Rebirth in a Book: The Road to Breakthrough

Um... My head feels heavy and dizzy... Yu Congcong opened his eyes with difficulty. In his blurry vision, he saw the familiar wooden roof and the gray-white earthen walls. The wall coating had fallen off, revealing the yellow earthen bricks inside, as if silently telling the vicissitudes of time.

Where is this? Yu Congcong wondered. Why is this scene so familiar? It's like... the old house in her hometown! She vaguely remembered that she seemed to have quarreled with that useless man again, and she lay on the bed in a bad mood. Before going to bed, she silently made a wish in her heart, if only life could be repeated...

Ah! Am I really reborn? Ah! I am really reborn! Yu Congcong was so excited that he jumped around the room like a monkey.

But when she looked down at herself, her mood instantly fell to the bottom. This body was dirty and thin, and the hair was dry and yellow like hay. It was completely different from her original appearance. Yu Congcong couldn't help but feel depressed. She thought about starting over every day, hoping that she could start her own life again, instead of living someone else's life! Well, although it was not the original self, being able to leave that marriage that was like a widowhood was also a good start.

What should I do without the memories of this body? Yu Congcong was as anxious as an ant on a hot pot, pacing around the room, scratching his head in annoyance.

Never mind, let's go out and take a look first! She tiptoed to the door and put her ear against it to listen for any movement outside. Well, there seemed to be no sound, and Yu Congcong breathed a sigh of relief. She gently opened the door a crack, then carefully stuck her head out and looked out like a thief. She prayed silently in her heart: "Please don't let anyone here, otherwise my reputation in this life will be ruined!"

There was no one outside the door, and it was quiet, with only the breeze blowing gently. In front of the house was a bare dirt flatland connected to a narrow path. Yu Congcong opened the door, walked to the middle of the flatland, and looked carefully at her current home.

At the corner of the house, there is a tall tree, lush and green, but I can't tell its name. Five meters away from the tree, there is a big pit, in which some domestic garbage is piled up, emitting an unpleasant smell. Yu Congcong looked at this poor home, which only had two mud houses and a simple kitchen made of wood and thatch. She felt a little sad but had no tears. This was not the same as the rebirth she imagined!

A woman's voice came from a distance, sounding like an elderly person. What should I do? Without the memory of this body, Yu Congcong was a little panicked. I should hide first and listen to what they are saying. She quietly hid behind the thatched hut.

I saw two skinny old ladies walking down the path. One had half-white hair, was short and thin, and her face was full of wrinkles like the marks of time, and her face was full of sorrow as if it was full of the vicissitudes of life. The other had only a few white hairs on her head, but her face was very delicate, and it was vaguely obvious that she must have been a beauty when she was young. She was also very thin, with a faint smile on her face, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes were like the marks left by time, revealing a calmness that had gone through wind and rain.

The sad old lady asked the beautiful old lady with a worried look on her face: "Does your Da Zhuang want to pick a wife this year? I heard that Hei Zi brought a lot of good stuff from the other side of the mountain this year, all of them have big butts and are good at giving birth."

The beautiful old lady shook her head helplessly and replied, "I won't be picky. You know my Dazhuang has a stubborn temper." There was a trace of disappointment on her face.

Seeing this, the worried old lady became even more anxious. She frowned and said, "Does he really want that dumb girl to take care of him in his old age? She's not his biological child."

The two old ladies stopped and continued their conversation on the flat ground in front of the house. The beautiful old lady sighed and replied, "That's right. When I mentioned this, he even disowned me. Sister Jinhua, how can I face Lao Gen in the future?"

Sister Jinhua advised anxiously, her voice unconsciously rising: "Xiaocao! You can't let Dazhuang do whatever he wants. Think about it, if there are no strong laborers in the valley of Lihua Village, how can we survive!"

Mrs. Xiaocao obviously didn't want to continue this topic, and she showed an impatient look on her face. Mrs. Jinhua looked a little embarrassed, and she muttered, "Well, I should have picked one for my second son last year, but I ran out of stock. But I can pick one this year."

When Yu Congcong heard this, a thousand horses were galloping through his heart. Hasn't this been transported to a village of human traffickers? Ahhhhh... God is going to kill me!

What should I do? Run now? But where to run? Yu Congcong's mind was like a pot of boiling water, turning over and over frantically. No, I have to calm down, calm down! She said to herself secretly, just like putting a lid on the pot of boiling water in her mind. After thinking about it, she still felt that it was safest to stay. After all, she had to figure out what her situation was first. She couldn't just run away without knowing why, wouldn't it be easier to be caught?

So, Yu Congcong listened attentively to what the two old ladies said.

"Erlangzi said that the price will go up this year. A virgin girl will cost nearly three thousand yuan, and a girl who has laid eggs will cost more than a thousand yuan. A few years ago, my eldest daughter-in-law was only eight hundred yuan, and she was the best and knew how to live. We spent all our money at that time, but I was satisfied." Old Lady Jinhua sighed.

"But the second boy has spent all the family money and can only get eggs that have laid eggs. He doesn't want them and has been trying to run away these days. He has already run away twice. Fortunately, he was not discovered by his fourth uncle. If he had been discovered, his life would have been ruined." Mrs. Jinhua looked around and whispered.

"Hey! Sister Jinhua, you have to keep an eye on it. My Dazhuang's foot hasn't fully healed yet. When it's cloudy or rainy, it hurts so much that he can't even get out of bed." Old lady Xiaocao also lowered her voice and said with a distressed look on her face.

