I was reborn after my cousin stole my life.

Chapter 1: Past Life

Yuan Xiu got up at five o'clock in the morning to prepare a soft breakfast for the two elders, put the rice in the pot to simmer, and then rode her bicycle to the butcher in the neighboring village to pick up the pork she had ordered. After returning, she helped the two elders wash up and eat. After finishing all that, she slurped down a bowl of porridge and then hurriedly went to the vegetable garden to pick the vegetables they would eat that day, and also turned over the plot of land next to it where she was going to plant wheat seedlings.

The old lady asked her to kill a chicken, so she grabbed an old hen that she had raised for more than two years and killed it swiftly.

Stewed meat, mixed vegetables, and made dumplings—once the meat in the pot smelled delicious, the person the two elders had been eagerly awaiting for over twenty years finally returned.

The black sedan pulled up to the gate, attracting a crowd of adults and children from the village.

Wearing an apron, Yuan Xiu stood on the steps outside the kitchen, craning her neck to look out.

There were too many people surrounding the car, so she could only get a vague idea of ​​what was going on. Even from that vague idea, she could tell how rich Yuan Juan'er was dressed, exuding an air of nobility that seemed completely out of place in this small village.

The old lady held Yuan Juan's hand, calling her "my darling" repeatedly, while the old man grinned, his mouth full of dentures, and kept saying "good."

The villagers looked at Yuan Juan with envy, and one by one they showed their gap teeth and said flattering words.

Meanwhile, Yuan Juan's parents took out large bags of candy from the car and distributed them to everyone, causing the village children to chase each other, making it even more lively than the New Year.

Yuan Xiu smiled and went into the kitchen to continue her work.

After she finished cooking a dish, she turned around and found that her aunt had come in at some point and was looking at her with a look of pity mixed with a hint of regret.

She often saw that look in her eyes in the years that followed as she grew older.

"Auntie?"

Aunt Yuan quickly composed herself and said with a smile, "Xiu'er, why don't you go out and see Yuan Juan? You two sisters haven't seen each other for over twenty years. I remember you two played together so well when you were little."

Yuan Xiu wiped the sweat from her brow and smiled, "I can't leave the kitchen, but you'll see me when we eat later, no rush."

Yuan Xiaogu sat down in front of the stove. "Then I'll help you start the fire."

The slices of meat slid into the oil with a sizzling sound, instantly releasing their aroma. Yuan Xiaogu took a deep breath and exclaimed, "It smells so good! Of all the food I've eaten, yours is the best! There's no girl in the whole village more virtuous and filial than Xiu'er."

Yuan Xiu shook her head with a wry smile, "I'm already forty-five, what kind of girl am I?"

Aunt Yuan gave her a reproachful look, "No matter how old you are, in your aunt's and your grandparents' eyes, you're still a little girl."

Yuan Xiu smiled but didn't say anything. She scooped a spoonful of her homemade sauce into the pot.

"Xiu'er, don't think your aunt is being nosy. I'm doing this for your own good. Your grandparents are both over ninety. To put it bluntly, they probably don't have many years left. You need to find yourself some company. Otherwise, how will you live all alone after they're gone? I know a nice guy. His ex-wife passed away from an illness a few years ago. He has two children who are already married and living separately. He has no burdens. He told me about your situation, and he said he's willing to come and live with you and take care of your grandparents until they pass away..."

Yuan Xiu's smile faded as she turned away to get a plate. "Forget it, Auntie. I'm too old for that. I don't want to look for someone anymore. When Grandpa and Grandma pass away, I can raise some chickens and ducks and tend to the fields. I'll be fine on my own."

Yuan Xiaogu wanted to persuade her again.

"Auntie, please go to the main room and have everyone set the table. We can eat now."

As soon as Aunt Yuan left, Yuan Xiu patted her chest, suppressing the pent-up frustration in her heart.

It was only when the dishes were served that Yuan Xiu truly saw Yuan Juan clearly.

She sat next to the old lady, dressed in fine clothes and well-maintained, looking more like she was only in her thirties than nearly forty. On the hand that the old lady was holding, which had no calluses, she wore a bright gold bracelet and a gold ring.

