Chapter 131: "Sister, you are also reborn, right?"

After breakfast, Wang Ying and his wife went out to work with Director Zhao.

After leaving the house, Director Zhao suddenly remembered something and warned Zhao Yunsheng, "Don't get carried away and tell everyone about it. Be careful of being reported by villains."

Zhao Yunsheng understood his father's intentions and took the offer seriously. Wang Ying thought that Director Xiang's unusual behavior and Director Zhao's cautiousness were both scars of the times that needed to be healed slowly.

When Wang Ying uttered the words "the trauma of our times" to Zhao Yunsheng, he felt his soul tremble. These words were so accurate, so profound, and so full of meaning. As the ancients said, "When the nation is in misfortune, the poet is fortunate." Zhao Yunsheng felt a turbulent surge of emotions, and he vowed to become the narrator of this era, to write about "the trauma of our times."

The successful publication of the novel, coupled with Wang Ying's words, made Zhao Yunsheng work harder. Inspiration chased his pen, and he couldn't stop writing even if he didn't want to. He wished he had eight hands to write.

At the end of the year, Wang Ying was also very busy at work and often had to bring work home. The desk in the room was not big enough for the two of them.

Zhao Yunsheng went to the woodworking factory to order a double desk that was more than two meters long. Now they could work together. They often worked until late at night, and then they were discovered by Chen Xiuqin and scolded together.

By mid-December, the weather had turned drastically cold, with two consecutive heavy snowfalls, which dampened the festive spirit. Waking up each day became a struggle, and greetings from acquaintances shifted from "Have you eaten?" to "It's so cold this year."

Early in the morning on the day of Little New Year, just as the sky was getting light, there was a knock on the gate of the Zhao family's courtyard.

Director Zhao was wearing a cotton-padded jacket and was so cold that he hissed as he went to open the door. When the door opened, he saw Wang Ying's father, Wang Yongren.

"Father-in-law? Come in, come in." Director Zhao hurriedly made way and invited Wang Yongren in.

Wang Yongren waved his hand and said, "I won't go in. My in-laws, go and tell Yingzi and Yunsheng that Yingzi's grandmother passed away last night."

"Oh, I'll go right away. Come in and have a seat and some hot tea," Director Zhao said hurriedly.

"No, no, I still have to go to my daughter's house. Tell Yingzi and Yunsheng to go directly to the station. We will take the 8 o'clock minibus to go down to the county." Wang Yongren said as he turned the bicycle around.

"Okay, I'll go right away. Please be careful when riding your bike, the road is slippery." Director Zhao said.

Wang Yongren waved his hand and rode away on his bike.

Director Zhao did not waste any time and immediately went upstairs to call Wang Ying and Zhao Yunsheng to get up.

Wang Ying was still half asleep and it took him a few seconds to hear what Director Zhao said.

"Grandma..." Wang Ying muttered. The last time she saw her grandmother was when she got married. Thinking back, it seemed as if her grandmother had indeed passed away around this time in her previous life. But she had no deep feelings for her grandmother and had completely forgotten the incident. Even when she heard about it, she didn't feel much, let alone sadness.

No matter how deep the feelings were when the person was alive, you still have to attend the funeral when he or she passes away.

Wang Ying and his wife got up, each made a bowl of fried noodles and ate two poached eggs, then rode their bikes to the bus station. After leaving their bikes at the station, they went to the ticket window to buy tickets.

After buying the tickets, the two waited near the window. Not long after, Wang Yongren and his wife and Wang Hui and his wife arrived together.

"Huanhuan didn't bring it with him?" Wang Ying asked casually.

"It was cold, so I didn't bother her." Wang Hui replied. She was a little afraid to look at Wang Ying, her heart was pounding.

Wang Ying nodded and looked at her mother again. Li Fengju's eyes were red, obviously she had been crying all the way.

"Who delivered the letter?" Wang Ying asked. She didn't see anyone from her uncle's side.

"Your uncle went back overnight." Li Fengju said in a hoarse voice.

Wang Ying did not ask in detail how her uncle came or how he returned, nor did she comfort her mother.

Du Jianguo and Wang Yongren bought their tickets at the window and entered the waiting room. A few minutes later, someone came to call them to get on the bus.

As soon as Wang Ying sat down in the car, she heard her mother sobbing. As far as Wang Ying could remember, her grandmother wasn't kind to her mother. The two of them didn't see each other often. Her grandmother didn't come to Beichong, and her mother would only visit once or twice a year. When her mother mentioned her grandmother, she'd always say she favored her uncle, beating and scolding her, and making fun of her for not having a son.

