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At this moment, in Daxi Village.
The sky gradually darkened as the sun set, and the children playing outside were being called home by their parents for dinner.
Only An An remained, sitting alone under the old pagoda tree, staring blankly into the distance.
He held a brand-new pair of shoes in his arms—the ones his mother had made for him two days ago. He couldn’t bring himself to wear them.
Two days ago, his mother had told him she was going to the city for some errands and would be back the next day. But today was already the third day, and she still hadn’t returned…
The others said that his mother had abandoned him and run away with another man.
When he heard that, he rushed forward and bit the person’s arm hard, making them cry out in pain and fling him off.
But he didn’t feel any pain himself. He just kept repeating, “Mom didn’t run away! Mom will come back!”
But…
Would his mother really come back?
An An felt like crying, but he forced himself to hold it in.
A man doesn’t cry.
That’s what Mom had told him.
So he couldn’t cry.
Just then, through his blurred vision, a familiar figure appeared in the distance.
That figure was slender and beautiful—it was Mom!
“Mom, you’re back!”
An An ran toward her and threw himself into Li Xia’s arms, finally letting out all the emotions he had been holding in for the past few days. “I thought you didn’t want me anymore…”
Li Xia’s body stiffened slightly as she looked down at the little radish head in front of her.
He was truly his father’s son—what a handsome little boy.
Especially those big, dark eyes—they were stunning.
But right now, they were glistening with unshed tears, making him look pitiful and heartbreakingly adorable.
Li Xia crouched down and softened her voice. “Mm, Mom is back. Were you waiting for me here, An An?”
An An nodded, loosening his grip around Li Xia and instead holding her hand tightly. His small fingers clenched around hers as if the moment he let go, she would disappear again.
“They said Mom left and wouldn’t come back… Mom, where did you go? Why did it take you so long to return?” An An looked up at her with his red, swollen eyes.
Li Xia felt as if her heart was about to shatter.
She wasn’t sure if it was an emotion left behind by the original Li Xia or if it was entirely her own—but all she knew was that she couldn’t bear to see An An this sad.
And when her gaze fell on the pair of cloth shoes in An An’s arms, that ache in her chest grew even stronger.
These shoes…
They were the last thing the original Li Xia had made for An An before she left. The final gift from mother to son.
Recalling what the original Li Xia had told An An before leaving, Li Xia gently explained, “They were lying. How could Mom not come back? I went to the city to withdraw some money, but I got caught in the rain and fell sick. That’s why I was late coming home.”
Hearing that his mother had been sick, An An immediately looked worried. “You got sick? Are you feeling better now? Are you okay?”
“I took some medicine, and I’m already much better,” Li Xia reassured him before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a grease-stained paper bag.
“Oh, right! I also brought you some meat buns from the state-run restaurant. They’re still warm—hurry up and eat.”
Since she had been keeping them close to her body, the buns were still warm. As she unwrapped the paper bag, plump, steaming meat buns peeked out, releasing a rich, mouthwatering aroma.
The moment An An saw them, his stomach growled loudly. He hadn’t eaten anything all day.
“Smells so good!” He took the buns eagerly, biting into one with a big chomp.
“You must’ve been starving.” Li Xia’s heart ached at the sight.
The original story didn’t go into detail about An An’s life in Daxi Village after the original Li Xia passed away. However, knowing what kind of people the original Li Xia’s uncle’s family was, it was easy to imagine how much suffering An An had endured these past two days.
Now that it was already dark, a four-year-old child was still outside, yet no one from the Li family had come looking for him. Were they not even afraid that something might happen to him?
“How did Grandpa and Grandma treat you while I was away?” Li Xia asked.
She was referring to the original Li Xia’s uncle and his wife. The original Li Xia had lost her parents at a young age and had been raised in her uncle’s household. After An An was born, he had always called them Grandpa and Grandma.
Over the years, the original Li Xia had treated her uncle and aunt like her own parents, showing them utmost filial respect. In return, they had taken full advantage of her foolish devotion, using it to manipulate her.
An An swallowed a mouthful of fragrant pork, hesitating for a moment before saying, “Grandpa and Grandma secretly cooked meat and hid it to eat by themselves. They only gave me cornmeal porridge… and they made me go to the mountains to cut pig grass. If I didn’t, they wouldn’t even let me eat the porridge…”
A little over four years old, barely taller than a carrying basket, yet they made him carry one as big as himself up the mountain to cut pig grass. If he didn’t fill the basket to the brim, he wouldn’t be allowed to eat.
How was this any different from abuse?
Li Xia clenched her fists in anger, wishing she could cut those two from the Li family like pig grass.
Taking a deep breath, she forced a reassuring smile and said, “It’s okay. Mommy is back now. No one will bully you anymore.”
“Mm!” An An nodded vigorously.
To be fair, although the original Li Xia had never loved Gu Weicheng, she had truly adored her own biological son, An An.
Even in the last moments of her life, her biggest concern had been—What will happen to An An after I’m gone?
An An had only eaten one of the two large meat buns. Even though he hadn’t eaten all day and his stomach wasn’t completely full, he still saved the other one for Li Xia. “Mommy, you eat.”
Li Xia didn’t refuse his filial gesture. She took a bite and said, “Alright, Mommy will eat with An An.”
Hearing that, An An thought it made sense. He looked at the remaining warm, fragrant meat bun and continued eating.
Mother and son sat beneath the old pagoda tree, taking turns eating the meat bun, one bite at a time.
The rich aroma of the meat buns filled the evening breeze. An An looked at his mother and felt that she seemed different today—she smiled a lot more. He liked seeing her smile.
“An An, how about Mommy takes you to the army base to find Daddy?” Li Xia suddenly asked.
This was a carefully considered decision. The original Li Xia’s uncle’s family was heartless—there was no benefit in staying here. With the ongoing Ten-Year Movement, and in an era where traveling anywhere required an introduction letter, where else could she go with a child?
After weighing all her options, following Gu Weicheng to the army as a military spouse seemed like the best choice.
An An’s head snapped up.
Daddy…
He had never met his father. His mother rarely mentioned him, and whenever others asked about his father, she would become upset.
Because of this, An An never dared to bring up the word Daddy in front of her—he was afraid she’d get mad.
But now, Mommy was the one who mentioned Daddy… and she didn’t seem angry? She even wanted to take him to see him!
An An didn’t say yes or no—he simply said, “Wherever Mommy goes, I’ll go too.”
After finishing the meat buns, Li Xia took An An to the village leader’s house to request an introduction letter for traveling to the army base.
The village leader had been close to Li Xia’s late father, so he naturally hoped for her well-being.
However, this girl had always listened blindly to her uncle and aunt, never heeding anyone else’s advice. There was nothing he could do about it.
Now, hearing that Li Xia was planning to go to the army, he chuckled and said, “Xiao Xia, you’ve finally thought it through? Taking An An to join the military family? That’s a good idea. A family should stay together. Being apart for too long isn’t good.”
“Yes, Uncle Liu, you’re right. A family should be together.” Li Xia replied.
The original Li Xia had been completely misled by her uncle’s family, unable to distinguish between right and wrong. But as an outsider now inhabiting this body, Li Xia could see everything clearly.
She could tell at a glance who was genuinely kind and who was merely pretending.
Moreover, based on the original novel’s timeline, the male and female leads were about to meet soon.
She needed to take An An and find Gu Weicheng before that happened.