Chapter 1 Rebirth

  Su Qing, female, twenty-seven years old, was sentenced to death for smuggling large amounts of goods and executed by firing squad...

  As the loud and clear voice fell, Su Qing, wearing a prisoner's uniform, slowly raised his pale face, which had not seen the sun for a long time, gazing at the lush green mountains under the setting sun, and let out a sigh with obvious regret from the bottom of his heart...

  …

  Su Qing was awakened by the voices outside, touched the white gauze wrapped around her head, lifted the quilt and got out of bed, opened the door directly, and the voices in the yard were clearly transmitted to her ears. It was the voice of Hou Xiu, her aunt.

  "It's been over half a year since Lao San passed away, and it's not easy for you, a weak woman, to raise two half-grown children on your own. Su Qing is still manageable, but her aunt in Beijing has already promised to take care of her after she starts high school, covering all her tuition and living expenses, so we don't have to worry about anything."

  Great Aunt Hou Xiufang sighed and continued: "But who would have thought that heaven is not as wished, Su Xia this child, only ten years old, actually diagnosed with the same disease as Old Three. I heard that this disease cannot be cured, can only use good medicine to support it for a longer time. The other party's Hou San said that as long as they agree to marry, they will immediately take out 20,000 yuan for the child's medical treatment."

  In 1995, in Su Village at the foot of Taibai Mountain, which was closed and backward, even the whole town, households with annual incomes of more than 10,000 yuan were enviable and extremely rare.

  So, when Hou Xiu said the last sentence, the fat under the tightly wrapped flower cloth jacket almost jumped out, clearly very excited, and at the same time, there was a hint of sourness, 20,000 yuan! Their family's annual income is less than 2,000 yuan.

  Looking at Zhang Shu Yu, she's already thirty-five years old, tsk! Yet she still has smooth and tender skin, unlike those women who are not even thirty yet but already have a face full of wrinkles and weariness.

  Adding to her elegant features and refined, quiet demeanor, she doesn't have the slightest appearance of a country bumpkin. It would be more fitting to call her a talented lady from a good family. Even those beautiful women in town can't necessarily compare to her. No wonder when Hou San from her maternal family's village saw her at the market, he was immediately smitten and couldn't forget about her, asking around everywhere to find out who she was. Finally, he found out that this was Zhang Shu-yu, whose husband had passed away six months prior, and hurriedly came to propose to her.

  Although Hou San also gave her many benefits, what she wanted was not just these.

  Every time she comes to Lao San's house, she can't help but feel that it would be great if this courtyard were her own.

  At that time, the rural tile house was already very good, and there was not even one building in a village. So, Su Qing's five-room tile house, with all-wood furniture inside, as well as the tall courtyard gate, was also one of the best in Su Village.

  Su Qing's father was a good hunter when he wasn't ill, and he was also very skilled at managing the farm work, so Su Qing's family circumstances were not bad.

  No wonder Hou Xiu Hui was jealous, and now, if Zhang Shu Yu married Su Xia, the younger brother of Su Qing, to Hou San, with Su Qing having her aunt's upbringing, then this courtyard would most likely be inherited by Su Ai Guo's biological brother, Su Hong Gui, which is their family.

  Zhang Shuyu's innocent and simple mind didn't know that her elder sister-in-law was a master of manipulation.

  In the courtyard, apart from Hou Xiu and a few women from the west end of the village, there was also a stranger, a dark-skinned woman in her 40s, about the same age as Hou Xiu. However, her big eyes darting back and forth revealed a sharp mind, probably from Hou Zhuang's family.

  She saw Zhang Shuyu didn't refuse immediately, so she enthusiastically pulled Zhang Shuyu's hand and added firewood at the right time.

  "We women, aren't we having a hard time? Who wants to take another step, isn't it all for the sake of the child? You should have also heard about Hou San's family situation, everyone in the village knows they're wealthy, they live in a two-story house, but what's key is that they don't have their own children. They don't even treat Su Xia like their own flesh and blood! The child has fallen ill, and spending money is unavoidable. If she follows you, she'll only suffer."

  Always lowering her head and not speaking, busy with the embroidery in her hands, Zhang Shuyu's face seemed to be calm on the surface, but in fact, she was struggling desperately inside.

