“I’m sorry, Weiwei, but I’ve only ever thought of you as a sister. I don’t have feelings for you.”

“Song Wei, Luo Yecheng and I are now together, so please stay away from him from now on. It’s uncomfortable for both of us when you’re around.”

“Song Wei, have you no shame? Luo Yecheng already said he doesn’t like you…”

SPLASH…

The sensation of falling into the water and the choking feeling of drowning was overwhelming.

A flood of memories flashed through her mind like a television drama playing out scene by scene. Suddenly, Song Wei’s eyes flew open, and she found herself staring at a slightly old, plain white ceiling.

Wasn’t she supposed to be dead?

What was happening…?

“Song Wei, you’re awake! How are you feeling?”

A woman with two pigtail braids, wearing simple, patched-up clothes, walked over and asked with concern.

“You’re so foolish! Even if Luo Yecheng doesn’t like you, you shouldn’t have jumped into the river to end your life.”

Li Juan, the woman, sighed with relief upon seeing her awake.

Looking down at her own hands, Song Wei’s pupils trembled, and tears filled her eyes. But this wasn’t sadness—these were tears of pure joy.

She… had transmigrated.

She’d come to a world with no radiation, no mutated animals or plants.

The air here was so fresh it made her want to take deep, greedy breaths.

Li Juan noticed her crying and mistook her tears for sadness.

“Don’t cry now. Everyone already knows that Luo Yecheng and Jiang Xiaowan are together. It’s not worth it…”

“I’m fine,” Song Wei said hoarsely, a hint of embarrassment in her voice.

Gurgle gurgle…

Her stomach grumbled with hunger, a sensation she knew all too well. But her face remained calm—this feeling was a daily reality in her old, desolate world. She’d gotten used to it.

“Oh! I nearly forgot!”

Li Juan quickly pulled out an aluminum lunchbox that looked worn from years of use.

“This is your share of the food. I brought it over for you.”

Opening the lunchbox, the scent of food hit her, and Song Wei’s eyes lit up with greed.

She eagerly grabbed the box, forgoing the spoon and poured the whole grain porridge directly into her mouth.

Li Juan was taken aback by her ravenous eating, startled by how ferociously she devoured the food.

It must have been some serious hunger to push a pale, frail girl like this into such a desperate state.

The so-called porridge was merely coarse cornmeal mush made from dried corn, mixed with tiny bits of stone that hadn’t been fully sifted out. It was harsh on the throat, but Song Wei loved it.

This was real, pure, natural food without any pollution.

“Slow down! Nobody’s taking it from you,” Li Juan said, worried she might choke as she handed her a bowl of water.

Song Wei took a large gulp, easing her throat, then went right back to eating.

She devoured the meal in no time, and the feeling of food filling her stomach was incredibly satisfying.

After she’d eaten, a doctor came by to check on her. Her body was still weak, and the doctor asked if she wanted to stay and rest or be discharged.

She chose to leave.

The doctor looked at her, hesitating—she looks as if she might faint at any moment.

Song Wei’s appearance was soft and delicate, like a traditional southern belle. Though her features were beautiful, her slim, fragile frame didn’t seem suited for hard labor, yet here she was, assigned as an educated youth in the countryside.

Right now, her face was pale, giving her a sickly look that would make anyone feel pity.

“Maybe you should reconsider?” the doctor asked gently.

“No,” she replied firmly. “I’m ready to leave.”

“Well then, the bill is one yuan.”

One yuan. Li Juan winced at the amount.

The doctor chimed in, “You’re young; no need to get so worked up. Jumping into the water in the middle of winter… you’ve suffered enough. Next time, don’t be so reckless.”

Embarrassed, Song Wei asked Li Juan to cover the bill for her.

“I didn’t bring any money.”

Though Li Juan was pained by the expense, she agreed to lend her the money.

“You’d better remember to pay me back.”

One yuan was a significant amount for her.

“I’ll pay you back as soon as we get back,” Song Wei promised. Having retained this body’s memories, she knew where to find her money.

Her body was still weak, but her steps were light, and her gaze carried a hint of excitement.

Li Juan found it odd—why did she seem so cheerful?

They returned to the village on an ox cart that happened to be waiting at the usual spot.

A few village women were already sitting there, chatting with their baskets in hand.

Song Wei’s sharp ears caught her name being mentioned.

“Isn’t that Comrade Song?”

Seeing her appear so suddenly, everyone on the cart turned to look at her.

“Oh, Comrade Song, you’re up and about already?” She didn’t look entirely well, though.

“Come sit here! It’s good to see you’re up. Everyone’s been worried.”

Worried, yes, but more out of curiosity than genuine concern. The whole village had heard about her jumping into the river over Luo Yecheng, and people were buzzing with gossip.

“Hello, Aunt Ma, Aunt Guihua…”

Pale and sweaty from the exertion, Song Wei’s lips looked faintly blue, as if she could pass out at any moment.

Yet, in truth, she felt fantastic.

With a full belly, she felt content and matched faces to the names in her memory, though many faces were still unfamiliar.

After all, her previous self had only been here for about a week.

“Comrade Song, did you hear? Comrade Luo is about to marry Jiang Xiaowan.”

One woman leaned over, gossiping. “Luo Yecheng is really popular, but look at you! You even jumped into the river over him, and he didn’t show a bit of worry. He’s still going ahead with the marriage as if nothing happened.”

Another woman quickly scolded her, “Liu Guifen, what are you stirring up? Comrade Song just got out of the hospital. What if you upset her and she ends up back there?”

Who would say such things to someone who had just been discharged?

Liu Guifen scooted away, as if afraid Song Wei might blame her for anything that happened.

Song Wei glanced at her, recognizing Liu Guifen from her original memories.

“Oh, I’m fine, thank you, Aunt Ma. But…”

She looked genuinely puzzled. “Who said I jumped into the river over Comrade Luo?”

The people on the cart exchanged glances.

Liu Guifen quickly interjected, “Come now, Comrade Song, don’t deny it to save face. Everyone knows you jumped in for Comrade Luo.”

Song Wei kept a look of confusion, responding calmly, “I did like Comrade Luo before, but I wouldn’t risk my life over him. That day, I happened to run into Comrade Jiang Xiaowan by the river. We had a bit of a disagreement about him, things got a little rough, and I slipped on the wet stones by the riverbank and fell in.”