Reborn Little Wife

younger sister

Zhong Ling treated herself to good food to reward herself and comfort her family, then hired a donkey cart to return to the village.She naturally didn’t bother offering Lin Mei a ride.When she arrived home, Zhu Baoqin and Huahua were at the Zhu residence. They were thrilled to see her return.Zhong Ling took out candy to coax Huahua. The little girl had grown taller.Zhong Ling had brought four bags of milk powder from the county town for Huahua. Though the child had been eating better recently, her yellowish hair and large forehead indicated calcium deficiency.Handing the milk powder to Zhu Baoqin, Zhong Ling received a grateful smile: "You’re more thoughtful than me, her own mother."

"How’s school going?" Feng Zhen motioned her daughter-in-law to sit while sending her own daughter to cook. Zhu Chunlai also inquired about Zhong Ling’s studies."It’s manageable, but the cafeteria food is terrible." Feng Zhen immediately pressed for details."The rice is stale with bugs, the vegetables swim in broth—sometimes oversalted, sometimes flavorless. Leftover stir-fry gets mixed with cornmeal to make veggie buns the next day."Feng Zhen sighed deeply and instructed her daughter to prepare proper meals.

"Xiao Ling, Gangzi sent a letter days ago. We figured you’d return soon, so we didn’t forward it—we didn’t peek!" Zhu Baoqin decided to fetch the letter before cooking.Zhong Ling realized Zhu Baogang had coordinated their correspondence. Ignoring the teasing, she rushed to her room to read it.

Dear Wife,I’ve settled into military academy training. How is everyone? Are Mom and Dad well? Please continue caring for them.Learning about your business efforts during my last visit—thank you. You’ve improved Jie’s family’s situation significantly. Parents appreciate your support too.But remember: prioritize health over profits. Stability matters more than wealth. When my career stabilizes, I’ll arrange for you all to join me as military dependents.Ignore the Lin family issues. I’ve written to Lin Mei to end her pestering.The academy curriculum surprised me—broader horizons than expected. Made a new friend, Wu Zhiyuan. Though he’s an arrogant official’s son, we get along.

No sweet nothings, yet Zhong Ling smiled. His validation, concern, and trust felt more genuine than empty romantic words.After updating the elders, she relished a hearty homemade meal with meat—true happiness when long-denied cravings get satisfied!

Later, Zhu Baoqin approached casually: "What’s next for your plans? Electronics from the south?""Not yet—local markets can’t handle it. For now, pig farming.""Pigs? How many? How?" This sounded safer than electronics to Zhu Baoqin."Those piglets we’ve been raising since New Year—Dad delayed selling them for better prices. We have fourteen now.""Build a simple pen behind our house. If they grow well, we’ll sell them by Dragon Boat Festival.""Where?" Zhu Baoqin worried about sales."County or city markets. Holiday pork prices spike. State slaughterhouses can’t meet demand—private markets pay better without ration coupons.""Profit?""If smooth, maybe two to three thousand.""What?! Just a thousand?""Jie! Our annual farming income is less! We’ll split shares with parents and account for feed, vaccines, losses..."

After family discussions, they pooled 2000 yuan each. Since Zhong Ling attended school, management fell to Zhu Chunlai and Ding Rong.

That night, Zhong Ling wrote back:Husband,Parents prefer staying rooted—convincing them to relocate will need careful planning. Miss you dearly.She included the classic love poem The Ballad of Us.

Three days later, Zhong Ling returned to school armed with homemade jerky, pickles, and chili paste—despite Feng Zhen urging her to eat out.Roommate Li Xiaoyun devoured the jerky until warned about saltiness. Together, they bought feed and explored the county.

At the department store, a snide "country bumpkin" remark triggered Zhong Ling. She defiantly bought a 25-yuan plaid coat for Xiaoyun—a sisterhood pledge."Be my lifelong sister—just don’t steal my husband!""Who’d want him?!" Xiaoyun retorted, cementing their bond.

After becoming familiar with her roommates, Zhong Ling and Li Xiaoyun got along well with everyone. Zhong Ling was worldly and easygoing, while Li Xiaoyun was even more popular due to her kindness and innocence—her aloof exterior was just necessary camouflage, making people feel more protective of her.

Zhong Ling's dried meat and pickles were a huge hit, all gone within a week because people kept coming to share during meals. Zhong Ling never minded.

Zhu Baogang wrote back. He told Zhong Ling he'd forwarded her letter to his parents via his sister. He basically agreed with her business plans and the idea of joining him as a military spouse. He praised her understanding and her thorough consideration of the challenges involved. He also mentioned how much his comrades loved the "I Depend on You" poem she'd sent. Wait... oh no! Did others read the letter?! He'd shown it to his friends?! She'd written about missing him—how embarrassing! Zhong Ling banged her head against the wall in frustration but couldn't scold him in writing. She sulked all day.

Zhu Baogang confirmed receiving the dried meat, but it vanished within two days. Now his entire squad knew he had a wife who made amazing meat jerky and demanded more next time. Seriously—were they treating it as staple food?!

Classes continued, as did the feud with Lin Mei. Zhong Ling avoided mentioning it too much to her husband, not wanting to annoy him. She also didn't want him writing back to Lin Mei—what if they developed feelings? In her reply, Zhong Ling told Zhu Baogang to ignore Lin Mei and never bring her up again.

