Chapter 1 — I Don't Owe Anyone My Life

01When Sister A was found, she was married and gave birth to a son. But sister A's husband had difficulty walking. The elder brother criticized him for not being worthy of the second young lady of the Minister's Palace, so he forced the two to separate. Sister A could not bear to leave her child. The elder brother immediately ordered me to marry into the Tieu family to be his successor. "If it weren't for you, Nguyet Thuc wouldn't have been taken away by human traffickers that year. If you still have a conscience, of course you should make it up to her." After getting married, I fulfilled my duties as a wife, conscientiously taking care of the housework. My stepchild resents me for taking over my biological mother's position, rebelling everywhere and causing trouble. My husband hated my brother for forcing me to steal his wife and treated me as coldly as ice. Day after day I was kind to my stepchild, and eventually he gradually accepted me a little. Three years later, the palace was looking for someone. At that time, everyone knew that my husband with a broken leg was actually the third prince who had been exchanged and wandered among the people. Sister A was sick because she missed her child and often came to visit. We often see the three of them eating meals at the table, holding hands and walking in the garden, harmonious like a family. Occasionally when I showed a little dissatisfaction, my husband scolded me for being narrow-minded and intentionally separating mother and child from reuniting. Then, my stepson pushed me down. The child in my womb is no more. Tieu Can Nien sat on the edge of the bed and just said: "Having Lien Sanh in this life is enough for me." "Once the baby is gone, it's gone. At least, we still have Lien Sanh." Opening my eyes again, I returned to the day my brother ordered me to be his successor. I shook my head and refused: "Before my mother passed away, she had planned to give me a marriage." "Big brother, have you forgotten?" The elder brother's frown tightened into a knot. "Even though my mother had planned a marriage for me, Lau Quan Yan went to the border a few years ago to join the army. The Lau family is now the only one left, alive or dead, who can say for sure?" "If he is still alive, I have mentioned it." After so long, why haven't I seen him come to the door to ask for his hand in marriage? "A Nhuoc, although Tieu Can Nien has a broken leg, my family is rich. My sister A can't bear to leave Lien Sanh. If you marry her, they will naturally treat you kindly." I lowered my eyes, trying to hold back the sour taste in my eyes. "Big brother, soon Lau Quan Viem will return." "At that time, if he comes to the door, you have to eat." What should I say?" Sister A sat next to her brother and gently pulled his brother's sleeve. "Big brother, if that's the case then stop it. Husband... although it's inconvenient for you to move around, but treating me is not bad." The brother sneered: "Nguyet Thuc, if he really treats you well, why do you dress so poorly?" That Can Nien, other than that face, what else can I bring out?" His voice softened a bit: "If you've broken up, don't remember him anymore." Having finished speaking, he looked at me. "A Nhuoc, back then, Nguyet Thuc was taken away by human traffickers because she was protecting you. Now, she's not at ease, it's just that Lien Sanh doesn't have a mother to take care of her." "After you went there, I didn't have to worry about food and clothes, and I don't care anymore. What's so bad about having to endure the pain of giving birth?" A bitter taste welled up in my heart. "What about Lau Quan Viem?" "The Lau family has a favor with us, has elder brother also forgotten?" The elder brother was silent for a moment, and finally gave in: "Wait two more months." "If he doesn't come back, you have to marry the Tieu family." Having finished speaking, he lifted the curtain and went out. Sister A wanted to speak but stopped looking at me. After a while, she softly said: "A Nhuoc, if you really don't want to, I will go tell big brother..." It's useless. I understand too well. The elder brother felt sorry for Sister A, thinking that when she was young, she was kidnapped, suffered from sleepless nights, and was sold into the Tieu family to be adopted as a daughter-in-law since she was a child, suffering enough hardships.

