New Year's Eve.
Heavy snow fell, turning everything to ice. A figure lay collapsed in the snow, a rock beside him stained with blood. Lu Changqing opened his eyes, a splitting headache assailing him, as memories flooded his mind like a torrent.
He had been reborn! Reborn in 1990, an era of abundant gold. A time when anyone brave enough to take risks could become a wealthy tycoon, even setting up a street stall could bring in a fortune. A surge of ambition swelled in his chest; this life, he would rise to greatness!
Then, the memories that followed filled him with indignation. This body belonged to an ordinary worker at a brewery. He had stumbled upon Li Fulin, the workshop director, and Zhang Hongxia in a compromising situation in the warehouse. Unexpectedly, the very next day, Zhang Hongxia reported him for hooliganism.
In the nineties, hooliganism was a serious crime, and the result was dismissal from work and a three-year prison sentence. He had just been released today, and as he reached his doorstep, he was unexpectedly hit on the head by a group of children throwing rocks, knocking him unconscious right outside his home. He looked around, but the children who had thrown stones and yelled "pervert" were long gone.
"Wuwuwu... Mama... where are you... Tongtong is so cold... Tongtong is so hungry..."
Suddenly, a child's cry came from inside the room.
Tongtong?
Lu Changqing instantly understood. Tongtong was the child of the original owner of this body. She was already one year old when he went to prison, so by now, she should be four. Hearing the child's pathetic cries, his heart seized with anxiety. Relying on memory, he found the key under a brick on the windowsill and opened the door.
The scene that greeted him brought tears to his eyes! A little girl with a flushed face, ears chapped and scabbed from frostbite, and small hands swollen like plump red radishes. The little girl shivered from the cold, large dark eyes brimming with tears. A rope was tied around her waist, the other end fastened to the bedpost.
What was going on? A child isn't a dog! Why was she tied up?
Lu Changqing fumed, "Why are you tied up? Where's your mom?"
The little girl recoiled in fear, shrinking into the side of the bed, her eyes darting away. "There's no food at home. Mama went to borrow money. She was afraid I'd run out by myself."
Not abuse! It was poverty!
He looked around the room. There was no heating, no charcoal fire, no brazier. In this bitter winter, with heavy snow falling and no food, a little girl was tied to a bedpost, crying from hunger. Lu Changqing found it unimaginable. In his previous world, there was heating in winter and air conditioning in summer; even a dog could live in a warm doghouse, eating sausages and drinking milk. Compared to that, this little girl lived a life worse than a dog's, truly living in hell.
This child was too pitiful, so tragic it was unbearable to look at! And she was his daughter in this life. Tears instantly streamed down his face!
A voice in his heart cried out: "From now on, I am Lu Changqing, and you are my child. From today, I will never let you go hungry or cold again. Zhang Hongxia! Li Fulin! Just you wait! The evil you've done! I will make you pay back a hundredfold!"
Seeing Lu Changqing silent, the little girl seemed to gain a little courage. "Uncle, who are you looking for? Are you here for food? There's no food at our house. Tongtong cried because she's hungry."
Lu Changqing's tears fell uncontrollably. The child was hungry herself, yet she thought others were too. "I'm not an uncle, I'm your dad. I'm back."
Dad? Tongtong seemed unfamiliar with the title. She scrutinized Lu Changqing from head to toe. "Are you really my dad? Mama said Dad went to a faraway place. The other kids said Dad was a bad person. Tongtong hasn't seen you, but Tongtong has seen your picture. Don't move, let me look closely."
Lu Changqing immediately pushed his hair back with his hand, revealing his entire face. "Look closely."
Tongtong's small face was serious and earnest. After a moment, she nodded her little head. "Hmm, you really are Daddy. Daddy, you're finally back! Tongtong is almost starving. Hurry and buy me something to eat. All the other kids' daddies buy them yummy food. Tongtong wants Daddy to buy me food too."
Her childish voice, every word she uttered, was like a knife piercing Lu Changqing's tender heart. That single word, "Daddy," completely broke Lu Changqing. His hands trembled as he touched the child's frostbitten ears, tears gushing out like a broken dam.
Tongtong panicked. "Daddy, don't cry. Don't you have yummy food either? Are you hungry too? I don't want food anymore, please don't cry, Tongtong doesn't want Daddy to cry."
Childish! But heartbreakingly sensible!
Lu Changqing composed himself, wiping away his tears. "Daddy is happy to see Tongtong. Daddy will find you something to eat right now." As he spoke, he didn't even bother to untie the rope from Tongtong's waist, instead frantically searching the room.
The flour jar was empty, the pot was spotless, and on the stove, apart from half a bag of salt and a bottle of soy sauce barely covering the bottom, there was nothing. He was instantly dumbfounded.
What now? No food! Three years in prison, and the family was so poor they had run out of provisions. What was even more frightening was that he had just come out of prison, penniless!
As a father, on New Year's Eve morning, he was letting his child starve! This was absolutely unacceptable! He had to find a way!
Tongtong seemed to sense Lu Changqing's mood and whispered, "Daddy, Mama said she'll definitely borrow money when she comes back, and she'll buy Tongtong yummy food. Don't worry, Daddy. Tongtong will share half with you then, so you can eat until you're full."
