Author Archives: Thingyan

In the days that followed, whenever transportation was needed, Yun Xi drove the truck to haul goods. When there was no need for transport, she stayed in the Logistics Department. Fortunately, there was not much work in Logistics, so she could manage both sides just fine.

Xiao Zhang often came over to teach her how to repair vehicles, telling her small driving tricks, road conditions, and the personalities and habits of the people they handed goods over to at various units. These were all valuable experiences he had accumulated over several years of work.

He even gave Yun Xi the notes he had taken during his outside training trips and taught her very seriously. Yun Xi could tell that this time he was sincerely teaching her, so naturally she absorbed everything, madly soaking up knowledge like a sponge.

Only then did Xiao Zhang realize just how clever Yun Xi was. He could no longer even remember what impression he had had when he first met her. He only felt that she was a senior worthy of admiration.

By the time Xiao Zhang had mostly recovered, there happened to be an opportunity in the city for a driver to go to the provincial capital for a week of further training. Xiao Zhang strongly recommended giving the spot to Yun Xi. Since Yun Xi had never made a single mistake since she started driving, everyone in the unit had seen her ability and had no objections at all. And so, Yun Xi very honorably went on a business trip to the provincial capital.

She squeezed onto a green train. At first, she found it quite novel, but before long, the strange smells in the carriage became unbearable. She quickly opened the window and leaned beside it to breathe.

The train was also terribly slow, stopping at every little station. This made her think of the future in the original owner’s memories, when trains would speed up and there would even be extremely fast high-speed rail. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. Taking airplanes would also become very convenient. It was truly something to yearn for.

Unfortunately, roads had to be walked one step at a time, and eras had to develop slowly. There was no rushing it. She could only properly experience the unique characteristics of this era.

After clattering along the entire way, she finally arrived at the provincial capital.

The moment she got off the train, Yun Xi felt refreshed. From the train station alone, she could already see tall buildings and small cars. Sure enough, the more prosperous the city, the better the living conditions. Compared to the small village she had started in, the provincial capital seemed like an entirely different era.

Yun Xi followed the address and found the place.

Because the other drivers attending the training were all men and she was the only woman, they arranged a separate dormitory room for her.

During group registration, more than twenty male drivers were extremely surprised. From time to time, they glanced at Yun Xi, whispering among themselves. They could hardly believe that Yun Xi, like them, was a driver.

Someone asked curiously,

“You’re Sister Li, right? How many years have you been driving? Why haven’t we seen you before?”

Yun Xi replied,

“My driving experience is three months…”

Before she could finish, the group exploded.

“What? Three months? Then what are you doing here? Isn’t this a joke?”

“Everyone here has been driving for several years. If I may say so myself, we’re all outstanding enough to get a training spot. How did someone who just learned to drive sneak in here? Have you even figured out how to drive properly before coming for advanced training?”

“Sister Li, tell us honestly. How were the spots in your unit assigned? Tell us. We guarantee we won’t spread it.”

“Seriously, training isn’t a joke. If you mess this up, you’ll embarrass your whole city. If you can’t do it, hurry back and let someone else come.”

“We’re advising you out of kindness. Don’t dislike how harsh it sounds. This is work for grown men. Besides, Sister Li, at your age, wouldn’t it be nice to look after your grandchildren? Why suffer like this?”

Yun Xi listened to them rattle on, then swept her gaze over them with a smile that did not reach her eyes.

“Whether someone is a mule or a horse, you’ll know once they’re led out for a walk. We’ve only just met, and no one knows anyone yet, but you’re already certain I can’t do it. With that level of quality, you still managed to get training spots? Your ideological awareness needs improvement.”

“Hey, why are your words so sharp? Aren’t we reminding you for your own good? We’ve already said it politely. To put it bluntly, everyone here fought hard to win a spot. You’ve only been driving for three months, yet you can come for advanced training. No matter how you look at it, something isn’t right. You know perfectly well what’s going on behind this.”

“What’s going on?”

Yun Xi’s face cooled.

“The country’s first female tractor driver came from our Hei Province. She was outstanding at nineteen and formed a women’s tractor team at twenty. She also received even more incredible honors. Why don’t you go ask how many years she had been driving before she became famous?

If you aren’t capable yourself, reflect on yourself. Don’t assume everyone is like you, struggling so hard just to get one training spot.”

Yun Xi was more than ten years older than even the oldest among them, and she was not polite to them at all. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. She immediately scolded them straight to their faces.

The two instructors who had just come over to meet them exchanged glances.

One whispered,

“Looks like this group has someone with a fierce temper.”

“I just don’t know how skilled she is. I wonder whether her technique is just as fierce.”

When the two instructors entered the room, all the drivers’ words were blocked back down their throats. Their faces were each more colorful than the last.

They all felt it was utterly ridiculous.

What right did some unknown little old lady have to compare herself to the country’s first female tractor driver?

They wanted to see exactly what ability this Li Yunxi had. If she turned out to be useless at everything and ranked dead last, then she would lose face all the way back to her grandmother’s house.

Among drivers, most were men, and one also needed some physical strength. A thin, small old woman like Yun Xi stood out like a crane among chickens. She was especially conspicuous. Add to that her fiery temper, and from the moment she arrived, everyone remembered her.

No one believed she had real skill in driving. They all thought she had used connections to snatch the spot of a proper driver, so they faintly isolated her.

Yun Xi did not care at all.

She had nothing in common with people this narrow-minded. If she had spare time, wouldn’t it be better to tour the provincial capital?

This time, she had borrowed many coupons from her coworkers. After asking where the shopping mall was, she went on a massive shopping spree.

Some things were for herself, and some were items she was bringing back for coworkers. The goods in the provincial capital really were better than those in her city, and there were more styles too.

Every day, Yun Xi returned to the dormitory carrying big and small bags. She put on new clothes and even bought a watch.

The drivers became even more convinced of their earlier guesses.

The way she acted did not resemble a driver here for training at all. She looked more like someone using this opportunity to shop.

How much money did her family have to withstand this kind of spending?

Who would believe there were no connections behind her?

This time, even the instructors began murmuring a little.

Yun Xi ignored what they thought or said.

During class, she listened carefully and took careful notes. After class, she ran off to visit the famous places in the provincial capital. In five days, she explored the entire provincial capital and even got tanned!

On the sixth day, the instructor walked into the classroom holding exam papers and said seriously,

“After five days of training, today we will assess the results of your training. Driving is not as simple as getting behind the wheel and making the vehicle move. You must understand the vehicle’s parts, models, performance, and many other aspects.

The more knowledge you learn, the more you will discover how vast knowledge truly is.

I hope every one of you treats this seriously. This assessment score will also be truthfully reported to your units, and it will affect your future professional development.

All right. Everyone, take the exam seriously and observe exam discipline.”

The instructor began handing out the papers.

Many people looked at Yun Xi and smiled.

They usually reviewed their notes and exchanged knowledge with one another as soon as class ended. Only Yun Xi never had questions and always ran off to play the moment class ended.

What could she possibly score?

Probably a zero, right?

When the time came, they would definitely throw her words from the first day back in her face.

She had said they were not capable. Let’s see whether she was capable.

Of course Yun Xi was capable.

She had no questions because Xiao Zhang had previously gone to the provincial capital and the capital for training. He had also studied many deeper problems and had taught them all to her.

After learning them, she had gone to the library to borrow books related to vehicles and machinery. She had read quite a few books and studied a lot of knowledge on her own.

So although she had learned new knowledge during this training, she did not find it difficult. Once the instructor explained something in class, she understood it all. Naturally, she had never asked questions.

Yun Xi’s memory was already stronger than ordinary people’s. She memorized things faster and more deeply.

As soon as she got the exam paper, she began answering without even needing to think.

Someone looked up and saw her writing rapidly, then smiled and shook his head.

Did this little old lady think randomly filling the page could get her through?

The instructor this time was said to be very strict.

The classroom was very quiet, filled only with the sound of writing.

The instructor walked slowly with his hands behind his back. When he reached Yun Xi’s side and saw that her handwriting was neat and beautiful, and that she had not only written the correct answers but also added her own insights, he could not help feeling surprised.

He could not resist standing beside her and watching for a long time.

Correct.

All correct.

Not a single question was wrong!

The instructor went from surprise to excitement.

He had trained students more than a dozen times, and not one of them had ever been this outstanding!

When the exam time ended, he personally collected Yun Xi’s paper and walked to the podium with a smile.

Someone asked,

“What is it, Teacher? Did she cheat?”

The crowd burst into laughter.

The instructor’s face hardened, and he knocked on the desk.

“Quiet! Comrade Li Yunxi’s paper received a perfect score, and she included many of her own unique insights. I wanted to bring it up so everyone can use it as a reference.”

“What? A perfect score?”

“How is that possible? Did she use connections to steal the questions?”

Before Yun Xi could speak, the instructor said loudly,

“These questions were strictly confidential. Moreover, two of the questions were changed by us instructors only this morning. She could not have stolen the questions, nor could she have cheated. She is simply extremely outstanding, with an exceptionally solid grasp of the knowledge.

Comrade Li Yunxi, you must have studied related knowledge before, haven’t you?”

Yun Xi nodded.

“Some of it I read in books. I like reading very much.”

The instructor became even happier.

He had not expected that she had not learned it beforehand from someone else, but had studied it by herself through books.

He said “good” several times in a row, then said excitedly,

“Come to my office later. I have a few books here for you. Read them well. If there is anything you don’t understand, ask me anytime.”

The others looked at one another, all dumbfounded.

Since the instructor had said this, then it could not be cheating.

So this little old lady really had ability?

Real knowledge and skill?

Someone stubbornly said,

“What does theoretical knowledge count for? Knowing how to handle a vehicle is what matters. Let’s compete in driving.”

After the written exam in the morning, there would indeed be a practical driving test in the afternoon.

Yun Xi put away her fountain pen and said lightly,

“I came here for training and to absorb new knowledge. I have no interest in competing with you.

As for you all, if you have time, work on improving yourselves.

Remember, there are people beyond people, and heavens beyond heavens.”

She slung her schoolbag over her shoulder and left directly.

Some of the drivers felt embarrassed and humiliated, but others felt regret.

Without understanding her at all, they had assumed she was incapable. They had truly looked down on people like dogs looking at others.

During lunch, several drivers came over together to apologize to Yun Xi.

Their attitude was quite sincere.

However, Yun Xi had no interest in shaking hands and making peace with them. She only nodded and said nothing.

They also had no face to insist that Yun Xi forgive them.

After all, they had been the ones with cheap mouths first. Yun Xi had only retaliated when she spoke rudely back then.

After this incident, those drivers deeply remembered the principle that there were people beyond people and heavens beyond heavens. They never again looked down on anyone, especially women.

During the practical exam in the afternoon, Yun Xi won first place with her outstanding driving skills.

The two instructors pinned a large red flower on her and took a graduation photo with her. They gave her many books and also kept her unit’s phone number, reminding her that she could ask them questions anytime.

This time, the drivers were completely honest.

For the written exam, they could say they were bad at studying or had poor memories.

But when their practical driving skills were so much worse than Yun Xi’s, they had no choice but to admit that they were not capable enough.

In just a few days, Yun Xi’s deeds in the provincial capital spread far and wide!

╰───♡───╯

The bridge had collapsed. People trying to travel could not cross the river. Broken pieces had been swept away by the water, and some people were trapped underneath.

When it was first discovered, the person in charge had not taken it too seriously and had only called nearby villagers to help. Who would have known that the wind and rain would grow stronger and stronger? Many people were injured, and someone even fell into the river. Now they had to rescue people too, and the matter had blown up.

The mayor happened to be handling business nearby and had planned to stay the night. The moment he heard something had happened, he immediately went to the scene to direct operations. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. Only then did the disaster relief begin in an orderly fashion, and he notified Xiao Zhang to deliver supplies.

The mayor glanced at his watch.

“How long until Xiao Zhang arrives?”

The mayor’s secretary estimated.

“At least another ten minutes. But Mayor, we should make another plan too. The weather is terrible. If the truck breaks down or something else happens, Xiao Zhang won’t be able to arrive in time.”

The mayor nodded.

“Then find the nearest households and discuss temporarily requisitioning their houses. We’ll think of a way to transfer everyone there…”

Suddenly, the sound of a vehicle came from not far away.

The two exchanged a look and quickly walked over.

They saw the familiar truck stop in front of them, and Yun Xi jumped down from the driver’s seat.

???

The mayor and his secretary were both stunned. They looked at her, then at the truck.

“Aunt Li? Why is it you?”

Yun Xi smiled brightly.

“This is what they call training troops for a thousand days to use them for one moment. Xiao Zhang was too anxious and accidentally fell. Driving like that would be dangerous, wouldn’t it? So I snatched the job and covered his shift for a day.

How’s everything here? I didn’t delay anything, did I?”

“No. You arrived even earlier than I expected.”

The mayor’s secretary hurriedly called people over to unload the goods from the truck. Then he saw that Yun Xi’s hands were covered in grime, and even the front of her clothes was black.

“Aunt Li, how did you get like this?”

Yun Xi glanced down and said casually,

“It’s nothing. The truck stalled halfway here, so I fixed it. I was in a hurry, and it was dark, so I got dirty. I’ll wash up after things are handled.”

“You can repair vehicles too?”

The mayor wondered if he was dreaming.

That countryside old woman he had met back then not only knew how to drive a large truck, she could even repair one?

Yun Xi said as though it were perfectly natural,

“Xiao Zhang taught me well. I’ve been watching him for more than a month. How could I still not know?”

She looked around.

“Is there anything else we need to do here? I’m strong. Assign me whatever task you need.”

The mayor’s original plan had been to arrange the injured properly while carrying out disaster relief, then send them to the hospital after dawn. Going in the middle of the night was too risky.

