Reborn as the Unwanted Daughter

My mother was desperate for a son. After finally getting pregnant, she took every sketchy gender-swapping pill and herbal remedy she could find, convinced they would turn her fetus into a boy.
In my past life, I begged her to stop. I showed her science books, pleaded with her to be healthy. She listened, stopped the crazy remedies, and gave birth to a healthy baby girl.
My entire family blamed me. They said it was my fault the baby wasn't a boy. I ended up dying at their hands.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the moment my mother announced her pregnancy.
This time, I kept my mouth shut.
Chapter 1
"Penny, I'm pregnant. Do you want a little brother or a little sister?"
When I heard my mom say those words, I realized I had been reborn.
In my previous life, my mom got pregnant with her second child at forty.
Desperate for a son, she resorted to every trick in the book"gender-swapping pills," weird herbal brews soaked with animal parts, you name it.
I tried to stop her, showing her parenting books and articles about the dangers. Because of my intervention, she had a healthy baby girl.
My family blamed me. They claimed my interference turned the "brother" into a sister. They said I was responsible for her.
I loved my little sister and took care of her tirelessly. But she grew up hating me, blaming me for her gender because the guy she liked was gay. In a fit of rage, she hacked me to death with a kitchen knife.
This time, Ill give them exactly what they want.
I flashed a huge smile. "Of course I want a brother! Otherwise, who will carry on the family name? Mom, Dad and Grandma treat you so well, you can't let the family line end with you!"
My dad and grandma immediately shot me approving looks.
My mom's smile froze for a second before she forced it back. "Penny, how can you say that? A sister would be just as sweet and well-behaved as you."
Heh.
In my last life, when I honestly said I wanted a sister, she went crying to Dad and Grandma, claiming I cursed her to have a girl because I was afraid a brother would steal my inheritance.
Dad beat me black and blue for that.
"What's good about a girl? If you don't give me a brother, who's going to have my back? When I make money, am I supposed to give it to outsiders?" I said with righteous conviction.
Grandma beamed, grabbing my hand. "Our Penny has grown up! She finally understands!"
I hugged Grandma affectionately. "Grandma, it's all thanks to my little brother. Just the thought of him makes me sensible. He's going to be the pillar of this family!"
In the past, whenever Dad and Grandma bullied Mom, she would just cry. I'd rush to defend her, only for her to turn around, play peacemaker, and join them in scolding me for being disrespectful. I took countless beatings for her.
Never again.
Mom's face turned pale, and she looked like she might faint.
Chapter 2
Soon enough, Grandma found some "gender-swapping pills" for Mom.
"Even though it's probably a boy, we can't leave it to chance. I spent a fortune on these pills. The seller guaranteed it'll be a boy if you finish the course." Grandma handed the bottle to Mom.
Mom looked at me. I focused on mopping the floor, pretending not to see a thing.
She had no choice but to take them.
"Grandma, I heard pregnancy makes you forgetful. Maybe you should keep the pills and give them to Mom every day. This is about my little brother; we can't risk any mistakes," I suggested.
You love taking them?
Eat up!
Grandma nodded vigorously. "Right, right! Penny is so smart. All that schooling wasn't for nothing."
I gave Grandma a sweet smile.
That night, while Dad was working the night shift, Mom pulled me into the master bedroom.
"Penny, I don't want to take those pills. Look at these news articles, they say those pills are dangerous," she whimpered, showing me her phone.
So she knew.
She knew they were scams, yet in my past life, she told my sister that if I hadn't stopped her, my sister would have been a boy.
I treated her as my closest ally, a fellow victim of this family. I fought her battles, and she sacrificed me without hesitation.
Good. Very good.
I smiled slightly and raised my voice. "Mom, how can you believe the media? They write nonsense all the time!"
I walked out of the room, shouting, "Grandma! Come quick! Mom doesn't want to take the pills!"
Mom couldn't stop me in time. Grandma rushed in hearing my shout.
I shoved the phone in Grandma's face. "Grandma, look! Mom is reading this garbage because she doesn't want to take the pills. She doesn't want a son!"
Grandma was illiterate, but she squinted at the phone anyway.
"Mom, no! It was Penny who told me this! She's always scheming, how would I know about this stuff?" Mom immediately tried to throw me under the bus.
I widened my eyes innocently and pulled out my old Nokia phone, playing the recording I had just made.
The recording stopped right before her accusation. Mom was speechless.
Chapter 3
For the sake of the "grandson" in her belly, Grandma didn't scold Mom too much, just gave her a death glare.
