Chapter 1 Tragic Death and Rebirth
"You old codger, all your children are dead, why don't you just die?"
"To tell you the truth, your eldest son didn't commit suicide out of depression; I poisoned him. Your daughter didn't disappear either; we sold her to a remote mountain village where she was abused for decades by several brothers from a family who couldn't find wives, driving them insane until they died."
And your second son was deliberately angered by me and left, severing ties with you. He hasn't come to see you once in decades.
"Your youngest son was also someone I encouraged to take out a loan to expand the business; the fact that he went bankrupt and was killed in a car accident was all our doing..."
"Now all of your Shen family's real estate, gold, jewelry, and savings are mine, all mine... hahaha..."
"You old codger, you're no longer of any use to me, yet you still expect me to support you? You're utterly ridiculous... utterly ridiculous..."
Looking at her adopted daughter Qin Lanlan, whose face was contorted with rage and whose laughter was extremely arrogant, Jiang Ruzhen felt as if she had been struck by lightning and was filled with despair.
For her poor judgment of character, and for her ridiculous desire to atone for her sins.
She curled up on the ground, shivering uncontrollably, her nails digging deep into her flesh, her palms instantly turning into a bloody mess.
If it weren't for her husband's improper operation of the machine, which resulted in Qin Lanlan's father being pulled into the machine and tragically killed, it would have been different.
She wouldn't take in Qin Lanlan, that ungrateful wretch who caused the deaths of her own children.
She deserves to die!
Shen Jun, Shen Jun!
She died, and even in death she left behind this great calamity. She hated it! She wished she could devour Qin Lanlan alive.
She hated God's injustice and her own stupidity.
wrong!
As if in a final burst of energy before death, her mind gradually cleared, and an incredibly audacious idea popped into her head.
Jiang Ruzhen stretched out her withered hand and tightly grasped Qin Lanlan's wrist. Her voice was old and hoarse as she urgently asked the question that had been on her mind for a long time.
"Qin Lanlan, tell me, how exactly did my husband die? Did he really cause your father's tragic death? Or is the truth the opposite, that he was implicated and killed by your father, right?"
Jiang Ruzhen, who was originally on the verge of death, now had her cloudy old eyes shining brightly as she stared intently at Qin Lanlan's face.
As expected, Qin Lanlan's expression became particularly unnatural upon hearing her words, but then she seemed to have thought of something and gave a mocking smile.
"Even if I tell you the truth, what then? Your husband was indeed implicated and died tragically because of my father. Your family's decades of injustice is your retribution."
"It's because your husband always bullied my dad; naturally, he wanted to take someone down with him before he died."
As expected, this is indeed the truth.
Back then, her husband was the workshop director of a shipyard, and he was extremely conscientious and responsible. Qin Lanlan's father, on the other hand, was an alcoholic who was not skilled and did not know how to improve himself. He often worked drunk.
Her husband punished him several times for this, but unexpectedly, Qin Lanlan's father held a grudge.
She had suspicions when she went to the scene of the accident.
Shen Jun, her husband, is always careful and meticulous when working. How could he have gotten caught in the machine due to improper operation? And even implicated Qin Lanlan's alcoholic father?
However, because other workers testified at the time, the factory accepted this fact.
The Qin family was given a thousand yuan in compensation, and their son was given a job. Even though Qin Liang was just hanging around the factory every day, no one said anything.
Her family suffered a terrible fate. The factory leaders believed that Shen Jun's improper operation caused the two people's tragic deaths, which had an extremely negative impact on the factory.
They only gave her a token fifty yuan in compensation and took back her well-deserved job as a broadcaster.
Even so, the Qin family was envious, and Qin Lanlan's mother, Li Fen, would bring Qin Lanlan to their house to make trouble every few days.
Not only did they take the fifty yuan, but they also abandoned Qin Lanlan, who was only seven years old at the time, at her home, expecting her to take responsibility for raising her.
She even said that all of this was something she owed to the Qin family.
Feeling guilty, and seeing how pitiful little Qin Lanlan was, Jiang Ruzhen took her in.
A widow with four children and an adopted daughter struggles to support her family by doing odd jobs, while enduring ridicule, discrimination, and bullying from her neighbors.
