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Chapter 6: Reborn Hu Xiuxiu
Waking up, Hu Xiuxiu stared blankly at the old, familiar furniture of the room. A strange sense of confusion washed over her.
This is… this is the home where I grew up, back before the textile factory shut down?
This tiny, twenty-square-meter place was where she had lived for nearly thirty years—from birth until she was sent to the countryside, and then again after she divorced and returned to the city, right up until she remarried. She knew it like the back of her hand.
But… she was supposed to be in Pengcheng, looking after her grandson…
The thought of her grandson brought back the last moments before she lost consciousness.
She was walking carefully down the stairs, but her pampered grandson, whom she doted on like her own flesh and blood, was annoyed by how slowly she moved. He gave her a hard push from behind. The world spun, her vision went black, and she fell into unconsciousness.
Even if she had fallen, she should be in a hospital right now. How could she, in the blink of an eye, be back in this old residential building that had been torn down more than a decade ago?
Am I dreaming?
Hu Xiuxiu raised her hands and looked at them. The skin was firm and delicate, free of the loose wrinkles and age spots that had become her constant dread.
She scrambled out of bed, ignoring the sudden dizziness, and rushed to the cabinet near the door. Her hands grabbed the only mirror in the room.
The girl in the mirror, despite a slight paleness, was vibrant and beautiful. Her long hair, a shiny black, fell over her chest without a single strand of gray.
Her hand gently stroked her own face, a motion so careful that it was almost tender. The next second, she pinched the flesh of her cheek hard, a sharp pain making her gasp.
Then, she started to laugh.
It’s not a dream! I’ve really gone back to my youth!
She was back to a time before she was sent to the countryside, before she was battered by the winds of change and the harsh realities of life—the best years of her life.
The thought of being sent to the countryside made Hu Xiuxiu’s face fall. She looked up at the calendar on the wall.
August 31, 1970—only twenty days left until she was to be sent away.
Could she escape that fate this time?
Hu Xiuxiu looked around the cluttered, crowded room and forced a bitter smile.
How could she? Last time, she had gone on hunger strikes, stood in the rain, and cried her heart out. She had nearly died, but her parents wouldn’t budge. They were determined to send her to the countryside to make room for her two older brothers to get married and have families. No matter what she did, it was all for nothing.
And besides…
Hu Xiuxiu thought of her ex-husband, Qi Yin, a man she had regretted for half a lifetime, a man who had left her with a gnawing sense of resentment for just as long. She had indeed used a few tricks to marry him back then, but after their marriage, she had waited on him hand and foot, taking care of his every need.
As for later… after he was discharged from the army due to an injury, he refused a clerical government job offered by the military and chose to become a gatekeeper instead. His monthly salary wasn’t even enough for groceries, not to mention the fact that he was infertile. Hu Xiuxiu felt she had done her part, sticking by him through the two most difficult years after his injury.
Was it so wrong to want a life without worry, with children playing at her knees?
Her biggest mistake was not having the ability to see the future. Who would have thought that the stubborn, crippled gatekeeper would eventually build a massive business empire and become the richest man in the province?
I was the one who worried about him when he was in the army, and I was the one who took care of him diligently. Later, when his leg was broken and he was in the hospital, I was the one who emptied his bedpan and helped him with his baths. I learned from the doctors how to massage his leg, and I spent countless sleepless nights taking care of him. After he was discharged, he couldn’t stand being disabled and became moody, breaking things. I was the one who cleaned up the mess. When his wound got infected, I carried him on my back to the hospital countless times in the middle of the night. So why? Why did I have to live such a pathetic life after going through all that with him?
And—while Jiang Huiwan, who was reunited with Qi Yin and immediately became a woman of status, lived like a high-society lady, looking down on her.
Why?
She had only made one wrong move, a single misstep that fate had twisted against her.
Thankfully, heaven had opened its eyes and given her a second chance. This time, she would seize the opportunity and never repeat her past mistakes.
This time, the story would be only about her and Qi Yin. There would be no one else.
Hu Xiuxiu’s thoughts drifted to that seductive face.
“Especially you…”
With her bangs pulled back and a look of complete numbness on her face, the glamorous Jiang Wanwan was squatting against a wall next to Shen Tingjun outside her mother’s hospital room.
“Is this the ‘success’ you were talking about?” Jiang Wanwan asked in a low, flat voice.
Shen Tingjun said nothing, his expression blank, his eyes fixed on the space in front of him.
“You talked my mother into the hospital?”
Shen Tingjun remained as still as a statue, silent and unmoving.
“Impressive,” Jiang Wanwan said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “I don’t have to get hit anymore! But while my body is free, my conscience is taking a beating!”
Shen Tingjun finally sighed, his shoulders slumping.
“Your mom… sigh… she’s a paper tiger,” he said, rubbing his temple with a weary hand. “She looks ferocious, but she’s all bark and no bite. The way you usually act made me overestimate how dangerous she was. She has no real fight in her—why do you always look so miserable and pitiful?”
“You really should come to my place and experience my stepmother, Mrs. Yao Hongjuan’s, fighting spirit,” he continued. “She’s a master of subtle insults, sly insinuations, and passive-aggressive remarks. A great gossip and a master of false accusations. Her fighting power is long-lasting and highly aggressive. Live with her for one day, and you’ll realize how gentle and loving your mother is.”
Shen Tingjun was lost in his monologue, but when he realized Jiang Wanwan wasn’t responding, he turned to see her staring at him with a serious expression.
