Chapter 3 – The Female Supporting Character in the Confession Book

Wen Xin returned home and, according to the memories of the original owner, did some household chores. 

During the waiting time for her family to come back, she went to her room and opened the letter from Lin Jianzhang.

Lin Jianzhang was currently serving in the Provincial Capital Military District. 

The last time he had a vacation was when he went on a blind date with the original owner. 

The two were introduced by Minister Zhang from the local armed forces. 

After the blind date, Lin Jianzhang was very satisfied with the original owner, who was cultured, tall, and beautiful. 

The original owner was also very pleased with Lin Jianzhang’s work and personal character. 

Thus, the two began to correspond with each other, but their communication was rather lukewarm, with letters exchanged about once a month.

If anyone claimed there was deep affection between them, that would be pure nonsense.

Wen Xin glanced at the date on Lin Jianzhang’s letter; it had been sent ten days ago. 

Luo Manzhen, on the other hand, had been reborn half a month ago. 

Considering Luo Manzhen’s personality, Wen Xin guessed that she had already written to Lin Jianzhang by now, apologizing and trying to reconcile. 

She wondered how Lin Jianzhang felt upon receiving a letter from his ex-wife.

Wen Xin was very curious.

She stuffed Lin Jianzhang’s letter back into its envelope, not intending to reply.

———

In the Provincial Capital Military District, Lin Jianzhang had finished training and was preparing to head to the cafeteria to get his meal. 

Just as he reached the door, a comrade handed him a letter. Lin Jianzhang smiled as he took it, thinking it was a letter from Wen Xin, which made him quite happy. 

However, as soon as he saw the sender’s name, the smile on his face vanished.

The letter was from Luo Manzhen.

Lin Jianzhang held the letter in his hands, feeling very conflicted. 

The last time he had received a letter from Luo Manzhen was in October of the previous year, where she had accused him of five major wrongdoings and demanded a divorce.

Naturally, Lin Jianzhang had been shocked when he received that letter. He had feelings for Luo Manzhen, so he immediately took a leave of absence to go home and try to reconcile with her, but it was in vain, and eventually, they separated.

Lin Jianzhang didn’t know what Luo Manzhen had written in this letter, and although he was tempted to throw it away, he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. 

After much internal struggle, he finally decided to open the letter.

He told himself that he needed to see what she had to say.

After reading through Luo Manzhen’s heartfelt apology and admission of guilt, Lin Jianzhang’s emotions became even more complicated. 

His ex-wife, who had abandoned him, now couldn’t forget him and was writing to beg for reconciliation. 

As a man, there was nothing more satisfying than this.

Had Lin Jianzhang received this letter a month ago, he would have been overjoyed. 

After all, Luo Manzhen was his first love and his first marriage, the woman he had liked the moment he laid eyes on her. 

Unfortunately, now he was already with Wen Xin.

Though he and Wen Xin didn’t share much emotional depth, he was still very satisfied with her. 

Lin Jianzhang knew that Wen Xin was the one most suited to be his wife.

On one side, there was his first love, the woman he had once loved, and on the other, there was his current gentle and sensible partner. 

Lin Jianzhang’s heart began to waver.

Though he didn’t reply to Luo Manzhen’s letter, he kept it, placing it together with the two letters from Wen Xin. 

Lin Jianzhang didn’t respond to Luo Manzhen, and for reasons unknown to him, he hadn’t written to Wen Xin either.

——-

Meanwhile, Luo Manzhen was extremely busy.

After the divorce, she returned to her parents’ home. 

She had a Big Brother and a younger brother, both of whom were married. 

In the 1970s, divorce wasn’t as common, and Luo Manzhen’s return to her family after the divorce subjected her to many whispers and criticisms. 

Her parents, who had never been particularly fond of her, were even more disapproving. Her sisters-in-law took every opportunity to criticize her, while her brothers pretended not to hear.

Before her rebirth, Luo Manzhen had stopped contacting her family for a long time. The last time she returned to her parents’ home was when her mother passed away at the age of forty. 

After the initial excitement of her rebirth and seeing her family again, Luo Manzhen now felt a deep sense of disgust toward the Luo family.

