This woman, Tian Jing’s memory held her, was Li Zhengguo’s childhood sweetheart, Zhang Fangcao. They had been engaged when Li Zhengguo went to join the army, with the understanding that they would marry upon his honorable discharge.
Unexpectedly, two years later, Li’s father passed away. Li Zhengguo, having just finished arranging the funeral, rushed back to his unit. Upon his return after his discharge, he was a cripple.
After Li’s father’s death, Li’s mother’s health declined drastically. The Zhang family, seeing this, wanted to break off the engagement. Li Zhengguo’s lameness provided them with a perfect excuse. Li Zhengguo also felt he shouldn't burden her, and thus agreed.
However, Zhang Fangcao was already nineteen, considered an older woman. Marrying her off would not fetch a substantial bride price. So, she found a husband within their own village. This suitor turned out to be the son of Li Father’s paternal cousin. Thus, Zhang Fangcao became Li Zhengguo’s cousin-in-law.
On this day in her past life, Zhang Fangcao had also visited.
This woman always used the pretense of helping Li Min look after their cousin-aunt, Li Mother, to enter and exit the Li residence as if it were her own home.
It remained a mystery how she managed to pacify her in-laws, who surprisingly seemed unconcerned and made no effort to avoid her presence.
The original occupant’s various erratic behaviors were also linked to this cousin-in-law.
“What are you looking at?” Li Min’s tone was unfriendly, “Sister Fangcao is twenty-two. Her daughter, Da Niu, isn't even two years old yet. You can’t accuse her of anything.”
“Pfft,” Tian Jing couldn’t help but snicker. She looked at Li Zhengguo, “Comrade Li Zhengguo, is there something wrong with your sister’s brain?”
In the short time it took for her and Li Zhengguo to stroll back, this cousin-in-law had already come to lodge a complaint.
Li Min had proposed the idea of a marriage exchange. How much credit did this cousin-in-law have in that suggestion?
“Likely so.”
Li Zhengguo looked down at the smiling, flower-like face before him, feeling he could never get enough of looking at her.
Zhang Fangcao’s venomous gaze was fixed on Tian Jing, calling her a vixen, one who only knew how to use her seductive charm to lure men.
Not only did Tian Jing feel the ill-intentioned stare, but Li Zhengguo did too. He glanced coldly at Zhang Fangcao, “Cousin-in-law, you should return to your husband’s home. And in the future, come here less.”
Zhang Fangcao appeared deeply hurt, “Brother Zhengguo, I, I just…”
“Big Brother,” Li Min said, feeling for her good friend, “Fangcao is here to see me and Mother.”
“Unnecessary. Will Mother’s health magically improve just by looking at her with empty hands?” Li Zhengguo shot his sister a look. “If you have business, go find her at her in-laws’. If you bring her here again, don’t blame me for being impolite.”
“Big Brother!” Li Min yelled furiously, “Is it this vixen who’s been instigating you to treat me this way?”
Tian Jing crossed her arms, enjoying the show. People with holes in their brains couldn’t be filled with mere words; perhaps fists were necessary.
“Li Min!” Li Zhengguo’s tone was exceptionally stern, “This is your elder sister-in-law. You brought her back yourself.”
Li Min choked. If she had known that Tian Lifu’s younger sister was so beautiful, she would never have proposed the marriage exchange. She could have been the elder sister-in-law and directly overshadowed this vixen.
“Stop arguing, stop arguing. It’s all my fault,” Zhang Fangcao interjected, playing the peacemaker.
“It *should* be your fault!”
Li Zhengguo didn’t give his sister a chance to speak and directly retorted to Zhang Fangcao, “Why are you coming here to stir up trouble? Your in-laws may not care about their reputation, but I do. I detest this feeling of lingering connections; it’s utterly disgusting.
I’ll take care of my mother. My sister has her own family; she doesn’t need your false kindness. Who can’t say a few pretty words? Coming to my house every few days, who are you trying to disgust?”
If he hadn’t wanted to alter the trajectory of him and Tiantian becoming husband and wife again, he should have dealt with the people around his sister right after he was reborn.
