Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 188

Upon hearing her mother's words, Cheng Jinxiang sighed and couldn't help but cry.

Even her mother was powerless to help her overcome her grievances.

Her family's situation wasn't good, and if she stayed at her parents' house for a long time, her brother and sister-in-law would inevitably become dissatisfied. Moreover, Cheng Jinxiang's mother was old and in poor health, having been paralyzed for a long time, so her opinions no longer carried weight.

Cheng Jinxiang's father passed away a little too early, and now her eldest brother makes all the decisions, big and small, in the family. Although her sister-in-law is doing well now, it wasn't always like this.

Originally, Cheng Jinxiang's younger sister, Cheng Jinxiao, was too young to find a husband. While other families agreed to marry her, Cheng Jinxiao refused. At that time, Zhu Yufeng rarely shared food, so Cheng Jinxiao often went hungry. She stayed with relatives here and there, living a difficult life. Later, despite her young age, she was bold. Cheng Jinxiang remembered that her older sister, Cheng Jinxi, introduced her to a matchmaker and charged her six or seven hundred yuan, but Cheng Jinxiao refused. After being pressured, Cheng Jinxiao, in a fit of anger, ventured to Northeast China.

To this day, it remains a murky affair. Cheng Jinxi was only forced to hand over the money after Cheng Jinxiao ran away.

Perhaps Cheng Jinxi meant well, wanting his sister to find a husband and stop hiding, so he forced her to marry. But whether his intentions were good or bad, Cheng Jinxiao ended up in the Great Northern Wilderness.

The root of the problem was that the mother's word no longer mattered, and the sister-in-law couldn't tolerate her younger sister. Of course, things seem to be better now, but Cheng Jinxiang was still quite surprised when Zhu Yufeng went to pick her up to go back to her parents' home that day.

Cheng Jinxiang was unaware that Zhao Da'e had secretly sent Cheng Jinxi with 500 yuan, which was why Zhu Yufeng was happy.

Cheng Jinxiang thought to himself that staying too long was indeed not a good idea. However, he was unwilling to go back to Old Zhao's house.

Zhao Tiesheng pretended to have come, but Zhu Yufeng didn't even let him in and chased him away.

Cheng Jinxiang was heartbroken. Her mother was still alive, and she still had a home. But what if her mother were gone? Sigh…

Tears just kept flowing.

Hearing her younger sister cry, Cheng Jinxi's heart shattered. She hugged Cheng Jinxiang, her eyes reddening as she choked back tears, "Good sister, don't cry. It breaks my heart to see you like this. Don't take Mom's words to heart. Don't you know her? She's all bark and no bite. She's just all talk. She says she's unhappy about you coming back to your parents' home, but actually she's very happy that you're coming back to visit her. And what mother wouldn't want her children to be happy? Mom feels so guilty seeing you like this, and hearing how the Zhao family treats you. She feels guilty for marrying you into the Zhao family, for her poor judgment, and for the harsh words she said to you before. But Mom is too proud to apologize to you."

Cheng Jinxiang nodded while crying, "Big sister, I know, but I don't know why, I just feel so wronged, I still feel so sad. I feel like I'm the only one left in the whole world, the only one I can rely on. But I'm so tired, I'm so tired, I can't take it anymore. If even Mom doesn't accept me, I really don't know where I should go."

Cheng Jinxiang became increasingly distraught as she spoke, and couldn't help but lower her head and cry. Cheng Jinxi felt heartbroken seeing this, and immediately hugged Cheng Jinxiang tightly, patting her back and comforting her repeatedly, "Little sister, don't be sad, it's okay."

Cheng Jinxiang lowered her head and wiped away her tears, stopping crying. But she felt very wronged. She was also worried about how the geese were doing. And with the situation at home, it was hard to explain; it was all heartbreaking.

But the more this happened, the more Cheng Jinxi felt sorry for his sister.

"Girl, if you ever have any bitterness or resentment in your heart, just come and tell me. Don't keep it all bottled up inside. You'll make yourself sick by bottling it up, and it's not worth it. Sometimes we need to talk about our troubles, and that will make you feel better."

"Sister, Zhao Tiesheng is really something. He never stands up for you. When your in-laws bully you, all he does is offer empty words of comfort. He's completely useless. I don't know what's the point of having him. Why don't you just stay at home? It's just a matter of adding an extra pair of chopsticks and a bowl. It's not much trouble. Mom's health isn't good either, and it'll be nice to be there for her. Don't be fooled by Mom's apparent disdain for you coming back after getting married; she actually cares about you a lot. But Mom, you really shouldn't have spoken so harshly to me. My sister came back to her parents' home because she was mistreated by her in-laws. You shouldn't have said such hurtful things to her."