She had the urge to walk away, but at that time, China had not yet experienced the reforms and opening up. 

Wherever she went, she would need a letter of introduction. Without one, she would be unable to go anywhere. Moreover, she hadn’t yet reconciled with Lin Jianzhang. 

If she disappeared now, based on her understanding of him, there would be no chance for them anymore.

Even though Luo Manzhen hated the Luo family, she had no choice but to stay with them. Not only that, she had to ingratiate herself with them, just as she had done with the Lin family.

In her past life, Luo Manzhen had fought with mistresses for over twenty years, perfecting the art of enduring humiliation. Whenever she couldn’t bear it, she always reminded herself to bide her time and make those who looked down on her regret it later.

This day, Luo Manzhen returned home after taking another blow from the Lin family. The Luo family was already eating, and no one had waited for her.

Her younger brother’s wife held a bowl and looked at her with a sideways glance. “Oh, big sister, you went to the Lin family again? Why do you bother, big sister? Why do you have to make things hard on yourself? You had a good life, but you chose to divorce, causing all this drama. Now that they’re in a new relationship, you regret it and want to reconcile. What do you think you are, huh?”

When it came to Luo Manzhen’s divorce, her younger brother’s wife was full of frustration. 

The reason she married her husband, Little Brother Luo, was that he had a brother-in-law who was a military officer. After marrying, her eldest sister-in-law received Lin Jianzhang’s salary every month and often sent money and gifts to her parents’ home. 

The younger brother’s wife had put her eldest sister-in-law on a pedestal because of the money and resources.

But her eldest sister-in-law had no appreciation for the good life she had. She had to make trouble, complaining that she hadn’t seen her husband much in the two years since their marriage and that the Lin family treated her poorly, which led to the divorce. 

Afterward, she saw that the man was now with someone else, someone much better than her, and she regretted it. Every day, she tried to win him back.

Did she really think she was a princess, that everyone should revolve around her? The younger brother’s wife was thoroughly disdainful.

Luo Manzhen bit her lip, her heart filled with anger as she listened to the others, who acted as though it had nothing to do with them. But she was under their roof, so she had to lower her head. She could only remain silent in the face of such mockery, too afraid to retort.

The eldest sister-in-law, seeing Luo Manzhen’s reaction, recalled how, when she first joined the family, Luo Manzhen had teamed up with her mother-in-law to make things difficult for her, acting all high and mighty after her marriage. 

She felt a sense of satisfaction in seeing her now. Together with the other sister-in-law, they joined in mocking her.

——

In contrast to the Luo family’s atmosphere, the atmosphere at the Wen family’s dinner table was quite pleasant.

Wen Xin had the day off tomorrow. After discussing with Wen Yuejun, Zhang Xiuying decided that they would visit the Lin family tomorrow to establish a formal relationship as godparents. 

Wen Xin, of course, had no objections.

She was a lucky person. After attaching herself to Wen Xin’s body, aside from her innate good luck, she didn’t possess any special abilities. 

She knew some basic spells, but using them would come at a great cost. After all, the laws of this world didn’t permit the existence of supernatural powers.

When she first attached herself, her luck had only been enough to help her avoid the major crisis brought on by Lin Laizi. 

Without Lin Changzheng’s help, Wen Xin would have been fine but would have faced many additional troubles.

Lin Changzheng saved her, and Wen Xin knew she had to acknowledge this karmic debt.

Zhang Xiuying had arranged for someone to deliver a letter to Lin Changzheng’s family two days earlier, informing them that the Wen family would visit on Sunday. 

So, when the Wen family arrived at the Lin family’s home, they were warmly received.

Lin Changzheng’s father, Lin Xueyi, and his mother, Zhang Xuelan, changed into their cleanest clothes to greet the Wen family.

 After a cheerful exchange of greetings, Zhang Xuelan took Wen Xin’s hand and began to chat with her.

Zhang Xuelan had no daughters and truly loved girls. After her eldest and second children married, she treated her daughters-in-law as if they were her own daughters. 

However, daughters-in-law were still only daughters-in-law, and there was always a barrier between them.

