Chapter 1

End of August 1971.

In Lanshan Village, at the foot of Lanshan Mountain, a plump little girl, about six years old, squatted at the village entrance.

She wore a slightly worn army green shirt and trousers. The shirt was a bit oversized, and her rolled-up sleeves revealed her soft arms.

People passing by couldn’t help but glance back at her.

She was the first girl in the village to have such fair skin. She squatted there every day without getting sunburned, making other girls envious.

At that moment, a notoriously stingy woman from the village returned from the fields with a basket on her arm. As she passed the little girl, she crouched down, teased her, pinched her soft cheek, and left her a medium-sized sweet potato before walking away with a smile.

A few middle-aged women who were walking together were surprised to see this. However, upon closer inspection of the girl, they understood and approached her with friendly smiles. “Jiaojiao, are you waiting for your dad again?” they asked.

The girl, named Jiaojiao, looked up, revealing her delicate features. Her short hair made her look like a doll from a New Year’s picture. She smiled sweetly and replied, “Yes, Daddy will be back soon.”

“Oh, girls are just adorable!” One of the women said, touched, and teased Jiaojiao a bit more before following her friend to pick vegetables with their baskets. Since she hadn’t brought anything for the girl, she said, “I’ll bring you something to eat later, so don’t leave.”

Jiaojiao, holding the sweet potato in her hand, smiled and shook her head. “Thank you, auntie, but it’s not necessary.”

Her sweet voice made everyone smile even more.

After taking a few steps, the early autumn sun, still a bit hot, shone down. One of the women wondered, “Why is it sunny here?”

Just a moment ago, they felt cool while teasing the little girl, but now it seemed hot, and when they looked up, they realized there was no shade anymore.

“Who knows?” Another woman brushed off the dust from her gray-blue sleeves and nudged her friend, whispering, “Hey, do you think this girl, Tian Jiao, is Zhang Rui’s illegitimate daughter?”

The other two shook their heads in response. “No way. Didn’t I hear that it was the eldest son of the Zhang family who brought her back?”

“No, I heard from the educated youth that Zhang Rui adopted her and said he doesn’t want to get married.”

“Where did you hear that?”

“Remember, the second son of the Zhang family married a girl who graduated from junior high? She’s been with the educated youth, so of course, she passed it on. I don’t know how Zhang Zhi could be so blind. So many girls wanted to marry him, yet he chose a wife who doesn’t work and just knows how to be lazy. He only values her education.”

“No, we’re talking about that girl, Tian Jiao. I think she resembles the third son of the Zhang family.”

One woman rolled her eyes and complained, “Forget it. The third son of the Zhang family can’t have a beautiful girl like that. Her mother must be a fairy.”

The other woman couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“He is quite good-looking.”

“That man can’t possibly have a girl like Tian Jiao. They’re from completely different worlds.”

Everyone agreed, saying, “Yes, it’s a waste for this girl to be in the old Zhang family.”

The “gifted girl” they discussed was indeed the little girl from earlier—delicate and plump, prettier than a doll from a New Year picture. Just a few days ago, she was unexpectedly brought down from Lanshan by Zhang Rui, the third son of the Zhang family, to live with them.

To the villagers, this decision seemed foolish. Every family was struggling for food and clothing. On ordinary days, there weren’t enough cloth coupons to mend clothes. If a girl were born, the family’s food rations would decrease, which hardly seemed worthwhile.

But every time they looked at that pretty girl, they couldn’t bring themselves to part with such a lovely child.

A few middle-aged women, having nothing to do, gossiped and soon forgot about their chatter.

However, Tian Jiao, the subject of their conversation, had sharp ears. Even though she was a bit distant, she could still hear them talking poorly about her new dad. Tian Jiao pouted and said, “The new dad is very handsome.”

Though he wasn’t exceptionally beautiful, Zhang Rui was still quite attractive for someone raised in the countryside. He was a little fairer than most villagers since he didn’t work in the fields all day.

This was also why she had called him “dad” the first time she saw him after waking up in the forest.

Just as she finished mumbling, she heard faint muffled thunder in the sky, suggesting rain was on the way.

Tian Jiao looked up. The sky was bright and clear, but as the sun began to set, the horizon glowed with a stunning sunset.

It didn’t seem like rain was coming.

Yet the muffled thunder continued, almost as if it were trying to remind someone of something or express discontent.

Tian Jiao covered her mouth and laughed softly, “Heavenly Dad, don’t do this; be careful not to get caught.”

As soon as she said this, the muffled thunder stopped.

The people who had just looked up at the sky returned to their work, still smiling. “I thought it was going to rain. Let’s hurry and finish today; otherwise, the cotton will really get wet.”

“Yeah, that’s all we can do,” another replied.

Captain Zhai Xingwang smiled upon hearing this and praised, “Comrade Zhai Aiguo is very diligent. Don’t worry; the weather must be fine elsewhere. I’ve checked the forecast for the past two days. Everyone should proceed as usual.”

“Well, now is a good time. We can even predict the weather,” someone joked.

“Indeed, thinking back to the past,” another added.

As they chatted idly, a young man came running back, his forehead glistening with sweat, his gray-blue coat soaked.

When he spotted a small group squatting at the village entrance, he quickened his pace, making the large package on his back feel weightless.

“Dad!” a clear and loud voice called out.

Zhang Rui paused.

Then, the little girl at the entrance of the village dashed over, her eyes sparkling.