But now, seeing how well Yun Xi drove, he considered it and simply had people carry the injured onto the truck, shelter them from the rain, and let Yun Xi take them to the hospital.

Yun Xi accepted the task and immediately went to help carry the injured.

She was very strong, and when she walked, she was especially steady and did not slip.

With her joining in, everyone moved quickly.

The others did not know her situation. They were only a little surprised that this older woman was the driver. They did not know she was covering someone’s shift, nor that this was her first time driving.

So no one worried.

They all thanked her.

Once the truck was full of people, Yun Xi called out to the mayor and drove away.

The mayor’s secretary hesitated, then asked the mayor,

“…Will this really be all right? If something happens, it’ll be over.”

The mayor thought of how Yun Xi had dealt with the criminal back then and saved his family. Then he thought of how hard Yun Xi had studied during this period, even learning to drive and repair vehicles.

With his hands behind his back, he said,

“I believe her.

There is something about her that makes people feel convinced and reassured.

I always feel that if she cannot do something, she simply won’t agree to it. But once she agrees, she can do it well.”

That was extremely high praise.

At least in all the years the mayor’s secretary had followed the mayor, he had never heard him praise anyone like this.

But when he thought about how Yun Xi often came to ask him about Russian, and how in such a short time she had already learned simple basic conversations, she truly was a capable person.

The mayor’s secretary settled down, though he silently prayed that everything would go smoothly for Yun Xi.

If she could really complete the task this time, then in the future, everyone at the city government would give her a thumbs-up!

Yun Xi did more than complete the task.

She completed it beautifully.

Halfway there, someone in the back of the truck started banging on the vehicle and shouting. She stopped and checked. Someone had gone into shock, and the wound kept bleeding.

They were all countryside people and did not know what to do, so they panicked and asked her for help.

Yun Xi looked over the situation, tore the sleeve off her own clothing, and quickly bandaged the wound to stop the bleeding. Then she took a cup of hot water from Xiao Zhang’s things in the truck and asked someone to help keep the injured person warm.

Seeing how calm she was, everyone else calmed down too and was not as panicked.

Another person spoke up and said his arm was dislocated, asking if Yun Xi could help put it back.

Yun Xi felt it twice, then casually lifted his arm and restored it.

The man moved his arm and immediately thanked her.

This greatly increased everyone’s trust in Yun Xi.

They all listened to her and cared for one another, allowing Yun Xi to focus on driving.

Yun Xi sped up.

The moment they reached the hospital, she picked up the injured person in shock and rushed inside, sending him into the emergency room in time. He was successfully revived.

The doctor said hemorrhagic shock was very serious. Under such harsh conditions, if he had arrived even a little later, his organs might have failed. By then, whether he could be saved would have been uncertain.

After the injured person woke, he kept holding Yun Xi’s hand and said fearfully,

“Thank you, elder sister. You saved my life. Thank you so much…”

Yun Xi waved her hand.

“Thank our mayor. He was the one who arrived in time and saved everyone. I was only following his arrangements. We have a good mayor.”

“Yes, yes, yes. The mayor really is a good person. If not for him today, who knows what would have happened to us? But elder sister, you’re a good person too. A truly good person!”

Yun Xi stayed with the dozen or so people as they received treatment, comforted them, arranged their beds, and, after asking the doctor, bought food for them so they could eat their fill and sleep.

These people had suffered an undeserved disaster. It was the initial person in charge’s mistake that had harmed them, so they were full of resentment.

But after Yun Xi’s efforts to soothe them, their resentment turned into gratitude toward the mayor.

They clearly understood that the incident was entirely the fault of that person in charge and had nothing to do with anyone else. In particular, it had nothing to do with the government. The mayor was very good.

This was very important.

In this era, good news did not travel beyond the gate, but bad news spread a thousand li.

If this matter was handled poorly, it could easily turn into rumors that officials did not treat ordinary people’s lives as lives, that they made careless arrangements without any measures and caused the people to get injured and nearly die.

Once such rumors spread, they would naturally become distorted.

In the end, it would affect the reputations of both the city government and the mayor. That would not be good for the city.

It could be said that Yun Xi had helped the mayor with crisis management.

The term did not exist yet, but the mayor understood such matters perfectly well.

After he went to the hospital the next day to visit the injured and understand the situation, his feelings toward Yun Xi included not only admiration but also gratitude.

The follow-up matters were left to the mayor’s secretary to arrange. Compensation would be paid where it should be paid. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. Accountability would be pursued where it should be pursued.

As for the mayor, he rode back to the city government in the truck driven by Yun Xi.

“They’re back! They’re back!”

“Quick, look! Is Sister Li still the one driving?”

“It’s her! Look, isn’t that the mayor in the passenger seat?”

“Aiyo, even the mayor dares sit in the truck Sister Li is driving. Sister Li must drive really well!”

“Sister Li is amazing. I thought she just liked vehicles and enjoyed following Xiao Zhang around to watch the novelty. Who would’ve known she actually learned how? Amazing!”

The rain gradually stopped.

When a group of people heard the commotion, they ran out to look.

Seeing that the mayor was also in the truck, even more people gathered around.

The two got out.

Someone called loudly,

“Sister Li, are you all right? Did you really drive outside the city?”

The mayor smiled and said,

“Sister Li drives very well. She’s no worse than Xiao Zhang.

When the truck stalled and broke down on the road, Sister Li repaired it alone.

Not only did Sister Li deliver the supplies ahead of time, she also transported the injured to the hospital overnight for timely treatment, preventing a tragedy from happening.

She made a tremendous contribution to this collapsed bridge incident.

Sister Li has joined our city government family for less than three months, yet she has already learned so many things and can independently complete tasks outstandingly. This shows how exceptional Sister Li herself is.

Everyone, give her a round of applause!”

Everyone immediately applauded Yun Xi.

The people from the Logistics Department who were closest to Yun Xi clapped especially hard, their faces filled with proud smiles.

The mayor continued,

“From now on, Sister Li will hold two positions. In addition to her role in the Logistics Department, she will also serve as a driver, alternating shifts with Xiao Zhang.”

Yun Xi was not especially concerned about praise, but she was delighted that she had gained another position and could drive freely.

She immediately smiled.

“Thank you, Mayor! I’ll definitely work hard and won’t embarrass our city government!”

Yun Xi’s words often made people feel that the city government was one big family, and she had already completely treated the city government as her home.

The mayor then announced Yun Xi’s reward for this incident.

She would be named an Outstanding Employee and rewarded with a bicycle.

Only then was the matter concluded.

Everyone cheered again.

To everyone, this was encouragement from leadership, proof that leaders could see everyone’s efforts.

As long as they worked earnestly and diligently, they could receive rewards.

Everyone envied Yun Xi.

From now on, she could receive two salaries and had even gotten a bicycle.

But no one was jealous.

Because she had braved such heavy wind and rain to drive so far and transported an injured person who had nearly died.

If that task had been given to them, they would not have dared to do it.

Yun Xi deserved this reward.

So everyone was happy for Yun Xi.

Yun Xi was generous too. She went back to her dormitory, brought out candy, and handed several pieces to each person.

Afterward, she changed clothes and went to Xiao Zhang’s dormitory. She did not forget to bring two cans of meat and canned yellow peaches.

When Xiao Zhang saw her, he smiled.

“Sister Li, it’s good that you’re all right. I heard from the others that the mayor values you a lot. Congratulations.”

Yun Xi smiled and asked how his leg was.

Xiao Zhang touched the cast on his leg.

“It was a little displaced. The doctor corrected it and said that within one month, it’s best for me to stay in bed and not move this leg. After that, if the follow-up check shows it’s healing well, I can move around a little.”

Yun Xi nodded.

After asking after him a bit more, she said,

“Xiao Zhang, I learned to drive from you, but it wasn’t because I wanted to steal your work…”

“Sister Li,” Xiao Zhang interrupted before she could finish, “I understand. We’re so familiar with each other now, so don’t say such distant things.

This time, you helped me tremendously.

If it hadn’t been for you, maybe my leg would have been ruined, or maybe both I and the truck would have gotten into an accident. No matter what, I would have lost my job.

And my leg needs to recover. They say injuries to the muscles and bones take a hundred days. If I can’t drive for so long, by the time I recover, I might have lost my job already.

When I heard that you would also be serving as a driver, I truly breathed a sigh of relief.”

He said seriously,

“Sister Li, you braved the wind and rain to drive in order to help me. I’ll remember that.

When I’m better, I’ll definitely teach you everything I know. I won’t keep anything hidden.

If there’s something I don’t know, I can help ask around for you too.

From now on, we’re on the same side.

I’ll remember this friendship for the rest of my life!”

Yun Xi smiled.

“Good. Then I won’t say any polite nonsense either. From now on, we’ll help each other and live better and better!”

After this incident, Yun Xi gained a new identity at the city government.

The name “Sister Li” also became a sincere term of respect from everyone.

Many people admired her from the bottom of their hearts.

Her popularity became even better, and her days became even more comfortable.

Soon, drivers and workers from other factories also heard about this matter and were all shocked.

What?

A forty-five-year-old countryside old woman had actually learned to drive so easily?

Even veteran drivers like them did not dare guarantee they could deliver goods in the dark through wind and rain without incident.

Who exactly was she?

If they had the chance, they had to meet her!

Unknowingly, the name Li Yunxi had already been remembered by many people.

╰───♡───╯

Dong Zhihong had already felt timid the moment he entered the city. Now, being called a useless coward in front of so many workers, being told he could not accomplish anything, made him wish he could crawl into a crack in the ground.

But unfortunately, he truly had accomplished nothing.

He did not even earn full work points.

There was not a single thing he could use to refute her.

He immediately felt so embarrassed and ashamed that he carried the child and left with his head lowered.

Sister Qin clapped her hands and shouted,

“Well cursed! Old Li, these children and grandchildren of yours really are disgraceful. You were right to curse them. That one who secretly cooks extra meals is your second son? And he’s a teacher? He isn’t even filial to his own mother. Is this how he sets an example for others? Won’t he teach his students badly too?”

The people around them joined in.

“Hurry up and leave. Stop embarrassing yourselves here.”

“Sister Li works here properly and legitimately. If you keep causing trouble, I’ll call the security team.”

“Don’t tell me you’re after Sister Li’s job and salary? You’re unfilial, and now you won’t even let Sister Li earn money for herself? You’re grown adults. Can’t you live on your own?”

“A teacher should have decent conditions, right? And you still want your mother’s coffin money?”

“Sister Li even gave away her house, and you still want to suck her blood. That’s far too heartless.”

With everyone chiming in one after another, Dong Zhijie and the others could not withstand it no matter how thick-skinned they were. They hurriedly ran away.

Everyone then crowded around Yun Xi, sympathizing with and comforting her.

Yun Xi waved her hand and smiled brightly.

“I’m fine. All of you are my brothers and sisters. I’m not lonely at all. On the contrary, I’m living very well.

From now on, the municipal government is my home, and all of you are my family!”

“That’s right! We’re all your family. Sister Li doesn’t need to fear anything!”

Everyone shouted enthusiastically, as though the distance between them and Yun Xi had instantly narrowed.

In contrast, the Dong family had not even had time to reveal their greed before they fled in disgrace like rats crossing the street.

When they returned to the village, many people asked curiously about what had happened.

Dong Zhiyong said angrily,

“My mom is impressive now. She’s a city government employee. She looks down on us now.”

Dong Zhizhi’s eyes were red.

“My mom has made it big and refuses to acknowledge us anymore. No wonder she divided the family and left. She went to the city to enjoy life on her own.”

The villagers were shocked and confused.

The Dong family only talked about how cold and heartless Yun Xi was, never mentioning how Yun Xi had scolded them for being unfilial.

The villagers were all muddled.

Getting a city household registration and working at the city government was an enormous good thing, wasn’t it?

From now on, her children would all surely flatter and support her.

She could simply take the offered way out, and the family could live harmoniously together.

So why was she refusing to acknowledge her children?

Someone quietly guessed,

“Could Li Yunxi have… found herself a new husband?”

“She definitely has. Otherwise, what old woman would dare refuse to acknowledge her children? Isn’t she afraid no one will support her when she’s old?”

“Aiyo, how does that work? She’s already in her forties. If she remarries and follows a new husband to live a good life, then she doesn’t want this family anymore?”

The brigade leader’s wife could not listen any longer.

With a stern face, she said,

“Go, go, go. What nonsense are you all spouting? After all these years, don’t you know what kind of person Sister Li is?

When she was a widow at her most bitter and difficult, she didn’t remarry. Why would she remarry now?

Even if she did remarry, what would there be to say?

Her youngest child is already grown, and the family has been divided. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. Everyone can live their own life.

What do you mean, she doesn’t want her family anymore?

Back when Sister Li was at home, I didn’t see her enjoying any blessings.”

The brigade leader’s wife swept a glance over the Dong family members.

Everyone then remembered that Yun Xi had left in the first place because her children were unfilial.

How was this Yun Xi abandoning them?

Clearly, they had forced Yun Xi away.

Wasn’t it a good thing that she had found a decent place to live?

Thinking about it this way, the Dong family really was no good.

They had gone to the city and failed to bring their mother back. Then they returned and spread nonsense about her.

The crowd immediately changed direction.

“You lot should calm down already. You’re all old enough. If you can make your mother so angry that she refuses to acknowledge you, shouldn’t you reflect on your own mistakes instead of having the nerve to blame her?”

“Exactly. Isn’t she just working in the city? How does that mean she’s made it big? How does that mean she’s enjoying life alone?

People say daughters are their mothers’ intimate little cotton-padded jackets. Dong Zhizhi, how can you speak about your mother like that?

Even if she wants to enjoy life, isn’t that only right?

Your mother nearly died giving birth to you. During confinement, she still had to work and take care of you. If we really count it, you owe her a life.

And you’re still unwilling to let your mother enjoy life?”

The Dong family had not expected it to be so difficult to repair their image.

