All the educated youth in the village who were admitted to university went to study, and those who weren't got back to the city through connections. The rest prepared to retake the exam the following year, but the original owner was an unsupported little wretch.
However, the original owner did not give up. She secretly hid the discarded books and notes left by the educated youth when they left. She would take them out to study when no one was paying attention.
The original owner would also secretly keep the "ma dou fruit" she dug up while farming. After accumulating a certain amount, she would find opportunities to sell them at the market.
Qian Lingling was the only female educated youth who stayed at the educated youth point and did not leave. Her family was patriarchal, and she did not want to go back. So, she stayed in the village to work and review. Seeing how hard the original owner worked, Qian Lingling secretly helped her catch up.
She shared her books with the original owner. The two supported and encouraged each other, both hoping to get into university and have a bright future.
Finally, the second year's college entrance examination arrived. With Qian Lingling's help, the original owner successfully escaped from Li Si's house with her three-year-old daughter.
After arriving in town, they shared a room at the guesthouse. During the day, they would prepare food and drinks and leave them for the original owner's daughter to wait obediently in the room.
After the exam, Qian Lingling returned to Li family village to cover for the original owner. The original owner used the money she had saved to find a family to stay with in town.
Two months later, both of them received their acceptance letters. They had applied to a normal university in the south. Qian Lingling wanted to be farther away from her home, while the original owner wanted to be farther away from her sister.
After packing their belongings, they, along with the original owner's daughter, set off to report to the university. They bought their train tickets and waited to board. Unexpectedly, they encountered Jin Moyu, who had just disembarked from a train.
Seeing her sister with a child at the train station, Jin Moyu understood everything. Accompanying her were two men, each carrying large bags of items.
The original owner also saw her and turned to leave.
"A Li, where are you going? What you're doing is wrong. Stop causing trouble. Go back and live properly with Li Si. You are already a married woman, how can you abandon your husband and run around with your daughter?"
Her scolding attracted the attention of everyone at the train station, and they began to gossip about the original owner, surrounding the three of them.
Qian Lingling retorted indignantly, "Do you know how Li Si treats A Li? You are her own sister. You don't know anything, yet you're pointing fingers at A Li."
"I don't need to know anything. I only know it's better to destroy ten temples than to break up one marriage. Qian Lingling, you are too vicious, instigating trouble between my sister and brother-in-law. I think you're just jealous that my sister is doing well."
Qian Lingling was almost driven to fainting by her twisted words. Unable to outargue Jin Moyu due to her poor speaking skills, she just wanted to pull the original owner away.
The original owner was utterly disappointed in her sister and did not speak to them, intending to leave with her daughter.
Unexpectedly, Jin Moyu had the two men accompanying her block their way.
"A Li, Father and Mother passed away early. As your elder sister, I must correct you when you make mistakes to prevent you from regretting it in the future."
At this moment, the people who came to pick up Jin Moyu in town also arrived. They bundled the original owner and the other two into the car and took them back to Li family village.
Jin Moyu personally escorted the original owner back to Li Si's home.
"Auntie, Brother-in-law, it is I who have failed you. I did not raise my sister well. I apologize to both of you on her behalf."
Seeing her dressed stylishly and accompanied by two men, the Li family spoke very nicely to her in front of her.
"I don't know what I've done wrong to A Li. We always prioritized her with whatever good things we had. However, we understand that A Li is excellent and looks down on our family. Fortunately, she has a sensible sister like you."
"Yes, yes, thank you, eldest sister, for bringing A Li back. Without A Li, I couldn't sleep at night. How can Xiao Hua live without a father?"
Jin Moyu glanced at the original owner, as if to say, "Look at you, how ungrateful. Your in-laws are so good to you, yet you keep thinking of running away."
"You adults are magnanimous and overlook minor faults. Consider it as a favor to me, and forgive A Li this once. She will never dare to run away again."
Afterward, Jin Moyu distributed the gifts she had bought to the villagers, earning a good reputation. Everyone praised her for being grateful and remembering their village, unlike her sister, who was an ungrateful wretch who was not settled even after marriage.
Upon returning to the Li family again, the original owner became completely dejected. She knew she would never have a chance to leave this place again. The Li family chained her up like a dog. What she regretted most was implicating Qian Lingling.
