"Chuxia, just listen to your mother. Li Guangyuan is a sought-after young man within ten miles, skilled at fieldwork just like you. Teaming up together, how could your married life be bad? Mom isn't going to harm you."

"At that time, Mom will ask for 300 yuan as the bride price for you. Don't worry, Mom will keep the money for you; it'll be your backbone in the future."

Lin Chuxia looked at her middle-aged mother in front of her, finally coming back to her senses after the shock.

She thought she had died in a car accident but unexpectedly, she returned to the year she got married at twenty.

Her family was arranging her marriage to her husband from her past life, the farmer from the neighboring village—Li Guangyuan.

Hearing his name, Lin Chuxia's breathing quickened, and just as she was about to refuse the marriage proposal, suddenly a figure rushed over, "I don't want to marry someone surnamed Qin, I want to marry Li Guangyuan."

It was her older sister, Lin Jiayi.

Mother Lin was also startled, "What tantrums are you throwing? Stop talking nonsense."

"I'm not talking nonsense, Mom, I don't want to marry into the Qin Family, I want to marry into the Li Family and marry Li Guangyuan. Let my younger sister marry Qin Yang."

Lin Chuxia squinted her eyes. Was her elder sister also reborn?

Seeing her eldest daughter's eyes turning red with urgency, Mother Lin stood up and pulled her aside, "Child, the Qin Family was carefully chosen by your mother. Qin Yang works as a laborer. Although it's in another place, he sends money home every month; once married, you can go with him and you won't even have to take care of your in-laws..."

Lin Chuxia leisurely watched the mother and daughter, her mother's attitude of fooling herself never seemed to change, in the end, it's just indifference.

Suddenly raising her voice, "Yes, elder sister, Mom is right. Let me marry into the Li Family then. You never have to do fieldwork at home; how would you manage if married into the Li Family?"

Lin Jiayi sharply turned her head, her eyes bloodshot as she stared at Lin Chuxia, "You want to compete with me?"

Lin Chuxia spread her hands, "I'm just considering it for elder sister."

Mother Lin also felt Lin Chuxia made sense, "Your younger sister is right. Mom looked everywhere just to find you a match where you don't have to work the fields," a marital home is really different from a parental home.

Lin Jiayi took a step back, her expression fierce, "If Mom and Dad don't agree, I'll just kill myself."

Mother Lin had never seen her eldest daughter like this. She hurriedly comforted her, "There's no need to marry if you don't want to. We'll look for another proposal tomorrow. Let's not marry into the Qin Family, I assure you we'll find you a better match."

Lin Jiayi's face, which had just eased up, grew anxious again with the words that followed, "I don't want anyone else; I just want to marry Li Guangyuan, otherwise, I'll die and let you all see."

Where could Mother Lin dare to disagree? She quickly complied, "Alright, alright, alright, marry, marry Li Guangyuan. Later, I'll have the matchmaker talk to the Qin family to cancel this marriage. What a pity, such a good proposal! Dad, perhaps you should find another matchmaker..."

Before Mother Lin could finish, Lin Jiayi grabbed her, "Mom, why all the trouble? The younger sister also needs to get married, right? Let her marry Qin Yang then. You said it yourself, such a good proposal; what a waste if not given to younger sister."

She now looked meaningfully at Lin Chuxia, a complete change from her previous eagerness.

Lin Chuxia caught her gaze and finally confirmed it.

Her elder sister had also been reborn.

Desiring to switch the marriage arrangement was probably because she saw how glamorous her previous life was.

In her previous life, Li Guangyuan eventually became the CEO of a listed company. The whole Li Family could be said to be wealthy, and she was the envied Mrs. Li, only that...

Lin Chuxia lowered her eyes and a sneer appeared on her lips.

The matter did not take long; after lunch, Mr. Lin and Mother Lin went out, and by evening, everything was settled.

Mr. Lin got straight to the point, "Today, your mom and I have settled both of your marriage arrangements. Next month, Qin Yang will be back, and it's the right time to handle the marriage affairs. His work requires the fiancée's documents, and I have already given Chuxia's to the Qin Family. We've also set the date with the Li Family. There are only a few auspicious days next month, so we decided to fix it on the same day, which also saves us the hassle of preparing twice, which is nice."

Lin Chuxia kept her head down silently; she did not expect that the arrangement would actually proceed, which showed that her mom had really put in effort for her older sister.