"Give me his address." Could someone really be this shameless? Lin Mei demanded Zhu Baogang's address because his letter to her lacked a return address.

"You're beyond disgraceful. Do you think there are no consequences here?"

"Stop wasting breath. Just give it to me."

"Stop being childish. You think I'd give my husband's address to some woman chasing him?" Zhong Ling was astounded by the audacity. Though not a naive girl, she struggled to contain her rage.

"We were engaged first! For three years! We were supposed to marry—you stole our happiness!"

"Wasn't it money that ruined things? Didn't your parents demand more dowry last minute? Weren't you the one who agreed to break it off to teach the Zhu family a lesson? If you cared so much, why didn't you stop our wedding? I would've stepped aside then. What's your real goal—extorting money? You'll get nothing! I'd rather give it to my cousin. Ask Chang Hongmei what kind of man he is—you fool!" Zhong Ling stormed off, then turned back. "I can make your life miserable here too. Let's see how people treat you when they hear our story." She could destroy Lin Mei quietly but didn't want that guilt. This warning was mercy.

During a weekend visit, Zhu Baoqin and her husband Ding Rong arrived. Ding Rong had quit his poorly-paid distillery job to help his wife's business. Zhong Ling shared her latest idea.

"What? Buying canned goods?" Ding Rong looked skeptical.

"Right. The department store has surplus stock with good expiration dates. We can wholesale them cheap."

"But how do we sell so many? Where would we store them?" Zhu Baoqin asked practically. Ding Rong frowned.

"We leave them at the store and pay storage fees. The company can't even pay workers—these were meant for Lunar New Year sales but last year's poor harvest changed gift-buying habits. The clock's ticking on expiration."

"Selling them takes time too—they'll still expire!" Ding Rong protested.

"I have a plan, though it might take a while. If you're not interested, I'll do it alone—but I'll need your help negotiating." As a young wife, Zhong Ling knew merchants wouldn't take her seriously.

After exchanging looks, the couple declined—their funds were low. Ding Rong would handle negotiations, having proven capable. He booked a hotel in town for coordination. Zhong Ling assigned Zhu Baoqin another task while trying not to stress over this major investment.

The next day, Ding Rong returned excited—they'd secured ¥6,000 worth of goods at half price. Zhong Ling had him monitor Zhu Baoqin's progress. Patience was key.

Two weeks brought good and bad news. The good: A letter from Zhu Baogang described intensifying studies linked to future military posts, upcoming tactical drills, and how the jerky boosted his squad's stamina. Zhong Ling glowed—he wanted more jerky. It made sense; even cadets didn't eat meat daily, especially with such exertion. Her heart ached for him—ironic since rural families like theirs could afford meat regularly now.

The bad: His letter disappeared—along with their wedding photo and the bullet casing he'd given her. Zhong Ling searched frantically all morning, distracted through classes.

"What are you looking for?" Li Xiaoyun asked as Zhong Ling tore through her bedding.

"I can't find his letter! It was under my pillow!"

"Stop looking." Li Xiaoyun's urgency hinted at trouble.

"What do you know?" Zhong Ling paled.

"In the toilet."

"What?!" Zhong Ling raced to check. She returned trembling—Lin Mei had truly gone mad.

Zhong Ling collapsed crying. When the others returned, including Lin Mei, they crowded around concerned. The room liked Zhong Ling—her generosity with snacks and easy nature had won them over.

"Lin Mei, you stole Zhong Ling's letter and photo! Threw them in the toilet! You're... shameless." Gasps filled the room. Lin Mei shrugged.

"Proof? You saw nothing. Don't slander me." Their feud was known, though details stayed private.

"Who else?! Zhong Ling protected your reputation, but you..." Li Xiaoyun lunged forward as Zhong Ling restrained her.

"Let it go. They're gone."

"The emperor doesn't worry, but the eunuch does?" Lin Mei's taunt ignited Li Xiaoyun.

"Everyone! She was engaged to Zhong Ling's husband first..." Li Xiaoyun spilled the whole story—broken engagement, dowry disputes, Lin Mei's harassment. "...And she demanded his address! How brazen is that?"

"Enough, Xiaoyun." Zhong Ling surrendered to the fallout.

"You protect her? Does she care?" The room froze. No one defended Lin Mei.

Aftermath came quietly. Girls avoided Lin Mei like plague. In the bathroom, Zhong Ling overheard: "Why talk to her?"

"Why not?"

"Are you dumb? People will think you're like her—a husband-stealer. Who'd marry you then?"

The social exile worked. Zhong Ling wavered between satisfaction and fear—would this push Lin Mei further?

Home visit time. Zhong Ling bought meat and spices, funds running low. The Zhu family was building a pigsty. She joined the chaos—Zhu Baoqin and Feng Zhen cooking for volunteer workers, little Hua Hua playing in dirt.

"Sis, did it work?" Zhong Ling whispered.

"Relax. For ¥100, he'll say whatever we want."

"Good."

"How's Lin Mei? Still trouble?"

"Let's not talk about her. Ignoring works." The photos were gone, but negatives remained.