She spent the remaining time learning. Unknowingly, her great-grandchildren were born. Foreseeing the approaching end, she gathered everyone for a meal, made simple arrangements, and passed away peacefully that very night.
Soon, she arrived in a new world. As soon as she materialized, she heard a man shouting.
"Where is it? I'm asking you, are you mute?" He questioned Liu Changhe while searching frantically. He looked everywhere but couldn't find that piece of cloth. Everything became clear to him.
Wu Caiwei, having just arrived in this world and not yet understanding the situation, dared not answer him and remained silent.
The more she was silent, the angrier Liu Changhe became. He strode up to her, raised his hand high, and stared at her with fierce eyes. Seeing her unrepentant expression, he swung his arm forcefully, wanting to teach her a lesson.
To his shock, his arm was intercepted in mid-air. He laughed in anger, "Good! You've gone too far. If you don't want to be here, leave early. Anyway, we can't go on living like this."
The commotion startled Liu's mother. Liu's mother understood her son. He would only get this angry if he was pushed to his limit; otherwise, he was known for his good temper throughout the village. Without thinking, she knew what could infuriate her son so much. She looked at Zhou Xue'e with a mixture of disappointment and frustration, "What can I say to you? How many times have I told you, since you married into the Liu family, you are a Liu. Don't meddle in Zhou family affairs. Yet, you're taking Liu family possessions to your parents' home. If your family was decent, we wouldn't say anything. But you know better than anyone what kind of person your brother is."
"Mother, don't talk to her. I've decided to divorce her tomorrow. Although life will be hard, and I might never marry again, it's better than having someone like her. For the sake of her being the mother of my children, I'll let her go amicably, give her some silver, and let her leave quickly. Of course, the children won't go with her. With a mother like her, they'll never have enough to eat. I'll shoulder the burden and raise our two children myself, playing the role of both mother and father." As Liu Changhe spoke, he couldn't help but choke up. This was a last resort. At his age, with two children, he didn't want to cause trouble, but she was simply not suited for married life. If this continued, their home would be empty. How would their daughter get married without a dowry? How would their son get married without a bride price?
"My son, you must think carefully." Liu's mother had no intention of persuading further. She had known what kind of person Zhou Xue'e was for a long time, had told her many times, and taught her many times, but she never changed. She sighed helplessly.
She looked at Zhou Xue'e, who had been silently lowering her head. She wanted to say something but her mouth opened and closed for a long time without utterance. She felt that whatever she said at this moment would sound weak and powerless. She patted Zhou Xue'e's shoulder, left, sighing sadly.
"You're on your own. Tomorrow, I will invite people from the clan to be witnesses, and we will divorce." With that, he also walked out, pulling away the boy and girl who were secretly watching from behind a large tree. Although their father was holding them, they couldn't help but look back, their eyes filled with worry as they looked at their mother.
When she was alone in the room, Wu Caiwei quickly closed the door and began to absorb the plot. Although she had been looking down, she had gained a lot of information from their conversation. After about fifteen minutes, she opened her eyes, feeling indignant for the original owner.
The original owner's name was Zhou Xue'e, a girl from the Zhou family in the neighboring village. She had two younger brothers. Although she was the only daughter in the Zhou family, she received no favor at all. In her parents' eyes, sons were treasures, and daughters were weeds.
From the age of three or four, she began to take care of her brothers. If she was even slightly negligent, she would be beaten, and sometimes she wouldn't be given food. By six or seven, most of the household chores were hers. When cooking, she had to use a stool to reach the stove, and while cooking, she had to watch her two younger brothers. If her second brother cried, or her eldest brother got into a fight with someone outside, her parents would take it out on her, believing she hadn't fulfilled her responsibility as an elder sister and had let her brother suffer injustice.
As she grew older, her two brothers no longer needed her care. She was seen everywhere, chopping firewood on the mountain and plowing fields. The villagers watched her thin, dark figure and shook their heads, not daring to say much, as everyone's life was difficult.
When it was time for her to marry, Zhou's parents made an exorbitant demand of ten taels of silver. Which family would spend so much money to marry a wife? Moreover, for that much money, they would find someone decent. Who would dare to marry someone from their family, who abused their daughter and had two sons waiting to drain their resources?
Two years passed. Seeing that she was about to become an old maid, they finally lowered the price to two taels of silver, a price that was within most people's acceptable range.
However, when her parents hesitated, thinking she would never get married and become an old maid, the Liu family from the neighboring village came to propose.
Although the Liu family was not wealthy, their parents were known for their reasonableness. Liu Changhe, their son, was hardworking and steady. With better options available, no one knew why they would choose her.
Zhou's parents didn't care. As long as someone paid, they happily married off their daughter. To everyone's surprise, they didn't even go through the motions of a proper farewell. They only gave their daughter a wedding dress and sent her away with the worn-out clothes she usually wore.
Although Liu's mother was somewhat displeased with this, she thought that her daughter-in-law was diligent, so she tolerated it. After all, her son would spend his life with his wife. This small matter, for them, could be overlooked. However, after she entered the house, she warned her to have less contact with her parents' family.
At first, the couple lived in harmony. Liu Changhe worked in the fields during the farming season, and when he had free time, he would find work in town. Although it was hard, he earned a decent amount of money. As for Zhou Xue'e, it was even better. She was already used to hard work in the Zhou family. After coming to the Liu family, she found it much easier. At least Liu's mother was kind and didn't scold her easily, and Liu Changhe was considerate and extremely caring towards her. This deeply touched her, making her feel she had found a good family.
Initially, when the couple visited, Zhou's parents felt that this son-in-law's family was not wealthy and disdained to talk much with them. The couple also felt it was fine; as long as they lived well, their in-laws would eventually become relatives, and having less contact was acceptable.
The birth of Ling Jie and Bao Ge added more joy and laughter to the Liu family. Liu Changhe felt that life was becoming more promising and worked even harder.
He was naturally resourceful and hardworking, so people noticed him.
Gradually, all the masters would contact him first for any work, then ask him to find others to complete it. This gave Liu Changhe a business idea. He organized a group of people in the village to exclusively handle matters for those masters. He was thoughtful in his considerations and good at dealing with people. Often, the masters provided generous rewards, which added up to over ten taels of silver a year. This was a considerable income for villagers. The Liu family gradually became prosperous.