Traveling Through Those Years Of Farming (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 7

Runzhu is in much better spirits. It seems the old Chinese doctor is working wonders.

Hua Yingxiu is washing clothes in the yard. Seeing her daughter gradually recovering, she abandons the idea of taking her to see a divination doctor.

“I told you before. The doctors at the health station only know how to give acupuncture and hand out those white pills made of flour. How can they be as reliable as the old Chinese doctor?” Jiang Sanshui, being old-fashioned, isn’t very receptive to Western medicine. Additionally, Western medicine costs more than Chinese medicine, so he favors the latter. “Let Runzhu go back to school tomorrow. The school won’t refund the tuition fees even if she rests for half a month. They are really greedy.”

Jiang Sanshui tosses the cigarette butt in his hand to the ground, extinguishing it with his toes.

“Let my daughter rest for a few more days.” In this family, Hua Yingxiu clearly loves her daughter more.

“She can run and jump, so why rest?” Jiang Sanshui takes out another cigarette. “I don’t know how many classes she’s missed in the past half month.”

It can’t be said that Jiang Sanshui doesn’t care for his daughter at all. For example, despite compulsory education being widespread, many children in the countryside still don’t attend school. Before each school year, teachers and parents visit rural areas to persuade people to send their daughters to school.

Jiang Sanshui is one of the few who takes the initiative to send his daughter to school. While he hopes his daughter will eventually help the family once she becomes successful, he doesn’t neglect her needs.

When Jiang Runzhu falls ill, her father spends nearly 50 yuan, which is a significant sum for them.

However, feelings are a matter of comparison. In both Jiang Sanshui and his wife’s hearts, their eldest son, Jiang Runtu, holds more importance.

Jiang Runzhu’s older brother has excellent grades and later gets admitted to a junior college. The value of a junior college degree in the 1990s is much higher than in later years, so he quickly becomes a source of pride for his parents.

After graduating, he is assigned to work as a cashier in a state-owned factory in the city. There, he meets Xiaofang, a city girl from the same factory. Her family has high demands—not only do they ask for a betrothal gift of 5,000 yuan, but they also require the Jiang family to buy them a house in the city.

Although their city isn’t particularly developed, in the late 1990s, housing prices in the city are around 300 yuan per square meter. To buy a decent two-bedroom apartment, at least 10,000 yuan is needed.

On top of that, there are the costs for the wedding banquet and various other expenses, bringing the total to about 20,000 yuan.

This is no small sum. Jiang Sanshui and his wife work tirelessly—getting up early and going to bed late to buy vegetables and laboring in the fields like old cows—only managing to save a little over 10,000 yuan.

Around this time, someone comes to propose marriage to Jiang Runzhu. They are willing to pay a 5,000 yuan betrothal gift. The man is a soldier who has been injured and retired. The army provides him with a high retirement fee, and the local government also gives him a subsidy. Though no one knows the exact amount, it is estimated to be at least 30,000 yuan.

Unfortunately, the reason for his early retirement is the injury he sustains while on a mission at the border, leaving him permanently disabled. Because of this, many families who value their daughters are reluctant to marry them to him.

Jiang Sanshui and his wife hesitate. Just when they are struggling with their decision, their son tells them that his wife is pregnant. If they don’t agree to the marriage conditions, she will go to the hospital and abort the baby. The other party also reveals that they have checked and confirmed that the baby is a boy.

Given the strict family planning policies at the time and Jiang Runtu’s stable job, which prevents him from having a second child, their initial hesitations quickly dissolve in the face of the impending arrival of their grandson.

So, despite Jiang Runzhu’s objections, her parents agree to the marriage on her behalf and pressure her with family obligations.

Jiang Runzhu, who has failed the college entrance exam, marries the man that year. She doesn’t like the taciturn, somewhat rude man, nor does she enjoy the constant talk from his mother about the 5,000 yuan betrothal gift.

She misses her school life and a male classmate who makes her heart race.

In the second year of their marriage, the boy, who also fails the college entrance exam like her, manages to get into a junior college in another place after repeating the year. He comes to find her and asks her to elope with him.

At the time, she and her mother-in-law have a fierce argument because Jiang Runzhu has not yet become pregnant. In a moment of impulse, Jiang Runzhu takes the money she has saved up and elopes with the male classmate.

