I was reborn after my cousin stole my life.

Chapter 12: Conscience 2 words

While Yuan Xiu and Jiang Zhou were having dinner, the news that Jiang's childhood betrothal had been "impersonated" had already spread like wildfire among their families!

That noon, this was the topic of conversation at many family dinner tables.

This led to most military dependents becoming curious about Yuan Xiu, and before Yuan Xiu had even settled down, her name had already become famous in the family quarters.

As for Yuan Juan, she sneezed several times while staying at the guesthouse!

"What to do? What to do?"

Yuan Juan paced anxiously around the room, her hands turning white from gripping them so tightly. Her new clothes had been taken off, and she had changed into a similar outfit that Yuan Xiu had worn when they took the photo.

Before she came to the army, her parents told her a lot about what to say and do when she met Jiang Zhou, how to win his heart, and how to control the family's money after marriage. But now, her parents didn't tell her any of this.

Didn't they say that Yuan Xiu couldn't possibly know?

When Yuan Xiu came to the army, they didn't stop her at all!

People back home must know now. How will she face them when she goes back? They'll probably laugh at her to death.

And will her father be able to keep his job?

If she can't keep her, won't she have to go back to the countryside to farm like Yuan Xiu?

Thinking of this, Yuan Juan plopped down on the bed...

……

After finishing their meal in the canteen, Jiang Zhou took Yuan Xiu back to the guesthouse.

He didn't go in with her. "I'll take you to the cafeteria for dinner tonight."

Yuan Xiu said, "You don't need to come with me every time. You go ahead with your work, I can manage on my own."

Jiang Zhou glanced at her, then took out a stack of money and bills. "Okay, you can take these."

Yuan Xiu only took a few tickets from his hand, saying, "I have money on me."

The two of them hadn't even done anything yet, but she was already eating and drinking at his place, which made her blush.

Jiang Zhou looked at the money and tickets in his hand, then glanced at the pitiful few tickets that Yuan Xiu had taken. He grabbed her hand and stuffed the money and tickets into her hand. "I, Jiang Zhou, am not that stingy."

Yuan Xiu blushed. "That's not what I meant."

She was embarrassed, not understanding how her comment had been brought up as "stingy".

What kind of house do you want to live in?

"Huh?" Yuan Xiu looked up; Jiang Zhou's topic had jumped too far.

Jiang Zhou continued, "The family quarters have apartment buildings as well as old courtyard houses with individual entrances. The apartment buildings are closer to the common areas of the family quarters, and they have running water and toilets inside. At my level, I can be allocated a one-bedroom apartment. The old courtyard houses are farther from the common areas, located on the outer edge. They have courtyards, and the houses are larger. There is a well in the courtyard, but there is no toilet. You have to go to the public toilet outside, so it's not very convenient. See whichever you prefer to live in. I will apply for it when I submit the marriage report."

"The old courtyard, I guess," Yuan Xiu replied without hesitation.

There are many neighbors living in the apartment building, which is lively, but she doesn't like crowds. She prefers a quieter environment with a nice yard where she can grow some vegetables.

Jiang Zhou nodded. "You can go in now. I'm leaving."

After watching him stride away, Yuan Xiu entered the guesthouse.

As Yuan Xiu passed by the front desk, she couldn't help but notice the bright, sparkling eyes of the receptionist.

Yuan Xiu could only smile at her and say, "Hello."

"Hello, hello. That woman was trying to come downstairs just now, saying she wanted to go to the cafeteria for lunch, but I caught her and gave her two steamed buns."

Since they had said that, Yuan Xiu felt it would be inappropriate not to say thank you. "Thank you for your trouble."

"No trouble at all, no trouble at all, it's for the people."

Yuan Xiu, who was being served, was stopped by Yuan Juan as she passed the stairwell leading to the second floor.

"Yuan Xiu".

Yuan Xiu ignored her.

"Yuan Xiu, I'm still your sister, is this how you treat me? And my dad, even if he's wrong, he's still your uncle. If he loses his job, how heartbroken will Grandpa and Grandma be? You don't think about us, but you should think about Grandpa and Grandma. They love you the most and raised you all these years. Is this how you repay them? Don't you have any conscience?"

Yuan Xiu originally didn't want to pay attention to her, but since she said that, she didn't need to be polite to her anymore.

"I have no conscience? Only your family has a conscience? Have you forgotten how your father got his job? My father passed away, and I, his daughter, should have taken over the job. But because I was too young, my grandparents gave it to your father! If your father had any conscience, he should have given the job back to me when I turned fifteen!"

Yuan Xiu pointed a finger at her: "What did your family do? You impersonated me and stole my boyfriend!"

"Good riddance! He didn't deserve it anyway! When my dad was alive, he was at least the head of the commune's armed forces department. As for him, he had no ability or skills. He could only get a job at the supply and marketing cooperative by relying on my dad's connections. After all these years, he's still just a hauler. His only skill is how to throw a tantrum and act shamelessly. Otherwise, with that kind of job, how could he possibly afford to let your whole family live in town?"

"Your whole family are not only ungrateful wretches, but also parasites! You don't farm, you don't work the land, and your meager rations (six months' salary for each person, four months' salary for labor) aren't enough to feed you, so you come here to leech off me!"

Yuan Juan retorted, "Who sucked your blood? How disgusting!"

"Your whole family is disgusting!" Yuan Xiu said coldly. "Isn't it because I've brought you food and supplies time and time again that your family has enough to eat in town? Haven't the eggs from the chickens we raise gone into your stomachs?"

"Those were sent to us by your grandparents, how did it become your doing?" Yuan Juan shouted.

"I raised the chickens! I grew the vegetables! I earned the work points! My labor contributed to the grain distributed by the production team! What you eat is mine! You suck my blood! You not only suck my blood, but also Grandpa and Grandma's! I'm the one taking care of the elderly, not your father, not you! You say I have no conscience? Your whole family has no conscience! You heartless bastards!"

"Clap clap clap!"

The receptionist clapped her hands vigorously a few times.

The argument between the two attracted the attention of the family members staying at the guesthouse.

Hearing these words, he couldn't help but point and criticize Yuan Juan.

An elderly woman in a blue cotton jacket said, "Isn't this just sucking the young girl's blood? That person's six-tenths of an acre of grain isn't enough to eat for a whole year. If it weren't for the help from her hometown, she would probably starve to death. I see you're even fatter than her, so you must eat a lot. How can you say such heartless things about her?"

Another woman said, "My younger brother works as a clerk in town, while my sister-in-law and several children are still farming back in our hometown..."

"He took someone's father's job and then bullied that young girl. How shameless!"

"And there's something even more shameless. This morning I heard people say that this shameless person is this girl's cousin. She knew her boyfriend was capable, so she took his name and came to the army!"

"Oh? Is that so? I wasn't here this morning, I didn't know. Tell me quickly!"

"Gibberish..."

Amidst everyone's pointing and whispering, Yuan Juan couldn't continue speaking. With red eyes, she glared at Yuan Xiu and turned to run upstairs.

"Yuan Juan," Yuan Xiu said with a half-smile, "Take good care of Grandpa and Grandma when you get back. You absolutely must take good care of them."

Yuan Juan ran upstairs without looking back.