3 Chapter 3

Chang Ying cracked open her heavy eyelids, she could taste sourness of cheap alcohol in her mouth. A bit of drowsiness overcame her but she was still able to look at her surroundings. 

She was back in that impoverished hut, or it was better to say, she was back more than a decade in her past.

It was real, it was all real! She had been reborn.

Her eyes sharpened immediately as the back of a large man came into view. She recognised the man as soon as she saw him, it was the rascal of the village that claimed they were lovers after he was caught in the act of trying to sleep with her! 

The dirty rat. 

The farm hut was a simple square structure. The only things inside were the old mat she was lying on, a small heap of dirty, old clothes in a corner and a few nick-nacks. Next to the clothes were some pieces of firewood, an old iron wok and a few bowls for eating. on the hut walls, there were a few large hooks attached. The hooks were usually used for hanging some farm tools, but currently, much to Chang Ying's dismay, there were no tools which she could use to protect herself hanging on the wall. There was only an oldvclimbing rope on one of the hooks. 

She turned her eyes away and looked for the second most important thing, her clothes. 

Chang Ying quickly noticed what looked like a light pink bra peeking out from under thethe heap of old clothes. She immediately suspected the clothes she wore that day was among that heap too.

Her current situation was too pitiful. The filthy bastard had already stripped her naked. In this state, she could not even run out for help, that would ruin her reputation just as much. And screaming was almost useless, this was a farm hut in the middle of the rascal's family farm. 

As for being embarrased that a man stripped her naked, Chang Ying quickly pushed her shyness away. She was not a young, spring chicken. In a few years, girls in bikinis won't be a new thing. Just consider this rascal as a pervert in the changing room. 

The scumbag man in the hut was called Shu. That was all she remembered, she never cared to learn his surname. 

Chang Ying had not made a noise since she woke up. So Shu carried on drinking some local alcohol with his back to her, without knowing his victim had already woken up. Chang Ying knew she was not safe yet. First she had no clothes on. Second, Shu sat next to the door. The hut was tiny and mostly for farm tool storage so there was no other window or opening to escape.

To add to her dismay, Chang Ying didn't know what Shu had put in the wine he force-fed her but her body felt very weak. She twisted her lips in dissatisfaction. That jellyfish creature was quite infuriating. 

Once she agreed, it vaguely admitted it could only return her back to the pivotal day in her life, as reborn people could only to return to pivotal points in their past to start reliving. Unfortunately, that insidious creature did not give her leeway at all and made her to be reborn in this same helpless situation. Why couldn't it send her back just a short hour earlier? It would still be the same freaking day!

Chang Ying looked around quickly for a something heavy or sharp to use against the man. 

Her eyes fell on the heavy iron wok and the firewood. Both of them were a few steps away from her in the opposite direction of the man. Chang Ying estimated that she had to move quickly. The rascal, Shu, was a huge man and he could suppress her easily if she didn't use a surprise attack. 

Timely, Shu grunted and smacked his lips as he drained the last drop of wine from his cup. 

Chang Ying clenched her fists and was about to dive and grab something when she heard hurried footsteps outside the hut, followed by a woman's voice. 

"Big Shu, are you ready? Lu Chen is almost here."

The man heaved as he lifted his big stature up. He slightly parted the curtain hanging over the door and stuck his head outside to talk to the woman. "I'll get to it but where is my money first? My reputation is going to take a hit too." 

The woman snorted at his words. Chang Ying stiffened as she listened. In her past, she had been so drowsy she didn't barely aware of her surroundings or what was happening. By the time she was cognisant enough, Lu Chen was already punching Shu like a sandbag and she was surrounded by people who stared down at her in disdain. She never knew there was a transaction to set her up with this whole affair.

Now though, she had woken up earlier without anyone knowing. 

There was a soft jingle of coins, then the woman grumbled, "Take, it's 500 cents. You can also taste the woman for free and maybe keep her after Lu Chen dumps her today." 

Big Shu scratched his head and grumbled, "Why can't you give me the paper money? I got to count all these now."

The woman paid his words no attention. She had already left, her light footsteps faded out as she hurried away. Big Shu clicked his tongue and counted the coins in his hand. He wasn't educated at all so he slowly counted with his earnings by dividing it into small heaps.

