The orange-red setting sun hung over the branches of a large tree. Its fading rays carried a hint of weariness and tenderness as they streamed through the window and fell across Xiao Hongyao’s face.
The dim light somehow gave her an indescribable sense of security.
Half a day earlier, Xiao Hongyao had discovered that she had transmigrated into a novel.
The original Xiao Hongyao, whose name sounded exactly like hers, was a minor female character in a period novel that Xiao Hongyao had read before the apocalypse began. She appeared in the story only to die.
At this moment, it was 1985, in Anyang County, a small city in a southern province. She was living in the family compound of a state-owned firecracker factory.
Three months earlier, the original Xiao Hongyao had been caught in the rain while she was outside. A falling rock struck her on the head, leaving her with the intelligence of a seven- or eight-year-old child.
Today, she had accidentally slipped and fallen into the water and drowned. At almost exactly the same time, Xiao Hongyao, who had been swept away by a tsunami during the apocalypse, had transmigrated into her body.
“Third Sis, dinner’s ready.”
The person calling her to eat was her second cousin, Xiao Hongmin.
The original owner’s parents had been educated youths who returned to the city. After they died, Xiao Hongyao went to live with her grandmother and her eldest uncle’s family.
Today, to celebrate her recovery and the fact that she was no longer mentally impaired, Grandma had spent extra money to prepare a better dinner.
There was stir-fried pork with chili peppers, shredded pork with dried tofu, sweet-and-sour scrambled eggs, and smashed eggplant.
Xiao Hongyao, who had not eaten her fill in a very long time, devoured two large bowls of rice as quickly as autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.
Her eldest aunt’s cooking skills were practically those of a professional chef. These seemingly ordinary home-cooked dishes were unbelievably delicious.
The sweet-and-sour eggs were especially good. The soft scrambled eggs were coated in a slightly sour, spicy, and mildly sweet sauce. It was a flavor she had never tasted before.
Seeing how enthusiastically she was eating, Xiao Hongmin placed a piece of meat in her bowl and teased her.
“Did Pan Yunsong’s parents come all the way from the countryside just to take you shopping for fabric without even taking you out for lunch?”
Xiao Hongyao had none of the original owner’s memories, so she simply shook her head.
“I don’t remember.”
Her eldest uncle, Xiao Laoda, asked, “Does Yunsong know that Third Sis has recovered?”
Her eldest cousin answered, “He probably doesn’t. The Second Factory has a lot of orders, so they’re working overtime even on Saturdays.”
Xiao Hongyao still wanted another bowl after finishing the last bite of food. But afraid that the Xiao family would become suspicious, she eventually put down her bowl and chopsticks.
Her eldest aunt had already finished eating. She picked up the thermos and poured half a bowl of warm water into Xiao Hongyao’s bowl. After dinner, everyone was too lazy to get their enamel cups, so they simply drank tea and rinsed their mouths from their bowls.
There was a noise outside.
Her third uncle and his wife, who lived in the neighboring courtyard, had heard that Xiao Hongyao had recovered and had come over especially to see her.
Xiao Laosan walked in and practically blocked half the doorway with his large frame. Looking at Xiao Hongyao, he laughed loudly.
“You recognize me today, right?”
Xiao Hongyao obediently called him, “Third Uncle.”
“Oh, good, good! Whether someone is still foolish or not, you can really tell from their eyes. A few months ago, when Little Yao looked at people, there was nothing in her eyes. Now there’s life in them. Who would’ve thought falling into the river would actually turn out to be a blessing in disguise!”
Her eldest aunt said, “She just can’t remember some things. I’ll take her to the hospital for a checkup on Monday.”
Third Aunt asked, “Little Yao, what things have you forgotten?”
Xiao Hongyao didn’t know anything about events that hadn’t been written in the novel, so she could only answer, “A lot of things are blurry. I can’t remember them clearly.”
“That’s all right. Let’s see what the hospital says first.”
Third Aunt took a handful of pumpkin seeds from her pocket and handed them to Xiao Hongyao and Xiao Hongmin. She then pulled over a stool, sat down, and chatted while cracking sunflower seeds.
Xiao Hongmin handed all the seeds to her younger cousin before getting up.
“Mom, I’m going out for a while.”
Third Aunt had sharp ears.
“You’re going out this late?”
“I made plans to look at some new knitted clothing designs.”
