Zhao Jun's throat felt blocked, and his chest felt heavy with breath. He seemed to be dizzy with shock at the news.
Damn, dead
People tend to miss their parents more when they get older, especially Zhao Jun, who lived a stable life until he was over 50 years old in his previous life. He led a rich life and his children were very successful. This is the time when people in middle age often complain about their parents no longer being around to take care of them.
Even though he was reborn now, the memories that were once obscured by the years were much clearer, and the image of his mother was not as glorious and distant as it was later, but Zhao Jun still felt that this was the only blessing after his rebirth.
On the way back, he repeatedly comforted himself that it would not be a big deal even if it happened again, and it would not be a big deal even if he married Wang Lingling.
He was able to stand firm on his own feet in his previous life by relying on his own abilities, and he can do the same in this life.
What's more, he can make up for the regret of not taking good care of his mother in his previous life.
But now, he received the news of his mother's death before he even saw her once, even several years earlier than in his previous life!
Zhao Jun's legs went weak. The days of hard work, the sudden blow of rebirth, the great changes in his life, everything came back to him, and he was about to slide to the ground.
The villager who delivered the message seemed to have anticipated this and quickly supported him, shouting loudly to the family who were still making a fuss on the other end.
"Zhao family! Your Zhao Jun is back!"
…
Wang Lingling's hair was disheveled, and her face and body were covered with wounds from the beating.
She was eager to pounce on Zhao Jun and opened her mouth hurriedly to explain.
"Zhao Jun, I didn't mean it... It was your mother who came up to me and tried to beat me. She even hit me with a hoe, saying that she was going to rob me if I didn't give her food... I was just, I was just defending myself."
When she said this, Zhao Dong beside her widened his eyes and cried at the top of his voice: "You lied! You are a bad stepmother! You didn't give grandma food when she wanted it! You didn't even give me eggs to eat! You pushed grandma to death!"
Wang Lingling was extremely anxious. No matter how stupid she was, she knew that the matter still depended on Zhao Jun's attitude.
"Don't listen to his nonsense! I didn't deduct his money! Besides, this grain was not distributed by the family, it's mine!"
Wang Lingling couldn’t understand how things could have developed to this point.
Obviously, she was still full of ambitions before, thinking about how to sell all the food, how to make a fortune, how to use the money to build a house, no longer have to live side by side with her husband's family, and then support Zhao Dong and Zhao Xi, and take the opportunity to have a child of her own in the next two years.
She didn't know how Wang Ying in her previous life managed to raise her two children and gradually change their personalities, but now, Wang Lingling knew that she could not see that hope.
Zhao Dong and Zhao Xi, brother and sister, looked cute, especially Zhao Xi, who was as delicate as a piece of jade, like a pretty girl. But that was just appearance.
For nearly a year, Wang Lingling has been enduring the bullying of her two children every day.
Zhao Dong was not to be mentioned. He was a little boy of five or six years old and was very naughty. In addition, Mrs. Zhao and several aunts kept telling him that Wang Lingling was a stepmother and that stepmothers were all pretending. No matter how long they pretended, they would eventually be exposed. Therefore, Zhao Dong always had a resistance to Wang Lingling.
Except when he asked for money to buy candies at the sales outlet, he would call her "Mom", but otherwise he would call Wang Lingling "stepmother".
Then, no one knew which heartless person said something to Zhao Dong, but whenever Wang Lingling hesitated in giving him money or things, the kid would run around in the team and shout that his stepmother was abusing him.
Zhao Xi was three or four years old and didn’t know much, but with an older brother around, he naturally followed suit.
Wang Lingling took the two children's resistance to heart, but she kept thinking that since Wang Ying was able to turn people around in her previous life, she could certainly do it too.
It will be bitter before it is sweet. It will definitely be bitter for a few years at first.
But that day, Zhao Dong said that Zhao Jun was on guard against her and told her to call him if the child was wronged. This undoubtedly hit Wang Lingling hard, and her determination to rely on the child was weakened.
She inevitably felt disappointed.
