The Noblewoman's Carp

Chapter 2

Cheng Jinyue had a dream. In the dream, the girl wasn't her, but another girl with the same name and surname, dressed in ancient attire, who happened to be the original owner of her current body.

The original "Cheng Jinyue" was nineteen years old, educated since childhood, and had a rather proud personality. Her closest person, undoubtedly, was her scholarly father, as her mother passed away during childbirth. However, on the second day of her first birthday, her scholarly father married Wu, her stepmother.

"Cheng Jinyue" and her stepmother were not close; in fact, they clashed frequently. Even her marriage was delayed until she was eighteen due to Wu's deliberate inaction.

"Cheng Jinyue" was a decisive girl. After seeing through Wu's malicious intentions, she secretly devised a different plan.

To prevent her marriage from falling victim to Wu's neglect, "Cheng Jinyue" made a bold decision: to choose her own husband.

In "Cheng Jinyue's" mind, knowledge surpassed all in the world, and she, considering herself quite talented, was unwilling to marry an illiterate peasant. The man she fancied had to be outstanding, with natural talent, to win her affection.

However, "Cheng Jinyue" was just a girl confined to her home, with no way to meet more people. After much thought, she set her sights on the scholars who often visited her scholarly father.

After observing and inquiring for some time, "Cheng Jinyue" carefully chose Xu Mingzhi to accompany her to the Cheng family as a guest.

In truth, "Cheng Jinyue" didn't know much about Xu Mingzhi. She chose him because she was captivated by his exceptional appearance and because she overheard her scholarly father's assertion that Xu Mingzhi would surely succeed in the imperial examination.

Although she disliked her scholarly father remarrying so soon after her mother's death, she trusted his judgment. Her mind was set on Xu Mingzhi.

Despite deciding to marry Xu Mingzhi, "Cheng Jinyue" dared not tell her scholarly father, fearing her stepmother might ruin the arrangement. Thus, she sought out her long-disconnected aunt, Mrs. Cheng, the village head's wife.

Mrs. Cheng was "Cheng Jinyue's" maternal aunt and had always been very fond of her niece, who lost her mother at a young age. Rarely did "Cheng Jinyue" ask her for anything, but Mrs. Cheng found the marriage proposal favorable and immediately took charge.

Mrs. Cheng was shrewd. First, she used her identity as the village head's wife and Xu Mingzhi's blood-related aunt to persuade Xu's grandmother to agree to the marriage. Then, she approached "Cheng Jinyue's" scholarly father as her aunt, shedding tears and invoking "Cheng Jinyue's" deceased mother to guilt-trip him, leaving him with a guilty and sentimental look...

After shuttling back and forth for half a month, Mrs. Cheng single-handedly sealed the marriage. "Cheng Jinyue" married Xu Mingzhi and became the fourth daughter-in-law of the Xu family.

That should have been a perfect ending. However, "Cheng Jinyue" was too arrogant. When she chose Xu Mingzhi, she only thought about his future success in the imperial examination. She forgot that before Xu Mingzhi's achievements, life in the Xu family wasn't as rosy as she imagined.

Although she had lived under her stepmother's care from a young age, "Cheng Jinyue" was not one to endure silently. She frequently went to her scholarly father, crying and complaining about her grievances, making her stepmother reluctant to mistreat her openly. In other words, the days before her marriage might not have been pleasant, but they were far from poverty and hardship.

The Xu family, however, was just an ordinary peasant family, struggling to support a scholar. As a daughter-in-law of the Xu family, she not only had to cook and clean daily but also tend to the vegetable garden and even work in the fields. These were everyday chores for the other daughters-in-law but unbearable torment for "Cheng Jinyue."

Determined not to suffer, "Cheng Jinyue" immediately clashed with the Xu family. As time went on living under the same roof, conflicts between "Cheng Jinyue" and the Xu family increased, almost reaching an irreconcilable point.

"Cheng Jinyue" should have been grateful. Her pregnancy news came just two months after her marriage. It was a relief, considering that she and Xu Mingzhi had only spent one night together, after which they maintained a distant and cold relationship.

Undoubtedly, if "Cheng Jinyue" hadn't become pregnant, Xu's grandmother would have sent her back to her parents' home long ago.

In truth, since "Cheng Jinyue" became pregnant, the Xu family had been quite accommodating. They shared her household chores and even prepared special meals for her every day. "Cheng Jinyue" lived a more refined life in the Xu family than anyone else, even more than Xu Mingzhi.

Yet, despite this special treatment, "Cheng Jinyue" persisted in believing she was being mistreated. She made unreasonable demands, threw tantrums, and disregarded her own health and the child in her womb. This ultimately led to complications during childbirth.

And thus, "Cheng Jinyue of the end of the world" was born.

After reading "Cheng Jinyue's" brief life, Cheng Jinyue sighed lightly. She couldn't understand where "Cheng Jinyue's" so-called "regrets" came from. Marrying into the Xu family was "Cheng Jinyue's" choice, with no one pressuring her, not even her stepmother causing her any embarrassment. Yet, "Cheng Jinyue" relentlessly tormented the Xu family after her marriage, almost causing harm to herself and her unborn children.

Others might not know, but Cheng Jinyue fully understood "Cheng Jinyue's" feelings and emotions. "Cheng Jinyue" truly didn't care for the child in her womb and even intended not to keep it. In her eyes, the child would only be a burden. Otherwise, "Cheng Jinyue" wouldn't have deliberately wasted the food given to her by Xu's grandmother.