But now that grandma is gone, her mother is crying very sadly.

"Okay, save some tears and shed them in front of the coffin." Wang Yongren was annoyed by Li Fengju's crying, and said this in a light tone.

Li Fengju cried even harder after hearing what Wang Yongren said. She cried and said, "I only have one mother. She left so early, and I'm not allowed to cry?"

Wang Yongren thought to himself, "Your mother was almost seventy, so she didn't die early. My mother really died a long time ago." But there were other passengers on the bus, and he was afraid of being criticized, so he softened his tone and said, "I'm afraid you'll be too sad to cry. The journey takes two or three hours."

Li Fengju cried intermittently along the way. Wang Hui occasionally offered words of comfort, but Wang Ying offered no words of counsel. She and Zhao Yunsheng had both slept late the previous night and were woken at dawn. Neither of them had gotten enough sleep, and they dozed off shortly after boarding the bus. Unfortunately, the road was too bumpy, and with so many passengers constantly getting on and off, neither of them could get much sleep.

The train arrived at the station at around eleven o'clock.

After getting off the bus, Wang Ying saw that her mother's eyes were swollen from crying, and her face was also a little swollen. As soon as she got off the bus, she started crying again, and Wang Hui went forward to comfort her.

"Is grandma's house far away?" Zhao Yunsheng asked.

"It's not far." Wang Ying actually couldn't remember where her grandmother's house was. She looked around and felt that everything was unfamiliar.

Outside the station, there were tricycles and bicycles soliciting passengers. Zhao Yunsheng hailed two tricycles and arrived in less than half an hour.

As soon as Wang Ying and the others arrived, they heard their aunt, who was standing guard in front of the mourning hall, crying and singing, "Mother, Fengju is home. Open your eyes and see that your daughter and son-in-law are home. You left in such a hurry that you didn't get to see them for the last time..."

Li Fengju also rushed over and cried, "My dear mother! Mom!..."

Wang Ying's uncle just knelt beside him and cried.

In recent years, old people are not allowed to burn paper, and now they dare not do so. They just light candles and place some offerings, among which are biscuits, shaqi ma and peach cakes produced by Wang Ying's factory.

Wang Ying's cousins also cried, and Wang Hui also cried. Wang Ying couldn't cry, so she just hung her head.

Li Fengju cried for a while, and was persuaded and pulled away by a relative whom Wang Ying did not know, but she still sobbed, unlike Wang Ying's aunt, who seemed to have a switch installed and could control her sobs at will.

Wang Ying also pretended to wipe away her tears, pulled Zhao Yunsheng and silently took two steps back, trying to reduce her and Zhao Yunsheng's presence.

But obviously, this was of no use. After Li Fengju finished crying, someone dragged her to find Wang Ying.

"Is this Yingzi and her man?"

Li Fengju nodded: "Yes."

"Yingzi is prettier now than when she was a child. My son-in-law is really not ugly! What does he do for a living? He got married so late and didn't even invite us to the wedding..."

Wang Ying was forced to recognize her relatives on her mother's side again. Fortunately, it was lunch time and the people surrounding them finally dispersed.

Wang Ying was already hungry, but unfortunately, she was too weak to fight and couldn't compete with the others. Fortunately, Zhao Yunsheng was quick and grabbed two meatballs for her. Although they were called meatballs, there was very little meat, just radish, but the taste was okay. With Zhao Yunsheng's help, Wang Ying finally ate her fill.

While everyone was eating, Li Fengju stayed alone in the mourning hall, wiping away tears. Before the meal was about to end, Wang Yongren approached Wang Ying and said, "You sisters, go and keep your mother company."

Wang Hui also called out to Wang Ying: "Big sister, let's go."

Wang Ying didn't refuse and sat down next to Li Fengju with Wang Hui. Li Fengju saw the sisters coming, wiped her tears, and asked in a hoarse voice: "Have you all eaten enough?"

"I'm full. Mom, have you eaten?" Wang Hui said.

"I ate it." Li Fengju nodded, looked at Wang Ying and then at Wang Hui, then began to wipe away her tears and said, "Mom, I won't have a mom anymore."

Wang Hui cried along with Li Fengju, while Wang Ying lowered her head slightly, neither speaking nor crying.

