Chapter 1: No one can bully you

“Dad, Mom, Haitang’s body is burning up it’s frightening. If this fever keeps going, I’m afraid her brain will be damaged. We should call the barefoot doctor from the village to take a look!”

“The big leaders from Northern Capital just arrived in the village. If you call the doctor now, are you trying to get me and your dad killed?”

“Let her burn then. Best if the fever fries her brain so she’ll stop opposing me all the time.”

Haitang, who had just regained consciousness, happened to overhear the conversation between her cousin-in-law and her uncle’s family.

She opened her eyes in disbelief. What she saw was a mosquito net full of patches.

Yellow mud-brick walls, a double-door wardrobe with peeling paint leaning against the wall, and by the window, a pitch-black square table.

The surroundings, combined with what her cousin-in-law had just said, made Haitang realize she had been reborn back to the summer of 1984.

Her fever came from resisting her uncle, who wanted to marry her off to a fool. She tried everything to escape his control.

But luck was not on her side. Every time she sought help or tried to run, she failed, and each failure was met with another brutal beating.

New wounds piled on old wounds. Anger and despair consumed her, until her body finally gave out. She collapsed with a high fever and had been unconscious for three days and nights.

When she awoke, she heard village girls gossiping about the soldiers protecting the important leaders. Among them, there was one surnamed Yang exceptionally handsome.

From their descriptions, she felt the soldier seemed familiar. Quietly, she asked Secretary Jiang and learned his name was Yang Xichen.

Her father once had a soldier under his command named Yang Xichen too someone her father admired deeply, often inviting him home for meals. Later, her father had even sacrificed his life to save him.

Now, reborn, she had woken earlier than in her past life. She wasn’t sure if Yang Xichen still remembered her, but this time she could not miss the chance she had failed to seize before.

With that thought, Haitang struggled to climb out of bed and slipped out the window.

Luckily, it was almost noon the hottest time of the day so her uncle and aunt weren’t in the yard. She managed to escape.

She ran all the way to the village committee office, where four soldiers stood guard at the gate.

None of them were Yang Xichen, but she knew there were six soldiers in total. Could the other two be inside the office?

She couldn’t just wait passively. She needed to draw someone out.

With that, Haitang rushed toward the office, only to be stopped by the four guards.

“Comrade, sorry. Professor Li is discussing matters with the secretary. Please leave.”

“I need to see Secretary Jiang urgently, I beg you, let me in,” Haitang pleaded softly.

But the four refused no matter what she said.

Haitang hadn’t really intended to go in anyway. She only wanted to make enough noise to draw out the people inside.

Yet after making a fuss for a while, nothing happened.

She wondered if the man she wanted to find thought she was a stranger and was unwilling to respond or maybe she simply hadn’t made enough commotion.

But she couldn’t give up. Gritting her teeth, she cried out loudly:

“Uncle Jiang, it’s me, Haitang! Please save me!”

The soldiers hadn’t expected the pretty young girl to suddenly shout so loudly. They wanted to stop her, but she was a girl none of them dared to cover her mouth by force.

“Haitang, you silly child, what are you doing here making a scene? Secretary Jiang has important guests. Come home with us immediately!”

Her uncle Hai Dafu and his wife Wang Yinzhi rushed in, grabbing Haitang from both sides. Wang Yinzhi clamped a hand over her mouth while Hai Dafu gently scolded her, then apologized to the soldiers:

“Comrades, sorry for the trouble. The child is mischievous. We’ll take her home right away.”

Haitang hadn’t expected her uncle and aunt to find her missing so quickly and even come to the village office after her.

She was burning with fever, hadn’t eaten or drunk anything since yesterday, and had only made it here through sheer willpower.

But that strength was only enough to keep her conscious it wasn’t enough to break free of her uncle and aunt. Was she doomed to repeat the same tragic fate, even after being given a second life?

“What are you doing?”

Just as despair filled her heart, a clear, familiar male voice rang out behind her.

Her eyes lit up with hope. Strength surged through her body as she broke free from her uncle and aunt, turning to fling herself into the arms of the tall, uniformed figure striding toward her against the light.

“Save me.”

Only two words escaped her lips before everything went black. As she lost consciousness, she clung tightly to the man’s sleeve.

Yang Xichen looked down at the fainted girl in his arms, shocked.

Wasn’t she supposed to have gone abroad with Aunt Tong? How could she be here in this small village?

Holding her delicate, burning-hot body through the thin fabric, his expression instantly darkened. His gaze swept over her unnaturally flushed face.