Yuan Xiu glanced at them and then lowered her gaze. Back then, everyone said that the two of them looked like they were born of the same parents. Now, I'm afraid no one would say that anymore.

"This is...my cousin, right?"

Yuan Juan seemed to only then notice Yuan Xiu, and stood up in surprise. She stepped forward and grabbed Yuan Xiu's calloused hands, saying warmly, "Yuan Xiu, it's been so long! How have you been all these years?"

Yuan Xiu subconsciously took a step back, pulling her rough hands back. "It's fine."

She was stunned for a moment when she looked up and met Yuan Juan's gaze.

The way Yuan Juan looked at her surprised her.

It was a look of smug satisfaction mixed with relief, and even more so, a sense of looking down from a superior position.

Yuan Xiu didn't think much of it, assuming that her cousin, whom she hadn't seen for over twenty years, was simply relieved that she hadn't lived her life like Yuan Xiu's after seeing her old age and destitution.

At the dinner table, Yuan Juan's father, Yuan Xinmin, started talking about Yuan Xiu, saying, "Your cousin is both filial and capable! She manages everything inside and outside the house and takes exceptionally good care of your grandparents. If it weren't for her, your grandparents wouldn't have lived to this age. No one in our town, no, in the whole county, can match her! Juan'er, in terms of filial piety, you can't even come close to your cousin."

The old lady and the old man quickly said, "Juan'er is also very filial; she has sent a lot of money back home over the years."

Yuan Juan smiled again. "I married far away and can't come back to visit my grandparents often. I can only send some money back so you can buy some food and drinks. It's nothing. My dad is right, I can't compare to my cousin. No wonder everyone praises her."

Hearing these words, Yuan Xiu felt that the food she was eating tasted like wax.

The old couple were overjoyed by Yuan Juan's return. The old lady was reluctant to let her go back to town, so she asked Yuan Xiu to tidy up the house so that her uncle's family could stay at home for one night.

Yuan Xiu used her own precious new bedding to make a bed for Yuan Juan, and received a set of new clothes that Yuan Juan had brought back from the big city.

The clothes smelled so good that Yuan Xiu sneezed.

"Here you go."

"What?"

Yuan Xiu did not understand the meaning of this sentence.

Yuan Juan smiled and said, "I remember when we were little, I often picked up your old clothes that you couldn't wear anymore. Consider this outfit a thank you for those clothes you had when you were little."

Yuan Xiu hadn't expected that the "still" she mentioned would mean that.

Before her parents passed away, she was the most enviable child in the village, with endless new clothes and candy. However, this "envy" came to an abrupt end after her parents passed away one after the other.

Her uncle got a job at the town's supply and marketing cooperative through her father's connections, and she became a child who picked up other people's unwearable clothes.

Fortunately, she still has her grandparents. Although they are a bit stubborn in some of their ideas, they are still very good to their granddaughter.

After dinner, Yuan Xiu, exhausted from a long day, went to bed early. In the main room, which was separated from hers, the Yuan family members were chatting happily.

"...Juan'er, why didn't you bring your husband back this time? Didn't you divorce him? It shouldn't be a problem to bring this one back, right?" The old lady patted Yuan Juan's back gently. As soon as her granddaughter came back, she gave her and her husband a thousand yuan each. No one was more filial than this child.

Yuan Juan quickly shushed her and lowered her voice, saying, "Grandma, please don't mention this, or Yuan Xiu might hear us!"

The old lady smiled and said, "It's alright. That girl is so sleepy that even thunder won't wake her up. She can't hear anything. Grandma was worried about you. When your father told me about your divorce, your grandfather and I were so worried. We were afraid that they wanted to divorce you because they found out you weren't...

Aunt Yuan also said, "Don't worry, I checked on her when I went to the bathroom just now, and she was asleep. I could even hear her snoring."

After receiving double assurances, Yuan Juan finally opened up, "It's not that he wants a divorce, it's that I want a divorce! You have no idea how miserable it was to be with him. He's so cold to everyone, and he never smiles at home! I even started to wonder if there was something wrong with him. We've been married for three years and we still don't have a child. People think I'm infertile. They have no idea what kind of life I'm living!"

Aunt Yuan asked curiously, "He's not good enough?"