All of them lowered their heads and slipped home to hide.

When Dong Zhijie organized the building of his house, no one was willing to help.

In the end, he had to pay wages before he could hire a few strong laborers to help him build.

Their trip to the city had not changed anything on the surface.

But in their hearts, it felt as if weeds had grown wildly.

Even in their dreams, they thought about Yun Xi’s job and salary, imagining what wonderful lives they could lead if they took over her position.

It could be said that during this meeting, Yun Xi had barely exerted any effort, yet they were already tormented with envy and frustration.

Yun Xi once again became famous in the city government.

Now everyone truly knew that she had fallen out with her children and was living alone.

But this time, no one said she was lonely or heartless toward her children and grandchildren.

After all, who would like a grandson who cursed his grandmother to her face?

Even if she had meat, it could rot or be thrown away, but she would never give it to that grandson!

The people gossiping behind her back suddenly became fewer.

Yun Xi noticed that the strange looks also lessened and immediately felt much more peaceful.

Everyone was also very warm toward her, telling her that if there was anything she did not understand, she could ask, and if she needed help, she should speak up.

Of course Yun Xi did not stand on ceremony.

Every day, whenever she found characters she did not recognize while reading the newspaper, she asked someone. Whoever she caught, she asked.

She even frequently asked the mayor’s secretary about Russian pronunciation.

Gradually, everyone grew used to it.

This Sister Li truly loved studying.

Her thirst for knowledge was stronger than anyone else’s.

At one general meeting, the leader even specifically praised Yun Xi’s spirit of learning.

People always respected someone like that.

Yun Xi’s relationships at the work unit became better and better.

Even the cafeteria auntie gave her a little extra food every time.

Xiao Zhang also became much closer to Yun Xi.

He was someone no one at home cared for. He had relied entirely on his own intelligence and boldness to carve out a path for himself.

Not only could his family not help him, they often dragged him down.

Because of this, he often sighed that Yun Xi was such a good elder, yet her children failed to cherish her properly.

They were truly foolish.

The days passed one by one like this.

Yun Xi lived comfortably and skillfully at the work unit, while also madly absorbing the knowledge of this world and rapidly enriching herself.

One day, heavy rain fell, accompanied by strong winds.

Close to midnight, someone from the warehouse suddenly came running in a panic and knocked on Yun Xi’s door.

“Sister Li, Xiao Zhang hurt his leg in a fall. It looks pretty serious, but he insists on going to deliver goods. No one can persuade him. Please come help talk him out of it.”

As soon as Yun Xi heard this, she immediately followed them to the warehouse.

She saw Xiao Zhang limping toward the driver’s seat while others tried to stop him.

She hurried over.

“Xiao Zhang! How’s your leg? Why do you have to deliver goods right now? Leg pain can be serious or minor. You need to go to the hospital first.”

Xiao Zhang said anxiously,

“I received an emergency notice. A bridge outside the city collapsed, and they told me to go over immediately to transport supplies.

It’s the middle of the night. I can’t reach drivers from other factories.

If this gets delayed, people might die.”

As he spoke, he took another step forward. Suddenly, he bent over from the pain and gripped his lower leg tightly.

Yun Xi frowned.

“You’re sweating from the pain. Could it be fractured? You can’t drive like this at all. Forcing yourself to drive could be dangerous.”

At that moment, someone ran over through the rain, looking anxious.

They said they had made several phone calls, but no one answered. They had already asked the security team to split up and look for other drivers.

But with wind and rain this heavy, finding someone would be difficult.

And they did not know whether the other person would dare accept the job.

After all, this was Xiao Zhang’s work. Whether others accepted or refused, they would not be punished. Not everyone would be willing to take the risk.

Xiao Zhang was sweating not only from the pain but also from anxiety.

He grabbed the vehicle door and tried to climb up.

Yun Xi pulled him back.

“I’ll deliver it! You hurry to the hospital.”

Everyone’s eyes widened.

Xiao Zhang immediately objected.

“You’ve never driven before. How can you deliver it? No! Wouldn’t that be harming you?”

The others also began persuading her.

How had they failed to persuade one person, only for another to come make trouble?

Time was tight.

Yun Xi did not waste words with them.

She shoved Xiao Zhang toward the others. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. While they hurriedly caught him in confusion, she climbed into the vehicle.

Amid their anxious shouts, she drove the truck out, quickly circled around in front of them, and stopped steadily before them.

Yun Xi opened the door and smiled at Xiao Zhang.

“How’s that? Good enough, right?”

Xiao Zhang stared at her with his mouth open in shock.

“Sister Li, how… how do you know how to drive?”

Yun Xi patted the steering wheel.

“Of course it’s because you taught me well.

Everything’s loaded already, right?

I’ll cover your shift for one day. I guarantee I’ll deliver the goods.

Don’t worry about it. Hurry up and have your leg looked at.

You all watch him. I’m leaving.”

The others nodded subconsciously.

Seeing Yun Xi start the vehicle, Xiao Zhang quickly shouted,

“Sister Li, be careful! You have to be careful! You can’t get a single step wrong! Be careful!”

Inside the truck, Yun Xi waved her hand and drove away.

Although the wind and rain were fierce in the dark night and the road ahead was difficult to see, her five senses were stronger than ordinary people’s.

It was easy for her to avoid puddles and mud pits.

The truck drove fast and steadily, soon disappearing from their sight.

Xiao Zhang was supported on his way to the hospital, but he had yet to recover from his shock.

He knew exactly how much he had taught her.

He had always thought Yun Xi was only watching for fun.

He had never truly taught her carefully, nor had he ever let her try driving.

And yet Yun Xi had learned?

She had simply driven away?

And driven so steadily?

Could it be that Yun Xi had already known how to drive before?

But that was impossible.

At the very beginning, when he told Yun Xi about the truck’s structure and functions, she had clearly been completely confused and knew nothing.

The only explanation was that Yun Xi was extremely clever.

At the very least, far cleverer than he was.

That was why, under such limited conditions, she had learned so quickly and so well.

Thinking about it, wasn’t Yun Xi already clever?

She had nearly finished everything taught in the literacy class and could already read books and newspapers smoothly.

Her talent far exceeded that of many people.

Then Xiao Zhang thought about how Yun Xi had seen him get injured and had helped him cover his shift without hesitation.

The first time she drove, she had braved such heavy wind and rain to take the risk of delivering goods.

She was truly righteous.

Compared to his previous behavior of not teaching her sincerely, he felt very guilty.

Especially after the doctor examined his leg and said the fracture had almost become displaced, Yun Xi had essentially saved his leg.

Otherwise, he might have become lame, or even gotten into an accident while driving.

Xiao Zhang felt guilty and grateful.

He swore that when Yun Xi returned, he would teach her everything he knew, holding nothing back!

On Yun Xi’s side, she had finally gotten to drive a vehicle and was thoroughly enjoying the feeling of speeding through the wind.

She hummed a song while driving forward through the dark night.

After experiencing the joy of driving, the smile on her face grew wider and wider.

She had no idea how huge of a sensation her substitute driving shift had caused back at the work unit.

Everyone who heard about it said she had gone mad.

Some were worried. Some were shocked.

No one could sleep.

They gathered together, waiting for news of her.

With wind and rain this heavy, and this being her first time behind the wheel, could she have just driven herself to her death?

╰───♡───╯

Xiao Zhang, the delivery driver, was in his twenties. He was bold but careful. Back when other people saw a vehicle and did not even dare touch it, he already dared to get hands-on with one.

He was indeed clever. Whatever part he took apart, he could install it back exactly as it had been, guaranteeing he would not damage anything.

He had also gone to the capital and the provincial capital several times for further training, so his skills were quite solid.

At least in this city, whenever a factory’s vehicle broke down, they would invite him over to discuss repairs. It was said that he earned quite a bit of extra money on the side.

Xiao Zhang loved eating meat.

The first time Yun Xi met him, she stuffed two cans of meat into his hands.

After Sister Qin introduced them, she went back. Yun Xi looked at the large truck, her eyes shining.

“This truck is really impressive. I can tell at a glance that you take excellent care of it. You must put a lot of effort into it, right?”

Xiao Zhang laughed.

“This is how I make a living, so of course I have to take care of it. Sister Li, why do you want to learn how to drive? You don’t usually get a chance to drive anyway.”

Yun Xi squatted down and studied the truck’s various structures as she replied,

“I just find it fascinating. For the past forty-something years, I was stuck in the countryside and never saw much of the world. Now that I finally have the chance, of course I want to see and learn more.

I even signed up for literacy classes. I’m learning characters, numbers, and even Russian.

Then I heard you’re especially good with vehicles, so I wanted to learn a bit from you too.

You don’t have to teach me seriously. Just let me watch from the side. I’m only curious.”

The skills someone relied on to earn a living would naturally not be taught casually.

So Yun Xi spoke very lightly.

Sure enough, Xiao Zhang did not mind after hearing her.

Plenty of people had watched him drive and repair vehicles before. Hadn’t none of them learned?

Otherwise, he would not receive special treatment from all the factories.

The main issue was that other people were timid. They were afraid of breaking such a large machine. If they were always holding back, how could they possibly learn to repair vehicles?

A woman in her forties was even less likely to learn.

She was simply joining in the excitement.

So when Xiao Zhang inspected the truck, he let Yun Xi watch from the side. They chatted as he worked, and she could even help hand him a wrench or something while he took a few bites of the canned meat.

Sometimes, when they were loading or unloading goods, Yun Xi would lend a hand and carry a few things.

Her great strength shocked the group of grown men, and each of them gave her a thumbs-up.

Occasionally, when the weather was hot, Yun Xi bought Xiao Zhang an ice pop or handed him a bottle of soda. At the very least, she would take out a handful of sunflower seeds.

Little by little, Xiao Zhang became more and more accustomed to Yun Xi watching nearby. When he drove or inspected the truck, he would casually mention a few things to pay attention to.

In truth, Xiao Zhang simply felt she posed no threat. He treated her like his own aunt and spoke casually.

He never imagined Yun Xi could actually remember it.

Drivers from other factories had to take out notebooks when listening to him talk about these things.

But Yun Xi had once been a demonic cultivator.

Although lightning had destroyed her cultivation, her soul was still far stronger than an ordinary person’s.

She did not have perfect photographic memory, but after seeing something three to five times, she would remember it.

Xiao Zhang did not even notice the things he casually said every day.

Yun Xi, however, firmly stored them all in her mind.

Many people in the municipal government soon knew of Yun Xi’s existence.

First, she had saved the mayor’s family, so everyone understood without saying that they should not offend her for no reason.

Second, after starting work, she interacted warmly with people. Whenever she had free time, she ran to the warehouse to watch Xiao Zhang work on vehicles. She was especially interested in trucks. Everyone found it novel and amusing.

It was the first time they had ever seen a little old lady who liked vehicles.

Of course, it was also the first time they had seen someone her age attending literacy classes every day and even learning Russian.

Whenever people brought her up over tea or after meals, they sighed.

“You really have to get along well with your children. Otherwise, you’ll end up like Sister Li, all alone with nothing to do all day, forced to look for things everywhere just to pass the time.”

They thought Yun Xi was too lonely, which was why she filled her schedule so tightly.

In reality, Yun Xi wanted to understand this unfamiliar world as quickly as possible.

The original owner was indeed illiterate. The characters Yun Xi herself knew were traditional characters. Of course she needed to learn the writing system here as soon as possible.

That way, she could understand more of this world’s wonders through books.

Besides, in the future, if she transmigrated to other worlds, it might come in handy.

Some people even teased her.

“Sister Li, how’s your driving study going? When are you going to take it for a spin?”

Yun Xi smiled.

“Whether I get to drive or not, I’ll learn first. Look at how many people have bicycles now. What if one day small cars become affordable too? I can drive then. Even if I never get to drive, it’s not a loss. I’ve broadened my horizons.”

Everyone laughed.

In their hearts, they thought she truly had no family burden. One person fed meant the whole household was fed.

And she still said it was not a loss?

She had given away canned meat and soda. If those things were given to one’s own grandson, he could be raised into a plump little boy.

They had all noticed that Xiao Zhang had gotten fatter recently, and that was because Yun Xi had been feeding him.

They had truly never seen an old lady like Yun Xi, who completely ignored her children and grandchildren.

No one knew exactly how deep the conflict between her and her descendants was.

Once people’s curiosity was stirred, it did not take many days before they saw Yun Xi’s children and grandchildren.

The Dong family waited an entire month and still did not see Yun Xi return.

Unable to stand the strange looks from the entire village any longer, they discussed it and decided that no matter what, they had to bring Yun Xi home.

Whether life was good or bad, they could not keep carrying the reputation of being unfilial.

As long as Yun Xi returned and they shut the door to live their lives, this bad reputation would slowly fade.

Every day, they went to the brigade leader’s house to make trouble.

Only the brigade leader had issued Yun Xi’s household registration transfer certificate, so only he knew which work unit Yun Xi had gone to.

In the end, the brigade leader could not withstand them anymore and told them.

Only then did everyone learn that the work unit accepting Yun Xi’s household registration was actually the city government!

What kind of existence was the city government?

To the villagers, it was like the doorstep of officialdom, something they could not touch in their entire lives.

Being able to go to the city government was incredibly impressive.

If someone had a proper job inside, it would absolutely be the glory of the entire village.

But Yun Xi, that little old lady?

Was that possible?

The Dong family came to the city government half-believing, half-doubting.

Although they threw their weight around at home, once they reached the city, they instinctively felt inferior. They could not even straighten their backs.

When they asked the gatekeeper about someone, their faces were full of ingratiating smiles.

“Uncle, do you know Li Yunxi? She’s my mother. She said she works here.”

The gatekeeper heard this and looked them up and down several times.

Then he said meaningfully,

“Oh… so you’re Sister Li’s children?”

He glanced at the two children behind them.

