Chapter 12

Gu Chi once again took Yan Qingqing to have a bowl of meatball soup.

The street vendor’s soup was fresh and fragrant — crispy fried radish-and-vermicelli balls simmered together with tender cabbage leaves. Eating a hot bowl in such cold weather was pure bliss!

But Yan Qingqing refused: “I don’t like eating alone.”

Helpless, Gu Chi had to buy two bowls, one for each of them — which somehow made it taste even better!

He ate fast, while Yan Qingqing ate slowly. By the time Gu Chi’s bowl was already scraped clean, Yan Qingqing had only finished a third.

He wiped his mouth. “I’m going to buy something. Take your time eating — I’ll come find you in a bit.”

Yan Qingqing nodded.

Gu Chi soon stood up and left.

After finishing her portion, Yan Qingqing bought some more meatballs to take home and make soup for her parents-in-law and sister-in-law.

She had just paid when she felt a hand clap her shoulder. Thinking it was Gu Chi, she turned around — only to see Yan Dahai!

Yan Dahai hadn’t expected to run into Yan Qingqing here. He looked annoyed.
“You’re out early in the morning, not helping at home, and instead you’re eating and shopping in town? I haven’t even had breakfast! The dirty clothes and shoes at home still need washing! When you get back, you’d better get to work! And don’t forget to have lunch ready — I’m coming home to eat! Oh, and I skipped breakfast — boss, give me two bowls of meatball soup! Those fried dough sticks are yours too, right? I’ll take six!”

Then he jabbed a finger at Yan Qingqing: “Make her pay!”

The vendor looked toward Yan Qingqing. Without hesitation, she smacked Yan Dahai on the head.
“Why on earth should I pay for you? What am I to you?”

Yan Dahai froze, fury flaring.
“Why shouldn’t you pay? You’re my—”

His face flushed. He was so used to calling her by name that he couldn’t force out the word sister. In truth, he didn’t even think she deserved that title.

After all, she was just a foster daughter the Yan family had taken in. Without them, she would have been dead long ago — or so he told himself. Yan Qingqing ought to spend her whole life serving the Yan family like a beast of burden!

Righteous in his own mind, Yan Dahai grabbed her shoulder.
“I said pay, so you pay! Yan Qingqing, don’t think just because you’re married now you can ignore your own family. You were raised by the Yans!”

That almost made Yan Qingqing laugh out of sheer anger.

The so-called kindness of the Yan family was nothing compared to the nearly twenty years of labor and abuse she had suffered under their roof.

It was actually Yan Dahai and his younger brother Yan Xiaohai whom she had raised with her own hands.

For these two brothers, she’d poured out her heart and soul.

At just three years old — barely able to talk — she was already feeding Yan Dahai, bathing him, wiping him, teaching him to walk, to talk, to dress.

If she ever failed to do something perfectly, her adoptive parents would beat and curse her.

After raising them literally from infancy, this was the thanks she got — an ungrateful wolf!

She used to believe that, no matter what, the two brothers she cared for wouldn’t harm her…

But looking at Yan Dahai’s shameless face, her heart bled. Human nature could be terrifyingly vile.

“Yan Dahai, let go!”

But he held on tight.
“I won’t! Hurry up and pay for my breakfast! Why should you eat your fill and let me starve? What, it’s been too long since Mom beat you and your skin’s itching again?”

Before Yan Qingqing could reply, a hand yanked Yan Dahai up by the collar from behind, his feet dangling, and flung him aside.

Yan Dahai hit the ground face-first. He scrambled up to curse — only to see a tall, broad-shouldered man standing protectively in front of Yan Qingqing.

The man’s face was cold, his eyes icy, his deep voice harsh:
“You dare lay a hand on my wife?”

Yan Dahai shuddered.
“G-Gu… brother-in-law! I was just hungry! I only asked her to buy me a bowl of meatball soup, but she refused! People might think it’s your Gu family telling her to abandon us just because she’s married—”

Before he could finish, Gu Chi stepped forward and kicked him hard in the backside.

“You guessed right. I’m the one who told her not to waste time on you lot. Got a problem with that?!”

Yan Dahai didn’t dare have a problem. He knew Gu Chi’s reputation — not someone to mess with.

“N-no problem, I’ll just go!”

Sweating all over, he hurried to leave.

But Yan Qingqing stopped him.
“You’re not working at home — where are you going?”

She already knew the answer: he had intercepted the messenger who came to inform her she’d been accepted as a junior measurer at the factory, then taken the job for himself.

Shameless!

This was her giving him one last chance: if he admitted the truth, she wouldn’t set him up.

But Yan Dahai’s eyes flickered and he lied again.
“I’ve got stuff to do!”

Then he jumped on a shiny new bicycle and pedaled off.

Yan Qingqing glared at that sparkling bike and clenched her teeth.

The 400 yuan the Yan family took from her — she would get it back.

As for the job, she wasn’t worried. After being reborn, she didn’t want that job anyway. But she definitely wouldn’t let Yan Dahai profit so easily.

Once he’d been working a while and things stabilized, she’d go to the factory, pose as his elder sister, and draw an advance on his wages.

If he wanted to take her job, fine — he could do the work while she took the pay!

But to Gu Chi, her expression looked like she was just coveting Yan Dahai’s bicycle.

Lowering his gaze slightly, Gu Chi resolved that he needed to earn more money — to buy his wife nicer things.

They didn’t linger in town, heading straight home with their purchases.

When they arrived, Yan Qingqing discovered that while she’d been eating soup, Gu Chi had secretly bought her a brand-new bright rose-red cotton-padded jacket!

Mother Gu’s eyes were much better than a few days ago. Seeing the beautiful jacket, she urged,
“Quick, quick, try it on for us! You’re so young — how can you wear that patched black coat every day? Wasting such a pretty face! Oh, perfect timing — while you were out, I made you a pair of new cotton shoes! Try and see if they fit.”

Her hands were skillful and quick; as long as she had the material, she could make shoes in no time.

When Yan Qingqing married in, all her clothes and shoes were old and ragged. The cotton Mother Gu had saved up was only enough for one new pair of shoes — so as soon as her eyes recovered a bit, she hurried to make them.

Looking at the jacket and shoes held out to her, Yan Qingqing’s eyes reddened.

In both her past and present lives, she had never worn anything so new and beautiful.

Mother Gu pushed her toward the room.
“Go on, dear, change into them!”

Yan Qingqing didn’t refuse. She decided then and there — she would repay the Gu family tenfold.

She quickly changed out of her old patched coat into the new cotton jacket and shoes — both fit perfectly.

New clothes and shoes have a way of lifting the spirit.

Blushing slightly, Yan Qingqing lifted the curtain and stepped into the main hall.

Gu Chi happened to be holding a wooden basin to do the laundry. He looked up — and the basin clattered to the floor with a bang!

Mother Gu froze in surprise!

Even Gu Tiantian, who usually hid in the corner without saying a word, poked her head out in astonishment at Yan Qingqing.

Yan Qingqing felt her face heat up. She touched her cheek and looked at the three of them strangely.
“Do I… have something on my face?”