1980.
It was the height of summer.
In a farmhouse courtyard in Hongxing Village, a young woman is sitting in the shade under the eaves, weaving hair clips.
She was wearing a trendy floral dress, white sandals, and had her hair in two braids, but the ends of her hair weren't showing; instead, they were cleverly folded back and hung down beside her ears.
The old wooden door creaked open.
A middle-aged man wearing a tattered undershirt walked in carrying two sickles.
Following behind was a tall, robust middle-aged woman carrying a military water bottle.
The girl in the shadows glanced up briefly, then continued with her work.
The middle-aged woman placed the chipped military water bottle on the windowsill outside the kitchen, took out a crumpled, yellowed handkerchief from her pocket, unfolded it to wipe her sweat, and asked in a rough voice, "Qiaoyun, has Jiang Xuanren woken up yet?"
The girl named Qiaoyun gave a soft hum and said, "Not yet."
Yang Shuying walked into the main room, drank the cold water in the enamel mug in one gulp, and slammed it down on the table with a loud bang.
"What sins did I commit in my past life to be so miserable in this one? The old are dying and the young are in a coma. Why don't they just die already? Death would bring peace."
Jiang Qiutang, who followed him into the house, frowned. "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. I'm going to take a nap. You should hurry up and cook. Eat early and leave early. We need to finish harvesting the wheat while the weather is good these next few days."
Yang Shuying snorted and stormed off into the kitchen.
"Mom, don't be angry, I'll help you." Jiang Qiaoyun put down her knitting needles and obediently followed.
In the side room.
Jiang Xuan stared blankly at the light bulb hanging on the dark ceiling, smelling the unpleasant odor and listening to the conversation outside, remaining motionless for a long time.
She dared not move.
She was working on her graduation thesis in her school dormitory, so how did she suddenly end up here?
All of this was so unfamiliar that she gasped.
"Xuan'er, you...you're awake?"
An old, weak voice came from the side.
Jiang Xuan sat up abruptly in surprise, only then noticing that an old man was lying on the side of the earthen bed near the window.
Perhaps because the old man was too thin, and with the curtains hanging and the windows closed, the room was pitch black, and you couldn't tell there was anyone there unless you looked closely.
Then, long stretches of memories flooded into my mind.
Jiang Xuan felt a splitting headache and couldn't help but press her scalp hard.
A few minutes later, she finally understood the situation.
It may seem unbelievable, but it's true.
She... she actually time-traveled!
She was a college student in the 21st century who transmigrated into the body of an 18-year-old girl with a tragic fate in Hongxing Village, a province in northern China.
The girl shares the same name as her, also called Jiang Xuan!
The original owner's father died early, and her mother remarried. She lived with her grandfather at her uncle Jiang Qiutang's house from a young age.
My uncle is a hypocrite, and my aunt is shrewd.
Although her grandfather loved her, he was old and bedridden, and he was also suffering abuse from his son and daughter-in-law, so he was often powerless to help.
Right now, the elderly are all on their deathbeds.
Having lived under someone else's roof since childhood, the original owner became timid and submissive.
This time, the university that the original owner worked so hard to get into was tricked out of her by her aunt Yang Shuying, who planned to send her youngest daughter, Jiang Qiaoyun, to attend.
Jiang Qiaoyun is a few months younger than the original owner of this body, and the two are in the same grade.
Upon learning this, the original owner of the body cried and made a scene. Yang Shuying, exasperated, pushed the original owner to the ground.
The original owner's head hit a stone used for pickling vegetables outside the kitchen and he immediately passed out.
Jiang Qiutang and Yang Shuying were afraid that this matter would damage their reputation if it got out, so they insisted on not sending the original owner to the hospital.
Then, she passed through.
"Xuan'er?"
"Grandpa." Jiang Xuan came back to her senses, looked at the old man's face, which was so thin that it was unrecognizable, and called out subconsciously.
The old man's breathing was weak and rapid, each breath seeming to require all his strength.
Because of the original owner's emotions, and because Jiang Xuan herself couldn't bear to see such a scene, her heart clenched, and tears silently streamed down her face.
She held the old man's hand tightly.
"Grandpa, please stop talking and get some rest."
A glimmer of clarity shone through the old man's cloudy eyes.
He struggled to raise his trembling hand and gently patted Jiang Xuan's hand, his voice hoarse and weak: "Xuan'er... don't cry, Grandpa... has something to tell you."
Jiang Xuan bit her lip, trying to calm herself down: "Grandpa, please speak, I'm listening."
The old man turned his gaze with difficulty to the old wooden box on the bedside table, gesturing for her to open it. "There's an envelope in the box. Take it out."
Jiang Xuan quickly got up, opened the wooden box, and felt for something that looked like paper under a pile of clothes. When she took it out, she saw that it was a yellowed envelope.
The envelope bore two powerful characters written in calligraphy: "Jiang Xuan".
Jiang Xuan returned to the bedside and handed the envelope to her grandfather.
Grandpa didn't take it, but just shook his head gently: "You... open it yourself."
Jiang Xuan opened the envelope; inside was a letter and a faded military medal.
She unfolded the letter, which was quite long and contained much of the content that was not in the original owner's memories.
After a long pause, Grandpa's weak voice came again: "Xuan'er, Grandpa... I'm afraid I can't hold on much longer. This letter was written a long time ago, and it also mentions your marriage... The other party's name is Lu Shengye... He is a reliable person and his family is well-off. You... go to him, he will take care of you."
Jiang Xuan's tears welled up again. She clutched the letter tightly, her voice trembling, "Grandpa, I won't get married. I want to stay with you..."
The old man's breathing became more rapid. He gripped Jiang Xuan's hand with all his might and said, "Xuan'er, listen to Grandpa... In my whole life, the thing I can't let go of the most is you. Your uncle's family... can't be relied on. As for university... Grandpa... Grandpa can't protect you."
His voice grew weaker and weaker, almost a whisper: "That medal... was awarded to Grandpa when he was young. Take it and go to Lu Shengye... he will understand."
Jiang Xuan sobbed uncontrollably, nodding frantically, "Grandpa, I promise you, I promise you..."
A relieved smile appeared on the old man's face, and his eyes gradually became unfocused.
His voice was almost inaudible, but Jiang Xuan still heard the last few words clearly: "Xuan'er... take good care of yourself... Grandpa... can rest assured."
His hands slowly loosened, his eyes began to close, and his breathing became weaker and weaker until it disappeared.
Jiang Xuan had never experienced anything like this before. She stared blankly at the old man, unable to react for a long time.
After a while, she called out softly, "Grandpa?"
There was no response.
She raised her voice: "Grandpa?"
There has still been no response.
She then realized that the person who loved the original body the most had left forever.
"Really died? Are you sure you heard me clearly?"
"It's true, Mom."
As these two sentences were spoken, a series of hurried and heavy footsteps came from outside the door. Jiang Xuan quickly stuffed the envelope into her pocket.
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