On the way home, Li Xu kept showering his mother with praise: “Mom, you’re amazing! I didn’t even get a chance to speak!”
Verbal sparring was his specialty, yet his mother hadn’t given him the slightest opening.
It was a pity that Cheng Denglin wasn’t home from work—otherwise, Li Xu would have loved to give him a good beating to vent his sister’s anger.
As he praised and praised, he noticed his mother wasn’t listening and asked curiously, “Mom, what are you thinking about?”
Aunt Jiang, pulled back to reality by her son’s chatter, replied, “I’m thinking of finding a new match for your sister. This time I’ll make sure to carefully check the man’s character and his family.”
Li Xu thought that was unnecessary. “Mom, my sister’s grades are excellent. She’ll definitely get into university, and once she graduates, she’ll be assigned as a cadre. The people you know aren’t a good match for her!”
After all, his mother only knew people around the commune and nearby villages. None of them were worthy of his sister.
Hearing this, Aunt Jiang slapped her son’s back in annoyance. “Wasn’t that Cheng fellow a cadre? Didn’t stop him from fooling around! Who says being a cadre guarantees good character? And even if I don’t know many people, matchmakers know plenty. If I start preparing early and look at more candidates, I’ll surely find someone suitable. Your sister can also meet people at school—two approaches at once!”
Li Xu thought to himself: *My sister just got divorced; she definitely doesn’t want to think about this right now.* But with his back still stinging from that slap, he didn’t dare argue further. If his mother wanted to search, let her—no harm done if it was wasted effort.
Truth be told, among the men in the brigade and commune, not only his sister but even he himself didn’t think much of them.
In his eyes, the only decent men around here were himself, his second brother (barely qualified), and Brother Rui. Beyond that, no one. If his mother managed to find a good one, that would be a miracle.
When Aunt Jiang and Li Xu returned, they passed by Hongshan Middle School. They got off the bus, told Jiang Nan, “It’s all settled, you don’t need to worry,” and left.
Jiang Nan was utterly baffled. She had no idea her aunt’s fighting power was so formidable—she had turned the Cheng household upside down. Jiang Nan simply continued with her routine: going to work and reviewing her lessons.
At the end of the month, Jiang Nan picked a weekend to visit Cheng Hao. As soon as she arrived at the residential compound, the busybodies surrounded her, chattering all at once: “Xiao Jiang, how could you suffer so long without telling us?”
Jiang Nan felt a black line forming in her mind. *Even if I had told you, could you have made decisions for me?*
“Exactly! Otherwise how could your mother‑in‑law and sister‑in‑law dare to bully you like that?”
Someone else sneered, “So Cheng really has another woman outside? That’s pitiful.”
Another spoke with righteous indignation, “You shouldn’t have divorced—drag those shameless adulterers down with you!”
In short, there were gawkers, sympathizers, and those kicking her while she was down. Jiang Nan didn’t care. Her aunt had already handled everything; the Cheng family’s ugliness was now public knowledge, and the effect she wanted had been achieved. She had no desire to waste time with them.
So she pulled her hand free, smiled, and said, “Thank you for your concern, but I’m taking Cheng Hao out for a meal and need to catch the bus. I won’t chat further.” With that, she hurried away.
The moment she left, the crowd started gossiping again: “Xiao Jiang really is different now.”
Others nodded in agreement.
Jiang Nan wore a floral blouse with a black skirt, her long hair braided into two coils. By modern standards, it was still rustic, but compared to before, it was a striking change.
The original Jiang Nan had worked in the workshop, often staining her clothes, so most of her wardrobe was dark, durable, or workwear. She had never worn such bright clothing. Now, with her energy and spirit no longer dulled by endless overtime, she stood out.
But this transformation also sparked malicious rumors—claims that Jiang Nan herself had a man outside.
Unaware of the gossip, Jiang Nan reached the Cheng family courtyard, knocked, and called for Cheng Hao. No one responded. She asked the children from neighboring households, “Did Cheng Hao go out to play today?”
They shook their heads. “No, he hasn’t played with us lately.”
Jiang Nan understood. The “aftershock” of the divorce had finally arrived.
At the courtyard, Jiang Nan called out, “Cheng Hao, I brought you picture books—*Little Soldier Zhang Ga* and *Nezha Conquers the Sea*. Today the cinema is showing *The Monkey King: Havoc in Heaven*. Do you want to go? If not, I’ll leave!”
