Chen Qilan was seven years old when his maternal grandmother, Jiang Baoping, brought him to the small mountain village. He was gravely ill at the time, and Lu Jinzhong was always afraid he wouldn’t be able to keep his nephew. Not long after arriving in the small mountain village, something happened that filled Lu Jinzhong with lingering dread. Chen Qilan suddenly disappeared.
At that time, border warfare was intense. When Lu Jinzhong received the telegram from his wife on the front line, he felt like the sky had fallen. The small mountain village was remote, surrounded by towering mountains and rugged terrain where wild beasts roamed. If Chen Qilan had accidentally wandered into the deep forest, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Just as everyone was despairing, a black goat appeared, carrying the unconscious Chen Qilan. A copper bell was tied around the black goat’s neck, clanging loudly as it walked. After Jiang Baoping and the others lifted Chen Qilan, the black goat galloped away to the sound of a whistle.
Two months later, Chen Qilan’s condition improved. Jiang Baoping searched everywhere for the intelligent black goat, but after checking every family that raised sheep, she couldn’t find it. For years, Jiang Baoping felt uneasy about this matter. She wanted to find the benefactor who saved her grandson and repay that life-saving kindness, which was as vast as the heavens.
Lu Jinzhong heard his wife’s words and instinctively looked at Chen Qilan.
“When did you find out she was the benefactor who saved you?”
Chen Qilan turned his face to look at the pear blossoms covering the trees and said flatly: “I never forgot her. I’ve remembered her all these years!”
“Then why didn’t you say anything!” Anger surged in Lu Jinzhong’s heart. He said, “Your grandmother has been searching everywhere for the shepherdess who saved you. She’s practically obsessed!”
“I was afraid that the young me couldn’t protect her. You know, my disappearance back then wasn’t an accident!” Chen Qilan’s tone held a hint of coldness.
“Do you know why we couldn’t find that black goat? Because it died. Right after delivering me home, it and its young owner were pushed off a cliff!”
“It was a spiritual black goat. When it fell to the bottom of the cliff, it cushioned its young owner, barely saving her life. The old shepherd couple sold everything they owned to save her, but she lost all her previous memories.” Chen Qilan’s voice trembled slightly.
“Uncle, it doesn’t matter if she doesn’t remember me. It’s enough that I always remember her!”
At this moment, Lu Jinzhong no longer had any reason to stop Chen Qilan from marrying Qin Shuyao. The intimate night they shared, coupled with the life-saving grace from years ago—Chen Qilan would be willing to go through fire and water for Qin Shuyao, and even he, her uncle, could never repay this debt!
“Don’t tell her any of this. The reason she chose to forget is because she couldn’t bear the horror of that night. I only hope she can live happily and without worry!”
When they returned to the small courtyard, Qin Shuyao was still sitting on a chair, lost in thought. Seeing Chen Qilan enter, she hurriedly stood up and said, “Do you still stand by your promise… to lend me money? I want to take Grandma to the provincial capital for treatment today.”
She didn’t even mention what happened last night, forcing herself to remain calm and pretend nothing had occurred.
“Oh? I promised you that? I don’t recall.” Chen Qilan looked at the somewhat flustered Qin Shuyao, a mischievous smile on his face.
Hearing this, Qin Shuyao froze. It was as if someone had snuffed out the light in her heart, or pushed her back down the cliff just as she had climbed out of the abyss. That terrifying sense of freefall enveloped her. For a moment, she was so desperate she wanted to cry.
Jiang Baoping, standing nearby, grew anxious and was about to scold her grandson for his poor behavior. But Chen Qilan spoke before her.
“Besides borrowing money, do you have anything else to say? Like last night…” He smiled somewhat wickedly, leaning close to Qin Shuyao’s ear and whispering, “I don’t want to lend money to someone who won’t take responsibility!”
Qin Shuyao was stunned, her eyes wide as she looked at Chen Qilan. Responsibility? How could she take responsibility? She wasn’t a man; she couldn’t marry him!
“Think bigger. It’s not just men marrying women. Hmm, it’s the new society, women can marry men too!” Chen Qilan was completely shameless, strategically maneuvering Qin Shuyao into his trap. “If we get married, my assets will be yours, and you’ll even have half of my grandmother’s assets. You can manage them however you like!”
Jiang Baoping, having half her assets suddenly snatched away, was both amused and exasperated. This brat truly was spoiled rotten!
Seeing Qin Shuyao still staring blankly, Chen Qilan started raising his voice. He began unbuttoning his shirt, shouting, “Look how vicious you were last night, biting and pinching! I, an innocent young man of pure background, was forcibly occupied by you… Mmph mmph mmph!”
Qin Shuyao’s face flushed crimson as she clapped a hand over Chen Qilan’s loud mouth. Didn’t this man know what shame was?
“I’ll take responsibility! Isn’t that enough? It’s just marriage! I’ll marry you—oh no, I’ll marry into your family, then!” Qin Shuyao had been completely bewildered by Chen Qilan’s unconventional tactics and now just wanted to shut the guy up quickly. If she didn’t silence him, he would spill everything about last night. She had clearly seen the ambiguous smiles on Jiang Baoping’s and Pei Luoying’s faces. She even saw her Uncle Lu Jinzhong awkwardly turn away to admire the scenery, but where he was looking was clearly just an old, withered vine!
Half an hour later, Qin Shuyao left the small mountain village where she was raised, seeing off the crowd of villagers from Qin Family Village. Her arms were full of items the villagers had stuffed into her embrace, like a child heading on a long journey, her satchel filled with the love of her relatives.
The old village chief pressed a handful of small bills into Qin Shuyao’s hand. “Daughter, if things don’t go well out there, come back! This will always be your home!”
Wang Sanmei, the woman who had taught Qin Shuyao how to fight, leaned through the car window and earnestly instructed her. “Don’t put up with grievances when you’re outside. When it’s time to fight, fight. Don’t you dare shame Qin Family Village!”
…As the jeep accelerated, the small mountain village drifted further and further away from Qin Shuyao. This was a new journey she had never experienced in her previous life. She didn’t know what the future held. But no matter what happened, it couldn’t possibly be worse than the last life, could it?
Chen Qilan raised his hand, resting it on Qin Shuyao’s shoulder, and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes. “Why are you crying? If you want to come back later, you can return anytime. This will always be your maiden home!”
Suddenly, the car braked sharply. If Chen Qilan hadn’t quickly hugged Qin Shuyao, her slender body would have been thrown forward.
“Uncle Liao, how are you driving!” Chen Qilan said, half-amused and half-annoyed.
Before Liao Minliang could explain, a figure rushed over, clinging tightly to the hood of the car, blocking their path. The person was Zhang Lingzhi, Zhang Baogen’s sister, and also Qin Shuyao’s sister-in-law in the previous life. And there was a more important connection. In the previous life, Zhang Lingzhi and Chen Qilan were husband and wife!
“Qilan, it’s me! I’m Lingzhi, I’m your wife! Don’t you remember me?” Zhang Lingzhi cried, clinging to the car hood, speaking words that only Qin Shuyao could understand. “We were the real couple! The person who was supposed to accompany you in the military was me, not this little slut Qin Shuyao!”
Suddenly, Zhang Lingzhi changed the subject and began cursing Qin Shuyao. “You little slut, you were just a crippled dog of the Zhang family! Why did you break the engagement? Why did you harm my family?”
“I know! Did you also experience Rebirth? You deliberately stole everything that belonged to me! You’re also hoping he dies early so you can seize his survivor’s benefits, aren’t you?”