Chapter 3

When she read this book, she already felt sorry for the original owner. What a pity—she died far too early!

If the original owner hadn’t died so soon, how could the heroine, Xie Yuting, have picked up such a bargain—an outstanding pair of beautiful, intelligent, and emotionally intelligent twins? The original owner could have used her children to gain favor and lived a life of luxury!

Not only did those unborn twins bring Xie Yuting a life of happiness, but they also made the male lead, He Siyuan, love her even more. They conveniently solved Xie Yuting’s infertility problem as well. It was like someone handing you a pillow the moment you feel sleepy—perfect timing!

As for whether she should go to the capital to find the children’s father, He Siyuan?

Fan Hua immediately dismissed the idea without hesitation.

Even though she had read the novel and knew that He Siyuan’s grandfather was a commander in a military district, and that He Siyuan had a bright future ahead of him, and even though she knew that if she went to the capital and held him accountable, life would probably become easier thanks to the He family’s status—

She just didn’t like He Siyuan as a character when reading the novel. She especially disliked his type. The author repeatedly described He Siyuan as “refined and elegant” and “cold and ascetic.”

They called him a highborn flower with a noble aura, but Fan Hua couldn’t help thinking of the term “hypocritical scumbag.”

She actually preferred someone more enthusiastic and proactive, maybe even a little roguish. After being a straight-A student and a well-behaved girl for so long, she was naturally drawn to someone with a different vibe.

On top of that, she was always dissatisfied with how He Siyuan handled the original owner, Fan Lihua, in the novel.

Sure, Fan’s parents were terrible—they schemed after discovering He Siyuan came from a good background, got him drunk, and even drugged the wine with an aphrodisiac usually used on livestock.

But the fact remains that He Siyuan slept with Fan Lihua, and she gave birth to his twins.

If the original Fan hadn’t seen He Siyuan—already somewhat accomplished—on the news eight years later and gone to Beijing to entrust the children to him before she died, He Siyuan probably never would’ve known there were consequences to that night.

Fan Hua remembered a scene from the book: Fan Lihua, on the brink of death, met He Siyuan. He looked solemn and, after a long silence, agreed to raise the children well.

But later on, He Siyuan was always too busy with work and treated the children worse than his disabled younger brother Zhao Yilu (who took their mother’s surname), who actually treated the kids better.

Fan Hua could understand that He Siyuan hated the Fan family for drugging him. But she still thought his avoidance of reality showed a lack of responsibility. After all, the children were his!

He Siyuan may have been a victim, but so was the original Fan Lihua. She hadn’t known her parents planned to make He Siyuan sleep with her!

That era was already harsh on women. Did He Siyuan ever think about how Fan Lihua was supposed to live after being slept with by him?

In the original book, when Xie Yuting found out about He Siyuan’s past with Fan Lihua, he played the victim card and made it sound like he had never even touched Fan Lihua.

In short, after reading the novel, Fan Hua had a very negative impression of He Siyuan. She thought he was a “refined scumbag” and wanted nothing to do with him.

She worried that if she went to Beijing, not only might He Siyuan refuse to take responsibility, but he might even use his power to pressure her into having an abortion. Or what if he fought her for custody after she gave birth?

Since she was just a short-lived side character in this story, she had no chance of winning against the protagonist pair. It was better to stay far, far away from them and live her own life—ideally, never meeting them again.

Once she sorted all that out, Fan Hua decided that since she wanted to stay away from the leads, she couldn’t go north. She might as well head south with Geng Ailing.

Since Geng Ailing offered to pay for her train ticket and even had an introduction letter ready, Fan Hua didn’t feel bad about taking advantage—after all, it was Geng Ailing who approached her first.

Thinking about the current year being 1978, with the Cultural Revolution over and the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee about to launch the reform and opening-up in December, Fan Hua felt thrilled. Southern cities like Shenzhen would soon rise rapidly. A golden era was coming!