“What’s wrong?”
“When you said you wanted to marry me, were you serious?”
“Of course I was!” Shen Tingjun replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Why else would he waste so much energy on her?
“Goodbye!” Jiang Wanwan cupped her hands in a formal farewell gesture and stood up, ready to run. But Shen Tingjun, quick as lightning, grabbed her by the collar and pulled her back.
“Let go of me! Don’t ruin my life!”
Jiang Wanwan twisted her body, trying to pry his hand from her collar.
“What kind of grudge do you have against me, to push me into a raging fire pit like your family?”
Her reaction made Shen Tingjun let out a wry laugh.
“No matter how fierce she is, she’s just my stepmother. If I feel like it, I’ll yell back at her for fun. If I don’t, I just treat her like a pile of dog poop and ignore her. What are you so afraid of?”
His arrogant tone left Jiang Wanwan stunned.
“That’s not right. She’s still an elder. Won’t your father get angry if you treat her that way?”
“My dad?” Shen Tingjun’s face twisted into a mocking smile as he thought of something. “You’ll find out once you marry me.”
Jiang Wanwan pouted, about to say that their marriage wasn’t a sure thing, when the hospital room door opened.
Xu Huirong stormed out of the room, shot a furious glance at Jiang Wanwan, and left without saying a word.
A moment later, her stepfather, Xu Weishan, emerged. His usual gentle expression was gone, replaced by a look of exhaustion. “Your mother is awake,” he told Jiang Wanwan. “She wants you to go in.”
Without waiting for her reply, he frowned and looked at Shen Tingjun behind her.
“Come with me. I’ll get the money to pay you back.”
Shen Tingjun didn’t think much of it. The Xu family always seemed to be in a hurry.
He had paid for her hospitalization, and with the family in a hurry, they hadn’t brought any money with them.
Jiang Wanwan didn’t pay attention to what her stepfather and Shen Tingjun were discussing. She simply pushed open the door and entered the hospital room.
In this era, most people weren’t well off. When they felt sick, they’d just push through it. Few people came to the hospital, let alone stayed overnight. The three-bed ward was empty except for Jiang Lan, making it feel vast and desolate.
In the original Jiang Huiwan’s memories, her mother was an embodiment of authority and dignity. But now, she was leaning against the headboard, her face pale, staring out the window.
“Mom,” Jiang Wanwan said, feeling both guilty and uneasy. She felt guilty for not being her real daughter and uneasy for having made her sick by bringing Shen Tingjun into her life.
Jiang Lan turned to look at her but quickly averted her gaze.
“You don’t want to go to the countryside?” Her tone was flat, revealing no emotion.
Jiang Wanwan nodded, then realizing her mother wasn’t looking at her, she said, “That’s right.” Then, she repeated the same explanation she had given to Miao Qingqing.
“Did he manage it?” Jiang Lan asked.
“He came to tell me this morning. He said that my name has been removed from the list for the educated youth program. The job he found is a teacher at the machinery factory’s elementary school.”
“Then tell me this,” Jiang Lan turned to look directly at Jiang Wanwan, her gaze intense. “Do you like him?”
“Of course not!” Jiang Wanwan shook her head and waved her hands. “I don’t even know him well.”
Jiang Lan studied her for a long moment before looking away. “Since you say so, I’ll believe you.”
“Since you don’t want to go, I won’t force you. I’ve already told your father to give him a thousand yuan. Consider it payment for arranging the job and getting you off the list. From now on, your dealings with him are over.”
“But what if he doesn’t agree?” Jiang Wanwan was still a bit worried. Shen Tingjun didn’t seem like the kind of person who would be easy to deal with.
“Stay here with me for the next three days while I’m in the hospital. If he comes back to pester you, I’ll send you back to our hometown county as soon as I’m discharged.”
“Your second uncle is in charge of education there. You can teach for two years in peace, and then your uncle can pull some strings to get you a recommendation for university.”
“By the time you graduate, five or six years will have passed. No one will even remember what happened.”
It was rare for Jiang Lan to speak to her daughter so calmly and at such length. Jiang Wanwan listened carefully, thinking this was a great plan. With her uncle being in a relevant leadership position, she wouldn’t have to worry about being bullied or targeted by her colleagues.
More importantly, according to her memories of the original Jiang Huiwan’s life, her grandfather had been the logistics director of the county’s food factory before he retired. Her maternal uncle was the head chef at the county’s state-run restaurant, and her maternal aunt was the deputy director of the supply and marketing cooperative. Her aunt’s husband was the deputy director of the county clothing factory.
This entire family was like a force to be reckoned with in their hometown, and they genuinely cared for her mother and the original Jiang Huiwan, who they felt had a hard life. If Jiang Wanwan went back, she wouldn’t have to worry about food or clothing.
Besides, living with her grandmother or in a school dormitory was better than seeing Xu Huirong’s glaring and pouting face all day. She would also escape her mother’s strict rules and regulations. The more Jiang Wanwan thought about it, the happier she became, wishing she could fly back to her hometown right now.
However, human joy and sorrow are not interconnected.
While Jiang Wanwan was lost in her beautiful thoughts, Shen Tingjun, who had been given over a thousand yuan by the Xu family and told that their debt was now settled and he and Jiang Huiwan were even, was fuming. His face was dark, and the veins in his hands, tightly gripping the money, stood out.
Then, as if he suddenly remembered something, he turned to look in the direction of the City South Hospital, a slightly mocking smile on his lips.