Chapter 2: Rebirth

Meanwhile, on the other side at the Shao household, Shao Qixuan opened his eyes in a daze, only to see the earthen wall above him. He was slightly stunned, but soon let out a self-deprecating laugh. He must have ended up in hell, though the environment in this hell was rather poor.

"Cough, cough, cough, cough." Shao Qixuan’s throat suddenly tightened, and he covered his mouth to cough a few times. He then propped himself up with his palms and sat up. He carefully examined his surroundings, and with just one glance, he was stunned. This environment was too familiar to him; it was exactly like the house he had lived in back in his hometown.

He climbed out of bed in confusion and stared at the calendar by the table, freezing in place. Wasn't this when he was twenty years old? What was going on? Was he dreaming? Could it be that he had died and was sent back to his hometown?

Thinking of the experiences of his entire life, Shao Qixuan couldn't help but laugh at himself. He had died young despite being in good health his whole life. How did he suddenly contract a terminal illness? And his assets—they had all suddenly vanished. He could never figure out who had managed to transfer all his wealth in the short time he was sick.

And that woman, Yang Min, had abandoned him after he fell ill and lost his money. Even his own relatives had avoided him like the plague once they learned he was broke and needed a huge sum for medical treatment. In the end, it was that girl who stayed by his side, caring for him until he passed away.

"Qixuan, you're awake. Drink your medicine quickly." Mother Shao walked in carrying a bowl of medicine. Seeing her son awake, she didn't show a shred of excitement; instead, she set the medicine down with a look of disappointment and left the room.

Shao Qixuan, however, was suddenly overjoyed. His mother had been just like this back then, full of disappointment in him. He had been reborn.

He pinched his arm in disbelief, and the sensation of pain hit him instantly. He really had been reborn.

Shao Qixuan picked up the medicine on the table and downed it in one gulp. A bitter taste immediately flooded his mouth, so he quickly drank a few mouthfuls of water to wash it away.

Walking out of the room, Shao Qixuan ran straight into the kitchen. Seeing the eggs in the kitchen, he gathered them all into a basket. He searched the kitchen again, spotted a piece of pork, grabbed it, and ran outside.

"Mom, look at what my brother is doing! He took all our meat and eggs!" Shao Qiaoying ran into the kitchen and saw the egg jar was empty and the hanging pork was gone. She was frantic.

That was the pork her family had waited over a month to get their hands on! Why had her third brother taken it all?

Hearing this, Hou Yuexia also rushed into the kitchen. Seeing the eggs and meat were gone, she flew into a rage: "Shao Qixuan, you bastard! Those eggs were what I saved for your sister-in-law to eat when she gives birth!"

By the time she chased after him, Shao Qixuan was nowhere to be seen. Hou Yuexia was trembling with anger: "That brat, he must have taken the stuff to that hussy again. I don't know what's so good about her; he just thinks about tricking your brother into giving her good things every day."

Shao Qiaoying felt full of resentment hearing this: "Sister Siwen is so good, yet my brother doesn't know how to cherish her and prefers that vixen instead. She's always putting on an act. My brother is such a fool. Just you wait, he'll get what's coming to him."

Mentioning that vixen made her furious. Before that woman appeared, there was always a share of good food and drink for her. Ever since that vixen hooked up with her third brother, let alone her, even her little nephew didn't get a share.

If you asked her, her parents were still biased toward the third brother. If they had beaten him earlier, this wouldn't have happened. To put it bluntly, it was because they spoiled him.

However, she didn't dare say that. If she did, her parents would surely scold her, and she would get the cold shoulder from her third brother.

"Mom, I'm going out for a bit to see if Sister Siwen is awake." Since her third brother was awake, Sister Siwen must be awake too. She wanted to go find her and vent, and tell her to hurry up and agree to break off the engagement with her third brother. Her third brother was a loser who didn't deserve Sister Siwen.

Sigh, her second brother had married too early; otherwise, he could have married Sister Siwen.

Hou Yuexia nodded. That girl was probably awake too: "Wait, we still have some White Rabbit candies in our room. Take them to Siwen. She's taking medicine and probably can't stand the bitterness."

Shao Qiaoying followed Hou Yuexia to the inner room and took five or six White Rabbit milk candies to the Li family. Halfway there, she couldn't resist eating one. As soon as it hit her tongue, there was a sweet, milky fragrance.

Shao Qiaoying arrived at the Li house happily, but seeing only five candies left in her hand, she entered the courtyard feeling embarrassed.

"Third Brother, why are you here!" Shao Qiaoying exclaimed. Seeing the items on the table nearby, she was even more shocked. Her third brother had brought these for Sister Siwen, not for that vixen.

Something wasn't right. Something was very wrong. Her third brother was acting very strangely. Shao Qiaoying stared at him suspiciously for a long time.

Shao Qixuan rolled his eyes at her. "What are you looking at? What are you here for?"

"I'm here to see Sister Siwen." After saying that, Shao Qiaoying went into Li Siwen's room. Seeing her third brother blocked outside, she couldn't help but chuckle. Serves him right!

"Sister Siwen, you're awake. Here, my mom asked me to bring you these White Rabbit candies. She was afraid you'd find the medicine bitter, so eating these will help." Shao Qiaoying swallowed her saliva as she handed the candies to Siwen, her eyes full of reluctance.

Li Siwen looked at her reluctant expression and inexplicably wanted to laugh; she looked so cute.

In the future, these White Rabbit candies weren't anything rare, unlike now. Back then, there were many varieties of candy, unlike the present where a single White Rabbit candy was something an ordinary family couldn't afford.

"Alright, look at you. Keep them for yourself; I won't eat them." Li Siwen pushed the candies back to her. She didn't like White Rabbit candies, so it would be a waste to give them to her.

Shao Qiaoying thought she was just being polite, so she was deeply moved, but she knew Sister Siwen was sick and taking medicine, so she needed the candy to mask the bitterness.

"Sister Siwen, I don't want them, you eat them. You're taking medicine, so this will make it less bitter."

Li Siwen knew she couldn't refuse, so she took three milk candies from her hand and held them in her palm: "The rest are yours. I'll take one more than you, how about that?"

Shao Qiaoying nodded, no longer insisting.

In the courtyard, Shao Qixuan was pacing anxiously, but Grandma Li wouldn't let him in, which put him in a difficult spot. He crouched beside Grandma Li, looking pitiful. He had been a scumbag, failing this girl's sincere heart. But if she still liked him, he would marry her. If she didn't want to, he would protect her well until she married someone else.

"Grandma, just let me see Siwen. I was ignorant before; it was all my fault. Please forgive me!"

Grandma Li's wrinkled face remained unmoved as she continued washing clothes.

"Grandma, let me wash the clothes for you. You sit down and rest; I'll do this rough work." Shao Qixuan reached out to grab the clothes.

Grandma Li wouldn't let him help. She hugged the basin and shifted away, and Shao Qixuan lunged at empty air. Seeing her move aside, he ran over again, and this time he grabbed the clothes.

Before he could be happy about getting the clothes, Grandma Li picked up a wooden ruler and struck his hand with it.

"Hiss~" Shao Qixuan gasped, a red mark appearing on his hand.

Grandma Li didn't even look up as she continued washing. Hmph, what did he think her granddaughter was? Someone he could want one day and discard the next? It was too late for regrets now.