Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 277

Here, Cheng Jinxiao suffered countless grievances.

She missed home, longed to return to Xiaheyan Village, where her family and home were. If she went home, no one would bully her, and no one would call her a barren hen anymore. If she went home, she wouldn't have to see Li Jin's ugly face.

Cheng Jinxiao took Zhao Da'e back to her room to put down her belongings, but found a pile of clothes on the floor covered in footprints, and the wardrobe was open.

Cheng Jinxiao's first reaction was to look at the drawer at the bottom of the wardrobe, where the cash was hidden. This was the money she had just earned last week, which she had saved for herself to use when she went home for the Chinese New Year. But the drawer was now empty.

In that instant, Cheng Jinxiao broke down, "My money..."

Thinking of everything she had gone through, the grievances, the hardships of raising chickens, and how all the money she earned was taken by Li Jin for a life of debauchery, Cheng Jinxiao couldn't help but cry.

Zhao Da'e didn't understand why her aunt was crying all of a sudden. She went up to Cheng Jinxiao and tugged at her clothes, asking quickly, "What's wrong, Auntie?"

Cheng Jinxiao cried as she spoke, but after her previous outburst, she found herself unable to shed any more tears. She felt utterly exhausted and desperately wanted to divorce Li Jin as soon as possible; she simply couldn't bear to live like this any longer.

"Your damned uncle came into my room and stole the money I made selling chickens last week! I bet he took it to the tavern again!"

Cheng Jinxiao spoke through gritted teeth, wishing she could confront Li Jin right now. Li Jin was an alcoholic who, once he had some money, indulged in lavish eating and drinking. He truly required alcohol with every meal.

They were barely making ends meet, but he still went out drinking and eating out. What kind of family could withstand such misery?

But what can you do? The money has probably already been spent, and no matter how much you cry and make a fuss, it won't help.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Da'e's eyes lit up, and a wicked idea began to brew in his mind. "Auntie, since Uncle often uses your money to go to taverns and such, you might as well take his money too."

Cheng Jinxiao shook her head, feeling both angry and resentful. "That person doesn't make any money at all. I do all the work at the chicken farm at home, and I'm the one who sells the chickens. Every time I save up a few hundred yuan, he steals it from me. He doesn't have any money for me to take. He's always the one who gets money from me."

Zhao Da'e changed her approach and said, "Then Auntie, doesn't Uncle have anything of value that you can take? For example, you can sell it to get money. Is it only allowed for Uncle to steal your things, but not for you to take Uncle's things? No, I misspoke. How can something between husband and wife be called stealing? It's called transferring money from one hand to the other."

Cheng Jinxiao thought it made a lot of sense and immediately decided, "You're right. Is it okay for Li Jin to take my things but not for me to take his? Let's go to his room and see what good things we can take."

As she spoke, Cheng Jinxiao led Zhao Da'e to the next room, which was larger than the other guest rooms and had a wardrobe and a table.

Cheng Jinxiao told Zhao Da'e to watch from the side and not let him do anything. She hadn't forgotten that Zhao Da'e was still a child, and children shouldn't do these kinds of things, as they might easily learn bad habits. It was better for her to do these things herself.

Cheng Jinxiao knew Li Jin well. He loved to brag to his cronies about how well he was doing, that he owned a chicken farm and had people helping him manage it and do the work. He only took the orders of Cheng Jinxiao and belittled himself.

Once, his brother spent over a thousand yuan to buy a gold ring to show off. Li Jin couldn't stand it and also bought a gold ring. He even wanted the one he bought to be heavier and more expensive than the others. At that time, he took out the only two thousand yuan in his family and bought a gold necklace weighing 200g.

However, because the gold necklace was too valuable, Li Jin almost had it stolen before. After wearing it a few times, he hid it away and only wore it on a special occasion to show off.

Seeing Li Jin's clothes reminded Cheng Jinxiao of how Li Jin had thrown her own clothes on the ground and stomped on them several times. Enraged, she grabbed the clothes and stomped on them as well. Then she reached into the wardrobe and found a hidden drawer that required a key to unlock. She had bought the wardrobe herself and had a key to the drawer.

Without a second thought, Cheng Jinxiao took out her key, opened the drawer, and reached inside. Sure enough, there was a gold necklace inside.

Looking at the gold necklace, Cheng Jinxiao felt an indescribable sense of joy. In the past, Li Jin had always used her money to squander on a life of debauchery, but now it was time for her to get her money back.

