After assimilating the memories that did not belong to her and watching the book that had appeared in her mind vanish, Kang Li was now clear about her current situation.
——Originally, she had been reviewing documents in the study at home, and after finishing up, when the clock pointed to one in the morning, she casually made a video call to her younger brother, who was studying abroad in Country A.
Little did she know, before she and her brother could exchange a few words, her heart suddenly began to ache, followed by darkness engulfing her vision, and she lost all consciousness amidst her brother's anxious, distressed calls.
When she opened her eyes again, enduring the pain at the back of her head, she realized she had transmigrated, and it was into a morally questionable era-specific stepmother novel.
Of course, this was undoubtedly known through the memories left by the original owner and the book that had appeared in her mind.
Was she panicked?
Not in the slightest.
Because she knew what it meant to make the best of a situation, while also aware that in her original world, she most likely died suddenly of exhaustion from working too hard for the family and the corporation.
The original owner, on the other hand, was born with a deficiency disease and strictly needed to avoid drastic emotional swings. Unexpectedly, just two days ago, the Zhou Family from the same village had come to forcefully break off their engagement,
and this morning, she was tricked by her best friend to the creek at the foot of the mountains behind the village by her ex-fiancé. Leaving carelessly, she fell backwards and injured the back of her head. Although the village doctor did diagnose her and said she was simply in a coma and it was nothing serious, predicting she would wake up by lunch at the latest.
However, the person who woke up had a different soul, indicating that the original owner most likely died in her sleep.
Her parents were arguing in the main room. The day after the Zhou Family called off the engagement, her father returned from a meeting at the commune and brought up a marriage prospect.
In a fit of pique, without giving it any thought, the original owner agreed to go to North City and marry a man named Luo Yanqing, as mentioned by Director Wu from the commune.
As a mother, Cai Xiufen could never watch her precious daughter marry a man on his second marriage, who had three children for her to step into the role of stepmother, and thus she strongly opposed the marriage.
Yet, early this morning, Captain Kang, her father, rode his bike to the commune, and with Director Wu personally handling the situation, plus his old superior's call for a special case to be made,
both assisted—in one case, Luo Yanqing who was far away in North City, and in the other, their own daughter—in processing the marriage registration smoothly.
All right, by this point, Captain Kang still hadn't taken the marriage certificate out of his pocket to show the family, otherwise, Cai Xiufen's argument with Captain Kang would not have been so simple.
"..."
Her daughter's gone nuts!
Cai Xiufen really thought that what her Li Bao said yesterday was out of anger. Could someone please tell her what on earth is going on now?
Both Kang Guowei and his wife, Kang Guoqiang and his wife, Kang Guofu and his wife, as well as their respective children, along with Kang Guoan, who was born in the same batch but still single, were all staring agape: "..."
The sister (little sister-in-law) has gone mad!
What needs to be said is, Kang Guofu hadn't been at his unit for long this morning when he received a call from home, informing him that his little sister Li Bao had fallen and fainted by the creek. As a brother who adored his younger sister, it was impossible for him not to return home to see her.
Consequently, Kang Guofu rode his bike with his wife and two sons, rushing back to the village at full speed.
To tell the truth, the original owner, Kang Li, was absolutely adored like a treasure at home.
Why?
It's quite simple. In Captain Kang's generation, there were three brothers and not a single sister. And the brothers, one after another, got married and had children. It was almost like a competition; each of them had a son,
Until Captain Kang and his wife, nearly ten years after having their fourth son, finally had twins, a boy and a girl. It was only then that the Kang Family welcomed a delicate and precious little girl.
She was doted on by grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts, brothers, and male cousins. Later, as her brothers and male cousins married and themselves had sons, these younger relatives, without needing to be told, also spoilt their little aunt.
Some of these nephews were over twenty years older than the original host, with children of their own, yet they didn't feel embarrassed to pass any treats they had directly to the original host.
For instance, the original host's eldest cousin from her eldest uncle's side was forty-three, with a twenty-two-year-old son who got married last year and had a child at the beginning of this year.
In short, with the entire Kang Family doting on her, the original host grew up truly pampered and sheltered, raised to be both delicate and naive.
But the original host had some health issues, was frail from childhood, yet she grew up extraordinarily beautiful, and the older she got, the more beautiful she became. It was no exaggeration to say her skin was as smooth as cream, her bright eyes presented good will, and her lips were as lovely as peach blossoms.
Moreover, with her sweet tongue, the family's affection for her could be described as them fearing she would break if held in their hands and worrying she would melt if kept in their mouths.
This led to the original host reaching adulthood having never washed a single piece of clothing, cooked a meal, or even done easy household chores like feeding chickens and ducks or sweeping the floor.
In private conversations, the villagers said that the Kang Family had spoiled their daughter too much. This was a euphemistic way of putting it. More directly, they said the Kang Family had indulged their daughter into being lazy and gluttonous, adding that no one would be able to live a decent life with such a daughter-in-law.
Moreover, she was a sickly person who might have trouble bearing children. Even if she looked like a fairy, what use was it?
"Do you have anything to say now? Marrying Luo Yanqing Comrade, our Li Bao doesn't have the slightest objection,"
At this moment, Captain Kang spoke up, breaking the silent atmosphere in the main room and attracting the gazes that had been focused on Kang Li. He fished out a marriage certificate that resembled a diploma from his pocket, opened it up for the family to see:
"Here is Li Bao's marriage certificate. I went to the Commune at noon today. Director Wu said that his old leader had approved a special handling for the marriage between our Li Bao and Comrade Luo Yanqing, so he went with me to the civil affairs department to help the two children get their marriage certificate."
"Kang Laigen! You must have your head clouded by lard. Yesterday, you agreed on such a marriage for Li Bao in front of Director Wu, and today, without uttering a word to anyone, you went and got the marriage certificate on behalf of Li Bao. How could you do this?!"
Cai Xiufen was about to explode with rage, about to pounce on Captain Kang and give him a good scratching.
Seeing this, Kang Li immediately grabbed her mother's arm: "Mother, can you trust me? I truly haven't gone against anyone's wishes. Now that father has brought the marriage certificate back, there's no turning back, and frankly, I haven't even considered going back on it. You can rest assured, once I go to North City, I will definitely not let anything happen to myself."
"How can I put my mind at ease? You've never done anything since you were small. How will you manage in North City? And you're just a child yourself, how are you going to take care of three little kids?"
Thinking about what her treasured daughter would face in North City made Cai Xiufen's heart wrench with pain.
She was afraid, afraid that her Li Bao would go hungry, afraid that her Li Bao would quickly become haggard, suffering from an empty stomach while unable to wear clean clothes. She feared her daughter would suffer grievances without family nearby, hiding under the blankets, crying until she couldn't catch her breath…
"I can learn. Mother, I'm very smart, and everyone in our family knows that. Besides, cooking and washing clothes aren't difficult at all,
I've been observing you and the sisters-in-law doing these household chores. In fact, I have it all in my heart. How about I cook a couple of dishes and put them on the table tonight? Everyone can try them and see how I do."