Rebirth in 1980: The Farm Wife Makes a Comeback
Chapter 351: Hatred Without End

Chapter 351: Chapter 351: Hatred Without End

Qin Xiangnuan’s heart felt wounded; she had long been aware that Qin Xiangnuan looked down on her, that no one in the village respected her, but she was human, a living, breathing human made of flesh and blood. She too could feel distressed, feel pain, and feel the sting of sorrow.

At this moment, Wen Zhi’s nose tingled with a sourness that involuntarily brought heat to the corners of her eyes. She hurriedly turned her face away, not wanting Qin Xiangmei to see her cry. Wouldn’t that make it even more embarrassing?

She stealthily wiped the tears from the corner of her eye.

When she turned back, the smile on her face was cautious and wary.

"Okay, I agree, but you have to promise to give me the 100 yuan."

"I’m not someone who goes back on her word," Qin Xiangmei placed the 100 yuan on the table, "as soon as you press your thumbprint, the money is yours."

Qin Xiangnuan hastily grabbed the agreement, trying to read it clearly. With only a primary school education, she couldn’t recognize many characters, but she could still make out the gist. Just as she was about to examine it closely, Qin Xiangnuan snatched the paper out of her hands.

"Either sign or forget about it." As she spoke, she made to take the 100 yuan back.

"Don’t rush me, I’ll press my thumbprint," she hurriedly said.

Qin Xiangnuan quickly pressed her thumbprint onto the red ink pad and then onto the paper. Only then did Qin Xiangmei, satisfied, take the page from the table, while Qin Xiangnuan, until her death, remained ignorant of what she had actually agreed to.

It was only now that she realized that Qin Xiangmei had been planning to overspend her life force. For 100 yuan, she had been tricked out of all her fortune and destiny. No wonder, no wonder she had lived a life mired in poverty, failing in everything she did, and no wonder her death had been so pitiful.

No wonder, no wonder...

Heh... no wonder.

Suddenly, she burst into a crazed, spiteful laugh,

Tears rolled down from her eyes, falling onto her upturned lips.

This hatred, it caused her heart unspeakable pain.

"What’s the matter?" Jian Zhiqing approached, bent down, and noticed Qin Xiangnuan’s distressed complexion.

"Do young girls need to carry such depth of emotion?"

He too sat down, placing his hand naturally on the table, and gave a soft tap.

Qin Xiangnuan lifted her face, her eyes momentarily flashing with indelible hatred, a hatred that would persist until death, never to subside. Jian Zhiqing slightly furrowed his brow and naturally crossed his legs, then wrapped his arms around his chest.

Nuannuan, although I don’t know what’s happened to you in the past, it’s not worth it to ruin your mood over someone else’s mistakes.

Qin Xiangnuan’s red lips moved slightly, and after a long while, she opened her mouth and softly spoke, "Brother Jian, why do you think it’s someone else’s fault and not mine?"

"It’s someone else’s," Jian Zhiqing touched the top of her head, "because you are not just anyone; you are Qin Xiangnuan, the Qin Xiangnuan that Brother Jian has known since childhood. Brother Jian won’t ask what happened, but as Brother Jian said, don’t let someone else’s mistakes affect your mood, it’s not very wise. What you need to do is study hard, get into a good university. The better you do, the more those who wronged you will suffer."

Qin Xiangnuan bowed her head, her long lashes faintly fluttering intermittently, as if shattering countless fragments of the past.

Indeed, she knew that Jian Zhiqing was right. It’s just that the kind of hatred one has not experienced could never be understood.

She thought she was consumed by hate, but it turned out not to be the case. It wasn’t mere hatred; it was a deep grudge, an enormous hatred, an all-consuming feud. Qin Xiangmei, she sneered inwardly. In your last life, you took everything from someone else. This life, I want to see how you’ll become the golden phoenix of the village.

And once again, she felt fortunate that what she had chosen was embroidery, not that face.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world; gambling one’s own gains with the lives of others will eventually bring retribution. Although she didn’t know whether Qin Xiangmei from her past life had faced her karma, in this life, she definitely would.

Jian Zhiqing cracked a slight smile. The young girl’s psychological resilience was good, almost ready to let go.

He stood up, and Conghua ran over with her food bowl in her mouth, her large tail wagging from time to time.

Despite having the appearance akin to a wolf’s, its temperament was somewhat disappointing—an attention-seeking military dog that could be rather helpless at times.

"Let’s go, I’ll take you out."

Conghua scampered to put her food bowl back and then trotted over, sitting on the ground with her tongue lolling out, panting periodically.

"You too," Jian Zhiqing turned back and lightly tapped the stone table. "Go out and get some fresh air."

Qin Xiangnuan really didn’t feel like moving, but staying at home was indeed dull. She had read her mind full of books and needed to digest them properly. She stood up, patted the clothes on her body, unsure if there were creases on them.

"Stop primping and let’s go,"

Jian Zhiqing grabbed her collar and dragged her out of the door.

Facing such brusque actions from Jian Zhiqing, Qin Xiangnuan really wanted to kick him.

Jian Zhiqing, as always, did whatever he wanted, leading her and Conghua out the door, walking the dog and her at the same time.

Granny Lu and the other elderly ladies had gone out to play cards, which would not be over until nine o’clock. Their old folks’ card games only had stakes of several cents, merely a way to pass the time and enjoy the commotion. Granny Lu had a good nature; she was always warm-hearted, offering to help anyone in the neighborhood facing difficulties. Qin Xiangnuan had been worried she wouldn’t fit in with this group of old ladies, but it seemed she had underestimated Granny Lu. Granny Lu had a naturally amiable aura, and everyone who dealt with her liked her.

Qin Xiangnuan thought this must be what people referred to as charisma.

Conghua ran quickly, its big butt wiggling comically. Actually quite humorous, because it was so fat, without any shape. But Conghua didn’t care; it was a happy dog that would even flirt with butterflies.

Qin Xiangnuan closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. The air at the moment was fresh, crisp, free of any odd or wasted emissions, free of smog, sandstorms, overly tall buildings, or the incessant buzz of traffic. Nonetheless, there were more cars now than a few years ago, and in the future, there would be even more. Cars are easy to buy, but parking them is becoming increasingly difficult.

That’s when the advantages of a Siheyuan would be highlighted. No matter how hard it is to find a parking space outside, there would always be a spot available inside a Siheyuan.

"Whoo..." Conghua suddenly whined softly.

Qin Xiangnuan came back to reality, with the night breeze clearing her mind of any negative thoughts. It seemed she had begun to understand Jian Zhiqing’s intentions—wanting her to come out was simply to help her think things through.