Autumn, 1979.
“Wenyue, you’re her mother. You left the child here this morning and just took off like that. With a fever this high—just because she’s not your own daughter, you don’t care at all!?”
Yin Li’s head throbbed as if it might split open. Her throat felt like it was filled with razor blades. Her gaze swept across the enamel mug on the table, then the worn book beside it.
Finally, her eyes landed on the two people arguing by the bedroom door.
The woman wore a crisp, dark blue Lenin suit, her hair cropped short at ear-length, a black leather briefcase tucked under her arm.
Li Wenyue had a stern expression, her voice carrying the exhaustion of a full day’s work mixed with the irritation of being unfairly accused. “Yin Jianguo, be reasonable! I rushed off early this morning for a meeting and only just got back. How was I supposed to know she was sick!?”
She set down her briefcase and raised her voice. “Fine, I’m just the stepmother, I don’t care enough! But you can’t pin all the blame on me!”
That was the exact line!
Yin Li’s mind sharpened slightly. In her hazy, feverish dream, her father had been trapped precisely by those words—”the stepmother doesn’t care enough.”
He believed that after marrying Li Wenyue with a daughter as old as his, the fact that Li Wenyue showed little concern and never truly accepted his daughter meant she would never embrace her at all.
Add in the meddling of outsiders, and from that point on, their arguments never stopped. Eventually, they grew apart, their marriage shattered, the blended family fell apart, and her father later fell ill and died.
She looked at her father now—wearing an apron, clutching a handful of dried noodles in his hand, his face a storm of anger and anxiety.
Even so, Yin Jianguo stood tall and straight, with thick brows, bright eyes, a high nose, and thin lips. His gaze was piercing and full of spirit. Despite his casual, homey appearance, there was an indescribable, gentle quality about him.
Anyone looking at him would feel their anger cool by a few degrees.
This was exactly why her mother had married him without a second thought. But then her mother passed away.
Aunt Li had naturally been drawn to the still-handsome Yin Jianguo as well. But Aunt Li came from a wealthier background—she was now the head accountant at the textile factory, earning over a hundred yuan a month!
The factory had also allocated this spacious housing unit. While she didn’t have a personal car, she was guaranteed transport and received excellent job allowances.
Unlike her mother, Aunt Li had spent years battling the elements at the factory, single-handedly raising her son and sending him abroad for university. She was decisive, capable, and sharp—her temperament was never going to be soft and gentle.
But Aunt Li had always been sincere with her father! She never looked down on him just because she was more capable. And as a stepmother, she had done everything she could for Yin Li.
If anything, it was her father who felt he owed his daughter. He had a soft ear and had married Aunt Li half-heartedly, thinking it would secure Yin Li’s future.
But Dad—since you married her, and you’re clearly relying on her, don’t be so stubborn about your pride! You need to accept that you’re living off your wife’s success!
Her father’s job as a worker at the neighboring factory had even been arranged by Aunt Li. His salary was over sixty yuan.
With the college entrance exam reinstated not long ago, Yin Li had worked hard and managed to get into university. She’d be starting soon. Even though the state covered tuition and provided stipends,
Aunt Li had put in no small effort when it came to study materials, learning tools, and all kinds of information.
Yin Li’s acceptance into university was inseparable from Aunt Li’s help.
Watching her father now, his emotions running high, his handsome mouth about to say something hurtful—
“Li Wenyue, you—”
She couldn’t let it go on like this. Remembering what her father had said in her dream, Yin Li forced herself to stay alert. “Dad… Aunt Li…”
Her voice came out weak and hoarse, like the rasp of a duck.
Well, she thought, there’s no time to worry about how I sound.
Yin Jianguo’s words died in his throat. He and Li Wenyue both turned to look at her at the same time.
She propped herself up weakly, trying to sit up. Her face was flushed with fever, and her large, dazed, watery eyes looked up at them.
Thanks to her parents’ good looks, Yin Li had inherited the best of both. She had her mother’s fair skin, a medium build—neither too thin nor gaunt—and her face wasn’t sharply pointed but slightly rounded. Her features were delicate: thin eyebrows, round eyes, a small mouth. She had the look of someone destined for a good life, with an indescribably sweet and charming innocence. Even the hardest heart would soften at the sight of her.
“Li Li, you’re awake?” Yin Jianguo immediately set down the dried noodles and rushed over, pressing his hand to her forehead, his eyes filled with heartache and self-reproach. His daughter was the precious treasure his late wife had left him, but he had failed her. She had to live under someone else’s roof, treading carefully around others’ moods…
Before, Yin Li wouldn’t have noticed, but now somehow, just by looking at her father, she knew exactly what he was thinking. Since her mother’s death, her father had become prone to overthinking—no wonder outsiders could sow discord with just a few words.
Yin Li shook her head gently and looked sincerely at Li Wenyue, whose face was still stiff. “Dad, don’t blame Aunt Li,” she said, her voice unpleasant, thick with post-fever congestion. “When Aunt Li left this morning, she covered me with a blanket. See? She even left me good food.”
Li Wenyue was very busy and rarely cooked for herself. But that morning before leaving, knowing her stepdaughter couldn’t cook either, she had woken up early specially to prepare a meal for Yin Li.
Yin Li paused, gathering a bit of strength. “You worked the night shift last night, and Aunt Li has been busy too. You’re both working so hard. I just wasn’t careful. Please don’t fight over me, okay?”
The room fell silent. Li Wenyue’s furrowed brow relaxed as she looked at Yin Li. This child used to be so timid and had never spoken up for her so clearly and proactively before. Being a stepmother was hard. Li Wenyue felt she had done everything she should. But even the warmest heart grows cold when you’re raising someone who never warms up to you.
Yin Jianguo hadn’t expected this either. He had been too anxious, and his face flushed with embarrassment. He tucked Yin Li in. “Alright, get some more sleep. Dad will make you something good to eat.”
He stood up. It was all those people’s nonsense that had gotten to him. Somewhat awkwardly, he said, “I’ll go cook…”
Li Wenyue’s anger had mostly faded. A little temper in a man kept things interesting—as long as he didn’t get too stubborn, she could treat it as a bit of playful charm. Besides, Yin Jianguo truly cooked wonderfully. Li Wenyue suspected her stomach had been won over before her heart.
“Drink some warm water. Don’t talk too much, don’t worry. Your father and I are fine.” Li Wenyue poured her a cup of warm water and watched her drink it before picking up her briefcase and heading to the study to look over documents.
“Thank you, Aunt Li,” Yin Li said softly. She realized her stepmother was the type whose anger flared quickly but faded just as fast.
Yin Li drifted back into a hazy sleep. She rarely dreamed before—or if she did, she never remembered them upon waking. But this time, with the fever, she dreamed that starting from this argument, her father and Aunt Li’s relationship worsened and worsened until it shattered completely… and in the end, her father died of illness…
No. Her father was still young. He couldn’t die of an illness so early.
Then another thought struck her, and Yin Li’s eyes flew open again. Soon, Aunt Li’s son—her stepbrother—would be returning from abroad. Her stepbrother was handsome and had absorbed foreign culture, making him very different from everyone else.
In her dream, she had been bewitched, finding him charming and irresistible, unable to control herself, gradually blurring the boundaries between them. When Aunt Li found out, she was furious. She felt Yin Li had no sense of propriety, that she was ridiculous, and was deeply disappointed. After that, she stopped looking after Yin Li altogether.
Yin Li, you’re just as muddled as your father!
She needed to figure something out, and quickly…