The sun was sinking behind the hills, painting the millet fields in dull gold glow. The ripe stalks bent under the weight of their grain; every now and then a dry husk cracked open and scattered seed into the soil.
At the Chen family gate, a postman braked hard on his bicycle. He hesitated before calling out, "Is Lim Qingya here? There's a registered letter for her from Xiping City, Jidong Road Sub-Bureu."
Inside the yard the air was thick. Lim Degang stood with a sickle in one hand and a tobacco pipe in the other, veins pulsing on his temples. Zhou Min sat on the ground, her face streaked with dirt, while her husband hunched beside her like a scolded child. Even the postman felt the tension.
Lin Chen darted out first, eyes wide. "Uncle postman, is it really for my mom?"
"Yes, little one." He passed the envelope through the half-open gate, curious but too wary to linger.
Qingya took it from Lin Chen tore and tore it open. Inside was Han Yuzhe's crisp handwriting. Short, formal and direct.
Meet me at the county bus station three morning from now. Bring your ID, introduction letter, household registration, and the Homestead Transfer Certificate.
Degang also reda through the contents. He exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Good. He's handling it pretty fast. At least tge house title will soon be settled under your name."
His younger brother seeing an opportunity, hopping to calm things, forced a grin. "See, isn't that wonderful? Yuzhe's a good catch. Better than that coal fool. Our sister's heading back to the city soon anyway-"
The words barely left his mouth before Degang's pipe flew across the yard. It struck him square on the forehead with a crack.
Blood trickled down the shiny latch if his scalp.
Zhou Min shrieked and clutched her son.
Degang's eyes blazed. "You sold out your own blood for money!"
Dejun wiped the blood with his sleeve, muttering, "I only took what should've been mine. She helped you build a house but ignore me. The money was going to her anyway, why shouldn't I use it?"
That shameless reasoning made Degang raise his sickle again, but Qingya caught his arm.
"Enough, brother," she said quietly. "People like him will lay for their foolishness one day. This ends here."
Her tone was calm, but her heart had hardened. She finally understood: kindness without boundaries only breeds greed. From this day, she would protect only the people who deserved it.
She gathered the cash, bank book, and what clothes were still hers from Zhou Min's chest. Degang helped, shaking his head."Qingya, if the city life turns sour, send word home. I won't let you suffer again."
Qingya nodded and asked flatly, "What's the password to this bankbook?"
"I-I don't know any password, "Zhou Min stammered.
Qingya's eyes didn't waver. "Four digits. Tell me, or I'll report it lost with your ID and withdraw it myself."
The gleam of Degang's sickle flashed once more.
"Four-three-two-eight!" Zhiu Min screamed, curling up like a frightened chicken.
Neighbours peeked through the cracks in theri fences as her wails echoed across the courtyard.
When the shouting finally died down, Qingya tucked the bank book safely into her blouse and left from their courtyard. She had no more pity left for the pair.
...
Before down the next day, she and Lin Chen boarded the first bus to Jinyang. The windows rattled, wind smelling of diesel and dust. At tge County Bank she withdrew every yuan from the account. The 9,700 and added the 2,700 in cash she'd taken back.
After depositing most of it again for safety, she kept a thousand yuan in her bag. For the first time in her life, she carried money that truly belonged to her.
The town streets were alive with new pulse of late nineties. Shops blared music from tiny speakers, vendors sold skewers, and children crowded around arcade machines flashing bright lights.
Qingya bought two steaming white buns and a handful of spicy bean sheets from a glass case glowing red with chili oil. She tore one bun open, stuffed rge spicy stripe inside, and handed it to her son.
Lin Chen's eyes sparkled. "It's spicy but good!"
The laughter of passing strangers blended with the movie theme spiling from a nearby video hall. Outside, men craned their necks to catch glimpses of kung-fu fights they couldn't afford to watch.
A barbershop nearby played the "Shaolin Temple" song on loop. Lin Chen hummed along in a clear, sweet voice.
A woman passing by smiled. "Such a nice voice! He should be singing on stage."
Qingya's heart softened. "After we move to the city, Mama will enroll you in music classes. You'll sing properly then."
"Really? It's much more nicer now, Mama."
"We will be even better," she said, squeezing the little hand in hers.
In her past life she had poured her soul into other people's children. This time, every dream would begin and end with her own.
They continued walking around and eventually followed the scent of soy and ginger to a stall where free-range chickens simmered in a black iron pot. The broth bubbled thick with oil; steam carried the smell halfway down the street.
"How much for one?" She asked.
"Eight yuan," the man replied, surprised by her clean accent.
"Wrap two."
His eyes widened. "Two whole chickens?"
She smiled. "My son has to eat well."
The man laughed and carefully wrapped the fattest chickens in oiled paper.
Farther ahead, a tailor shop displayed dresses copied from Hong Kong magazines.
Racks of bright Dacron skirts swayed in the fan's breeze.
A sky-blue blouse and matching shirts caught her eye. When she tried them on, the tailor- a middle aged woman with quick fingers clapped in delight. "Conrade, you look like you stepped out of a magazine!"
The she rushed to fetch a camera. "May I take a few pictures for advertisement? You make my work look first-class."
Qingya chuckled. "If I agree, does that earn me a free set?"
"Deal!" The woman agreed instantly.
An hour later, Qingya left the shop carrying two new outfits, a creamy white dress, and even a pair of open shoes for Lin Chen. The tailor had added a tiny glass brooch shaped like a star to the child's collar.
