Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Around this time, the New Year came, and Jiang Yiwei celebrated her first New Year here.

Early in the morning, Jiang Yiwei was pulled out of bed by Zhang Cuifen to help with chores. Even Jiang Yuexin and Huang Manjun weren’t spared.

"Where are your new clothes? Didn’t I get you new clothes? Why aren’t you wearing them?"

As soon as Zhang Cuifen saw Jiang Yiwei yawning and still wearing old clothes, she immediately asked why she wasn’t dressed in the new ones.

Jiang Yiwei, mid-yawn, paused, looking totally out of it. Zhang Cuifen assumed she was still groggy from just waking up and pressed again, "It’s New Year’s—you’re supposed to wear new clothes."

In recent years, the family had been doing better, and Zhang Cuifen had gone out of her way to get new clothes for the children. She saved up all the cloth ration coupons she received each month just to prepare new outfits for them.

New clothes were meant for good luck in the coming year.

She especially doted on the girls.

Each outfit had its own unique design.

"New clothes? I haven’t seen any."

It finally dawned on Jiang Yiwei that every New Year, Zhang Cuifen would find a way to prepare new clothes for them.

She’d never skipped it before, and now that life was better, Zhang Cuifen wouldn’t have stopped.

But.

The new clothes Zhang Cuifen had prepared for her—she hadn’t seen them.

Now Zhang Cuifen was baffled. "That’s impossible. I prepared your new clothes and even put them in your wardrobe."

She had placed the clothes there herself—they couldn’t just disappear.

"Mom, I really haven’t seen them."

Jiang Yiwei swore she hadn’t seen the new clothes Zhang Cuifen had prepared.

"Impossible. Let me go look."

Zhang Cuifen put down the bowl of vegetables and rushed into Jiang Yiwei’s room.

Opening the wardrobe, it was plain to see—only old clothes were inside. There was no sign of the new clothes.

"That’s strange. Where did they go?"

They really weren’t there. She had personally placed the clothes in the wardrobe, yet now they were gone.

"Grandma, I know!"

Jiang Xiaohua came running in, her little pigtails bouncing with her head. Following closely behind her was Jiang Weilin.

Jiang Weilin noticed the weird vibe between Zhang Cuifen and Jiang Yiwei, and with Jiang Xiaohua blurting out that she knew, he scratched his head and edged closer to Jiang Yiwei.

"Third Sister, what’s going on?"

Judging by his mother and sister’s expressions, Jiang Weilin could tell something was up.

"My new clothes are missing," Jiang Yiwei said flatly.

Jiang Weilin gasped.

Jiang Weilin never imagined Jiang Yiwei’s new clothes would be the ones missing.

"Aunt Yiwei, I know!"

Jiang Xiaohua clung to Jiang Yiwei's leg, her pale little face scrunched up in worry.

Jiang Yiwei crouched down and playfully pinched Jiang Xiaohua's chubby, rosy cheeks. "If you know, spill it—where’d my clothes go?"

"Aunt Yuexin took them."

"I saw Aunt Yuexin take your new clothes."

Jiang Xiaohua was only three but spoke surprisingly clearly for a three-year-old.

Zhang Cuifen and Jiang Yiwei gaped at her.

If Jiang Yuexin took them—and the more they thought, the likelier it seemed—Zhang Cuifen's face fell.

Just then, Jiang Yuexin walked in.

As soon as she stepped inside, Jiang Yuexin noticed Zhang Cuifen glowering at her, Jiang Yiwei smirking like she'd won the lottery, and the open wardrobe. She immediately understood why Zhang Cuifen was angry.

She looked away, guilty, not daring to meet Zhang Cuifen's eyes.

Jiang Yiwei spotted her guilt. "Yuexin, where are my new clothes?"

But Yuexin only glanced at her before turning her back, silent.

"Yuexin, did you take Yiwei’s new clothes?" Zhang Cuifen cut in, knowing Yuexin would dodge Yiwei’s question.

Yet Yuexin dug in her heels, refusing to talk.

"Out with it! No lies!"

Under her mother's stern urging, Jiang Yuexin finally muttered that she had taken Jiang Yiwei's clothes.

"Yes, I took them. They’d suit *me* better."

She had taken them simply because she preferred Jiang Yiwei's new outfit.

"The styles of your clothes are exactly the same! Aren’t they identical?"

"They’re the same cut—just different fabric and prints!" Zhang Cuifen snapped.

"They are the same, but her pattern is prettier. I like it."

Jiang Yiwei's dress had delicate blue flowers, and Yuexin couldn’t take her eyes off it.

"You got first pick! You chose the plum blossoms!"

Otherwise, that’s the only reason Yiwei got the blue flowers!

"Mom, you always favor her!"

Yiwei fumed—Yuexin always got first pick, leaving her with scraps. No wonder she was pissed.

Whether for the original owner or herself, Zhang Cuifen's actions were obviously unfair.

They were both her daughters, so why did Jiang Yuexin get to choose first?

How is that fair?

Moreover, Jiang Yiwei was making sure Zhang Cuifen knew so she would stop playing favorites in the future. She would resist, she would speak up—unlike the original owner, who silently accepted the preferential treatment toward Jiang Yuexin.

