Chapter 5: Past and Present

Chen Ming apologized, “It’s all because of my illness that I’ve burdened you and this household. Otherwise, with your excellent embroidery skills, our family’s life should have been much better.”

Mrs. Wang scolded, “Don’t blame yourself, without you, our family would be in dire straits. It’s because of you that we can carry on. Especially for A’Feng, the one she should honor most is you…”

Chen Dabao hastily interjected, “Not only does my mom need to honor Grandpa, I need to honor Grandpa too.”

After a while of chatting, Mrs. Wang embroidered while Chen Dabao led Chen Feng to the other room to rest. Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang stayed in the western room with Lu, while Chen Feng and Chen Dabao stayed in the eastern room.

The eastern room also had a large kang bed by the window, with two kang cabinets at the end, a rickety table, and two stools on the floor.

Dabao took off his shoes, climbed onto the kang bed, and pulled out a quilt from the kang cabinet, spreading it out. The quilt was in disarray, with loops and knots, likely his handiwork, possibly also a result of the original owner’s efforts. It wasn’t laid out flat, wrinkled and uneven.

Standing on the kang bed, he said, “Mom, come here, let Dabao help you take off your clothes.”

Chen Feng blushed again and said, “Mom—let me do it myself.” Despite saying this, she walked over to him.

Her blue jacket was not buttoned but fastened with small loops. The loops were small and tight, not easy to undo. It took Chen Feng a lot of effort to unfasten two of them, and the rest were all undone by Dabao.

The belt of her skirt had a clasp, easy to open. With a pull, it came undone, and the skirt slipped to the ground. She sat on the kang bed, and Dabao came down to help her pick up the skirt.

“Lie down and rest, we’re out of firewood, so I and Uncle A’Lu will go gather some,” said Chen Dabao as he covered Chen Feng with a blanket. As they left, he took the dirty clothes out and closed the door.

What kind of dire straits must they be in to force such a young child into this situation? Chen Feng felt an overwhelming sense of heartache.

The surrounding fell silent, only the distant barking of dogs and occasional laughter of children could be heard.

Chen Feng closed her eyes, reflecting on the events before and after her journey.

In her previous life, she owned a two-bedroom apartment, a car, tens of thousands in savings… No, there was also a three-bedroom apartment and a million in savings from Liu Xudong. Altogether, it was worth at least several million RMB. She didn’t know if it all went to the government or to the cousins who had never been in contact with her. It would have been better if she had left a will, donating all that money to an orphanage.

However, these were no longer within her control.

In this life, she had crossed over into the body of a fifteen years old mentally disabled girl, with a father, a mother, a younger brother, and a son. Based on what she understood, their village was called Xiangluo Village, located about a dozen miles from the town of Sanqing, with convenient transportation. Seeing the vast and fertile farmland along the way, this place could be considered a land of plenty, relatively affluent.

Despite owning three acres of dry land, her father’s health was poor. Her mother did embroidery work to earn money, and her ten-year-old brother, as well as four-year-old Dabao, made it challenging. The land was leased to Uncle Chen Ye, and they paid him sixty percent of the produce each year.

Mrs. Wang’s embroidery work was exceptional, stitching day and night, earning six to seven hundred wen a month, higher than the combined income of some families. This income supported their family and provided money for Chen Ming’s illness and Chen Feng’s treatment. However, Mrs. Wang’s eyesight was poor, nearsighted and light-sensitive. This was likely due to excessive use of her eyes, and if this continued, she would likely go blind within a few years.

Chen Ming was in better physical shape and could weave some grass baskets, hats, and shoes, but he couldn’t earn much. They also had five hens, and the eggs laid were mainly used to supplement Chen Ming and Chen Feng’s diet. Sometimes, the two children could only share one egg.

They have a family relative, she have a grandma who lived with Eldest Uncle Chen Ye and his wife Hu, who have three children. The eldest, Chen Gui, was twenty years old and married to Gao. The second daughter, Chen Lan, was fifteen and seemed to get married at the end of the year. The third daughter, Chen Jue, was twelve. Chen Gui also had a son and a daughter, four-year-old Chen Dahua, and two-year-old Chen Daya.

There was also Uncle Chen Shi, who did small business in the city, and his whole family lived there. They only came back to stay for more than half a month during the Chinese New Year.

So far, Chen Feng had gathered this much information.

Oh, there was also that swallow, the one she had seen in her mind before her death in her previous life, which spoke inexplicable words to her. It was strange, in her previous life, she would occasionally dream of it. However, in her dreams, she couldn’t understand its bird language, only seeing it fly around and chirp loudly, very irritable. Swallows’ calls should be gentle and soothing, but this particular swallow inexplicably spoke like a sparrow.

She fell asleep in a daze and dreamt of the swallow again. It had blue-black feathers that shimmered, with golden feathers on its chest and abdomen, and a small, golden beak. It was rolling its eyes, which were just slightly larger than mung beans, and scolding, “I chirp! Stupid, stupid, and short-lived. I followed you for a whole lifetime, never saw daylight, nor even found a speck of gold, living in an old house every day. It’s all your fault, so I never got to see the legendary Dubai Pearl, Sydney Opera House, or even the Bird’s Nest. Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp…”

Disregarding the unfriendly content, its voice was like a baby’s, soft and pleasant.

However, those green, luminous eyes were terrifying, filled with resentment, and the gaze seemed to shoot green laser beams wildly in front of Chen Feng.

She was suddenly startled awake. Opening her eyes, she felt a moment of confusion. Looking around at the rundown house and smelling the urine-stained bedding, she remembered that she had crossed over.

Just as she was about to think about that strange little swallow, she heard the sound of cutting vegetables coming from the kitchen, along with Mrs. Wang and Chen Ming’s muffled conversation.

Mrs. Wang said, “…I thought about A’Feng’s mental disability, her awkward movements, and worried that if she were to marry, she would suffer. I thought about letting her be single for her whole life, supported by her maternal family. Although A’Lu is good, I’m afraid he might marry the wrong woman, causing A’Feng trouble… That’s why when we found Dabao in the woods, I think of having A’Feng acknowledge Dabao as her son, and in the future, give her a female head of household status, raising her and her son together. When we pass away, A’Feng won’t suffer, someone will support and honor her, and she can still receive the respect of future generations. But now, A’Feng’s condition has actually improved. If it improves completely, then it’s better for her to get married. But having Dabao along, how will she find a good family?”

Chen Ming considered and said, “If that’s the case, let’s acknowledge Dabao as our son. This way, Dabao won’t be a burden to A’Feng, and perhaps he will be able to support A’Feng and A’Lu in the future. That child is clever and will certainly have a bright future when he grows up.”

Mrs. Wang also agreed, saying, “The head of the family indeed has a solution. This is the best option. Although Dabao was not our own, we have raised him for four years and have developed feelings for him. I truly consider him as my own grandson. That child is not only clever but also considerate, treating A’Feng like his own mother.”