Lin Jiadong, who had just returned from school, asked puzzledly, "Wasn't elder sister supposed to marry Brother Qin Yang? Why was the second sister's document given to the Qin Family?"

Lin Jiayi, hearing the results, was thrilled. Annoyed by her little brother's question, she kicked him, "When adults are talking, why are you interrupting?"

Mr. Lin also felt that it was time to explain clearly, no matter what others said, his own family should not be chaotic.

"We've considered it too. The Qin Family surely is a good marriage prospect, but Jiayi is hot-tempered and not suitable, they might think we deceived them by sending her. It's better to marry the honest Li Guangyuan. Chuxia, you are capable and diligent, you'll have a good life whoever you marry. Marrying into the Qin Family means you're going to enjoy a fortunate life."

Lin Jiadong couldn't help but ask again, "Dad, aren't you afraid elder sister might deceive the Li Family by marrying Guangyuan?"

Unsurprisingly, he received another kick.

Mother Lin glared at her younger son, "What are you talking about? The Li Family are humble farmers, what could your sister take advantage of? Your dad and I have discussed with both families. For the second daughter, the Qin Family will provide a dowry of three hundred yuan. Jiayi will marry into the Li Family, procuring a dowry of eighty yuan from them. What could the Li Family possibly have to complain about?"

She then spoke to Lin Chuxia, "Second daughter, rest assured, with your parents' support, have no fear; once you marry into Qin Family, just win over your husband and you'll have everything. The dowry money will be kept by me; remember my words, this is your backbone."

Lin Chuxia slightly narrowed her eyes, still looking timid, and simply replied, "I understand, I'll listen to mom and dad."

After they finished discussing, they sent them back to their rooms to sleep, but Lin Jiayi stayed behind.

Seeing her eldest daughter beaming, Mother Lin approached and lightly tapped her forehead.

"Are you satisfied? I don't know what got into you, the Li Family is far inferior to the Qin Family. Qin Yang has a government job with a monthly salary, and if he gets promoted, you'll become a government official's wife. What does Li Guangyuan have? He's just a farmer; even the dowry couldn't be increased much, otherwise you'll definitely face hard times once married."

Lin Jiayi, hugging her mother's arm and acting coquettishly, said, "Mom, I know you're the best. I wasn't being foolish. I heard Qin Yang barely returns home all year, even if he earns a lot, marrying him would be no different from living like a widow. Don't look down on Li Guangyuan farming now; it doesn't mean he'll farm forever. He's capable, just you wait and see, he will definitely surpass Mr. Qin."

Mentioning Qin Yang, a touch of resentment flashed in Lin Jiayi's eyes, such that she was even reluctant to speak his name since being reborn.

In her previous life, her mother had arranged a good match for her, and she had happily married into the Qin Family, only to find out that on the surface they were polished like golden eggs, but inside just as hollow as donkey dung.

Mr. Qin had poor health and spent years on medication, spending god knows how much on medical expenses.

The Qin Family was under the control of Mrs. Qin and the Eldest Son of Qin Family, Qin Han; Qin Yang's salary never reached her hands.

Qin Han had a lot of influence; sometimes, even Mrs. Qin would listen to him.

Her husband, Qin Yang, was an emotionless work machine, aloof and inconsiderate. They did not consummate their marriage on their wedding night, and he returned to work the next day.

He could barely make it home twice a year, and during their many years of marriage, she never saw him smile. Each encounter was just another glimpse of his coffin-like face.

Being constantly at odds with her sister-in-law, she felt ignored and endured endless humiliations in that house.

What kind of marriage was this? She was practically living like a widow, and marrying into the Qin Family was like becoming a servant to them.

Six months later, to make matters worse, they brought back a son of some colleague; she was still a virgin, yet she was expected to be a stepmother to another's child, and Qin Yang even favored that child over their own.

That child was ungrateful, causing Qin Yang to divorce her, destroying her reputation.

Li Guangyuan, whom her family looked down on, turned out to be visionary; shortly after they married, he started doing business and it grew bigger and bigger.

In her past life, she never became an official's wife, but Lin Chuxia ended up as a rich lady, living in a small western-style house, driving a car, wearing the most fashionable clothes, even more glamorous than those officials' wives.

Reborn, she would not walk the same path nor leap into the same pit of fire. It was time for Lin Jiayi to enjoy the life of a rich lady, too.

Having said that, she suddenly remembered something. "Mom, you need to give me more for the dowry."