Is it really true that it didn't come out of my belly, and there is always a layer between them
She was often surprised at how good she was to Zhao Dong and Zhao Xi. But even so, she still couldn't make Zhao Jun believe her.
Wang Lingling thought, if this was true, she might as well have a child of her own!
Originally, she planned to do the same as Wang Ying in her previous life and raise her stepchildren peacefully without having her own children.
After all, she already had two promising children, and raising another one by herself would inevitably cause a rift in the family, which would affect her plan to win without doing anything.
But Zhao Dong's words immediately dispelled her idea.
You still have to have your own children.
If they are not your own children, even if you are filial to them, there is still a layer of gratitude between them that cannot be overcome.
Once Wang Lingling had an idea, she couldn't help but take action.
The first sign was that she no longer gave each of the two little ones an egg every day.
After the separation, Wang Lingling raised two chickens, which laid eggs every day, sometimes one, sometimes two. Wang Lingling would rather ask other families for money to exchange eggs if there was a shortage, and would give each of her two children an egg.
She raised her children like this, and people in the brigade would gossip about her. Even the richest families didn't eat like this. Wang Lingling thought that she would not be blamed for doing this, but in fact, she would not be able to live without being criticized by people in the brigade. Some people also thought that she was too deliberate in winning over the children.
Zhao Dong only said bad things about her outside and never said anything good about her.
Wang Lingling was already feeling aggrieved, and taking advantage of this incident, she directly chopped off the eggs for her two children.
She kept the eggs at home for herself. When the children went out to play, she would soak them in water for herself. While eating, she felt relieved and thought that she was stupid. She gave the eggs to these two ungrateful people. It would be better for her to eat them herself and get pregnant with a decent child later. Didn't Zhao Dong and Zhao Xi rely on their capable father to achieve success in their previous lives
She shouldn't have focused so much on winning over the two children, but should have kept a firm hold on Zhao Jun, the key!
What's the point of having unfilial stepchildren? At worst, I can raise a child myself and then capture Zhao Jun. Everything in the house belongs to my child!
She chopped the eggs, and Zhao Dong became unhappy after a few days.
Although he was a little tired of eating one egg a day, he also knew that eggs were good things.
Now that my father is not at home, I am the only male in the family. Even if there is an egg, it should go into his stomach!
Zhao Dong didn't believe Wang Lingling's lie that the chickens hadn't laid eggs recently. He pretended to go out and secretly hid at home. Sure enough, he saw his stepmother eating and drinking behind his back.
Her stepmother even made her a bowl of noodles!
Zhao Dong was furious.
He jumped out and accused: "You money-loser, you female locust! How can you eat so well? These are all bought with my father's money, and my father's money belongs to me! You don't make any money, you just eat for free at home! I won't let you eat!"
As he was about to grab it, Wang Lingling, who was furious, kicked him down.
Wang Lingling was triggered by the kid's words. She started to punish him and let out all the pent-up anger: "Get lost! Your dad's money is also my money! I'm at home taking care of you two unlucky guys, and I didn't say anything, but your dad should give me money!"
Wang Lingling said confidently, "I am your father's wife! We are a protected military marriage! Do you know what a military marriage is? It means your father cannot divorce me! Everything in your house belongs to me and your father! As for you two bastards, I am only controlling you because I am kind-hearted. How dare you come and provoke me?"
Wang Lingling ignored Zhao Dong's crying and ate all the noodles in the bowl and the pot, not even leaving a small piece of dough.
After eating, she went back to her room and lay down, without washing dishes or clothes.
Haha, I was confused before. It would be enough for her to find a promising man. Why would I care about promising stepchildren
These two are just a burden, and it's a favor not to order them around. Why should I try to fawn on them
Wang Lingling lit a firecracker, and Zhao Dong cried all the way to find his grandmother.
Old Mrs. Zhao was extremely angry. In addition, the grain harvest this year was much less, so her family now had only three thin meals a day.
I don’t know where that little bitch Wang Lingling got those big bags of grain. Old Mrs. Zhao also heard that this damn woman ran back to her mother’s team and shared the work-point grain that her parents had received.