Cheng Jinxiang's mother lowered her head and remained silent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. She also had her own difficulties, so she could only say helplessly, "Then you can stay here. As long as I don't die, no one will dare to kick you back."

Cheng Jinxi said with a smile, "Did you hear that? Mom said you can stay wherever you want."

Hearing Cheng Jinxi's tone, Cheng Jinxiang felt a warmth in her heart, and she nodded in agreement with what Cheng Jinxi said.

As Cheng Jinxiang spoke, she started to laugh, and the two sisters laughed together. Cheng Jinxi reached out and gently pinched Cheng Jinxiang's nose, saying with a smile, "You still have the same childish temper as when you were little."

Regarding Cheng Jinxiang's suggestion to stay at the Cheng family's house a little longer, Cheng Jinxiang said, "But sister, I will still go back to the Zhao family. However, this time I won't be so foolish as to let myself be bullied. I have only one purpose in going back to the Zhao family this time, which is to get back the tens of thousands of yuan that my in-laws took from me. If possible, I will also divide the family property. I need to fight for more benefits for Da'e and Xiaojuan. While I am still a daughter-in-law of the Zhao family, I have to resolve these matters as soon as possible. I am determined not to let my in-laws get away with it, nor can I let Zhao Laosan's family get away with it, nor can I let those who took the hard-earned money from Tiesheng and me over the years and refuse to pay it back. This time, I am not only doing it for myself, but also for Da'e and Xiaojuan."

She has her own considerations, but no matter what, life goes on. It hasn't reached the point where divorce is absolutely necessary, so she'll go back and visit in a few days.

Seeing Cheng Jinxiang like this, Cheng Jinxi smiled with relief. "My good sister, it's good that you think this way. I'm so happy for you. Remember, your family will always be your support. You can do whatever you want at Lao Zhao's house, as long as you don't suffer any grievances. If you get tired, just come back to your family home. The Cheng family's door will always be open for you. You are a child of the Cheng family, and the Cheng family shouldn't suffer these grievances. We should be assertive when necessary. If you go back to Lao Zhao's house and they ask you to do housework, don't do it. Use the excuse that you just gave birth and need to recuperate. If they force you to do it, make your deadbeat husband do it. Why not use your husband? If we're not comfortable, we shouldn't expect your husband to be comfortable either. If they scold you for being ungrateful, if you don't know how to talk back, just keep doing the things that annoy them and make them angry. If they dare to..." "If they hit you, just let them hit you once, then run outside the village and cry loudly, complaining about how heartless the Zhao family is, making a woman who just gave birth do housework, and hitting you because you're not feeling well. That way, everyone in the village will be on your side. Those gossipy women in the village can curse Wang Guixiang and her ilk to death. If they hit you again, you can fight back. Everyone saw that the Zhao family was unreasonable first, and we're in the right. In the end, we're not the ones who get scolded. Do you hear me, sister? Sometimes we need to be flexible and adaptable. As long as we're not bullied, we shouldn't put up with this anger. If you're being bullied, hit your husband. Hit him, yell at him, whatever. Don't let yourself be wronged. Otherwise, it breaks my heart to see you like this, and I might even grab a kitchen knife and go find that damned Tiesheng to settle the score."

When Cheng Jinxi said these words, she was also filled with anger. Her good sister had been forced into this state by the Zhao family. Why did they have to get married like this? It would be good if they didn't become enemies. The whole family ganged up on her sister. It was truly outrageous.

Thinking of this, Cheng Jinxi couldn't help but want to spit on the Zhao family—the useless man, the biased in-laws, and the bloodsucking brother-in-law's family.

If she had married into this family, she would have definitely wanted a divorce the very next day; she wouldn't have been so foolish as to endure it for so many years.

After listening to Cheng Jinxi's long speech, Cheng Jinxiang chuckled and said, "Big sister, alright, alright, I understand. Don't worry, I'm not the same person I used to be, and I won't let anyone bully me."

“I always listen to you. When things don’t go my way, I beat and yell at my husband. If my in-laws ask me to do something, I’ll ask Tiesheng to do it. If they try to hit me, I’ll run to the village and cry. I can’t stand being wronged. If they still try to hit me in the end, I’ll call you all and we’ll pick up brooms and beat them back. My main goal is to not suffer any injustice and to live comfortably. I don’t care what the Zhao family thinks.”

That's what she said, but Cheng Jinxiang knew that her older sister, Cheng Jinxi, was barely able to take care of herself right now, and her son was about to get married. At that point, she wouldn't say that anymore.

