The Lin's brothers' homes were side by side, separated only by a half-crumbling brick wall. Anyone sneezing in one yard could be heard clearly in the other.
From dawn to dusk, Lin Qingya could hear her sister-in-law's voice drifting over, loud and cutting.
"A woman who can't even keep her husband shouldn't act so proud!"
"She came back with a child, eating other people's rice everyday. What a shame!"
Most villagers had started to get tired of hearing it. A few even symphathized with Qingya.
"She's a city woman; she's not used to all this," they whispered.
"Her ex-husband must have given her something in the divorce. Why doesn't she just move out?"
But Lin Qingya remained calm. She washed clothes, cooked, and helped in the fields as if nothing could get to her.
Not long though, the gossip took another turn.
"Have you heard? Qingya's elder sister-in-law is arranging a blind date for her!"
"What? Already? Isn't it too soon?"
"The man's a divorcee too, I think. With two sons, both of school age."
"She has her own child too, right? Why would she jump from one mess into another?"
"And to make it worse," someone added dramatically, "the man is her sister-in-law's former brother-in-law! Can you imagine family gatherings?"
The gossip rolled through the village faster than the summer wind.
In the courtyard, Lin Qingya was grinding soybeans for breakfast when her elder sister-in-law burst in, face shining with excitement.
"Qingya, the man I told you about; I got news! He's back from the city. You should meet him."
Qingya looked up, her tone even. "What's his name?"
"Han Yuzhe. Ex-Major from the Southern Millitary Division. After the reforms, he was reassigned to a local security in Xicheng. He has a good reputation, good temper, doesn't drink, doesn't gamble. He has two sons, yes, but they are very obedient trust me."
Qingya's grinding stone slowed. She had heard that name before.
In her previous life, Han Yuzhe had become Chief Inspector of Xicheng. Famous for his integrity and fairness.
When corruption scandals broke years later, he had been one of the officers who stood his ground. He was the kind of man who returned every bribe untouched, even turning in his own relatives for misconduct.
Back then, she had admired him from afar while struggling through her second unhappy marriage.
So...this was him?
Her sister-in-law kept talking, oblivious to the whirlpool in Qingya's mind. "You see, he's got an urban household registration. If you marry him, you'll be able to transfer yours too. Then you could register that courtyard house your Ex left behind. Don't waste the chance, Qingya."
Qingya wiped her hands and stared into the distance.
The courtyard house.
In her previous life, she had lost that house because of her pride and ignorance about paperwork. Her ex-husband, Lu Jianhao, had moved her rural registration back before the divorce. The deed was written in her name but useless without a city ID.
When the government later demolished the neighbourhood, the compensation apartments had all gone to him. She had walked away with nothing.
Not this time.
If marrying a good man could help her transfer her registration back, it wasn't a loss.
But there was one more reason.
Han Yuzhe wasn't like other men. She remembered reading an article about him in her past life. "A Policeman Who Never Took a Bribe." He had raised two sons alone after his wife left him. Working himself to exhaustion to send them to school and take care of them.
He wasn't rich, but atleast he was decent.
And decency was something she had learned to value far above wealth.
....
That evening, Lin Qingya and her son ate simple cornbread buns at the low wooden table.
Li Chen chewed slowly, his cheeks puffed out. "Mom, this is too dry," he muttered trying hard to swallow. After all he wasn't the eight-year-old boy who understood when they didn't have nor the mature successful man. He was still her little world and did not understand why they ĥad to eat that.
She laughed softly. "It's not that bad. Close your eyes and pretend it's cake."
"Cake isn't so hard to swallow, If we had sugar, it'd taste better." he said seriously.
Her heart twisted, and she smiled to cover it. "Then how about we make it better tomorrow? Maybe dip it in white sugar?"
His eyes widened. "Really?"
"Really."
The truth was, she had only ten yuan left, hidden in a folded handkerchief at the bottom of her pillow. But she couldn't bear to see him eat with such effort.
So the next morning, she went to the small convenience stall near the village gate. The owner, a plump woman with golden earrings, measured out half a kilo of white sugar into a brown paper bag.
Lin Chen stood on tiptoes beside her, his hands gripping the counter as he sniffed the air. When the sugar poured into the bag, he giggled at the sound like falling rain.
On their way back, the familiar sharp voice sliced through the air again.
"Oh my, Lin Qingya buying white sugar! Must have found another man to pay your bills."
Her younger sister-in-law walked past, a roasted chicken swinging from one hand, her son munching on a drumstick. The aroma made Lin Chen swallow hard.
"Poor child," the woman said loudly, "Your mother's sweet on some ex-soldier now, huh? Don't worry, maybe he'll feed you too."
Qingya turned her head slightly, eyes cool.
"Better sweet than bitter, don't you think?"
The woman's smirk froze. She muttered under her breath and stalked off, chicken swinging wildly.
.....
That night, Lin Qingya tore a small piece of cornbread, dipped it in sugar, and handed it to her son. The grains sparkled under the lamplight like time stars.
"Try it," she said.
He took a bite, eyes brightening instantly. "It's so good Mama!"
She smiled. "Then eat slowly. Sweet things are meant to be savored."
He nodded earnestly and began to eat with full concentration, tiny fingers careful not to spill even a grain.
Watching him, Qingya felt warmth spread in her chest and determination solidify in her bones.
She had once believed love could protect her.
Now she knew better: only stability could.
And this time, she would build it with her own hands, even if it meant accepting a practical marriage.
She looked toward the small bag of sugar on the table. In her previous life, she had promised Lin Chen she would be back to eat with him the cake she had bought for him before leaving for her second marriage.
He had saved that stale cake for three months, waiting for her return.
