Rebirth of a Village Girl Chapter 2 - 2 001: Return to 17 years old_2
Previously on Rebirth of a Village Girl...
Ni Cuihua scrambled up from the bed and collapsed at Elderly Mu’s feet, sobbing hysterically. "Mother, I’m begging you, please don’t cast her out! I’ll do anything! I’ll work like an ox or a horse for the Mu family as long as you let her stay!"
As an uneducated country woman, Ni Cuihua knew nothing but the traditional virtues of serving her husband, honoring her mother-in-law, and producing a male heir. Now that her own flesh and blood faced abandonment, she could only resort to pathetic pleading.
She had never dared to offer a word of resistance, even when subjected to the physical and verbal abuse of her husband and mother-in-law.
Elderly Mu’s features twisted with rage at her words. "You are already expected to work like a beast for this family! You useless creature, unable to even produce a son! Why are you still breathing? You’re nothing but a jinx! It’s because of your bad luck that the Mu family lacks a grandson!"
“Mother, please! I’m begging you, don't throw my baby away!” Ni Cuihua cried out in desperation.
“Wretched woman! Get out of my sight!” Elderly Mu spat, her eyes filled with a murderous glare.
Standing firmly by the old woman’s side was her husband, Mu Jinbao. He shared his mother's sentiments entirely, harboring no affection for his daughter while obsessing over the dream of having a son.
Mu Jinbao yanked Ni Cuihua up by her hair, his expression vicious. "You scoundrel! You fail to give me a son and now you dare to rebel? I’ll beat the life out of you today!"
Ni Cuihua’s tears had long since run dry as she lamented her bitter fate. Why had the heavens not blessed her with a boy?
Watching the chaos, Ni Yang forced her mind to remain calm. Suddenly, a memory surfaced, and she dropped to her knees. "Father, Grandma! My sister is actually the family's lucky star! How could we possibly discard our own good fortune?"
Mu Jinbao sneered in disgust. "A lucky star? She’s a disaster star, more like!"
Ni Yang’s expression turned solemn. "Father, it’s the truth! Last night, an immortal appeared in my dreams and revealed that my sister is the Mu family’s Treasure Girl. She won’t just bring us wealth; she’s the one who will bring a younger brother into this house! The immortal even said she has six small black moles on her feet as a divine blessing. If you don't believe me, go look for yourselves!"
In her previous life, Ni Yang had overheard Elderly Mu grumbling about those very moles while she was preparing to throw the infant away. She clung to that memory now like a lifeline.
Elderly Mu’s eyes narrowed as she looked at her son. "Jinbao, go check if she’s telling the truth!"
Mu Jinbao hurried to the bed. A moment later, his voice rose in excitement. "It’s real! Mother, it’s true! There are exactly six black moles on her feet!"
The discovery felt like a miracle. In an era ruled by superstition, the look on Elderly Mu’s face shifted instantly.
Could this be a sign from the heavens that the Mu lineage would finally be secured? The old woman trembled with excitement.
Ni Yang struck while the iron was hot. "Grandma! The immortal also mentioned that the coming brother has a deep connection with the name 'Li Shu' and that he will arrive in just a few days!"
“Li Shu?”
Elderly Mu burst into a joyful laugh, her tone changing completely. "Excellent! We’ll keep her for now. Her name shall be Li Fuxing!"
The name Li Shu was identical to the woman who was currently pregnant with Mu Jinbao’s child! To the old woman, this was divine confirmation.
The child Li Shu carried was definitely the long-awaited grandson! Elderly Mu was overwhelmed with happiness at the thought of the Mu family finally having an heir.
Overjoyed, Ni Cuihua began kowtowing while clutching her baby. "Thank you, Mother! Thank you! Fuxing, look, we must thank Grandma!"
Ni Cuihua knew her youngest daughter had only been saved because of Ni Yang’s intervention. Yet, she wondered how Ni Yang could have known about the moles when the baby had been wrapped in swaddling since birth.
Elderly Mu’s face soured again as she looked at the kneeling Ni Cuihua. "That’s enough! Get up! The laundry from last night is still sitting there. Do you expect me to do it?"
Resting after childbirth was a luxury reserved for those who birthed sons, not "worthless" girls.
Ni Cuihua had survived five births, and three of those children had been abandoned. She had always returned to hard labor immediately. Postpartum recovery was a concept she had never known.
Feeling a pang of pity for her mother, Ni Yan spoke up. "Grandma, let me do the washing instead."
Elderly Mu swung a stick, striking Ni Yan. "You low-born brat! You think you’re getting off easy? Get to the back hill and cut grass! The goats are starving!"
Ni Yan didn't flinch, letting the blow land. The physical sting only sharpened her resolve. It was darkly comedic that she and her mother were considered less valuable than the family livestock.
Terrified that the old woman would strike again, Ni Cuihua placed the baby on the bed and grabbed the stick. "Mother, please don’t be angry. I’m going right now..." She signaled frantically for Ni Yan to stop talking back.
Ni Yan kept her head down, masking the fire in her eyes.
“Go cut that grass!” Mu Jinbao growled, shoving Ni Yan toward the door. “Get moving, you wretched thing!”
Ni Yan’s fists clenched so hard her knuckles turned white. She vowed to herself that this time, she would rescue her mother and sister from this hellish existence.
Elderly Mu signaled to Mu Jinbao, and he followed her out of the room. Once they were gone, Ni Cuihua sighed in relief, tucked the baby in, and headed out to the washbasin.
Up on the back hill, Ni Yan began harvesting greens while organizing the chaotic memories of her past life.
In her previous existence, she had been manipulated into marrying a much older bachelor. After his death, she had fled to Beijing, where she struggled through poverty to educate herself. Eventually, she had risen to become a prominent entrepreneur, a frequent face on television.
She had been murdered, but the details of her death and the identity of the killer remained hazy. The sensation of weightlessness she felt upon waking suggested she had fallen from a great height.
One name stood out in her mind: Li Xianxian. Though they had rarely met, the woman’s behavior had always been suspicious.
Ni Yan’s eyes sharpened with cold determination. Since the heavens had granted her a second chance, she would not waste it. She would seek vengeance, repay those who were kind, and craft a new destiny for herself.
As she finished her work and prepared to head down, something heavy suddenly slammed into her from behind.
The impact sent her tumbling down the slope until she hit the bottom.
Ni Yan gasped, her face pale as she looked at the man pinned on top of her. He looked to be about twenty-five, with striking phoenix eyes that harbored a dangerous glint.
“Shh!”
The man clamped a hand over her mouth, pressing a finger to his own lips to demand her silence.