She pulled me out of the room.
"Penny, don't hold it against your mother," Grandma advised.
She wasn't siding with Mom; she was siding with the "grandson."
I smiled obediently. "Grandma, how could I blame Mom? I'm just worried..."
"Worried about what?"
"I'm worried little brother will think Mom doesn't welcome him. What if he decides not to come?" I said with a concerned face.
Grandma's eyes darted around nervously.
I stopped there. I knew she got the message.
I didn't want to be involved anymore. I was a senior in high school; studying was my priority.
In my last life, I split my focus taking care of Mom and only got into a decent state college. With this second chance, I deserved a better life.
"Grandma, I'm graduating soon. Once I'm done, I'll get a job and won't need my room anymore. Why don't I move into the dorms now? That way, you can turn my room into the nursery for little brother," I told Grandma.
My boss taught me well in my past lifealways paint a pretty picture.
Grandma beamed, praising my thoughtfulness.
I don't know what she told Dad, but he agreed.
The day I left for the dorms, I saw Grandma carrying a jar of "special herbal wine" like it was treasure.
Mom, enjoy your days ahead.
Chapter 4
I started living at school, throwing myself into my studies.
Although Dad and Grandma agreed to let me stay at school, they gave me a pitiful allowance. It was barely enough for three meals a day. Since I didn't want to go home on weekends, I skipped breakfast to save money, eating only twice a day.
My deskmate, Sarah, noticed I hadn't eaten breakfast for a week. One morning, she handed me two meat buns. "Here. You can't study on an empty stomach. Don't worry about it; my family owns a bakery. Feeding you is nothing."
I laughed and cried at the same time, clasping my hands together. "Thank you, benefactor! I will repay this kindness one day!"
"Shut up," she pushed me playfully.
In my past life, we were best friends too. After I was murdered, she couldn't reach me and called the police immediately. But because my sister was a minor and my parents wrote a letter of forgiveness, she only got three years in juvie.
Classmates noticed my situation and often gave me foodan apple here, a bag of chips there. But Sarah's two meat buns every morning were a constant.
Time flew by, and the semester ended. I jumped from the 50th rank to the top 10 in the final exams. Teachers and classmates were happy for me.
After finals, winter break arrived, and I had to go home.
Chapter 5
The moment I opened the door, my jaw dropped.
The house was a mess. The smell was indescribablea mix of rot and something sour. Jars of murky liquid with questionable animal parts lined the kitchen counter.
The olfactory assault almost made me vomit.
"Penny, you're back!" Grandma returned from grocery shopping, beaming. She shoved her bags into my hands.
I saw a plastic bottle filled with bright red liquid. It looked like blood.
"What is this?" I asked.
"Deer blood." Grandma snatched it back as if afraid I'd drink it. "It's good stuff! The recipe says drinking buck's blood guarantees a son. It's for your mom, don't even think about it."
My mouth twitched.
In this life, without my interferenceand with my encouragementGrandma had gone completely off the rails.
"Penny."
Mom walked out.
She should be about six months along, but she had ballooned. A double chin, a terrifyingly huge belly.
Her hair was thinning, her eyebrows had fallen out, yet she had a dark shadow of a mustache and visible pores.
She used to be so vain about her beauty. She was beautiful. Now, she had nothing to do with the word.
She looked at me teary-eyed. "Penny, you didn't come home for so long. Is it because you're unhappy about having a brother?"
"Come back. Even with a brother, you're still our daughter. He won't take your place."
Crazy woman.
I rolled my eyes.
Judging by her appearance, Grandma had been feeding her a lot of "good stuff." She wanted me back just to use me as an excuse to stop eating them.
It's not like she called the shots in this house anyway.
Ignoring her, I pulled Grandma aside. I mysteriously pulled out a talisman I had drawn based on a Baidu search. "Grandma, my classmate's mom had a son last year. He said she wore this talisman every day. I begged him for ages before he gave it to me."
Grandma's beady eyes lit up. She snatched the talisman. "You're a smart girl."
I stayed home for one night and witnessed Mom's diet.
Greasy meat, followed by "fetal preservation pills" washed down with deer blood, then two bowls of that "special wine."
Watching Mom's face turn ash-gray after drinking it, I was impressed.
The "brother" in her belly was still kicking after all that. Talk about vitality.
Mom kept shooting me pleading glances while drinking the blood. I ignored them all. Eventually, her gaze turned venomous.
My room had already been converted into a nursery, so I slept on the living room sofa.

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