No, how can you call it "getting back what you owe" when it comes to matters between husband and wife? It should be called "transferring money from one hand to the other."

Wearing the gold necklace around her neck and feeling its weight, Cheng Jinxiao instantly stopped caring about how much property she could get from Li Jin. She knew the family's situation better than anyone; almost all the money had been spent by Li Jin on extravagant spending. He was someone who was never home and loved to save face. The only valuable thing in the house was probably this gold necklace, so she just needed to take the most valuable thing.

Fortunately, it's winter, and Cheng Jinxiao is wearing a turtleneck sweater, so it's not noticeable from the outside that she's wearing a gold necklace.

When Cheng Jinxiao went out the door and tried to pull Zhao Da'e away, Zhao Da'e refused to leave.

Instead, she looked leisurely toward Li Jin's door and said, "Auntie, what if Uncle comes back tonight and finds that the gold necklace is missing? It seems like it will be very troublesome. If he doesn't get a divorce because of this, then Auntie won't be able to get a divorce and won't be able to go back to Dongtaizi Village."

Zhao Da'e is meticulous and thoughtful, able to think of things that Cheng Jinxiao might not have considered.

Just then, Zhou Tianfu came over and saw Cheng Jinxiao's behavior. However, he didn't say anything. Instead, he thought that his aunt was right. Li Jin had bullied his aunt like that, so shouldn't his aunt be allowed to bully him back?

Zhao Da'e asked from the side, "Auntie, is Uncle taking money out to drink now?"

When Li Jin was mentioned, Cheng Jinxiao said irritably, "It's almost certain. Every time he takes money, he goes out to buy drinks or treat his cronies to a meal. He never comes back until the tavern closes. He doesn't spend money at home, but he insists on spending it on other people."

Zhou Tianfu then had a good idea. "Hey Auntie, I have a great idea. Why don't we just lock this room from the inside? That way, Li Jin won't find out that the gold necklace was taken. When Li Jin comes back, we'll pretend we're all asleep and won't open the door for him. We'll just leave the kitchen door open for him. There's a heated kang bed in the kitchen, so he won't freeze to death in the dead of winter. Let him suffer a little and see if he bullies Auntie."

Zhao Da'e silently gave Zhou Tianfu a thumbs up, thinking that his cousin's idea was brilliant.

Cheng Jinxiao was amused by Zhou Tianfu's words. "Tianfu, you were always mischievous. I thought you would be more mature after five or six years, but it seems you are still the same as before, with so many tricks up your sleeve."

Zhou Tianfu scratched his head sheepishly, "Oh, Auntie, I'm much more mature than before, and not as mischievous as I was when I was little. The tricks I come up with now are all to help you vent your anger."

Cheng Jinxiao smiled helplessly, "Alright, alright, I know what you're thinking. Your crazy idea hit the nail on the head. I think it's a good idea. We have to make that Li Jin suffer a bit."

In the evening, Cheng Jinxiao simply made some noodles and ate them as is.

After finishing, Cheng Jinxiao also needed to tidy up her clothes and belongings.

She plans to get a divorce tomorrow, then immediately buy a train ticket home; she can't stand staying here any longer.

Thinking of it, she did it. Zhao Da'e was also helping Cheng Jinxiao tidy up. Zhao Da'e found a yellowed photo in the wardrobe. It was a group photo of the three Cheng sisters, one brother, and Cheng's parents.

Zhao Da'e immediately recognized her mother, Cheng Jinxiang, standing in the middle, her aunt, Cheng Jinxi, on the right, her uncle, Cheng Rongguo, behind her, and her aunt, Cheng Jinxiao, on the left. Everyone in the photo looked very young and innocent.

My aunt, Cheng Jinxiao, looks to be only a teenager.

My mother looks very happy in the photo; she looks to be about twenty years old.

The two people in the very center and foremost are two elderly people, one is her maternal grandmother, and the other should be her maternal grandfather who passed away at birth.

“Auntie, you look so young in the photo.” Zhao Da’e couldn’t help but pick up the photo in her hand.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Jinxiao came over and felt a pang of nostalgia upon seeing the photo in Zhao Da'e's hand.

“This photo was taken when I was fifteen. Back then, taking a photo was very expensive, costing several yuan. Everyone disagreed, but your grandfather insisted on taking the photo. Not long after the photo was taken, your grandfather passed away. He loved me the most back then. When he passed away, he told me that his only regret was not seeing me get married. Unfortunately, he didn’t know that I got married later, but my life was a complete mess.”