"It's all the fault of the mute girl's mother." Jinhua's wife said angrily.

"It's not Ya Ya's mother's fault. Da Zhuang has longed for the outside world since he was a child. Ya Ya's mother is a pitiful person. She was sold here by her stepmother in law. She loves her mother-in-law and the man treats her well. It's understandable that she wants to go back." Old lady Xiaocao looked pitiful.

"Xiao Cao! You are too kind. Whose bought daughter-in-law would not be pitiful. She has been sold, and her husband may still want her when she goes back." Sister Jinhua said angrily.

"Whether you want it or not, the person is dead. It's a pity that Da Zhuang of our family is so obsessed that he doesn't want to find another wife."

"Yes! It's time for my eldest daughter-in-law to wake up. I should go back. If I'm not watching her, she will have to wash the diapers herself." Old Mrs. Jinhua said as she walked towards the east side of the house in the direction of people coming and going.

"Well, you go back!" Mrs. Xiaocao stood on the side of the road and watched as Old Mrs. Jinhua walked into the room on the east side.

While old lady Xiaocao was not paying attention, Yu Congcong tiptoed back to the room like a nimble cat. She quickly climbed onto the bed and closed her eyes as if she was asleep.

Old lady Xiaocao walked into the room, looked at the open door in confusion, and muttered to herself: "Oh, I'm so old and confused that I even forgot to close the door." She hobbled to the bed, bent down, and gently placed her hand on his lush forehead, feeling the temperature, and murmured to herself: "It's good that it's not hot anymore." Then, the old lady straightened up, slowly walked out of the room, carefully closed the door, and walked towards the kitchen with hobbled steps.

Yu Congcong listened to the sound of the door closing, and sat up from the bed, and began to replay the information she had just heard in her mind. This body is about four or five years old, and has not spoken yet. Everyone calls her a dumb girl. I can speak, there must be something inside! My mother passed away, and I don’t know who my father is. Now I live with my grandmother Xiaocao and my adoptive father Dazhuang in a mountain village called Lihua Village. Men in Lihua Village can’t get married, so they can only rely on human traffickers to abduct women from outside the mountain. The original owner’s mother was abducted in this way. The village is managed by a man called Fourth Uncle, who doesn’t allow people to go outside the mountain privately. There are three people in my adoptive father’s family, my adoptive father Dazhuang, old lady Xiaocao and now me. The original owner’s family is pretty good, and there are no extreme relatives. My adoptive father has always wanted to leave Lihua Village, and old lady Jinhua’s second son also wants to go out. And my adoptive father has a problem with his feet, which seems to be related to wanting to leave Lihua Village. Oh, it seems that it’s not easy to escape.

When Yu Congcong came to the kitchen door of the thatched house, Mrs. Xiaocao saw her at a glance and asked with concern: "Get up, does your head still hurt?" Then, she said quickly: "Take a stool and sit in the yard. Grandma will make steamed egg custard for Yu Congcong."

Before Yu Congcong could answer, the old lady turned around and went back to her work. Yu Congcong was wondering, but suddenly realized, "Oh, is Congcong calling me?"

"Grandma, um..." She just wanted to speak when the old lady came running over like a gust of wind, covered her mouth, and looked around the yard vigilantly. After making sure that no one was there, she let go of her hand.

Yu Congcong looked at the old lady's actions in bewilderment, and the old lady whispered, "Didn't grandma tell you not to make any noise during the day?"

"I..." Yu Congcong was about to explain when she was interrupted by the old lady: "Don't make a sound, go sit in the yard."

She had no choice but to nod, walk to the eaves, pick up a bench, and sit obediently in the yard.

It seems that I am not really unable to speak, but my adoptive father and grandmother do not allow me to speak in front of others. What is the reason? Is the village very dangerous? Oh, there is a shortage of women here. I am not from this village. The whole village is controlled by my fourth uncle. Yu Congcong was shocked by her own thoughts.

Grandma came over with a bowl of egg custard, looked at me shivering, put her free left hand on my head and murmured, "It's not hot anymore, let's go back to the room and eat."

I nodded, took the stool back to the room where I woke up, sat down, and took the egg custard that my grandma brought me.

After the old lady gave me the egg custard, she walked into the yard to take a look, then took a bench from the kitchen, walked back to the room, and sat opposite me.

Looking at me eating the egg custard in small bites, he asked kindly, "Is it delicious?"

"Yes, grandma, eat too."

I brought the custard to the old lady's mouth.

"Grandma has had lunch, so she's not hungry."

"Grandma, eat," I insisted on feeding the old lady's mouth.

The old lady had no choice but to accept my filial piety with a smile. I ate it in two or three bites and finished it quickly.

"Are you full?" the old lady asked softly.

"Yeah," I answered while nodding.

"After eating, go to bed and lie down for a while."

It has only been two or three hours since Yu Congcong woke up, and her brain is like a ball of paste. She is a little dizzy from receiving so much information. Oh, this is too much information! However, since grandma asked her to lie on the bed, she should be obedient. Yu Congcong climbed onto the bed and closed her eyes like a good baby, without any hesitation. She originally wanted to lie on the bed for a while, and show her current grandma that she is an obedient little cutie. But who would have known that as soon as she lay down, a movie started playing in her mind, and she went over everything that happened after she woke up in this room. Well, the original owner should have the same name as me, I wonder if they have the same surname? According to my experience of reading online articles, they must have the same surname! Thinking about it, Yu Congcong fell asleep in a daze. Hey, she really looks like nothing happened!