Chapter 4

In October, nightfall came quickly. In just a short while, the remaining light of the golden sun had completely sunk in the west.

The dim twilight shrouded Tian Mi’s face, adding a hint of aloofness to her sweet and soft features. She didn’t say anything but raised her eyes slightly, studying the man with interest.

Tian Chang Qing had a guilty conscience, and under her gaze, he shifted uncomfortably. “Wha…what’s the matter?”

Tian Mi curved her lips. Like the original owner of this body, she had a very charming appearance—attractive, but without aggression. Her entire being radiated sweetness, and when she smiled like this, it made people feel soft inside.

Seeing this, Tian Chang Qing relaxed a little and also smiled.

Unexpectedly, before his smile fully spread, he heard his second sister coolly say, “Liu Xiangdong really has long arms. What kind of benefits did he promise you?”

“How did you kno…cough cough…I mean, what Liu Xiangdong? I don’t know him.” The man looked frustrated, almost wishing he could bite his own tongue, hurriedly denying it.

Internally, he was curious. Since when had his second sister gotten so smart?

“Idiot!” Tian Mi sneered, curling her lips in disdain. She was still thinking about the fish soup and had no interest in dragging things out with her cheap older brother. Pulling her younger brother along, she quickly left.

Tian Chang Qing was left feeling both angry and frustrated, itching to chase after her and argue. But when he thought about the benefits Liu Xiangdong had promised, he held back.

No rush.

He needed to come up with a good plan.

There were more important things to handle first.

A few days ago, he and some buddies went to the county town, and they saw wristwatches at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative. Those things were prestigious. Convincing his grandparents to get him one was his top priority.

By then, with a watch on his wrist, riding his bicycle, and a few pens tucked into his shirt pocket, he certainly wouldn’t be any less impressive than the officials in town.

As for his second sister…

Hmph, that damned girl would marry sooner or later. The benefits promised by Liu Xiangdong were as good as his.

=

There was no electricity in Chaoyang Village, so all the families went to bed early.

After being here for half a month, Tian Mi, once a night owl, had become a well-behaved early sleeper.

That night, after washing up and lying in bed, she was listening to her fourth sister chirping on about school stories when the door was pushed open.

Luan Hongmei set a kerosene lamp on the table and pulled a few tickets out of her pocket, handing them to her second daughter.

“What’s this?” Tian Mi raised her hand to take them.

“Fabric tickets. There’s going to be a big market in a few days, and the Supply and Marketing Cooperative will have new stock. Go early and pick out two good pieces of fabric to make yourself some decent clothes.” As she spoke, Luan Hongmei reluctantly opened her handkerchief and pulled out a few coins, handing them to her daughter.

“Mom, I want new clothes too,” Fourth Sister, Pan Di, sat up quickly, eagerly reaching out to her mother.

Third Sister, Lai Di, fidgeted, nervously twisting the hem of her clothes. She didn’t dare to say it outright, but her eyes showed longing. She was 16 years old, at an age where she cared about looking good, but she didn’t have any pretty clothes—only hand-me-downs from her sisters.

“What new clothes! You need a good spanking!” Luan Hongmei, who believed in disciplining her children with a firm hand, especially when it came to anyone but her eldest son, raised her hand as if to slap Si Mei^[1]Fourth younger sister.

Tian Pan Di agilely dodged, still muttering defiantly, “Why does only Er Jie get new clothes? San Jie^[2]Third elder sister and I want them too.”

“Can you compare yourself to your Er Jie? She’s going to be meeting potential in-laws soon. How could she not have proper clothes?” Luan Hongmei explained as she turned to her second daughter, smiling with satisfaction. “Go early on market day. I’ve asked around, and there will be some red fabric available. You can make a red jacket. Didn’t your Da jie^[3]Eldest sister send you a pair of military pants last time? Dress up nicely for the meeting. With your looks, I guarantee the match will be perfect.”

Tian Mi’s lips twitched… Red jacket with green pants—what kind of fashion sense was that?

Was she supposed to perform a northeastern folk opera?

“What are you spacing out for? I’m talking to you!” Seeing her daughter’s odd expression, Luan Hongmei gave her a nudge.

Tian Mi snapped back to reality and nodded hastily. “Got it.”

“Good. Now, pay attention. You’re already 20. If you don’t settle down soon, people in the village will start gossiping. I think that Liu boy isn’t bad…” Luan Hongmei sat down on the bed, clearly ready for a long chat.

“Mom, is the kerosene lamp flame getting smaller?” Tian Mi interrupted.

At that, Luan Hongmei jumped up, carefully lifting the lamp as she headed out. “Alright, I won’t keep talking. I’ll head back.” Kerosene was expensive, bought with ration tickets, and couldn’t be wasted.