His sister had a somewhat stubborn temperament, tenacious in her beliefs. If he had kicked Zhang Fangcao away earlier, his sister might not have insisted on the marriage exchange.
He was reborn the day after his sister proposed the marriage exchange. Before the Tian family’s reply arrived, he dared not act. Once he confirmed the marriage exchange was happening, the steps involved changed.
So, he advanced the timeline by two days to prevent any greater mishaps. He was even more determined to use various changes to alter the outcome of his past life.
This was the little girl he had yearned for. Not anyone could criticize her, including his sister and mother.
Zhang Fangcao, confronted so sharply by the Brother Zhengguo she cherished in her heart, turned pale. “Brother Zhengguo~”
The way she called him “Brother Zhengguo” was melodious and sorrowful.
“Shut up!”
Li Zhengguo looked at the woman’s feigned distress with disgust. In his past life, if this woman hadn’t whispered ambiguous words to Tiantian, how could Tiantian have increasingly looked down on him?
“The title ‘Brother Zhengguo’ is not for you to use. Either call me cousin, like Li Aiguo does, or call me nothing at all. In the future, it’s best to act like strangers. The thought of becoming relatives with you makes me sick.”
“Wuwuwu.”
Feeling so utterly despised, and unable to bear staying any longer, Zhang Fangcao covered her mouth, hugged her daughter, and fled the Li residence in tears.
Tian Jing generously offered a parting remark, “Cousin-in-law, you weren’t underage back then, so what about your mother-in-law? And your mother, aunt, and cousins?”
Zhang Fangcao stumbled, nearly dropping her daughter.
Tian Jing burst into laughter, ‘Serve you right for coming here to be disgusting!’
“Naughty,” Li Zhengguo reached out to pat Tian Jing’s head, then quickly withdrew his hand. “Let’s go home. I’ll take you to see Mother.”
“Li Zhengguo!” Tian Jing thought she had made herself clear. Was this man pretending not to understand?
“Just a necessary cover,” Li Zhengguo bent down and whispered in her ear, “We can’t let outsiders know. There are many single men in the production team.”
You’re ruthless! Threatening her with the single men.
Tian Jing took a step back, away from the warmth near her ear, and glared at him. “Fine. As long as we both know.”
“Good.” Li Zhengguo rubbed his nose. He felt a little awkward about Tian Jing’s avoidance, yet he couldn’t resist getting closer to her.
Li Min stomped her foot and ran angrily into the house.
Li Mother was leaning against the kang by the door. Not seeing anyone behind her daughter, she asked, “Where are your Big Brother and sister-in-law?”
Li Min let out a heavy hmph. “I regret it. I don’t like this person as my elder sister-in-law.”
Li Zhengguo entered the main hall and heard his sister’s words from the east room. He secretly thought, Thank goodness. Thank goodness he held back. Now that Tiantian was by his side, no one would take her away.
“Don’t talk nonsense,” Li Mother chided her daughter. “Your Big Brother didn’t agree to the marriage exchange, but you insisted. And now you say you regret it?
Marriage is not a child’s play. Once the arrow is loosed, there’s no turning back. If you disagree, you’ll only make the Tian family think you’re ignorant and look down on you later.”
“Mother~, you don’t know how excessive that Tian Jing was. She actually made Big Brother carry her. Big Brother’s leg…” Li Min continued her complaints.
“Shut up!” Li Zhengguo pulled Tian Jing in. “Mother, this is your daughter-in-law, Tian Jing. Tiantian, let’s kowtow to Mother together.”
Tian Jing was reluctantly pulled by Li Zhengguo to kneel and kowtow to Li Mother, but she refused to call her “Mother.”
“Mother.” Li Zhengguo’s voice was louder, masking Tian Jing’s silence.
The ceremony was considered complete. In this remote, impoverished mountain village, there were no formal rituals.
“Eh! Get up, get up quickly.”
Li Mother gestured for the two kneeling by the bedside to rise.
Tian Jing was helped up by Li Zhengguo. She took the opportunity to size up Li Mother, who was just as she remembered – frail and thin, with large, sunken eyes.