Chapter 2: I must have my revenge

When she wasn't full, she would eat wild vegetables raw while out gathering pig feed and digging for them. In winter, she would chew on the wild vegetables she had secretly dried to stave off hunger.

At seven months, her belly wasn't even as big as someone else's at five months—a case of severe malnutrition.

Because her body was heavy, she worked a bit slowly, and the Tian family would scold her. Her mother-in-law would poke her from time to time, and the bruises on her body were all the handiwork of the Tian family.

The reason for the premature birth was that she was simply too tired. She had slept a little longer in the woodshed that morning, and her mother-in-law wasn't happy about it.

Seeing that she wouldn't get up when called, her mother-in-law came over and kicked her, landing right on her belly, and thus she went into premature labor.

The Tian family didn't even hire a midwife; she gave birth herself in the woodshed, gritting her teeth and pushing through it.

Fortunately, there was no massive hemorrhaging, and the child was still alive. She bit the umbilical cord off with her teeth, tied it, and took apart the lining of her own quilt to use as swaddling clothes for the child.

No one cared for her, no one asked about her. It had been three days; she hadn't had a drop of water or a bite of food. They were trying to let her and the child die.

She had cried while holding the child, wanting to take her and secretly return to her maiden home, but the moment she thought of what her family had said to her, she retreated.

That home, it was better not to return.

Her maiden home was too poor. She was often scolded as a "money-losing goods" there. Being able to marry into the Tian family was only because Tian Sanzhuang had used a hundred jin of wheat to trade for Qiao Mai, this cheap wife.

From the time she married until now, her family hadn't visited her once. She remembered that when she married, her father and mother had even said not to return for the three-day visit, and that there was no need to return home in the future.

With words like that, what was she going back for? Even if she died, she would die at her husband's home.

Qiao Mai had died from postpartum weakness and long-term hunger, her body depleted, which was why she hadn't made it through.

After organizing all the memories, she took a long breath. She felt a bit of melancholy for the original host's plight.

She took a huge bite of bread, swallowed it hard, lay down right where she was, and looked up at the sky, saying leisurely.

"From now on, I am you, Qiao Mai. Walk well on the road to the Yellow Springs. I will try my best to keep your child alive, and I will raise her well until she grows up. Although you accepted your fate and left without hatred, this young lady is not someone to be trifled with. I must have my revenge! Consider it repayment for my rebirth in your body!"

She was full, but she wanted to sleep yet couldn't. Using her mind to check the sky outside, she knew a tough battle was ahead.

With her body aching all over, weak, and the discomfort in her lower body, she had to grit her teeth and endure it.

She got up, returned to the house, and stood before the dressing mirror to look at herself.

Qiao Mai, estimated height not even 1.6 meters, hair like grass, dry and messy. Even though the hardships of life tortured her, this thin, sallow face still couldn't hide her youth.

She even doubted if these ancient people were blind; how could those dog men even bring themselves to do it?

The father of those children actually let his own daughter marry like that? Letting other men ruin his own daughter.

She swept a glance at Qiao Mai in the mirror and secretly made up her mind. Once she dealt with the Tian family's affairs, she would definitely have to properly nourish this body; there was still time.

Then her gaze moved to her body. This set of clothes wasn't even as good as what a beggar outside would wear. Besides not exposing her body, it was patched piece by piece, in every color. Was this the legendary "hundred-family clothes"?

In her memories, these cloth scraps were given by the original host's mother-in-law. Her eldest grandson was studying at a private school in town and would eventually seek official rank. No matter how much she tormented the original host, she couldn't let her go out exposing her body, and certainly couldn't let Qiao Mai affect her eldest grandson's reputation.

These patches were all sewn on under her mother-in-law's watchful eye. Once finished, the needle and thread were taken away.

Looking further down, the place between the legs of her long pants, it seemed to be?

No need to guess, she smelled it. It was the amniotic fluid and blood left on her clothes during childbirth. After several days, it had been warmed dry by the original host.

But why, even now, couldn't she feel any lochia being discharged from her lower body?