This time, she whispered, "No matter what happens, I won't leave you behind again when I am here, until when destiny takes me awya from this life."
....
The sun had long slipped beneath the hills, and the moon hung low above the mulberry tree outside Lin Qingya's courtyard.
The cornbread buns in the bamboo steamer had gone cold and been reheated three times, but her elder Brother's family still hadn't returned from the fields.
It was the middle of harvest season, and since the younger brother was bedridden after being beaten by Lu Jianhao's hired thugs, the workload had doubled.
Her elder brother and his wife worked both fields now, wheat, sorghum,corn and sweat soaking through their clothes from dawn to moonrise.
From next door came the familiar, grating voice of her younger sister-in-law.
"If it weren't for Qingya's temper, the rich boss wouldn't have divorced her! What woman hits her husband? He only kicked the child once when drunk. A real wife would've endured it."
The words floated easily over the wall.
Lin Qingya kept her expression blank, chopping vegetables as though she hadn't heard.
But her sons Lin Chen's tiny fists clenched under the table. As small as he was, he knew whenever this Aunt of his shouted it was directed at his mother. The child was traumatised from the voice alone.
Still Qingya said nothing. She only whispered, "Eat your food before it gets cold."
...
When her brother finally returned, his shoulders stooped with exhaustion. He washed his hands at the well and sat by the door, lighting a cigarette.
"Qingya," he said, exhaling a tired cloud, "I know your younger sister-in-law's been running her mouth. Don't let it get to you. But there's something else I need to ask."
She looked up quietly.
"About that man...Han Yuzhe. The retire officer you elder sister-in-law mentioned. Are you sure about meeting him?"
Qingya folded the towel on her lap. "You've met him?"
"Once," her brother said, catching his neck. "Serious man. Quiet. Not the type who jokes around. He served on the border and was recently transferred to city security after reforms."
He took another drag, the top glowing red in the night.
"I won't lie to you, Qingya. I don't like rushing you into another marriage. You've been through enough. Whether you say yes or no, we'll stand behind you. But if you agree...just make sure it is for yourself, and not under pressure."
Lin Qingya's voice was steady when she replied. "I'll marry him, if he accepts me."
Her brother blinked. "You've decided?"
She nodded. "I have."
There was no hesitation,no false modesty.
Marrying Han Yuzhe wasn't about romance. It was all about survival.
...
That night, as the house fell into silence, Qingya scrubbed laundry by the well. The moonlight glinted off the ripples of water, silvering her fingers.
What good would it do to stay here, under the same roof as those who mocked her?
Han Yuzhe was a man of integrity. His household registration was urban. With marriage, she could transfer hers too and reclaim the courtyard house her ex-husband had stolen on paper.
That house in her last life, had turned into a multi-million compensation property when demolition came.
This time, she wouldn't loose it.
She wrung out the wet clothes, her resolve as clear as the night air.
....
Meanwhile, across the village, her elder sister-in-law, Zhou Qiaolan, hurried through the narrow paths under the locust trees.
Frogs croaked by the ditches. Sweat clung to her back as she carried a small lantern, slipping toward the old, abandoned house at the end of the lane.
The musty air hit her as soon as she pushed open the creaking door.
Inside, a woman sat on the edge of a straw mat, fanning herself lazily. Zhou Qiaolan's younger sister, Zhou Xinyi.
"You really got the divorce certificate?" Qiaolan demanded.
Xinyi smiled faintly. "Yes. What of it?"
Her sister's jaw dropped. "Han Yuzhe's a city officer! He's got a stable job, a clean reputation and you just let him go? Have you lost your mind?"
"Maybe," Xinyi said lightly. "But I'd rather go mad than live one more year with a man who has no ambition. All he cares about is 'honor' and 'justice.' He's like a walking badge, not a husband."
Qiaolan's face darkened. "You ungrateful-"
But Xinyi waved her off, opening a small packet of spicy dried tofu from the city. The sharp aroma filled the air.
"You always said I was lucky to marry an officer. But let me tell you my sister. The future belongs to those with money not medals." She took a bite, lips glistening red with chilli oil. "The rich will rule everything. You'll see."
Qiaolan's stomach twisted. "You're saying that now? When half the village already thinks am shameless for introducing Lin Qingya to your ex-husband?"
Xinyi laughed softly. "Then you should be happy. If she marries him, she can raise my boys for me. Saves me the trouble."
Qiaolan's eyes widened in disbelief."You're really leaving your children behind?"
"I'm giving them a better stepmother aren't I?" Xinyi said simply, brushing her hands off.
She stood, pulling on her shoes. "I've decided. I'm not going back to him. There's another man I want. A businessman in the neighbouring town. He'll be rich one day, am sure of it."
Her sister grabbed ger arm. "You don't even know him!"
Xinyi smiled coldly. "I don't need to. I've seen what kind of man he'll become."
There was a wild gleam in her eyes.
She didn't know how to explain it, but ever since that bus accident on her way back from the city, she'd had strange, vivid dreams. Dreams of the future.
In them, that same businessman Yun Hao, stood at the top of the city's real estate empire, wealthy beyond imagination, with a wife who looked suspiciously like Lin Qingya.
The very same Lin Qingya her sister wanted to introduce to her now ex-husband.
No. That couldn't happen again.
She pushed open the door, stepping into the humid night.
"Where are you going?" Her sister hissed.
"To meet my future." Zhou Xinyi said without looking back.
She turned down the narrow river path, moonlight glimmering on the water as she disappeared into the the distance.Towards the lights of Lu family village.
On Lin Qingya's side, she finished folding her done laundry. She looked up at the moon pale and round, hanging above the roof tiles.
Tomorrow, she would meet Han Yuzhe. The man who would unknowingly change both their lives.