happy that Huo Changzheng doesn’t want me anymore?”

“No… Of course not…” Liu Xiaohua quickly changed her expression, putting on the righteous air of someone defending the wronged. “I just want to tell you, if you really don’t want to be with him anymore, our family will absolutely support you. You can move back home—we’ll have your back no matter what.”

In her past life, Lin Suisui had been moved to tears by these so-called bold, loving words. She thought that even if she wasn’t the Lin family’s biological daughter, after so many years together, surely Liu Xiaohua and Lin Shugen must love her.

So, when Huo Changzheng mailed the divorce certificate, she didn’t hesitate to bring all her belongings and Doubao back to her parents’ house—only to discover she had walked straight into a wolf’s den.

Even though Huo Changzheng rarely returned home over the years, he never missed a remittance. Compared to most families in the production team, she had some savings. Liu Xiaohua had racked her brains trying to get a cut, but Lin Suisui always fended her off.

Because of how Liu Xiaohua behaved during her wedding, she’d known her so-called mother was unreliable.

She had held her ground for years, but in her past life, when she got divorced and was raising Doubao alone, scorned by others and lost about the future, she was fooled by Liu Xiaohua’s few fake kind words.

“Mom, you’re the best!” Lin Suisui blinked her eyes just as the sunlight hit them, making them glisten with the hint of tears. She grabbed Liu Xiaohua’s hand and said, “I already sent a telegram yesterday asking him for a divorce. I wasn’t sure where Doubao and I would go after it’s finalized, but now that you’re willing to take us in, I’m really touched! Don’t worry, from now on, everything I have belongs to the Lin family—we won’t keep anything separate.”

That last sentence hit Liu Xiaohua right in the sweet spot. She couldn’t hide the glee on her face at all and broke into a wide smile, flashing her yellowed teeth as she exclaimed over and over, “That’s wonderful, just wonderful! I’ll help you pack right now and we’ll move back together!”

As she spoke, she grabbed Lin Suisui’s arm and was about to head inside, but Lin Suisui quickly pulled out fifty cents from her pocket and handed it to her. “Mom, we’re not officially divorced yet. If I move back to my parents’ house now, people will definitely start gossiping again. It’s better to wait until the divorce is final—it’s just a few days away anyway. Take this money and buy some snacks for Zhigang and the others, so your daughter can leave a good impression.”

Liu Xiaohua paused when she saw the fifty cents, clearly tempted, though still a bit hesitant. After all, compared to Lin Suisui’s “little stash,” fifty cents was just a drop in the bucket.

“Mommy, I want money too!” Doubao suddenly reached out to grab it. Liu Xiaohua reacted quickly, snatching the money before he could and stuffing it into her own pocket.

“Alright then, I’ll head back for now. You can start packing over the next couple of days.”

“Okay, Mom. I understand,” Lin Suisui agreed.

But Liu Xiaohua didn’t seem in a hurry to leave. That’s when Doubao suddenly threw himself toward her and shouted, “Grandma, give me the money! Give me the money!”

Seeing the little guy charging toward her, Liu Xiaohua immediately turned and fled like her feet were on fire.

As soon as she was gone, Lin Suisui shut the door. Doubao puffed up proudly and asked, “Mommy, wasn’t I amazing? I scared Grandma away, right?”

“You sure were. Our Doubao is so smart,” Lin Suisui praised without hesitation.

She had to admit, if it weren’t for Doubao, it really wouldn’t have been so easy to drive Liu Xiaohua away. Ever since his fever from pneumonia broke last week, the little guy had seemed to grow up overnight. Sometimes, he was so sharp it was hard to believe he was only four years old.

“Mommy, I don’t want to live at Grandma’s house,” Doubao suddenly said.

“…” This kid really did understand everything.

Lin Suisui smiled and said, “We’re not going to Grandma’s house. We’re getting on a train to go find your dad.”

A month from now, someone would report her for being born into a capitalist family. She had to find Huo Changzheng and take shelter with him, at least temporarily.

Also, among all the lies she just told Liu Xiaohua, one thing was actually true—yesterday, she really had sent Huo Changzheng a telegram asking for a divorce.

To stay alive, she now had to race the postal system—she had to reach him and intercept the message before he received it.