Thinking about it, it made sense. Thin as a bamboo pole, giving birth to a premature child, three days without a drop of water or a bite of food—where would the lochia come from? It probably finished flowing that very day.

When she wanted to move her gaze to her shoes, she inadvertently swept over those stains again.

Hmm? Why did she feel the stains were slowly disappearing?

Could it be that this space underwent a transmigration and gained a cleaning function? Mutated?

Qiao Mai stared for a good while before she was certain that this space indeed had a cleaning function. Not only were the bloodstains on her pants being cleared away bit by bit.

It seemed the little white dots on her hair were also gradually decreasing. She hurried back to where she had eaten earlier; she remembered throwing the packaging bags on the ground.

Why were they gone? Thinking and thinking, Qiao Mai giggled.

She had been too busy before, only using the space to avoid danger and store things, never having time to study it.

Now it was good. In the future, she wouldn't need to go to school or go on missions; she had plenty of time to explore it.

With this function, did it mean her clothes and such wouldn't need washing?

She raised her hand to look; it seemed her hands were also being cleaned.

Oh my, she couldn't be too clean yet; she still had to be like before. That dead old hag would be getting up soon.

Qiao Mai returned to the bedside. Seeing the child sleeping so soundly, she opened the swaddling clothes to see if it had wet itself.

"Ah, oh, too good, it's a little princess, a little cotton-padded jacket. From now on, I am your mother. Mother will protect you well, but for now, you'll have to suffer a little grievance."

She wrapped the child up, held her, and left the space. By this time, that dead old hag of the Tian family had already walked out of the main room.

She hadn't called for Qiao Mai for several days, and as soon as she got up, she started clapping at the doors of each room.

"Get up, get up! The sun is already on your butt and you're still not up? A bunch of lazy women, hurry up, get up and work."

Qiao Mai held the child, brewed some emotions, and learned the original host's manner, walking out of the woodshed swaying. Her eyes were lifeless, and she didn't look at the Tian old woman, heading straight for the courtyard gate.

The dead old hag's surname was Li, and on the household register, she was called Tian Li Shi.

Seeing Qiao Mai come out, she was happy, but she kept a long face, as if the original host owed her a lot of money.

"Get up and go work. You've rested for three days, don't be ungrateful. Our Tian family doesn't feed freeloaders." As she spoke, she rolled her eyes at Qiao Mai.

Qiao Mai turned around, her eyes fixed on Tian Li Shi, her gaze as if she wanted to swallow her alive. Although Tian Li Shi was a bit afraid in her heart, on the surface, she always had a ferocious look for her.

"What are you looking at? Don't think that just because you gave birth to a child you have merit. Who knows if it's Sanzhuang's child? If you dare to steal men outside, see if I don't beat you to death, humph!"

"She's dead, I'm going to bury her!"

Qiao Mai's voice was as cold as midwinter, making Tian Li Shi freeze, and she immediately put her hand to her nose and fanned it.

"Look at that jinx face of yours, I knew nothing good would come of it. Dead is dead, bury her further away, it's truly bad luck. A person died in a perfectly good house. If I had known, I would have driven you out yesterday. Hurry up, go and come back to work."

Qiao Mai lowered her eyelids, hiding the murderous intent in her eyes, turned around, held the child, and left the Tian family.

Raising her eyes to look, Taohua Village, gray-colored earthen houses, probably about ten households, a hundred or so people. She had the original host's memories and followed the village road toward the end of the village.

She met many villagers who had come out to fetch water in the early morning. They looked at Qiao Mai with sympathy in their eyes.

Seeing the thing she was holding in her arms, they asked.

"Sanzhuang's wife, what are you holding in your arms?"

Qiao Mai's eyes turned red, then she sniffled, wiped her eyes, and answered with a choked voice.

"It's my premature daughter."

Everyone was stunned. "Premature?" Looking at her belly again, it was indeed flat.

"How did you go into premature labor?"

"Three days ago, I was too tired, slept a little longer in the morning, and my mother-in-law kicked me in the belly, and then, then she was gone, wuwuwuwu."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 3 =====