Chapter 1 – The Female Supporting Character in the Confession Book

In a small mountain village in Sanyi Yong Township, Pufeng County, Helin City, Ji Province, the Wen family sat in the eastern room, each of them with a furrowed brow.

The head of the Wen family, Wen Yuejun, sat at the edge of the bed, puffing on his dry tobacco. 

His weathered face showed no expression.

Beside him, less than a meter away, was an elderly woman wearing a black cotton coat and pants. She was wiping away her tears intermittently—She was Wen Yuejun’s wife, Zhang Xiuying.

On the ground beneath the bed, four young men and women sat—judging by their positions, they looked like a pair of couples.

After a long while, when Wen Yuejun’s dry tobacco was finished, he knocked the tobacco pipe on the edge of the bed and shouted at Zhang Xiuying, who was still sobbing: “Enough, stop crying.”

Zhang Xiuying who was already heartbroken, began to cry louder after Wen Yuejun’s scolding: “How can I not cry, how can I not cry? That’s my daughter, whom I carried for ten months and raised with my own hands. She grew up, blossomed like a flower, and now she’s lying here— and I don’t even knowi if she’s alive or dead. Tell me! How can I not cry?”

Two days ago, Zhang Xiuying’s daughter, Wen Xin, had gone out to cut grass and accidentally slipped and fell into the Chan River. 

The water had just begun to thaw, and the current was swift. Her daughter was swept away by the river for several hundred meters. 

Had it not been for Lin Changzheng, who happened to be returning from a night of gambling, her daughter might still be lost.

Although she had been rescued, Wen Xin fell into a high fever and lost consciousness that same day. 

The Wen family immediately called for the village doctor, who prescribed some medicine. 

The doctor said that if she didn’t wake up in three days, they should prepare for her funeral.

Today was the third day.

Over the past three days, Zhang Xiuying had not left her daughter’s side— taking care of her without rest. 

Wen Yuejun, too, did not dare to slack off and would frequently check on them. His temper had also grown worse.

Wen Xin’s brother and sister-in-law did not dare to speak or even breathe loudly under these circumstances.

After Zhang Xiuying finished speaking, she wiped her tears with her sleeve and walked outside. She went to the west wing where Wen Xin was staying. She lifted the thick curtain and pushed open the wooden door. A young girl was lying on a small bed facing the door.

She appeared to be about eighteen or nineteen years old. Her long black hair cascaded down, with two pretty braids resting on either side of her chest, disappearing beneath the blanket. 

As Zhang Xiuying walked in, she could clearly see her daughter’s face.

Wen Xin had an oval-shaped face, curved willow-leaf eyebrows, a slightly upturned nose, and cherry-like lips. Even in such a lying posture, she still appeared extraordinarily beautiful.

Zhang Xiuying poured some warm water into a porcelain basin, dipped one end of a towel into it, and gently pressed it to Wen Xin’s pale, cracked lips to moisten them.

A tear fell onto Wen Xin’s shoulder. “Sweetheart, please wake up soon. I can’t take it anymore.”

The unconscious girl did not move.

Zhang Xiuying covered her mouth, and tears fell one by one. 

In the three days that her daughter had been unconscious, her eyes had swollen from crying, and her tears were nearly gone.

——

As night deepened, Wen Yuejun could no longer sit still in the eastern room. 

He put on his cotton coat and came to the west wing, lifting the curtain to enter.

Zhang Xiuying, who had been lying on the bed, was no longer crying. She looked at Wen Yuejun and rasped: “What are you here for?”

Wen Yuejun tugged at his cotton coat and sat down on the edge of the bed. “I came to see our daughter.”

Zhang Xiuying understood what Wen Yuejun meant. 

Her nose tingled, and tears threatened to fall again.

Today was the third day. If Wen Xin didn’t wake up by dawn, she wouldn’t wake up at all. 

Wen Yuejun came here to say his final goodbye.

In the dim light, Wen Yuejun carefully examined his daughter.

Since Wen Xin had grown up, he and his daughter had never been close. 

Ever since she was ten and began sleeping on her own, Wen Yuejun had not entered her room.

This was how fathers in the village behaved. But in this moment, Wen Yuejun deeply regretted it.

He regretted not being close to his daughter. Wen Yuejun remembered the first time his daughter had called him “Dad.”—he remembered her first steps, and remembered watching her grow year by year into the young woman lying before him now.

Wen Yuejun clenched his teeth, his eyes turning red. When tears threatened to fall, he looked up at the ceiling. Once the tears had receded, he lowered his head again, as if trying to imprint his daughter’s face into his memory.

His shoulders trembled, and Wen Yuejun couldn’t hold back any longer.

Zhang Xiuying climbed out of bed and sat next to Wen Yuejun.

Wen Yuejun, despite being a man, couldn’t hold back for long. After a while, he wiped his face and, in a hoarse voice, said: “If… if Xin Xin really doesn’t make it, I’ll go to the backyard tomorrow and cut down that ash tree. I’ll send it to Nan Valley and have the carpenter make a proper coffin for our daughter. If she survives, then the ash tree will be used to make her dowry.”

That ash tree had been planted by Wen Yuejun when he was about ten. Now, it was over thirty years old. The tree grew quickly, and it was now thick enough for two people to wrap their arms around. Originally, the couple had planned to keep the tree for making a coffin one day, but now, they would have to use it early.

Zhang Xiuying nodded as she choked with sobs.

The couple sat quietly like that, and after a while, they could no longer stay still and leaned against the wall to doze off. 

Even when they dozed, they couldn’t rest peacefully. 

Every three or four minutes, they would open their eyes, eagerly looking at Wen Xin, only to be disappointed again and again.

