Hello, I'm writing a story called "Reborn mother-in-law seeks new daughter-in-law" Synopsis: Why is it always the unsatisfied daughter-in-law who is reborn and finds a new husband? In this story, the mother-in-law is reborn and looks for a new daughter-in-law! Genre: Ancient China, BG, Second Chance Table of Contents Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Epilogue
As Ruan Furen chatted with the other women at the gathering, Lin shaofuren caught her attention. She was wan and pale, but still maintained a calm and dignified air. Countless women made subtle barbs against her, all of which she handled deftly, without being impolite or losing face for her husband or mother-in-law. Lin shaofuren’s marriage had been bestowed by the Emperor on a whim, and it was well known that Lin Furen looked down on her daughter-in-law, and that Lin shaoye’s back courtyard was filled with women. Lin shaofuren had been pregnant eight times in six years, but had not born a single child. The miscarriages had clearly taken a toll on her health, and at this point it seemed unlikely she would be able to bear a child in the future either. Despite this, she never said a word against her husband or in-laws, and if it weren’t for Lin Furen herself complaining about the constant miscarriages and subtly implying she was dissatisfied by her daughter-in-law’s maiden family’s lower status, and contemptuous treatment of her in public, no one would even know that they were at odds. Ruan Furen could only watch all of this with a sad and baffled heart. If she had such a daughter-in-law, she would laugh even in her sleep. She would definitely clean up all of those concubines and carefully teach her daughter-in-law, so she could await her legitimate grandsons with joy. Instead, her daughter-in-law was impulsive and had a temper. She had offended many of the other ladies in their circle and these days was rarely invited out. At home, although her son respected his wife in public, in private they didn’t have two words to say to each other. Any attempts he made to cultivate feelings with her lead to fights, which lead to him sleeping alone. It was their family’s tradition to wait until there was a legitimate son before bringing in concubines, unless the wife was proven to be infertile. Sadly, it seemed unlikely that there would ever be legitimate sons in the household. When Ruan Furen returned to the Ruan family compound, she discussed things with Ruan lao taitai, and they decided to go to a famous temple to pray. If after a year there was still no improvement, they would discuss with her husband about allowing her son to bring in concubines despite not having a di son. They prayed sincerely at the temple. Please, let us have a legitimate grandson. After all, making a shu son the heir was only a last resort. And bringing in concubines would certainly make the houyuan even more chaotic. The two women had always been proud to be married to a family that held the legitimate wife in such high regard, and a little smug that their mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship was so good. The lao tai tai had a good relationship with her mother-in-law as well, and was sad for both her daughter-in-law and her grandson. After praying, they remained vegetarian for a year, but the situation did not change. The next year, they returned to the temple, to pray one last time. This time, even the elderly lao tai tai walked up the steps herself. They started early in the morning, and took many breaks before they reached the top. They lit fine incense, and spent the night at the temple. That night, there seemed to be a buzz of electricity in the air. Lightning flashed, and thunder rolled, despite the dry skies. Finally, a flash of lightning hit the room the two women were in, enveloping them in a flash of light. When they awoke, it was ten years earlier, and their son was not yet engaged. Ruan Furen ran to her mother-in-law’s room the moment she awoke, to find Ruan lao tai tai in the same state of excitement as herself. This time, things would be different. Ruan Furen was eager to discuss her son’s marriage, but Ruan lao taitai cut her off. Before anything else, they must return to the temple to burn incense and offer thanks.
Song Jiali squatted by the door listening quietly. She had awoken a few days ago having had the most disturbing and realistic dream. In it, her future had all been laid out for the next ten years. She didn’t have very detailed memory of these few days, so today was the first opportunity she had to confirm whether the dream was real. She listened, as she had in her dream, as her step-mother scolded the maid who served her. “Furen,” the maid objected. “I did it for you.” “Are you stupid or pretending to be stupid,” Song Furen scolded, just as she had in the dream. “The last Furen left behind only a daughter, no sons. What she costs to raise will be more than made up for if she marries well. Not to mention her powerful maternal family. Why make enemies with them if I can gain them as an ally without losing anything? Even if I have daughters later they will be ten years apart and won’t compete for husbands. Even her dowry was prepared by her mother before her death. If we treat her a little better, she can bring innumerable benefits to her younger brother after she marries out. As long as she is filial and knows her place, I won’t see anyone mistreat her. Is that understood?” “Yes, Furen,” the maid whispered depressed. It was the same. Word for word. She remembered this conversation in particular because it was one of several moments in which everything completely changed in such rapid succession that she nearly got whiplash. She counted them: 1. When her mother died. 2. When she learned how her mother died. 3. Despite her father knowing how her mother died, the two concubines would stay, to preserve the family face. 4. After the mourning period had passed, and the concubines were finally gone, and it had become clear that her father intended to remarry, her jiuma (aunt: mother’s brother’s wife) sat her down to explain the ugly matters of the back courtyard, hoping that she could protect herself. And 5. This conversation. It was at this moment that she learned that despite all of the cruel tactics used to fight for power and survival, kindness was a kind of power too. Song Jiali snuck back to her