Now, having Wen Xin, such a beautiful and cultured goddaughter, made Zhang Xuelan extremely happy.

Wen Xin could feel the warm sincerity in Zhang Xuelan, and naturally, she began to feel close to her as well. 

Before long, Wen Xin caught Lin Changzheng’s gaze. He cleared his throat and said: “Xiao Mei.”

Wen Xin was momentarily stunned, and Zhang Xuelan smiled and explained to her: “Xin Xin, this is your brother.”

Wen Xin obediently nodded and greeted him.

The acknowledgment of the familial bond went smoothly, and after the Wen family had a meal at the Lin family’s house, they returned home before the afternoon. 

The Lin family warmly saw them off at the door.

Before they left, no one suggested going to Lin Jianzhang’s house for a visit.

Once they had returned home and closed the door, Eldest Sister-in-law Lin was particularly displeased. 

She quietly complained to Second Sister-in-law Lin: “Everyone says that when someone saves your life, you should repay them with your body. Third Brother saved that Wen girl’s life, and logically, she should marry him. Why did they only become godparents? What were Mom and Dad thinking?”

Eldest Sister-in-law Lin was very resentful. 

Wen Xin worked at a state-owned enterprise, so her salary was certainly considerable. If she married into the family, she would likely have to hand over her salary to her mother-in-law, which would surely benefit the family. 

Not to mention, Wen Xin could help arrange jobs for them. 

Their Forestry Station’s forest rangers and fire prevention officers had great jobs—relatively easy and well-paying. 

The Lin family lived in the forestry district, with lots of land and trees, and many people desired those ranger positions.

Second Sister-in-law Lin ignored Eldest Sister-in-law Lin’s complaints.

Zhang Xuelan, who had overheard her eldest daughter-in-law’s words, felt a slight twinge of discomfort. The idea of repaying a life-saving grace with marriage was an outdated notion. 

Setting aside whether their third son was even worthy of Wen Xin, Zhang Xuelan couldn’t bring herself to use the idea of saving someone’s life as a means to pressure the girl into marriage.

Moreover, a marriage coerced by a life-saving grace wasn’t a union—it was a grudge. It was better to generously establish a godparent relationship and treat each other as relatives. 

That way, if the family ever encountered any difficulties in the future, the Wen family wouldn’t just stand by and do nothing out of gratitude for the saved life.

Eldest Sister-in-law Lin was narrow-minded, only seeing what was directly beneath her own nose. She was petty, and the most foolish in the family. Zhang Xuelan couldn’t be bothered to look at her.

Lin Changzheng had already left the house after finishing his meal. He was used to wandering outside and couldn’t stay home for long.

After Wen Xin and her family left the Lin family’s house, they encountered Luo Manzhen at the village entrance.

Wen Xin quickly sized up Luo Manzhen.

Luo Manzhen was about 1.6 meters tall, with two loosely braided pigtails that, surprisingly, looked quite nice. She wore a set of plain clothes typical for the time. Her appearance was delicate and lovely. 

She stood there, lively, with a pair of large eyes—those “doe eyes” that were often described in novels—wet and clear like fresh water.

But if one looked closely, there was a flash of hostility in those eyes, which sharply shattered the illusion of purity.

It was no surprise. Luo Manzhen hadn’t had a smooth life in her previous one, and though she appeared young and pure on the outside in this life, the hardships of her past life showed through in her eyes.

While Wen Xin was sizing up Luo Manzhen, Luo Manzhen was also sizing up Wen Xin. Wen Xin was nearly 1.7 meters tall. She wore a pale red flower-patterned jacket today, as they were visiting relatives, and black cotton shoes on her feet. Her two braids were tied with matching flower ribbons in the back to form bows. 

Her oval face, with phoenix eyes, eyebrows that resembled distant mountains without being drawn in, and lips as though painted with rouge, gave her a graceful and elegant appearance. Her eyes, full of life and charm, made her seem both beautiful and captivating.

Luo Manzhen loathed such beauty, and she especially hated Wen Xin’s natural innocence. It was this very appearance that had caused Lin Jianzhang to dote on her for a lifetime.

Tch, a vixen!

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Schedule of updates: 3 Chapters every Friday!

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