Her eldest aunt brought out a plate of roasted peanuts and placed it on the table, reminding her daughter loudly, “Come back early.”
Sitting in the corner and seriously cracking sunflower seeds, Xiao Hongyao had roughly guessed that Xiao Hongmin had been asked out by her ex-boyfriend to discuss getting back together.
If she remembered the timeline correctly, her second cousin would soon break off her engagement and marry her ex-boyfriend instead.
Xiao Laosan cracked open a peanut shell and tossed the peanut into his mouth.
“Pan Yunsong’s parents specifically came today to take Little Yao to buy fabric. What are they thinking? Now that Little Yao has recovered, they can start preparing for the wedding, right?”
Pan Yunsong had grown up with the original Xiao Hongyao in the countryside. They were childhood sweethearts. Two years ago, after they officially started dating, Pan Yunsong had gotten a job at the firecracker factory with the help of Xiao Hongyao’s father.
Grandma said, “I walked them back to the Second Factory dormitory. On the way, Pan Yunsong’s mother kept talking about this and that. She was even more long-winded than I am, but she didn’t mention the wedding at all.”
Third Aunt tossed the sunflower seed shells into the waste basket.
“They’re doing it on purpose, aren’t they? Their family must think Third Sis is mentally impaired and want to call off the engagement.”
Just as she finished speaking, someone entered.
Her eldest aunt had sharp eyes and immediately cut her off. She stood up and greeted the newcomer first.
“Yunsong, did you just get off work? Have you eaten?”
The person who had arrived was Pan Yunsong.
He wasn’t particularly tall, but he was fair, clean-cut, and handsome. No wonder the original owner had liked him.
Pan Yunsong smiled.
“I ate at the cafeteria.”
After greeting the elders, he placed the things he was carrying on the table. There were cigarettes, liquor, and two cans of malted milk.
“Second Uncle Xiao spent quite a lot of effort helping me find my job before. I saved up to buy these. It’s just a small token of my appreciation. Grandma Xiao, please accept them.”
Xiao Laosan looked greedily at the cigarettes and liquor on the table.
“Oh, that’s quite a generous gift. Soft White Sand cigarettes, too!”
A carton cost at least ten yuan.
Xiao Laoda was an honest man, but he wasn’t foolish. He interacted with Pan Yunsong often and had more or less guessed what was on his mind. He glanced at the old woman but said nothing.
Grandma understood as well.
Whatever Pan Yunsong’s mother had been unwilling to say outright, Pan Yunsong might have to say himself.
Everyone understood.
Who, at such a young age, could spend their entire life caring for a girl with an intellectual disability?
They weren’t even married yet, so no one could really blame him for having such thoughts.
Therefore, Grandma wanted to give the young man a chance.
She smiled and said, “Yunsong, we’re family. Why are you being so polite? Don’t waste money like this. You just started working, and your salary isn’t high. It isn’t easy for you to save money. These are probably cigarettes and liquor bought at the regular price, right? Take them back tomorrow and return them.”
Before Pan Yunsong could refuse, the old woman continued.
“This afternoon, when I walked your parents back to your dormitory, Little Yao was home alone. She went out and fell into the river…”
Only then did Pan Yunsong look at Xiao Hongyao and ask with concern, “Is Little Yao all right?”
“She’s fine!” Third Aunt answered with a smile. “Not only is she fine, but she knocked her head and somehow got better! She’s normal again! Isn’t that amazing?”
Pan Yunsong’s expression froze for a moment before he smiled.
“Really? That’s wonderful. That’s really wonderful.”
Third Aunt nudged Xiao Hongyao and teased her.
“Why aren’t you saying anything now that Yunsong is here? You’ve been dating for so long. Are you still shy?”
Xiao Hongyao wasn’t shy at all.
She was simply calculating how she could deal with Pan Yunsong in a way that would maximize her own benefits.
In the original novel, less than a month after Xiao Hongyao drowned, Pan Yunsong married Wang Jing, the granddaughter of the former party secretary of the Second Firecracker Factory.
The reason Pan Yunsong and Wang Jing were in such a hurry to marry was that they wanted to register their marriage before Wang Jing’s pregnancy became obvious.
Yes.
This supposedly devoted and faithful Pan Yunsong had already secretly gotten involved with Wang Jing at this point.
According to revelations later in the novel, Pan Yunsong had already cheated on Xiao Hongyao and started seeing Wang Jing before Xiao Hongyao lost her intelligence.
