Chapter 3 Moving In

Chapter 3: The Confrontation

Return the martyr's certificate!

Her family's survival now depended entirely on the twenty-yuan monthly subsidy and the custodial job taken from Xie Xinyi's mother.

Forcing her to return the martyr's certificate to Old Xie's third brother's family felt like taking half her life away.

Xu Wenxia sat by her daughter's bedside, so angry that she slapped her daughter on the forehead. "Are you out of your mind? If it weren’t for you refusing to marry, would I have had to beg that mother and daughter (Xie Xinyi and her mother) and let them force me to return the martyr's certificate?"

The way that sly girl Xie Xinyi had confronted her, question after question, was truly unsettling.

Where did she even hear that I took the Gu family’s engagement money and gifts? Otherwise, why would she bring up returning the martyr's certificate at such a critical moment?

Xu Wenxia couldn’t figure it out, nor did she have the mind to dwell on it.

The Gu family would be coming to pick up the bride in a couple of days, but the problem was, she didn't have enough money to return the engagement gifts. The only solution was to beg Xie Xinyi to marry in her daughter’s place.

"You really won’t marry?"

Still unwilling to give up, Xu Wenxia asked her daughter one last time.

"No, I won’t! I’d rather die than marry!"

Xie Tingting was firm. She pulled the blanket off her head and said impatiently, "It’s just a martyr's certificate, why not just give it to her?"

"Give it to her!? What would our family eat and drink then? Live on thin air?"

"......" Xie Tingting was momentarily speechless.

What her mother said was possible.

When her eldest brother got married, the family’s savings were completely drained. Her second brother was always demanding this and that, and Grandma Xie ate four or five meals a day. Her father had taken over the third uncle’s job, but his salary was only about forty yuan a month.

Forty yuan for a family of seven or eight—if they really returned the martyr's certificate, they might indeed end up living on thin air.

But even so, there was no other way. Who would have thought that falling ill would give her the ability to foresee the future?

Her illness was strange, accompanied by a strange dream. At first, she didn’t think much of it, but when the events in the dream started coming true one by one, she realized with shock that she had gained the ability to foresee the future.

No matter how good her arranged marriage partner Gu Yu’s conditions were, it couldn’t change the fact that he didn’t love her and would eventually heartlessly abandon her.

Everyone said she was marrying well, but no one knew what her life in the Gu family would really be like.

Her father-in-law paid no attention to family matters, her mother-in-law looked down on her, and the elderly lady who held the reins in the family often nitpicked her.

She thought her husband would at least stand up for her a little, but after marrying him, she learned that Gu Yu had been forced into the marriage by his family. He had no feelings for her and even refused to fulfill his marital duties, never once touching her.

On top of that, her mother had taken many advantages from the Gu family beforehand, so Gu Yu’s attitude toward her had always been cold.

His cold attitude was one thing, but Gu Yu was also heartless.

Not long after they married, Gu Yu went against his family’s wishes, left the military, and went into business. He stayed away from home for months, even years at a time.

Unable to bear the neglect, she started causing trouble in the Gu family.

In the end, her mother-in-law tragically fell, hit the back of her head, and died despite efforts to save her. Her husband, unable to tolerate her any longer, sent her back to the Xie family with divorce papers.

By the time she returned to the Xie family, there was no place for her anymore. Her mother was old and no longer in charge, and her second brother and his wife resented having an extra mouth to feed. Left with no choice, she had to take care of her nieces and nephews in exchange for survival, eventually wearing herself down into a drudge.

Life as a drudge was hard, while Xie Xinyi, who had always been inferior to her in every way, thrived.

Not only did her husband become the village’s first ten-thousand-yuan household, but her two children were also well-behaved and lovable. Later, they even built a factory and started a company, living a comfortable and prosperous life.

Having foreseen all this, Xie Tingting was so angry she couldn’t sleep all night. The next day, when she heard that the Gu family would soon come to fulfill the marriage agreement, she was so frightened that she threatened her parents with her life, refusing to marry Gu Yu no matter what.

She didn’t want to become a dependent drudge, and she couldn’t bear the thought of Xie Xinyi living a more comfortable life than her.

So, let Xie Xinyi have Gu Yu.

Once Xie Xinyi goes to the countryside and meets her future wealthy husband, the twenty-yuan monthly subsidy from the martyr's certificate will be nothing.

Xie Tingting patiently tried to reassure Xu Wenxia, "The Gu family might seem respectable on the surface, but given the advantages you and Grandma have taken from them over the years, do you really think they’ll treat me well if I marry into their family?"