They were probably Yun Xi’s grandson and granddaughter.

Both looked rather timid and shrinking.

Their temperaments did not resemble Yun Xi’s at all.

Yun Xi was open and confident. She was much more pleasant to look at.

Dong Zhihong’s eyes lit up.

“Uncle, my mom really works here? What kind of job does she do?”

The gatekeeper gave him no pleasant expression.

“You’re her son, and you don’t know what kind of work she does? Wait by the roadside. I’ll have someone call her.”

Dong Zhihong squatted by the road and quietly cursed a few times.

What was that old man acting so proud for?

The old woman had a municipal government job now.

As long as she transferred that job to him, he would be an employee here too.

When the time came, wouldn’t this old gatekeeper have to smile ingratiatingly at him?

Dong Zhijie also began imagining things.

The city government!

Every department had to give this place some face.

If he could give a few gifts and speak to the right person, maybe he could be transferred to an elementary school in the city.

Then he would truly transform his life.

But judging from the gatekeeper’s attitude, could Yun Xi have been spreading stories at the city government about her children being unfilial?

Wouldn’t that ruin his chance of transferring to a city elementary school?

Other people’s mothers sacrificed everything for their children.

Why was his mother so good at dragging them down?

As for Dong Zhiyong and Dong Zhizhi, their hearts burned with excitement.

Both felt that, as the younger children, the job ought to be passed to them.

Under their eager, longing gazes, Yun Xi soon came out.

Beside her was the enthusiastic Sister Qin.

Sister Qin was afraid Yun Xi would be soft-hearted and suffer a loss, so she specially came along to support her.

The moment Dong Zhizhi saw Yun Xi, she rushed forward and linked arms with her.

“Mom! It was just a few arguments at home. How could you really leave? You don’t even know how much I’ve been thinking about you!”

Wang Huijuan hurriedly choked out,

“Mom, if you didn’t want to use the money to buy Zhihong a job, we didn’t say anything. But you left just like that, and everyone in the brigade is cursing us for being unfilial. They’re practically driving us to death.”

Dong Zhijie sighed and advised,

“Mom, now that your anger has cooled, come back with us. This really doesn’t look good. Besides, with you out here alone, we can’t feel at ease.”

Each of them acted as though they cared deeply about Yun Xi.

Yet their words and expressions all accused Yun Xi of being unreasonable, making everyone see how helpless they were.

It happened to be the lunch break.

Some people were going to the cafeteria for food, while others came over to watch the excitement.

Everyone was surprised that Yun Xi had so many children and grandchildren.

Were all of these the ingrates?

Yun Xi pushed Dong Zhizhi away and put her hands on her hips.

“What kind of accusation are you trying to pin on me this time?

Are you going to say I have long hair and short insight again, that I’m uneducated and unreasonable?

Or are you planning to wrong me by saying I’m making trouble and not being a loving mother?

I was a widow who raised the four of you siblings into strong, healthy adults.

Anyone whose brain hasn’t taken in water knows how well I treated you.

Then look at me.

I’m as thin as a stalk.

My blood was almost sucked dry by all of you.”

Everyone looked.

The contrast really was quite obvious.

The Dong family members were not fat, but they were definitely not thin either. One could tell that they had eaten decently and had not gone hungry.

Yun Xi, on the other hand, looked lean and wiry.

It was said that she had been nourishing her body all this time, yet her health was still not as good as her children’s.

Who had sacrificed for whom was obvious.

Those children clearly wanted to ruin her reputation outside.

They really were ingrates.

Yun Xi gave them no chance to argue.

She pointed at Dong Zhizhi and asked,

“I divided my own room and gave it to you. Where is that room now? You and your third brother sold it, didn’t you?

And now you want me to go back?

Where am I supposed to sleep, on the ridge between fields?”

Then she pointed at Wang Huijuan.

“When a tree grows large, its branches divide. All I did was divide the family and come to the city to work. How exactly did that drive you to death?

If you haven’t done anything shameful, you don’t fear ghosts knocking at your door.

What did you do to make people curse you for being unfilial?

Go find whoever cursed you. Stop trying to use me as your banner.”

“And you!”

Yun Xi pointed at Dong Zhijie.

“You and your wife hide outside every day, secretly eating good food, and you won’t even share a mouthful of soup with me. And you’re worried about me?

The sun must be rising from the west.”

Then Yun Xi saw her grandson secretly glaring at her from behind Wang Huijuan.

She reached out, dragged him forward, and slapped him.

“What are you glaring at? Have you rebelled against the heavens? Try glaring at me again!”

Her grandson jumped in fright and burst into loud sobs.

“Old shrew! Old shrew! Let me go! Don’t expect me to be filial to you in the future. I’ll lock you in the storage room and teach you a lesson!”

The crowd erupted in uproar.

Everyone was stunned by the insults that had spilled so naturally from the child’s mouth.

What did a child this young understand?

He must have remembered those words because he heard adults say them.

Yun Xi secretly felt pleased.

She had known that starting with this boy would bring a pleasant surprise.

She tossed her grandson toward Dong Zhihong and sneered.

“You want to teach me a lesson?

What ability do you have to control me?

Your house was given by me.

Your entire family was raised by me.

What have you ever accomplished on your own?

And you still want to teach me a lesson.

I think you have short hair and short insight too.

You’re a useless coward.

Aside from your old mother, who has ever looked up to you?

Now you can’t even teach your son properly.

Be careful when you grow old, or your son might lock you in a pigsty!”

Didn’t the eldest son spend every day insulting her?

Then she would insult him right back.

Let’s see who had a stronger ability to withstand pressure.

╰───♡───╯

Because the incident happened so suddenly, and because Yun Xi had seized the initiative from the start, the entire village overwhelmingly sided with her.

Even if some people felt that Yun Xi had gone too far, that moving to the city was unreliable, and that perhaps she had been tricked, they still all agreed that the Dong children were a pack of ingrates, each more unfilial than the last.

Just look at how far they had pushed the old woman!

And so, amid their wailing and crying, the brigade leader helped Yun Xi divide the family property.

Yun Xi rolled up a few pieces of clothing, stuffed them into a bag, and hurried off to catch the ox cart.

The villagers did not even have a chance to pull her aside and ask more questions. For a moment, everyone looked at one another, only then realizing that they did not even know where Yun Xi was going.

Fortunately, the brigade leader told them that Yun Xi had transferred her household registration and that a real work unit had accepted her. Only then did they believe that Yun Xi had not been deceived.

Thinking about it, that made sense.

She was a forty-five-year-old old woman.

What would anyone trick her for?

The Dong family’s front gate was tightly shut.

Several people sat dejectedly in the courtyard. The men smoked, the women cried, and from time to time they cursed Yun Xi under their breath. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. But none of them dared to be loud.

They only felt as if dark clouds had gathered over the Dong family.

Their reputations were completely ruined.

It was practically as though the words “unfilial” had been carved onto their faces.

Wasn’t it just mentioning buying a job?

If she didn’t want to buy it, then fine.

How had things escalated to this point?

When it came time to cook, they searched the entire house but could not find any grain. Only then did they remember that the family division had been so chaotic, they had forgotten to ask where the grain was.

Where had those several large sacks of rice, flour, and soybeans gone?

They had not seen Yun Xi take them.

If she had not divided any grain to them, what were they supposed to eat for the next few months?

The group wandered around like headless flies for a long time.

In the end, having no other choice, they went to the cellar to get potatoes to eat as their meal.

Dong Zhiyong and Dong Zhizhi looked at Yun Xi’s room.

Earlier, the promise of that room had shut them up, so they had stopped making trouble.

But now that they thought about it, what was there to divide in that broken room?

The roof leaked when it rained.

The earthen walls were worthless.

It had been built more than ten years ago.

Wasn’t it basically junk?

Every person was dissatisfied.

And the more they looked at one another, the more displeased they became.

Dong Zhizhi cried,

“It’s all Eldest Brother’s fault for being selfish! If he hadn’t demanded eight hundred yuan, Mom wouldn’t have divided the family!”

Dong Zhiyong pointed at Dong Zhihong and cursed,

“You talk every day about being the eldest son, but you don’t act like one at all. You’re the one who took the most benefits. You’re nothing but a disaster!”

“I’m your older brother! You dare curse me? I’ll beat you to death!”

Dong Zhihong’s anger surged. He grabbed a shoulder pole and swung it at him.

Dong Zhijie frowned as he looked at them, then pulled his wife and child back into their room.

With disgust, he said,

“The whole family shares one kitchen. If we keep living with them, this kind of fighting might happen every day. We need to find a way to sell this house and build another one elsewhere. Only then can we live our good days in peace.”

Wang Xuefen hesitated.

“But we’re still short a lot of money. If we build a house, we’ll have to borrow money. How long would it take to pay that back?”

Dong Zhijie was quite confident.

“I’m a teacher, and you’re the scorekeeper. We’re much better off than others. Are we really afraid we won’t be able to pay it back?

You go borrow some from your parents’ family. I’ll borrow some from my colleagues at the village school. Let’s gather the money quickly and build the house. Then we can spend New Year’s in our new home and get an auspicious start.

Who knows? Maybe in the future, I’ll find a way to transfer to a school in the city, and we’ll become city people too.”

The two of them looked toward the future and felt that it would surely be wonderful.

Although they had not received any money this time, there were so many people in the family that they would not have gotten much even if money had been divided.

For them, escaping this large family was already a good thing.

As for what happened to the old woman, they did not care in the slightest.

In any case, after the old woman spent some time away and returned, by reason, she should live with the eldest son’s family.

Even if she wanted to live alone, she would have to argue with the third son and the others to get her room back.

That had nothing to do with their second branch.

Dong Zhiyong and Dong Zhizhi also thought of this.

Although they disliked how shabby Yun Xi’s room was, they still went to ask around among the educated youths who wanted to move out of the youth dormitory and young couples who wanted to split from their families, asking who might be willing to buy the room.

Only money in their hands truly belonged to them.

Because of this, even more people secretly cursed them for being unfilial.

Yun Xi had only just left.

Everyone thought that after a few days, once she could not stay outside any longer, she would return. When the time came, her children could lower their heads, and the conflict would pass.

But now they were already trying to sell the room.

Wasn’t that cutting off Yun Xi’s path of retreat?

No one wanted to wade into the muddy waters of the Dong family.

The Dong family’s rooms did not sell.

In the end, after they gritted their teeth and lowered the price considerably, two educated youths finally bought the second branch’s room and Yun Xi’s two rooms.

The eldest branch of the Dong family was petty.

Afraid the others would take advantage of his household, Dong Zhihong immediately put up a fence in the middle of the courtyard.

As a result, the courtyard became narrow.

Every day, going in and out felt stifling and uncomfortable.

All of this had been given to them by Yun Xi.

Their resentment toward Yun Xi grew heavier and heavier.

Every day, they thought that when Yun Xi came back, they would properly teach her a lesson and make her understand that once a person grew old, they had to obediently listen to their sons.

Otherwise, when old age left them with no one to rely on, they would have nowhere to cry.

Would Yun Xi return?

Of course not!

Right now, she was living freely, practically like an immortal. She had long since tossed that pack of ingrates to the back of her mind.

Her luck was good.

The village she had transmigrated into was right next to a fairly large city.

Although it was the 1970s, the city had developed quite well. It had all kinds of factories. The workers laughed and chatted as they went to and from work, looking full of energy.

There were also several universities.

The university students looked refined, their faces filled with pride and hope.

It was just that the college entrance examination had currently been abolished, and admission was based on recommendation. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. According to the original owner’s memories, even when the college entrance exam was restored in a couple of years, there would be age restrictions.

Otherwise, Yun Xi would have wanted to try taking it herself, just to see what all those people yearned to study in university.

In the department store, goods filled the shelves in dazzling variety.

Televisions and bicycles were displayed in the middle.

Inside the counters were exquisite watches.

Beautiful blouses imported from Haishi were even hanging on the wall.

After staying in the city for several days, Yun Xi felt that leaving the village had absolutely been the right decision.

If she had stayed in the village, she would have dealt with dust flying everywhere, chickens crowing, dogs barking, and still had to work in the fields.

Otherwise, she would be accused of avoiding labor.

Even eating something good would draw gossip.

How could that compare to now, where she stayed clean every day and ate delicious food at the cafeteria?

The municipal government cafeteria served very good food, and the portions were generous.

If she did not have enough grain coupons, she could exchange a sufficient amount of grain for food at the service window.

Yun Xi had brought all the Dong family’s grain with her.

An entire family’s grain was now being used by her alone.

It was more than enough.

If there was meat, she exchanged for meat.

If there was no meat, she still exchanged for two tasty vegetarian dishes.

Every meal filled her stomach, and her complexion improved at once.

Sister Qin, a coworker in the Logistics Department, joked,

“Our work unit really does nourish people. Look at Old Li, she’s much more energetic than when she first arrived.”

Yun Xi smiled.

“Of course. I even want to buy some vanishing cream and eat some nutritional supplements. My body was terribly depleted before. I have to nourish it properly, don’t I?”

“Then after work, let’s go to the supply and marketing cooperative together. I happen to have some unused coupons. I’ll exchange them with you. You can get some malted milk powder, red dates, brown sugar, things like that. They’re guaranteed to work.”

Sister Qin became enthusiastic.

She knew that Yun Xi had fallen out with her children and was now earning money for herself and spending it on herself.

Some of the industrial coupons distributed by the unit could not all be used, so Yun Xi was happy to enjoy food and drink.

Sister Qin usually could not bear to indulge herself, and she had quite a few cloth coupons, milk powder coupons, and the like in hand.

It was perfect for the two of them to trade.

Yun Xi did not stand on ceremony either.

After work, the two went shopping together.

She had obtained this job in exchange for saving lives.

The one thousand yuan in her hands had not yet been spent.

Now that she had Sister Qin’s coupons, of course she bought whatever she could.