The Qin family, who caused all this suffering, not only felt no remorse, but also joined forces to destroy her entire family.
How could Jiang Ruzhen not go mad, how could she willingly swallow her last breath?
Ah—ah—ah—
You bunch of bastards, you jinxes, I'm going to fight you to the death!
Jiang Ruzhen was completely overwhelmed by the last straw and, with her last bit of strength, lunged at Qin Lanlan.
But because of her broken leg, she fell to the ground. Qin Lanlan was startled and took a few steps back, cursing.
"You old bastard, you still want to fight back even when you're about to die? Looks like your broken leg isn't too bad, then I'll help you out."
Qin Lanlan strode forward and stepped on Jiang Ruzhen's festering and foul-smelling wound.
"ah--"
Jiang Ruzhen waved her hands and struggled, her gray hair shaking, her wrinkled face opening wide in pain as she wailed.
Her lunge had exhausted all her remaining strength, and she no longer had the strength to resist.
She was pushed down the stairs by her adopted daughter and broke her leg more than five days ago. They haven't treated her injury, haven't given her any food, and have only provided her with a bowl of water each day to keep her alive.
She just didn't want the neighbors outside to gossip and say that Qin Lanlan was unfilial and that she had raised her adoptive mother to death after only a few days.
She was also afraid of being criticized and gossiped about.
Having barely endured a few days, she is now eager to force her to commit suicide so that she can seize all of the Shen family's assets.
Since they've already broken off all pretense of civility, and Qin Lanlan only wants her to die quickly, then so be it—let's die together!
She slowly lowered her struggling hands and reached for the water bowl on the cabinet next to her.
"I...I'm dying, let me...drink some water...before I continue my journey..."
Seeing this, Qin Lanlan scoffed, snatched the bowl, and drank it all in one gulp.
"You old codger, still thinking about having a comfortable journey to the afterlife? I won't even give you a sip of water, you just hurry up and die!"
"Hehehe..."
Jiang Ruzhen suddenly let out a strange laugh. She breathed a sigh of relief, lay back on the ground, and muttered something.
"This is fate, this is retribution. Qin Lanlan, this bowl of water was originally prepared for my own journey. Since you drank it, then let's go to hell together..."
"What do you mean?" Qin Lanlan suddenly felt a pang of heart palpitation.
Then, a sharp pain shot through his abdomen, and he vomited a mouthful of black blood.
"You old bastard, you poisoned the water..."
Looking at Qin Lanlan, who slowly collapsed to the ground, her body convulsing in pain.
Jiang Ruzhen, her face contorted with madness, cried out, "Does drinking poison taste good? Qin Lanlan! Are you in a lot of pain? But are you in as much pain as my eldest son?"
He treated you like a younger sister, yet you poisoned him. How desperate must he have been when he passed away?
Qin Lanlan's face turned pale as she reached out her hand to Jiang Ruzhen for help.
"Help me...help me...Mom, I was wrong, please help me..."
Jiang Ruzhen remained motionless, coldly watching Qin Lanlan struggle in pain for several minutes until she gradually fell silent.
A tear slid down her cheek, and she raised her hand to grasp the lotus jade pendant her mother had left her, then slowly closed her eyes.
All sins are over, all over...
She has avenged her children, and I wonder if they can forgive her for being such a foolish mother in the afterlife.
"drop--
The host is about to be reborn, and the space allows you to take one item with you! Be quick, you only have thirty seconds to decide.
Jiang Ruzhen opened her eyes in surprise and found herself in another misty space.
A line of text flashing in the sky reminded her that time was running out.
Is this her secret weapon?
How could she have such a wonderful thing as being reborn after her dark and foolish life had come to an end?
What is she going to take?
That means taking away all the property that Qin Lanlan had seized from their family!
Are they going to leave it all to her good-for-nothing second-generation rich kid husband and spoiled brat son to inherit and squander?
"I want to take all of Qin Lanlan's property with me."
"Just a reminder to the host, it must be an item you can touch."
"Then this house I'm standing in."
The moment Jiang Ruzhen's hand touched the ground, a white light flashed through her mind, and she lost consciousness.
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