Chapter 1: Reborn, caught in the act

"Eh, Grandma Chun hasn't been able to eat anything for several days now; she might not make it past this Lantern Festival. That girl Chen Zijin actually didn't come back with them?"

"Who's to say? Her own grandmother is about to pass, yet the eldest granddaughter hasn't shown her face. I'm afraid she's too ashamed to come back!"

"Sigh, it's truly a pity. I watched Zijin grow up; her looks surpass Xi Shi's. You won't find a more delicate and pretty girl in all the surrounding villages. And now that her family is wealthy, she was actually ruined by that brat Li Heng."

"If you ask me, Li Jianguo is no good either. He was fired from the school for his loose private life with a female teacher. What kind of good son could he possibly raise?"

"Isn't there a rumor that Uncle Li was framed?"

"Who can say for sure? If his own record were clean, could he have been framed?"

"Hey, did any of you see the scene that day? I heard that when Chen Zijin's aunt caught them in bed, Li Heng and Chen Zijin were both naked and hugging each other, not even wearing a pair of panties. Is it true?"

"Hehehe! Everyone is saying it like that, with such vivid details—could it be fake? I think it's eight or nine parts true!"

"..."

At the east end of the village, there are five ponds of varying sizes lined up. To the east of the ponds is a grain-drying ground, slightly larger than a basketball court.

At this moment, six or seven rural women in simple clothing are on the drying ground, sewing shoe soles while gossiping about the village's affairs.

Today, the target of their wagging tongues is the old Li family at the crossroads, with the main focus on the father-son pair, Li Jianguo and Li Heng.

In fact, it's not just today; over the past few months, the incident of the poor boy Li Heng being caught in bed with the noble girl Chen Zijin has been a hot topic in the nearby villages and towns.

Just how hot is it?

It's more popular than the village chief marrying a 22-year-old widow for his third marriage; it's even more popular than the Liang-surnamed pervert sneaking into his daughter-in-law's bed.

The gossiping women, who barely know a few characters, don't know the details; they only know that the Chen family has taken off, and they are jealous just looking at it.

At this moment, in the old earthen house across from the drying ground, a woman who looks to be in her 40s is silently scrubbing clothes.

The woman's skin is rough, and the traces of time are left at the corners of her eyes, but her excellent figure and lingering charm all tell that she must have been a great beauty in her youth.

She is Li Heng's mother, Tian Run'e.

If it were in the past, if anyone dared to criticize her husband and precious son behind her back, she could have set aside the upbringing carved into her bones, acted like a shrew, and gone to their door with a kitchen knife to argue for half a day.

When her husband was still a leader at the Education Bureau, Tian Run'e was the most glorious person in the village.

But now, with her husband framed and fired, the Chen family across the road soaring to the sky, and her son being ruthlessly suppressed, she no longer has that spirit.

Listening to the wave after wave of mocking laughter from the drying ground, Tian Run'e clenched her fists tightly as she washed the clothes, but in the end, she slowly loosened them.

"Auntie Fatty, keep your voices down. Aren't you afraid Sister-in-law Run'e will hear you?"

Listening and listening, a newly arrived daughter-in-law in the village couldn't stand it anymore and gave a subtle reminder.

"What's there to be afraid of? Her son dared to act like a hooligan and strip the clothes off the Chen family's daughter; can't I say a few words?"

"Exactly, exactly!"

The gossiping women on the drying ground, their chests heaving, erupted into another wave of unbridled laughter.

Just then, a flat-headed teenager passing by happened to hear their conversation and immediately pouted, clearly displeased:

"Hey! I say, you are all old aunties in your tens, with half your bodies already buried in the dirt, yet all you know is to gossip behind people's backs all day long. Aren't you ashamed? If you have the guts, say it to my brother's face!"

These words instantly enraged Auntie Fatty, who sprang up from her low stool, akimbo, and pointed while cursing:

"Zhang Zhiyong, you heartless brat, who are you being disrespectful to? Do you believe I'll slap you twice on behalf of your father!"

"Eww! I'm so scared!"

Zhang Zhiyong looked at her with disdain, arched his butt, slapped his own butt with his right hand, jumped up, and retorted:

"I'm not good with words, I can't out-talk you old aunties! If you keep being sarcastic and bringing up my father, if you're not convinced, let's have a fight right now!"

Everyone knows that the Zhang family's conditions are among the best in the village, and they also know that Zhang Zhiyong's nickname "Heartless" isn't for nothing; if you provoke him, he really might do anything.

Just as the old and the young were bickering on the drying ground, Tian Run'e walked out of the main room. She softly called out to Zhang Zhiyong:

"Zhiyong, don't bother with ignorant things. It's cold outside, come in and have a cup of hot water."

