Part 1After Being Reborn, I Dumped the Scumbag

I was reborn.

In my previous life, I married Jack Zhou. After our wedding, his sister Fiona would frequently come over with her kids to mooch off us.

Jack and I would argue. Fiona directly introduced him to a mistress.

I divorced Jack and took our son with me. I scrimped and saved to raise our child. I helped him start his own family.

Just when I thought I could finally enjoy life, the doctor told me I had stomach cancer. In the end, I died in pain.

Now that I have a second chance at life, I refuse to be a bitter wife again.

As my son's heartbroken cries faded away, I felt my body becoming lighter and lighter.

I wanted to tell my son not to be sad, to think of me as going to a better place in heaven.

But when I opened my eyes, I found myself in a room that was both strange and familiar. After carefully looking around for a while, I realized it was the bedroom Jack and I had shared.

Looking at my reflection in the mirror, decades younger, I pinched myself hard to confirm that I had really been reborn.

Where was Ethan? Right, my son. Thinking of my child, I rushed out of the room.

That's when I saw the malted milk powder I had bought for Ethan opened on the table. My son was staring at it longingly, while Fiona's three children each had a cup and were drinking happily.

My mother-in-law saw me and quickly made a cup for Ethan too, looking a bit guilty. "Maggie, did we wake you up?"

I didn't say anything, just picked up Ethan and hugged him tightly, unable to get enough of his sweet baby scent.

Ethan was only two years old now. He had always been small and frail as a child. For his sake, I had denied myself food and new clothes, trying to save every penny I could to help him grow up healthy.

My sister-in-law Fiona, on the other hand, loved romance and indulgence. Even after her husband passed away, she didn't change. She could spend a month's salary on a pair of designer heels without blinking. Her three children often went hungry and poorly dressed. Every few days, my in-laws would bring them over to "improve their nutrition." At mealtimes, they ate like refugees. Ethan and I were often left with just leftovers.

Although Jack didn't give me his salary, I was working and paying my share of living expenses to my in-laws. But my son and I still couldn't even eat our fill in this house.

My father-in-law, mother-in-law and Jack spoiled Fiona beyond reason. Despite being an ordinary family, she wore designer clothes and shoes. After I divorced Jack in my previous life, he remarried and had to support his new family. Fiona's three kids were older by then and cost even more. They all started to struggle financially. Only then did Fiona begin to give up her pursuit of luxury brands.

I took Ethan back to our room and pulled out my bankbook. It showed 500 yuan that I had painstakingly saved.

It was the 1980s now. The wave of economic reforms was sweeping across the country. In my previous life, the factory I worked at announced its closure two years later. After losing that job, I could only find work as a waitress or doing odd jobs. So even when faced with Jack's betrayal, no matter how angry and resentful I felt, I didn't dare initiate a divorce. We dragged on until Ethan was 10 years old. By then, Jack's mistress was pregnant. Only then was I forced to leave with Ethan.

Now that I've been reborn, I refuse to be a bitter wife again.

That afternoon, I took Ethan to visit several of my good friends. I managed to borrow another 300 yuan from them.

The next day at work, I submitted my resignation to the workshop director. With the factory's poor performance lately, the director approved my resignation quickly.

I took Ethan back to my parents' home in the countryside. I gave my parents 100 yuan and asked them to help take care of Ethan. I said I would come back for him in three months.

By this time, Jack was already living as husband and wife with his mistress in the employee dormitory, thanks to Fiona's matchmaking. In the eyes of my in-laws and Jack, I was an unreasonable troublemaker. They probably thought I was up to no good by taking the child back to my parents. So I wasn't worried about them coming to bother me.

That evening, I boarded a train to S City. At the wholesale market there, I used my remaining money to buy several dozen pairs of jeans. Then I took them to the provincial capital to sell. In less than half a day, all the jeans were sold out.

I did some calculations. In less than half a day, my net profit was 200 yuan.

To be on the safe side, I chose a nicer looking hotel. After checking the doors and windows carefully, I hung a cup on the doorknob before falling into a deep sleep.

The next day, I continued to buy inventory at the wholesale market, then resold it in the provincial capital. After a month of early mornings and late nights, I calculated that I had earned several thousand yuan.

At that time, a house in my hometown only cost a few thousand yuan. In other words, I had earned in one month what an average person would make in ten years.

I deposited the money in the bank, then put on my old shabby clothes and took the train back home.

First, I bought lots of gifts and returned to my parents' home. After a month apart, Ethan looked pretty good under my parents' care - his cheeks had filled out a bit. My brother and sister-in-law were genuinely happy to see the gifts I brought. After distributing the presents, I stayed one night before returning to the city. I went to my friends' homes to repay the money I had borrowed. I also bought them gifts to thank them for helping me in my time of need.

Finally, I returned to my in-laws' home. Jack happened to be there too.

My in-laws didn't show much expression when they saw me return. Jack looked at me with disgust: "Are you done with your month-long tantrum?"

I smiled slightly. Biased people will always be biased. Ethan had been away with me for a month, but they hadn't even asked once how he was doing.

I got straight to the point: "Let's get divorced. I'll take custody of our son."

My father-in-law immediately smashed his teacup. Jack also asked angrily: "Maggie, what kind of nonsense are you talking now?"

I snorted coldly: "You don't care about me or our child. Divorce is best for both of us. I'll raise the child myself. I know what you've been up to at your factory, even if I haven't said anything. If you won't divorce me, I'll tell everyone about it and let them judge. Your sister finding women for her brother? What kind of people are you? If you push me too far, I'll report you for bigamy."

My father-in-law slammed the table: "Maggie, you've gone too far."

I laughed coldly: "You didn't think it was too much when your daughter-in-law had to raise a child alone. You didn't think it was too much when your daughter found a mistress for your son. But now that I want a divorce, you think it's too much? Your standards for what's 'too much' are quite flexible. I guess only your own children are human, and everyone else doesn't matter?"

In the past, I had tried to be respectful of my elders. So even when faced with my in-laws' bias, although I was unhappy, I would back down as soon as they got angry. Living this life over again, who would still treat them like saints? Morally upright elders deserve respect in their old age. But people with poor character are just nasty old folks when they age.

My mother-in-law came over: "Maggie, you're a mother too. You may feel we're biased, but Fiona is my daughter as well. Forcing us to abandon her - isn't that unreasonable of you?"

Just then, Fiona returned home with her three children. I looked at Fiona's outfit. Her hair was freshly permed. I had seen the same coat at the wholesale market - even the wholesale price was 200 yuan. Add in the dress and high heels, this outfit cost at least 500 yuan. That was her entire year's salary. She looked nothing like a girl from an ordinary family - more like a rich young lady.

"It's not wrong for you to care about your daughter. I care about my son too. He has a father but it's like he doesn't. Since you won't take care of him, I'll take him with me. Stop wasting time. Let's get divorced."

As soon as Fiona heard this, she pulled her three children behind her and shouted at me: "Sister-in-law, what have I done to offend you? Why do you dislike me so much? Is it not okay for me to bring my kids to my parents' home?"