She believed that as long as she seized the opportunity and used her talents, her future wouldn’t be too bad.

After resolving these troubling questions, Fan Hua felt completely at ease! She stood up and headed back to her inn.

When she got back, Geng Ailing was still waiting at the door—as if afraid to miss catching this “big fish.”

“Eh? Sister Geng, are you waiting for me here?” Fan Hua asked knowingly.

“Yes! You left so quickly, I was worried something happened. You don’t know anyone around here, so I was concerned,” Geng Ailing replied warmly.

“Sister Geng, you’re so kind. Since you’re this good to me, I’ve decided—I’ll head south with you!”

“Really?” Geng Ailing’s eyes lit up with joy. Looks like that 50 yuan reward was in the bag!

Fan Hua nodded and smiled, “Sister Geng, when do we leave?”

“There’s a train heading south at 4 p.m., just in time! We’ll take that one,” Geng Ailing replied excitedly.

“Okay, I’ll go pack up now and meet you at the station later,” Fan Hua said with a smile, hiding the cold glint in her eyes.

“Great! I’ll go pack too—see you at the front entrance of the lobby!”

They each returned to their rooms.

Fan Hua didn’t have much to pack. She picked up her small bundle and headed out. At the inn entrance, she saw a vendor quietly selling fruit. She pulled out five cents and bought three peaches.

She used a handkerchief to clean the peaches and packed them away, leaving one out to eat on the spot. And wow—pesticide-free fruit really did taste better!

Now that she was pregnant, she had to eat more fruit. Once she reached the south and started earning money, she planned to buy calcium and iron supplements for herself.

Oh right—also folic acid and DHA. She remembered her early-mom friend mentioning how pregnant women in the modern day all took those. She just wasn’t sure if 1970s hospitals stocked them.

As she ate her peach, Geng Ailing came out.

“Lihua, bought some peaches?” Geng Ailing asked with a smile.

Fan Hua sensed her meaning: You bought peaches, aren’t you going to share one with your good neighbor?

So she immediately took the initiative and started “crying” about her misfortunes, looking very pitiful:
“Yes, Sister Geng. You don’t know—I haven’t had a proper meal in days! Thank goodness I ran into you. If you hadn’t lent me ten yuan, I wouldn’t even have the strength to walk to the train station.”

Her eyes turned red, and a tear even fell. Her acting could win her the lead role in a Qiong Yao drama!

Fan Lihua was already naturally pretty, with a pure and delicate look. Pair that with this pitiful expression—who wouldn’t be moved?

Geng Ailing immediately stopped caring about the peaches. She rushed over, grabbed Fan Hua’s hand, and said, “It’s okay, Lihua. When we get to the station, I’ll take you to the state-run restaurant nearby for a proper meal!”

“Really? Sister Geng, you’re such a wonderful person! I’m so lucky to have met you. You’re truly my savior!”

Geng Ailing scratched her head shyly. “You really know how to talk, unlike me—I’m not good with words! I’m just really glad you’re coming with me. I’d be a bit nervous going south all alone.”

For a brief moment, Fan Hua looked into Geng Ailing’s clear, sincere eyes and wondered: had she misjudged her? Maybe she wasn’t as bad as she thought?

At the train station…

Maybe it was because her body had been hungry for too long, or maybe it was the pregnancy, but Fan Hua ate three big bowls of noodles in one sitting—making Geng Ailing feel sorry for her. But to her credit, Geng Ailing kept her word and didn’t let Fan Hua pay.

After filling her belly, Fan Hua was in a great mood and obediently followed Geng Ailing to wait for the train, soaking in the bustling atmosphere of a 1970s railway station.

It was as crowded as the Great Wall or the Forbidden City during Golden Week!

Luckily, their train car was near the entrance, so they didn’t have to walk far to board.

On the train, people jostled and pushed. Fan Hua carefully protected her belly, terrified of being bumped.