Side Story 7: The Downfall of Lin Qiu Shuang

 

No matter how much Lin Qiu Shuang envied Lin Chuxia, it was an unchangeable fact that Xie Jingming had taken Lin Chuxia with him to the army. Nothing Lin Qiu Shuang did could alter that.

 

Frustration boiled in Lin Qiu Shuang’s heart, and she swore to herself that she would live a better life than Lin Chuxia one day. She was convinced that she and Sun Xiangxue were destined to become the wealthy and admired power couple they had been in her previous life.

 

“What does it matter if Lin Chuxia goes to the army?” Lin Qiu Shuang thought to herself. “Xie Jingming is fated to die heroically anyway. It’s just a matter of time.” In her twisted mind, Lin Qiu Shuang even looked forward to the day when news of Xie Jingming’s death would be brought back to the village. She reveled in the thought of Lin Chuxia becoming a widow and struggling without support.

 

When the news of market reforms and the opening of private businesses began circulating, Lin Qiu Shuang was ecstatic. She immediately urged Sun Xiangxue to seize the opportunity and start a business in town.

 

Sun Xiangxue, however, was taken aback by her proposal. “What do you mean by starting a business?” he asked, clearly not thrilled by the idea.

 

Lin Qiu Shuang pressed on, insisting that they take advantage of the market changes, but Sun Xiangxue wasn’t convinced. Memories of past crackdowns on “speculation and profiteering” haunted him. He had narrowly escaped being caught for illegal trade before, and he had seen friends arrested and imprisoned. One acquaintance had even been executed when large sums of goods and money were found in his home.

 

“I’m not saying no, but let’s wait and see what happens first.” Sun Xiangxue hesitated, wanting to observe the situation a little longer before making any risky decisions.

 

But Lin Qiu Shuang knew better. She knew what the future held and how great the opportunity ahead was. “If we don’t take advantage of this chance now, it’ll be even harder to make money later!” she argued fiercely, determined to convince him.

 

“I’ve heard that the eldest son of the Feng family in the neighboring village went into business, and they’ve already built a new house with their earnings,” Lin Qiu Shuang added, trying to ignite Sun Xiangxue’s ambition.

 

Despite Lin Qiu Shuang’s relentless persuasion, Sun Xiangxue remained cautious, dragging his feet for a whole month. His indecisiveness infuriated Lin Qiu Shuang. She couldn’t understand why her rebirth had led to such a dead end—why was she still stuck with a useless man while Lin Chuxia, even in this new life, was thriving?

 

It took many more arguments, tears, and promises of wealth and success before Sun Xiangxue reluctantly agreed to give it a try. “Fine, what kind of business do you want to start?” he asked, finally giving in.

 

Together, they decided to make a trip to the coastal cities to buy goods and sell them in town for a profit. On their first run, things went well. They brought back a variety of products not commonly available in their area, making a handsome profit by reselling them. Lin Qiu Shuang was overjoyed, convinced that this was the beginning of her rise to wealth.

 

“We’ll be rich in no time!” she thought to herself, smugly imagining a future where she lived like a queen.

 

Sun Xiangxue, unaware of her thoughts, basked in her praise. “See? Marrying me wasn’t so bad after all. I’m better than any other man out there,” he said, puffing out his chest.

 

Lin Qiu Shuang merely hummed in agreement, thinking of all the future luxuries that awaited her.

 

But after a few successful trips, Lin Qiu Shuang started growing tired of the physical labor and constant traveling. She convinced Sun Xiangxue to go to the coastal cities alone to get more goods while she stayed behind to open a small shop. Sun Xiangxue, eager to please her, agreed and began making regular trips.

 

It wasn’t long before Lin Qiu Shuang’s mind began to wander. With Sun Xiangxue gone for long stretches, jealousy and suspicion gnawed at her. She wondered if Sun Xiangxue might be seeing someone else while he was away. Her insecurities grew, fueled by gossip from other women in the village who warned her to keep a close eye on her husband.

 

Her worst fears seemed to come true when one day, Sun Xiangxue came home, devastated. He had been robbed by someone during his latest trip, losing all the money he had earned. He was livid and told Lin Qiu Shuang that even reporting the theft to the authorities had yielded no results.

 

But Lin Qiu Shuang didn’t believe him. “Did you really lose the money, or did you give it to someone you shouldn’t have?” She spat, her face twisted with rage. She had heard too many stories about men giving money to mistresses, abandoning their wives for younger, prettier women.

 

Sun Xiangxue was stunned by her accusation. “What are you talking about?” he demanded, completely blindsided by her suspicions.

 

Realizing that confronting him outright might lead to more conflict, Lin Qiu Shuang quickly changed her tone. “I’m just upset about the money, that’s all. You must be exhausted. Come, sit down and have some water,” she said, trying to cover up her mistake.

 

Despite Lin Qiu Shuang’s attempts to pacify him, something had shifted between them. Sun Xiangxue became less motivated to continue their business trips, opting instead to settle for a more comfortable but less profitable lifestyle. He was content with the small shop and the steady income it provided, but Lin Qiu Shuang was far from satisfied.

 

She wanted to live a life of luxury and power, not run a small shop in a rural town. The more Sun Xiangxue resisted her ambitious plans, the more she grew to despise him. She began to see him as a weak, incompetent man who was holding her back.

 

As time passed, Lin Qiu Shuang’s eyes started wandering toward another man in the village, someone wealthier and more attractive than Sun Xiangxue. She began an affair, rationalizing that she deserved better than the lazy man she had married.

 

But one day, Sun Xiangxue caught them in the act. Furious and betrayed, he beat Lin Qiu Shuang and her lover mercilessly. “You ungrateful wretch! I’ve worked so hard to provide for you, and this is how you repay me?” he screamed, unleashing his fury on her.

 

From that day on, Sun Xiangxue subjected Lin Qiu Shuang to a life of misery, controlling her every move and lashing out whenever he pleased. The relationship devolved into a cycle of abuse and violence. Lin Qiu Shuang, once so full of ambition and dreams of wealth, was now trapped in a nightmare of her own making.

 

Years later, after suffering repeated beatings and miscarriages from the violence, Lin Qiu Shuang couldn’t take it anymore. One night, while Sun Xiangxue slept, she crept into the kitchen, grabbed a butcher knife, and murdered him in cold blood.

 

As she hacked at his body, her face contorted in rage and madness. “I hate you! You worthless piece of trash! You couldn’t earn money, couldn’t satisfy me, and now you’re dead!” she screamed, her voice raw with hatred.

 

When the deed was done, Lin Qiu Shuang stood over his body, bloodied and trembling. Reality quickly set in—she had just committed murder. Panic gripped her as she realized that there would be no escape from the law this time. In her desperation, she thought back to her first rebirth, hoping that maybe, just maybe, she could be reborn again.

 

But fate doesn’t grant second chances to the foolish.

 

As Sun Xiangxue lay dying, a final, bitter thought crossed his mind: In some other life, perhaps things could have been different. He saw a flash of a life where he had saved a woman from drowning, not because he was kind but because he had wanted her food. That woman had become his wife, and though she was strict and sometimes harsh, they had built a good life together—a life where he worked hard, was happy, and had a family.

 

Tears slipped from his eyes as the last of his consciousness faded. Perhaps, in another world, he could have been a better man.

 

But in this life, Lin Qiu Shuang had been his undoing.