“Xiaxia, it’s good that you’re finally back. From now on, our whole family can stay together and never be separated again.”
The familiar voice, tinged with emotion, was like an invisible thread that abruptly pulled Lin Xiaxia back from her wandering thoughts.
She slowly raised her eyes and stared at the woman before her.
The fine lines around Zhang Shufen’s eyes were so faint they were almost invisible, and there wasn’t a trace of that glaring white in her hair. She looked exactly as she had many years ago, when she was still young.
Something slammed heavily against Lin Xiaxia’s heart.
Her throat tightened. A thousand words crowded together, yet in the end, all she managed was a trembling cry.
“Mom!”
Zhang Shufen froze at the unexpected call. Then a gentle smile spread across her face as she answered brightly, “Yes, my good girl.”
She reached out and took Lin Xiaxia’s hand.
The warmth of her palm was so real that Lin Xiaxia’s heart trembled.
Almost instinctively, Lin Xiaxia pulled her hand away and pinched her own cheek hard.
“Hiss!”
The sharp pain was unmistakable.
This wasn’t a dream.
She really had… been reborn.
She had returned to the very moment she had regretted for the rest of her previous life.
Startled by her daughter’s sudden action, Zhang Shufen hurriedly reached out and rubbed the reddened spot on her cheek.
Her voice was full of concern. “What are you doing, silly girl? Why would you pinch yourself like that?”
But Lin Xiaxia was in no state to answer.
It was as though thunder had exploded inside her head as memories from her previous life flooded back all at once.
It was precisely because she had returned to this family that she had suffered for the rest of her life.
They claimed they loved her?
What a joke.
They had only hurried to acknowledge her as their daughter because they didn’t want the fake daughter they had raised to suffer alongside them when the family was sent away.
They had brought Lin Xiaxia back so she could take Xue Baozhu’s place and accompany them into exile, serving and taking care of them.
No.
Absolutely not!
She would never repeat the same mistake again!
Without warning, Lin Xiaxia shot up from her chair and rushed out of the house like a gust of wind.
“Xiaxia! Where are you going?”
Zhang Shufen was startled by her sudden departure. She hurried after her for a few steps and shouted from behind, but Lin Xiaxia acted as though she hadn’t heard a thing. She didn’t slow down at all.
There was only one thought in her mind.
She had to get to the neighborhood office and register to go to the countryside.
She had to do it before anyone had the chance to change her fate again!
Lin Xiaxia ran the entire way and finally burst through the doors of the neighborhood office, panting heavily.
She had run so fast that she nearly stumbled into the desk. Bracing both hands against its surface, she struggled to catch her breath. Tiny beads of sweat covered her forehead.
The staff member who had been working inside was startled by her appearance. Putting down his pen, he looked at her in confusion.
“Where did you come from, young lady? What happened? Why are you running in such a hurry? Is something wrong?”
Lin Xiaxia lifted her head.
Her breathing was still uneven, making her words come out in broken bursts, but her gaze was exceptionally determined.
She raised a hand and pointed toward the sign on the wall that read, “Registration Office for Youth Going to the Countryside.”
“I… I want to register to go to the countryside.”
“Huh?”
The staff member stared at her in surprise.
He clearly hadn’t expected the breathless young woman who had rushed inside to be here for something like this.
Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Xiaxia immediately pulled her identification documents from the cloth bag she carried with her.
Fortunately, she had returned from the countryside in such a hurry that she hadn’t yet handed her identification papers over to the Xue family.
Otherwise, things would have been much more troublesome.
She handed the documents over, her eyes filled with unwavering determination.
“Comrade, please take a look. These are my identification papers. I want to register.”
The neighborhood office had been worrying about the lack of young people willing to volunteer to go to the countryside.
Ever since the voluntary registration policy had been introduced, hardly anyone had responded to the call. The staff had been staring at the registration book in frustration.
Now that Lin Xiaxia had willingly come to them, and with such determination at that, they immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
The worry on their faces vanished.
“Good girl! That’s the spirit!” the comrade responsible for registration praised her, looking genuinely pleased.
“There aren’t many young people like you these days who are enlightened enough to voluntarily answer the call. The neighborhood will definitely hold you up as an example for others.”
He pulled out a form and continued, “Since you volunteered, regulations allow you to choose where you’ll be sent. Take a look at this list. There are several destinations available. Pick whichever one you want.”
Lin Xiaxia quickly scanned the form.
Her gaze immediately stopped on the three characters at the very top.
Beidahuang.
“I want to go here.”
She pointed at the name.
Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried unquestionable resolve.
In her previous life, she had spent nearly her entire life struggling in Beidahuang.
She knew better than anyone about the bitter cold, the endless snow and ice, and the hardships that had been carved deep into her bones.
But it was also there that she had met the person who changed the course of her life.
It was there that she had learned the skills that allowed her to survive and build a life for herself.
This time, she would return as an educated youth sent to the countryside—not as someone forcibly exiled for punishment.
This time, she would live her life again with dignity.
The comrade handling her registration couldn’t help giving her another look, his expression filled with surprise.
“Young lady, are you sure you didn’t point at the wrong place? It’s already October. Winter comes early in Beidahuang, and the ground will probably be frozen solid by the end of the month. Temperatures dropping dozens of degrees below zero are perfectly normal there.”
He paused before adding, “The conditions are much harsher than in the other places. You’re a young woman. Are you sure you can handle it?”
“Yes. I’m sure.”
Lin Xiaxia nodded without the slightest hesitation in her eyes.
“All right! You’ve got courage!”
Impressed by her determination, the comrade circled Beidahuang on the form.
“Since you’re choosing such a difficult location, the neighborhood office provides a special subsidy. You’ll receive fifty percent more than those going elsewhere.”
His expression then turned serious.
“But I need to warn you beforehand. Once you register, there’s no backing out. As soon as your records are sent over, you won’t be able to change your mind even if you want to. Have you thought this through?”
“I won’t back out,” Lin Xiaxia replied firmly.
The entire process went more smoothly than she had expected.
In barely half an hour, Lin Xiaxia was holding a letter of introduction stamped with an official red seal, along with a thin envelope.
She opened the envelope and carefully counted its contents.
Inside was a subsidy of 36 yuan and 80 fen, along with twenty jin worth of grain coupons that could be used anywhere in the country.
That was no small amount.
Lin Xiaxia looked over the letter of introduction, the money, and the coupons again and again.
Only after confirming that everything was correct did she carefully fold them up and tuck them securely into an inner pocket close to her body.
It felt as though she were finally holding her new destiny in her own hands.
By the time she returned to the Xue family home, her footsteps were noticeably lighter.
Before she even entered, she heard a noisy conversation coming from inside.
When she pushed open the door, she saw quite a few people sitting in the main room, gathered around Zhang Shufen and discussing something.
The moment Lin Xiaxia entered, everyone turned to look at her.
The previously lively room instantly became much quieter.
Zhang Shufen was stunned for a moment before quickly putting on a warm smile and walking over to greet her.
“Xiaxia, you’re back! Perfect timing. Everyone in the family is here. We were just discussing the arrangements for being sent away.”
The Xue family had been reported, and official orders had already been issued for the entire family to be sent away.
Fortunately, they had been given a few days to prepare before they had to leave.
At that moment, someone spoke up.
“Shufen, is this that daughter of yours?”