Wang Ying sat with Li Fengju for a long time until more guests arrived. Then Wang Ying and Wang Hui gave up their seats and left the mourning hall.

"Sister, aren't you sad at all?" Wang Hui asked Wang Ying softly, "You haven't shed a single tear yet."

Wang Ying ignored her and looked around for Zhao Yunsheng.

"Sister, I'm talking to you, why are you ignoring me?" Wang Hui chased after Wang Ying.

"If you want to cry, just cry. Leave me alone." Wang Ying said unhappily.

Wang Hui was scolded by Wang Ying and didn't dare to follow her. Ever since she learned that her eldest sister had also been reborn, she had been troubled. In her previous life, she hadn't even apologized to her eldest sister, and in this life, she was rushing to change her marriage... Wang Hui wanted to talk to Wang Ying, but she really didn't dare, fearing that her eldest sister would break up with her.

Before Wang Hui knew that Wang Ying was reborn, she had always been confident, but when she knew that Wang Ying was also reborn, she always felt guilty and was afraid that Wang Ying would take revenge on her.

Wang Ying found Zhao Yunsheng, who was playing a stone guessing game with a little boy from a relative's family. Wang Ying walked over and joined in.

Wang Hui also approached Du Jianguo, and the two stood together, silent. In May of this year, Du Jianguo became team leader. Although a minor position, it gave Wang Hui hope, and her attitude toward Du Jianguo improved.

After becoming a leader, Du Jianguo seemed to have regained his confidence, and with the help of medication, he gradually recovered. Wang Hui saw that he had hope of improvement and put her heart on him again. However, the two of them could not go back to the past, and they did not love each other as deeply as in their previous life.

Now the two of them stood together, not knowing what to say. From a distance, they watched Wang Ying and Zhao Yunsheng playing games with a child. It was obvious that they had a very good relationship.

Wang Hui noticed that Du Jianguo was also looking at her elder sister and Zhao Yunsheng, and asked, "Jianguo, if you had the chance to choose again, would you choose me or my elder sister?"

Du Jianguo glanced at Wang Hui and said, "You already have a child, why are you talking about this? Is there any point?"

Wang Hui's heart sank when she heard this. She knew the underlying message. She felt even more guilty, fearing that one day her elder sister would tell Du Jianguo that they were actually a couple.

Wang Hui felt that she had to talk to Wang Ying, even if she had to beg her on her knees, to ask her elder sister to keep it a secret.

After making up her mind, Wang Hui kept preparing herself mentally. Until the evening, she finally mustered up the courage and called Wang Ying to go to the public toilet together.

Wang Ying had noticed something was wrong with Wang Hui long ago, and had looked at her eight hundred times today. The two of them left Old Li's house and walked to a deserted place. Wang Ying asked, "What do you want from me?"

Wang Hui was silent for a few seconds. Seeing that she didn't speak, Wang Ying stopped and looked at her.

Wang Hui took two steps and stopped, biting her lip. Finally, she said with determination, "Sister, you've been reborn too, right?"

"That's what I'm talking about." Wang Ying continued to walk forward. She also wanted to go to the bathroom.

"You admit it?" Wang Hui chased after him. "When did it happen? Before or after the marriage?"

"Before getting married." Wang Ying said.

"Then you, then why..."

"Why did you agree to the marriage exchange?" Wang Ying interrupted Wang Hui and said sarcastically, "Isn't it to help you two get married? To prevent you from having an affair and doing shameful things in the future?"

"We truly love each other!" Wang Hui blurted out.

"Then it means that my brother-in-law and sister-in-law are having an affair? Then can they be seen by others?" Wang Ying said.

Wang Hui blushed and said, "I know it was my fault in my previous life that I ruined your marriage. I'm sorry for you. But in this life, you gave it up yourself. If you really didn't agree then, you can't change it!"

"So? What do you want to say?" Wang Ying actually knew what Wang Hui wanted to say, and she just wanted to see what Wang Hui could say.

"I think this kind of thing should be kept secret. You have already given up your past life, so don't mention it again," said Wang Hui.

"Don't worry, I'm not you. I wouldn't do such a shameless thing as stealing my sister's husband." Wang Ying sneered. What does rebirth mean to this brainless sister?

"Don't go back on your word. No matter how successful Jianguo becomes in the future, you can't mention it to him," Wang Hui said hurriedly.

