Mingyue lay on the hard wooden bed, staring blankly at the thatched roof above her head.
At this moment, she felt like something was pulling at her lower abdomen, causing a heavy and painful sensation. From time to time, lochia flowed out from her body, soaking her panties under the torn quilt, making her face even gloomier.
In the main room separated by a paper-pasted door outside, the intermittent voices of pity from several aunts in the village kept reaching Mingyue's ears.
"What a sin! Daqiang just passed away a month ago, and Daqiang's wife lost the baby in her belly again. It's a boy. He is five months old and his hands and feet are fully grown. Oh, it's God's fault!"
"Maybe Daqiang was lonely down there, so he came back to take his son away to keep him company. It's hard for his wife, though. She got pregnant again after aborting the baby girl last time."
"I think it's a good thing that the boy got lost. There are already five little ones below, and having another one would be another burden."
"That being said, there is a difference between a biological son and a man's brother."
"What's the difference? People always say that an elder sister-in-law is like a mother. Daqiang's wife raised Dadong and the others. How dare they not support her in the future?"
"That's true..."
Mingyue listened to these words and a mocking arc slowly appeared at the corner of her mouth. Those five little beasts really dared.
The original owner of this body was named Zhou Mingyue, a poor woman who had been unlucky for eight lifetimes and had run into a bunch of bad guys.
Because of her good looks, the love of her parents and brothers, and a well-known good family life in the area, Zhou Mingyue was targeted by the He family's father and son, who carefully designed a drama of a hero saving a beauty.
In the 1970s when relationships between men and women were relatively conservative, Zhou Mingyue, who fell into a pond, was rescued by He Daqiang, who hugged, embraced and touched her. She had undoubtedly lost her virginity in public, so she had no choice but to marry into the He family.
Then Zhou Mingyue's tragic life began. She had a miscarriage of her daughter due to He Daqiang's scheme, and lost her already grown son due to the scheme of the five children of the He family. She had to work to earn work points to support her family before she could even rest for a few days after giving birth. Later, she disappointed her family members because of He Dazhong, and she worked herself to death and got a lot of fatigue diseases. She finally raised the five children of the He family, and saw that good days were coming, and then... and then there was nothing else!
After all, beasts don't know how to be grateful. By that time, the little beasts in the He family had grown up, and she, as her sister-in-law, was no longer useful, so of course she had to kick them aside.
Zhou Mingyue had a tragic ending. She looked like she was in her sixties or seventies although she was only in her forties. On a rainy day, she suffered a sudden cerebral hemorrhage and died in a thatched hut in the countryside. She was stinking for a week before being discovered. In the end, it was the Zhou family who collected her body.
The bright moon came at the right time. A month ago, He Daqiang followed in his father's footsteps and sneaked into the back mountain to hunt game and fell to his death.
The five children of the He family were very afraid of being abandoned by their sister-in-law. They were even more afraid that their sister-in-law would ignore them if she gave birth to a son in the future.
So they followed what their eldest brother had done and secretly scattered soybeans on the ground. When the original owner got up at night with a five-month-old belly, she stepped on the beans and fell head over heels, almost losing her life.
The five heartless men of the He family, perhaps out of shock or something, did not go looking for villagers to save her. Instead, they just hid aside, covering their mouths and watching her bleed all over the floor and rolling on the ground screaming in pain.
It rained heavily again last night, and the crackling sound of the raindrops drowned out her wailing.
Fortunately, Aunt Zheng who lived next door had a light sleep and sharp ears. She heard the noise and felt that something was wrong. Thinking that the He family had no one in charge, she dragged her husband to check. Otherwise, the original owner would have died along with the baby in her belly. The funniest thing was that the original owner got up at night because she was awakened by the thunder and wanted to see if the five little beasts kicked the quilt.
But it's better to get rid of the He family's offspring. This family has bad roots from old to young. Giving birth to a child from such a family will only bring trouble to herself. Now that the evil root has been cut off, she will not be tied to this family.
Mingyue's eyes were cold. She wondered who these little beasts in the He family could harm now that her sister-in-law, who was both her father and mother, was gone.
In the impoverished main hall of the He family, Aunt Wang San, who was the most capable of dealing with people, sighed to the old sisters-in-law: "Let's not think too much. Let's go in and see if Daqiang's wife is awake. Let's have a good talk with her. We still have to go on with our lives, but we must not let her think about it any more."
"That's right. People should still look forward. There is no hurdle that cannot be overcome. There is no difference between a son and a brother. When Dadong and his friends grow up, they will always remember the kindness of their sister-in-law."
"That's right, sincerity for sincerity..."
The other ladies all nodded in agreement and the group walked towards the house.
After entering the house, they saw Mingyue lying there with her eyes wide open, looking as if she was heartbroken. Several old ladies were thinking in their hearts, what a sin!
Even Aunt Li, the most unpleasant person in the village, could not say anything unpleasant at this moment.
The soft-hearted Aunt Wu couldn't help crying. When Daqiang's wife first married into the family, she was such a pretty girl, she looked like a city girl. But now she looked sallow and skinny, which made people feel distressed.
Aunt Wu wiped her tears, took two steps forward, held Mingyue's hand, and advised kindly: "Daqiang's wife, please don't let this get you down. You are still so young, and you still have Dadong and the others..."
Mingyue seemed not to have heard her words. She turned her head slightly and her eyes moved to the outermost aunt Zheng, a kind and efficient aunt next door.
She endured the dry pain and itchiness in her throat and said in a hoarse voice: "Aunt Zheng, please go to Zhoujia Village and ask my parents to come over. I have something to say."
"Eh? OK, OK," Aunt Zheng agreed, and walked out swiftly, saying loudly as she walked, "Mingyue, don't worry, I'll find someone for you right away."
Mingyue raised her voice and said thank you, then she withdrew her hand and closed her eyes, looking as if she refused to communicate.
After all, she knew better than anyone what they would say. It was nothing more than about those five little bastards, and she... didn't like to hear it.
What is this about true love for true love? How can a beast have a heart? The original owner believed their lies, and that’s why he ended up like that.
Moreover, this Aunt Wu was particularly fond of being kind-hearted. She would stand on the side of whoever looked pitiful. In the original owner's memory, she had often helped the five children of the He family to hurt the original owner's feelings.
This time, the original owner's wish was to ignore the He family, live a good life, and compensate the Zhou family. Mingyue was even less willing to pay attention to the people in Dagou Village.
Aunt Wu withdrew her hand somewhat awkwardly and excused herself by saying, "This child is just too sad."
Seeing this, the other ladies looked at each other, not knowing what to say for a moment.
But it was time to find the Zhou family. The He family moved to Dagou Village during the time of He Daqiang's great-grandfather. The previous generations were all single children, and they had no other relatives in the village. Even if they had a few in-laws in other villages, they had lost contact long ago because the He family was too poor.
Now there is no one in this family who can support the family, so they have to ask Zhou Mingyue’s family for help!