Lu Changqing was moved to tears. He pulled her into a tight embrace, holding her close, convinced that this was his own flesh and blood. But she was too thin; holding her in his arms, she was so tiny he dared not squeeze too hard. "Daddy is going to borrow money. I promise I won't let you starve."
He finished speaking and prepared to stand up to borrow money from a neighbor. Tongtong reached out her swollen little hand and tugged at him. "Dad, don't go. They'll scold you. Mama has been scolded to tears several times already."
Lu Changqing froze. Right! He had gone to prison for hooliganism; the neighbors certainly wouldn't welcome him. In these past few years, the mother and daughter must have endured countless scornful looks from their neighbors.
But at this moment, never mind being scolded, even if he had to take a beating, he had to borrow money. He couldn't let his child starve. In truth, given a little time, he had endless ways to make money. It was 1990; VCDs[1] would soon rise, the Little Tyrant 'learning machine'[2] was about to launch, and there was the first money-making game, *Legend*[3], online shopping, real estate, the stock market—he knew all the future opportunities for wealth like the back of his hand. A millionaire, a billionaire, it would be effortless!
But that couldn't happen now. For his child's meal, he could only abandon his dignity and borrow money. "Tongtong, be good. Daddy will be right back. I'll definitely borrow the money."
As he turned, he saw a woman standing at the doorway, wearing an old, faded floral padded jacket, her shoulders and head covered in white snowflakes. Lu Changqing was stunned. It was Xiao Qingzhu, the wife of the original owner of this body, and now his wife. It was their first meeting, and for a moment, he didn't know how to speak.
Xiao Qingzhu's eyes showed surprise. "You... why are you back?"
Lu Changqing looked awkward. "I behaved well and was released early. They let me come home for the New Year."
New Year? Xiao Qingzhu scoffed. "This isn't your home. What New Year are you talking about!"
Lu Changqing's expression stiffened. As a husband who had committed hooliganism, it was natural for his wife to be resentful, but he was still a little unaccustomed to it. After a moment of silence, he said, "Let's put my affairs aside for now. The child is starving. How much money did you borrow from your family? Hurry and buy her something to eat; she's crying from hunger."
Xiao Qingzhu said coldly, "I borrowed a slap."
Lu Changqing paused, then noticed a red, swollen handprint on Xiao Qingzhu's face. "If you couldn't borrow money, that's fine, but why did they hit you?"
Xiao Qingzhu gritted her teeth and said bitterly, "It's all because of you! A grown man, haven't you seen women before? You have a child and you still act like a hooligan! You went to jail and got off easy! I've been pointed at, our child mocked, and I can't even find a job. Relatives avoid me like the plague! And you still have the nerve to ask!"
The more Lu Changqing listened, the more surprised he became. This woman had had such a difficult time raising the child! He felt a pang of guilt towards her, but some things needed to be clarified. "I'm innocent. Zhang Hongxia framed me. I'm telling you, I will get justice."
Xiao Qingzhu's face was cold. "Right now, I don't have time to listen to your nonsense. You're back for New Year's. There's not a penny in the house! How are we going to celebrate? The child is still hungry! Are we supposed to let her drink the cold wind? This family is in this state because of you! I've had enough. Enough of being mocked and cursed, enough of relatives giving me the cold shoulder! I don't want to live anymore. This time, I came back just to leave with my daughter. I really don't want to live anymore... Waaah... wuwuwu..."
As she spoke, she burst into tears. She had suppressed it for too long, and at this moment, she completely broke down. Lu Changqing felt a pang in his heart. He went to embrace her, wanting to comfort her. "I'm here now, don't be afraid. I'm back, and everything will be alright."
Xiao Qingzhu pushed Lu Changqing away. "Stay away from me. What good is it that you're back? Do you have money to buy food for the child? Do you have money for New Year's?"
Lu Changqing's face was bitter. "I'll go borrow money, from the neighbors."
Xiao Qingzhu sneered, "If I could borrow it, I would have already! It wouldn't be your turn!"
If they couldn't borrow it, was there truly no other way? Lu Changqing clenched his fists. It was New Year's. His daughter was crying from hunger. His wife was in despair, contemplating suicide. Could it be that a proud man, reborn from 2021, with a grasp on the trends of the times and countless ways to make money in his heart, couldn't even support his wife and daughter?
Even penniless, I cannot let my wife and child starve to death on New Year's Eve! A sudden surge of ambition ignited in his chest. "Come on, I'm taking you two to eat a big feast right now. I'm going to buy you the most expensive clothes. I'm going to get you the best apartment. I'm going to put you in the best cars. This life, I will definitely make you two live with boundless glory!"
[1] Launched in 1993, were the first optical disc format for distributing movies.
[2] In 1990s China, the Little Tyrant (Xiaobawang) was an immensely popular, affordable video game console that served as the first gaming experience for a generation of Chinese children.
[3] Launched in 1994, is a 2D side-scrolling beat 'em up. It is known for its fantasy-themed gameplay, featuring sword-and-sorcery action that draws comparisons to titles like Final Fight.