Chapter 1 – Going to the City

The green train from the 1980s clattered loudly as it rolled down the tracks. Inside the carriage, the air was thick with the stench of sweaty feet and pickled vegetables. Su Ying held her breath, her head throbbing with pain.

Just before this, in the 21st century, she had won a prestigious medical award and was about to be promoted to associate dean. But after falling asleep, she never woke up in her own world. When she opened her eyes again, she had transmigrated into the body of Su Ying from the 1980s.

The original Su Ying was twenty years old, from Shangyang Village in Changjiang County. She had just been accepted to university that year but never received her admission notice. After looking into it, she discovered someone had taken her place. Outraged, she went to the county to demand justice, only to be beaten and thrown out with injuries. The county hospital claimed they couldn’t treat her, so her mother, Chen Shuyun, had no choice but to bring her to the city for better medical care.

Chen Shuyun was dark-skinned and thin, with rough skin and fearful, anxious eyes. At the moment, she held Su Ying tightly, pulling her daughter’s legs closer to her own, afraid she might bump into the person next to them.

“Mom…”

It took Su Ying a moment of struggling before she could manage to call out that word.

Growing up in an orphanage, the word “Mom” was foreign to her, and saying it felt unfamiliar and awkward.

Chen Shuyun’s eyes were red and puffy, her voice hoarse.

“Does it still hurt? Want another painkiller?”

Su Ying had been hit on the head, and when the pain grew unbearable, Chen Shuyun would give her a tablet of Analgin. By the 21st century, this medicine was hardly used anymore, but in the 1980s, it was a household staple.

“Mom, I feel a little better. I’ll hold off for now.”

Su Ying struggled to sit up, looking out at the endless mountains and lush trees. It was a hot day, and the air inside the train was stuffy and suffocating, making her stomach churn.

“Mom, where are we going for treatment?”

Chen Shuyun spoke in a very soft voice. In the original Su Ying’s memory, her mother always acted meek and timid, fully devoted to her work. Su Jianshe had left home seven years ago, and she had supported the family alone since then. The villagers often said she was worth two strong laborers.

“Your father is in Jiangcheng. We’re going to find him.”

Su Jianshe used to be a sent-down youth in Shangyang Village. He married the village girl, Chen Shuyun, but when he returned to the city, he didn’t bring his wife or daughter along. In Su Ying’s memory, he was always cold and distant. He rarely did any work and liked reading books. Chen Shuyun said he was a scholar and couldn’t handle farm labor, so she indulged him.

After two days and nights on the train, the mother and daughter finally arrived in Jiangcheng. They couldn’t afford to stay at a guesthouse, so they followed directions and asked around until they found the Linxin Textile Factory.

Su Ying was gasping for breath from the heat, and Chen Shuyun’s face was flushed red from sun exposure. She held up a tattered bag to shade Su Ying from the sun.

“Mom, is my dad really here?”

It was Chen Shuyun’s first time in the city, and she didn’t know many words. But she wouldn’t mistake the factory—Su Jianshe had mentioned it in past letters.

“Yes, this is the place.”

She glanced at the gatekeeper’s room, hesitating, afraid to approach.

Su Ying noticed her fear and took the initiative to walk over.

“Excuse me, sir. I wanted to ask, does Su Jianshe work at this factory?”

The old gatekeeper was fiddling with a radio, which occasionally crackled with broken static.

Hearing the name Su Jianshe, he looked up.

“Who are you? What do you want with him?”

“I’m his daughter. My name is Su Ying.”

Su Ying gently pulled Chen Shuyun forward.

“This is my mom—his wife.”

The old gatekeeper’s expression turned strange, his gaze toward the two filled with disdain.

“You’re trying to get Director Su to help you with something, aren’t you? Why are you claiming to be his daughter? We all know Director Su, and his daughter doesn’t look anything like you.”

Of course, the gatekeeper didn’t say aloud what he was thinking—that this girl was actually prettier than the factory director’s daughter. But her clothes were way too rustic—she couldn’t compare to the director’s girl at all.

Director? His daughter?

Su Ying immediately felt that something wasn’t right. Chen Shuyun, on the other hand, ignored the latter part of the gatekeeper’s words. She gripped Su Ying’s hand excitedly and nodded vigorously.

“Yes, this is the place. Mom didn’t get it wrong. It’s definitely your dad.”

She turned to the gatekeeper. “Uncle, that Su Jianshe here—is he tall? Big eyes, and his mouth…”

The gatekeeper glanced outside, then suddenly put down his radio, smiling broadly as he stood up.

“Director Su, you’re back?”

Su Ying and Chen Shuyun turned just in time to see a middle-aged man pushing a bicycle toward them. He wore a white shirt with two fountain pens in the pocket, and black dress pants. He looked crisp and professional.

“Old Liu, your radio is way too loud. I could hear it from the gate.”

“Oh, sorry, Director. I’ll turn it down…”

As Su Jianshe approached, he glanced at Su Ying and her mother.

“Who are you looking for?”

Su Ying’s face darkened. He didn’t even recognize them.

She felt a painful squeeze on her hand and turned to see Chen Shuyun’s eyes reddening as she stared fixedly at Su Jianshe.

“Jianshe… I’m Shuyun.”

The gatekeeper was about to accuse them of impersonating the director’s wife and daughter to ask for a favor, but when he saw Su Jianshe’s expression change, he wisely kept quiet.

Su Jianshe’s pupils dilated, staring at Chen Shuyun in shock.

“You… Who?”

Chen Shuyun’s hands were trembling from emotion. She gripped Su Ying and pushed her forward.

“This is Su Ying, our daughter. I… I’m Chen Shuyun. From Shangyang Village.”

Su Jianshe’s gaze froze. At last, he remembered his wife and child from Shangyang Village. But instead of surprise or joy, all he felt was panic and anger.

He glanced at Old Liu, then dragged Chen Shuyun toward the factory gates.

“What are you doing here? Why aren’t you still in Shangyang Village?”

Chen Shuyun, like a lump of dough, was dragged by her arm without resistance. She didn’t say a word, only wore the guilty look of someone who had done something wrong.

“I know… I know you didn’t want me to come find you. But our child is hurt. The county doctor said she needs a bigger hospital. That’s why we came to you.”

“Then take her to the hospital! Why come to the factory?”

Su Ying stood off to the side, watching him not only show no joy at reuniting with his wife and daughter, but instead lashing out in fury—he hadn’t even looked at her, his injured daughter.

There was simply no place for them in this man’s heart.

“Leave. Now. Don’t come looking for me at the factory again. Look at yourselves—did you come just to embarrass me? Are you trying to ruin everything for me?”

Chen Shuyun stared at the husband she hadn’t seen in seven years. His words were cruel, stabbing painfully into her heart, but she still tried to explain, too afraid to get angry.

“No, it’s just… our child, Su Ying, she’s badly hurt. We need to get her treated.”

Su Jianshe grew impatient and pulled ten yuan from his pocket, stuffing it into her hand.

“Then take her to the hospital. Here’s money. Just don’t come back here to the factory.”