She stood waiting, and soon heard quarrels inside. Cheng Hao wanted to come out, but was being held back.
Jiang Nan smiled knowingly. She wasn’t about to underestimate the irresistible pull of childhood idols.
Sure enough, before long Cheng Hao opened the door. His grandmother was still clutching his collar, but the moment she saw Jiang Nan, she awkwardly let go. Adjusting her clothes as if nothing had happened, she glared and snapped, “What, stirring up our family wasn’t enough? You still dare to come here! Cheng Hao doesn’t need a mother who ruins his father’s life!”
Ever since Cheng Denglin had come home to await investigation, the Cheng family had been frightened, and his mother hated Jiang Nan and her aunt’s family even more.
Jiang Nan only smiled, pulled the picture books from her bag, and handed them to Cheng Hao. He snatched them eagerly, flipping through without a glance at his grandmother’s dark expression.
Jiang Nan then said to the grandmother, “If I don’t come, do you refuse his living expenses?”
She handed money to Cheng Hao. “Here’s two months’ living expenses. Give it to your grandma—we’re leaving.”
She wanted everyone to see that she hadn’t abandoned Cheng Hao, that she was still supporting him, minimizing the damage he suffered.
Without looking up, Cheng Hao passed the money straight to his grandmother. When Jiang Nan told him to put down the book and go, he refused. Instead, he dashed back inside, grabbed his schoolbag, and carefully tucked the picture books inside, determined to take them along.
Jiang Nan didn’t stop him. She simply carried out everything she had promised:
– At the state-run restaurant, they ate braised pork.
– She bought soda and hawthorn sticks for the movie.
– He mixed the soda and hawthorn together, sour enough to make him grimace while watching, yet he was delighted all the same.
On the way home, Jiang Nan reminded him again, “Lately, a lot of people have been laughing at you, haven’t they?”
Cheng Hao nodded, his mood suddenly sinking. Yes. These days, whether adults or children, everyone asked if he knew his parents had divorced, or if his mother had abandoned him. His grandmother constantly said at home that his mother had turned the household upside down, nearly cost his father his job, left the family starving, and forbade him from acknowledging her. He thought all these people were so annoying!
And his mother too—she had promised to bring him good food and fun things. He had waited and waited, from his father’s vacation until his father returned to work, yet she still hadn’t come.
Cheng Hao believed those words—he thought his mother really didn’t want him anymore. So he decided he didn’t want her either.
Before his mother came to see him today, Cheng Hao had already made up his mind: he wouldn’t speak to her, and he wouldn’t support her in old age.
His reaction was exactly what Jiang Nan expected. If his grandmother wasn’t stirring up trouble, and if this “little rascal” suddenly turned into a good son, that would be the real surprise.
“Do you remember what I told you?” Jiang Nan bent down to look at him.
“If anyone mocks or bullies you, just tell them what I did with you today. Tell them to go home and ask their mothers—who aren’t divorced—to take them out. If they don’t, then they’ve already lost to you. They have no right to laugh at you.”
Sure enough, Cheng Hao brightened again, his eyes sparkling. “When will you come see me next time?” he asked eagerly.
Jiang Nan thought for a moment. “I’m not sure, but definitely within thirty days.”
Cheng Hao looked disappointed. “Can’t you come more often?” He wanted to feel this happy every day.
Jiang Nan chuckled. “I have to work to earn money. Without money, how could we play? I could only take you to sit in the park doing nothing—would you enjoy that?”
Cheng Hao quickly shook his head and compromised. “Alright then.”
When they reached home, he waved to Jiang Nan. “Come earlier next time!”
Neighbors in the compound, seeing mother and son return so cheerful after their outing, clicked their tongues in amazement. They said Jiang Nan really knew how to coax a child.
Jiang Nan didn’t hear them. She hurried to catch the last bus to Hongshan Commune. There were only a few passengers. In the front row sat a woman with gauze wrapped around her head.
Jiang Nan glanced at her and thought, *What are the odds of meeting injured people on this bus so often?*
First Zhao Rui, now this woman—both with head injuries. What a coincidence.
After getting off, Jiang Nan saw the woman carrying a travel bag toward the guesthouse, but paid no attention. Unexpectedly, not long after returning to her dormitory, freshly washed, she saw the woman again.
Teacher Zhu brought her to Jiang Nan’s door, apologetically asking if she could stay the night.