The pits and valleys are full of food!
Wang Lingling thought she had hidden the secret well, but in fact, the two children had already revealed it to Old Lady Zhao.
Old Mrs. Zhao went to ask Wang Lingling for the money, but Wang Lingling refused to give it to her, saying that they were no longer a family after the separation, and there was no point in helping the poor.
Old Mrs. Zhao was already full of anger, and when Wang Lingling finally revealed her true colors, she even started to treat her eldest grandson harshly.
She felt that she couldn't bear it anymore, and she would have something to talk to the third brother about it when the time came.
So, he brought his sons and daughters-in-law to Wang Lingling to ask for food.
Of course Wang Lingling refused to give it to him. She felt that the two children were not reliable and her own child had not come yet. She had to hold on to the money even more.
If I don’t hold on to my money, will I have to live in poverty for the next few years
Because Wang Lingling refused to give it to her, Mrs. Zhao asked her sons to snatch it away.
Inevitably a conflict arose. No one knew who pushed whom, but eventually Old Mrs. Zhao fell down.
She neither bled nor wailed, she just fainted when she fell down. By the time the people arguing about her realized something was wrong, they touched her nose and found that she was already dead.
Wang Lingling felt wronged, so she didn't go close to Old Lady Zhao!
But the other people in the Zhao family spoke in unison and directly put the blame on her head.
After all, it was already dark at that time, and no one could see clearly. Since no one could see clearly, then the old lady must have been killed by Wang Lingling!
Several sons of the Zhao family came up to beat Wang Lingling, and Wang Lingling had a bruised face and nose. It was the team leader who rushed over after hearing the news who separated everyone.
"Zhao Jun, you have to believe me! It really wasn't me!"
Wang Lingling shouted at the top of her lungs: "It really wasn't me! I was just protecting the food, I didn't mean to harm anyone!"
Zhao Jun's eldest brother's eyes were red with anger: "Evil woman! How dare you say it's not you! You are the only one here who wants my mother to die the most!"
This is true. The Zhao family's daughters-in-law do not have very good conditions in their families, and the men on their husband's side are not very good either. The family relies on the allowance of the third son, Zhao Jun. With the old lady around, half of Zhao Jun's allowance can still be passed down, which is enough for their emergency living.
So even though Old Lady Zhao was hated by everyone, her daughters-in-law all endured it.
Not to mention my sons, they all listen to me anyway. I'm the head of the family, so they don't have to worry about anything.
Only Wang Lingling, Wang Lingling really cursed in her heart that this damn old lady would die quickly.
As soon as Brother Zhao Jun said this, Wang Lingling had no way to defend herself: "You are the ones who want to steal my food!"
Zhao Jun's second brother: "Is that your food? Didn't you buy it with my brother's money? You eat the best food over there, and you even skimp on the food for your children. We only have three thin meals a day here, and when we asked you to borrow food, you were so eager to starve our whole family to death that you wouldn't give it to us!"
Zhao Jun's second brother's anger was obviously not just directed at Wang Lingling. He turned around and asked Zhao Jun with tears in his eyes: "Is this the woman you want to marry? You married a wife just to break up with us poor brothers, because you are afraid that we will eat and drink you? Third brother, I want to ask you, when you were going to join the army, your family was afraid that you would not pass the physical examination, so the whole family tightened their belts and let you eat for three months."
"Our mother and father were swollen from hunger. I was so hungry that I went up the mountain to eat Guanyin soil. The whole family was so hungry that they had acid reflux. I asked you to eat white-membrane eggs for three months. Later, you were selected to join the army."
"Even if we don't mention this, Third Brother, let me ask you something. The brigade is short of food right now. It's okay for us adults to starve, but can you bear to watch these children at home? But when our mother went to borrow food, what did your wife say? She said that the children who starved to death were unable to stand. The children who couldn't stand were born with poor foundations. It's their fate."