Du Jianguo has a bright future? Wang Ying was about to die of laughter. What kind of future could that man have? Only Wang Hui, this fool, still couldn't see the gap between Du Jianguo and her. No one knew how Du Jianguo had deceived Wang Hui in his previous life, making her believe that the family property was earned by Du Jianguo.

Wang Ying finally couldn't help but say, "Why did God give you a fool a new life?"

"Why are you scolding me!" Wang Hui jumped up in anger.

Wang Ying looked at her coldly: "What's wrong with me scolding you? You shouldn't be scolded by me?"

Wang Hui was timid again. Because they both shared memories of their past lives, she was naturally inferior to Wang Ying. Furthermore, she had been the one who had initiated the conflict today, which further weakened her. But it didn't matter. Du Jianguo was now her husband, and that alone made her a winner.

"In the future, when we become rich, I will treat you well and be even better to you. Just believe me, sister." Wang Hui said.

"Okay, I'll wait." Wang Ying felt like she and Wang Hui couldn't quite communicate. She lacked even the most basic judgment and didn't understand the importance of independence. She only cared about relying on others, and even on someone so unreliable, so what good could she expect from them in the future? Wang Ying didn't teach her; she had no obligation to do so.

Wang Hui felt a little relieved. She still believed in her elder sister. If she said no, it probably meant no. Her elder sister was not the kind of person who spoke nonsense.

"Sister, why did you agree to marry Zhao Yunsheng?" Wang Hui asked, "Does he and his family really treat you well?"

"That's fantastic," Wang Ying said. "Wang Hui, you might regret switching marriages someday."

"I wouldn't do that!" Wang Hui said. Zhao Yunsheng was almost thirty years old and was still a clerk. He had no future in his life. What did she have to regret?

Wang Ying didn't want to talk to her anymore, so she went to the public toilet. When she came back, Wang Hui didn't come out, so she didn't wait for her and left first.

When Wang Ying returned to Old Li's house, Zhao Yunsheng asked her, "What did your younger sister say to you?"

"They said nice things, saying that they would treat me well when they became successful in the future," said Wang Ying.

Zhao Yunsheng wanted to laugh, but since there was a funeral at home, he held back and said, "Who got rich? Her or Du Jianguo?"

"They." Wang Ying said.

"Yingzi, instead of believing that they can become successful, you might as well believe that I will become a Nobel Prize winner in literature in the future," said Zhao Yunsheng.

Wang Ying wanted to laugh, but he could only hold it back and punched him on the arm: "Be quiet."

After dinner, Wang Ying and the others stayed with Li Fengju to keep vigil. Li Fengju had been crying all day, her voice was almost gone, but she still cried out from time to time and called out "Mom".

Wang Ying and her family stayed up until four in the morning, and then saw her grandmother off for the final time. The ashes were buried in the cemetery at ten in the morning. Li Fengju cried until she nearly fainted, and Wang Hui cried with her, but Wang Ying didn't shed a single tear from beginning to end.

That afternoon, Wang Ying and his team returned to Beichong.

On the way back in the car, Wang Ying whispered to Zhao Yunsheng, "Do you think I'm heartless? I didn't shed a single tear."

Zhao Yunsheng held her hand and said, "I don't judge whether a person is heartless by whether he cries or not."

"My parents definitely don't think so," said Wang Ying.

"Everyone sees people and things differently," Zhao Yunsheng said. "Just be at peace with yourself."

Wang Ying felt at peace. After the hurt and betrayal she had endured in her previous life, blood ties were no longer something she couldn't let go of. True emotions, even without blood ties, would grow in flesh and blood.

Just as Wang Ying expected, Wang Yongren and Li Fengju both felt that Wang Ying was cold-hearted. She didn't shed a single tear when her grandmother passed away.

Wang Yongren and his wife saw Wang Ying's ruthless behavior and thought to themselves that they could no longer quarrel with her. She didn't care about family affection. What was the point of quarreling? In the end, they had no choice but to sever ties.

After realizing this, the two became more polite to Wang Ying. Wang Ying was very pleased with her parents' politeness, but Zhao Yunsheng felt uncomfortable seeing it. He felt that his father-in-law and mother-in-law were acting this way because they had no love for Yingzi.

Zhao Yunsheng didn't tell Wang Ying about this, but told Chen Xiuqin instead. As he spoke, Zhao Yunsheng's eyes turned red and he choked up, "Mom, please be nicer to Yingzi in the future. She doesn't have the love of her parents."