“Comrade Cen’s introduction letter has expired, so the guesthouse won’t let her stay. It’s already dark, and going back to the brigade isn’t safe. She can only borrow a bed at the school for one night,” Teacher Zhu explained.
Jiang Nan didn’t mind, but said, “There is an empty bed, but I don’t have extra bedding. As for Teacher Ni’s bed, I can’t make that decision.”
In March, the local nights were still chilly. Without bedding, one would surely catch cold.
Teacher Zhu was delighted when Jiang Nan agreed. “I have an extra quilt,” she said happily. She went back and fetched it. And so, Jiang Nan contributed a bamboo mat and half a pot of hot water, settling the young educated woman in for the night.
Once the guest was wrapped in the quilt and resting, Jiang Nan sat down at her desk to review her lessons. After spending the whole day playing with Cheng Hao, her study plan was still unfinished.
Sensing someone’s gaze, Jiang Nan turned and saw the young woman sitting on the bed, staring at her in a daze.
“Are you going to take the college entrance exam?” the woman asked.
“Yes,” Jiang Nan nodded. She had taken it in her previous life as well. The woman—Cen Jingqiu—fell into her own thoughts. Her results had been poor, cutting off her chance to return to the city. Unable to accept it, she abandoned her husband and child and fled home. After eight years in the countryside, her family had changed beyond recognition. Her brother and sister‑in‑law had three children, occupying the rooms that once belonged to her and her sister. She didn’t even have a place to sleep, yet she refused to return to the village.
She knew the resumption of the college entrance exam meant policies were loosening. City officials would no longer drive educated youth back to the countryside door to door. She didn’t want to go back to the fields under the blazing sun, her skin turning sallow, nor endure the stench of the dry latrines, fearing maggots crawling onto her feet. Then her brother and sister‑in‑law introduced her to a suitor, hoping she would marry quickly. She accepted, planning to prepare for the exam she had waited seven or eight years for, while placating her family—only to leave after the exam. But she failed again. With no other choice, she had to marry.
After her remarriage, the next few years were the easiest of Cen Jingqiu’s life—more comfortable even than her youth at her parents’ home. She lived in a spacious house, didn’t need to work, spent her days reading and listening to music, cooking and doing laundry for her second husband and stepson. Everything seemed wonderful. But the good days didn’t last. A few years later, that man was executed for smuggling and corruption, and all the family’s assets were confiscated. Once again she fell into poverty. She wanted a divorce, but her in‑laws refused to let her go, insisting she find work to support her stepson. It took great effort for her to escape.
Without work experience, she could only do menial labor, living in hardship—until Lu Xiaoxiao came to her.
Thinking of her future daughter‑in‑law, Cen Jingqiu smiled. The son she had abandoned still remembered her. The man she had hurt never remarried for more than ten years. Looking at Zhao Rui—majestic, steady, and dignified—she regretted it. Her marriage to Zhao Rui had been a matter of expedience. Life in the countryside was too bitter, too exhausting; she couldn’t even earn enough grain for herself. She had no choice but to marry a local man, just to avoid starving. By chance, she met Zhao Rui, who was weary of endless matchmaking. They agreed quickly, married, and had a child. She had thought there was no real affection between them, so she left decisively. She never imagined that the man would be so wounded he would remain single for life.
(Zhao Rui: ???)
Later, when their son worked tirelessly to reunite them, she agreed. But Zhao Rui’s mother refused. Only after the old woman passed away did they have a chance—yet Zhao Rui was killed in a car accident. Her son inherited everything. Even though Zhao Rui’s company later split and the assets shrank, her life remained comfortable. Then, after an accidental fall, she returned to her youth.
Cen Jingqiu was overjoyed. She hadn’t yet sent out the divorce papers—everything could still be changed. So she packed her bags at once and came back. This time, she would make up for all her regrets!
Jiang Nan thought the woman might not be entirely sound. She had been absent‑minded all the way; now her eyes were filled with sorrow and nostalgia, then suddenly lit with excitement. Clearly, she was someone with a story.
But it wasn’t Jiang Nan’s concern.
Seeing the woman fall silent, Jiang Nan returned to her practice questions.
Meanwhile, Zhao Rui, staring at the suddenly reappeared Cen Jingqiu, was stunned. Could it be that he wasn’t reborn after all—but had crossed into a parallel world?