Zhang Rui also ran toward her. Facing the cool breeze, the father and daughter met. He caught her, pinched her under the armpits, spun her around, and then set her down. Out of breath, he said, “My dear, Daddy is tired today and can’t hold you anymore.”

Tian Jiao smiled, took his hand, pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his sweat, and nodded obediently, “It’s okay; I don’t want to hold you.”

She hadn’t planned on hugging him. This body felt quite substantial, and she was aware of that.

However, she felt insecure in this world, only feeling at ease with Zhang Rui. Especially after the ruckus in the house before she came out, caused by Second Aunt secretly taking eggs from the chicken coop and being caught by Old Mrs. Zhang, who returned home early from work.

Zhang Rui was 22 this year. He used to be a playful youth, but he had visibly matured in the past two days. When the little girl wiped his sweat, he smiled happily and noticed the sweet potato in her other hand. He asked knowingly, “Who gave you this?”

“Aunt Li gave it to me.” Tian Jiao had a good memory and had recognized most of the villagers over the past few days.

Zhang Rui clicked his tongue in surprise. He knew this girl was charming, but he was still taken aback.

Aunt Li was famous in the village for being stingy, rarely sharing any food. But Tian Jiao was different; by squatting at her door, she was able to receive something.

People who had come over to exchange Ding Ding candies yesterday had voluntarily given her a small piece without asking for money.

Zhang Rui took the sweet potato and held her soft little hand as they walked home. “Did you eat the eggs I left for you today?”

His family was against him raising a girl like her. Though they didn’t treat her poorly, they refused to give her eggs or other good things. Yet, Zhang Rui had always been the old lady’s favorite son. As long as he was at home, he could have an egg every morning. Since Tian Jiao came into his life, he saved the eggs. Before leaving that morning, he had placed the eggs in Tian Jiao’s quilt so she could touch them as soon as she woke up.

Tian Jiao nodded quickly and rubbed his arm, “I ate it!”

Zhang Rui felt satisfied, and his steps grew lighter. “Come on; let’s hurry back. Dad bought you new clothes. They’re beautiful!”

Tian Jiao quickened her pace, whispering, “They don’t have to be pretty.”

She had peeked and noticed that her new father didn’t have much money.

But Zhang Rui shook his head, saying, “How can that be? My daughter must wear the best.”

Tian Jiao bit her lip in confusion, “But what if you run out of money?”

“No, Dad is very rich. It’s a secret I’ll only tell you. Dad has saved a lot of money.”

Tian Jiao exclaimed, “Ah!”

As she stepped into the yard, she saw her mother-in-law and sister-in-law chasing each other. Her face fell. This was why she had hurried back.

Mrs. Zhang, Li Mizhen, in her fifties, was still agile. She wielded a broom and glared fiercely at the woman in front of her. “Ding Yushu, if you dare to steal eggs again, I will kill you.”

The woman called Ding Yushu wore two pretty pigtails that fell to her chest, dressed in her own shirt and trousers. She looked far prettier than the others in their gray clothes, but at that moment, she appeared quite disheveled. Breathing heavily, she said angrily, “It’s just an egg. Why are you so stingy? I give you all the money Zhang Zhi brings home every month, and you can’t even give me an egg? You’re really biased!”

“It’s what she deserves,” the old lady yelled, swinging the broom. Honestly, Li Mizhen had not been harsh with Ding Yushu regarding food. However, this woman was not only lazy but also notoriously greedy, wanting to consume everything in the house.

The couple shared one egg each day, and all of it went to Ding Yushu’s mouth. Moreover, she was still unsatisfied. She often snuck food when no one was home. Today, she even went directly into the chicken coop and took an egg that had just been laid.

When Li Mizhen returned and noticed the eggs, she immediately confronted them.

Fortunately, she arrived just in time. The egg had not been eaten yet. Ding Yushu held it in her hand, and when she saw Li Mizhen, she quickly swallowed it raw.

This infuriated Li Mizhen, who grabbed a broom and started to fight.

Ding Yushu, not one to take it lying down, kept running. Yet, she wanted to save face and was unwilling to go outside, leading to a chaotic scene in the yard.

The commotion was so intense that Zhang Rui felt anxious. With his second brother absent, he couldn’t stop his mother on his own. If he did nothing, who knew how long the fighting would last? He hesitated, uncertain whether to intervene.

Tian Jiao shrank back behind Zhang Rui in fear. The chaotic yard was frightening.

As she moved, she caught a glimpse of Ding Yushu being chased, glaring at them, especially at Tian Jiao. Ding Yushu always thought Tian Jiao was odd, with a pair of eyes that seemed to see through everything, which made her dislike her deeply. To make matters worse, the third child, favored by her mother-in-law, was even more annoying. Ding Yushu shouted, “I saw this girl eating eggs this morning. You would rather give the eggs to this wild child than to me! What kind of favoritism is this?”

“Humph.” Tian Jiao, feeling unjustly accused, replied, “What does that have to do with me? My father saved the eggs.”

Zhang Rui frowned, debating whether to step in. Instead, he clapped with a teasing smile, “Mom, go on!”

The old lady was initially out of breath and unable to keep up. But hearing this, her eyes sharpened, and she rushed forward. However, she tripped and fell to the ground.

Seizing the moment, the old lady struck Ding Yushu with the broom, landing a hit on her backside. With one hand on her hip, she sneered, “Ding Yushu, I run this house! You can’t even eat eggs!”

Ding Yushu, taken aback by the fall, felt her face flush with shame and anger, shouting, “Divorce or separate the family! This life is unbearable!”