Seeing Tian Run'e appear, Auntie Fatty, who was angered by Zhang Zhiyong, immediately pointed her spearhead at her:

"Tian Run'e! Who are you calling ignorant?"

Tian Run'e said indifferently: "If you have the energy to make a spectacle of yourself here, you might as well go back and manage your own pervert. I saw him sneaking into your daughter-in-law's room from the second floor just now."

Auntie Fatty's husband is the famous Liang-surnamed pervert in the village. Hearing this, she couldn't care about entangling with the two anymore; she threw the unfinished shoe sole onto the ground in a rage and hurried home while cursing.

Auntie Fatty was the leader of the gossipers; with her gone, the others suddenly lost their backbone and scattered like birds and beasts.

Seeing Auntie Tian kill off Auntie Fatty with one sentence, Zhang Zhiyong clapped his hands and laughed, then turned to ask:

"Auntie Tian, is Li Heng at home?"

Tian Run'e shook her head, "If he were at home, he would have come out to fight long ago; he wouldn't let you show off your power alone."

Zhang Zhiyong asked hurriedly: "Then where did he go?"

Tian Run'e asked: "Do you have something to find him for?"

Zhang Zhiyong nodded fiercely like a chick, "Urgent matter!"

Tian Run'e pointed toward the river dam: "Go to the dam and take a look. He went out with a net this morning."

Hearing this, Zhang Zhiyong didn't say a word, turned around, and sprinted toward the river dam.

On the dam.

In the crystal-clear water of the dam, one could see groups of small fish playing freely in the water.

At this moment, Li Heng was resting his head on his hands, crossing his legs, leaning against a pile of river sand, and staring blankly at the school of fish in the water. His mind had never been so lost.

Reborn!

Actually returned to such a poor era as 1987.

Thinking of the few earthen houses at home that were about to collapse, thinking of the radish and cabbage without any oil or water for every meal for the past half month, he was truly crying without tears; he didn't have the courage to start over with any heroic spirit.

In his previous life, he was in good health, had physical exams every year, and the doctors he knew well joked that he was as robust as an 18-year-old boy, capable of singing and dancing every night. How could he be struck by lightning while taking a walk after a meal?

He just died like that. What about his old mother in that world? Wouldn't his family and children be heartbroken to death?

Would his confidante, who was walking with him, go crazy if she saw him lying dead on the ground?

Whenever he thought of these things, he felt like a fish struggling in an oxygen-deprived pond, feeling suffocated, suffocated to the point of not being able to breathe, wanting to hold his head and cry bitterly.

After graduating from university in his previous life, he worked in a government department, and later, an old classmate dragged him into starting an overseas training institution.

After decades of hard work, step by step, he had a considerable fortune and was at the most glorious moment of his life. But now, tens of millions in savings had been replaced by three dilapidated earthen houses; everything was ruined!

It had all gone down the drain!

He looked up at the thieving heavens. Could this be the so-called retribution of cause and effect?

But he had been cautious all his life and hadn't committed any major mistakes, had he?

Truly unwilling!

The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt. The depressed Li Heng reached out his right hand, pulled a dogtail grass, put it in his mouth, chewed it, and comforted himself like this:

His previous life could be considered smooth sailing—university, a good job, and catching a good opportunity when going into business. Perhaps God knew he owed too many favors and had regrets, so He specially let him come back to compensate.

Thinking of regrets, the first person he thought of was his old father, and he couldn't help but feel a bit sour in his heart.

His old father, Li Jianguo, was in poor health, suffering from chronic spinal disease, and couldn't touch any heavy physical labor, only able to help cook and do housework.

As for Tian Run'e, her marriage with Comrade Li Jianguo was full of absurdity.

When Li Jianguo was young, he was good-looking, a university student, and had a decent job, so finding a partner was very easy.

But it was as if he were possessed by a ghost; he didn't want this one, didn't like that one, but was conquered by a beautiful photo in a friend's home.

The friend told him that the heroine of the photo had fallen on hard times and was currently a sent-down youth in the neighboring Gan Province. The distance was too far, and meeting her was not an easy task.

But Li Jianguo wouldn't listen, insisting that his friend act as a matchmaker.

The friend was so angry she fainted; she had intended to marry Li Jianguo herself, but she didn't expect to lose to a photo. That was extremely painful for anyone!

In the end, the friend still endured the pain, bought two train tickets, and accompanied him to the neighboring Gan Province.

The heroine of the photo was Tian Run'e. When she first saw Li Jianguo, she only said three sentences:

The first sentence: Tian Run'e pointed to the stone stool in the courtyard and said: "Come, sit facing the sun, let me take a good look at what you look like."

Li Jianguo faced the sun and sat down obediently.