The second son of the Zhao family had red eyes. "This is the good wife you married! Third son, you were willing to split up the family some time ago, right? You just felt that we brothers were a burden to you. Your wife came out to make trouble, and you hid behind and watched her make trouble. When our mother came here, she didn't bother to talk about your wife much. Can't you see why?"
"Because Mom is afraid of you! She's afraid that you, her most ambitious son, might have some complaints. Mom can see it, do you think we can't see it?"
Zhao Laoer wiped his nose and said, "We won't talk about anything else. Even if we starve to death, we won't have anything to do with your family."
It was already night time, but many people who heard the news still came. A large group of people gathered around, listening to Zhao Laoer complain about his hardships and grievances.
"Mrs. Zhao is not nice and is hated by everyone, but she is devoted to the boys in her family."
"What's the point of trying your best? You'll still be pushed to death by your third son's wife, whom you value the most."
"I think the Zhao family will split up in the future. Once the old lady dies, there will be no one left in the family."
"It's okay to demolish it, but just wait and see. Zhao Jun will have a hard time. He has no one to help him."
"Is his wife going to be put in jail?"
"Who knows? It depends on the captain and Zhao Laosan, right?"
…
Zhao Jun listened to the discussions around him and his brothers' complaints, and he felt as if he was trapped in a dark air.
"Brother, I'm sorry to our mother... I'm sorry to you."
He didn't know how this happened. He just married the wrong wife, and now his mother is dead and his brothers are against him.
She's obviously just a wife.
In his previous life, he married Wang Ying and never had to worry about family matters. Wang Ying took care of his two children at home, and the children grew up well. The brothers and sisters-in-law were also harmonious. Even his mother, who had always been a bit harsh on her daughter-in-law, was relieved before she died, and told him that Wang Ying was quite devoted to the two children. In the future, as long as he didn't ask Wang Ying to give birth to his own children, he could rest assured to let Wang Ying take care of Zhao Dong and Zhao Xi.
Zhao Jun didn't understand. Before he came back, he knew he had married the wrong person. He also guessed that Wang Lingling was reborn.
But he didn't find it very difficult.
He could reunite the family after they were separated, and marrying the wrong Wang Lingling would be smooth sailing as long as he made things clear to her. His requirements were not high, as long as Wang Lingling was like Wang Ying in his previous life, that would be enough.
He didn't expect Wang Lingling to make any big changes or breakthroughs. How difficult could it be to take care of the children and respect the elderly
She went to great lengths to marry him, wasn't she just looking for a good life? Then as long as she behaved herself, he wouldn't treat her badly when they divorced in the future.
Zhao Jun felt that everything could be corrected and everything could be saved.
But he never expected that Wang Lingling would set his life on fire.
Zhao Jun looked at Wang Lingling with an indescribable disgust in his eyes.
Wang Lingling's heart was pounding. She struggled to throw herself on Zhao Jun. "Zhao Jun! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, okay? Don't sue me! Don't sue me! I didn't mean to harm your mother. She died on her own! She was old. She was going to die anyway, right? It was her own time. Don't blame me!"
Little did they know that such words made the Zhao army even angrier.
Even if others don’t know, how could he not know
He should have died a few years later!
Unable to bear it any longer, Zhao Jun shouted angrily: "Shut up! Wang Lingling, you killed my mother, what are you talking to me now!"
He couldn't possibly allow Wang Lingling to ruin his life again.
Zhao Jun said to the captain, "Uncle, please ask someone to contact the police. I want to sue her for killing my mother!"
As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar all around.
"Zhao Jun wants to sue his wife?!"
"Boy, this is a big deal!"
"Does his wife want to eat peanuts?"
"It's hard to say. It wasn't intentional."
…
The captain who was called the fourth uncle wiped his face and said, "Little Sanzi, you have to think carefully. If your wife sues, it will also affect you."
Zhao Jun: “I know.”
He is about to change his career anyway, so let it have an impact.
After these words were spoken, the Zhao brothers finally felt better. Although they still had estrangement with their brothers, being able to lock up Wang Lingling was at least a consolation to their old mother.