"Fine, you can take the whole eighty yuan," Mother Lin had no intention of keeping the dowry money for her eldest daughter.

But Lin Jiayi was not satisfied. "Eighty is not enough; give me two hundred," she thought about Li Guangyuan's business ventures which would need capital. If she didn't know her mother was the type to only receive and not spend, she'd have even wanted those three hundred yuan from the Qin Family.

Sure enough, Mother Lin's brow furrowed. "Your younger brother is also getting older, and I need to save money for his marriage."

"My brother is only fifteen. Give me the money now. When he gets married, Guangyuan might be successful by then. We could provide the money for his wedding..."

Lin Chuxia was lying in bed, the old house had poor sound insulation, and she could vaguely hear the conversation next door, yet inside she felt a sense of peace.

She knew that in her previous life, Lin Jiayi's life was not satisfying, with a husband who was often absent from home, but for her, it was perfect.

She needed a place for herself, not a husband.

Her fingers gently touched the spot where her ring should be; closing her eyes, her consciousness entered a new realm.

Upon her rebirth, she found that the ring on her ring finger, a valuable ancient ring she had won at an auction in her previous life, had merged with her body, and now it came with a space of its own.

This space was none other than the private villa she had bought in her past life; in the villa's courtyard, there was now an ancient water well.

In her last life, Lin Chuxia had read some novels mentioning things like the Space Spiritual Spring. This afternoon, out of curiosity, she confirmed that drinking water from the well really made her feel refreshed and light, even after a hard day's work.

It was precisely because of this golden touch that she decided to take things step by step. After all, she was not the only one reborn; who knows what advantages Lin Jiayi might have.

.........

The marriage was settled, and the household began bustling with preparations.

Dowries were simple to prepare, especially in the countryside. Those with means would make a couple of new cotton quilts, tear a few yards of fabric to tailor some new clothes. Those less off didn't even need to prepare quilts; just wrap up the cotton quilts already in use at home, take some old clothes, and send them over.

The practice of "three turns and one snap" was a luxury only the well-off in the cities cared for. Lin Chuxia had never even dreamt of such things in her previous life.

She only believed in one thing: relying on oneself trumps relying on anyone else. Others might dream of marrying a rich man to become a wealthy lady, but she wanted to be the rich one herself.

In her past life, she became wealthy, but everyone referred to her as Mrs. Li. This life, she wanted everyone to remember the name Lin Chuxia.

A distant and familiar voice came from outside the courtyard, "Chuxia, Chuxia..." Along with the voice, a figure entered the courtyard.

Seeing the familiar figure, warmth flooded Lin Chuxia's eyes - it was her good friend, Sun Lanlan.

The two grew up together. All the kids in the village liked to befriend her elder sister, who was spoiled by the family, wore nice clothes, and was articulate.

Only Sun Lanlan didn't care for what others said; she always considered her as her best friend and looked down on her elder sister.

Finding Lin Chuxia alone at home, Sun Lanlan didn't beat around the bush and pulled her into conversation.

"How come I hear that you're marrying into the Qin Family? Wasn't Li Guangyuan the one you were set up with originally? How did it change? Did Lin Jiayi play some tricks?"

Even though the Qin family had better conditions than the Li family, the sudden change in the wedding plans worried Sun Lanlan. Lin Jiayi was definitely not that kind-hearted.

Lin Chuxia looked at her, eyebrows raised, ready to fight a battle for her at the slightest admission. She couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

This Lanlan was truly wonderful.

In her previous life, Sun Lanlan married a year later than she did. Their fates seemed to run parallel - except Li Guangyuan started abusing her only after he rose in status, while Sun Lanlan's husband started with beatings and scolding mere days after their wedding.

In those times, domestic fights were a common occurrence; some even believed that if a woman was beaten, she must have deserved it. If everything was done right, why would a man strike you?

Sun Lanlan had three older brothers and grew up pampered in her family. Naturally, her family did not take the beatings sitting down.

Her husband understood this well; every time he hit her and she threatened to return to her parents, he would cry, beg for forgiveness, and even kneel.

Sun Lanlan had a soft heart, but one time after a beating left her bleeding profusely, she couldn't bear it and went back to her family.

Her brothers would not stand for it, and they taught the man a lesson, ensuring he promised never to hit Sun Lanlan again before letting it go.

Yet, as soon as Sun Lanlan returned to her husband's house, she was brutally beaten at the doorstep – worse than before, to the point of miscarriage.

