Chapter 17: The Strange Age Difference

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Ji Manrou had originally been in a cheerful mood; her marriage to Dong Pengfei had been settled. She was simply waiting to marry into the family, after which the Dong family would invest money and effort into their son’s business ventures, allowing her to live a carefree life as a wealthy wife without having to lift a finger. Today, she was eagerly awaiting news of the Gu family’s mourning, only to hear that on the day after the wedding, the new bride had caused a commotion at her in-laws’ house. Soon after, Gu Yu and his companions were expelled from the Gu household, which gave Ji Manrou immense satisfaction. Although Ji Sisi did not end up with a happy outcome, Gu Matriarch had also lost much face today, much to Ji Manrou’s delight. That old hag had tormented her with all sorts of schemes ever since their marriage in the previous life. Yet—no, Ji Manrou suddenly realized—it was Gu Yu and his group who had been driven out of the Gu family. Gu Yu? Ji Manrou was shocked, no longer caring about the unpleasant quarrel they had the day before, and hurried off to find out the truth. There were no secrets in the courtyard. Along with the news of Gu Yu and his group’s expulsion, it was also announced that County Magistrate Chu had arranged for them to temporarily reside in an empty mansion. When she arrived in haste, she saw Ji Sisi packing her things. Driven by her usual urge to compare herself favorably to her elder sister, Ji Manrou immediately mocked her, “Oh, sister, you’re really something—daring to defy the old matriarch on the second day after your wedding and getting kicked out.” Seeing Ji Manrou, Ji Sisi simply ignored her and continued with her packing. She could not understand how someone like Ji Manrou could even be the female lead in a novel. She wondered whether the author was foolish or thought all readers were fools. Despite having overwhelming resources, after being reborn, Ji Manrou did not think about striving for independence but obsessed over relying on a man. Did she really believe that by taking her sister’s man, she would live a good life? Setting aside whether the original Ji Manrou, after marrying Dong Pengfei, truly lived a carefree life as a wealthy wife, the original Ji Sisi had treated her younger sister with great care, only to be met with jealousy and hatred in return. Ji Sisi decided that if she ever had the chance, she would report this author for having distorted values! Ji Manrou, however, thought Ji Sisi was just too ashamed or scared to speak and thus spoke in a tone of benevolence, “Sister, look at the place you’re living in now—‘dirty and messy’ doesn’t even begin to describe it. How about I beg Grandma Gu to let you come back?” Ji Sisi, having no patience for such nonsense, teased back, “My hands are itching now—do you want to try?”

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With a sudden move, Ji Manrou stepped back several meters. “Sister, what happened to you?” “What happened to me is all your fault!” Ji Sisi snapped. “You—” Ji Manrou took another big step back, unwilling to provoke her. Ever since they switched prospective partners, Ji Sisi seemed like a completely different person. Especially now, she was acting like she had gone mad, attacking anyone she saw. Even now, their parents still complained at home that their youngest brother was beaten so badly he was bruised and swollen, too embarrassed to go out for days. A wise person avoids immediate losses; Ji Manrou had already decided to retreat. She planned to go home and complain to their parents, hoping they would deal with this mad elder sister. Originally, Gu Yu had been in the kitchen checking their supplies to see what else they needed to buy. He had no intention of getting involved in the sisters’ petty quarrels, knowing Ji Sisi could handle herself. But seeing the annoying Ji Manrou still there, as a husband he felt compelled to stand up for his wife. So Gu Yu strode out of the kitchen, his voice icy as he demanded, “Ji Manrou, what are you doing here?” “Y-you—you—” Ji Manrou screamed, “A ghost!” and ran off. Gu Yu was left standing there, utterly bewildered. Not even Gu Wei or Gu Ning, nor his own mother, could hold back their laughter. Ji Sisi knew they found Gu Yu’s stern expression amusing. But she understood that Ji Manrou truly thought she had seen a ghost. Ji Manrou was convinced that Gu Yu would die suddenly on their wedding night and that she would then be tormented endlessly by the Gu family. That was why, after being reborn, she had tried every means to switch partners. In fact, she was not wrong—if not for encountering the transmigrated Ji Sisi and that miraculous sign-in system. At this moment, Gu Yu had indeed become a ghost. After Ji Manrou fled, Gu Wei and Gu Ning gathered around Ji Sisi and said, “Sister-in-law, you’re amazing.” “Yes, sister-in-law, you scared the bad person away.” Because the pork trotters Ji Sisi cooked for lunch were delicious, and she had given them large pieces of meat. When they had lived with the Gu family, they barely had enough to eat, let alone meat. So in Gu Wei and Gu Ning’s eyes, Ji Sisi was the best person in the world. As for the rarely seen cold-faced eldest brother, well, they were all afraid of him. Ji Sisi smiled and accepted their praise, then told them, “That woman was very bad. Stay away from her in the future.” In the original story, every time Ji Manrou was oppressed by the Gu matriarch, she would turn around and bully Gu Wei and Gu Ning. Because their mother was weak, her children had also developed timid personalities. Honestly, sometimes Ji Sisi harbored resentment toward that mother-in-law; much of the tragedy that befell the three siblings was largely due to their weak mother. But when Ji Sisi saw Lin Jinghua’s admiring gaze, she couldn’t help but laugh—perhaps she now appeared very impressive in her mother-in-law’s eyes. Suddenly, Ji Sisi remembered something and quickly asked her mother-in-law, “Mom, are Wei and Ning still not attending school?” She and the original protagonist herself were only just eighteen and had resumed their college entrance exams two years ago. The original protagonist had been a very good student, and all the teachers said that if she had continued studying, she would have had a bright future after university. At that time, university graduates were very valuable; having a stable government job was a great opportunity, possibly even a path to becoming a state official. However, Ji Liguo and Zhu Jiahui concocted various excuses to force the original protagonist, who was in her second year of high school, to drop out, cutting off her chance to continue her education. Including Ji Manrou, who was actually not yet eighteen, so in the previous life, she had married into the Gu family but never officially registered the marriage. If Ji Manrou was determined to leave, the Gu family would have no way to stop her. Ultimately, it was their own family who failed them. Ji Liguo and Zhu Jiahui, the parents, only cared about their precious son, forcing their daughters—one just turned eighteen and the other about to—out of school to marry for a large bride price. Then Ji Sisi discovered a blind spot: she and Ji Manrou were sisters but not twins, yet their age difference was only about ten months. Could it be that Zhu Jiahui became pregnant again immediately after giving birth?

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