Wang Lingling went completely crazy, she could never have imagined that she would end up like this!
She rushed forward like crazy, and the people who tried to pull her back almost couldn't hold her back.
"Zhao Jun! You can't do this! You can't do this! How much have I sacrificed for you! For you, I gave up my parents' home and the person I was supposed to marry. I came here with my baggage to be your child's stepmother without asking for anything. You can't do this to me!"
At the end, Wang Lingling even roared.
She had lived a new life to live a good life, to win easily! Not to sit in jail and get shot!
Wang Lingling burst into tears: "I have paid so much for you!"
Even though she committed a crime, people around her still sighed at her behavior.
Wang Lingling married Zhao Jun, which was indeed a marriage of downgrade.
She was a good young girl, but she got married without asking for any dowry, and became a stepmother to two children. She had an evil mother-in-law like Old Lady Zhao above her, and she had to eat with her sisters-in-law.
Any one of these conditions would make other girls of marriageable age hesitate, and when put together, no one would be willing.
But Wang Lingling insisted on coming in, and it has been almost a year. Although her reputation is not good, she is still good to the two children. Even if it is to win them over, it is rare to achieve this.
Zhao Jun stared at Wang Lingling in front of everyone's gaze: "No, you are not doing this for me."
Wang Lingling almost didn't hesitate: "How can I not do this for you? If I didn't want to be with you, I wouldn't have secretly run away from home to find you in the county town! I wouldn't even ask for a penny of betrothal gift! Zhao Jun, I have done so much for you..."
She was still talking, but Zhao Jun didn't want to listen anymore.
"Wang Lingling, stop using these words to express yourself. You are just a person who wants to sit back and reap the benefits. Are you doing this for me? You are doing this for your good life, for your future, and for your own greed!"
Zhao Jun's eyes were dark: "Xu Shuang, do you remember? Didn't you smash his hand?"
If Zhao Jun's previous questioning still made Wang Lingling feel confused and uncertain, Zhao Jun's subsequent words had already sent Wang Lingling into the eighteenth level of hell.
Wang Lingling felt as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water over her. She froze from head to toe, as if she had fallen into an icy cave, unable to move. The women who had been holding her saw that something was wrong with her and that her appearance was so scary that they unconsciously let go of her hands.
Wang Lingling collapsed on the ground. She raised her eyes and moved her mouth mechanically: "What's wrong with wanting to live a good life?"
She suffered so much in her previous life. God gave her a chance. Wasn't it for her to enjoy happiness? Wasn't she just here to win by doing nothing? Since she could be happy just by doing nothing, why should she work hard? Wang Ying had a loving husband and filial children by doing nothing in her previous life. Why can't she do the same
Zhao Jun did not answer her. In fact, Zhao Jun just wanted to get rid of this crazy woman.
Wang Lingling seemed to be really crazy. She asked Zhao Jun frantically: "You divorced me, are you going to look for Wang Ying again in the future?"
Zhao Jun's mouth was tightly tightened, but Wang Lingling laughed: "You are too late! She is already married! Do you know who she married?"
Wang Lingling's eyes were full of sarcasm: "She married Xu Shuang! Hahaha how ridiculous, the two of us have changed our lives!"
Zhao Jun's eyebrows jumped. He really wanted to find Wang Ying, especially just now, this emotion reached its peak. Because of Wang Lingling's existence, he felt that it would be best for everything to return to the original track.
If nothing else, Wang Ying would definitely take good care of his rear.
Wang Lingling felt very happy when she saw Zhao Jun was puzzled.
"Then let me tell you one more thing."
Wang Lingling looked pleased with revenge: "Wang Ying is the same as us. She is about the same age as me."
No one around could understand what Wang Lingling meant, but Zhao Jun did.
He looked at Wang Lingling, who was calm yet mad.
"Zhao Jun, you think I'm not worthy of you, right? Then remember, the first thing Wang Ying did when she came back was to dump you. Do you think she would marry you obediently without me? Forget it!"
"The first thing she did when she came back was to kick you out! That shows how much she hates you!"