Chapter 1: The Wicked Stepmother
In June, Baijia Village.
The sky was gloomy and stiflingly hot without a breath of wind. Several women were cooling off under the big pagoda tree in the village, stitching shoe soles and gossiping.
“Did you hear?”
“Hear what?”
“Mrs. Su from Bai Shitang’s family fell hard early this morning. She hit the back of her head on the door frame, and I heard she’s not doing well. They say she might have already passed away by now.”
“Tsk, even Heaven couldn’t bear to watch anymore?”
“Exactly, it’s retribution. She’s been hitting and scolding all day at home, often whipping with willow branches. Look at Shuiliu and her siblings; which day is it that they got no injuries? The kids are just a few years old, and she makes them work in the fields all day, lighting fires and cooking. They’re not even tall enough to reach the stove! And it’s not just the work; she doesn’t give them enough to eat. All four kids are skinny and small. Shuiliu is nine this year, right? But she looks shorter than my eight-year-old Mihua. I’ve never seen such a heartless stepmother!”
“Exactly. Back then, she targeted Bai Shitang because he had no parents and could earn money as a bodyguard. She tripped him into the river when he wasn’t looking, forcing him to marry her. Now that Bai Shitang was killed by bandits while working, leaving the family without money, she takes her anger out on the children every day. She doesn’t realize that everything that’s happened is her own doing. She deserves it!”
“People say that the wicked will be punished by Heaven. It’s good that Mrs. Su is dead. Now, Shuiliu and her siblings might finally have a chance at a better life.”
“Exactly.”
“Something’s wrong! Shuiliu’s mother has opened her eyes…”
A child ran over in a panic, shouting loudly.
The women exchanged glances, their faces growing darker than the sky.
It seemed that Heaven still had no eyes.
“Boom!”
The sound of muffled thunder grew louder, and soon gusts of wind began shaking the big pagoda tree.
Seeing that a heavy rain was imminent, everyone hurried home to gather the clothes and fermented bean paste drying in their yards and called for the children playing outside to quickly come inside to avoid the rain.
Large raindrops soon started to fall, becoming more frequent and thick, like broken strings of beads.
Caught in this sudden downpour, the old and dilapidated houses began to leak, producing a constant dripping sound.
A drop of rainwater seeped through the tiles and fell on Su Mulan’s nose, its chill making her fully awake. She realized that the plane crash she experienced on her way to a business conference as a regional director and everything before her was not a dream but her current reality.
Transmigration. Widow. Stepmother…
To emphasize, a wicked stepmother who mistreats her stepchildren.
Starting out with such a villainous role, the days ahead… would be daunting.
Su Mulan sighed, holding her head in her hands, wanting a drink of water to calm herself. She reached for the coarse porcelain teapot with a chipped spout on the old table, only to find it completely empty. She had to put it down again.
The teapot was quite heavy, and with Su Mulan still disoriented from her arrival, it slipped from her hand and fell heavily on the table with a “bang.”
The noise startled the four little children, who instinctively huddled in the corner.
The eldest girl, the tallest, bit her lip and quickly walked over.
“Mother, I forgot to boil water. Please don’t be angry. I’ll go boil some right now…”
Her voice trembled slightly, clearly indicating her fear. However, because she was concerned for her younger siblings and worried they might get beaten, she had no choice but to step forward and take responsibility.