Yuan Juan's face immediately turned ugly. It wasn't as simple as him being unable to perform. They had been married for three years and had never even shared a room. No one would believe it if they told others!

"It's nothing special, anyway, I really regret marrying him! I should have..."

Before she could finish speaking, Uncle Yuan interrupted her, "You still think it's good that you're divorced! Jiang Zhou is now a high-ranking official; I've seen him on the news several times. The one you married now can't even compare to him!"

When Yuan Xiaogu recalled seeing Yuan Xiu's sullen expression, she said, "Don't be so ungrateful! If your father hadn't intercepted the letters and packages they sent and then made you take them to the army without your permission, would you be living such a good life now? Your good life is all thanks to Yuan Xiu!"

Aunt Yuan couldn't stand her words. "Those Jiangzhou people are so difficult to get along with. If it had been Yuan Xiu who went there, with her stubborn and unyielding nature, who could have lived with her? She would probably have been sent back long ago. She's not as clever as our Juan'er. After divorcing Jiangzhou, she immediately married her current son-in-law. If it had been Yuan Xiu, she wouldn't have had the good fortune our Juan'er has now!"

Aunt Yuan pouted, "Only your family got lucky. What benefits did the others get? When my Xiaojun joined the army, he was always reluctant to ask Juan'er to help him get a better place through connections."

Yuan Juan hurriedly said, "Aunt, it's not that I don't want to help, but I'm using Yuan Xiu's name. The fewer people who know about this, the better. What if Xiao Jun lets it slip and people who know Jiang Zhou find out? His old comrades are everywhere. If that happens, will our family be left out? We've all lied to Yuan Xiu."

The old lady angrily slapped Yuan Xiaogu: "Why do you talk so much? I've given you plenty of things Juan'er sent back. Shut up!"

Yuan Xiaogu laughed and said, "Oh my goodness, now that Juan'er is back, you've left Xiu'er and me behind. I'm just feeling sorry for Xiu'er. Look at her, she's already over forty, and she'll be fifty in a few years, and she still hasn't settled down."

"Xiu'er, don't rush," the old lady said, half-closing her eyes. "When we're gone, the house and land will all be left to her. Whether she marries into another family or not, she'll still be able to make a living. Unlike other young wives who suffer mistreatment in their husband's family at such a young age, Juan'er, you can help her out in the future."

Yuan Juan nodded: "Don't worry, Grandma, I'll definitely help her..."

Inside the room, people were chatting enthusiastically, while outside, Yuan Xiu, pale-faced, leaned against the windowsill, trembling all over!

A large hole had been torn in her chest, and the cold wind was howling in, threatening to freeze her to death.

No wonder Yuan Juan has never come back after marrying someone from another place for so many years. No wonder her family rarely mentions Yuan Juan. As a result, she has not known who Yuan Juan married for more than 20 years.

She understood the meaning behind the looks in her eyes when her aunt and Yuan Juan looked at her.

Look how pitiful you are. The life that was originally yours has been stolen. That person is driving a luxury car and returning home in high spirits, while you can only sweat profusely here and organize a welcome banquet for them.

Look how miserable you are! Luckily, I stole your life, so I don't have to toil away half my life like you, staying in the countryside as a village girl to take care of two elderly people who lost their eldest son and daughter-in-law, until I'm drained dry. And then I can still give you charity with a high-sounding facade.

The funny thing is, just now she was feeling fortunate that she had such kind grandparents.

Of course they should treat her well. If they don't treat her well, how can they expect her to stay at home obediently and be a workhorse?

Of course, her uncle would say she was filial. Without these words to coax her, how could he get her to stay in their hometown and take care of his parents?

And then there's her younger sister-in-law. No wonder they arrange blind dates for her with people who can help take care of her parents. Otherwise, the burden of caring for her parents would fall on her shoulders since she married into the village.

She wasn't unaware that her family's kindness towards her was mixed with their own selfish motives, but she was greedy for the sweetness wrapped in this sugar-coated bullet. Life is full of disappointments, and for her family, she was willing to give up some things because she still had close family members. However, what she heard tonight was a heavy blow to her!

Yuan Xiu felt that her life had been tragic, pitiful, and laughable all at the same time!