A scumbag’s gifts were free gifts, so there was no reason not to accept them.
Xiao Hongyao persuaded the old woman.
“Grandma, these are Yunsong’s sincere gifts. Compared with Dad helping him transfer his household registration and find a job, these are just small presents. You should accept them.”
The expensive gifts that had cost half a month’s salary were described as “small presents” by Xiao Hongyao.
Pan Yunsong felt extremely uncomfortable hearing that.
But she was telling the truth. And they were in the Xiao family’s home, so he didn’t dare lose his temper. He could only say awkwardly, “It’s good that you’re better, Little Yao. Your recovery is more important than anything else.”
What a hypocrite.
Pan Yunsong held the enamel cup his aunt had brought him. His mind was full of worries, but he didn’t dare show them. He simply pretended to listen attentively as everyone chatted.
The Xiao family elders were discussing the dowry and wedding preparations for Xiao Hongmin.
As they talked, Xiao Laoda suddenly turned to Pan Yunsong.
“You and Little Yao grew up together, and you know each other well. You could say you’re childhood sweethearts. We’ve all seen how you’ve stayed by Little Yao’s side during this period. Now that she’s recovered, it’s time to put your marriage on the agenda.
“Little Yao’s parents passed away early, so as her eldest uncle and uncles, we’ve always treated her like our own daughter. If you two get married, we’ll prepare her dowry. We can arrange both girls’ dowries at the same time. What do you think?”
Pan Yunsong’s palms were covered in sweat.
He didn’t dare reveal what he truly wanted.
He was afraid the Xiao family would beat him to death.
Xiao Laoda was reasonable enough, but Xiao Laosan was a fierce man. If someone said something he didn’t like, he might throw a punch without hesitation.
Who wouldn’t be afraid?
Pan Yunsong could only force a smile.
“I’ll go home and discuss it with my parents.”
Xiao Laoda said, “Didn’t your parents come down from the countryside? Tomorrow is Sunday, and we’re all free. We can sit down and have a proper discussion.”
Pan Yunsong repeated, “I’ll go home and discuss it with my parents first.”
That was indeed something he should discuss with his parents first.
Grandma smiled.
“Let your family discuss it tonight. Come over here for lunch tomorrow. Your parents went to all that trouble to come here and even brought us so many sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and peanuts…”
His eldest aunt added, “And a duck.”
“Ah, yes, a duck too. No matter what, we should invite them over for a home-cooked meal tomorrow.”
Pan Yunsong couldn’t refuse, so he agreed to bring his parents over for lunch the next day.
From beginning to end, Pan Yunsong and Xiao Hongyao didn’t exchange a single private word.
The next morning, the neighbors heard that Xiao Hongyao had recovered and brought gifts to visit her.
Neighbors in this era were warm and genuinely cared about one another.
Xiao Hongyao hadn’t completely adjusted yet, so she avoided the crowd and went into the courtyard to help prepare the duck.
Her eldest brother, Xiao Yuanyang, came in from outside.
“I just asked Director Chen. There’s no position available in the tube-making workshop right now. This year, for the sake of improving efficiency, the factory cut quite a few permanent positions and hired a lot of temporary workers who only work for two or three months. If Third Sis wants to go back to work, we’ll have to think of a way and give someone a few gifts.”
The original Xiao Hongyao had been an employee in the firecracker factory’s tube-making workshop.
Xiao Hongyao had already started thinking about how to get her job back yesterday.
She planned to make Pan Yunsong compensate her for it.
After finishing with the duck, Xiao Hongyao continued peeling ginger and garlic.
At that moment, Pan Yunsong arrived with his parents.
Grandma and Xiao Laoda stayed inside with Pan Yunsong’s parents, drinking tea and chatting, while Pan Yunsong came over to help peel the garlic.
There were only the two of them by the water tap.
Pan Yunsong spoke softly.
“I remember you didn’t like eating garlic when you were little.”
Xiao Hongyao gave him a perfunctory answer.
“That was when I was little. People’s tastes change.”
“Yes. People change.”
Xiao Hongyao glanced at him, knowing that his words carried another meaning.
Pan Yunsong paused slightly before continuing.
“People change, but we’ve never changed. We’ve always been like brother and sister. Little Yao, in my heart, you’ve always been my younger sister. We’re family. No matter when, family is what matters most.”
