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“Who are you?”
Wen Qinghe looked at the sickly beauty in front of her, a guess already forming in her heart.
“Wen Qinghe.”
“I’m also called Wen Qinghe. Why are you here?”
The other girl’s beautiful eyes furrowed ever so slightly, the kind of look that made one want to offer her the most precious things in the world just to smooth away those creases between her brows.
“…I’m sorry. You were brought here because of my obsession.”
Wen Qinghe was startled. Could it be that she hadn’t died from drinking after all?
“What do you mean? Didn’t I come here after death?”
“No. The body you’ve entered is still alive, but because its soul was missing, it fell into a coma.”
Hearing she wasn’t actually dead, Wen Qinghe sighed in relief. But realizing that she’d been dragged here by this person, her expression darkened.
“Why did you do this? How do I go back?”
The sickly Xi Shi only gazed at her with an unreadable expression before slowly speaking:
“Would you be willing to hear my story?”
Wen Qinghe saw that face, and couldn’t bear to refuse. She nodded.
“The truth is, I already died. What you see now is just a strand of my soul.”
Seeing Wen Qinghe’s astonished look, she gave a faint, bitter smile.
“My mother’s surname was He. She was beautiful and gentle.
When the umbilical cord wrapped around my neck and I was close to suffocating, she endured the pain and urged the doctor to cut her open immediately to take me out.
But because of excessive bleeding… she died.”
For some reason, when Wen Qinghe heard this, she seemed to feel the girl’s grief and guilt.
If it had been modern medicine, her mother might still have had a chance…
“And me—because I stayed in the womb for a little longer, I was weak and sickly from birth.
Later, it was discovered I had congenital heart disease. Doctors had already predicted I wouldn’t live past eighteen. And in the end, they were right.”
At this point, she gave a self-mocking laugh.
“My grandfather was once a well-known landlord, but he never mistreated the farmers under him. Because of his kindness, he built many good connections.
With the help of benefactors, the family was well-off.
Later, when times changed, all he had left was wealth. Knowing the importance of knowledge in society, he spent everything to send my father abroad to study.
He hoped my father could learn, and contribute to the nation’s rise. Someone had to study for the sake of the country’s future.
Father lived up to expectations, returning as a university professor and teaching everything he had learned.
Because of my condition, he spent nearly all of his time and energy on me when he wasn’t working.
The family’s private doctor and servants revolved around me. But because of policy restrictions, we couldn’t be too conspicuous. Most servants were dismissed, leaving only a live-in maid.
Even so, the family was among the first to fall.
Grandfather was already gone, but Father was still alive, so they sent him to a labor farm, confiscated our home, and arranged for me to be sent to the countryside in advance to lie low.
But he never expected that, shaken by the sudden family disaster and weighed down by worry, I would die on the way to the countryside…
When news of my death reached Father at the farm, his hair turned white overnight. In less than two months, grief consumed him, and he too passed away…”
Listening to the sickly Xi Shi’s voice, nearly breaking into sobs, Wen Qinghe felt her eyes sting with tears. Why did she also feel so much pain?
“I never thought my death would deal such a heavy blow to my father.”
Wen Qinghe moved forward and hugged her, her voice hoarse:
“…What do you want me to do for you?”
“I don’t want Father to be sad because of me. I want him to live well, to experience happiness.
And since I was a child I couldn’t run or jump. If possible, I hope you can live in my stead—live freely, live unrestrained.”
Wen Qinghe didn’t understand: “But why me?”
“Because I am you…”
Her voice grew faint, so faint that Wen Qinghe could barely hear it.
Then she reached out and touched Wen Qinghe’s brow.
Her figure dissolved into countless points of starlight.
“Wait! You haven’t told me yet—can I ever go back?”
Wen Qinghe opened her eyes, only to find herself asleep in her seat.
She wiped the dampness from the corners of her eyes. Was it just a dream?
But the cool sensation between her brows still lingered. As her finger brushed across it, she noticed a new mole on her index finger.
Given that such a bizarre event as traveling to another era had already happened, entering another’s dream wasn’t so surprising anymore.
But didn’t that girl think—inside this body, she still felt the suffocating pressure. How could she possibly live freely?
Forget it. She would just take things one step at a time.
…
The girl across from her saw her awake and asked,
“Comrade, where are you from?”
“Beijing.”
“Wow, that’s a big city! Look at your delicate skin, how did your parents even agree to let you go to the countryside?”
Wen Qinghe wasn’t close to her and didn’t want to answer endless questions.
“I’m responding to the call of our great leader, dedicating myself to building a beautiful countryside and revitalizing the villages. My family has high ideological awareness—why wouldn’t they agree?”
After finishing, she closed her eyes to rest, ignoring the girl.
“…”
The girl seemed to realize Wen Qinghe didn’t want to talk further and wisely kept quiet.
She could say all that lofty stuff, but everyone knew the countryside was tough. Once sent down, returning to the city was nearly impossible…
She’d only wanted to band together with someone headed to the same place, hoping things would be easier.
Looking at Wen Qinghe, this sickly beauty, jealousy flashed in her eyes. Heaven had given her such looks, but had also taken something back.
Like a healthy body. From her appearance, she was clearly short-lived.
Though dressed in coarse clothes, her stunning face didn’t look like it came from a poor family.
Was she truly a rich young lady lying low in the countryside, or a poor girl born with natural beauty?
…
The green train of the old era clattered slowly along. The carriage was packed with people, standing or sitting, luggage piled everywhere.
Earlier, on her way to the bathroom, Wen Qinghe even saw someone bring a pet chicken. To keep it from running around, they tied it up tightly and stuffed it in a bag.
At first, she didn’t notice, but as she passed by, it suddenly burst out, flapping wildly, startling her.
Her face instantly turned pale, her weak heart thudding uncontrollably. Afraid of an incident, she quickly swallowed another pill, worrying if she had overdosed.
But it had scared her too much. It was the first time she had ever seen a live chicken.
In her twenty-one years of life, never once. Even in this body’s eighteen years, the chances must have been slim.
The train smelled of everything imaginable. When she returned to her seat, the suffocating odors nearly crushed her.
No wonder the sickly Xi Shi hadn’t made it to the village.
Wen Qinghe felt faint herself, her small face paling as she clutched her chest, gasping for breath—
The girl across from her opened the window.
“Comrade, does this feel better?”
Feeling the fresh air flow in, the pressure in her chest eased. For the first time today, she smiled gratefully at the girl.
“Thank you, I feel much better.”
“No need to thank me. I used to get carsick too—opening the window helps.”
“By the way, my name’s Liu Mei, what’s yours?”
“Wen Qinghe.”
“Wen Qing…he? What a fancy-sounding name, though a bit hard to say.”
Wen Qinghe smiled and explained the origin of her name:
“Because my mother’s surname was He.”
She froze after speaking.
The original body’s mother also had the surname He.
Was this really just a coincidence?
Translator’s Note:
Here, Xi Shi refers to one of the legendary Four Beauties of ancient China, often used to symbolize an exceptionally beautiful woman. Would you like me to keep Xi Shi in pinyin for cultural nuance, or adapt it into something like “Beauty of the ’70s” for a smoother web novel feel?