“My tummy swallowed so much water. It hurts, it feels awful. I don’t want the bad woman to wash me—Brother, you wash me.”

“Come on, I’ll find you some clothes,” Fantuan said as he led Douya(Xiaobao) away.

Watching their tiny figures leave, Qin Nian’s lips trembled, and she almost burst into tears.

Her first attempt at being a mother had failed.

But Qin Nian wasn’t discouraged.

Nothing happens overnight.

She believed that as long as she gave those two little ones enough love, they would eventually accept her—and even grow to love this “new mother” with a changed heart.

Soon, Mother Qin(Qin Mu) had boiled water, Father Qin(Qin Fu) fetched cold water, and together they filled the wooden tub with warm water.

They placed Douya in the bath to wash up.

They always said children of this era matured early, and Qin Nian, watching for the first time, found them utterly endearing.

Fantuan bathed his sister with care and gentleness.

When washing her hair, he even knew to let her lean her head back on the little stool, like the way people enjoyed hair-washing at a salon.

Before long, the grimy little bundle had turned into a fragrant, soft, cotton-candy princess.

Qin Nian stood nearby, smiling like a fond auntie.

In her past life, by the time she reached thirty, her parents had arranged several blind dates for her. Afterward, when she refused to add the men on WeChat, they mocked her as a barren leftover woman.

One particularly cruel man said that even if she could have children, they’d surely be crippled or brain-damaged.

Though she slapped him several times, the insult had left her fuming, nearly to the point of spitting blood.

Now, she had woken up to find herself a mother—painlessly, and with two children already.

Though she felt guilty toward her past-life parents, wasn’t she still blessed in this life?

Father and Mother Qin had never before seen their daughter gaze at children with such tenderness.

They were overjoyed, though also frightened—because this change of heart had nearly cost her life.

“Douya, you smell so sweet now. Let Mommy dress you, okay?”

Before Douya could answer, Mother Qin stuffed the little clothes into Qin Nian’s hands.

With the grandparents around, Fantuan only cast a glance at his mother—who was now beaming with stars in her eyes as she dressed his sister—and held his tongue.

His gaze, however, remained complicated.

The adults always said that facing death could change a person’s heart.

Had the bad woman truly changed?

While gently helping her soft, fragrant daughter into clothes, Qin Nian said, “Dad, Mom, from now on let’s use the names you picked. Let’s call Fantuan ‘Tuantuan’ and Douya ‘Doudou.’”

Because Xie Zhengnian had a huge appetite from years of training, the original Qin Nian, upon giving birth to her son, had mockingly named him “Rice Bucket.”

Only after strong protests from the Qin family had the name been changed to Fantuan.

When the daughter was born, seeing the girl’s long legs that mirrored Xie Zhengnian’s, she had named her “Bamboo Shoot.”

Later, persuaded by Mother Qin, the name became Douya.

In short, the original had disliked these children precisely because they resembled Xie Zhengnian—and had even tried to kill them.

Now, for this new Qin Nian, winning back their trust was no easy task.

So, step one: change the names.

Father and Mother Qin had already been calling the children Tuantuan and Doudou in private, so when they heard this, they quickly agreed.

After dressing Doudou, Qin Nian, still smiling, reached out to bathe Tuantuan.

Since he could remember, Tuantuan had always bathed himself.

At six years old, he already considered himself a “big kid.”

Even when playing in the river, he insisted on wearing his little shorts. There was no way he would let Qin Nian bathe him.

“No. I can do it myself.” His face was cold as he refused, then grabbed his washbasin and ran into the house.

But the hurried, stumbling steps betrayed his flustered heart.

The bad woman’s smile had been so soft, so warm.

Had she really changed?

Unaware of her son’s conflicted thoughts, Qin Nian, unable to please him, went to bathe herself instead.

Soaking in the warm tub, she scrubbed down comfortably—her first bath in this 1970s story world.

When she finished, Mother Qin had already laid out dinner, and Tuantuan and Doudou were sitting obediently at the table.

“Dad, Mom, don’t wait for me in the future. Once the food’s ready, you eat first,” Qin Nian said as she picked up the chopsticks and set them in front of the two children.

Both children lowered their heads.

Doudou quickly withdrew her little hands from the table and hid them behind her back.

“Grandpa and Grandma first,” Tuantuan mumbled with his head down.

That small, instinctive reaction pierced Qin Nian’s heart.

In her mind flashed a scene that made her sick with guilt.

The original Qin Nian, proud that the Qin family was respected in the village, had insisted on strict rules. Children were never allowed to eat before elders, and chopsticks must always be handed to the elders first.

Once, to “test” them, she had given the chopsticks to the children.

When little Doudou reached out first, the original had beaten her tiny hands again and again with chopsticks, until they were swollen and bloody.

Tuantuan had shielded his sister, only to be beaten even harder.

Even then, the original had not been satisfied.

She made the children stand outside in the cold night without food.

The image of those two small figures, shivering in the dark wind, made Qin Nian slap herself across the face.

The pain was hers now, but she felt the original owner deserved far worse.

“Nian Nian, don’t be like this,” Mother Qin said, heart aching at the five red prints blooming on her daughter’s cheek. “You’ve realized your mistakes. Just treat the children well from now on—it’s not too late.”

Father Qin, too, was pained, though he said nothing.

He had long thought his daughter too cruel.

At times, he had even considered cutting ties with her entirely, raising only his grandchildren.

“Tuantuan, Doudou… it was all Mommy’s fault before. I’m sorry. From now on, if you’re hungry, you eat. You can eat whatever you like.” Qin Nian’s eyes reddened as she set the chopsticks in front of them.

Sensing her sincerity, Doudou lifted her head just as a tear slid down Qin Nian’s cheek.

“Don’t cry, Mommy. Doudou will rub it better.”

The little girl slid off her chair and ran to her mother on her long little legs.

Tuantuan tried to stop her, but Father Qin held his hand.

“Don’t worry. Your mom is different now. She won’t hurt you anymore.”

Tuantuan’s eyes filled with hope and suspicion as he looked at Qin Nian.

Had the bad woman really changed?