As she spoke, Cheng Jinxiao's eyes became a little moist.

“When I married and moved to Qiqihar, I brought very few things with me, and this photo was one of them. Whenever I feel wronged or homesick, I take out this photo and look at it again and again. This photo is extremely precious to me.”

After listening, Zhao Da'e also sighed.

Seeing this, Cheng Jinxiao smiled and rubbed Zhao Da'e's head, saying, "Why are you sighing all of a sudden?"

Zhao Da'e replied, "No, Auntie, I'm just marveling at the power of time. I realized this photo was taken ten years ago. Back then, my mother wasn't married or had me yet, and my older cousin was only a nine-year-old boy. Now, ten years have passed in the blink of an eye, and I've grown so much, while my older cousin is about to get married."

“Grandma’s health is getting worse and worse. I want to take a family photo of our whole family during the Chinese New Year so that we can have a memento in the future.”

Zhao Da'e possesses memories of her past life and knows that her grandmother will not last long after this year's New Year. Therefore, she wants to do more things to make her grandmother happy while she is still alive.

Cheng Jinxiao agreed with Zhao Da'e; the family hadn't taken a family photo in a long time, and she would have a serious talk with her family about it when she went back for the Chinese New Year.

"You're overthinking things, like a little adult. It's making me a little sad. This photo needs to be kept safe. I'm taking it back to Dongtaizi Village and framing it."

Cheng Jinxiao placed the photo in the very center of her bag, afraid that it might get bumped or knocked over.

After tidying up, the room suddenly felt a bit empty, and Cheng Jinxiao felt a little uneasy. Tomorrow, after the divorce, she would be leaving this place where she had lived for five years.

After tidying up, it was time to go to bed. Before turning off the light, Cheng Jinxiao deliberately opened the window and shouted to Zhou Tianfu in the next room, "Tianfu, remember to lock the door from the inside. If Li comes in and knocks, ignore him and let him freeze to death outside."

That being said, the kitchen door was open, and the kang (heated brick bed) had only recently been extinguished, so it was still warm. A person sleeping next to it wouldn't freeze to death overnight; at most, they would feel a bit uncomfortable from the cold. But Cheng Jinxiao didn't care at all. Who told Li Jin to deserve it?

Two hours later, Li Jin, carrying a bottle of liquor, staggered as he drank. He arrived at his front door, intending to open it and go back to sleep, but he couldn't budge it no matter how hard he tried. Looking down, he saw the door was locked. Li Jin was a little confused, but his head was spinning from the alcohol, and he only knew to pound on the lock forcefully, trying to break it.

But the lock was very secure and showed no signs of breaking. No matter how much Li Jin pounded on it, it was no use. Finally, Li Jin lost his patience and ran to Cheng Jinxiao's door, pounding on it hard. "You, Cheng, come out and open the door right now! Hurry up! You bitch, did you change the lock?"

He knocked on the door several times but received no response. The cold wind outside was biting, and Li Jin was shivering from the cold.

"Open the door, you bitch, open the door now!"

He knocked on the door for about ten minutes, but there was still no response. Li Jin was furious. Finally, he kicked the door hard, wanting to break the wooden door. He didn't want others to be unable to sleep either.

However, Li Jin, who had been drinking, was a bit weak and nearly fell over when he kicked the door.

After suffering a hardship, Li Jin grumbled as he went to another guest room, wanting to go in and sleep. However, the door was also locked from the inside. No matter how much Li Jin knocked on the lock, it was to no avail. Frustrated, Li Jin cursed again.

It was getting colder and colder outside. Finally, Li Jin tried to go into the kitchen. Fortunately, the kitchen door was unlocked. Li Jin immediately ran to the heated brick bed, where there was still some warmth. As soon as he got close, he felt much warmer, and the cold gradually dissipated.

The effects of the alcohol washed over him, and Li Jin felt sleepy. It was so warm here, so he simply lay down on the ground with the bottle in his hand and fell asleep.

The kitchen was drafty, and a cold draft would blow in every now and then, making Li Jin shiver. He wanted to cover himself with a blanket but found that there was none. Only then did he realize that he had slept in the kitchen. He was so angry that he cursed Cheng Jinxiao again. He could only make do with sleeping there that night.