Zhang Cuifen opened her mouth but said nothing, as if silently admitting Jiang Yiwei’s words, because she truly did favor Jiang Yuexin.

"Give the clothes back to Yiwei."

Zhang Cuifen told Jiang Yuexin to return the clothes to Jiang Yiwei.

"No!" Jiang Yuexin shouted.

Jiang Yuexin flat-out refused to give the clothes to Jiang Yiwei. And it wasn’t like this was her first time taking Jiang Yiwei’s things—once she took them, she never returned them. So she didn’t feel the slightest guilt about taking Jiang Yiwei’s new clothes.

Hell, she thought she *deserved* it.

In her heart, she resented Jiang Yiwei for causing trouble.

If Mom hadn’t given birth to Jiang Yiwei, aside from her married eldest sister, she’d have been the only daughter left in the family. That way, Jiang Yiwei’s things would naturally belong to her.

No matter what Zhang Cuifen said, Jiang Yuexin refused to give up Jiang Yiwei’s new clothes. Even if Mom got mad, Jiang Yuexin wasn’t afraid at all.

"Hey, if you won’t return my new clothes, then give me the money and fabric coupons instead."

Jiang Yiwei demanded, hand outstretched.

"Why should I?" Jiang Yuexin would never cough up the money.

She didn’t pay a cent for the clothes.

"Then give me back my clothes."

If she wouldn’t cough up the money, then at least return what was rightfully hers.

"No. And anyway—I’ve already worn them—they’re not new anymore."

She wouldn’t give Jiang Yiwei money or coupons, and returning the clothes was out of the question. They were *hers* now.

"That’s fine, I don’t mind."

Truth was, Yiwei minded, but she could choose not to wear them. She’d just sell them later, use the money to get fabric coupons, and then make her own clothes.

Before transmigrating into the book, Jiang Yiwei had an online boutique. She could design and sew clothes herself—she didn’t need to pay someone else to do it.

Jiang Yuexin was stunned silent, never expecting Jiang Yiwei to be so insistent on getting the clothes back.

But she dug in her heels.

"Anyway, I won’t give them back. No matter what, I won’t."

She then wheedled Zhang Cuifen, "Mom, I really love that new dress. It looks good on me too—don’t take it from me."

"You *can’t* want me to be sad over this, can you?"

Jiang Yuexin was whining and pouting tearfully, and indeed, Zhang Cuifen was already giving in.

Every time Jiang Yuexin put on her spoiled act with her, Zhang Cuifen would always cave in.

"We'll let it slide this time, but don't you dare take Yiwei’s new clothes again."

Jiang Yuexin immediately lit up with a grin. She knew her mother doted on her. Hugging her mother’s arm, she gushed, "Thank you, Mom. I knew you loved me the most."

Then she shot a defiant look at Jiang Yiwei. "Yiwei, Mom agreed to give me all the new clothes."

Ha! Told you! Mom loves me the most.

Jiang Yiwei had anticipated this the moment Jiang Yuexin started her act. Just as she was about to speak, Jiang Weilin cut in before she could.

"Mom, you’re being completely unfair. It’s clearly Third Sister’s new clothes. Why won’t you give them back to her?"

Jiang Weilin knew Zhang Cuifen favored Jiang Yuexin, just like how their grandmother favored Jiang Ningning.

It made his blood boil.

It was clearly someone else’s things, taken without permission and refused to be returned—yet his mother actually agreed to his Second Sister’s unreasonable request.

Turning to Jiang Yiwei, he said, "Third Sister, don’t listen to Mom. What’s yours is yours. No one has the right to take it from you. Don’t let Mom make you give it to Second Sister."

"You naughty boy, what nonsense are you spouting?" Zhang Cuifen angrily pinched Jiang Weilin’s ear.

"Ahh!"

Jiang Weilin let out a small yelp in pain but stood his ground. "I’m not wrong. Mom, you can’t keep making Third Sister give her things to Second Sister every time."

After a pause, he added, "And you can’t keep making me let Second Sister have her way either."

Jiang Weilin quietly rebelled for himself.

He was the youngest in the family, yet he was always expected to yield to Jiang Yuexin, with the excuse that as a boy, he should let girls have their way.

He could compromise—but not for a bad sister like Jiang Yuexin, who kept snatching things from her younger siblings.

"Ridiculous!" Zhang Cuifen raised her hand to hit Jiang Weilin.

But Jiang Yiwei grabbed her arm, startling Zhang Cuifen completely—especially under Jiang Yiwei’s icy stare, which made her shiver.

Jiang Yiwei stared straight at Zhang Cuifen and freed Jiang Weilin from her grip.

She smiled gently at Jiang Weilin. "Our Weilin is so sensible."

Jiang Weilin straightened up proudly, solemnly declaring, "It’s only because Mom went too far."

He wasn’t wrong—his mother was being downright unfair.

Patting Jiang Weilin’s head, Jiang Yiwei stepped forward. "Mom, Weilin is right. We know you love Second Sister, but you can’t break our hearts."

"You care for Second Sister, but you can’t always give her her way. I’m your daughter too. My things must be returned to me."

"Yiwei, I know Yuexin was wrong to take your new clothes. Let her keep them this time. In a few days, I’ll get you some nicer fabric for a brand new outfit."