That year, during the Thuong Nguyen New Year, Sister A took me out to see the lanterns. In the crowd of people, we were targeted by human traffickers. The one who should have been dragged away was me. It was Sister A who risked her life to bite the trafficker's wrist that made me escape. I panicked and ran to the alley to call someone. By the time I brought the adults back, Sister A was no longer there. From then on, my father and mother blamed me. The chief resents me. When his mother passed away, his eyes still could not close. People kept muttering Sister A's name, asking if they could see her again in this life. I held his hand, tears falling onto his cold wrist. In the end, mother still couldn't wait. Sister A was found after she had been gone for three months. She cried until she fainted in front of her mother's spirit. From that day on, everyone thought that I owed her my life. In my previous life, I also thought the same. So we put our marriage into it. Bring your youth into it. Bring your unborn child into it. In the end, he even put his life into it. But after death, we understand. Sister sister saving me is her gratitude. I am grateful, I repay you. But that doesn't mean we have to spend our whole life filling all of her misfortunes. I don't owe anyone my life. 02 Sister A sat next to me, gently advising: "A Nhuoc, actually Can Nien is very good, it's just that her legs are not very convenient." "Lien Sanh is obedient. If you marry there, they will definitely treat you well." I looked at her. There is a threshold in our hearts that we cannot cross no matter what. In the end, I still opened my mouth: "Sister A, I don't want to." "I already have a marriage contract. That year you saved me, I will remember it all my life, and be grateful all my life." "I can use it a thousand times, ten thousand times to make it up to you in other things." "But sister A, I can't spend my whole life on it." Sister A's eyes turned red. Tears rolled down, she quickly looked away. "I thought wrong." "I just thought... Lien Sanh needed someone to take care of her." I said nothing more. In the previous life, the red veil was lifted, Tieu Can Nien sat on the edge of the bed, her face was as beautiful as jade, only her eyes were as cold as ice. Every day I fulfill my duty as a wife. In the morning and at night, calling for blessings, doing laundry and cleaning, don't dare to miss any task. But Lien Sanh hates me. The four-year-old child looked at me with eyes as if he had a mortal enemy. He put three beans in my tea, causing me to be rude at the banquet. It mixed dirty things into my rice. I didn't make a fuss, just secretly dumped it, then went to the kitchen to cook it again. He ran out and told people that I seduced his father and forced his mother to leave. A little older, he skipped school every day and fought with others. I went door to door apologizing, going door to door making amends, all the eyes of others pointing behind me. Tieu Can Nien has never protected me. Lien Sanh injured his knee in the fight. He opened his mouth and blamed me for not taking good care of him. That night Lien Sanh had a fever, he coldly said that a stepmother like me was not even a servant. He hated my elder brother for forcing him to steal his wife, so he took out all of that hatred on me. Even when lying next to me, he squeezed my chin and asked, "Are you looking down on me too?" He criticized me for being quiet. Call me tasteless. Criticizing me even half cannot compare to Sister A's cheerful appearance. "Is someone like you also worthy of being the third lady of the Minister's Palace?" I don't argue. Just be nice to Lien Sanh day after day. Scribble, sew a shirt, replace it to avoid the teacher's punishment. A child's heart is not made of stone. Gradually, it no longer avoided our hands. He will secretly put a piece of candy next to the pillow when we are sick. I will sadly say "stop scolding her" when I am scolded by Tieu Can Nien. I thought life was finally over

can continue to pass. Then someone came to the palace. It turned out that Tieu Can Nien was the third prince who was swapped that year. At that time, I was just pregnant and hadn't had time to tell him yet. Waiting for me to happily go look for him, I saw Sister A standing in front of him in the hallway, crying until her shoulders were shaking slightly. He held her wrist tightly, his voice low and hoarse: "You miss Lien Sanh, don't you miss me at all?" The two hugged each other, like doomed lovebirds separated. I stood in the corner, finally quietly returning to my hospital. After that, I often saw the three of them eating meals at the table and walking hand in hand in the garden. Lien Sanh sat next to sister A. Tieu Can Nien picked up food for her. The whole table was warm and harmonious. One time I looked a little longer, Tieu Can Nien's face immediately darkened: "Your thoughts are too dark, can't you bear to see the three of us reunited as a family?" Lien Sanh also pushed me. "You are not my biological mother." I was unprepared for that push. The belt hit the corner of the table, the whole person fell down. Lower abdomen dull pain. When I bow my head, I see my dress glowing dark red. After waking up, Tieu Can Nien sat on the edge of the bed. There was only a hint of guilt on his face. "Having Lien Sanh in this life is enough for me." "I hope you treat him like your own child." "Once the baby is gone, it's gone. At least, we still have Lien Sanh." That night, I bled to death. Before I died, I heard Lien Sanh crying outside the door. It calls me mother. But it's too late. In this life, it hasn't all begun yet. I will not step into the Tieu family again. 03 After Sister A left, I ordered my close maid, Thanh Dai, to close the courtyard. "Go get the purple wooden chest my mother left behind." Thanh Dai was a bit stunned but still immediately followed. That chest has been locked for many years. Inside, in addition to some old jewelry, there was also a small wooden box, containing the marriage certificate between me and Lau Quan Viem. Below the marriage certificate is a jade pendant shaped like a rolling cloud. When I was ten years old, the Lau family was falsely accused of colluding with the enemy. Lau Jun Yan's father died in prison. His mother hanged herself. Only a fourteen-year-old boy remained, whom my mother risked her life to protect and bring out of the capital. Before leaving, he knelt in front of his parents' shrine, vowing that he would definitely return to clean up his wrongdoings. My mother loved him because he had no relatives, and knew that he and I had grown up together, so she personally arranged this marriage. At that time, Lau Quan Viem looked at me for a long time. He gave me the jade pendant and said seriously: "A Nhuoc, wait for me to come back." In my previous life, I was waiting for him. But the principal said he was dead. I believe. It wasn't until my death that I heard from an old manager that Lau Quan Viem had sent seventeen envelopes. Not a single wind reached me. I took the jade pendant and called the housekeeper in the palace. The old butler, whose last name is Phuong, has been at the Ta family for more than thirty years. I placed the jade pendant on the table. "Uncle Phuong, have you sent me letters from the border in recent years?" His face immediately changed. "Third Miss, this..." "I want to hear the truth." Uncle Phuong bowed his head very low. After a while, he said with a trembling voice: "Yes." "At first there was a letter every month. Then the war became tense, and there was only one letter every two or three months." "They were all taken by the eldest son." My heart cooled down. "Where is the letter?" "The eldest son said it was burned." I tightened my grip on the jade pendant. "Is there a letter nearby?" "There was a letter three days ago." "Have you got it yet?" Uncle Phuong shook it. "The old slave hasn't had time to present himself yet." He took out a wrinkled envelope from his sleeve. Only four words were written on the outside: A Nhuoc Than Khai. My hands trembled. I tore the envelope. Inside were only a few short lines: "A Nhuoc, the battle has been decided."