Their unborn child that Sun Lanlan didn't even know about yet was lost to the beating. To make matters worse, her husband locked her up, forbidding her from returning to her parents.

In despair, Sun Lanlan ended her life with a bottle of pesticide.

Seeing her still smiling, Sun Lanlan frowned even harder, "You're still smiling, this is a huge deal for a lifetime. If Lin Jiayi really played tricks, I'll go and bring this to the Party Secretary, we'll see if we can't get some justice."

Lin Chuxia took her hand and sat down on the edge of the bed, "No need to go, I am willing to marry Qin Yang."

Sun Lanlan was stunned, "Have you met Qin Yang? Chuxia, think this through. I think Li Guangyuan is also quite alright, at least we've met him. Qin Yang works in another city, hardly comes home twice a year, and he's quite a few years older than you. Who knows why he's still unmarried at his age."

She was worried that Lin Jiayi knew about Qin Yang's shortcomings and hence swapped grooms with Chuxia.

"I haven't met him, but I am willing to marry him."

Li Chuxia was telling the truth; in both her lives, she had never seen Qin Yang.

In her previous life, the relationship between Lin Jiayi and Qin Yang was bad. They hadn't even met when Lin Jiayi returned to her parental home after the wedding, and since Qin Yang worked out of town, there was no chance for her to see him.

After the Li Family's business thrived, her mother-in-law didn't want her to have contact with those vampires from her parental home. She only sent money home, seeing her family even less frequently throughout the year.

Later on, Lin Jiayi divorced Qin Yang, and Li Chuxia had never met that brother-in-law of hers until she died.

All she had heard was that this man was cold in temperament, lacked human warmth, and was a complete workaholic. He would even neglect coming home for his job.

Seeing that Li Chuxia appeared not to be lying, Sun Lanlan felt relieved and said, "Working is also good, you get rationed grain, a salary every month. Many people dream of marrying someone with a job."

Li Chuxia glanced sideward, a twinkle in her eyes, and teasingly responded, "Then you should strive to find someone with a job, too."

Right now, she couldn't change much, but she could plant a seed, hoping that her good friend wouldn't get involved with that scumbag in this lifetime.

Sun Lanlan's face flushed, "Ah, we're talking about you here, why bring me into this?"

Seeing that Li Chuxia truly didn't seem troubled, Sun Lanlan felt reassured and unwrapped the paper package she brought.

"This is my wedding gift for you. Considering your sister is around, your mother probably won't prepare much for your dowry. Keep this cloth and make some clothes out of it."

It was a piece of red plaid cloth, about four or five yards, just enough to make a coat.

Li Chuxia's heart warmed.

Today, her mother and Lin Jiayi went to the city to shop for wedding supplies, leaving her to watch the house. Li Chuxia knew clearly that they were shopping for Lin Jiayi.

It was the same in her previous life. The Li Family had provided a bride price of three hundred yuan, not having the money to give more. Besides eighty yuan from the Qin Family, they also gave a piece of cloth.

Her mother talked about matching social status; what attitude the in-laws showed equaled what attitude the parents showed. They bought Lin Jiayi two new outfits, and even the cloth from Sun Lanlan was taken to maintain appearances for Lin Jiayi.

Fingertips gently brushing over the fabric, "Thank you, Lanlan, having a friend like you is my good fortune."

"What is there to be polite about," Sun Lanlan nonchalantly waved her hand, "If Qin Yang ever bullies you, just tell me. But he's not home to bully you anyway. It's Li Guangyuan, with his strong and rough stature, I really can't beat him if he bullies you. It's good that you don't have to marry him."

She finished speaking and laughed heartily on her own.

Li Chuxia laughed along with her.

Li Guangyuan did indeed have violent tendencies. At the beginning of their marriage, he seemed quite honest due to her competence. But, as the business grew, he developed a sense of superiority, found women outside, and began to reveal his true nature.

It wasn't that she couldn't divorce him at the time; it was just that all the business was registered in Li Guangyuan's name. If she divorced, she would have to give up a large part of her estate.

All of that was achieved through her hard scheming, and she was unwilling to let it go easily, so she enrolled in a Sanda (Chinese boxing) class.

Domestic violence, was it? She would see who was more formidable, until she beat the man so bad he never dared to lay a hand on her again, even avoiding her upon sight.

Li Chuxia was someone who was ruthless to others but even more so to herself.