  Since Qingqing's father passed away due to kidney failure, she had never thought of remarrying. It wasn't because of the influence of feudal traditional ideas, but because she had a very good relationship with Qingqing's father and couldn't tolerate another stranger sleeping beside her. But now Su Xia urgently needs money for medical treatment, and at home they can't even afford to cook meals. There is only one way...

  "Me..." Chapter Shu Yu raised her head just wanting to say something, but was interrupted by a voice behind her.

  "Thank you for your kind intentions, Auntie. However, when my father passed away, my mother vowed to observe a three-year mourning period. If she doesn't keep her promise, it would be disrespectful to the deceased. I think you wouldn't want to make things difficult for my mother, would you?" Su Qing quickly stepped forward to intervene as he saw his mother wavering.

  In her previous life, she was also thirteen years old. Although she was good at reading in the village, she was a timid and indecisive little girl who had never seen the world. She could only watch as her mother remarried to Hou San for her brother's illness, and then she was taken by her aunt to the capital to study.

  This Marquis San was good to her mother's younger brother, but who knew he had a violent temper and was unpredictable. Su Xia left in less than a year without being treated, and her mother soon followed due to heartbreak...

  She lived in self-blame and sorrow for many years afterwards. And this chain of tragedies started from the moment her mother married Hou San.

  Let's start all over again, she said, and vowed that this tragedy would never happen again.

  Zhang Shu Yu saw Su Qing come out and didn't have the heart to care about Su Qing's lies, so she quickly pulled her over and anxiously checked her all over.

  "Does your head still hurt? How did you get out of bed? Didn't the doctor tell you to rest in bed more?"

  Listening to her mother's anxious words, Su Qing felt a lump in her throat and seemed to have tears welling up in her eyes.

  All these things she could only yearn for in her dreams have now actually happened, how can she not be excited?

  Zhang Shuyu saw her daughter's silly appearance and was afraid that she would become stupid, so she hurriedly got up. She insisted on taking Su Qing to the town to see a doctor.

  "Mom, don't worry, I'm really fine, just a little scratch on my forehead."

  Su Qing went up the mountain with Su Jun and Su Hong to pick wild goods yesterday. Because it had just rained the day before, the road was slippery and she accidentally fell from a steep slope. Fortunately, the slope wasn't too high, so there were no major injuries, only a cut on her forehead.

  Su Qing comforted her for a long time before Zhang Shu Yu finally believed that she was really okay.

  Hou Xiu looked at Zhang Shuyu, and was almost moved by their words. Unexpectedly, Su Qing came out to intervene, and Zhang Shuyu didn't mention the matter from earlier again, only focusing on his daughter's anxiety, which made Hou Xiu grit her teeth in anger. However, she couldn't let the meat that had reached her mouth fly away for nothing.

  "What era is this? You're still into that? Are you kidding me? You can't harm your mom, she's not even that old!"

  After being spoken by her elder sister-in-law, she became a bad person who wouldn't let her mother remarry?

  Su Qing turned around, her face expressionless as she stared at Hou Xiu, her gaze seeming to see right through him. Hou Xiu couldn't help but take a step back, feeling that Su Qing was somehow different now. What exactly was different about her? She couldn't quite put her finger on it.

  "My mom and dad have a deep affection for each other, this is something that everyone in Su Village knows, and observing three years of mourning isn't anything out of the ordinary."

  The several village women present nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

  Lao San Su loves his country, worries about his daughter-in-law being wronged, besides being busy with hunting and farm work, he also rushes to do household chores. He is notorious for doting on his daughter-in-law in the surrounding villages, often being teased that he holds her in his mouth for fear of melting, and cradles her in his hands for fear of dropping her.

  It's a pity that Lao San was not blessed with good fortune. He left behind a family of orphaned children and a widowed mother.

  Everyone suddenly felt that persuading someone to remarry seemed to be a bad conscience.

  Hou Xiu saw that things were not going well and said: "Qing Yaotou, why is Aunt doing this? Isn't it all for the sake of your family?"

  Su Qing didn't respond, but instead looked at a jade bracelet on Hou Xiu's right wrist, her eyes filled with ambiguous meaning.

  Hou Xiu felt a sense of unease and subconsciously pulled down her sleeves to cover herself. She was bewildered, as if Su Qing had suddenly become a different person, seeming to know everything.

  Hou Xiu didn't give up and wanted to say something else, just then he heard the voice of Village Chief Su Weitang coming from the entrance of the courtyard.

  "What are you all doing here? Can't you see everyone is busy with their own lives?"