First, she bought cloth and cotton to make quilts, mattresses, pillows, and curtains.

Then she bought a water bottle, a mirror, vanishing cream, hair ties, clothes, pants, blouses, and even shoes.

She also bought malted milk powder, brown sugar, and other items.

Bag after bag, she used up all of Sister Qin’s coupons.

Sister Qin was stunned beside her and hurriedly stopped her.

“That’s enough, enough! It’s too much. We’re out of coupons, so take it easy. Why did you buy so much?”

Yun Xi smiled.

“I’m short of everything. These are all things I can use for a long time. One purchase will last for several years. This is not the kind of thing I should save on.

Besides, I treated myself badly for the past several decades. At my age, who knows how many days I have left? If I have the means, I should treat myself better. Don’t you think?”

Sister Qin thought about it and realized that made sense.

She also felt somewhat sympathetic toward Yun Xi.

Although her own large family had its share of frustrations, overall they were harmonious.

Someone like Yun Xi, whose children were unfilial, was seen by everyone as a lonely and pitiful person.

So Sister Qin did not think Yun Xi was being wasteful.

Instead, she said,

“If you’re missing anything else, just tell me. I’ll help you find people to exchange with. Our municipal government may not have much else, but we don’t lack coupons.”

That was still a modest way of putting it.

The benefits at the municipal government were quite good.

Compared to other places, they lacked nothing.

Things like towels, toothpaste, washbasins, and enamel mugs did not even need to be bought. They were always distributed during holidays.

Yun Xi’s current monthly salary was twenty yuan.

The benefits were good.

She still had grain and savings in hand.

Her little life was incredibly comfortable.

As for others constantly thinking she was pitiful and sympathizing with her, what of it?

It made speaking and handling matters more convenient for her.

She received a lot of goodwill.

Wasn’t that better than having people think she was an unloving mother and gossip about her?

On their way back, even with Yun Xi’s strength, carrying so many things left her tired.

And that was with Sister Qin helping.

If she had been alone, she would not have been able to carry everything.

She watched the small cars and buses drive past on the road and sighed.

“How convenient would it be to have a vehicle? You put everything inside and don’t even have to walk.”

Sister Qin burst out laughing.

“Old Li, you really dare to dream. Even our mayor doesn’t have his own private car. He uses the municipal government’s car. For ordinary people like us, having a bicycle is already amazing.”

Yun Xi thought to herself that according to the original owner’s memories, in the future, most families would be able to afford small cars. There would be so many cars on the roads that license plate restrictions would have to be imposed.

She had to live to a hundred and properly watch the changes of the era.

When the time came, she would also go online and play with a cell phone.

But returning to the present, she still needed to live well in this era first.

Watching the car drive away, Yun Xi casually said,

“One should still have dreams. I wonder whether learning to drive is hard. It shouldn’t be difficult, right?”

After all, so many people in the future could drive.

“That precious thing isn’t something just anyone can drive.

Look around. If someone knows how to drive, they can become a tractor driver. Delivering goods every day earns quite a bit, and wherever they go, people flatter them and serve them good food and drink.

Driving is a proper technical skill. We don’t understand it.

Speaking of which, in our municipal government, only the mayor’s driver and Little Zhang from warehouse deliveries know how to drive.

Xiao Zhang is capable. I heard he can even repair vehicles.”

Yun Xi’s eyes lit up when she heard that.

“Then I’ll go ask Xiao Zhang to teach me. Even if he won’t let me drive, touching the vehicle is fine too. I just like vehicles.

Sister Qin, help introduce me to him.

Here, these two bottles of canned fruit will count as my thank-you gift.”

Sister Qin jumped in fright.

So that was why Yun Xi had bought canned yellow peaches even though it was not a holiday or special occasion.

It turned out they were for her.

She hurriedly refused.

She was merely exchanging coupons with Yun Xi. How could she accept something from her?

Yun Xi pressed down on her hand.

“I’m unfamiliar with everything in the city. Sister Qin, you’ve helped me plenty. You’re even helping me carry my bags right now. If you keep refusing, you’ll be treating me like an outsider.”

Sister Qin accepted them with embarrassment.

In her heart, she thought that Sister Li was such a good person.

For her to be driven into cutting ties with her children, it must absolutely be those ingrates’ fault.

Sister Li was so pitiful and such a good person.

She had to take better care of her.

Tomorrow, she would introduce Sister Li to Xiao Zhang.

╰───♡───╯

The mayor’s secretary worked very efficiently. The very next day, he took Yun Xi to complete all of her employment paperwork and then led her around several offices to introduce her to everyone.

No one who worked in the municipal government was stupid. Nothing needed to be said explicitly. Everyone was already very friendly toward Yun Xi. After making a few inquiries about her afterward, they became even more cordial.

She was even assigned a private room in the dormitory.

Although it was small, tucked away in a corner, and farther from the restroom and washing facilities than the other rooms, Yun Xi was delighted to have a place to herself. She specifically treated the mayor’s secretary to a meal.

The secretary did not refuse.

Relationships lasted longest when favors flowed both ways. After all, this was the savior of the mayor’s family. Becoming a little closer could only be beneficial.

After staying one more day at the mayor’s house, Yun Xi finally returned to the village.

The first thing she did was go to the brigade leader’s house to return the bicycle. She even brought a strip of pork with her.

“Brigade Leader, sorry for borrowing your bicycle for two days. Take a look, not a scratch on it. I was very careful.”

Just like the original owner, Yun Xi walked in as if she were family, sat down on the heated kang bed, and immediately started chatting.

The brigade leader’s wife was curious about why she had not returned for two days. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. She said that if Yun Xi had not come back soon, they would have had to send people out to look for her.

Yun Xi wiped at her eyes.

“Isn’t it all because of my unfilial children? My son wants my coffin money, my grandson calls me a shrew, and my daughter and daughters-in-law think I’m embarrassing. Tell me, what’s the point of living anymore?”

The brigade leader’s wife jumped in fright.

“You mustn’t think like that! If children misbehave, you scold them or beat them. If that doesn’t work, I’ll have my husband go teach them a lesson. But you absolutely can’t give up on life!”

Yun Xi sighed.

“Sister-in-law, this time I’ve figured things out. At our age, what are we still working for? If children and grandchildren aren’t filial, then we should treat ourselves better.

You know what?

I got lucky in the city and met a wonderful older sister willing to help me. She found a job for me.

I’m about to start working.

Oh, and Brigade Leader, I’ll need you to help me with the paperwork to transfer my household registration. In the future, if you ever need ration coupons, come find me. I can trade for them with the food we have in the countryside.”

The brigade leader and his wife exchanged glances.

Both were a little stunned.

When they tried asking more questions, Yun Xi refused to elaborate.

Then they thought about it.

Finding a job was already difficult enough. Transferring household registration was even harder.

Of course she would keep that kind of thing secret.

And besides, now that Yun Xi was in the city, she was still willing to help them exchange ration coupons. They would have someone in the city they could rely on.

That was a good thing.

The brigade leader immediately issued the necessary documents without another word.

He did not dare try too hard to persuade her.

What if the old woman became upset and jumped into a river?

Then he, as brigade leader, would be in serious trouble.

Yun Xi also asked him to accompany her home and witness the division of the family property.

The moment she returned home, Yun Xi sneered.

Sure enough, putting everything into the Qiankun Mirror’s space had been the right choice.

Her room had clearly been searched.

Even the dust that used to sit in the cracks of the cabinet had been rubbed away.

And judging from the state of things, more than one person had gone through it.

The others hurried out when they heard movement.

“Mom, why did you come back so late?”

“Mom, where did you go?”

“Mom, did you buy the job?”

Yun Xi invited the brigade leader to sit down.

Then she crossed one leg over the other, pulled out a handful of sunflower seeds, and began cracking them leisurely.

“I bought the job.

For myself.

Today we’re dividing the family property.

I’m moving to the city, and from now on I won’t be taking care of any of you anymore.

You can run your own households however you want. That way you won’t have to spend every day complaining about me.

Let’s see whether you can actually live a good life on your own.”

“What?!”

Dong Zhihong’s eyes widened.

“You bought a job for yourself?”

He was both furious and shocked.

“Stop fooling around! You’re an old woman. What kind of job can you possibly do? What do you even know how to do?”

“What business is it of yours?”

Yun Xi looked at him with open disdain.

“I raised all four of you by myself and still managed to build houses and marry you off.

And what about you?

You can’t even support your own wife and child.

Yet you want to empty out my retirement savings.

What gives you the right to look down on me?”

The neighbors had already gathered to watch.

Dong Zhihong’s expression stiffened.

“Look at you, being unreasonable again. When did I ever look down on you? I’m just stating facts. Ask everyone here whether they’ve ever heard of someone your age buying a job. You were obviously scammed!”

“Even if I was scammed, it’s my retirement money. It has nothing to do with you.”

Yun Xi pulled a notebook out of her cloth bag.

It was filled with crooked numbers and misspelled characters. The original owner had used it to keep accounts.

She began reading aloud.

“When you were little, you got sick all the time. Every treatment cost more than ten yuan.

Then there were your school fees.

And despite all that, you still barely finished elementary school.

When you got married, building your house and furniture cost two hundred and thirty yuan.

Eighty-eight yuan was spent on your wife.

Then when your child was born, you kept shouting about being the eldest son and producing the eldest grandson, and you took another hundred yuan…”

If she had not calculated it, she would never have known.

Once she did, she discovered money everywhere.

Raising Dong Zhihong had cost a fortune.

Especially because Yun Xi repeatedly emphasized how many times Dong Zhihong had personally asked for money.

The villagers’ expressions toward him began to change.

Normally, the eldest son in a village family was the backbone of the household.

He did the most work, cared for his younger siblings, and helped his parents make decisions.

From the outside, the Dong family had seemed no different from anyone else.

Now they were learning that whenever anything happened in the family, it was Yun Xi who handled it.

The eldest son fought with his siblings over resources, avoided work, and looked down on his own mother.

What kind of person was that?

Wang Huijuan hurried forward and tugged on Yun Xi’s sleeve.

“Mom, why are you bringing all this up? It’s family business. It doesn’t look good for everyone to hear it.”

Yun Xi slapped her hand away.

“What’s wrong with letting them hear?

Today I’m settling all the accounts once and for all.

Otherwise, you’ll keep throwing mud at me later.

Do you think I don’t know you’ve been telling people I mistreat you?

Bah!

Since the day you married into this family, you’ve eaten an egg every two or three days. During your confinement after childbirth, there was never a day without chicken soup.

And you still say I mistreated you?

You ought to be ashamed of yourself.

Get out of my sight.”

Wang Huijuan immediately burst into tears.

“I never said that…”

The villagers began discussing it loudly.

“She never said it directly, but somehow I always had the impression she was suffering.”

“That’s because every time someone mentioned Aunt Li, Wang Huijuan would act like she wanted to say something but wouldn’t, and she’d always look upset.”

“Exactly! Wasn’t she deliberately misleading us? Turns out she’s been eating better than I do at home!”

Yun Xi then started reading through the money spent on Dong Zhijie.

Books, notebooks, writing supplies.

There had been plenty of expenses.

Because he was a teacher, he owned the most respectable clothing in the family.

He even had a pair of leather shoes.

His house had been built, and he had been married off as well.

Dong Zhijie and Wang Xuefen were both thin-skinned and cared deeply about appearances.

They hurriedly said,

“Mom, please don’t be angry. We know how hard you’ve worked all these years. Now that we’re adults, we’ll definitely be filial to you. We won’t ask you for money anymore.

Big Brother, hurry up and apologize too. Emptying out the family savings to buy a job for yourself was never appropriate.”

The way they said it made them sound very reasonable, as though all the blame belonged to the eldest son.

And sure enough, the villagers looked toward Dong Zhihong.

After all, this entire mess had started because of him.

Dong Zhiyong and Dong Zhizhi hurriedly joined in.

“Mom, we never got married or had houses built for us. You hardly spent anything on us.”

Yun Xi immediately replied,

“You two studied longer than everyone else.

And after finishing school, neither of you worked properly to earn work points.

How many years of labor did the family lose because of that?

All you did was grow bigger mouths to feed.

Wasn’t it just the other day that Third Brother was saying that if Eldest Brother got a job, he deserved one too?

Not one of you ever thought about me.

You’ve grown up without learning any useful skills, yet all you know is how to demand money from me.

Are you trying to suck me dry?

This is how things stand.

Today we divide the family.

From now on, whether your lives turn out good or bad, don’t come blaming me.

As for money?

There isn’t any.

I already spent enough raising all of you over the years.

I’m still wearing clothes from ten years ago.

The little money I had was used to buy myself a job, and that will be my retirement plan.

I won’t need any of you to support me in old age.

Everything left in this house will be divided equally.

The brigade leader and all the villagers can witness it.

From now on, everyone lives their own life.”

Dong Zhihong shouted,

“I refuse!

Everyone, tell me honestly. Has my mother gone crazy?

She spent all the money on some so-called job. Who knows whether she was scammed?

And now she wants to divide the family and move to the city.

How can anyone feel at ease about that?”

A few people had just begun nodding when Yun Xi jumped up and slapped him.

“You just want me to stay here as a workhorse until the day I die!

I spent my entire life sacrificing for all of you, and now that I’m old, you still won’t leave me alone.

What?

Are you trying to drive me to my death?”

“Calm down, Sister-in-law. Calm down!”

The brigade leader hurriedly intervened.

“Zhihong, enough already.

You’re always making your mother angry.

You complain that she’s ignorant and uneducated.

Now she wants to live on her own, so stop trying to stop her.

It’s not like staying with you has brought her any happiness.”

That statement practically nailed Dong Zhihong’s reputation for being unfilial to a pillar of shame.

Both he and Wang Huijuan desperately tried to explain themselves.

But Yun Xi continued speaking to the crowd.