After Sun Lanlan left, Lin Chuxia picked up the scissors and began cutting the fabric. She was slimmer and taller than Lin Jiayi, so for many years she could wear Lin Jiayi's loose clothes; but once she tailored clothes for herself, they certainly wouldn't fit Lin Jiayi.

The clothes were just cut when the mother and daughter returned, carrying two net bags filled with quite a few items.

Upon entering the room and seeing the fabric on the kang bed, Lin Jiayi immediately asked, "Where did you get that fabric?"

"Lanlan gave it to me, so I could make a new dress," Chuxia replied.

"Just because it was given to you, you cut it? Was it really given to you by the Sun Family? It was meant for our family. Why didn't you consult Mother before acting on your own? Such fine fabric, and you've ruined it," Lin Jiayi accused.

Mother Lin also felt pained seeing the cut fabric, "Your sister is right. Whatever the Sun Family gives to our family, I have to return it someday. It's all about social obligation. You're grown up; don't you understand this principle? Now that the fabric is cut, what am I supposed to return Sun Family's favor with?"

Lin Chuxia set down her needle and thread, her gaze falling on the net bags in their hands, her voice tinged with regret, "I got it wrong. Lanlan said it was for me, she wanted me to wear the fabric she gave to make a new dress for my marriage. I didn't think too much about it. But now that I think about it, it's not right to wear fabric given by someone else for marriage. Mom will surely prepare it for me. Tomorrow I'll explain to Lanlan. Although the fabric has been cut, it's not a big issue. I'll tell her we've received the Sun Family's favor, and as for returning favors, you don't have to worry, Mom. Since I cut the fabric, whenever the Sun Family needs something, I will go and return the favor."

Lin Jiayi panicked internally and hid the net bags behind her. The items inside were all hers.

Mother Lin wasn't thinking about splitting up the items; she was just feeling guilty from Lin Chuxia's words. What irked her even more was the thought of having to tell Sun Lanlan that the Lin Family had received the favor.

For big events like weddings and funerals, who would send their regards a week in advance? The custom is to give a gift on the wedding day.

She had just followed along with her eldest daughter's words, but if this wretched girl really went to Sun Lanlan with those words, and the Sun Family didn't give a dowry, they would be the ones to lose out. She had contributed gifts when the Sun Family's two sons married.

"Enough, enough, why so much idle talk? It's already cut, just wear whichever one you want. Our family isn't so strict about these things. You make it sound like I'm ungrateful. You're a girl about to get married; why meddle in the family's social obligations? All you need to do is look after yourself and not disgrace the family."

As she spoke, Mother Lin passed the net bags to Lin Jiayi, gesturing for her to put them away.

Lin Chuxia acted as if she hadn't seen their small gestures and picked up her needle and thread to continue making clothes.

Lin Jiayi looked at the fabric with undisguised envy, sneering inwardly: Truly born to be poor – treating a useless piece of fabric like a treasure. She really lucked out in her previous life.

Thinking that in this life Li Guangyuan was hers, and that the other party was to marry that cold-hearted man – all the hardship would fall on her – Lin Jiayi's eyes brimmed with smugness.

"This color is quite festive. Wearing the new dress at the wedding, Qin Yang will surely like it." Just wait and see how your warm approach is met with his cold indifference.

Lin Chuxia responded without lifting her head, "I hope he will like it."

Lin Jiayi: "..."

Shameless!

With a flick of her eyes, "Second Sister, what do you think the Qin Family will give you as a betrothal gift? I heard the Qin Family is quite wealthy, and Qin Yang earns a salary. When they marry a daughter-in-law, they must give something substantial, right? Aren't Mom and Dad so kind to arrange such a good match for you?"

Lin Chuxia looked up in confusion, "Eldest Sister, did you not wake up this morning, or did you develop amnesia? Wasn't the Qin Family's marriage originally arranged for you? You were the one who refuted it and wanted to switch with me. If you really think the Qin Family is better than the Li Family, go talk to Mom and Dad again, and switch the marriage arrangement back. I think the Li Family is quite good."

Lin Jiayi: "... Who says the Li Family isn't good? Also, Mom said... from now on, we're not to mention the issue of switching the marriage arrangements again ..."

What if the Li Family heard about this return?

Her mother had put quite a bit of effort to switch the arrangements; she couldn't let this thoughtless girl ruin things, and she didn't want Li Guangyuan to have a bad impression of her before they were even married.

Lin Chuxia, watching her sister's evasive gaze, suddenly came to an understanding about one thing.