That day, when my father, Hoyt, developed a high fever, my grandmother, Haley, retrieved an eight-year expired fever-reducing medicine from the cupboard.

When I saw this, I poured the medicine down the drain.

When Haley discovered what I did, she angrily slapped and scolded me for being wasteful.

When my mother, Jane, returned and learned of my actions, she reprimanded me for not caring for Hoyt and punished me.

Later, to fund my brother Jake's wedding, my parents decided to marry me off to a local bachelor, Lawson, for money.

As a result, I ended up dying in Lawson's pigsty, my body in terrible condition.

When I woke again, I realized I had returned to the day Hoyt had a fever.

This time, I chose to watch as Hoyt took the expired medicine.

I was reborn on the day Hoyt had a fever.

At this time, Haley retrieved the eight-year expired packet of fever medicine and muttered, "Take this medicine and you'll be fine."

Her words jolted me from my rebirth trance.

I checked myself, relieved to find I was unharmed and not buried in pig dung.

Haley called Jake to pass the medicine to Hoyt.

She tried to use the moment to get him to eat expired candy.

But my five-year-old brother was too busy playing with the thermometer in Hoyt's room to pay attention.

Frustrated, Haley turned to me and ordered, "Lena, quickly deliver the medicine to your father."

I set down my work and carefully picked up the medicine.

I was afraid that if I spilled a little, the medicine wouldn't be effective enough.

When I reached Hoyt, he lay still, waiting for me to bring the medicine to his lips.

After he drank it, I quietly left.

Jake had already wandered off to play.

After I delivered the medicine, Haley instructed me to serve the food.

While setting the table, I noticed Jake playing with the thermometer, even inserting it into the dishes.

I noted this and continued serving.

When Jane returned, she checked on Hoyt and loudly instructed me to save some dishes for him, saying he needed more nourishment.

I did my best to set aside some dishes for him from the limited offerings.

At this moment, I accidentally found the broken thermometer head among the food.

Without drawing attention, I hid it at the bottom of the dish.

As the dish was heated and the family began to eat, Haley served the only meat dish to Jake, insisting he eat it.

Though I longed for a bite, I ultimately avoided it due to its "special ingredients."

Jake ate most of the meat dish.

The remaining was shared by Haley and Jane.

I ate quietly, nibbling on two slices of green vegetables by the door.

Jane remarked surprisedly, "What's with this girl today?"

Haley replied indifferently, "Maybe she's learned her place. It's wasteful to give her good food. She doesn't deserve it."

Jane nodded in agreement. "She shouldn't eat it. Let our Jake have it all. Look how obedient he is, eating so much meat. He'll grow up healthy."

She smiled while stroking Jake's plump face.

After hearing this, Jake ate even more.

I glanced at Jake, but Jane caught me and scolded me for trying to take his food, saying I lacked upbringing and humility.

I bowed my head, thinking differently.

I didn't mind if he ate more.

I wanted him to eat even more.

In the middle of the night, Jake suddenly cried out in pain, saying he had a splitting headache and nausea.

Jane rushed to the bathroom and vomited.

Haley collapsed in bed, dizzy, and barely able to move.

Meanwhile, Hoyt was in a deep sleep from cold medicine, oblivious to the chaos around him.

Even the sound of Jane getting up, Jake crying, and Haley gasping for breath did not wake him.

Feeling slightly better after vomiting, Jane staggered back to the room, where she found Jake trembling.

She immediately embraced him.

"Jake, my baby, I'll take you to the hospital right now," she said.

She quickly wrapped Jake in a blanket and was ready to take him to the hospital.

But Haley shouted, "What's the point of going to the hospital? It costs too much! We have cold medicine at home. Just give him some and let him sleep."

Jane hesitated, holding Jake.

Haley took a deep breath and continued, "Jake must have been infected. Hoyt slept well after taking the medicine."

Considering the family's financial strain, Jane clenched her teeth and reluctantly put down Jake.

She rummaged through the cabinet and found the pillbox, discovering the medicine had expired eight years.

In her panic, she dropped the bottle.

The noise roused Haley, who quickly sat up.

"What are you doing? Don't waste those medicines! Do you know how expensive they are now?"

After speaking, she felt dizzy and lay down again.

Jane hugged Jake and ran out the door, shouting, "This has been expired for eight years. I have to take Jake to the hospital."

Haley, worried about money, called me over. "Lena, help me up and see if your mother is going to waste all our money."

I was the only one who could get up without pain, but I was too small to keep up with Jane's pace.

If it were before, I might have walked slowly.

But now, I was also anxious and wanted to watch this good show.

I struggled under Haley's weight, feeling her shortness of breath and sweat, but I felt no sympathy.

In my previous life, she had given me away to Lawson when Jake was going to get married, watching me being locked in the pigsty by Lawson.

Haley smiled, saying, "A disobedient girl should be locked up."

Now, I was curious to see how long she could live.

The village doctor, noticing Jake's condition, asked if he had ingested anything harmful.

Jane's gaze turned icy toward Haley who was pale and dry-heaving against the door.

The doctor sensed the urgency and said, "It could be food poisoning. You have to go to a major hospital for gastric lavage. The child is small, and the elder needs immediate care."

Jane quickly arranged for a ride to the county hospital.