“You’re really smart, Jie,” Tian Pan Di remarked mischievously, seeing through her second sister’s tactic. But then she asked, “Jie, are you really going to get married? Even Dage is 26 and hasn’t married yet. You’re only 20, what’s the rush?”

There was no good way to respond to that. Those outdated beliefs that women past their prime would be hard to marry were customs Tian Mi herself didn’t agree with, so how could she explain them to her younger sisters?

In her heart, she didn’t want to get married at all.

But in these times, you needed documents just to leave the area. You couldn’t even run away. Without getting married, she’d be drowned in gossip. Tian Mi had always been practical and didn’t think she had the power to change the world around her…

Maybe going to the market wouldn’t be such a bad idea. At least she could meet some people and start considering husband options.

However, with Liu Xiangdong eyeing her, her choices were significantly limited.

Thinking of this, Tian Mi irritably rolled over.

In her previous life, she was just an ordinary person. The only thing extraordinary about her was probably her love for extreme sports.

Maybe… she could try to take down that scumbag father-and-son duo?

But right now, she didn’t even know who the Liu family’s backers were. How could she act?

Framing them by planting banned books and reporting them? Tian Mi, raised under the red flag, couldn’t bring herself to do something like that.

After thinking it over, she concluded that the best approach was to gather solid evidence of the Liu family’s crimes. Even though she hadn’t carefully read the book, she knew enough to realize that the Liu father and son had dirty hands.

“Just hope there’s still time,” Tian Mi sighed softly after making a rough plan. She patted her fourth sister, who was waiting for her reply. “Go to sleep…”

“…Oh…”

=

Off to the market.

In Tian Mi’s later life, some places still maintained this traditional custom.

She had never been, but the original body’s memories had a few experiences.

On this day, Tian Mi woke up before 4 a.m.

The house was still quiet. She tiptoed out and went to the kitchen, grabbed a large wooden bucket, and headed straight for the Chaoyang River.

It was now November.

Cold Dew^[4]寒露[Hanlu] – 17th of the Solar Terms. 8th-22nd October and Frost’s Descent^[5]霜降[Shuangjiang] – 18th of the Solar Terms. 23rd Oct – 6th November had already passed, and the temperature had dropped sharply in recent days.

Tian Mi wrapped herself in her father’s old, worn-out jacket that he used for work, and with the faint morning light, she ran to the river in just a few minutes.

On the way, aside from a few dog barks, there was no other sound.

Standing by the river, she looked around again to make sure no one was there, then quickly took off her outer clothes, leaving herself in just a short-sleeved shirt and knee-length shorts.

In the early winter dawn, the temperature was far from friendly, barely above five degrees Celsius. In the few seconds it took to put down her clothes, Tian Mi’s entire body was covered in goosebumps, with every hair standing on end.

Worried about catching a cold, she didn’t hesitate any longer. After rubbing her arms for warmth and taking off her shoes and socks, she leapt gracefully into the river with a splash.

The moment she hit the water, Tian Mi came alive, a smile spreading across her face. Like a fish returning to water, she flicked her tail a few times and disappeared beneath the surface.

=

“Fuck! Lao Lou, is… is that girl trying to end her life?” Not far away, about ten meters behind a small slope, a rugged-looking soldier shot to his feet, his tiger-like eyes filled with concern as he watched the long river where all movement had ceased.

Lou Luhui pinched his brow. “Who brings a wooden bucket to commit suicide? That girl’s clearly here to catch fish.” Though he said this, his narrow, deep phoenix eyes stayed fixed on the calm surface of the river.

This time, after completing their mission, they had some spare time. Lou Luhui called his superiors and got permission for a short leave. He and his comrade had hitched a ride on a cargo boat to visit their old squad leader.

But unexpectedly, after saying goodbye to the boat captain and just getting ashore for a brief rest, they heard footsteps.

Perhaps it was an aftereffect of their recent mission, but before they realized it, the two soldiers, dressed in military uniforms, had instinctively hidden like thieves.

Later, worried that suddenly appearing might scare people into thinking they were ghosts or something, the two burly men, both around 1.9 meters tall, continued to crouch down and hide.

“Something’s wrong!” After a while, the river remained still, far beyond the time a normal person could hold their breath. Lou Luhui furrowed his inky sword-shaped brows, his figure flashing as he bolted forward like a leopard, unbuckling his belt and stripping off his clothes as he ran toward the river.

However, just as he tossed his belt aside and was about to remove his jacket, the river suddenly stirred.

With a “splash,” a beautiful girl emerged from the water.

At that moment, the sun began to rise. The soft orange-red light of the dawn slanted across the water, casting a hazy glow over the girl’s fair face, enveloping her in a layer of dreamy radiance.

Her lips were crimson, her face delicate and soft. 

Even the water droplets jumping around her seemed to gain a crystalline quality because of the girl’s beauty.

