In this era, small individual businesses and street vendors were beginning to emerge. Cassette shops along the roadside were already playing Hong Kong and Taiwan songs. New ideas and new trends were slowly spreading, gradually permeating every aspect of daily life.
Even in the villages, older people still called their parents “father and mother,” while the younger generation had already begun to follow city habits and call them “dad and mom.”
Su Tong walked through the streets with her hands tucked into her sleeves like the people around her, pacing back and forth twice, taking in the unique atmosphere of this era.
Thinking about returning soon to face the “wonderful” family of the original owner made her feel irritated, yet also strangely eager.
The original owner had lived in confusion for nearly nineteen years. At such a young age, she had been burdened with labels like “jinx” and “bad omen,” suffering constant exclusion and injustice.
The original owner had been confused—but Su Tong was not. She needed to go see just what kind of devouring place that family truly was.
More importantly, she could clearly sense the deep emotions buried in the original owner’s heart—grievance, unwillingness, confusion, and unfinished wishes that had never been spoken.
The original owner also valued her life. She wanted to live—but life had been too difficult. She had been forced step by step into a dead end.
Su Tong took a deep breath. The cold, dry air filled her lungs and cleared her mind completely.
She looked up at the sky. It was a pale blue expanse with not a single cloud.
She had arrived. And she would live this life properly for that suffering girl.
In the end, Su Tong bought herself a padded cotton coat, cotton trousers, underclothes, an outer garment, and several sets of daily necessities.
She had to return the padded coat she was wearing to Doctor Zhao. In this era, even old cotton coats were valuable possessions—cotton itself was precious.
There was nothing decent at home that could be used for changing clothes, so she also bought a new set of bedding. In the end, she even bought some practical small gifts for the doctors and nurses who had cared for her.
They were the ones who had given her the first warmth she felt in this world, and she still wanted to express her gratitude before leaving.
The next day, accompanied by Nurse Xiao Li, Su Tong completed her discharge procedures early in the morning and gave out her small gifts one by one. Unexpectedly, she also received a large pile of return gifts—pastries, handkerchiefs, candies…
She ended up carrying them all in her arms.
Finally, Head Nurse Chen arrived and gave her a round mirror, and even slipped her a note with the address of her father-in-law’s pharmacy.
After packing her things, Su Tong wandered to the back courtyard of the hospital. The row of low buildings at the back was already empty—Lin Li and the others had likely left long ago.
On the basketball court in front of the buildings, only a father and son were taking a walk. The child still had an IV in his hand, while the father held the drip bag high on a bamboo pole, walking slowly behind him like a bodyguard.
Su Tong suddenly thought of the kidnapped child called “Dongdong.” He had also been admitted to this hospital—she wondered whether he had been transferred or had already recovered.
She had never run into him since.
When she returned to the ward, she saw Xing Dongyang standing in the corridor, smiling at her from a distance.
Yesterday, Comrade Jiang had already sent word that someone from the village would come to pick her up today. Since Xing Dongyang was a tractor driver, his presence was not surprising.
After saying goodbye to everyone, Xing Dongyang carried Su Tong’s two large bundles onto the tractor.
A thick bundle of straw had been laid in the tractor bed. Xing Dongyang asked Su Tong to sit on it, saying it would cushion the bumps on the road—he had prepared it specially.
Su Tong thanked him, threw her bundles into the bed, and lay down on the straw. It bounced slightly under her weight—soft and quite comfortable.
Xing Dongyang smiled.
“Wu Tong, you’ve really changed a lot!”
The old Wu Tong used to avoid eye contact and would never lie so casually on straw.
“I died once. After that, I became much more open-minded,” Su Tong replied with a smile, turning over and sitting up.
Only then did she notice a few large round oil cakes pressed under a corner of the straw. They were made from fermented oil residue left after pressing rapeseed oil—considered high-quality feed for cattle.
Unfortunately, they were expensive, and villages only bought them when working cattle were needed for heavy farm labor.
Su Tong asked casually, “Brother Xing, are the village cattle eating oil cakes now in winter?”
Xing Dongyang smiled.
“How could that be? The cattle got sick these past few days and stopped eating. They’ve already lost a lot of weight. Village secretary Wu was anxious and asked me to bring some oil cakes back to try.”
He started the tractor and climbed into the driver’s seat, putting away the crank handle.
Amid the roaring engine, he turned back and said,
“Wu Tong, you’re doing well like this. Living well is more important than anything else.”
Even though the tractor was loud, Su Tong heard him clearly.
She paused, then turned back seriously.
“Brother Xing, don’t worry. I’ll live well from now on.”
The tractor rumbled along the narrow county road for about ten minutes before Xing Dongyang slowed down and shouted back:
“There are a few other villagers we need to pick up!”
Su Tong nodded. The village only had this one tractor, and people often rode it to the town or county—it was cheaper and more convenient than the bus.
Ahead was the county bus station. Outside stood a large locust tree, and several people were waving under it from a distance.
Xing Dongyang usually arranged pickup there so no one would miss the ride or get delayed.
As soon as the tractor stopped, two middle-aged women quickly climbed aboard.
One of them said while climbing,
“Comrade Xing, Sister Li went to see her daughter and will return tomorrow. Old Zhang and his wife are buying a lot of things and will take the afternoon bus. The rest of us are here—we can leave now.”
Xing Dongyang helped her up.
“Got it, Aunt Wang. Nine people came this morning—we’re heading back now.”
Aunt Wang stepped onto the bed of the tractor and immediately moved toward the straw pile, sitting down next to Su Tong.
“Oh my, Xiao Xing, this straw is laid out really well today—it’s like a soft seat!”
Two more young men climbed in and sat along the edge of the truck bed, making it feel crowded all at once.
Su Tong shifted slightly. Aunt Wang happily took the best spot and called out to another woman:
“Sister Laifu! Come, there’s still room here. It’s more comfortable than sitting on the edge.”
The two women were both sturdy, and Su Tong quietly moved further into the corner before they finally settled comfortably on the straw.
Noticing that Su Tong had given them space, Aunt Wang looked over and said curiously:
“Oh! Whose girl is this? She looks kind of familiar!”