They walked last the shop window, and for a second Qingya didn't recognise the woman reflected there. Bright eyes, neat curls, and confident smile. Not the weary divorcee of yesterday.
She bent down to her son's level and carried him, "Let's go home, my little start."
...
Back in the village, the evening buzz of cicadas filled the air. Lin Degang was threshing millet with the children, the rhythm of wooden flails thudding steady as a drumbeat.
When Qingya entered with her basket, the smell of roasted chicken drifted out. Jintao ran to help. Zhenzhu and Baozhu stared at the glossy paper packets in awe.
"Go call your mother, " Qingya said cheerfully.
"Tonight we all eat chicken together."
The children gasped. "Two chickens?"
"Yes, two."
Across the wall, Zhou Min's family sniffed the aroma and swallowed hard.
Karma had its own timing, Qingya thought.
Degang looked at the feast, eyes misty with pride and regret. "Sister, from now on, you walk your own road. We'll always have your back, but you don't owe anyone anything anymore."
Qingya smiled. "I know, Brother. I finally understand."
Tomorrow she would leave for the city for a new start.
...
The night breeze carried the faint smell of roasted grain across the courtyard. The pot of braised chicken still steamed on the wooden table, it's glossy skin glistening under the lamplight. The scent alone could make a person forget every hardship of the day.
Lin Degong looked around. "Where's your sister-in-law? She's been gone too long."
He tore off a leg from the chicken placed it in a bowl, then oulled another and handed it to Qingya. "Eat first. I'll go check the fields. Maybe She's still collecting millet."
The children hesitated, their eyes darting between the steaming dish and the empty doorway.
"You eat," Qingya said softly, taking a leg herself and heading out with it. "I'll find her."
...
The sky was bright with moonlight, so clear that even the wheat shadows looked blue.
From a distance, Qingya spotted two silhouettes by the small river. One was her sister-in-law, Zhou Qiaofang; the other, tall and slim, with curled hair that caught the silver light, unmistakably Zhou Xinyi, her sister-in-law's younger sister.
Their voices floated through the air.
"Are you out of your mind?" Zhou Qiaofang scolded. "Your children are all alone at you husbands house with no one to cook for them, and you are buying gifts for someone else's kids"?
Zhou Xinyi's tone was sharp, defiant. "Sister, stop with your backward talk. I don't need you telling me how to live. You take care of your own family."
Qingya froze. Yes!
In her previous life, Zhou Xinyi had only divorced with her husband years later. How could she now already he sneaking around with another man.
The thought hit her hard. Could Zhou Xinyi be reborn too?
She stood hidden in the shadows, her face calm but her mind spinning.
Let her chase another man if she wanted. That man was no prize unfortunately she will learn the hardware she learnt.
Zhou Qiaofang's temper snapped. "You've lost your mind! You have really gone ahead and married someone else, You dont even know if your kids are well taken cared of, and you are out here buying fancy things for a man's spoiled brats!"
Xinyi turned away without a word, crossing the shallow river and vanishing into the trees.
"Ha!" Zhou Qiaofang shouted after her. "If that man even becomes rich, I'll eat my own broom!"
When she turned back and saw Qingya standing there, she nearly jumped.
"Qingya, you nearly scared me! What are you doing out here?"
"Just cane to find you," Qingya said with a faint smile. "Everyone's waiting to eat. The food's getting cold."
The two women walked home under the pale moonlight.
For the first time, Zhou Qiaofang found herself comparing her sister-in-law to her own younger sister. Under that moonlight, Qingya's simple blue shirt tucked into her skirt outlined a trim waist and a quiet grace.
Her sister might have had the city looks once, but tonight, it was clear who truly shone brighter.
The next morning dawned bright and clean. Qingya wore her favourite pink shirt and skirt, a scarf tied neatly around her hard. Lim Chen dressed in his Khaki pants and white shirt with the star brooch on his collar.
At the village gate, Lin Chen looked back at his cousin's, who were waving and crying. He held her mother's hands tightly.
"Mom, will the new dad like me?" He asked nervously.
"If he doesn't," Qingya said with a grin, "I'll just leave him."
Lim Degang pedalled them to the county bus stop, the bag full of luggage bumping behind the bicycle.
When they arrived, the crowd was already thick. Amid the noise, Qingya spotted him immediately.
Han Yuzhe stood tall in a clean green uniform, his belt glinting with the police emblem. He looked every bit tge soldier he once was. Still, calm, and sharp-eyed as he scanned the station.
For a moment, his gaze swept past her and didn't stop. He had failed to recognise her. The woman in the city-style clothes with bright eyes and a confident air didn't resemble the tired, dusty widow he'd met three days ago.
Qingya smiled faintly and walked closer, her steps steady.
...
Meanwhile, across the valley, Zhou Xinyi woke with a start. The mud House around her was dim and cracked, pigs snorting in the yard. Her hair was a tangled mess, her back aching from the hard kang bed.
It took her a moment to remember, she'd married Yun Han yesterday.
The future "Richest Man in Xiping."
She stepped over a chamber pot and sighed. So this was the start of her grand life.
The courtyard stank of feed. The man himself had already gone out, leaving nothing behind but a pair of muddy boots.
Xinyi picked up a pail, muttering bitterly as she poured out the water. "Han Yuzhe was dull, but atleast he boiled me tea every morning."
Still, she straightened her hair and smiled faintly. "Just wait, Yun Han. One day, you'll have the world at your feet. And I'll be there beside you."