Chapter 1 Back to 1995

"Jiaojiao, why are you so depressed..." Chen Guilan leaned against the kang, her dry, rough hands clutching a tattered, washed-white towel as she wiped her eyes, sobbing, "If anything happens to you, Mom won't live either."

"Humph, don't the girls in the village usually go to work in factories after junior high school? Why do they insist on going to high school when they come to you? They even threaten to kill themselves if they're not allowed to go?"

Xu Yuxiang stood in front of the kang with a look of disgust on her face, her spit nearly spraying into Chen Guilan's face. Her dark, withered face trembled with anger. "If you want to die in the future, die far away. Don't embarrass our ancestors in front of your home. If I were you, that young man shouldn't have saved you. You were already carried away by someone, and everyone in the village saw it. If word gets to your aunt, she might not want you anymore!"

Su Jiaojiao jumped into the river at the south end of the village.

That river was used by the villages in their area to discharge floodwaters. The water was usually very deep and there were rocks underneath. Many people saw it and said that she was carried ashore by a man. It was embarrassing to think about it.

"Mom, Jiaojiao is still young and doesn't understand." Chen Guilan turned her head to look at her motionless daughter and began to cry again.

The eldest sister-in-law married a divorced man with a son. She wanted to introduce Su Jiaojiao to her stepson Liang Kun, saying that it would be better for her to stay in the family.

Xu Yuxiang and Su Jiaojiao's father Su Houli both agreed. Liang Kun is four years older than Su Jiaojiao. His family is from the county town. After graduating from junior high school, he worked in a meat processing factory. In their eyes, Su Jiaojiao was lucky to marry into such a family. At least it was better than going to school.

For Chen Guilan, she really doesn't want her daughter to stay in the fields all her life like her. If she can find a city man and get a job, it would be a good way out.

She had met Liang Kun several times and he was a down-to-earth and capable child.

The elder sister-in-law didn't mean to cheat them.

Who knew that Su Jiaojiao was so depressed that she actually jumped into the river.

Now she just hopes that her daughter is doing well, and it doesn’t matter whether she marries a city man or not.

"She's already seventeen, and still young?" Xu Yuxiang glared at Chen Guilan. "I was already married to Wutong Village at her age. Let me tell you, your sister-in-law blames me for this, saying that I'm partial to Jiaojiao and that I didn't give such a good marriage to their Cuicui. Cuicui is two years older than Jiaojiao, and is more suitable for Liang Kun in terms of age. Your eldest sister is on your Jiaojiao's side. Don't be ungrateful. Think carefully about how to explain this to her aunt. If even Kunzi dislikes Jiaojiao because of this, I don't think anyone will want her in the future."

"Mom, Jiaojiao is only seventeen years old. Let's wait and see what happens between her and Liang Kun!" Chen Guilan wiped her tears and covered her daughter with a blanket. She didn't give birth to a son for this family, so she whispered in a low voice, feeling guilty, "I only have this one daughter, and I don't want to marry her off too early."

The elder sister-in-law and the elder sister-in-law have always been good friends, and originally planned to make Su Cuicui her daughter-in-law.

Liang Kun wanted Su Jiaojiao because he thought Su Cuicui was too short and not as pretty as Su Jiaojiao, so he didn't like her.

Because of this incident, the sister-in-law was upset and stopped associating with her.

Thinking of this, Chen Guilan sighed.

At this moment, she would rather Liang Kun fell in love with Su Cuicui.

"Your opinion doesn't count in this matter." Xu Yuxiang was most annoyed by Chen Guilan's sighing. "Jiaojiao is our Su family's daughter. Who she marries is up to Houli and me. Besides, it's just an engagement, not an immediate marriage. What's the big deal?"

The voices of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law rose and fell.

Su Jiaojiao was woken up and her head was buzzing.

She opened her eyes and slowly sat up.

The yellowed newspapers on the mud wall in front of her, the greasy light cord, the leaky wooden window frame above her head, the reed mat with exposed straw, and her mother whom she had not seen for many years...

Just a moment ago, she was asked in the live broadcast room: "Mr. Su, what do you think is your biggest regret so far?"

The comment section immediately exploded:

"Hehe, President Su's biggest regret should be that she didn't get married sooner!"

