I was reborn after my cousin stole my life.

Chapter 2: Rebirth

Yuanjia Village, 1976.

"Yuan Xiu, is it? I haven't received any letter from you."

After leaving a message for the girl who was standing there in a daze, the postman got on his bicycle and rode away from the village along the bumpy mountain road.

The first thing Yuan Xiu heard after regaining consciousness was this nonsensical statement.

What shocked her even more than the words was the bumpy dirt road in front of her. Wasn't this road paved with asphalt by the town last year?

When the road was paved, the town even hired a folk dance troupe to drive them on a tractor and dance from one end to the other.

Looking out, one mountain peak after another rises in the surrounding area. The wheat in the fields has already sprouted ears. Nearby, on a mud wall with most of its plaster peeling off, several large, incomplete characters are painted in white lime: Prepare for famine and war for the people!

Yuan Xiu quickly stretched out her hands and held them up in front of her eyes. Her young, fair hands only had a few thin calluses on the palms.

These are her hands, but not her hands when she was forty-five.

"Yuan Xiu, what are you doing standing here?" Granny Wang from the same village passed by her carrying a hoe. Seeing her standing blankly at the village entrance with an odd expression on her face, she couldn't help but ask with concern.

Yuan Xiu turned her head to look at her and stammered, "Aunt Wang?"

Aunt Wang nodded. "It's me. What's wrong? Don't you recognize me all of a sudden?"

Yuan Xiu quickly shook her head, "No, I just wanted to say that you look really good today."

Aunt Wang chuckled: "You young folks, you really have sweet tongues!"

After saying that, he picked up his hoe and went to his own field.

Yuan Xiu stared blankly as Wang Da Niang jumped down from the ridge, spat into her palm, and vigorously hoeed the ground with a loud "heave-ho!"

A few days ago, she saw Granny Wang struggling to walk step by step in the village, using a cane and dragging her legs which were not able to move easily after her stroke.

At this moment, Yuan Xiu clearly felt that something strange was happening to her.

It was as if she had suddenly returned to twenty-seven years ago.

The postman's parting words clearly told her that she was now waiting for a letter.

In her more than forty years of life, the only letter she ever waited for was the one that Yuan Juan's father intercepted!

Thinking of this, Yuan Xiu turned and walked back into the village.

Over twenty years have passed, but the roads in Yuanjia Village have not changed much. After entering the village, walk along the main road for three minutes, then turn onto the small road on the right. The house with a pomegranate tree at the gate is hers.

It was still that same four-room brick house. Her father had demolished the old house and rebuilt it with his demobilization pay after he retired from the army. Two rooms were given to the eldest son, one to the elderly couple, and the remaining room to Uncle Yuan's family.

Yuan Xiu recalled what the old lady had said last night—no, twenty-seven years later—that the house would all be left to her. From her own mouth, it sounded like she was being given alms.

The courtyard gate was ajar. Old Mrs. Yuan sat in the courtyard, directing Old Mr. Yuan to catch a few free-range chickens in the yard. Then, she picked them up one by one and felt their rear ends to see if they had any eggs.

"Once we've collected thirty, we'll send them to the youngest. They live in town, and everything costs money, so every little bit helps."

Old Man Yuan coughed once: "Have Xiu'er go to the field and pick some radishes to take to town as well."

Neither of them noticed Yuan Xiu standing at the door, but even if they had, it wouldn't have changed anything, because Yuan Xiu now felt it was a perfectly normal thing, just like she had for over twenty years without knowing the true nature of her family.

She would send the chickens she raised at home, as well as the vegetables and grains she grew, to her uncle's house in town every now and then, thus earning a reputation for filial piety.

"Xiu'er's back?" Old Mrs. Yuan smiled when she saw Yuan Xiu and beckoned her into the courtyard. "How did it go? Did you get a reply?"

Yuan Xiu shook her head as she looked at the old woman in front of her.

Grandma Yuan sighed, took Yuan Xiu's hand and patted it, "It's alright, I guess they didn't like us. Otherwise, this letter would have come long ago. After all, we haven't been in touch for so many years. Who knows what that family is thinking? Your father was honest. Before he died, he left you this message. To be honest, even if they had made contact, I wouldn't feel comfortable letting a young girl like you marry so far away. It's so much better for you to stay with your grandparents. If anything happens, just call us and we'll be there. If you really marry so far away and they mistreat you, your grandfather and I won't be able to stand up for you. Your grandparents would be heartbroken."

Grandpa Yuan chimed in, "Your grandma is right. You're still young, so there's no rush to find a husband. Wait a couple of years, and your grandma and uncle will have a good look at some potential husbands for you. Whether you marry into the village or the town, it's better than marrying far away."

"Yes, your uncle knows a lot of people. He can find you a family in town so our Xiu'er can marry into one..."

The elderly couple were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't notice Yuan Xiu's expressionless face throughout.

That sounds so familiar.

Over those twenty-odd years, she heard it countless times, and the content was always pretty much the same.

Yuan Xiu couldn't remember what the old couple said at this time in her previous life. She was only eighteen years old then. Because she hadn't received a reply, she felt that the other person didn't like her. She was both ashamed and angry, and she walked with her head down. Whenever her family mentioned it, she would hide in the house. It took her a while to accept reality.

Hearing these words now, I just find them laughable. They're worried about her marrying far away, but they're quite comfortable letting Yuan Juan marry someone else under her name.

They brainwashed her step by step, saying they couldn't bear to part with her and felt sorry for her, making her work like a workhorse for the Yuan family for half her life.

"Xiu'er, your grandfather has a cough. Make him a bowl of that herbal tea you brewed last time," said Old Madam Yuan.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Xiu subconsciously took a step toward the kitchen, but stopped after a couple of steps. "We're out of licorice root. If you're coughing badly, Master, you should go to the clinic."

After saying that, she went into her room.

Old Man Yuan stared at Yuan Xiu's retreating figure while chatting with Old Woman Yuan, "Ahem, something seems off about Xiu'er."

In the past, if he felt unwell anywhere, Xiu'er would notice immediately and rush to cook medicine and make tea for him. Even if there was nothing left at home, she would immediately go up the mountain to gather herbs.

"A young girl like her is at an age where she cares about her image. She's probably just embarrassed because the other guy didn't like her." Grandma Yuan didn't think there was anything wrong with it. "You don't need to go to the clinic. It's not worth the money. Just cover yourself with more blankets at night and sweat it out."

"Ahem, alright then..."