The world outside is more prosperous than she has imagined. With her pretty face, she finds a job as a shopkeeper. Aside from rent, most of the money she earns every month goes to supporting the man. He paints a bright future for her, one full of promise after graduation. Jiang Runzhu foolishly believes in it. To settle down in the new city as soon as possible, she even takes on a few part-time jobs.

The other party proposes starting a business the year he graduates, as it is the time for new ventures. Jiang Runzhu gives him all the money she has saved from her part-time jobs to help him buy a house.

After receiving the money, the man disappears. Jiang Runzhu goes to his school to inquire, only to learn that he has refused the school’s assignment, and they can no longer contact him.

At that moment, Jiang Runzhu realizes she has been deceived. She leaves the school in a daze and, as she passes by a newly renovated shop, catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror.

After four years of hard work, she no longer resembles the young woman in her twenties. Her eyes are filled with exhaustion, and the fresh, vibrant look she once had is gone.

Meanwhile, the man, with a college degree, now appears more like a young master who has lived a carefree life under her support for the past four years. Standing together, they look mismatched—more like an elder sister and her younger brother rather than a married couple.

The man has long grown tired of her.

Jiang Runzhu begins to regret her decisions. Even though she has eloped with her male classmate and fled to another city, she keeps in touch with her family after settling down, sending money back to her parents every Chinese New Year.

From her parents, she learns some updates about her ex-husband. Through his connections, he has privately contracted a local transport fleet. It is said that he now owns ten large trucks and earns at least tens of thousands of yuan every month.

Last year, he married a younger wife who is still a college student. Rumor has it that she is pregnant now. Her once very particular mother-in-law praises the new daughter-in-law to everyone she meets, saying that the previous one wasn’t even worthy of carrying her shoes.

In the local community, she has become a joke—a woman who abandoned such a promising husband.

Jiang Runzhu doesn’t have the courage to return to her hometown, so she continues making a living in the city, never accomplishing much in her life.

By the time she is in her forties, her ex-husband has become a well-known logistics tycoon, and his wife has gone to Hong Kong to give birth to a second child, a daughter. From that point on, he proudly boasts of having both sons and daughters.

However, not long ago, she was diagnosed with advanced cancer and doesn’t have long to live.

Lying on the operating table, Jiang Runzhu reflects on her life. She feels that she has failed. But when she opens her eyes again, she finds herself back in her childhood—God has given her a second chance.

This time, she will study hard and get into college. She will cherish that man and never betray him again. She will earn her mother-in-law’s respect and become the daughter-in-law she would be proud of.

There is one thing, however, she will never forget. In this life, she will never allow her brother and sister-in-law from her previous life to meet. That woman is too greedy. If it weren’t for her, the tragedy of her past life wouldn’t have happened. How could a woman who cares only about money be worthy of being her sister-in-law?

Jiang Runzhu swears to herself that she will find a gentle, generous, and sensible sister-in-law, one who will make her parents proud and not have to worry about her brother’s family in their later years.

Although her brother is more important to their parents, they have raised her, and she wants to repay them.

“Bang—”

As Jiang Runzhu is lost in thought, the sound of firecrackers echoes in the distance.

Jiang Sanshui and Hua Yingxiu go out of the yard to see what is going on. They haven’t heard of any weddings recently.

After a while, with the continuing sound of firecrackers, a large procession appears and passes by the Jiang family’s yard.

“Aunt Liu, what’s going on?” Hua Yingxiu calls out, grabbing an elderly woman she is friendly with.

The scene is quite unusual. The Yu family couple, from the head of the village, are at the front. Their son is carrying a shoulder pole, with two baskets—one filled with wedding buns and the other with a whole slaughtered pig.

Hua Yingxiu notices that the boy carrying the shoulder pole has scratches on his face, some with scabs, but he looks silly and happy, as though he doesn’t care about the injuries at all.

The Yu family man is setting off firecrackers, followed by the relatives of the family and the curious villagers.

“We’re here to thank Lady Hua for her kindness,” says Grandma Liu, who is waiting to join the fun.

Without much explanation, she grabs Hua Yingxiu’s arm and follows the group.