"This... it probably won’t be that bad, right?" Xu Wenxia said guiltily, but Xie Tingting was certain. "It definitely will!"

Because that’s how it happened in her dream!

She had no desire to relive those days, so she continued persuading her mother, "Xie Xinyi said she wants to split the household, so let’s do it. With three fewer mouths to feed, Dad’s salary will be more than enough. And right now, Xie Xinyi only wants her father’s martyr's certificate. If she later realizes she can also demand we give up the custodial job her father held, that would be a real loss."

Xu Wenxia feared this even more.

Hadn’t Xie Xinyi just been arguing and demanding that she return the wages Old Xie had earned over the years from the job he took over from her father?

If they returned the martyr's certificate, they could always find a way to get it back later through Grandma Xie. But if her husband lost his job, that would truly be the end of her.

Xu Wenxia knew what was more important. Besides, if they wanted Xie Xinyi to agree to marry into the Gu family in her daughter’s place, they had to accommodate her demands for now.

She just couldn’t suppress her resentment. Turning around and seeing her daughter lying in bed as if nothing was wrong, even smiling at some thought, she couldn’t help but slap Xie Tingting on the forehead again.

"I must have owed you from a past life."

After complaining, Xu Wenxia still got up and went to the cabinet to retrieve the martyr's certificate. Just as she was about to take it to Xie Xinyi and her mother, before she even stepped out of the room, she remembered another problem: they had found a replacement bride, but how were they going to explain the last-minute switch to the Gu family?

"That’s simple."

Xie Tingting, sprawled on the bed, rolled over and whispered mysteriously into Xu Wenxia’s ear, "When the Gu family arrives, just say what I tell you..."

While Xie Tingting was making her plans, Xie Xinyi wasn’t idle either.

Whether Xu Wenxia agreed to return the martyr's certificate or not, she still had to continue with the matchmaking arrangements.

The matchmaker Xie Xinyi's mother found, Matchmaker Feng, was highly efficient. Even before Xu Wenxia brought the martyr's certificate, she had already visited twice to discuss potential matches.

"I think the young man from the Li family at the end of the alley is quite good. His family is small, and he has a stable job. If you marry him, you might even get a job as a family dependent."

Xie Xinyi's mother poured water into the pot while talking about the match Matchmaker Feng had suggested that morning.

Ever since hearing her daughter talk about marrying into the Gu family in Xie Tingting’s place and splitting the household yesterday, her heart hadn’t settled.

Splitting the household was manageable. Over the years, she had worked like a slave in the Xie family, fulfilling her late husband’s filial duties. Living separately might actually make life easier.

But the idea of her daughter marrying into the Gu family in Xie Tingting’s place felt wrong.

It wasn’t that she had any prejudice against the Gu family; it was just that when she thought about the Gu family’s status and compared it to their own circumstances, worry was inevitable.

Moreover, her second sister-in-law had always been selfish. Suddenly giving up such a favorable arranged marriage to their family probably... wasn’t that simple.

Grandma Xie felt uneasy and thought she should personally make arrangements for her daughter.

She glanced at Xie Xinyi, who was sitting on a stool with her head lowered, wondering what she was thinking.

"Should we go and meet him?"

There was no harm in meeting him once. Besides, many families were in a hurry to arrange marriages for their children—some even got hitched the day after their first meeting. Compared to them, their approach was pretty conservative, so there was nothing to be ashamed of.

Grandma Xie comforted herself this way, feeling that her daughter had a really hard time in the Xie family over the years.

Because of her own timidity, her husband’s job had been handed over just like that. Knowing she disliked causing trouble, the Martyr's Certificate had been taken away for over a decade.

After all these years of keeping her head down and following the rules, she couldn’t even afford to secure a job for her own daughter. Grandma Xie felt guilty and wanted to make proper arrangements for her daughter this time.

She walked around the stove to stand before Xie Xinyi and once again sought her opinion. "We don’t know what Second Uncle's wife is planning, and the Gu family might not go for it either. Why don’t you..."

"No need to rush right now," Xie Xinyi replied firmly.

The ones who should be anxious were Second Uncle's family, not her.

As long as she refused to meet anyone, Matchmaker Feng would keep coming to their home. The more Matchmaker Feng visited, the more of a stir it would cause, and the more anxious Xu Wenxia would become.

By the looks of things, Xie Tingting would definitely not marry into the Gu family. If Xie Tingting didn’t marry, the only one in the Xie family who could replace her was Xie Xinyi.

Xie Xinyi understood this well, and Xu Wenxia, who was no fool, surely understood it even better.