As he moved to touch her forehead, her sleeve slipped, revealing a slender, pale arm crisscrossed with purplish whip marks.

A rough hand suddenly reached over. Yang Xichen swatted it away sharply, his eyes narrowing at its owner.

One cold glance from him froze Hai Dafu in place. Wang Yinzhi shrank back behind her husband in fright.

“What’s going on here?”

A calm, authoritative voice spoke behind them.

The oppressive stare vanished, but Hai Dafu had no time to breathe a sigh of relief before the strikingly handsome young officer spoke:

“Professor Li, this girl is Haitang, the daughter of Hai Weiguo, a fallen martyr. Her mother was a teacher.

Right now, she has a high fever and numerous new and old injuries on her arms. I suspect there are more on her body. I believe she has been abused as a martyr’s orphan.

Professor, she needs to be sent to the hospital immediately. If this fever continues, she’ll die.”

At these words, Secretary Jiang He, who had followed Professor Li out, turned pale. He almost blurted out accusations at Hai Dafu and his wife, but forced the words back down.

Professor Li said, “Then take her to the hospital at once. Don’t worry about matters here.”

With the professor’s approval, Yang Xichen turned to Jiang He: “Secretary Jiang, please investigate this matter thoroughly.”

Then, lifting Haitang into his arms, he strode quickly toward the jeep parked nearby.

When Haitang woke again, she was in the hospital, hooked up to an IV.

The ward was quiet, no one else around.

She struggled to sit up when the door opened.

Lifting her head, she met the gaze of the man who walked in. Her eyes stung and grew hot.

“Brother Xichen, long time no see.”

The moment she spoke, her tears spilled uncontrollably.

Seeing her cry, Yang Xichen hurried forward, set down the aluminum lunchbox in his hand, and pulled her into his arms, gently patting her back.

“Don’t cry, Tangtang. No one will ever bully you again.”

At his words, Haitang broke into sobs, crying even harder.

Yang Xichen said nothing more, simply held her while she wept.

Only after venting for a long time did Haitang calm down only to feel deeply embarrassed. After all, she had lived a whole extra lifetime, yet she cried like a child.

Yang Xichen sensed her awkwardness and, after a moment’s thought, guessed her feelings. He changed the subject:

“Your uncle and aunt have already been detained by the Public Security Bureau. They’ll be punished by law for abusing a martyr’s orphan.”

This was exactly what Haitang wanted. But hearing it confirmed, she still felt unreal. Uneasy, she asked:

“Brother Xichen, did you just say… my uncle and aunt were detained by the police for abusing me?”

Taking her fear as lingering dread of them, Yang Xichen nodded firmly. “Tangtang, later the police will come to take your statement. Don’t be afraid just tell the truth, understand?”

Haitang obediently nodded. “I understand, Brother Xichen.”

Satisfied, Yang Xichen opened the lunchbox and was about to feed her.

But she quickly reached out, eager: “Thank you, Brother Xichen.”

So he handed her the box and spoon, watching as she devoured the porridge. His eyes softened with pity even as he reminded her to slow down.

When she finished the meat porridge, her aching stomach finally felt better. Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

“Come in,” Yang Xichen called.

Two police officers, a man and a woman, entered.

Yang Xichen took the lunchbox from Haitang’s hands and stood. “Comrades, you’re here to take her statement? Please, go ahead.”

Then he turned to Haitang. “Tangtang, I’ll go wash this and come right back.”

She nodded sweetly, watching him leave.

The female officer spoke gently: “Comrade Haitang, don’t be afraid. The hospital’s medical report proves your uncle and aunt abused you.

We’re here to record the details. Please tell us exactly what happened.”

Haitang began to recount how her uncle and aunt beat her together.

As she spoke, her voice trembled. Her body first quivered slightly, then shook violently. Her eyes filled with terror, and her hands wrapped around herself as she curled up instinctively.

The female officer noted this reaction in her record: ‘Victim shows instinctive fear when mentioning Hai Dafu and his wife.’

After finishing the account with difficulty, Haitang hesitated, then added fearfully:

“Also… my uncle arranged a marriage for me with the son of Director Du of the town’s textile factory.

But I won’t even be eighteen until next month. I remember the legal age of marriage for women is twenty.

If I’m under the legal age, the marriage isn’t valid.

But my uncle said the Du family is like the local overlords, and that in front of them, the law is nothing but decoration.

Now that you’ve arrested my uncle and aunt… the Du family won’t cause trouble for you, will they?”