“I work every day and earn full work points.

I pinch pennies and calculate every expense for this family.

And they complain that I’m stingy because I won’t let everyone eat until they’re stuffed.

Tell me, which family in this village can afford to eat as much as they want?

How am I supposed to tolerate that kind of accusation?

From now on, they can manage their own household.

Everyone can watch and see whether they actually manage to eat their fill.”

At that point, who could possibly persuade her not to divide the family?

Who could possibly tell her to keep living with the eldest son?

Wouldn’t that just be forcing her to suffer?

Some people were still confused and wondering whether Old Madam Dong’s life had really been this miserable all along.

But there were far more people who simply enjoyed the spectacle.

Before long, everyone was urging the brigade leader to divide the family immediately.

The second son and his wife were anxious too.

This was humiliating.

But things had already reached this stage.

It was obvious Yun Xi would never hand over the money.

For them, dividing the family was actually beneficial.

They would no longer have to secretly cook extra meals for themselves.

They could openly enjoy a better life.

After all, among the entire family, they had the best jobs and earned the most money.

In their minds, they were the real victims being drained.

So Dong Zhijie was the first to step forward.

“Then let’s divide the family.

Mom, you’re angry right now, so I won’t argue.

But once you calm down, don’t forget that we’ll still be filial to you.”

Seeing the situation unfold like this, Dong Zhiyong became frantic.

“This isn’t fair!

Eldest Brother and Second Brother both got houses and families.

I got nothing.

I’m the one taking the biggest loss!”

Dong Zhizhi was equally anxious.

“Mom, what kind of job is it?

Maybe… maybe let me take it instead?

I’ll give you half my salary every month.”

Ordinarily, that might have sounded reasonable.

But Yun Xi’s face remained completely cold.

Without giving the villagers any chance to mediate, she said directly,

“If you two had ever been filial, I would have given you everything.

But you’re both ungrateful ingrates.

You won’t even pour me a cup of water most days, and now you want to suck my blood too?

Get lost.”

She pointed at the house behind her.

“I’m moving to the city.

I don’t want my room anymore.

The two of you can split it.

I’ve already done everything I possibly could for you.

Back when I was still in confinement after giving birth, I got up to work so I could feed you all.

I damaged my health and shortened my lifespan.

For all these years, I never even allowed myself medicine or treatment.

I’ve done more than enough for you.

From now on, the greatest act of filial piety you can show me is leaving me alone.

Having children like you is the worst luck I’ve suffered in eight lifetimes!”

The siblings were being openly called unfilial in front of everyone.

They immediately burst into tears and started protesting.

The villagers had never seen anything like this.

Even when children truly were unfilial, mothers usually covered for them in public.

Who openly declared before the entire village that their children and grandchildren were unfilial?

From the sound of it, she did not even intend to associate with them anymore.

Everyone discussed it among themselves.

They all agreed that Yun Xi must have been completely heartbroken by her children.

Otherwise, she could never have acted this way.

After all, they still remembered the countless times she had fought with other people to defend her children.

Before long, every villager was pointing fingers and whispering about the Dong family.

It became the most humiliating moment of their lives.

╰───♡───╯

The Qiankun Mirror expressed concern. Judging from the original owner’s memories, household registration management was extremely strict in this era. To travel elsewhere, one needed a letter of introduction. With a rural household registration, it was nearly impossible to move around freely in the city. Even if one stayed briefly at a relative’s home, they would be sent back to their place of origin after a few days.

For Yun Xi to come looking for work so optimistically, she was probably going to run into obstacles everywhere.

Yun Xi, however, felt that the Qiankun Mirror was too rule-abiding. Where there was a will, there was a way. Since private job buying and selling existed, there had to be other routes as well. Naturally, she had chosen to enter the city today because there was a route available in the city today!

Back then, the original owner had hesitated for a long time before finally taking the money and going into the city with her eldest son to buy the job. After completing the handover procedures, she had originally wanted to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a few things, only to see a huge crowd blocking the road and many public security officers present.

The two of them had squeezed in to watch and heard that a man had stolen a child, drugged him unconscious, and carried him inside a bag. The child’s grandmother had searched all over the street and, sharp-eyed, noticed a corner of her little grandson’s clothing sticking out through a gap in the bag. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. She immediately rushed over, shouting for help while tearing at him.

In his panic, the man pulled out a small knife and stabbed the old woman. While fleeing, he threw away the bag in his hand and injured several people before the public security officers pinned him down. Later, it was said that the old woman died, and the child hit the back of his head and became simple-minded. The two of them were actually the mayor’s family!

Because of this incident, the original owner had kept muttering afterward that the village was still safer. Her eldest son had scolded her several times for having long hair but short insight, and had even said with hindsight that if he had been at the scene and saved them, it would have been great. If he had connected himself to the mayor, would he still have had to worry about his future?

So here Yun Xi was, coming to save people.

First, she went to the state-run restaurant and bought a plate of dumplings to eat. They were stuffed with pork and scallions. This city was second only to the provincial capital, and the chef’s skill was excellent. To Yun Xi, who had long since practiced inedia and had just eaten a cornbread bun, this was simply a delicacy of the mortal world.

【This is the kind of life a demon queen should live. Once I come to the city, I’m going to eat well and dress well every day. I’m not the kind of demon who enjoys suffering.】

After eating and drinking her fill, Yun Xi leisurely went to the supply and marketing cooperative.

There were quite a few things she had never seen before. Toothpaste, toothbrushes, canned fruit, hair clips, hair ties. She bought a little of everything. Before long, she was carrying a large bag full of things.

Just then, someone outside suddenly screamed.

Yun Xi quickly followed the others and ran out to see. An old woman had grabbed hold of a man and was shouting,

“He stole my grandson! Hurry and catch him!”

The man said impatiently,

“Mom, stop making trouble. I’m joining the army to contribute to the country. A good man’s ambitions lie in all directions. Don’t stop me. Let go!”

Yun Xi gained some new insight.

So this kind of trick was possible too?

Look at the people around them. Those who had originally wanted to help had begun hesitating. Some people really did cry and make trouble to stop their sons or grandsons from joining the army. It truly was possible they were one family. If outsiders blindly interfered, they might end up blamed by both sides.

The old woman was both anxious and furious. Seeing that she could not hold onto the man, she lowered her head and bit his hand.

“Give my grandson back! Don’t be fooled by him! He’s a child thief!”

Once she bit him hard enough to draw blood, they looked much less like one family.

Seeing more and more people gathering around, and even some people wanting to help, the man’s face turned vicious. He pulled out a small knife and stabbed toward the old woman.

“He has a knife! He’s using a knife!”

The crowd instantly fell into chaos.

Yun Xi lifted her bag and threw it straight at the man’s face. Two bottles of canned fruit smashed into him. The man staggered, and blood streamed from his nose.

Seizing that opening, Yun Xi rushed forward, yanked the old woman away, grabbed the man’s wrist, and twisted.

The small knife flew away.

“Ah!”

The man let out a scream, his face twisted in pain. He kicked toward Yun Xi, and while Yun Xi dodged, he turned and ran.

The old woman had already collapsed weakly to the ground in fright, but she was still trying to crawl forward.

“My grandson, my grandson is in his bag…”

Several people blocked the man up ahead, and some even raised sticks to strike him.

Seeing this, the man directly threw the bag he was carrying toward the other side, trying to break through the crowd.

Yun Xi shouted,

“Careful, the child!”

Before her voice had even fallen, she had already rushed over and caught the bag, rolling once across the ground.

The old woman scrambled over, half crawling and half stumbling, her voice trembling.

“My grandson, my grandson…”

Yun Xi opened the bag and handed the child to her.

“Quick, see if he’s your family’s child.”

“Yes! Yes!”

The old woman nodded repeatedly, tears falling nonstop. She pressed her forehead against the child’s and became completely flustered.

“He has a fever. The child has a high fever. Little sister…”

The old woman had a heart condition. Her face was pale, and she had yet to recover from the shock. Out of instinct, she looked at Yun Xi and said this.

Yun Xi picked up the child and pulled the old woman to her feet.

“Hurry to the hospital. I have a bicycle! Where’s my bike? Everyone, move aside. Where’s my bike?”

The crowd had not yet reacted, but they hurriedly opened a path for her.

Yun Xi mounted the bicycle and had the old woman sit on the back holding the child, then headed straight for the hospital.

She had already ridden quite a distance before she heard the commotion behind her as the man was finally subdued.

When they reached the hospital, the doctor immediately sent the child into the emergency room, gave injections, started an IV, and arranged a ward. The old woman was also examined and given medicine.

Because Yun Xi had brought them away so quickly, even now, the only person beside the grandmother and grandson was still Yun Xi, who helped run back and forth and paid the medical expenses in advance.

She had been working in the fields that morning, so she was covered in dust. She had beaten the eldest son earlier, and just now she had rolled on the ground. Even her hair was messy now, but that only made her seem even more simple and genuine.

In any case, when the mayor received the news and hurried over, that was his first impression of her: a simple, brave countryside old woman had saved his mother and his son!

The doctor said the old woman had heart disease and could not withstand excessive shock. If she had arrived any later, she might have gone into shock.

His son had been drugged by the criminal and developed a high fever. Fortunately, treatment had been timely. He would wake up in another two hours, and his body had not been harmed.

If it had not been for Yun Xi, the mayor did not dare imagine what kind of disaster his family would have suffered.

When the old woman saw the mayor, she began crying.

As she cried, she said,

“I only looked away for one moment, and the child disappeared. It scared me to death. If anything had happened to Yangyang, I wouldn’t have lived either!”

The mayor quickly comforted her.

As the old woman spoke about the danger at the time, she remembered Yun Xi and hurriedly grabbed Yun Xi’s hand, saying to the mayor,

“It’s all thanks to this little sister that I was saved. At that moment, the knife had already stabbed into my clothes. I was nearly stabbed to death. And Yangyang too. That bastard saw he couldn’t escape, so he threw Yangyang into the air. Aiyo, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest. Thank goodness this little sister caught the child!”

The old woman asked Yun Xi with concern,

“Little sister, how are you? Are you hurt? I saw you fall pretty hard.”

Yun Xi shook her head.

“I’m thick-skinned and tough. A bruise will heal in a couple of days. I’m fine. As long as the child didn’t fall, that’s all that matters.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much. Oh, right, little sister, my name is Liu Guixiang. What’s yours?”

“Li Yunxi.”

“Aiyo, what a lovely name.”

The old woman grabbed the mayor’s hand again.

“Sister Li is our family’s great benefactor. You have to thank her properly.”

The mayor said,

“Comrade, I must thank you especially. Today, you not only saved my mother and my child, you also stopped that criminal from injuring people in time. There were so many people present. If the criminal had panicked and attacked with his knife, many people could have been hurt. Thank you so much! Under those circumstances, you still dared to rush forward. You took an enormous risk. You were truly brave!”

Yun Xi said,

“If I saw something like that, of course I had to lend a hand. I have children and grandchildren too. If I put myself in her shoes, the moment I saw how anxious elder sister was, I knew it didn’t look fake. Then that criminal was lying, saying something about joining the army and leaving. I thought something was wrong, so I hurried forward through the crowd. Otherwise, I might not have made it in time.”

The old woman was deeply moved.

“That criminal was far too cunning. Everyone believed his lies at the time. I was terrified to death. It really takes mothers and grandmothers like us to see through something like that.”

Yun Xi casually sighed and said,

“That’s why people say a mother’s love is great. When danger comes, we don’t even need to think before risking our lives. The problem is that children don’t necessarily understand a mother’s sacrifices. Elder Sister, you’re lucky. Your son cares so much about you and is so filial, and your grandson is adorable too.

I’m not so fortunate. My four children are each more unfilial than the last. They even got into a fight today. They made me so angry that I ran away from home and didn’t even want to go back. Just seeing them makes my blood boil.”

The old woman already regarded Yun Xi as a younger sister.

The moment she heard this, she became angry on Yun Xi’s behalf.

“With such a wonderful mother, and they still won’t behave? They deserve a good scolding.”

She turned to the mayor and said,

“Changde, from now on our two families should visit each other often. You’re older, so help teach Aunt Li’s children a lesson when you can.”

What she really meant was that she wanted the mayor to help Yun Xi’s children.

Maintaining close ties with the mayor’s family would undoubtedly bring countless benefits.

The mayor was just about to agree when Yun Xi waved both hands repeatedly.

“Please don’t bother with those worthless brats. I worked myself to the bone raising them, and they still tell their children that I’m a shrew. Bah! Every one of them is selfish and self-serving. From now on, I’m done taking care of them.”

She glanced at the clock hanging in the hallway and stood up.

“Well then, now that your family is here, Elder Sister, I can stop worrying. I still need to ask around about something, so I won’t stay any longer.”

The old woman was still feeling sympathetic toward Yun Xi.

Hearing that, she immediately grabbed her hand.

“What is it? Just tell me. If I don’t know the answer, I’ll have Changde ask someone else.”

Yun Xi replied,

“I’m asking about finding a job.

Today my eldest son said someone was selling a job. It would cost eight hundred yuan to get into the city. Wouldn’t that empty out the entire family? The other children wouldn’t accept that either. I disagreed, and my eldest son cursed at me. Then they all started fighting.

That made me realize something. No matter how successful any of them become, they’ll never be filial to me. Instead of depending on them, I might as well find a job myself and enjoy the second half of my life.”

“A job? You want a job?”

The old woman’s eyes widened.

Even the mayor looked surprised.

There were certainly people in their forties and fifties working in the city. But they were either long-established employees who had entered the workforce years ago or people doing odd jobs for extra money.

They had never seen someone from the countryside, at this age, trying to enter the city workforce.

Yun Xi spoke as though it were perfectly natural.

“I’m only forty-five. You saw my strength today. I’m stronger than plenty of young people. Why can’t I find a job?

