Cold, bone-chilling cold.
It felt as if her entire body had turned into a block of ice, so cold that Liu Shuzhen shivered, her teeth chattering.
Is this her not surviving that cold and finally ending up in the netherworld?
In that case, it's not so bad.
Without her as a burden, wouldn't Little Yanzi, such a smart, capable, and filial child, have matchmakers breaking their doorstep? It's just a deep regret that her most dutiful, most considerate, and most guilt-ridden eldest son, in the end, never saw him get married and start a family, never saw him with both a son and a daughter.
With a deep sigh, Liu Shuzhen used all her strength to open her eyelids, heavy as a thousand pounds. She wanted to look around her environment and then search for that foolish man who cherished her all his life, treasured her all his life, and even on his deathbed, did not forget to remind their children to be filial and take care of her, a person whom she never cared for a single day. Life passed so muddled up, shouldn't she understand things and know better in death?
"Sister-in-law of the Dai family, you're awake? That's good, quickly drink this ginger soup while it's hot. The doctor said now that you're with child, it's best not to take any medicine, but I thought you'd catch cold after falling into the water, so I made a bowl of ginger soup for you. You, you quickly drink it while it's hot. If you really get a high fever, not only will you suffer, but it will also affect the child!" Seeing the person who had been in a daze all day finally move, Lianshan's brow relaxed, showing a bit of relief.
Liu Shuzhen blinked, utterly confused.
Hmm, just thinking of finding this foolish man, and opening her eyes, this foolish man automatically appears before her; it is quite a delightful thing.
But why is he wearing a patched-up homespun blouse and pants?
She heard that when people die, their spirits return to their youthful appearance; prepared for this, Liu Shuzhen wasn't surprised by her man's 'return to youth.' But every season, during the holidays, their daughter, son, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren never missed burning paper for him, so why is he still dressed so ragged and poor? And why is he calling her sister-in-law of the Dai family instead of the mother of his children?
Could it be that he had enough of both of them exhausting themselves for a lifetime, fed up with her madness, foolishness, and the worry for others, wanting nothing more to do with her?
Liu Shuzhen's heart sank, filled with panic.
Having spent a lifetime stuck in pointless obsessions, finally understanding and wanting to come out of it, only to find the man who promised to wait for her a lifetime, to take care of her a lifetime, doesn't want her anymore. That feeling is somewhat heartbreaking, somewhat despairing! It hurts more than when Dai Weiguo, that ingrate, that Chen Shimei, wanting to climb social ladders, threw her away like an old rag and branded her with the name of a feudal relic.
Uncontainable, tears started to fall, silently, yet imparting an unparalleled sense of sorrow and despair. It was as if she had no goal to continue, no motivation to live, a pitiable state that caused Lianshan's heart to ache, inwardly cursing Weiguo's misconduct. Damn feudal arranged marriage! Did your parents force you to the ceremony, even to the bridal chamber?
They have been married for four or five years; she served his parents, helped with his siblings, patiently and tirelessly like an old ox. Finally, she looked forward to his success, but instead of glory and wealth, what she got was divorce?
Lianshan felt that no matter how sweetly Weiguo talked, he couldn't erase the fact that he was ungrateful and inhumane. Poor sister-in-law of the Dai family is still carrying his child, and if it weren't for him happening to go fishing in the river, she would truly have been dead by now, taking the child along!
Having lost both parents early, leaving only the three siblings, Lianshan, who delayed finding himself a wife until twenty-six to ensure his siblings got married, couldn't understand: how could Dai Weiguo, with his mind kicked by a donkey, abandon such a good wife as the sister-in-law of the Dai family? Could a delicate daughter of a high-ranking official manage hardships and take care of a family better than a hardworking rural wife?
Unable to comprehend the crux of the matter, yet infinitely pitying Liu Shuzhen, who was crying and leaving him at a loss for words, Lianshan quickly offered the jagged edge bowl of crude porcelain to her hands: "Sister-in-law of the Dai family, please stop crying, quickly drink the ginger soup while it's hot! Warm your body, and it prevents illness, doesn't it? Now that the situation is already like this, even if you cry heaven and earth, it won't change a thing!
Have some ginger soup first to warm your body, warm your stomach, and I'll get you some food. Once you're well-fed and rested, you can think carefully about what to do next, okay?
It's not easy to be reborn as a human; you mustn't think negatively again. Not for anything else, at least think about your aging uncle and aunt, think about the child in your womb. It's that Weiguo, that rascal who acted so ungratefully; you didn't do anything wrong, it's not worth it to go against yourself for someone else's lack of conscience, alright!"
The scalding heat from the ginger soup stopped Liu Shuzhen in her tracks: didn't they say ghosts have form but can't touch anything?
How is it that she not only touched it but felt the rolling heat of the soup bowl? Raising her eyes to look at the mud-straw walls, the low and short wooden beams forming a triangle, and the thatched house leaking bits of sunlight?
Could it be...
Suddenly, the time came to mind when Little Yanzi occasionally read those time-travel and rebirth novels to her. A bold idea crossed Liu Shuzhen's mind: could it be that the heavens, which she had cursed a thousand times, finally opened their eyes and, seeing her previous life was too bitter, too exhausting, too humiliating, and too muddled, simply sent her back more than fifty years? When Dai Weiguo was just ascending, hooking up with the so-called socialite Bai Jing, and handed her this feudal relic a divorce paper?
Unable to believe that such a good thing could fall upon her, Liu Shuzhen couldn't help but pinch her thigh hard with her hand under the quilt. The sharp pain told her: this is not a dream, she is not dead, but has returned to the past. That time when she struggled in the mud for a long time, thinking she finally reached the shore to enjoy life with the successful man, only to be pushed by him into deeper mire.
The famously beautiful girl, charming wife Liu Shuzhen, due to the reason of feudal arranged marriage, became Liu the stale. Discovering her pregnancy after receiving the divorce notice, her sister-in-law Wu Xia urged her to travel miles in search of her husband, only to be compensated 200 yuan to clear the remnants of a feudal arranged marriage. In despair, she chose to throw herself into the river, only to be saved by Lianshan, who was fishing nearby. Then, being bought off by Dai Weiguo and his socialite successor Bai Jing, Wu Xia, not wanting to be burdened by her, claimed that since there was physical contact with Lianshan, ruining her reputation, she should tie herself to Lianshan...
And hearing Lianshan call her sister-in-law of the Dai family, it seemed like her boorish sister-in-law hadn't yet extorted her?
Despite the messiness of the situation, Liu Shuzhen was immensely grateful: the feeling of being able to live again is wonderful!