Chapter 5: Returning to the Age of Eighteen

Drowsy and disoriented, He Tiantian slowly opened her eyes, feeling a sharp pain in her back.

Ah? Feeling pain, does that mean she's not dead?

Yes, it hurts a lot, so that's right!

She didn't die? Who saved her?

Wait, something's not right! She was bitten by a snake on her left ankle, so why does her back hurt now?

This doesn't make sense!

He Tiantian looked around. This room seemed familiar yet unfamiliar! An old-fashioned wardrobe, a simple desk covered with a floral tablecloth, a newly repaired broken chair...

This is clearly her childhood room!

He Tiantian couldn't believe it. She turned to look out the window and saw the familiar persimmon tree.

But the tree at this time was only as thick as an adult's arm, but it was thriving and lush. Not far away was a stone table with freshly cut watermelon on top.

The scene was so beautiful and warm, it must be a dream!

He Tiantian smiled bitterly. Ah, so she was dreaming! He Tiantian lay down weakly, closed her eyes, and longed for the beauty of the dream, unwilling to wake up from it.

Just then, a gentle voice came from outside the door.

"Tiantian! Come and have some watermelon." The woman pushed the door and walked in, looking at He Tiantian lying on the bed with concern.

"It's still a dream! I dreamt of my mom..." He Tiantian closed her eyes, not wanting to open them, hoping to hear more from her mother's voice in the dream.

The woman standing by the window heard her daughter's murmuring and smiled, pinching He Tiantian's face, teasing, "You're still daydreaming, huh?"

Feeling someone pinching her face, He Tiantian realized it was real!

So He Tiantian opened her eyes and saw that it was indeed her mother!

"Mom..." He Tiantian sat up hurriedly, hugging her mother's neck tightly, not caring about the intense pain in her back.

In her previous life, she didn't even get to see her parents for the last time, which was her lifelong regret. Upon learning that her parents had written her letters that were hidden by the Qi family and not told to her, He Tiantian felt even more regret and resentment.

If the Qi family had only deceived her feelings, He Tiantian would resent them, but not hate them. However, by concealing her parents' letters and not letting her know about her parents' news, not seeing her parents for the last time, not knowing why her parents passed away, He Tiantian harbored a deep hatred towards the Qi family.

Wang Shuping smiled, gently stroking her daughter's back, and asked, "Is it still hurting?"

"No, it's not hurting anymore," He Tiantian said. Suddenly, she had a thought. If this was a dream, why did she feel the pain now?

Her daughter's body kept trembling, how could it not hurt?

"Since it hurts, you can't be naughty anymore," Wang Shuping scolded. "As a young girl, you shouldn't be as mischievous as you were when you were a child, climbing the big elm tree at the alley mouth. If your brother Yingjie hadn't come back to save you, you would have lost half your life even if you didn't die."

He Tiantian was slightly stunned. She fell from a tree when she was eighteen in the summer. She wasn't being mischievous, but she found a bird that couldn't fly under the tree. Out of kindness, she climbed the tree to put the bird back in its nest and accidentally fell.

The reason didn't matter. What mattered was that she realized this wasn't a dream, it was real. She had returned to the year she was eighteen, in the 1970s.

Her hands were not rough and cracked with calluses, but fair and delicate.

Although it was unbelievable, it was real.

Letting go of her mother's hand, He Tiantian carefully looked at her mother, Wang Shuping, with fair and smooth cheeks, large almond-shaped eyes, a straight nose, and rosy lips. This was her mother in her youth.

"Okay, okay," He Tiantian agreed, choking up. "I won't be naughty anymore."

Wang Shuping smiled and said, "Oh, my little girl is so well-behaved today?"

"I've always been well-behaved, haven't I?" He Tiantian pouted, showing her affection in front of her mother.

Without thinking about why she had returned to the age of eighteen, she just wanted to enjoy the happiness of having family.

"Yes, my daughter has always been well-behaved," Wang Shuping said. "Alright, you've slept for several hours, get up and have some watermelon. Your father will be back soon, and we can have dinner."

He Tiantian nodded, kissed her mother's cheek, and said, "Okay, Mom, you're the best."

He Tiantian put on her clothes, got out of bed, and washed her face in the yard. Even though it was almost evening, Wang Shuping still braided He Tiantian's hair into two pretty braids.

Yingjie came in with a few clean peaches in his hand and said, "Aunt Wang, my mom got some peaches and asked me to bring a few for you to try."

Wang Shuping and He Tiantian had just cut the watermelon when Yingjie came in. "Yingjie, come and have some watermelon. These are from our yard, big and especially sweet. Take half of one back later."

Eating watermelon in the hot summer made one feel cool inside.

Yingjie didn't hesitate and sat down to eat two slices of watermelon. When Wang Shuping went into the house, he reached out and pinched He Tiantian's face.

The eighteen-year-old boy was so tall, handsome, and full of sunshine, very dazzling, making He Tiantian unable to look directly at him.

"Is your back still hurting?" Yingjie asked. "If I find out you've been climbing trees again, I'll spank you!"

Spank her?

She had just been recalling the sight of Yingjie's back, and now she was seeing his youthful face.

However, Huo Yingjie's words made He Tiantian feel completely exasperated, ruining the emotions she had been brewing for a long time with just one sentence.

"Yingjie, if you hit me, I won't be friends with you anymore," pouted He Tiantian. Just half a month ago, 18-year-old Huo Yingjie confessed his love to 18-year-old He Tiantian, and she accepted. At that time, although she didn't understand what love was, seeing her loving parents and thinking about being able to live with Yingjie forever in the future made her feel good.

Her coquettish behavior was completely normal, so it didn't make Huo Yingjie suspicious.

"Oh, if you do something wrong, I still can't scold you!" Huo Yingjie pinched He Tiantian's cute little nose. "Even if Aunt Wang finds out, she won't blame me."

"I know I was wrong, so you can't hit me," He Tiantian said. Talking to her childhood sweetheart like this was such a happy thing.

In her previous life, although she accepted Huo Yingjie's confession, she behaved particularly childish, always making Huo Yingjie laugh and cry with her words and actions.

"Admitting your mistakes and changing for the better is the greatest virtue, so I won't spank you," Huo Yingjie said. "By the way, I'll be going to the factory in a few days. I'll write you a letter, and you must write back to me, okay?"

He Tiantian lowered her head, feeling a pang in her heart. "I understand, I understand..."

Oh my, how could she forget? She remembered the events of her previous life, as if she had boarded the train to the countryside the day after falling from the tree.

Everything happened so suddenly. At that time, she was immature, crying and making a scene, and boarded the train in tears. It was hot, and she even got heatstroke, and she didn't get to see Huo Yingjie one last time.

"Behave well at home, and in a couple of years, find a job at a factory. When you come of age, I'll marry you," Huo Yingjie said, looking gently at his proud and willful girlfriend.

"Oh..." He Tiantian agreed, not daring to look up, afraid that Huo Yingjie would see her loss of composure.

Seeing He Tiantian seeming unhappy, Huo Yingjie thought she was reluctant to see him leave, smiling like a fox that had just eaten candy.

Wang Shuping came out of the house and handed the watermelon to Huo Yingjie.

Seeing Wang Shuping, Huo Yingjie thanked her and left with the watermelon.

Wang Shuping was busy cooking and didn't notice anything unusual about her daughter. She lit some mosquito-repelling moxa and went to the kitchen.