“Tao Ya, Tao Ya!”
A woman rushed over frantically, shoved her aside, snatched the child, and began weeping bitterly. “What’s wrong with you? Don’t scare your mother like this.”
“The child is fine, just choked on some water. She’ll wake up in a moment.” Zhou Qiong had just emerged from the water after rescuing the child, her mind still foggy and oxygen-deprived. She wiped her water-blurred eyes and was about to warn the woman about being more careful with children when she suddenly met the other’s furious glare.
“Madwoman, tell me, did you throw the child into the water? If anything happens to her today, I won’t let you off.”
Zhou Qiong was stunned. “Are you insane? Didn’t you see I was the one who saved her?”
Wait, why was this woman dressed like that?
“You’re the insane one! There’s no one else around here. If it wasn’t you, who else could it be? Could she have jumped in herself? You crazy lunatic!” After cursing, the woman turned and walked away without looking back, clutching the child.
“You didn’t even thank me, and you cursed me instead.”
Zhou Qiong stared fixedly at the woman carrying the child into the distance, seething with anger.
Today had truly been bizarre—no good deed goes unpunished. To save someone, she was now soaked through, water dripping everywhere from her hair. Instinctively, she gathered her hair in front of her chest to wring it dry, but something felt off. Why was her hair so long, reaching all the way to her waist?
Catching an accidental glimpse of her chest, she gasped—good heavens, when had she grown so much? And what was with these clothes? Coarse fabric with patches was one thing, but why were they so filthy?
This wasn’t right. She had merely seen a child fall into the water and jumped in to save them. Why did everything feel so strange after coming out?
She glanced around sharply and suddenly froze.
Where was this place? It definitely wasn’t the scenic area she had been in before.
She was possessed!
With that thought, she steadied herself and hurried to the riverbank.
In the reflection in the water, a disheveled woman around thirty years old stared back at her curiously. When she moved, the reflection moved too. She pushed her hair aside—though it looked like a normal person’s face, she couldn’t help but let out a scream, “Ah!”
The cry echoed through the sky, carrying her panic and terror!
With no one around, she slumped onto the grassy bank, extending her hands to examine them closely. Grief and helplessness washed over her. Had she taken over someone else’s body? How had a dip in the water transformed her from a twenty-year-old young woman into this slovenly middle-aged woman?
Look at these fingernails—long and dirty. Even after being soaked in water, her hands were still grimy and black. She felt sick just looking at them. Unable to resist, she glanced down at her clothes. How long had it been since they were washed? Stains everywhere, patches aside—what kind of style was this, with ties instead of buttons? What kind of wretched place had she ended up in, so impoverished?
Just as she was on the verge of breaking down, several figures suddenly came running from the distance—more precisely, several children.
“Brother Xiao Shu, hurry! I saw your mother!”
“Where?”
“Over there in the grass.”
Soon, three children stood before her. The oldest one looked at her with a face full of resignation.
“Mother, didn’t I tell you? We’d come back after finishing our work. Why did you untie the rope and run off on your own? We’ve been searching everywhere for you.”
The little girl among the three walked up to her. “Mother, let’s go back.”
Zhou Qiong looked at the children and pointed at herself. “Mother?”
The little girl looked at her, then turned to the older boy. “Brother, Mother doesn’t seem to recognize us again.”
The boy sighed bitterly, walked to her other side, and tried to lift her up with effort. “Come on, Mother. Look at you—your clothes are all wet. You need to go back and change.”
Zhou Qiong stood up with their help and was led away from the riverbank by the girl.
“Gui Bao, thank you so much today for finding my mother.”
The younger boy rubbed his head and smiled. “I heard Auntie Wanggu in the village scolding someone, saying your mother pushed her daughter into the river. That’s how I knew she was by the river.”
None of the three children were very old. They wore their hair in ancient-style child buns, looking no older than ten, and their clothes were similarly patched and worn. The only difference was that theirs were slightly cleaner than hers.
She followed silently along the way. Two of these children were her own, both calling her “Mother.”
Who exactly was she? If she followed them back and ran into the children’s father, wouldn’t that be awkward? The thought filled her with panic.
They were clearly a very remote mountain family. They walked halfway along a dirt road without seeing anyone, though towering mountains were visible in the distance—a sight she had rarely seen before.
The little girl held her hand the whole time, occasionally looking up and smiling at her. “Mother, Third Aunt’s family had wild vegetable pancakes today. Brother saved one for you. Hurry back and try it.”
“Third Aunt’s family had wild vegetable pancakes today?” The child named Gui Bao immediately swallowed twice. “It’s been so long since I’ve had pancakes. My grandma said that after we sell some grain in the autumn, she’ll buy flour to make pancakes for me.”
“You’re such a glutton! That pancake was specially saved for my mother. There’s none for you. For that pancake, my brother even got scolded by Third Aunt today.”
“I wasn’t craving your mother’s pancake!” The little boy flushed with embarrassment at the girl’s teasing. “I—I was just saying it’s been a long time since I’ve had any.”
The older boy walked beside them in silence. Soon, they climbed a slope, and before long, they finally saw two dilapidated thatched huts by a barren patch of grass.
An old woman stood outside the farther hut, waving at them.
Gui Bao dashed over. “Grandma, we found Auntie Zhou. She was by the river.” His voice carried far, rising and falling.
Zhou Qiong looked at the house not far away, feeling a chill in her heart. Could this really be where she lived? Was this even habitable?
Had the man of this family died, leaving his wife and children to live like this? As these thoughts crossed her mind, her feet had already followed the children’s steps to the front of the house.
The old woman walked straight over, looking at her with exasperation. “Look at you, scaring the children like this! Didn’t I tell you not to wander off? Why won’t you listen?”
“Grandma, it’s fine. We found her, that’s what matters.” The little girl smiled brightly as she opened the broken fence gate. “Mother, come inside. I’ll get the pancake for you.”
The fence seemed to serve little purpose, whether it was there or not.
Zhou Qiong walked into the small courtyard with mixed feelings.
“Xiao Miao, keep an eye on Mother. Help her change clothes. I’ll go fetch water from the river.” The boy went straight into the side room and soon came out carrying a bucket.
The little girl ran into the house and brought out a bowl from the table. “Mother, here’s the pancake. Go change your clothes quickly, then come out and eat it.”
Zhou Qiong frowned as she looked at the dark, unappetizing pancake, her mind resisting it fiercely. Yet, her hand seemed to move on its own, picking it up. She hesitated for a moment before finally bringing it to her lips and taking a bite. There was no other choice—her stomach was growling with hunger, and she had no idea how long it had been since she last ate.