She was deliberately making Xu Wenxia anxious. Only when Xu Wenxia grew anxious could she smoothly reclaim what rightfully belonged to them from the leeches of the Xie family who had been sucking them dry.

Since the Martyr's Certificate was earned with her late father’s life, the money should be used on her, her mother, and her sisters.

Grandma Xie was frail and needed long-term medication. Although her younger sister had the protagonist's halo, having money to spend was better than working odd jobs and getting looked down on.

Since she had taken over this body for a second chance at life, she ought to stand up for the people the original self cared about.

So why should she rush? Good things come to those who wait.

She would wait and see what tricks Second Uncle's wife and that cousin of hers had up their sleeves.

Xie Tingting and her mother didn’t have any tricks up their sleeves—they simply put on a pitiful act when the Gu family came to pick up the bride. Xu Wenxia tearfully complained to Mrs. Gu, who had come personally to pick up her daughter-in-law.

"..."

"It’s not that my Xie Tingting doesn’t want to marry. It’s just that she’s too soft-hearted and can’t bear to see her cousin suffer in that harsh place."

"As you know, my Xie Tingting has always been sensible since she was young and gets along well with her cousins. When she heard that her cousin had cried her eyes out over being sent to the countryside, she insisted on giving up this marriage to her."

"She said it’s nothing if she suffers a little, but her cousin has been pampered since childhood and wouldn’t survive in such a place."

"Our child is kind-hearted, and as parents, we couldn’t stop her. Moreover, the second daughter of Third Xie’s family was so overjoyed when she heard that Xie Tingting was giving up the marriage for her that she even prepared her dowry. If we said it wasn’t appropriate, she’d throw fits, threaten suicide, and even go on a hunger strike. What else could we do?"

Xu Wenxia spoke vividly, occasionally wiping tears from the corners of her eyes. She looked every bit the kind-hearted elder who had been forced into a corner by her niece. If Xie Tingting hadn’t been the one behind the idea, even she would have almost believed it—let alone Mrs. Gu, who knew nothing and had come happily to pick up her daughter-in-law.

As for the arranged marriage between the Gu and Xie families, Wen Shuhua had only heard about it from the old master over a decade ago.

At the time, she thought it was just a passing fancy and didn’t take it seriously. After the old master passed away, the matter was completely forgotten.

If Grandma Xie hadn’t suddenly shown up a few years ago, and if her son hadn’t been having such bad luck in marriage recently, she would never have remembered this arranged marriage the old master had set up for her son.

The arranged marriage was decided by the old master when he was alive, but he never specified which Xie family daughter it was.

When Grandma Xie and Second Xie’s wife came to see her, Wen Shuhua just assumed it was Second Xie’s youngest daughter.

As for what Second Xie’s youngest daughter looked like or what her personality was like, she had no idea.

But none of that mattered.

If looks were lacking, clothing and makeup could make up for it. If her personality was lacking, they could work it out over time. As long as she could bring the daughter-in-law home without her son finding out, everything else would be easy.

That was Wen Shuhua’s original plan, but she never expected the Xie family to suddenly change their minds at the last minute.

From what Second Xie’s wife said, the idea to switch brides came from her youngest daughter—the one Wen Shuhua had assumed was her daughter-in-law.

And the one responsible for this change was apparently the second daughter of her sister-in-law’s family—a selfish, spoiled, and unreasonable girl from the sound of it.

Someone like that, married to her rebellious son?

Two stubborn mules together would surely raise hell in her family.

Thinking it over carefully, this arranged marriage might not be necessary after all.

Wen Shuhua was organizing her words, trying to figure out how to politely decline, but Xu Wenxia seemed determined not to give her the chance.

Before Wen Shuhua could speak, Xu Wenxia began scolding her own daughter, who was standing behind her.

Her words went back and forth, repeating the same few points: how kind-hearted her daughter was, how she put her cousin before herself, and so on.

Wen Shuhua frowned as she listened, but Xu Wenxia showed no sign of stopping. While scolding her own daughter, she also dragged Third Xie’s second daughter into it, even going so far as to call the girl scheming and ill-mannered.

Finally, taking advantage of Wen Shuhua’s distraction, Xu Wenxia suggested that she take a look at Third Xie’s second daughter.

Wen Shuhua had no desire to continue this conversation with Xu Wenxia, but her innate politeness kept her from outright refusing.

Helpless, she could only follow Xu Wenxia’s guidance and slowly turned her gaze toward the petite figure standing in front of the small western room.

Author's Note:

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