Chapter One: Marriage Exchange

“Wait! I… I choose the Chen family!” Jiang Caiyuan hurriedly changed her mind in front of the Jiang family.

The old patriarch of the Jiang family, seeing her wavering, asked sternly once more, “Second girl, do you truly wish to marry into the Chen family?”

The Chen family were butchers from the neighboring village—not nearly as well-off as the Wen family in town. When these two marriage proposals were first brought up, the second branch of the family had insisted that their daughter would marry no one but into the Wen family.

Yet now, in front of everyone, Jiang Caiyuan had changed her tune again.

Seeing the Jiang family members staring at her with probing eyes, Jiang Caiyuan, feeling guilty, pointed to Jiang Mi, who sat quietly with her eyes lowered. “Such a good match with the Wen family should go to my little sister instead.”

Jiang Mi sensed the many eyes upon her and finally lifted her gaze. She glanced briefly at Jiang Caiyuan, whose attitude had shifted so drastically, but the latter quickly looked away.

Jiang Mi let out a soft laugh, her voice clear and gentle. “But the Wen family’s bride price is generous.”

It was precisely because the bride price was so high that something was fishy! In her last life, she had only cared about marrying into the city and beat her cousin to choose the Wen family first. Who could have known that Wen Zongfu was utterly impotent!

For half her life she was scorned as a barren hen, and the Wen family’s attitude toward her plummeted. Not to mention, Wen Zongfu later lost a leg in a car accident and became a cripple, the family factory went bankrupt, and she fell from a wealthy wife to earning a pittance washing clothes for the ladies in the compound just to survive.

It wasn’t until one year, when she returned to the village for New Year’s and ran into the radiant Mrs. Chen—her cousin Jiang Mi from her previous life—that she learned the truth. The Chen family, after only a few hard years, made a fortune in livestock, became the village’s major breeder, opened a company, sold agricultural products abroad, and became the wealthiest family.

Now, reborn, she was certain fate had given her another chance to change her destiny and not make the same mistake again!

So Jiang Caiyuan declared firmly, “Little sister, you should go enjoy a good life in town. Auntie’s health isn’t good, and the bride price can cover her medical expenses.”

When had she ever been so considerate and sensible? The Jiang family all looked at Jiang Caiyuan in astonishment.

The second aunt of the Jiang family yanked her daughter hard. “What’s gotten into you? We agreed you’d marry into the Wen family, and Mi’er would marry into the Chen family and stay close so she could look after her mother.”

Had her daughter gone mad? Why give up the great prospect of the Wen family to swap places with Jiang Mi and marry a butcher instead?

“If I marry into the Chen family, I can stay close and look after you and Dad, too,” Jiang Caiyuan protested.

Seeing her insistence on swapping matches, Jiang Mi decided to be blunt. “Second sister, the Chen family already has two children. If you marry there, you’ll be a stepmother.”

“So what if I’m a stepmother? It’s a chance to learn how to raise children.”

Being a stepmother was better than being childless all her life, whispered about as a barren hen! That Chen fellow could father two children—if she married him, she’d surely bear children herself!

Besides, in her past life, the two children who weren’t Jiang Mi’s by birth grew up to be outstanding and filial.

The thought made her burn with jealousy.

Jiang Mi had nothing more to say and simply replied, “Fine, let’s swap. Just don’t regret it.”

“I won’t regret it!” Jiang Caiyuan laughed. In fact, you, Jiang Mi, will be the one to regret it when you’re widowed in the Wen family!

“I don’t agree!” The second aunt, seeing her daughter truly losing her mind, slapped the table and stood up. “We’ve already spoken to both families. Changing matches now is a joke!”

“No bride price has been collected and no betrothal set. Why can’t we swap? Anyway, I’m marrying into the Chen family!” Jiang Caiyuan grew anxious as well. If she’d been reborn sooner, she’d have chosen the Chen family long ago, but since she only came back last night, she could only seize her fate today!

“Caiyuan! The Wen family specifically chose you!” The second aunt wished she could slap some sense into her daughter.

As the mother and daughter quarreled fiercely, the third branch of the Jiang family exchanged glances. In the end, both parents looked toward their younger daughter, Jiang Mi.

Jiang Mi remained quiet, seemingly indifferent as to whom she married.

In truth, she was pondering that Jiang Caiyuan’s insistence on marrying into the Chen family meant she, too, must have been reborn.

She lowered her eyes, struggling to come to terms with the fact that, after dying in a fire, she had awakened back in the year of these marriage negotiations.

She had been burned to death by the Chen family’s two sons, in collusion with her own mother. The two boys she painstakingly raised turned out to be ungrateful wolves. Everything she had done for the Chen family was stolen from her, even her life.

Jiang Caiyuan likely knew none of this, which was why she was scrambling to marry into the Chen family, hoping to become the future wife of the richest man in the village.

A cold, mocking smile tugged at Jiang Mi’s lips. The Chen family was a pit of fire—whoever wanted to jump in was welcome, but she would never do so again.

As for the Wen family after the match was swapped… she remembered little, only that Jiang Caiyuan had been childless for years after marrying in, then the Wen man had a car accident and the factory went under.

No children might not be so bad—it was better than raising ungrateful wolves.

Finally, Jiang Mi looked at her parents and the old patriarch, the decision-maker of the Jiang family. “I’ll do as the family decides. Marry me off to whoever you choose—just let me know when it’s settled.”