Even Wang Chaoying dared not say anything further. In this day and age, illicit affairs were considered a crime of hooliganism, and in serious cases, one could even face a firing squad.
Having just been reborn, Sheng Xia was about to change her fate; naturally, she had no desire to die.
"Eight o'clock tomorrow morning, see you at the Civil Affairs Bureau!" Sheng Xia was not at all surprised that Xu Aijun agreed. He lacked self-discipline and drive, but he was always shrewd when it came to what served his interests.
"If you don't show up, I'll go straight to the principal's office," she said. With that, she picked up her suitcase and headed out the door.
From entering to leaving, not even twenty minutes had passed.
At this time, almost everyone in the residential compound had gone to the playground to watch a movie. It was quiet. Sheng Xia walked with a light step, the setting sun bathing her in a warm, golden glow.
She had no regrets about having been the woman behind a man's success in her previous life; after all, she had lived a stable and beautiful life.
But now, given a second chance, she would shine with her own light—not as anyone’s wife or anyone’s mother, but as Sheng Xia herself.
[Ding! Stall-Vending Wealth System loaded successfully. Would you like to bind?]
The mechanical voice that suddenly sounded in her ear made Sheng Xia pause her brisk steps. So, she hadn't been hearing things.
When she first woke up from her dizzy spell, she had heard something like [System loading...].
Back then, she had felt so muddled that she thought it was a hallucination. Now that the voice had returned, it proved she wasn't imagining it.
Before her rebirth, she had followed her granddaughter in listening to web novels and knew this was typically a "gold finger" for rebirth or time travel. Without hesitation, she silently thought "Yes" in her mind.
Sure enough, as soon as she finished the thought, she heard, [Binding successful. Beginner reward: Master-level Makeup Techniques. Beginner task issued.]
[Beginner task: Makeup for 100 people while stall-vending during the month of June.]
[Item: A set of high-end makeup kits has been placed in your system backpack.]
She had found it strange when she heard about the beginner reward earlier; it turned out it was prepared for this specific task.
It was currently June 5th, leaving 25 days until the end of the month. That meant she had to do makeup for four people a day, which wasn't too difficult.
Divorced and equipped with a "gold finger," Sheng Xia was in a great mood. Thinking that she couldn't return to her parents' home empty-handed, she strapped the small suitcase to the back of her bicycle, swung her long leg over the seat, and pedaled toward the supply and marketing cooperative.
As soon as she entered the shop, the aroma of braised meat hit her. She immediately went over and used meat coupons to buy a roasted chicken, remembering that it was her father’s favorite.
After buying the chicken, she spotted a pair of small red hair clips on the counter and quickly bought those as well; they would certainly look beautiful on her daughter.
Next, she used up all her cloth coupons to buy some polyester fabric, thinking that since the weather was turning hot, she could make a few short-sleeved shirts.
Finally, she bought a bottle of Erguotou. Seeing that the bicycle couldn't hold any more, she stopped, secured everything to the bike, and rode toward the outskirts of Linhai.
Sheng Xia’s family lived in Jinsha Village on the outskirts of Linhai. It wasn't very far, and she arrived at the village in less than half an hour.
The Sheng family home sat not far from the beach, a small courtyard enclosed by stone walls containing three stone rooms.
It was already dark, and from a distance, Sheng Xia could only see the faint glow of candlelight inside. Her eyes stung, and she pedaled harder. Finally, she reached the gate and shouted, "Dad, Mom, Qingqing, I'm back!"
As soon as she finished calling out, the door in the courtyard opened, and a four-year-old girl ran out on her short legs. "Mommy!"
Her voice was crisp and sweet. Sheng Xia’s heart melted, and she immediately crouched down to scoop up the little girl who had rushed at her like a cannonball.
Her daughter was truly cute when she was little, with a full head of hair—it was hard to imagine she would become so bald in the future!
Sheng Xia rubbed her daughter’s head vigorously and laughed, "Did you miss Mommy?"
"Yes, I missed Mommy the most!" The little girl wrapped her arms tightly around Sheng Xia and planted a big kiss on her mother’s cheek.
"What a sweet little mouth!" The compliment made Sheng Xia beam with joy. She immediately took out the hair clips she had just bought and put them on her daughter, earning herself another big, fragrant kiss from the little one.
"Why are you back so late? Don't you have work tomorrow?" As the mother and daughter were being affectionate, Sheng Xia’s father, Sheng Haijun, and mother, Xia Yuhe, walked out with smiles.
"Silly girl, are you trying to go broke? You bought so many things!" Seeing the pile of goods on the bike, Xia Yuhe frowned and playfully slapped her daughter.
They knew their daughter was filial, but she couldn't keep bringing things to her parents' house like this.
Her in-laws had mentioned it in passing before, and they had specifically told their daughter that they lacked nothing and she should buy things for herself. Who knew she would bring even more this time? What a troublemaker!
Seeing her mother reach out, Sheng Xia dodged. Ah, being young again meant she was quick on her feet; the slap didn't land.
"Yeah, I'm done with that life!" She didn't mince words regarding her mother's comment.
"What do you mean?" Hearing this, Xia Yuhe forgot about everything else and asked immediately.
"Qingqing hasn't eaten yet. Let's go inside first!" Sheng Haifeng noticed the small suitcase on the bike and realized something serious must have happened. It wasn't appropriate for a child to hear grown-up matters, so he changed the subject.
"You didn't call to say you were coming. Haifeng, hurry and see if you can get some fish to stew for our girl." Hearing her husband’s implication, Xia Yuhe stopped asking and bustled about directing him to work.
"Right, Sheng Xia likes pomfret. Old Liu caught a lot today, I'll go buy two!" Sheng Haifeng chuckled and headed out just as Xia Yuhe finished speaking.
Sheng Xia couldn't let them go to such trouble and quickly said, "No need, Dad, I bought a roasted chicken. We can just eat that!"
"How can chicken taste the same as fish!" Xia Yuhe waved for Sheng Haifeng to leave and pulled Sheng Xia inside.
Once inside, she got busy, taking malted milk powder from the cabinet to prepare two bowls for Sheng Xia and her little granddaughter, Qingqing. She set them down in front of them and said, "Dinner will be a while, have some malted milk to tide you over."
"Thanks, Mom!" Looking at the malted milk, Sheng Xia felt a lump in her throat. This was her mother and father; no matter when she returned, they always treated her like a little girl.
Before her rebirth, even in her twilight years, her mother—who had forgotten almost everything else—would still insist on making her malted milk whenever she came home.
It is so good to be reborn.
"Don't be so formal with Mom. Let it cool before you drink it, don't burn yourself!" Xia Yuhe smiled, gave Sheng Xia a look, and hurried off to the kitchen.
Before long, Sheng Haifeng returned with a large golden pomfret and took it to the kitchen to stew.
Then, Sheng Haifeng did the cooking, adding a spicy stir-fry of clams, a large bowl of steamed eggs with shrimp, a plate of stir-fried greens, and the roasted chicken Sheng Xia had brought back.
The family of four drank a little wine and ate a wonderful meal.
Sheng Xia, in particular, was so happy to eat her parents’ home-cooked food again that she ate until her belly was full and round.