Ugh.

Cheng Jinxi nodded in satisfaction. She was pleased that her younger sister had such awareness. In short, she couldn't let anyone be bullied. As for the Zhao family being bullied, what did that have to do with her? She only cared about the feelings of her own family.

"Big sister, how's Tianfu's situation? I'm thinking of going back in a few days," Cheng Jinxiang said. "How can the Zhao family leave me out? Besides, I've finished my postpartum confinement and my body has recovered enough. It's time to go back. I'm a little worried about Da'e being home alone."

I'm thinking of going back in a few days to pick a fight with Wang Guixiang.

Cheng Jinxiang never argued with Wang Guixiang from beginning to end. This daughter-in-law was arguably the weakest in the Zhao family. Whether she went back or not was secondary; the priority was to find a pretext and an opportunity to fight Wang Guixiang and deflate her arrogance.

You have to deliver a powerful punch first. Otherwise, you'll just get bullied when you get back, there's no way to escape.

The Zhao family's downfall stemmed from Wang Guixiang. Although Zhao Tingxu wasn't much better, Wang Guixiang was the worst. She doted on her daughter but treated her daughter-in-law like dirt. She was also a bully who preyed on the weak.

Cheng Jinxiang pondered whether he should learn from his sister-in-law, Zhao Tiebao's wife, and emulate her confrontational approach with Wang Guixiang, resorting to insults at the slightest disagreement, hoping to subdue Wang Guixiang after a couple of such encounters. Alternatively, he could follow Zhang Cuilan's example, who feigned illness…

However, Cheng Jinxiang doesn't seem to be able to imitate those two's personalities very well. Never mind for now, she'll find a fight with Wang Guixiang another day. She can't let Wang Guixiang have an easy time either, since she's already unhappy about it.

Cheng Jinxi couldn't help but applaud after hearing this, "As expected of my sister, she should have thought this way a long time ago so that she could truly live her own life well. Only then would Da'e and Xiao Juan be secure and not suffer any grievances. If they make things difficult for you, just argue with them. If that doesn't work, then threaten to divorce them. Who's afraid of who?"

Cheng Jinxiang smiled after hearing this, "Big sister, the divorce is still a long way off. At the very least, I have to go back to Old Zhao's house first and settle the matter of dividing the family property and the tens of thousands of yuan that my parents-in-law took from me. Only then can we talk about divorce."

Cheng Jinxi laughed and patted Cheng Jinxiang's hand, "Yes, yes, whatever my sister says is right."

Cheng Jinxi didn't say that the money was probably gone for good, because she was afraid her sister might do something rash.

The next day

Cheng Jinxi carried a basket of fresh eggs to Shi Zhihui's house and knocked on the door. "Fourth Sister, it's me, Cheng Jinxi. Please open the door."

"Coming, coming!" a voice came from inside the door, and then the wooden door was opened.

As soon as Shi Zhihui opened the door, she looked down and saw Cheng Jinxi carrying a basket of fresh eggs. She asked in surprise, "Big sister, what are you doing here...?"

Cheng Jinxi gave a charming smile. "Fourth Aunt, I'm here to bring you eggs. Look, aren't these eggs fresh? I specially collected them."

Just yesterday, Zhao Da'e helped Grandpa deal with the chicken, duck, and goose issue, successfully enforcing the ban, preventing villagers from buying chickens, ducks, and geese from Jurenzhang. As for Xiangzi faking illness, apart from a few insiders, no one could tell, and Aunt Li remained silent about compensation. However, Qian Bin and Grandpa Liu were seriously injured and are still bedridden.

After finishing these matters, Zhao Da'e went to her aunt's house. She told Cheng Jinxi to at least take something to visit Shi Zhihui, otherwise it wouldn't be good if they were about to meet for the first time but hadn't even met the matchmaker yet.

A matchmaker may not bring about good things, but they can definitely cause trouble.

Besides, although a date has been set, things are still far from certain, and it's not like we're going to kick them out after they've served their purpose. Even if it doesn't work out, they'll still be relatives.

Besides, Shi Zhihui is from Cheng Jinxi's maternal side, so we should at least go and visit her. She's been so busy taking care of everything, saying nothing, and we don't even get a little favor in return—that won't do.

In later generations, there were no matchmakers anymore; instead, there were matchmaking agencies. The reason for this was that being a matchmaker was a thankless and exhausting job.

"Take it, it's nothing valuable. Just some eggs and stuff."

Shi Zhihui was somewhat flattered and hurriedly accepted the basket of fresh eggs.