Abandoned by her biological parents at a young age, Tian Yu grew up in a dilapidated orphanage in the mountains. Through her own efforts, she was admitted to a teachers' college in the city, graduating smoothly with scholarships and part-time work. Despite being an orphan, Tian Yu remained optimistic and had her own ideals. After graduating, she hoped to return to the orphanage to help orphans like herself. Although the place was poor and underdeveloped with limited resources, she was confident she could make it better. But who could have imagined that a bus traveling on a mountain road would collide with an oncoming truck, plunging down the mountain and killing everyone on board?

In another time and space, nestled amidst mountains, lies a secluded village. The people there are kind and simple, primarily making their living through hunting and gathering herbs. A large river flows swiftly past the foot of the mountain in front of the village. Though it's only early spring, the river is still bitterly cold. A young woman in a coarse gray cotton coat is washing clothes by the riverbank, with a boy of about four or five years old, also dressed in gray, squatting beside her. As the woman washes her clothes, perhaps the water is too cold and her fingers lose feeling, her hand slips, and the clothes are swept away. Without thinking, she chases after them. The icy water instantly brings her back to her senses. She tries to turn back, but it's too late. Her coat is soaked, and the icy water makes her legs numb, making it impossible to move. In her agonizing struggle, she is submerged in the frigid water. The last thing she hears is the boy on the bank crying out, "Mother! Mother! Mother!"

Tian Yu groggily opened her eyes in the darkness, trying to see her surroundings, but it was pitch black and she couldn't see anything. She felt someone on top of her, had difficulty breathing, her limbs ached and she couldn't move, and her body was hot, probably from a fever. She fainted again in a wave of dizziness. In this dream, Tian Yu was a thin, frail young girl named Xiao Tian. Because of war between two countries, she and her family fled. Her parents and younger brother died of illness during their exile, leaving her alone. She was bought by human traffickers and introduced to a family surnamed Zhao in Zhao Village as a second wife, but the man rejected her because he thought she was too thin and sickly. Later, she was introduced to another family in Zhao Village, where only a grandmother and grandson lived. The grandson, Zhao Moyan, was already twenty years old and frail, and the grandmother, who was over fifty, lived a secluded life. They hoped someone could take care of the family. Their first meeting was from a distance. The man, dressed in a long blue robe, was tall and slender with long, ink-black hair reaching his waist. He was supporting a kind-faced, simply dressed elderly woman. Tian Yu opened her eyes wide, trying to see the man's face clearly, but everything in her dream was clear except for the man opposite her. No matter how much she opened and rubbed her eyes, she couldn't see him clearly. The old woman wasn't very satisfied either, but her grandson was weak and she was old; the family needed someone capable of working. The scene shifted to their wedding day. The groom was still wearing that long blue robe. The wedding was held simply in a thatched hut. There were no guests, only the grandmother sitting on the dais. After a simple bow, they entered the bridal chamber. The scene was still blurry; Tian Yu couldn't see the man's face clearly. The man sat at the table with his back to the bride. They sat like that for an unknown amount of time until the lights outside went out and the old woman went to sleep. The man stood up, tossing out a low, cold, emotionless "Go to sleep," before turning and leaving the room without looking back. The bride, left sitting on the bed, twisted the red handkerchief in her hands, unsure what to do, and remained there dumbfounded until dawn.

After marriage, Xiaotian took on most of the housework and cared for the elderly. Occasionally, Zhao Moyan would help with physical tasks, but he spent most of his time reading in the house, and Xiaotian never dared to disturb him. They would both go to bed at night, but after the elderly fell asleep, Zhao Moyan would disappear, leaving Xiaotian alone in the empty room. They hardly spoke to each other; Xiaotian didn't dare look at Zhao Moyan, always keeping her head down and staring at her feet. They didn't seem like a married couple at all; they were more like an older brother with a shy little sister.

"Mother! Wake up! Mother! Wake up!" Tian Yu heard these cries repeatedly, and someone was shaking her arm. She struggled to open her eyes and looked around. It was the same room where Xiao Tian slept in her dream, only the room and furnishings looked a bit old, and there was a little boy in front of her. Tian Yu sat up in disbelief and rubbed her eyes. She removed her hands and found the same scene. She repeated closing and rubbing her eyes, but the view remained unchanged. Undeterred, Tian Yu pinched her thigh hard until tears welled up in her eyes, finally believing it wasn't a dream.

"Mother! You're finally awake. What's wrong?" The little boy asked with a worried look on his face when he saw Tian Yu pinching him.

"Who are you? Where is this? I'm not your mother." Tian Yu looked at the little guy standing in front of the bed, who was dark and thin, and was even more confused. She thought to herself, "Could I have transmigrated? This room is the same as the one in my dream. Could I have transmigrated into Xiao Tian? But Xiao Tian in my dream didn't consummate her marriage with Zhao Moyan. How come I have a son now?"

"Mother! Don't you want Tangyuan anymore? I'm Tangyuan!" Tangyuan burst into tears the moment he heard Tian Yu say that she wasn't his mother. He grabbed Tian Yu's hand and cried out, explaining that he was really afraid that Tian Yu would abandon him.

"Don't cry, I was just kidding you." Tian Yu softened when she saw him crying so sadly. She thought she should comfort him first and explain later.

"Mother won't leave Tangyuan anymore," Tangyuan said, wiping away her tears with her right hand while still tightly gripping Tianyu's hand with her left.

Sensing Tangyuan's fear and worry, Tianyu thought of herself. She had grown up without parents, so she understood that longing for maternal love. She had also searched for her biological mother, but always to no avail. Although she wasn't his mother, she didn't want to hurt him. She reached out and touched his head, gently comforting him:

"I won't leave, Mother won't leave Tangyuan."

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