The rooster crowed, and the sky began to lighten, with the first light of dawn casting a pink glow across half the sky. 

Yet, there was still no sign of Wen Xin waking up. 

The couple’s hearts sank little by little.

Wen Xin’s brother and sister-in-law also got up, and the two couples came to the west wing. 

Eldest Sister-in-law Wen and Second Sister-in-law Wen had bloodshot eyes. 

The two brothers had not slept at all the previous night.

Big Brother Wen said: ”Mom, Dad.” 

As the eldest child in the family, her husband had the most authority in front of the parents. Whenever there was an issue, he was the one to speak. He was especially kind to his younger siblings, particularly to Wen Xin. Since Wen Xin’s accident, he had barely slept for two or three days.

Wen Yuejun and Zhang Xiuying looked at her.

Zhang Xiuying covered her eyes, while Wen Yuejun’s eyes were even redder than Big Brother Wen and Second Brother Wen’s.

Wen Yuejun opened his mouth several times, trying to tell Big Brother Wen to prepare for the funeral, but the words just wouldn’t come out.

Eldest Sister-in-law Wen had entered the family six months earlier than Second Sister-in-law Wen. 

The Wen family was harmonious; neither her mother-in-law nor her sister-in-law was troublesome, nor did they try to stir up trouble like other families might. 

Her sister-in-law was well-behaved and considerate, even easier to get along with than her own sister. 

When something happened to Wen Xin, Eldest Sister-in-law Wen couldn’t be as sad as her in-laws or husband, but she still felt deeply hurt.

As her husband spoke to her in-laws, Eldest Sister-in-law Wen glanced at Wen Xin. 

Suddenly, she noticed that Wen Xin’s lips were moving. 

She thought her eyes were playing tricks on her and rubbed them, then looked again. 

She wasn’t mistaken—Wen Xin’s mouth was indeed moving.

“Mom, Dad, look at Xiao Mei. Is she speaking?” Eldest Sister-in-law Wen’s voice carried a hint of hesitation. ^[1]Xiao Mei – Little Sister) Zhang Xiuying looked at her daughter sharply.  Seeing that her daughter’s lips were indeed moving, she quickly bent down.  Finally, she heard her … Continue reading

“Mm.”

Wen Xin woke up in the afternoon. 

As soon as she opened her eyes, her first instinct was to survey the room.

It was a mud-brick house with tile roofing. 

The only furniture in the room was the kang beneath her and two cabinets on it. 

The rest of the space felt empty.

Wen Xin searched through the memories of this body.

This body was also called Wen Xin. It was 1976, and she was 20 years old. 

She worked at the village Forestry Station. Not long ago, she had been introduced to Lin Jianzhang, a soldier, for an arranged marriage, and the two were now dating.

According to the original trajectory of her life, she would have married Lin Jianzhang in June this year, just three months later, and then applied to join him with the military in May next year. 

They would have had twin children together.

In the 1980s, Lin Jianzhang would have retired from the military, gone into business, and achieved great success. 

He and the original Wen Xin would have lived a life of mutual respect and support.

But if everything had gone so smoothly, then “Wen Xin” wouldn’t be here. This was the world of a book, but the female lead wasn’t the original Wen Xin. It was Luo Manzhen, who had once been the wife of Lin Jianzhang.

Luo Manzhen was a person who had been reborn with memories of her past life.

Before her rebirth, Luo Manzhen had been a classmate of Wen Xin in middle school. After graduation, she had an arranged marriage with Lin Jianzhang, and at the age of 18, they married. 

However, just half a month after their wedding, Lin Jianzhang returned to the military—leaving Luo Manzhen to live apart from him.

Luo Manzhen didn’t get along well with her in-laws, and by chance, she met Sun Haowen, a boy she had been romantically involved with in middle school. 

The two met again, one still having feelings, the other still harboring intent, and their old feelings reignited.

Half a year ago, Luo Manzhen had filed for divorce from Lin Jianzhang. 

Despite his attempts to reconcile, the marriage ended in divorce.

However, after the divorce, Luo Manzhen didn’t end up with Sun Haowen as she had hoped. 

After the college entrance examination was reinstated, Sun Haowen was accepted into a provincial normal university. 

Luo Manzhen who was determined by love, followed him there without hesitation.

She worked various odd jobs to earn money and took care of Sun Haowen’s daily needs.

After graduating, Sun Haowen was assigned to work at a county high school, where he soon became involved with the principal’s daughter. When Luo Manzhen found out, she naturally couldn’t tolerate it. She caused a stir at the school, ending Sun Haowen’s relationship with the principal’s daughter and ruining his job in the process.

Without a job, Sun Haowen reluctantly stayed with Luo Manzhen. After the economic reforms, the two went into business, and their career started to succeed. 

However, Sun Haowen’s cheating never stopped, and Luo Manzhen was constantly either fighting with mistresses or chasing after them. 

This continued until she fell ill at the age of 45 and never stopped.

Before her death, in her hospital room, Luo Manzhen watched an interview with entrepreneur Lin Jianzhang and his wife. 

In the interview, Lin Jianzhang not only discussed his entrepreneurial journey but also talked about his relationship with his wife.

It was then that Luo Manzhen realized just how well Lin Jianzhang had treated Wen Xin.

If they hadn’t divorced back then, would all of this have been hers?

Luo Manzhen felt regret once again.

When she woke up, she realized that she had not died as she had believed, but had instead been reborn in the moment right after she had divorced Lin Jianzhang.

This time, Luo Manzhen decided to win Lin Jianzhang back and live a good life with him.

But before that, what she needed to do was remove Wen Xin from Lin Jianzhang’s life.

And the accident where Wen Xin fell into the water was Luo Manzhen’s handiwork.