When the people of Li family village learned that Qian Lingling had helped her escape, they attacked Qian Lingling. Qian Lingling's leg was permanently disabled, and she lost her chance to go to university.
She was confined to Li family village for life and had no opportunity to call the police.
One night, Li Si's house suddenly caught fire for some unknown reason. The villagers rushed to help, and everyone forgot about the original owner, who was chained up.
The rest of the Li family survived. At this point, Li Si remembered his wealthy sister-in-law and called Jin Moyu, crying and complaining for a long time.
When Jin Moyu learned about the fire at the Li house, her first concern was not whether her sister and niece were alright, but rather the remaining members of the Li family.
Jin Moyu did not show much sadness upon learning of her sister's death. Instead, she told her brother-in-law to handle the funeral arrangements. She would visit Li family village after she dealt with her own matters.
When Jin Moyu arrived in the village, she gave the Li family a sum of money.
"My sister did not fulfill her duties as a wife. Take this money and remarry a filial daughter-in-law. As for my niece, I will take her with me. It's not easy to find a husband for a child. My sister has already delayed you for half a lifetime, and you cannot let this child hinder your family's continuation."
The Li family members were, of course, extremely grateful. The villagers praised her for her generosity and for being the most considerate and kind person they had ever met.
Li Xiaohua did not know what kind of person her aunt was, but her life in the Li family was very difficult. She thought that following her aunt would be better than staying in the Li family.
After the original owner's death, she could not let go of her daughter and her soul followed her daughter. Although she found her sister's "kindness" excessive, she figured she wouldn't do anything to a child, right?
Now, Jin Moyu was a rich and powerful lady in the capital. The educated youth she married was Qin Jingxuan, who came from a distinguished family in the military compound.
Qin Jingxuan had gone to the countryside because his grandfather was assigned there, and he came to take care of his grandfather. Later, he was attracted by Jin Moyu's kind nature and they got married.
The Qin family was upright and took good care of Li Xiaohua until she reached adulthood. Jin Moyu insisted on marrying Li Xiaohua off to the mayor's simple-minded son.
The Qin family did not need to rely on an orphaned relative to climb the social ladder with the Zheng family. Everyone in the Qin family was somewhat opposed to this.
However, the kind Jin Moyu said, "Jingxuan, Jing Tian is someone we watched grow up. Can you bear to see him unable to marry a decent wife his whole life? I can see that he really likes Xiao Hua."
"But Jing Tian only has the intellect of a three-year-old child, and Xiao Hua is your own niece. Are you doing right by your sister in the afterlife?"
"Jingxuan, you don't understand. Although Xiao Hua grew up in our home, she is not a Qin by blood. She cannot find a suitable partner in her social circle. It's better to marry into the Zheng family; we know them well. Given Jing Tian's situation, the Zheng family will surely treat Xiao Hua well. If my sister knew, she would be happy about this."
At this moment, the floating original owner clenched her fists.
It was at this point that Qin Jingxuan realized his wife was excessively kind, and her mind was not quite right. Other people's children were foolish, so she would use her own niece to fill the gap. However, he had no standing to stop it, so he stopped interfering.
Jin Moyu also tried to persuade Li Xiaohua with emotional appeals and reason.
"Xiao Hua, as long as you marry him, you will be the eldest daughter-in-law of the Zheng family. Your Aunt Zheng will treat you well. With your conditions, you won't find a better marriage."
Li Xiaohua was a dependent, and her personality was somewhat timid. She did not dare to resist her aunt. However, she felt nothing for that simple-minded young man from the Zheng family.
She was constantly worried and in a daze. On her way home from school, she was accidentally involved in a car accident and died after resuscitation failed.
The kind Jin Moyu learned of this, but did not pursue the driver. Instead, she sympathized with the driver for the hardship of fatigue-driven driving and gave him some compensation for the shock. The driver naturally felt he had encountered a fool and thanked her profusely.
From then on, Jin Moyu would often sigh about Li Xiaohua's lack of fortune, lamenting that she suffered such a misfortune just as good days were about to arrive.
Then she used the stories of the original owner and her daughter to educate her own children, emphasizing that people must be kind, otherwise they would face retribution.
Li Xiaohua's misfortune was because her mother had wronged the Li family, constantly caused trouble, and did not leave any heirs for the Li family.