Jiang Yao thought the world was a bit surreal. First, she was entangled with a man in her dreams night after night, then she traveled back to the 1980s.

However, she didn't have time to think too much because the original body’s grandfather was seriously ill and already at his last gasp. She had to go to see him for the last time as soon as possible.

In the room.

Eldest sister Jiang Jing was sobbing by the bedside.

The house was poorly soundproofed. Obviously, both old Mr. Jiang and Jiang Jing in the room heard aunt's words from just now.

When Jiang Jing saw Jiang Yao come in, her tears flowed even more violently.

"I'm sorry Yao Yao, it's all sister's fault. I couldn't protect you..."

Old Mr. Jiang on the bed also started coughing, his cloudy eyes full of pity for Jiang Yao.

He knew exactly what was his son and daughter-in-law's plan regarding this marriage.

He had some dealings with the Zhao family and had met Zhao Changfeng.

His granddaughter marrying that short and unattractive man was indeed a disgrace.

Furthermore, the Zhao family had a history of mental illness for several generations, and their characters were notoriously violent and paranoid.

Several of Zhao family’s daughters-in-law had been domestically abused, often ending up with a blue and swollen face.

How could his granddaughter marry into such a family?

"Yao Yao …cough ...cough ...cough …"

The moment the old master Jiang thought of his granddaughter being targeted by the Zhao family, he was so infuriated his blood was nearly boiling, and he felt as if he would cough his lungs out.

Jiang Yao, with a heart full of sympathy, squatted next to the bed. With one hand, she gently helped her grandfather to ease his breathing; the other hand was tightly clasping the old man's hand.

"Grandfather, don't worry, I won't get involved with that Zhao Changfeng."

Having inherited the original owner's memories, Jiang Yao also had no good feelings for Zhao Changfeng.

The first time he saw her in the village, he tried to make unwelcome advances.

Even though he was not handsome and acted inappropriately, she could tell he was no good.

Regardless of the fact his father was the factory director, even if he were the son of a king, she would not give him the time of day.

Under Jiang Yao's soothing, Old Master Jiang gradually recovered. However, his breathing had become quite laborious these past few days, and he feared the end was near.

Once he was gone, those good-for-nothing sons at home would lose all restraint and might resort to despicable means to force Yao to marry into the Zhao family.

Some things, he needed to tell Yao as soon as possible.

Old Master Jiang turned his head to look at Jiang Jing who was standing by: "Ah Jing, go to the kitchen and make some soup for us to eat at noon."

"Yes, Grandfather." Jiang Jing wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes and left the room with red eyes.

After she left, Old Master Jiang turned to Jiang Yao:

"Yao, your grandfather might not live long. There are two things I need to tell you."

"Firstly, you have been engaged to the young master of the Chen family from Xiangjiang, Chen Yannan, since you were young. The token of engagement is sewn into my pillow."

"You bring the betrothal gift to Hong Kong for the Chen family to recognize. Even if they don't accept this marriage, they will at least provide you with a livelihood."

The elder Mr. Jiang saved the elder Mr. Chen's life many years ago.

At that time, the latter was fleeing to Hong Kong from inland and had transferred most of his property. Suddenly, an accident occurred, and fortunately, Elder Mr. Jiang was passing by and saved him.

With nothing at his disposal to repay his savior, he decided to arrange a predestined marriage for his grandson and Jiang Yao.

He left a betrothal gift and a three-year-old photo of his grandson, promising that Jiang Yao could go to Hong Kong to consummate the marriage after she comes of age.

Before, Elder Mr. Jiang didn't want his granddaughter to marry off far away, and the huge gap between their family conditions made him keep the predestined marriage a secret from Jiang Yao.

Now with the circumstances compelling, in comparison to mixing with high society, Elder Mr. Jiang dread much more of his granddaughter being abused by the Zhao family.

It's beyond Jiang Yao's wildest dreams that she has a marriage on her shoulders, and furthermore, her fiance is in Hong Kong.

She looked at the elder Mr. Jiang in shock, at a loss for words for a moment.

"If you don't want to go to Hong Kong, there's another choice," Elder Mr. Jiang paused before continuing.

"The Zhaos have a weak spot. In the southwest corner of their ancestral mansion's backyard pond, there is a box of little yellow croaker fishes, which should have been handed over to the country.

You can report the Zhaos' deeds to the province. Enough to get them a sentence of ten to eight years."

Having said this with determination, Elder Mr. Jiang was nearly spent.

His skinny cheeks still bore the look of concern for Jiang Yao.

Seeing this, Jiang Yao felt a bitter pain in her heart and tightly grasped her grandfather's hand.

Finally, the last glimmer of light in the old man's eyes extinguished as he gently closed his eyes.

Feeling something was amiss, Jiang Yao, with tears in her eyes, gently nudged the old man in bed and cried out, "Grandpa, wake up, grandpa…”

Outside the door, Jiang Jing dropped the enamel jug she was holding. It clattered onto the ground and scattered hot water, a few drops of which landed on her foot, causing her to cry out in pain.

Ignoring the burning sensation on her foot, she charged into the room, throwing herself onto the bed where her grandfather lay motionless. "Grandpa...," she bottled out.

With the passing of the old man, except for the Jiang sisters, all the others in the Jiang family breathed a sigh of relief.

The old man had been bedridden for a long time, only draining the family money and never contributing. The expense of his medications had everyone grumbling, especially his sons and daughters-in-law.

Moreover, Jiang Yao was already 19 years old, perfectly eligible for marriage, which could bring considerable dowry.

However, the old man was protective of her, thwarting anyone who had any designs on marrying her.

Now, with the pesky old man finally gone, they could truly rule the roost.

The Jiang family would never miss an opportunity to make money.

The funeral of the old man presented a chance to rake in some gifts.

The sons set up a makeshift altar at the entrance of the old house and borrowed a loudspeaker from the village to play funeral music.

The daughters-in-law each manned a table, busy noting down the money received from sympathizers.

The younger members of the Jiang clan gathered to watch the spectacle while munching sunflower seeds, with no sadness shown on their faces.

Only Jiang Yao and her sister, Jiang Jing, were dressed in mourning clothes, guarding their grandpa Jiang's body.

As evening approached, no one came to offer condolences anymore. The different branches of the Jiang family had returned to their rooms to rest early.

Naturally, the responsibility of keeping vigil at night fell onto the two sisters, Jiang Yao and Jiang Jing.

"Sis, get up and sit for a bit. I'll go in and make us two bowls of noodles."

The two hadn't eaten anything all day. Jiang Yao was not one to mistreat herself, so she prepared to go to the kitchen to cook something.

Inside the kitchen...

Jiang Yao opened the cabinet where she usually stored rice, flour, and oil, only to find it empty.

Even the condiments like oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar were gone.

She could not help but chuckle bitterly. Before their grandpa's body had even cooled, the Jiang family had already divided up the family assets clearly and distinctly.

They didn't even spare the food in the kitchen.

However, when it came to dividing the family property, both she and her elder sister had put in effort tending to their fields and land. How could they not get a share?

Angry and indignant, she planned to confront her eldest uncle's family.

With grandpa gone, her eldest uncle had naturally assumed the role of the head of the family. They were the ones she needed to talk to.

In the countryside, nights arrived early, and there weren't much in terms of entertainment. By 8 or 9 o'clock, almost everyone had gone to bed.

Jiang Yao walked to her eldest uncle's room, and was about to knock when she heard murmurs coming from inside.

Subconsciously, she withdrew her hand and leaned closer to the door, pressing her ear against it.