courtyard and sat down in the garden to think. Although she seemed to have some knowledge of the future, it was unclear how much help that would be to her. The most important thing was to avoid marrying into the Lin family. Once the Emperor spoke, no one could change it, so the best solution was to be engaged before then. It was a good plan, but it wasn’t like she could engage herself. And if she started hinting that she wanted an early engagement, it would likely make people misunderstand her step-mother. In her dream, her step-mother had given her useful advice after her marriage, and had written her letters after her miscarriages. She had known what food she liked to eat, and made sure it was cooked on the day she returned home each year. The warmth she offered was more than what was necessary for appearances sake, and had continued even when it was clear there would be no benefits from her marriage to the Lin family. Although there were no blood ties between them, there was affection, and Song Jiali wouldn’t be so ungrateful as to create unnecessary problems for her. The other problem was that there were more terrible marriages than good ones, and avoiding the Lin family did not guarantee a happy life. Even those marriages that were touted as good ones wouldn’t necessarily be a good match for her. Perhaps the marriage was good because the bride’s family was more powerful. Perhaps the marriage was terrible behind closed doors, but kept up appearances in public. Perhaps the couple had feelings for one another that wouldn’t be replicated if you replaced one woman with another. There also seemed to be something ill-mannered about stealing another woman’s good husband. Well, she’d take things as they came, and look for a marriage opportunity when she came upon it. Having decided that, her mind moved to other aspects of the dream. Logically, it made more sense to believe the “dream” was real, and that she was currently dreaming that she had gone back in time. She couldn’t tell why, but somehow she was certain that this moment was real, and whatever the dream was, it was over. But why had she had such a dream? Could it be that fate was trying to help her? After pondering for a bit, she decided she should consult a monk. This was a much easier task than arranging her marriage, since she only needed to convince her father and step-mother to allow her to visit a temple. Her half-brother was almost a year old, which made it a perfect time to buy blessed charms to wish for good health and fortune to give the child on his birthday. Having made this decision, she didn’t hesitate, and walked back to her step-mother’s courtyard to discuss it with her. As she drew near, she heard her step-mother speaking with the old servant woman who served at her side. She hadn’t heard this conversation previously, so she paused a moment to listen. “Furen, I’ve heard that girl had a close relationship with one of the lord’s concubines. I doubt whether she is deliberately creating trouble for you to create an opportunity for that woman to come back.” “See if there are any other servants who had close relationships with those women.” “Yes, furen.” Hearing that the conversation seemed to be over, Song Jiali continued into the courtyard and called out to her step-mother. "Mother!" "Ah, Xiao Li," her step-mother smiled at her. "Are you feeling better? Your complexion looks healthier." "I'm feeling much better, thanks to mother's concern," Song Jiali replied politely. "Mother, my little brother will be a year old in half a month. I want to go to the temple to buy some charms for him. Can I?" Her step-mother's smile deepened hearing her request.
Epilogue: Song Jiali and her step-mother meet Ruan furen and Ruan lao taitai at the temple. Ruan furen and Ruan lao taitai take the opportunity to say they believe they have fate to meet Song Jiali just as they are praying for a good daughter-in-law, and strongly imply they want to form a marriage relationship once Song Jiali comes of age, despite the status difference. Song Jiali's step-mother is pleased, and responds politely without making any promises. Back home, Song Jiali's father is pleased to hear about the meeting. Song Jiali wants to repay her step-mother's kindness, so she tries to prevent her father from taking concubines. Every few weeks, she either reminds her father about how scared she was when her mother died, how the maids close to the concubine are still trying to hurt her, and how scared she is that another concubine will come to the family and harm her or her younger brother. At the same time, she makes sure to show off her good relationship with her step-mother, allowing her father to feel most reassured letting the step-mother take care of his children, and to feel a bit worried when he considers taking in other women. Therefore, in this life, her father doesn't take in new concubines, and her step-mother gives her a few more siblings. Within a few years, it is well known that Ruan furen and Ruan lao taitai have a soft spot for Song Jiali, so despite the status difference, no one is surprised when the families announce an engagement. This engagement leads to a happy marriage, and thanks to Song Jiali's social finesse, compared to the last life the Ruan family rises in prominence and rank, as well as welcoming several children. The Song family also benefits by association. Song Jiali continues her close relationship with her step-mother after marriage. This time, this relationship benefits the step-mother, as her father sees their close relationship and wants to benefit more from Song Jiali's marriage by treating his wife well. Meanwhile, the former Ruan daughter-in-law marries into the Lin family. Lin furen is pleased with her daughter-in-law's family's high status. At the Lin home, the young couple fight constantly, but that fighting leads to the bed, and they do have a number of children, which survive thanks to the skilled and experienced servants she brought with her as part of her dowry. Due to the daughter-in-law's quick temper and poor social graces, the Lin family falls in prominence and status over time. However, this is not blamed on the daughter-in-law since the rest of the Lin family doesn't have any better skills than she does, and can't tell that that's the source of their problems. In the end, everyone has a happier life than the last time.