C2 Chapter 2

Wan Qiqi turned her face away and rasped, pointing at the doorway, “Go shut the door!”

She used to have it all. Now it just felt humiliating.

For the love of God, could the woman she used to be have acted like a decent human being for once? Qiqi couldn’t remember ever hearing anyone say a single good thing about her.

Sure, being stuck in a bad marriage with no way out was messed up, but at least both families had treated her well—and even put up with her constant drama. Too bad she’d had no sense. She’d trashed her own reputation and practically gotten herself killed.

When the door closed, the gossip outside faded until only a child’s sniffles remained.

Wan Qiqi studied Chen Yongnian.

He was tall and skinny, his skin a healthy sun-browned tan. He wore a rough cotton shirt with patches, carrying that plain, country kind of honesty.

He didn’t look especially sharp. Even though he was big, he still gave off the vibe of someone people could push around.

Still, it was a good thing Chen Yongnian had shown up in time. Otherwise, after she’d fallen into the river, they might not have even found her body.

Wan Qiqi glanced at the two kids beside her. They looked timid, like they wanted to come closer but didn’t dare.

The two of them huddled together, so thin they were practically skin and bones. Their faces were smudged with dirt, like street kids from the rough side of town.

But… judging by the way things looked at home, they weren’t much better off than that—just with a roof over their heads.

Even though Wan Qiqi had grown up in the countryside, she’d never seen a place this run-down.

Forget the uneven, pitted floor—the mud-plastered walls were cracked in several places, and the thatched roof overhead let daylight shine right through.

If it rained, you could probably lie in bed and watch it come down.

Before she could take it all in, her stomach growled loudly.

Damn it. Forget the woman she used to be—Qiqi wanted to protest too. How was anyone supposed to work if they couldn’t even get enough to eat?

She’d gone hungry plenty of times working in sales, but never like this—this felt like she hadn’t eaten in days.

Wan Qiqi rubbed her empty stomach, looking worn out.

Pingping saw the look on her face and said timidly, “M-Mom… I’ll go ask Grandma to make you something to eat!” With that, he grabbed Anan and bolted outside.

He couldn’t quite read Mom’s mood right now, but he knew one thing: when she got hungry, she’d lose her temper—and she’d swat his legs with a thin bamboo switch. He wasn’t about to stick around to get hit, and he wasn’t going to leave his little sister here for that either.

Wan Qiqi wasn’t sure if she was imagining it, but the way the two kids looked at her was like Little Red Riding Hood staring down the Big Bad Wolf—like they were afraid she might eat them.

With a sigh, she pushed herself up in bed. Seeing Chen Yongnian still standing there, she waved him off. “You should go too. Get back to what you were doing.”

Chen Yongnian looked worried, but he still did as she said and left.

Only when she was alone did Wan Qiqi finally let out a long breath. She accidentally caught in her throat and broke into a hard coughing fit.

When her head finally cleared, she started sorting through what she remembered about this family.

Besides Chen Yongnian, there were his two younger brothers, Chen Yongxing and Chen Yongliang; their mother, Mrs. Wang; and the second brother’s wife, Lee Chongniang.

The woman she used to be never lifted a finger around the house—Mrs. Wang and Lee Chongniang did all the work. But a little over three months ago, they found out Lee Chongniang was about two months pregnant, so all the chores fell on Mrs. Wang.

The three brothers went out to earn money, working from sunup to sundown.

But whatever they brought home, she snatched up. She also hoarded anything decent in the house for herself, leaving everyone else to scrape by.

Wan Qiqi pressed a hand to her forehead, miserable. The old her had really dug them into a hole—and not only had she taken the money and grain, she’d blown through it all.

Now the place could honestly be described as bare as a bone.

Frustrated and helpless, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and accept the mess she’d inherited.

Just then, voices drifted in from the yard.

“How did she not drown? What’s she doing back here?”

“Chongniang, what are you talking about? No matter what, she’s our sister-in-law. However bad she is, it’s not our place to gossip.”

“Chen Yongxing, marrying you was the worst mistake of my life! Look at you—lazy and good-for-nothing. And look at this house… Oh, why is my life so miserable!”

Wan Qiqi followed the voices and found a man and a woman standing in the yard: the second brother, Chen Yongxing, and his wife, Lee Chongniang.

Mid-conversation, they caught sight of the person standing at the doorway to the eldest brother’s room, and their faces changed instantly.

Chen Yongxing’s face flushed.

Why is Sister-in-law up?

How much did she hear?

Uneasy, Chen Yongxing still instinctively stepped in front of Lee Chongniang, shielding her.

Seeing the way Chen Yongxing squared up, Wan Qiqi looked like she might start swinging—though… the woman who’d been in this body before had done that kind of thing.

She only flicked her gaze over them, and both of them started trembling from head to toe.