Chapter 83: Chapter 83
Pushed violently to the ground, Second Ya watched as her two children walked away without looking back. Lying on the cold earth, she suddenly burst into loud sobs.
At this moment, she suddenly remembered the children from her previous life, and that man who had toiled his whole life in the fields without achieving anything, yet willingly took multiple jobs in town to buy osmanthus candy for her and the children - only to be swept away by floodwaters during corvée labor.
She vividly recalled how, though still hard, her life back then had been much better than now. Not only did Third Sister often secretly help, but even her timid mother endured Eldest Aunt's constant ridicule and insults to occasionally bring supplies for her and the two children.
Even her cousin Siya...
Thinking of her cousin, Second Ya unconsciously clenched her fists. In her previous life, the very year her husband died, Siya's husband - the man she hated most in this life - Liu Wencai suddenly passed the provincial examinations.
When did this hatred begin? Probably from this very day!
Both women from the Xie family, yet while her cousin became the refined wife of a provincial graduate who never dirtied her hands, even eventually a Hanlin scholar's wife who died young but left behind a devoted husband composing poetry in her memory - gaining admiration throughout the capital and even their remote county - she was left with a useless husband who died early, forcing her to toil her whole life while desperately waiting for scraps of generosity from others. Even those meager benefits disappeared completely after Siya's death.
She never imagined that upon waking again, she'd find herself in her childhood body. Before she could process this, she discovered herself in a dark space with a strange glowing mass nearby muttering something about "transmigration."
At the time, Second Ya didn't understand what transmigration meant, but instinctively knew this thing wanted to steal her body. She still didn't comprehend why her younger self had fought so desperately to live when her future seemed so bleak.
In that other world, women could attend school? Even become officials? In the future, women could appear in public without relying on men or brothers? How wonderful!
But after brief envy, Second Ya knew these ideas wouldn't work here. What truly mattered were the stories she'd seen - realizing she was what they called a "reborn protagonist" who could use future knowledge for lifelong wealth and honor...
Perhaps from resentment or seeing this as her only chance, before realizing it herself, her hands had reached toward her cousin who'd come specifically to warn her against going near the river.
Second Ya constantly told herself she wasn't wrong - her cousin was fated to die young anyway. If she took this opportunity, it would benefit not just Scholar Liu but the entire Xie family. Brother Liu wouldn't lose his wife or die young, while the Xies would gain generations of advantage from having an imperial scholar's wife.
Unfortunately, no one understood her good intentions. Even her own mother inexplicably distanced herself. At the time, obsessed with becoming a Hanlin scholar's wife, she hadn't noticed. Now she realized - Mother must have suspected her even then.
A bitter smile unconsciously crossed Second Ya's lips.
Hearing the continuous suona music outside, she knew if she just explained to Mother that she was still her daughter Second Ya who'd merely obtained special knowledge, Mother would surely help her. Just like in her past life when Mother endured Eldest Aunt's years of abuse to secretly support her.
Yet each time she tried to step forward, hesitation stopped her.
She thought of Siya - how in this life, even without selling embroidery for hundreds of taels or becoming a Hanlin scholar's wife, her cousin had achieved greater success and honor than before. She'd caused Siya's lifelong poor health, news that the damned old hag had spread throughout Taohua County.
Moreover, all these years Siya had sent gifts to everyone except her - a clear message anyone could see. Because of this, no matter how good her cooking, no one in the county would patronize her business, with some hoodlums deliberately harassing her.
As Siya grew more successful, people now avoided Second Ya like the plague. Third Aunt hated her passionately. After two lifetimes of hardship, Mother finally had a good life, and Third Sister's children's futures depended on the third branch. Having already burdened Mother for one lifetime, how could she continue making Mother and her sister suffer?
And would Siya truly want her - the one who harmed her - to live well? Remembering those all-knowing eyes, Second Ya found she couldn't take that step forward.
After Grandfather Xie's funeral, An Ning didn't stay long. While being respected was nice, the worshipful gazes as if she were a temple deity became tiresome, as did the endless stream of visiting cards from various prefectures.
Her friend Chubby Boy even joked she wasn't a bodhisattva but the God of Literature himself. "Cousin, you wouldn't believe how many families secretly worship you before exams! Even your old calligraphy works - like those in Eldest Ya's home - are now enshrined as good luck charms for examinations!"
Alright then. She could respect it without understanding.
On their departure day, not only did most prefectural officials come to see them off, but even provincial officials sent ceremonial gifts. The spectacle would be remembered in Xie Village and Taohua County for generations.
Inspired by An Ning's example, families throughout Taohua County with any means became willing to spend more educating their daughters. After all, who knew? They might produce another remarkable woman like Lady Qionghua.