If Cheng Jinyue hadn't crossed over, the Xu family would likely have faced a tragedy. Perhaps even "Cheng Jinyue" herself didn't expect that her actions, instead of causing the death of her unborn child, would lead to her own demise!

For Cheng Jinyue, successfully giving birth to two healthy chubby little boys was not surprising. She was always known for her good fortune, unmatched by others. Unless she hadn't transmigrated into "Cheng Jinyue's" body, the two little boys would have safely entered the world.

Sure enough, the present facts were the best proof!

"Sister Four, are you awake? Are you tired? Come, quickly finish this bowl of noodles. Mother instructed four eggs for you, and I specially picked four large ones. They are still warm! I didn't add scallions because I know you don't like them. How's the taste? If it's not good, I'll make a new one for you." Big Sister-in-law walked in with a big bowl of steaming noodles, her smile genuine, and her words sincere.

"Thank you, Big Sister-in-law." After the recent dream, Cheng Jinyue had a clear understanding of the era she was in and the relationships in the Xu family. Knowing that Big Sister-in-law was a kind-hearted person who took care of the original owner, a picky troublemaker, Cheng Jinyue didn't stand on ceremony and accepted the noodles, expressing her gratitude sincerely.

"No, there's no need. We are all... family. Sister Four, don't be polite." Surprised to hear a pleasant word from Cheng Jinyue, Big Sister-in-law was taken aback and almost became tongue-tied.

Cheng Jinyue truly didn't stand on ceremony with Big Sister-in-law and began eating the noodles efficiently. Food was precious in the end of the world, not to be wasted at all.

Seeing Cheng Jinyue enjoying the meal, Big Sister-in-law couldn't help but swallow nervously. But soon, she forced herself to divert her gaze, avoiding showing her envy, and said, "Sister Four is so lucky. She gave birth to a son in her first pregnancy, and not just one but two sons. Father and Mother are very fond of the two chubby grandsons! They are still holding them and won't let anyone touch them."

Cheng Jinyue was sensitive to people's emotions. Understanding that Big Sister-in-law was only envious without any malice, she smiled, "Sons or daughters, aren't they all our own? Didn't we ourselves come into this world as daughters?"

"That's true, but in our family..." Big Sister-in-law paused noticeably. It was a topic that shouldn't be dwelled upon, yet, after seeing Cheng Jinyue's genuinely bright eyes, she spoke her mind without reservation, "Our eldest sister has given birth to three daughters in a row. Not to mention what Father and Mother think, my husband and I can't save face when we go out, and people mock us."

Thinking about the scene of the two grandsons from the Xu family being treated like treasures by Grandfather and Grandmother Xu, compared to the plight of her three daughters, Big Sister-in-law felt bitter and resentful.

"Big Brother and Big Sister-in-law are still young, and it's not like you can't have more children in the future. Why worry about what others say?" Cheng Jinyue didn't try to preach "having sons and daughters is the same" doctrine. First, she had just given birth to two sons herself, so saying such things might seem hypocritical. Secondly, it was because of the era they were in.

The overall situation was as it was, and she could influence Big Sister-in-law's thoughts but couldn't change everyone's mindset. Dealing with the stubborn Grandmother Xu was beyond Cheng Jinyue's control.

Therefore, rather than futilely going against the grain, Cheng Jinyue preferred to offer more blessings to Big Sister-in-law. With her good fortune, she could certainly bring luck to Big Sister-in-law.

As Cheng Jinyue spoke, Big Sister-in-law's face instantly lit up, and she couldn't help but ask, "Do you think I can have another child?"

"If Big Brother and Big Sister-in-law want another child, naturally, you should continue trying! Five-year-old Eldest Sister can already help out. Big Brother and Big Sister-in-law should consider it." Cheng Jinyue's response was nothing more than to reassure Big Sister-in-law.

"What if it's another daughter? What should I do then?" After feeling joy, Big Sister-in-law's worries surfaced again, turning her previous vitality back into gloom. Moreover, it wasn't that she didn't want to have more children, but her body was uncooperative, and news of pregnancy hadn't arrived in the past few years. She might just have the three daughters for the rest of her life.

"If it's a daughter, then it's a daughter! Didn't you just say we are all family? If you're worried that your daughter will be bullied when she grows up, didn't I give birth to two sturdy boys who can support them?" Cheng Jinyue didn't want Big Sister-in-law to be fixated on having sons only. This would be unfair to the three daughters in front of her.

Thus, Cheng Jinyue didn't overly affirm or instill confidence in Big Sister-in-law, preferring to guide her to relax and not be influenced by negative emotions.

In reality, Big Sister-in-law yearned for a son, but the harsh truth was that she just didn't have the fate to bear one!

Feeling both uncomfortable and embarrassed, Big Sister-in-law usually kept to herself and lived repressed, simply not showing it. As her three daughters grew up, she increasingly worried that they would have no brothers to rely on in the future, and marrying into another family might expose them to mistreatment.

Now, with the assurance similar to a promise from Cheng Jinyue, Big Sister-in-law sparkled, expressing her gratitude teary-eyed, "Thank you so much, Sister Four, for being willing to support my three girls. Eldest, Third, and Fifth will surely show great respect to Aunt Four. I'll instruct them to treat Aunt Four like their own mother, or even better than me, their real mother. I will tell them to take care of the two little brothers, and Aunt Four can just enjoy her life without doing anything. Everything inside and outside the house, our family will handle it all!"