During this period, Su Tong’s nutrition had improved, and her complexion had gotten much better.
Her skin was no longer that dull, sallow yellow of malnutrition and had become much fairer. Her thick bangs had been combed to one side, just enough to cover the scarred half of her face while revealing a clean, smooth forehead.
She was now dressed in properly fitting clothes, neat and tidy, sitting there composed and dignified without arrogance or humility—completely different from the old Wu Tong.
It was no wonder Wangcai Aunt didn’t recognize her at first.
The village women were all somewhat familiar to her. Although the original Wu Tong had little interaction with them, she still recognized them.
Su Tong smiled at Wangcai Aunt and was about to respond when she heard an argument beside the vehicle.
“What’s wrong with you girl? You just said you were going back on the tractor! Why are you changing your mind again!”
Su Tong recognized them as Dequan Aunt and her daughter Wu Xiaofang from the village entrance. They were distant relatives of the Wu family.
Dequan Aunt tried to climb onto the vehicle, but Wu Xiaofang held her tightly and refused to let go.
Su Tong noticed Wu Xiaofang kept glancing at her and already understood part of the situation.
Dequan Aunt shook her daughter off and climbed onto the vehicle anyway. If she didn’t take the tractor back, she would have to pay twenty cents for a ride herself—and that meant forty cents for both of them…
Wu Xiaofang, knowing her mother’s thinking, panicked and shouted:
“Mom! I just got engaged! I don’t want to be dragged into this!”
Dequan Aunt had already climbed into the cart and sat down, glaring at her daughter.
“What nonsense are you talking about? It’s just a ride! Are you crazy?”
“Wu… Wu Tong is up there!”
Wu Xiaofang pointed at her, almost crying.
At that moment, everyone in the cart turned to look at Su Tong.
She smiled calmly and greeted them:
“Hello everyone, I am Wu Tong.”
Dequan Aunt’s expression changed instantly. After only a brief hesitation, she jumped down from the cart, grabbed her daughter, and left without looking back.
Forty cents was nothing compared to her daughter’s engagement.
Wangcai Aunt and Laifu Aunt also jumped up immediately, as if Su Tong were a plague.
They exchanged glances, hesitating—wanting to follow Dequan Aunt but also reluctant to waste the fare. In the end, they stayed at the edge of the cart, neither getting off nor moving closer to the haystack.
The two young men in the group didn’t react as strongly, but their expressions were still unpleasant.
Xing Dongyang hadn’t expected things to turn out like this in front of Su Tong. His face darkened.
Su Tong sighed inwardly. She had known the original body was excluded and discriminated against, but she hadn’t expected it to be so severe that people couldn’t even sit in the same vehicle.
Seeing Xing Dongyang’s displeased expression, she didn’t want him to clash with the villagers because of her, so she said:
“Is anyone else getting off? If not, sit properly—we’re about to leave.”
Wangcai Aunt and Laifu Aunt stayed at the back of the cart. After hesitating for a long while, they still didn’t get off, but they also didn’t move closer.
The ride was silent, though Su Tong could feel constant glances secretly observing her. She ignored them.
When the tractor reached the village entrance, the two aunts practically fled, clutching their aching backs from the bumpy ride.
The two young men also got off.
Xing Dongyang did not drive further and instead stopped the tractor by the roadside, turning off the engine.
After a moment of silence, he said:
“The rumors in the village have gotten worse. They say you are an ill-omened person. Not only did your third engagement fail, but the Li and Wang families also suffered misfortune.”
“Your mother and sister were subjected to legal education for a week and have become the village’s laughingstock. They’ve already argued with the Li and Wang families several times since returning.”
Xing Dongyang looked at her with concern.
“I didn’t want to tell you before, fearing it would pressure you, but it seems better to prepare you mentally.”
“But Wu Tong, villagers are superstitious. They believe in fate and ghosts, and are easily influenced. This is their limitation and tragedy.”
“Don’t be affected by them. You’ve been to school. There are no ghosts in this world—your fate is in your own hands. You must stay strong…”
“This isn’t your fault. Li Youshun and Wang Erbao only received what they deserved.”
He looked genuinely worried, clearly having chosen his words carefully.
Su Tong understood from his expression—and from the earlier reactions—that what he said was likely only part of the truth. The rumors were probably even worse.
She stood up casually from the haystack and jumped off the tractor.
“Brother Xing, don’t worry. Let them believe what they want. I’d actually prefer some peace.”
She brushed off the straw on her clothes and pointed at the two bundles in the corner of the cart.
“Things might get tough when I get home later. Please keep these for me first, so they don’t get dragged into this.”
With that, she walked toward the village unhurriedly. After going some distance, she raised her arm without turning back and waved.
“Thanks!”
Xing Dongyang stood there in a daze.
This girl… really had changed.
Yunshan Village was large, with many densely packed households.
As New Year approached, there was little farm work, so many villagers were sunbathing or sitting together doing small chores while chatting.
Su Tong could have ridden the tractor further in, but she wanted to directly experience how the original body was treated.
As expected, along the way, many people saw her, but very few greeted her.
Some didn’t recognize her; others did but immediately avoided eye contact, whispering among themselves with strange expressions.
Su Tong didn’t care about being liked. She was simply curious—how could a young girl acquire such a notorious reputation, and one so deeply rooted?
In rural areas of this era, although life was still conservative, superstition had been heavily discouraged by policy. Most people were open-minded enough to distinguish right from wrong. A whole village being so uniformly superstitious was truly unusual.
She walked slowly through the village, familiar and unfamiliar scenes merging with inherited memories.
The original owner’s home was in the middle of the village. When she arrived, she did not enter immediately, but circled around the front and back first.
Most houses were dark mud-brick structures with similar layouts: one main hall and three side rooms.
The Wu family’s conditions were relatively good—the house was large, with the west wing divided into front and back rooms, giving them an extra room compared to others.
The roof was covered with blue tiles from a local brick factory, and several side structures were attached, some still thatched with straw.
Like most households, there was a courtyard in front, a vegetable plot behind, a large locust tree in front of the house, and poplars and bamboo behind it.
Su Tong originally thought she would at least see a phoenix tree.
But there was none.
Phoenix trees were more ornamental than practical. In rural areas dependent on farmland, they took up space, blocked sunlight, and competed for nutrients—so few people planted them.
She simply found it strange.
In her previous life, her name “Su Tong” was given by her grandfather. “Wutong” (phoenix tree) was not just a tree to others—it was medicine to him: its leaves, roots, and bark could all be used medicinally.
When she was born, he had even planted a small phoenix tree in the courtyard to grow alongside her.
Similarly, her brother “Su Yu” was also named by him, after the elm tree, another medicinal plant.
At the time, the elm tree planted for her brother had already grown tall, while her phoenix tree was still young.
From the memories she had inherited, she became curious: the eldest son was Wu Jiafu, the daughter Wu Dongling, the youngest son Wu Jiabao, and cousins like Wu Jiayuan, Wu Jiaping, Wu Qiuyu—all named according to the “Jia” generation for boys, and seasonal elements for girls.
Only she was called “Wu Tong,” which stood out.
If it was simply because girls were not valued and names were given casually, that would make sense—but there wasn’t even a phoenix tree in the yard.
So why use the character “Tong”? And why did it match her previous name exactly?
Coincidence?
Had she come here because of this shared name?
Tch.
Standing outside the courtyard wall, Su Tong narrowed her eyes slightly.
Interesting.