A true water lily emerging from the pond!

With just a fleeting glance, this image imprinted itself in Lou Luhui’s mind, and the phrase “out of the water like a lotus” inexplicably popped into his head.

Then, for reasons he couldn’t quite understand, the man grabbed his belt from the ground and, in a flash, darted back behind the hill, all in a matter of seconds.

Not only did Lou Luhui lie down himself, but he also forcefully pressed his curious comrade down, ensuring neither of them looked again.

=

Tian Mi was completely unaware that there were people nearby. She wiped the water from her face, swam to the shore, and tossed the flopping fish in her hand into the wooden bucket.

Without taking a break, she turned around and dove back into the water.

This was her golden finger!

In her past life, among all extreme sports, Tian Mi loved diving the most. She even went out of her way to get a diving license.

In the diving system, a PADI course director is the highest level, essentially the one who trains dive instructors. 

That had always been Tian Mi’s goal. She never wanted to teach others, she just wanted to master diving skills herself.

However, life never goes according to plan. After she obtained her certification as a course director, one of PADI‘s highest ranks, she encountered a plane crash while on a trip.

When she first woke up in this world, she was utterly dejected for a few days, grieving over the fact that she’d never see her parents again.

Even though her parents had each remarried and had new children, and didn’t pay much attention to her, the sense of loss was still there. After all, human hearts are made of flesh.

Besides, her parents had never really treated her unfairly—at least financially, she had never lacked anything.

And then there were the friends she used to share adventures with, who she would never see again… those kindred spirits.

Tian Mi had always been drawn to water. Whenever she was upset, she’d head to the Chaoyang River. It was during one of those swimming sessions, venting her frustration, that she discovered she suddenly had a “golden finger.”

Its origins were unclear, but somehow, out of nowhere, she gained the ability to breathe underwater freely. She also became immune to changes in water temperature and the pressure of deep dives, just like a fish.

Had it not been for the fact that her lower body hadn’t sprouted a tail, Tian Mi might have shamelessly believed she had turned into a mermaid due to some ancestral throwback.

This morning, her plan was to catch a few more fish to sell at the market.

Whatever the future held, having money in her pocket was key.

In the early 1970s, living in this environment, Tian Mi realized that private business ventures were strictly forbidden—it was called profiteering and could really land you in trouble.

However, during market days, farmers were allowed to sell or barter goods amongst themselves.

The variety and quantity couldn’t be large—just things like farm produce, eggs, or hens raised at home.

But this was only allowed on market days. On regular days, if you wanted to sell anything, you had to go through the co-op.

The co-op, though, pressed prices low. For farmers with little to no income, they wanted to stretch every penny as far as possible, so naturally, they preferred to save up their goods for market days.

This was why Luan Hongmei had given Tian Mi money and ration tickets to go to the supply and marketing cooperative herself. She, too, needed to set up a stall during market days and was too busy to handle both tasks.

About ten minutes later, Tian Mi had caught five fish in total.

The wooden bucket was too small, so it could only hold two. The other three, she strung together with some straw rope and then climbed ashore.

The moment she left the water, the freezing temperature made Tian Mi shiver violently. She hastily wrung out some water from her clothes, then immediately wrapped herself in the old jacket, grabbed the fish, and sprinted home.

Fuck! She wanted to curse—making money was too hard.

Frozen to death… Ah, frozen to death!

=

“Hey! That girl’s amazing. Did you see that? In just a short while, she caught five fish with her bare hands, and each one’s a big one…” Once the girl ran far enough, the tiger-eyed man straightened up, craning his neck to watch the direction of the village, clicking his tongue in astonishment.

After speaking, he suspiciously glanced toward the Chaoyang River. “Could it be that the fish here are just easier to catch?”

“Want me to send you down to try it out?” Lou Luhui asked coolly while fastening his belt.

Upon hearing this, the man quickly waved his hands. “No, no, forget it. You’re always up to no good, you rascal. You’re definitely setting me up again.”

Lou Luhui finished buckling his belt, revealing his lean and toned waist under the tension of the strap. He adjusted his military cap, his face expressionless, and with a cold glance at his comrade, he said, “Let’s go.”

Without waiting for a reply, he strode off with his long legs.

“Hey, hey, hey… You! Wait for me… By the way, that girl would fit right in on our island. It’s surrounded by water on three sides. Whoever marries her will never have to worry about food.”

Lou Luhui’s steps faltered ever so slightly, but as he resumed walking, he couldn’t help the image of the girl rising gracefully from the water from popping into his mind…

He shook his head quickly.

Tsk… What am I thinking? Who knows if that girl’s even of age yet.

“By the way, was the girl pretty?”

“…Didn’t see clearly.”

“You were so close, how could you not see clearly?”

“…”

“Hey, Lou! I’m talking to you.”

“…”

“Tch!”