However, upon arrival, Haley refused to have her stomach pumped, insisting it was a waste of money and that her life didn't matter anymore.

Seeing Jake unconscious, Jane didn't argue.

Haley's face suddenly changed and she whispered to me, "You cruel mother, wishing for my early death."

I remained silent, focused on Jake.

The doctor quickly performed the gastric lavage, but it was too late.

Jake ate the most and was most poisoned.

"Mercury poisoning," the doctor concluded. " He must accidentally swallowed a thermometer. The child has a weak immune system, and it's too late now."

Upon hearing the news, Jane collapsed, her legs giving way, while Haley turned pale.

She clutched the doctor's arm, pleading for a gastric lavage.

The doctor, seeing Jane on the floor in pain and Haley begging, quickly prescribed medication and instructed them to have gastric lavage.

But Jane, seemingly deaf to everything, clung to Jake, refusing to let go.

In agony, she turned her eyes to me as if blaming me for the thermometer incident.

Trembling, she pointed at me and growled, "It's you. You must be the one who was jealous of your brother and put the thermometer in his mouth. Give back my son. You sinful bastard, I'll beat you to death."

Hospital staff rushed to intervene.

The doctor quickly said, "Your whole family has this symptom. It must not be her intention."

Relatives covered Jane's mouth, asking her to have her gastric lavage done.

Yet, I could still hear her curses.

"How could I have given birth to such a bastard like you?"

"You killed your brother. You will not escape this."

Amid the chaos, Jake's life ended.

The elderly Haley, weak after gastric lavage, lay on a bench in the hospital corridor.

Jane held Jake's body, tears streaming down her face, but her eyes were fixed on me.

Only when they left the hospital did the relatives loosen their grip.

But in an instant, she lost control again, slapping my cheek.

"You evil bastard. Give me back my son."

She kicked and punched me, shouting, "If it weren't you, Jake would still..."

She choked on his name, unable to finish.

Haley also reacted, was supported by others, and spit at me.

"Bitch, our family only had this one grandson. I'll beat you to death."

They directed their fury at me.

But I didn't do anything. I didn't poison anyone, and I didn't play with the thermometer. Yet I was accused of being the one who killed Jake.

Jane paused as if recalling something and suddenly slumped to the floor.

"How will I explain this to his father? Our son Jake..." Her voice broke into tears.

I thought she needn't worry about that, as it was unclear if Hoyt was still alive.

As for this explanation, at least there was no rush now.

Hearing Hoyt's name, Haley exclaimed, "Oh no!" and urged, "Hurry home. He might have eaten too."

Jane sniffled and hurried into the car.

In the vehicle, Haley and Jane prayed.

But the reality was cruel.

Hoyt didn't eat that meal, but he still died.

His body was still warm.

The cause of his death was a bottle of medicine that had expired eight years.

In one day, the family lost two men.

When Haley saw Hoyt's body, she fainted.

Jane turned her anger on me.

Even though someone tried to stop her, I was still beaten all over.

But it didn't matter.

Some would never wake again.

Two of those who once tried to treat me as a commodity and squeezed every bit of value out of me were gone.

Relatives comforted Jane, filling the room with sighs and sobs.

Then someone asked, "What did Hoyt take to end up like this?"

I timidly replied, "Dad didn't eat anything today. He only drank Grandma's medicine."

Jane jolted, then slapped me before she could wipe her nose. "Was it the medicine in the cupboard?"

I covered my face and nodded while crying.

Jane realized the expired medicine was the real cause of Hoyt's death.

At this moment, she had already forgotten the circumstances of Jake's passing.

After all, she could have had another child after Jake, but now she was a widow.

In the countryside, widowhood meant a decline in status.

The relatives nearby didn't know what had happened and watched as my mother stopped crying, now asking.

When they learned the truth, they were shocked.

Haley had kept an expired medicine bottle, leading to her son's death.

The crowd sighed.

"Jane, don't be too upset. The family relies on you now. You must take good care of the funeral arrangements."

"Yes, Lena is still young, and the elderly are aging. You must support the family."

"Don't worry, I have connections to help you apply for low-income insurance."

Their words pressured her.

Finally, Jane couldn't take it anymore and asked everyone to leave, including me.

I welcomed this. I didn't want to stay and risk another beating.

After a night of tossing and turning, it was already dawn.

I sat against the wall, gazing at the rising sun, feeling a glimmer of hope.

When it was fully light, Haley woke up.

She entered the bedroom, weeping for Hoyt and Jake.

After a while, she seemed to remember something, gently slapped her forehead, and began searching.

Jane just sat on the bed, watching Haley's movements quietly.

When Haley found the land and property certificates, Jane understood her intentions.

Haley faced Jane's gaze without any fear.

"What are you looking at? You killed my son and grandson. What bad luck."

"I definitely can't leave these things to you. These must be in my name."

"I don't care who you will seduce in the future. But I cannot let our family's legacy fall into your hands."

Jane laughed bitterly but quickly regained her composure. "You're right, Mom."

She glanced at the leftovers I had left for Hoyt and said softly, "It's a waste not to eat. I'll heat it and ask you to come to eat later."

Unaware of the danger, Haley spat at Jane's departing back. "Bad luck."