Epilogue
My gaze casually swept over Gu Cheng’s crippled leg and the crumbs covering Gu Yuan and Gu Fang’s mouths.
I stood up and left.
Through the glass, I saw Gu Cheng’s eyes fixed on my back gradually harden.
The next day, my shop caught fire.
Luckily, it was discovered in time and caused little damage.
Even better, neither Cousin nor I had been sleeping there.
Gu Cheng and his siblings were caught at the train station.
They had thousands in cash stolen from the shop hidden on them.
Gu Cheng would spend years in prison for arson and theft.
Gu Yuan and Gu Fang were minors, so they were sent back to their hometown.
Before his detention, Gu Cheng asked to see me one more time.
“Can you help look after Gu Fang and Gu Yuan? They’re still young and don’t understand right from wrong.”
I sneered.
“No. This woman has no conscience.”
In my previous life, when I fell seriously ill, Gu Yuan and Gu Fang had already settled down with families of their own.
I lay in the old house with no one to care for me.
It took a call from the Village Chief before they reluctantly came to visit.
They wouldn’t even pour me a cup of water.
Later, Gu Cheng asked them how the years had been.
They answered, “That woman has some conscience. She didn’t treat us badly. But in our hearts, we only recognize Zhu Xiuqin as our sister-in-law.”
After working hard most of my life, I was just “that woman” to them.
Gu Cheng’s face turned pale. He pointed at me with a shaking hand.
“You… you came back too?
“No wonder. It was all deliberate. You put the money in plain sight on purpose and provoked me.
“And you left before I faked my death. It wasn’t because you were heartbroken about me and Xiuqin?”
Gu Cheng shouted in a frenzy, staring at me.
I shook my head innocently.
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“I beg you. In the previous life, I wronged you. I was wrong, alright?”
Gu Cheng was overcome with emotion, tears pouring down.
Did he truly realize his mistake?
No. He seemed just scared—scared I would keep going after his brother and sister.
Originally, after arriving in the city, I hadn’t planned to get involved with them again.
But they refused to leave me alone.
It was only when he realized I would never return that he resorted to desperate measures.
Now, nothing was more final than having him locked up here.
As for Gu Fang and Gu Yuan, with a jailed brother, no property in the village, and their lazy ways, they would face endless hardships ahead.
Later, I heard they struggled and went to bother Zhu Xiuqin.
Upon learning Zhu Xiuqin’s past, her in-laws immediately demanded to call off the marriage.
Gu Fang and Gu Yuan were fiercely scolded by her family.
Villains needed villains to deal with them.
I stepped outside. The sunshine was bright.
The once handsome and shy young man seemed from another lifetime.
The first time I saw Gu Cheng, he was splitting a steamed bun in half for his younger siblings.
The two children asked if he wanted any.
His eyes softened. “Brother isn’t hungry. You two eat.”
My mom was deeply touched and whispered to me.
“Song Xiaoya, do you want a brother?”
I nodded happily.
“Then let him become your family, okay? Otherwise, once I’m gone, you’ll be all alone in this house. It won’t feel like home.”
Now I wanted to tell my mom:
“Home isn’t defined by the number of people. A place where the heart feels at peace is my home. It can be one person or many.”
Cousin saw me return and pulled me over excitedly.
“The jeans style you designed is selling out again.”
Great. In this life, my Jeans were selling out fast.