"Boss Su, I heard that you left Jiahe Group because of relationship problems. Is that true?"

"Who is it, who is it?"

…

"Alright, everyone, it's rare for President Su to visit our Yunran Cotton and Linen livestream, so let's continue answering the question from this sister!" Assistant Xiao Cai saw the comments section turning to Su Jiaojiao's personal questions and smiled to smooth things over. "President Su, as the founder of Yunran Cotton and Linen, you're very busy. If you have any regrets, it's probably that you can't spare more time to manage our Yunmu Farm, right?"

"I've been to Yunmu Farm before, it's pretty good. What's there to regret? Assistant Cai, please don't change the subject!"

“All regrets come from not having enough money. If you have money, you will have no regrets.”

"Exactly. I heard that Mr. Su has started working in real estate. There's nothing to regret!"

The subtitles continued to jump.

Su Jiaojiao looked at the densely packed subtitles in the live broadcast room and said with emotion, "Family, everyone has regrets, and I am no exception. And my regrets cannot be made up for with money, but..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the lights in the live broadcast room suddenly flickered a few times.

It was instantly pitch black all around, and she was plunged into nothingness.

Without having time to think about it, Su Jiaojiao turned her head slightly and looked at her grandmother Xu Yuxiang. Xu Yuxiang was still the same as she remembered, with gray hair tied into a bun with a black net at the back of her head. Her grandmother liked her grandsons, and had no good feelings towards her granddaughter, including her cousin Su Cuicui, thinking that they were all money-losing goods.

Su Jiaojiao looked down at her wet clothes and heard herself say, "None of your business is my business. Get out!"

Xu Yuxiang was stunned for a moment, looking at Su Jiaojiao in disbelief, and said angrily: "Are you crazy? How dare you talk to me like that?"

Did this girl jump into the river and become stupid?

How dare they kick her out...this is outrageous!

Su Jiaojiao wasn't angry. She turned her head to look at her young and tender face in the windowsill mirror and said calmly, "First, I won't marry Liang Kun. Second, I want to go to high school. None of you have the right to interfere in my affairs."

"Listen, listen to what she said." Xu Yuxiang was shocked. She looked at Su Jiaojiao steadily. The more she looked, the more frightened she became. Her granddaughter's eyebrows suddenly became sharp, which made her feel unfamiliar, as if she was possessed by a ghost.

Thinking that today was the Ghost Festival, her heart skipped a beat.

"Mom, Jiaojiao is still weak. Let's talk about these things later!" Seeing her daughter wake up, Chen Guilan was finally relieved. She reached out and held Su Jiaojiao's hand in a flattering manner, and said softly, "Jingjiao, you are not allowed to have such thoughts again in the future!"

"You really treat a money-losing girl like a treasure." Xu Yuxiang slammed the door and walked out in anger. "I'm going to go to the brigade and call the generous gift unit and ask them to come back and take care of his daughter!"

Even if that dead girl is really possessed by a ghost.

She is also an elder, she is not afraid.

Xu Yuxiang has two sons and one daughter. After her daughter got married, she took turns living in her two sons' homes, one month in each house. This month it was her turn.

There are four main rooms in the house.

Xu Yuxiang lived in the main house, which was the most spacious room in the house. Her bedding and boxes were placed on the kang in the east room next door.

Every time she comes to stay, she takes up two rooms.

There were two rooms left, one was the kitchen for cooking, and the other was the bedroom for Chen Guilan and Su Houli.

When Xu Yuxiang lived in their house, every time Su Houli came back, Su Jiaojiao had no place to stay and had to stay at her second uncle's house.

Su Jiaojiao only had her own house during the month when Xu Yuxiang moved to her uncle's house.

"Don't worry, Mom. Our lives will get better and better in the future." Su Jiaojiao ignored Xu Yuxiang's words and couldn't help but hug Chen Guilan. She said with emotion, "With me here, I won't let you suffer any more grievances."

In her previous life, in the second year of her hard work in the imperial capital, Chen Guilan was diagnosed with stomach cancer, which was already in the late stage. She passed away in less than three months.

A son wants to support his parents, but they are no longer there.

It was her biggest regret in her previous life.