The second sentence: Tian Run'e asked: "Have you ever had a partner? Have you ever been married?"

Li Jianguo shook his head, "Neither."

The third sentence: Tian Run'e issued an eviction order: "You go, I didn't take a fancy to you."

Hearing this, Li Jianguo immediately became anxious: "I don't want that! Ever since I saw your photo, I haven't slept well for half a year. I just want to marry you!"

No one could understand why Tian Run'e would marry Li Jianguo. Later, with the help of her friend, she still followed him back to Xiangnan.

She had originally thought that by condescending to marry into the Li family, she could have a hot meal and live a comfortable life. But she never expected! After enduring and enduring, she finally became the main labor force of the Li family, and she had to manage everything in the fields and on the land.

This is truly making a fool of people; saying it out loud brings tears!

Li Heng had two older sisters above him. The eldest sister was named Li Yan, 21 years old, a premature baby born after only seven months of pregnancy. Everyone thought she wouldn't survive, but a miracle happened.

However, due to being premature, she was slightly slow in speaking and doing things, always a beat behind others. Last year, she married a carpenter and was already pregnant.

The second sister, Li Lan, was the opposite of the eldest; she was very clever, but a bit gluttonous and even more sharp-tongued. Li Heng had lived in fear of her since he was a child. She was currently studying at a health school.

As for himself, Li Heng couldn't help but raise his left hand. There was a faint "c" mark on his arm, which he had cut with a pencil knife when he was in the first year of junior high.

c, not Zhang, not Li, not Zhao, not Wang, but Chen. It represented his open and earth-shattering love for Chen Zijin.

Past events flashed through his mind like a movie, finally condensing into an exquisite and clear face.

He wondered how Chen Zijin was doing after following her parents to the capital?

Was she used to it there?

But thinking about what happened during the summer vacation half a year ago, Li Heng, who had been reborn, still felt very guilty and felt he had let her down.

Although they were in mutual love, due to the limitations of the era's concepts, this kind of puppy love, feared like a tiger, was destined to make the girl suffer, and the reputation was even more unfavorable to the girl.

"Corrupting morals," "shameless," "not self-respecting," and even "flirty" and other unbearable vocabulary once became labels on Li Heng and Chen Zijin, compiled into stories by those busybodies in the village and spread behind their backs. So far, there have been no fewer than 20 versions.

Under tremendous mental pressure, Chen Zijin's family was picked up by her grandfather and father, who were officials abroad and had just gained a firm foothold.

Then all the attacks of rumors and gossip were concentrated on the down-and-out Li family, and the protagonist of the story, Li Heng, naturally became a living target.

For example:

"A fresh flower stuck in cow dung."

"A toad wanting to eat swan meat."

"Pah, don't even pee to look in the mirror!"

"Heh! A crow can't climb a high branch, a wild chicken can't climb a phoenix; is the Li family brat worthy?"

All kinds of dirty words truly fulfilled that old saying: when you are glorious, people accompany you; when you are down, no one cares.

The group of people who once greeted the Li family with smiles were now often the most vicious in kicking them when they were down.

For this reason, Li Jianguo and his wife worried for a long time, fearing that the only seedling in the family would have such a stain on his life and wouldn't be able to find a partner in the future, with no one willing to marry him.

Tian Run'e had fantasized about becoming in-laws with the Chen family.

But the result was imaginable; she had just tentatively opened her mouth when she was rejected by Chen Zijin's mother with a cold face. She didn't care about the friendship of being good friends at all.

Facts proved once again that poverty is pathetic.

Since then, Tian Run'e, who originally loved to socialize with neighbors, rarely visited others and was unwilling to talk to others much.

Because of this, Li Heng in his youth once regarded this as a major shame and complained about the Chen family.

Later, he understood that the Chen family was right not to want to marry their beautiful eldest daughter to him at that time.

The pillar of the Li family, Li Jianguo, had collapsed and become a medicine jar, a useless person who needed his wife to work in the fields to support him.

And there were two drag-along bottles studying at home, and the eldest daughter would occasionally come to her maiden home with a big belly to take advantage, and there were no capable relatives to help. The whole family's food and clothing were a problem. Ask, which family would dare to get involved with such in-laws?

What hope could the Chen family have by marrying their daughter into such a family?

Not to mention that he had also damaged Chen Zijin's reputation. You know, this was an era where even holding hands would make one blush; it would be strange if the Chen family could give him a good look.

Not to mention that the Chen family was no longer what it used to be, glorious and developed; why would they still marry their daughter to him?

Many years later, Li Heng once wrote in an essay: his own story was a climax at birth, and only then was there a long foreshadowing.

PS: New author, new book, seeking monthly tickets! Seeking follow-up reading! Seeking collection! Follow-up reading is very important.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 2 =====