Rebirth of a Farming Wife

“They outnumber us, we can’t stand a chance against them. Ah Bin, I’ll count to three, and when I do, seize the opportunity and we’ll drive the horse carriage out!” Su Wenyue watched the young guys encircling them and calmly spoke, clutching the hairpin she had pulled from her hair tightly in her hand, betraying her inner nervousness.

Because Ah Bin was usually quick-witted, he was assigned to escort Su Wenyue, proving to be reliable and composed during crisis. Upon hearing Su Wenyue’s command, he nodded seriously and drove the horse carriage out as she ordered.

“Think you can escape? No way!” The young guys scattered in disarray as the horse carriage charged, but two of them, more formidable than the others, managed to trip the horse, and the carriage came to a halt.

“Miss, run! I’ll hold them off at the back.” Seeing the situation, Ah Bin entangled himself with those rushing up, buying time for Su Wenyue.

Su Wenyue didn’t dally with any talk of deep master-servant affection. She ran as her legs would carry her, knowing the men were after her, and if she could escape, Ah Bin might not suffer much harm.

On the contrary, as a woman of the household, the world was harsh on women, and even if nothing happened, rumors would spread. Besides, those men were targeting her. Su Wenyue, burdened with reputation in her previous life and having suffered greatly for it, knew the pain all too well. With a determined belief, she must not let them catch her or have her reputation tarnished by this incident.

However, Su Wenyue was after all a woman and a sheltered daughter at that. No matter how fast she ran, she couldn’t outrun those young guys who roamed around the village in their daily lives. Before long, she was caught up with. At that moment, she felt a sense of despair. Could it be that despite her efforts to live well, she was still unable to escape a bleak fate and the burden of reputation?

“You wench, keep running, keep running. I want to see where you can run to!”

“What exactly do you want? I have no quarrels with you. Who is behind this? Is it Jiang Chunlan? Whatever she promised you, I can offer you the same.” Su Wenyue tried to keep a distance from the men while negotiating. If they’d agree to let her go for their own benefit, nothing could be better.

“The girl’s pretty clever, guessed it in one go. As for the benefits, your dear cousin wishes you were dead and has offered herself to us to deal with you. If you do the same, there’s nothing we can’t agree to. We’d even turn against your cousin if you ask,” said the young men with lecherous looks on their faces. Su Wenyue’s beauty far exceeded that of Jiang Chunlan, who had thrown herself at them. That’s why they agreed to assault her, having long coveted her beauty. Moreover, Su Wenyue was the Miss of the Su Family. Possessing her would give them leverage over her for life, and she wouldn’t dare refuse their demands. Whether it was the Su Family’s wealth or Su Wenyue’s dowry, there was plenty to gain. This thought made their faces show an unhidden greed.

Angered by their filthy language, Su Wenyue’s face turned beet red. She realized today would not end well. Although she wasn’t exactly a paragon of chastity, the harsh lessons of her previous life ensured she wouldn’t let these men succeed. Otherwise, her end in this life would be worse than before. She’d rather die than live scorned and looked down upon again.

“Don’t come any closer, or I’ll kill myself right in front of you! Don’t think what you’re doing today is so secretive. If I can guess it so easily, so can others. If I die today, my husband won’t let you off, nor will the Su Family, and the government will decapitate you murderers,” Su Wenyue declared fiercely, pressing the hairpin against her neck, her face set with determination. The young men, previously dismissive, now showed worry and fear on their faces.

“You dare scare us, you wretched woman? Die, try to scare someone else. I don’t believe you have the guts; show me by dying!” said one of the young men, his face more ruthless than the others, clearly not giving much credit to women, and with disdain, he began to approach Su Wenyue.

Clutching to a sliver of hope, Su Wenyue had hoped to scare the men off with her act. But, driven to desperation, she gripped the hairpin harder, plunging it a few millimeters into her neck. Fresh blood flowed instantly. The ruthless young man was startled by Su Wenyue’s actions, never expecting her to actually dare!

They had embarked on this act not without fear of Han Yu or the Su Family, but with the intention of coercing Su Wenyue. Now that things weren’t going as planned, with Su Wenyue showing such fierce resolve, preferring death over submission, they would all be in serious trouble if she truly got hurt.

“Wait, please, don’t do this. We’re not coming any closer. Please don’t think so rashly. We were just joking with you; we wouldn’t actually harm you. Put down the thing in your hand, and let’s talk this out properly!”

“All of you back off, don’t come any closer!” Su Wenyue’s face was deathly pale, not from too much blood loss since the hairpin had just pierced her skin a tiny bit, but from the pain. Most women fear pain, and Su Wenyue was no exception. She hadn’t genuinely desired death; after all, she had been lucky enough to be reborn and hadn’t fully lived out her life yet. She wasn’t willing to die unless absolutely necessary.

Su Wenyue’s demeanor truly frightened the young men who, fearing more drastic actions from her, instinctively retreated. They no longer cared about anything else, all blaming Jiang Chunlan for landing them in such trouble. This was not a woman to be trifled with; they could see her own harshness toward herself.

“Boss, should we pull out? If Su Wenyue really dies, neither the Han Family nor the Su Family will let us off. Han Yu is a tough character, and poking the Su Family is asking for trouble. After what happened today, we better get out of here and hide,” suggested one of the men.

“This…” The leader hesitated, not yet decided, but the men, spotting someone in the distance, didn’t wait for others and took off running—if Han Yu caught them, it would be the end for them.

“Boss, Han Yu is here. Run!” One of the more conscientious young men gave the heads up, but likewise dashed off without a further thought.

Han Yu was returning from hunting in the mountains when he learned that Su Wenyue had not yet returned. Growing increasingly anxious with an inexplicable sense of alarm, he feared for his wife’s safety and went to meet her without even changing his clothes. What he arrived to find was a heart-wrenching scene.