My eldest son can find one, so why can’t I? I’m better than he is.

He spends all day calling me illiterate and uneducated, but I’ve secretly taught myself quite a few characters already.

Besides, I don’t think my second son’s teaching skills are anything special. If they let me do it, I could teach too. Who doesn’t know that one plus one equals two?

They’re always looking down on me.

I heard that city workers get grain and cooking oil every month. Then I wouldn’t even have to farm to eat.

And who knows? Maybe I could even become a teacher someday.”

To anyone listening, it was obvious she knew little about city life and was oversimplifying things.

Everything she described was essentially impossible.

For ordinary people, at least.

For people with connections in the city, however, it was not difficult at all.

The mayor immediately understood what she really wanted.

She wanted an urban household registration.

She wanted a formal job.

She wanted a place to live.

Most of all, she wanted to stop going home and suffering at the hands of her children.

Today, if it had not been for Yun Xi, there would have been a major violent incident. As mayor, he would have faced consequences as well.

More importantly, his mother and son had been saved.

Whether because of gratitude or obligation, he had every reason to repay Yun Xi.

The mayor spoke up.

“I can arrange that matter myself. Aunt Li, just wait for the news.”

The mayor stepped outside and instructed his secretary to make arrangements.

First, Yun Xi needed to receive recognition for her act of bravery.

Then she would be placed in the Municipal Government Logistics Department.

If she worked under his watch, he could look after her personally. Even if she made mistakes, he would be able to help resolve them.

Seeing Yun Xi’s astonished expression, the old woman smiled and whispered,

“Sister Li, just relax. My son is capable. He’s the mayor of our city. He’ll definitely arrange everything properly for you.”

“The mayor? Really?”

Yun Xi appropriately displayed a bit of shock and uncertainty.

The Qiankun Mirror: …

She really loved acting.

Apparently she was having a great time.

The old woman continued,

“No matter what official position he holds, he’s still an ordinary person. Today you saved my life. You’re my great benefactor. If you ever run into difficulties in the future, just come to me. We’ll treat each other like real sisters.”

Truthfully, if her grandson had really disappeared under her watch and something had happened to him, she would never have been able to face her son and daughter-in-law again.

Even if nobody stabbed her to death, she probably would have swallowed poison and killed herself.

Even now, the thought filled her with lingering fear.

Yun Xi truly had saved her life.

The old woman continued chatting with Yun Xi and even invited her to stay the night rather than return home.

As they talked, Yun Xi gradually became warmer and more familiar with her.

The old woman grew happier and happier, constantly calling her “Little Sister.”

Meanwhile, back in the village, the Dong family spent most of the day anxiously waiting for Yun Xi to return.

But she never came back.

That night, the eldest son tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.

Wasn’t his mother supposed to be buying him a job?

Where was she?

╰───♡───╯

Dong Zhiyong quietly told them what had happened earlier and urged them to hurry up and work, so they would not cause any more trouble. Right now, every household was cooking at home. If the commotion got any louder, the neighbors would hear, and people would laugh at them.

After hearing this, the second son, Dong Zhijie, wanted to call Dong Zhiyong over to chop firewood with him.

“Zhiyong, you’re strong and work fast. You chop it, and I’ll help stack it. I still have to write on the blackboard and grade homework when I teach. If I hurt my hands, it’ll affect my work.”

He was somewhat thin and scholarly, the sort of person who naturally made people feel favorable toward him at first glance.

But what use was that?

Yun Xi gave a soft sneer. This one had a black heart. Ever since he was little, he dodged whatever household chores he could, always using studying hard as his excuse. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. Yet he had not amounted to much. It was only because, compared to the other people in the village, he counted as educated that he could become a teacher at the village primary school and teach the village children some simple knowledge.

After becoming a teacher, Dong Zhijie consciously felt his status in the family had changed.

He was an educated man. He looked down on these dusty, earth-scraping people who made their living from the fields. He simply did not show it. Instead, he carried himself with airs and often stayed at school grading homework, only coming home to sleep.

Oh, right. All three meals he ate in a day were made by the original owner early in the morning and packed for him to take to school.

Only the original owner felt that her second son had promise now that he had become a teacher. Perhaps he might even become a teacher in the city one day. She was sincerely happy for him.

As for the rest of the family, they only cared how much money he handed over and how much work he did for the household. They were not going to indulge him.

Sure enough, Dong Zhiyong rolled his eyes and said,

“A village schoolteacher, and you really think you’re somebody now? Back when Old Wu was alive, he was missing two fingers and still worked as a carpenter. If your work is affected, that just means your skill isn’t good enough. Mom told you to do it, so hurry up and go. Stop dragging your feet.”

After saying that, Dong Zhiyong was about to run off, but Yun Xi called him back.

“Don’t just talk about your brother. Go pick a few potatoes from the cellar and have your second sister-in-law fry potato slices. Then go borrow the bicycle from the brigade leader’s house and ask him to write me a certificate. I’m going to the city to handle something.”

The moment those words came out, everyone in the family stopped what they were doing and looked at her.

Even the eldest son’s family, who had been sulking inside the room, hurried out.

Dong Zhiyong said angrily,

“Mom, are you still going to buy Eldest Brother a job? Why? That’s the whole family’s money. I have a share too. If you’re buying Eldest Brother a job, you have to buy one for me too.”

Dong Zhizhi said anxiously,

“Mom, I’m a woman. I’m the one who needs a job the most. One of my classmates went to work at the supply and marketing cooperative, and the person she found is a fitter at the machinery factory. His conditions are excellent.”

One of these two was twenty, lazy and slippery, earning only five work points a day while constantly running off to play with bad friends.

The other was eighteen. After graduating from middle school, she had stayed home doing chores, but she found everything hard and tiring and was always dreaming of marrying well.

Both of them were anxious.

The second brother had a decent job and had already married and had a child. The eldest was the firstborn and had even given the family an eldest grandson, so of course he could get all the good things. Only the two youngest suffered losses. How could they not be anxious?

They were afraid Yun Xi would take all the family’s money and give it to the eldest.

Yun Xi said,

“With the three of them shouting at me like that and acting so unfilial, why would I buy him a job? Am I bored out of my mind? I’m going to handle my own business. With Eldest Son’s rotten character, if he enters the city, he’ll immediately leave us behind and despise us as poor relatives. This family will not pay for him. He’s destined to scrape a living from the fields.”

Dong Zhihong’s face flushed red with anger. His hands clenched into fists as he strode forward and glared at Yun Xi.

“Mom, have you gone senile? I’m the eldest son of this family. I’m the pillar of the household. If I can get a city job, that means smoke is rising from our ancestors’ graves in blessing. When I retire, the job can even be passed to your eldest grandson. From then on, our old Dong family will change its status and eat city grain.

Don’t blame me for saying this, but you really are a woman with long hair and short insight. No wonder my dad always disliked you for being illiterate and uneducated. You…”

Yun Xi casually grabbed the broom leaning by the wall and began beating him over the head and face.

“I’m illiterate and uneducated? Go ask whether the brigade leader’s wife can read. Go ask how many people in this village are educated. I have long hair and short insight? You’re an unfilial ingrate! A piece of trash like you thinks you deserve smoke rising from the ancestral graves? Bah! An unfilial thing like you only deserves to be struck from the ancestors’ registry!

And that little ingrate you gave birth to, even if he got to eat state grain, he wouldn’t share a bite with me. Why should I care whether he lives or dies? You shameless thing. You even dared tell your son I’m a shrew. Today, this old lady will show you exactly what a shrew is!”

The word “shrew” was something the eldest son’s family had said inside their room just now. No one had expected that even though they had spoken so softly, she had still heard them.

For a moment, the others began criticizing him too.

“Eldest Brother, you’ve lost your conscience. How can you call our mom a shrew?”

“You dared curse our mom. That makes you unfilial!”

“What are you clenching your fists for? You still want to hit our mom back? Even if you’re the eldest, I won’t let you off!”

As they shouted, Dong Zhiyong’s fist landed on Dong Zhihong’s face.

Dong Zhihong could not hit his mother back, but could he not hit his younger brother?

In an instant, all his anger turned toward Dong Zhiyong.

The commotion grew louder, and sure enough, several neighbors came running over to watch. Some even held rice bowls in their hands, eating while they watched.

“What’s going on? What’s happening? How did they start fighting?”

Yun Xi said heartlessly,

“It’s all because of Eldest Son. He insisted on buying a job in the city and emptying out the family all at once. How could the others agree to that? It’s unfair. So the brothers started fighting!”

Dong Zhijie’s expression changed slightly. He hurried over to break up the fight.

“Stop fighting! Haven’t you embarrassed yourselves enough?”

No one had expected Yun Xi to blurt everything out so openly.

Was it pleasant to hear that brothers were fighting over money?

In the time it took to eat one meal, this would spread through the whole village. For years to come, it would become gossip and a joke people brought up whenever they were chatting. It was utterly humiliating.

Wang Huijuan’s face looked ugly as she tugged Dong Zhihong back into the room.

Dong Zhiyong shouted irritably,

“What are you all staring at? Go back and eat. What’s there to see?”

“You child, everyone was just worried.”

“Exactly. Once a fight gets out of hand, of course we have to come over and break it up.”

Dong Zhijie quickly dragged Dong Zhiyong into the room too.

Dong Zhizhi and the second daughter-in-law, Wang Xuefen, were thin-skinned and had long since hidden in the kitchen.

Only Yun Xi remained in the courtyard.

An elderly neighbor woman tentatively asked,

“What exactly is going on? Buying a job? There’s a connection in the city? How much does it cost?”

“Eight hundred! Tell me, isn’t that deadly?”

Yun Xi walked over and stood with them by the gate. Leaning against the wall, she began chatting.

Once everyone saw that she was willing to talk, they crowded around her even more enthusiastically.

The core of what she said was simple.

Once children grew up, they all developed their own schemes. Every one of them wanted to pull the family’s money into their own pocket. Every one of them wanted to find a chance to run to the city. But how could ordinary rural families have that much money? Supporting such a large household was already difficult. There was hardly anything saved. Yet the children still felt they had suffered losses and did not understand their elders at all. They wished they could dig out even the money meant for the old people’s coffins.

They were all elders around the same age, and they all had several children and grandchildren to look after.

This topic resonated with them far too much. Once they started talking, they could not stop.

As Yun Xi spoke, her tongue slipped, and she spilled out all the usual conflicts and frictions among the brothers at home.

It was not until Wang Xuefen could no longer bear it and poked her head out of the kitchen to call them to eat that Yun Xi reluctantly let everyone disperse.

The moment everyone left, Wang Xuefen immediately complained,

“Mom, really. Even if you’re angry, you can’t say everything outside. Zhijie is a teacher. As someone who teaches others, he has to consider his image. If this spreads, what will the students and their parents think?”

Yun Xi sneered.

“We all grew up in the same village. Who doesn’t know who? If you’re really afraid of ugly rumors spreading, then do more work normally and properly show filial respect to this old lady. I guarantee that whatever spreads will be nice to hear. If you aren’t that kind of person yourself, why are you still thinking about a good reputation? Dream on.”

These words made the expressions of the three brothers, who had just come out, look even worse.

Yun Xi glanced at the shredded potatoes that had been served and said in surprise,

“Oh? Second daughter-in-law, your knife skills are almost as good as a chef at a state-run restaurant. So why have you always said you can’t cook? This level can’t be practiced in just three to five years.

Hurry up and try it, all of you. Normally, you don’t get to eat food made by Second Daughter-in-law.”

Her sarcastic words made Wang Xuefen’s face flush red.

From the moment she entered the family, Wang Xuefen had not wanted to work from dawn to dusk. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. She deliberately pretended she could not do anything well, always making a frantic mess and causing trouble.

Later, they only had her sweep the floor, feed the chickens, and cut pig grass.

Afterward, Dong Zhijie used connections to get her the job of scorekeeper. From then on, she went to the village school every day and secretly cooked extra meals with Dong Zhijie, doing even less at home.

Today, she had been intimidated by Yun Xi’s outburst. Then the family fought. Listening to her mother-in-law say all those things outside had left her mind in chaos. For a moment, she had not paid attention and cut the potatoes according to her normal skill level.

By the time she realized it, it was too late. She could only brace herself and cook.

She forced a smile and explained,

“Sometimes I help out at the village school too. I learned from others there.”

Yun Xi sat down, filled a large bowl with shredded potatoes for herself, took two cornbread buns, and began eating.

“Hurry up and eat. After eating, whoever needs to go to work, go to work. Whoever needs to do chores, do chores.”

In the past, she was always the one who divided the food.

Now she did not care.

The others looked at one another. As the eldest sister-in-law, Wang Huijuan stood and divided the food evenly among everyone.

In an era of scarce clothing and food, a large family never ate until full. They only ate until half-full.

Since Yun Xi had taken so much for herself, what remained for them was even less.

The scene at the dining table was very strange.

The old lady was eating so much, yet there was not much in the little grandson’s bowl.

Dong Zhihong had been slapped, beaten with a broom, and had fought with Dong Zhiyong. Now his whole body hurt. The corner of his eye was bruised, and the corner of his mouth was split. Even eating hurt so badly that rage surged through him.

His gaze kept falling on Yun Xi, full of anger.

But he did not make trouble again.

He was afraid that while the old lady was still angry, she would shout nonsense again and attract the neighbors to laugh at them. He decided to wait until this mood passed before saying anything.

As Yun Xi ate, she frowned and could not help complaining to the Qiankun Mirror.

【This cornbread bun tastes awful. According to the original owner’s memories, I’ll have to keep eating like this for many more years.】

The Qiankun Mirror helped her think of a solution.

【Master, we can go to the city and buy delicious food to hide in the space. Then you can secretly eat it later.】

Yun Xi did not respond.

Make her, a great demon lord, hide away to secretly eat?

She could not do something so degrading.

If she wanted to eat, she would eat openly and honorably.