Thank her? For what?

Though Hua Yingxiu loves to join in the fun, she hasn’t heard the full story, and her curiosity is piqued. But due to her family and Hua Yingpo’s adult history, she feels a little awkward joining in. So, she holds back, planning to inquire later.

She doesn’t notice that her daughter has secretly followed the large group.

“Lady Hua, our family of three has come to thank you. You are truly a compassionate messenger of the Yellow Immortal. You saved our lives.” As soon as the Yu family couple arrives at the Hua family’s home, they immediately kneel before Hua Yingpo. More precisely, they are kneeling to the Yellow Immortal through Hua Yingpo.

“Get up,” Hua Yingpo says, her voice carrying a sense of authority.

She is somewhat confused by the actions of this family, but her years of experience with manipulation allow her to maintain a calm and dignified expression. She helps the two of them rise.

“Lady Hua, you are truly incredible. I apologize for my previous doubts,” the Yu family boy says, setting down the two baskets of offerings and bowing deeply to Hua Yingpo.

“You don’t fully understand how powerful Lady Hua is yet. Let me tell you about it,” he adds.

After bowing, the Yu family boy turns to address the crowd of villagers who have gathered.

He knows that many in the crowd have been skeptical of Lady Hua, so today, he feels it is his duty to use his own experience to prove her extraordinary abilities.

“When the truck hits me, I think I’m done for. You should have seen the wreckage—the place where I was sitting is smashed to bits. The iron sheets of the bus are like paper, with no resistance at all. I was sitting on the outermost side, and my cousin, who sat next to me, was crushed beyond recognition. Logically, I should have been in worse condition than him.” The boy from the Yu family shows the crowd his scars. “But look, when the police rescue me, I only have a few scratches on my body. Three people die in that crash—my cousin, and two other passengers who were seated in front and behind me.”

“You’re really lucky,” someone from the crowd remarks.

“But what does this have to do with Lady Hua?” someone else asks, their curiosity piqued.

The boy from the Yu family smiles and continues, “When my cousin and I went out to work, my mother came to Lady Hua to ask for two talismans for me. After the accident, I check my pockets, and the talisman is still intact, but the peace talisman I had kept with it has turned into a pile of black ash. What does that mean?” The boy’s voice breaks with emotion. “I might have died, but the peace talisman saved me.”

His excitement is palpable as he recounts the miracle.

The Yu family’s elderly couple look at their son, filled with gratitude for Lady Hua.

The 100 wedding buns and the whole fat pig they bring as offerings are their way of thanking Lady Hua. Had their financial situation allowed, they would have given more—what could be more valuable than the life of their son?

“Is it really that magical?” someone asks, amazed.

With the Yu family boy standing before them as living proof, it is hard not to believe.

Others who already believe in Hua Yingpo are even more convinced now and begin eagerly discussing the peace talisman with growing interest.

“My mother also asked for a peace talisman for me before, but I injured my leg around that time,” someone from the crowd says, raising a question.

The Yu family boy smiles slightly, eager to defend his idol without waiting for Hua Yingpo to speak.

“Maybe without the peace talisman, you would have injured more than just your leg. Of course, it’s also possible that your sincerity was lacking, and the Yellow Immortal chose not to bless you,” he says confidently.

Now, he is a die-hard fan of Hua Yingpo. No one can question her, as he truly believes she possesses boundless magical powers, as vast as the sky itself.

His unwavering belief makes even those who once doubted begin to wonder: Without that peace talisman, could they have suffered even worse injuries? In fact, they might have been blessed by the talisman all along.

“Hua Yingpo, I’d like to ask for two peace talismans to send to my son and daughter-in-law,” someone says.

“I want five! I want all the children in my family to have one,” another calls out.

“I want a spirit-suppressing charm to protect my home,” a third person adds.

The crowd surges forward, eager to secure the talismans before they are all gone.

“Take your time, don’t rush. The Yellow Immortal blesses all who believe and worship with sincerity,” Hua Yingpo says with a smile, playing the part of a benevolent master.

Inside, however, her mind is full of questions, and she can’t help but steal a glance at the boy, who is looking at her with wide admiration.

He thinks she is so amazing—how come she’s not aware of that herself?