“And then?”
Xiao Hongyao really wanted to know how this man, who wanted to be a cheating scumbag while still pretending to be a good person, planned to continue his performance.
Pan Yunsong thought he had made himself perfectly clear. He didn’t believe that the sentimental Xiao Hongyao could completely fail to understand him.
He opened his mouth as though he wanted to say something, but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
Just then, Pan Yunsong’s mother appeared in the doorway and called out to them.
“Yunsong, Little Yao, come inside for a moment.”
Xiao Hongyao put down the peeled garlic, washed her hands, and went inside.
Once she entered, she found that everyone’s expressions were unusually serious.
Grandma frowned slightly, her fingers tightly gripping a bunch of chives she had been trimming.
Xiao Laoda sat by the window with his arms crossed, saying nothing.
Pan Yunsong’s father was a minor village official back in the countryside. Sitting with one leg crossed over the other, he let out a faint sigh.
“It’s the girl Director Li from his workshop introduced to him a few days ago.
“To be fair, when Little Yao was sick and had the mind of a young child, the two of them could never have ended up together. Director Li meant well, and I advised Yunsong not to offend his superior. I told him it wouldn’t hurt to meet the girl.
“But after they met, the girl took a liking to our Yunsong first. Her family is in a hurry to register the marriage and arrange housing… So that’s how things were decided.”
Pan Yunsong’s father spoke vaguely, but everyone understood exactly what he meant.
The small main room fell deathly silent.
Pan Yunsong’s mother hurriedly added, “They just weren’t meant to be. Little Yao is such a good girl. Our Yunsong really isn’t worthy of her. I even told him last night that even if they can’t become husband and wife, they can still become brother and sister. They grew up together and are as close as siblings. They can look after each other in the future.”
They were all nothing but pretty words meant to save face.
No one responded.
Another long silence followed.
After a while, Xiao Laoda finally spoke slowly.
“We understand that when Little Yao became ill, you wanted to find someone else. We’re not unreasonable people.
“But the order of things was wrong.
“You should have come to our family first and made it clear that you no longer wanted this relationship. Only then would it have been appropriate for you to go looking for another match. Right? The order was wrong.”
Pan Yunsong’s father nodded.
“Your eldest uncle is right. In terms of proper etiquette, we were in the wrong. At first, we only wanted to humor a superior. We didn’t think too much about it.”
Pan Yunsong’s mother continued showering them with flattering words.
Only then did Grandma ask, “Whose daughter did Director Li introduce?”
Pan Yunsong’s mother avoided the question.
“The girl also works at the Second Factory. She’s been working there longer than Yunsong. As long as she marries someone from the same factory, she’ll qualify for a factory-assigned apartment.”
Grandma became even more curious.
“She also works at the Second Factory? Whose daughter is she?”
The Pan family members exchanged glances.
In the end, Pan Yunsong’s mother answered.
“She’s a relative of Director Li. She’s been working at the Second Factory for years. You probably don’t know her.”
Xiao Hongyao was about to speak when shouting suddenly came from the courtyard gate.
The voice reached them in an instant.
Xiao Laosan stormed inside and grabbed Pan Yunsong by the collar.
“You dare bully someone in our Xiao family? You country bumpkin! You’re playing both sides! I’ll be damned if I don’t beat the hell out of you…”
“Goodness, Third Uncle Xiao, don’t be impulsive! We’re family. There’s no need for this!” Pan Yunsong’s mother tried to pull him away.
“Who said we’re family?!”
With that, Xiao Laosan slapped Pan Yunsong hard across the face.
Pan Yunsong’s ears rang from the blow, and he collapsed into a chair.
His father stared blankly, too frightened to say anything.
His mother cried out several times before throwing herself over her son, afraid that Xiao Laosan would continue beating him.
Grandma stood up and shouted, “Laosan, what are you doing?”
Then she ordered the two grandsons who had followed him inside, “Quickly, hold your third uncle back!”
The two brothers immediately grabbed Xiao Laosan and pulled him away.
Xiao Laosan roared, “Mom, do you even know how shameless this Pan family is? Pan Yunsong has climbed onto a higher branch and is going to become the son-in-law of Wang Liansheng! The parents of both families have already met, and the wedding date has even been set for next month. And they’re still sitting here pretending in front of us! They think we’re fools!”
The moment Grandma heard the name Wang Liansheng, her expression changed dramatically.