After the meal, Yun Xi called Dong Zhiyong again to borrow the bicycle.

Dong Zhihong frowned.

“Mom, you don’t even know how to ride a bicycle. Can you stop making trouble? If you make it fall and scrape off someone else’s paint, how will you compensate them?”

“If I don’t know, then I’ll learn. All of you know how. Why wouldn’t I be able to learn? Who are you looking down on?”

The city was so far away. Yun Xi had no intention of walking there herself.

Once she learned about bicycles from the original owner’s memories, she had already made up her mind to get one.

Wasn’t it just riding and moving forward?

She even knew how to fly on a sword.

The most important things for riding a bicycle were courage and balance.

As it happened, Yun Xi had both.

Once she touched the bicycle, she wobbled a few times and then rode off!

The Dong family stared at her back in astonishment.

Dong Zhizhi anxiously chased after her for a few steps and shouted,

“Mom! Mom, you still haven’t said what you’re going to the city for! Wait for me! Take me with you! Mom!”

Yun Xi pretended not to hear.

This bicycle was truly interesting. With two wheels, once she pedaled, it could run forward.

Although the road was bad and rather bumpy, it was fun.

Yun Xi rode against the wind onto the city streets.

Rows of brick-and-tile houses lined the road. Occasionally, she could even see a tube-shaped apartment building.

The people coming and going on the street were all clean and tidy, their faces bright with smiles. Their entire spirit was completely different from the people in the village.

The Qiankun Mirror asked curiously,

【Master, what did you come to the city for?】

Yun Xi curled her lips into a smile.

“Of course, to get myself a job. Who wants to stay in the fields scraping food from the dirt with that pack of ingrates?”

╰───♡───╯

Thingyan: I translated this not knowing another translator already picked it up (I double checked before I picked it up but it didn’t show up. Don’t know what happened). I apologize for that. Once I release all the translated chapters from the first two worlds, I will drop this novel 😔

World 1: The Despised Mother of the 1970s

“Mom, hurry up and get the money. I’m heading into the city right now to secure that job. If I’m late, the opportunity will be gone.”

The moment Yun Xi regained consciousness, she saw a young man speaking across from her and immediately knew she had arrived in a new world.

She had originally been a demonic cultivator in the cultivation world. Her tribulation had gone badly, and her physical body had been destroyed by heavenly lightning. Fortunately, her natal treasure, the Qiankun Mirror, could carry her through the Three Thousand Worlds, allowing her soul to survive.

Of course, she could not simply take over someone else’s body whenever she pleased. She had to make a deal with the fated individual.

The other party’s resentment was too heavy for reincarnation, yet they lacked the ability to take revenge themselves, so they offered their body to her. In return, she would eliminate their resentment and allow them to reincarnate successfully.

Resolving resentment was actually a form of merit. The more she did it, the more it helped repair her damaged soul. As her soul grew stronger, so would her abilities. Sooner or later, she would be able to reconstruct her body and return to the peak of her strength.

That was why she had readily entered this first small world.

Her current identity was the despised villainous mother of the 1970s.

She had worked herself to exhaustion and sacrificed her entire life, yet among her three sons and one daughter, not a single one was filial. They ate from her bowl, then cursed their mother after putting it down. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. In the end, they let her freeze to death in the pigsty on New Year’s Eve and even complained that her death was bad luck.

The original owner, Li Yunxi, had died in agony. Her resentment reached the heavens. She wished she had never had these children at all. All she wanted was for them to spit back out everything they had eaten from her and return everything they had taken from her.

This sort of thing happened to be Yun Xi’s specialty.

The man speaking in front of her was her eldest son, Dong Zhihong.

He was the best at putting on a show. Outwardly, he seemed reasonable. Inwardly, he was selfish and self-serving.

After his father died, he came to believe that a widow should obey her son. Since he was the eldest, his mother should listen to him. He also liked to put on the airs of a father figure toward his younger siblings, constantly lecturing them.

And now he was demanding money from the family as if it were perfectly natural.

Eight hundred yuan to buy a city job.

His tone made it clear he was not asking.

He never considered whether the family could afford it, nor how everyone would survive afterward.

The youngest son, Dong Zhiyong, and the youngest daughter, Dong Zhizhi, immediately protested.

“That’s way too much money. It’s not worth it.”

“Exactly. Where would the family get that kind of money for you to spend?”

Dong Zhihong waved a dismissive hand.

“What do you two know? Stay out of it.”

When he saw that Yun Xi had not immediately produced the money, he grew impatient.

“A city job! Plenty of people spend their whole lives wishing for an opportunity like this and never get one. What are you still thinking about, Mom? If you miss this chance, there won’t be another one!”

His wife, Wang Huijuan, immediately chimed in.

“That’s right, Mom. This is an opportunity for our family. It doesn’t matter if we tighten our belts and go a little hungry. For a chance this rare, we have to come up with the money. Eight hundred yuan is a lot, but we’ll be extra filial to you in the future. You’ll have everything you want. Don’t be so reluctant.”

She really had mastered the art of passive-aggressive remarks.

Wasn’t she basically accusing Yun Xi of hoarding money and mistreating them?

Dong Zhihong frowned at her.

“Mom, you’re uneducated, so you don’t understand. This isn’t the time to be stingy. Hurry up and give me the money. They’re waiting for me.”

Yun Xi slapped him across the face.

“Uneducated? Even if I’m uneducated, I’m still your mother. Is this how you talk to me?”

Wang Huijuan let out a shrill scream.

“Mom! How can you hit someone?”

Yun Xi immediately slapped her as well.

“If I didn’t hit you, you’d never know your place. Go ask around the village. Who isn’t hungry? Back then, people had to chew tree bark to survive! You’ve eaten a few decent meals and now you’ve set your sights on the family’s money. Who exactly are you insulting with those veiled remarks?”

“Mom! Have you gone crazy?!” Dong Zhihong’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Even though she had always been hot-tempered, that side of her was reserved for outsiders. At home, she was merely frugal and nagging.

How could she suddenly start hitting people?

And the person she hit was him, her eldest son!

Their eight-year-old son, Dong Xin, had been squatting by the wall playing with mud. Seeing his parents get slapped, he charged at Yun Xi.

“How dare you hit my mom and dad! I’ll kill you, you old hag!”

Yun Xi sneered.

With one kick, she sent him tumbling aside. Then she turned around and slapped Dong Zhihong again.

“If a child isn’t taught properly, the father is to blame. The reason your son dares treat me this way is because you’re a worthless bastard.”

Dong Zhiyong and Dong Zhizhi were completely stunned.

They stood there with mouths hanging open, unsure whether they should intervene.

Yun Xi swept a glance over them, rolled up her sleeves, and barked,

“From now on, I’m done indulging your bad habits. Every one of you acts like some exalted ancestor in front of me, with your noses stuck in the air. Asking for money to get things done? Did you even ask me first? What am I, some servant you can order around?”

Everyone was startled.

Their expressions changed instantly.

Wang Huijuan hurriedly said,

“Mom, you can’t say things like that. If someone overhears, we’ll be finished.”

Yun Xi picked up the bowl of water on the table, intending to take a drink. When she saw dust floating inside, she slammed it back down.

“You can’t even keep a bowl of water clean, yet you talk about being filial to me? I can’t stand this kind of filial piety.”

She stared at Dong Zhihong.

“There are four children in this family. I already paid to build houses for you and your second brother, helped you get married, and helped raise your children. Where exactly would I get the money to buy you a job? I don’t have it. Don’t you always say your father-in-law and mother-in-law are educated people? Go ask them. Stop coming to your uneducated mother.”

With that, Yun Xi returned to her room and shut the door behind her, leaving the stunned group outside.

The Qiankun Mirror congratulated her from within her sea of consciousness.

【Master, you’re amazing! That was a perfect imitation!】

Yun Xi curled her lips into a smile.

Throwing a tantrum?

What was so difficult about that?

She actually found it quite fun. It was something she had never experienced before.

When she made the deal with the original owner, she had already received all of her memories. She understood what kind of world this was and what sort of person the original owner had been.

The original owner’s husband had died eighteen years ago.

At the time, she had nearly lost her life giving birth to Dong Zhizhi after a difficult labor brought on by emotional distress. Before she had even completed her confinement month, her husband’s family threw her out. Her own family refused to take her and the children in as well.

She had no choice but to work herself half to death raising four children on her own.

At the time, her eldest son had only been nine years old.

For a woman in that era to raise children alone in the countryside was naturally difficult.

That was how the original owner developed her fierce personality.

She argued with people. She fought people.

But if nobody bullied her, she would never start trouble herself.

Everything she did was simply to protect her children.

Yun Xi’s performance just now had been copied straight from the original owner’s memories.

The original owner probably pitied her children for losing their father at such a young age and having to endure gossip from others. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. Because of that, she doted on them more than she should have. She never hit them. She only nagged endlessly, hoping they would grow up successful.

The original owner worked tirelessly to earn work points, washed clothes, cooked meals, and spun like a top every day.

She never dressed up.

She always looked dusty and worn.

At some point, the children had begun to despise her.

They never said it aloud.

And she never noticed.

They disliked that she was uneducated and barely recognized a few characters.

They disliked her loud voice when she argued with people because it embarrassed them.

They disliked how stingy she was, unwilling to let them eat better food or wear nicer clothes.

They disliked that she wasn’t clean enough, that she was dark-skinned, that her clothes were ugly, and that she wasn’t as good as other people’s mothers.

How much of that came from the muttering of her rarely-seen in-laws, and how much came from things they heard outside, Yun Xi did not know.

What she did know was that these children were truly heartless.

Not one of them ever cared about how much their mother had suffered for them.

Yun Xi had lived a very long time in the cultivation world.

She had seen all kinds of people.

Some children simply could not be taught into becoming good people.

They were born cold-hearted and selfish.

So she had no intention whatsoever of teaching this family to become better.

She was not here to raise children for the original owner.

She was here to deal with them.

These ungrateful ingrates relied on their mother’s love while repeatedly stabbing her in the back.

People like that deserved no happy ending.

Since she had encountered them, it was their bad luck.

Outside, Dong Zhihong, whose face was still stinging from the slaps, continued cursing loudly.

From the sound of it, he intended to storm into her room and argue things out. Fortunately, Dong Zhiyong managed to stop him. The commotion continued for quite some time before finally dying down.

Yun Xi ignored them.

Following the original owner’s memories, she quickly located all the family’s money, ration coupons, household registration documents, and other important belongings, tossing everything directly into the Qiankun Mirror’s storage space.

The space was enormous.

However, carrying her through worlds had consumed everything originally stored there.

Now it was completely empty.

Naturally, she needed to restock it.

A newly purchased piece of cloth originally meant for Dong Zhizhi’s new outfit?

Into the space.

That little ungrateful daughter didn’t deserve it.

She would find someone to make clothes for herself instead.

There was also a bag of milk powder, a package of Changbai cakes, and a handful of milk candies in the cabinet.

The original owner had saved them for her eldest son’s eight-year-old boy and her second son’s five-year-old daughter.

Into the space they went.

The little ingrates had learned from their parents.

Behind her back, they all called her an old hag.

She was only forty-five years old and still in her prime.

Yet they had practically aged her with their insults.

From now on, they could forget about getting even a bite of her good food.

The family’s flour, rice, sugar, and eggs all went into the space as well.

Food and clothing were scarce in this era.

Wherever she was, they were more useful in her own hands.

One advantage of being the mother was that she naturally outranked everyone else by a generation.

She could put these things wherever she pleased.

She didn’t need to explain herself to anyone.

If nobody could find them, they would probably praise her for hiding them well.

After gathering everything, the room contained nothing but worthless junk.

Only then did Yun Xi come out.

Casually, she ordered Dong Zhizhi,

“Go wash the pots and dishes. Scrub them spotless. I don’t want to see a single black speck.”

Dong Zhizhi froze for a moment, muttered something under her breath, and reluctantly headed into the kitchen.

At that moment, the second daughter-in-law, who worked as the village scorekeeper, returned carrying her child.

The second son, who taught at the village school, came back carrying books as well.

They normally ate lunch together at the school, claiming they still had work in the afternoon and didn’t want to waste time going back and forth.

In reality, they were secretly cooking extra meals for themselves.

The fact that they had returned so early today clearly meant they had heard rumors about the eldest brother buying a job and rushed home to stop it.

According to the original owner’s memories, this day had been quite lively.

The family had a total of one thousand yuan.

Buying the job would cost eight hundred.

The original owner had been extremely hesitant and refused to hand over the money for a long time.

The four children and two daughters-in-law argued endlessly over the matter.

The three brothers nearly came to blows.

The eldest son felt his authority as the firstborn was being challenged.

Rather than blame himself for failing to control his younger brothers, he blamed the original owner for dragging her feet over the money.

He ended up resenting her because of it.

For years afterward, he still brought up the matter from time to time.

In the end, for the sake of her eldest son and for the family as a whole, the original owner handed over the eight hundred yuan.

She allowed him to become a city worker and made him promise to help his younger siblings in the future.

To her, it had been a gamble.

If she won, the whole family’s life would improve.

If she lost, they would only lose money.

They could always earn more later.

Wasn’t having a chance better than having none?

Other families supported their promising children in exactly the same way.

The result?

The other three children resented her.

They believed she favored the eldest son and had given most of the family’s money to him.

She had no authority whatsoever in the household.

No matter what she did, she ended up being blamed by everyone.

Naturally, Yun Xi had no intention of indulging them.

When she saw the leisurely second son and his wife, she immediately ordered,

“Go chop the firewood and carry the water. I need hot water tonight.”

Then she turned to the second daughter-in-law.

“Leave the child with your eldest sister-in-law and get cooking.”

The two people who had just entered the courtyard stared at her in shock.

Yun Xi glanced at them.

“What? In this family, does your mother have to beg you to do some work?”

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