When he finished counting he raised his head up and grinned. Unfortunately he didn't notice the shadow behind him inside the mud hut. 

Chang Ying raised the heavy iron wok with both hands and slammed it down on his head with all the energy she could muster. 

Twack! 

The heavy wok collided with the back of Big Shu's head. The momentum forced him to almost smack his face into the ground and saliva flew out of his gaping mouth. 

Big Shu supported his upper body with his arm and turned around. His teeth ground together menacingly and his eyes reddened with rage. He swiftly sprung to his feet and glared at Chang Ying. But before he could take a step, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he slumped to the ground. 

Chang Ying looked around quickly. She grabbed her underwear and clothes and wore them without regard from whether they were worn neatly or not. Just as she was about to step out of the hut, she heard several loud voices of villagers. 

Lu Chen was here!

Chang Ying calculated quickly. Even if she rushed out now, people would see her. She had only picked up her clothing, she didn't have time to erase her traces from this hut, dress herself up, escape like a ninja then appear in another corner of the village as an alibi. 

The villagers were already close enough to have their eyes on the hut and there was only one door. No matter how much she would explain, people would never believe her. Whether she did it or not, if someone spotted her disorderly state right now on her escape from here, then fake would once again become truth. This was the reality of women in rural areas in this era. It was hard to wash off the suspicion, especially now that she knew she was being plotted against. 

Chang Ying looked at Shu lying unconscious at the door and quickly dragged him into a sitting position with his back resting on the mud wall. She opened the wine jar he was drinking from earlier and sprinkled it around the hut so the smell of alcohol was permeated heavily inside the hut. Then she placed the wine next to him with his cup so it looked like he passed out from being intoxicated,. 

The villagers had begun to arrive and she could hear their footsteps as they walked around the hut. The voices were more excited till they sounded just outside the door. 

The villagers loudly commented from outside. 

"Huh, I don't hear anything. Have they run away?"

"No way," a mature female voice said. "Look, there are two pairs of slippers by the door. The smaller one is obviously for a woman."

"This Chang Ying is really shameless. She is still hiding inside with her lover even after we have arrived here? Should we rush in?"

"Don't go too far, she is still Lu Chen's wife. This is his family matter, we really can't intervene first."

Chang Ying grabbed a piece of dirty cloth from the corner. She put it in her mouth and tied it at the back of her head to make a gag. Then she grabbed the climbing rope and made an adjustable loop at one end. Then she tied the other end to the hook on the wall, after which she wrapped the rope around her hands and passed it through the loop to tighten it. 

As she tied herself up, the sharp end of the hook slashed below her wrists and rich, red blood gushed out of the wound. Chang Ying's eyes stung with tears from the pain, and also from the tension outside as her heart pounded with every passing second. This was a gamble and it all depended on these people's degree of sympathy for her. 

With the instigator among them, she could only hope things would go her way. 

Just as there was some rustle outside the hut's curtain, Chang Ying slackened her body like soft noodles and let her body bheld up at the mercy of the hook. The ropes dug into her wrists and more blood squeezed out of the wound. Chang Ying could only endure the searing pain in her wrist and close her eyes, pretending to still be drowsy. 

Just as the raften woven curtain was pushed aside, she heard Feifei's voice. "Big brother, calm down. Wait, just call them outside. I'm sure this is a misunderstanding. Sister-in-law is..."

Outside the hut, Lu Chen's demeanour sizzled with danger like a electric naked wire. 

Lu Chen did not pay heed to the gentle girl's pleds. He did not care about the villagers or even the rumors. He just wanted to know if he had been made a fool of. 

Despite everyone's words that he and his bride were incompatible, he still pushed ahead. His family borrowed what they lacked to make the wedding happen and helped Lu Chen marry this girl because he believed in her. 

Chang Ying was different from other girls, to him at least. The simplest things like a smile from him, holding her hand or a sweet endearment could make her blush happily. She would smile without a care as long as he came to see her, it didn't matter if she was standing under the sun or rain. Chang Ying was simple. She did not care for wealth or standing, she just wanted to be with him. So he believed her when she said she did not mind being poor. Lu Chen had secretly promised himself to work hard to give her a better life and treat her well. He really thought a woman like her was pure gold in his life. 

Lu Chen shook off Feifei's hand that held him back. He pushed aside the raften curtain and stormed into the hut.

But...