However, what lay before her was no longer a newlywed room, nor was it a hospital room.
The space was cramped and cluttered with old beds, stacked stools, and blackened walls—at once familiar and unfamiliar. Where was this...?
Xia Xian stood in a daze. Why did it look so much like the Chu family home from thirty years ago, before it was whitewashed and expanded?
Before she could think it through, a voice she detested pulled her back to reality.
"Xia Xian, I'm begging you as an old woman. Eldest has already passed away, so you might as well accept your fate. Marrying anyone is marrying, and you'll still be a daughter-in-law of the Chu family. Just marry our Second Young Master!"
"Later on, the two of you can have two sons, and one can be adopted into Eldest's branch so his line isn't cut off. That way, you'll have fulfilled your duty to him, and you won't need to remarry. If your husband dies right after you marry into the family and you become a widow, people will definitely say you bring bad luck to your husband! It'll be hard for you to remarry, too!"
"Second Young Master can carry on both branches; this has been a tradition since ancient times, so you don't need to carry any psychological burden."
"That's right, Xia Xian, trust me, I'll treat you well for the rest of my life! You'll be both my sister-in-law and my wife—what reason would I have not to treat you well?"
"You think my older brother has good character, that he's honest, reliable, and has a steady job. As his younger brother, could I possibly be any worse? Besides, since he's gone, his job has been given to me, so I'm no different from my older brother."
"Don't worry, as long as you're willing to stay, I'll listen to everything you say from now on! If you tell me to go east, I'll never go west! I'll even give you my life!"
The two of them sang in harmony, offering all sorts of guarantees. Anyone with unsteady resolve would easily be persuaded and led right into the trap.
The two of them grabbed Xia Xian's hands. No wonder Xia Xian's body had twitched just now—she had instinctively tried to push them away.
Hearing these familiar words, Xia Xian came to a sudden realization. She had gone back thirty years! She had returned to the time two days after Eldest Master Chu died, when Second Young Master Chu and his mother were forcing her to stay!
Xia Xian looked down at the two people kneeling at her feet and pleading with her. She was both shocked and delighted, and she couldn't help but let out a smile. Her face had still been wearing a troubled expression, and coupled with this smile, it looked bizarre no matter how one looked at it.
Seeing Xia Xian like this, Chu Sheng, who had been completely confident until now, frowned. He felt as though something was slipping out of his control.
"Who cares!"
"Do you think your life is worth that much? Who wants your cheap, rotten, poor, cursed life!"
"I haven't even settled accounts with you yet! The three of you in the Chu family conspired to trick me into marrying in! You kept Chu Sheng's illness a secret! You turned an innocent maiden into a twice-married widow! Just you wait! I'm going to tell everyone about this right now! I'll have my parents come settle accounts with you and make everyone point fingers at you in disgust!"
Xia Xian said resolutely, then abruptly shoved them both away, sending them sprawling to the floor as if she had suddenly turned into someone with supernatural strength.
She looked at the two of them with hatred and disgust, a blazing fire burning in her eyes, wishing she could kill them both right then and there.
They were talking sweetly now, but once they tricked her into getting a marriage certificate with Second Young Master Chu, they wouldn't even keep up the act for a single day! After she got pregnant, they would only become even more vicious and reveal their true ugly faces!
And how dare they call her damaged goods? Eldest Master Chu had been on his deathbed and didn't even have the strength for their wedding night! Her first time had been given to Second Young Master Chu!
Though she didn't know why there hadn't been any bleeding, she knew very well who she had been with, and there was absolutely no way she could have mistaken it!
"Bah! Fuck your mother! Whose life is cheap, rotten, poor, or cursed? I show you a little respect, and you dare put on airs with me! Who do you think you are?"
"You and Eldest were already engaged to begin with! You were supposed to marry into our family anyway! So what if he was sick? Even if he was sick, wasn't he still your man? Tricked into marriage? I haven't even accused you of bringing bad luck to my son and killing him!"
"He wouldn't have died so soon if it weren't for you, this bringer of bad misfortune, marrying in and cursing him! Now I don't even want you anymore! I'm warning you to provide my son with a bride who doesn't ask for a bride price, or else I'll go make a scene at your house every single day! Let's see who's afraid of whom!"
Old Woman Chu could only keep up the act for a single second. Hearing Xia Xian mock them, she immediately dropped the pretense, stood up, and cursed her out furiously, jabbing her finger at Xia Xian like a chicken's talon.
"Mom!"
Second Young Master Chu hadn't expected his mother to show her cards so quickly. He had felt certain he could persuade Xia Xian, and they shouldn't have exposed their true colors so soon. He gave his mother a disapproving tug.
Although he was angry too, he still had use for Xia Xian right now, so he had no choice but to swallow his anger.
"Son, don't be afraid of her! Do you really think I care about her marrying into this family? If our family had money, she wouldn't even be allowed to touch the hem of our clothes!"
Old Woman Chu let out these outrageous words, and Xia Xian couldn't help sneering.
"That's right, I can't touch the hem of your clothes, because your family is so poor you don't even have clothes to wear!"
"On the day Eldest Master Chu and I got married, he was still wearing new clothes borrowed from someone else. The moment the clothes were returned, he died! How unlucky! You wasted someone's new clothes—they probably burned them, and they must hate your sinful family to the core!"
"Enough! Xia Xian! What kind of nonsense are you spouting!"
"Don't force me to lose my temper! Do you really have to make things this ugly? Your marrying me is a happy occasion for everyone, what the hell are you making a fuss for!"
Chu Sheng was no pushover either; he couldn't endure such insults. His patience only lasted two seconds longer than his mother's, and he immediately started shouting at Xia Xian as well.
"No one cares whether you lose your temper or not! If you act ugly, don't blame others for making a scene out of it. It's a happy occasion for you, but suffering for me! From now on, whoever wants to deal with your Chu family can go right ahead! This lady isn't playing along anymore!"
Xia Xian didn't want to waste any more breath on them. She turned, picked up the bundle she had already packed, and made to leave.
She had intended to leave today anyway.
Not even the gods in heaven could stop her from going home this time!
"I won't allow you to leave! Even if you don't marry me, you're staying in the Chu family to live as a widow! You're a person of the Chu family in life, and you'll be a ghost of the Chu family in death!"
In a fit of fury, Chu Sheng grabbed Xia Xian's bundle, refusing to let her leave.
"That's right! Let's see where a little bitch like you can run off to! Even if you die, you'll die in our house!"
Old Woman Chu also rushed forward to push and shove Xia Xian. These two were the kind of people who would harm others without benefiting themselves; seeing someone else live well was like having flesh carved from their own bodies.
"You old hag are the one reincarnated as a bitch! You gave birth to a short-lived, selfish ghost of a son! Do you think I wouldn't dare hit you!"
Xia Xian had been suppressing her anger all along because she didn't want to make the first move and lose her advantage. But now that Old Woman Chu had laid her claws on her first, she couldn't be blamed for dropping all politeness!
She immediately let go of the bundle. Losing her support, Chu Sheng staggered backward while clutching the bundle and slammed into the table. Meanwhile, Xia Xian grabbed Old Woman Chu by the hair with a backhand grip, tugging with all her might as if she meant to rip every strand right off her scalp!
"Don't go trying to pull rank on me here!"
In terms of actual age, she was older than Old Woman Chu anyway! She had zero psychological burden beating her up!