Sitting on the earthen kang, Fang Pingying, under the dim light, looked around the room with a bewildered face, hardly daring to believe everything she saw before her eyes.
She found herself in a house built of adobe bricks, with mottled ocher walls, and she was sitting on an earthen kang she had not slept on for many years, yet all this seemed so familiar, as if it had existed in her memory.
Outside the room, there came a burst of noisy clamor, but Fang Pingying couldn't hear any of it.
She only remembered that she fell ill alone in a rental room in the city, sick for nearly half a year, and when the oil ran out and the lamp died, she was filled with regret, but it was too late.
She used to have a wonderful family, a considerate husband, and two beautiful and sensible daughters, but due to her dissatisfaction and vanity, she pushed away the man who had always protected her after marriage, step by step, until he was utterly disappointed in her.
A divorce letter cleanly severed the relationship between the two, and then she watched as he married another woman and had children, while she ended her life alone and miserably.
Thinking of that moment, Fang Pingying's heart was still in agony, and tears fell like broken beads, ceaselessly dripping down. She had so much regret...
"Bang bang!"
Suddenly there was a knock on the door from outside. Before Fang Pingying could respond, she saw a woman in her forties walk in from the outside.
Fang Pingying recognized her; it was her foster mother, Li Yuchun. However, in her memory, Li Yuchun should be over eighty years old this year, so why did she appear so young?
For a moment, Fang Pingying's mind was in utter chaos.
Before she could think more, Li Yuchun had already walked in with a displeased face, and said with a huff, "What are you crying about? I've found such a good man for you, what's there to be dissatisfied with?"
As soon as Li Yuchun finished speaking, Fang Pingying's younger sister, Li Yuchun's biological daughter, Fang Xiu, also walked in from outside, with a few traces of mockery on the corner of her mouth,
"Yeah, sister, Brother Zhiyong might have been injured during a mission, causing some inconvenience in his legs and feet, and might not be reused in the army in the future, but after all, he's a battalion commander. Even if he's demobilized, he'll surely live better than ordinary people."
While speaking, Fang Xiu's face showed a trace of unwillingness, and she looked at Fang Pingying with a sneer, "Besides, if Brother Zhiyong hadn't had this accident, do you think such a good man would fancy you?"
At this moment, Fang Pingying's mind was buzzing, completely unable to make out what these two were saying. The only thing that felt familiar to her was their words, which seemed like what they said when they first forced her to marry Luo Zhiyong.
Seeing Fang Pingying saying nothing but staring at them with a bewildered face, Fang Xiu grew impatient, gave her a harsh glare, then tugged at Li Yuchun and spoke unpleasantly, "Mom, I think she's gone silly with joy. Let's not bother with her. We should go out; the Luo Family's wedding procession will arrive soon, and I haven't even dressed up yet."
Watching the two leave and their figures disappearing through the door, then turning around to take a closer look at the unfamiliar yet somewhat familiar room and several large wooden cabinets, and a few big red 'happiness' characters on the wall, this was clearly the scene of her wedding day with Luo Zhiyong.
Fang Pingying finally realized, she had been reborn, and even more, she had returned to the day of her marriage to Luo Zhiyong.
Could it be that the heavens had heard her repentance at the end of her previous life and given her a chance to start over?
After confirming her rebirth, Fang Pingying's heart was filled with immense excitement. Heaven knows how much she missed the years she and Luo Zhiyong lived together with their two daughters when she was leading a very wretched life as a single woman in her past life.
Remembering the man from her memories, exuding masculine vigor, his pair of eyes always cold, what she hated the most in her past life was his perpetually icy demeanor. Now, she felt that as long as it was him, she liked him no matter what.
Even if his leg, just like Fang Xiu and the others said, would never heal, she didn't mind. Besides, Luo Zhiyong's injury, though it seemed serious, could actually be healed with some time.
What a pity that she didn't think this way in her past life. She remembered that after being forced by Li Yuchun and the others to marry the injured Luo Zhiyong, she felt extremely wronged.
Thinking that she was in the prime of her youth and was a proper young lady, why did others get to marry well while she had to marry a man with a disability, someone she would have to take care of for her entire life?
Therefore, marrying into the Luo Family with resentment and grievance, naturally, she wouldn't have a good face for Luo Zhiyong or anyone from the Luo Family.
She still remembered that on the wedding night, after being sent to the bridal chamber, Luo Zhiyong reached out to touch her, but before he could get close, she screamed, jumped up from the bed, and yelled impatiently at Luo Zhiyong, "Your leg is crippled, and we still don't know how to get by in the future, yet you still have the mood to think about these messy things."
Not only was Luo Zhiyong hurt by Fang Pingying's words, but also the Luo Family people outside who were busy were shocked. It was imaginable that someone with a fierce temperament like Zhou Yunmei wouldn't allow her daughter-in-law to insult her son like that. The wedding night thus turned into a ruckus that lasted until dawn.
Thinking of these incidents, Fang Pingying couldn't help feeling extremely remorseful. She really was a complete mess in her past life.
Now that Heaven had given her the opportunity to live again, she must make up for the deficiencies of her past life.
Fang Pingying stood up from the bed and tidied up the dowry she was preparing to bring to the Luo Family's home.
In fact, there weren't many things. Although she had stayed with the Fang Family for many years, at best, she was just a maid. She busied herself with everything inside and outside the house, yet her basic needs were never accounted for.
Every meal consisted of some soup and water left over by the three members of the Fang Family. She would always finish her tasks after they had eaten and quickly consume some dry steamed buns with pickles or the leftover soup from their meal.
As for clothes, she also wore Fang Xiu's old clothes. When she was younger, she was taller and bigger than Fang Xiu, so Li Yuchun would alter Fang Xiu's clothes, combining two pieces into one for her to wear. Later, when Fang Xiu grew to her height, the alterations were no longer necessary, and she directly wore the old clothes.
In fact, Fang Pingying felt that she was so foolish in her past life. Since her life in the Fang Family was so unsatisfactory, why did she resist marrying into the Luo Family so much? How much worse could it be compared to living with the Fang Family?
After getting married, at least she would have a husband by her side, who could perhaps be considered her own kin.
Fang Pingying had just finished arranging her things when she heard a shout from outside, "Is the bride ready? The groom is already waiting outside."
According to local customs, when the groom comes to fetch the bride, he has to carry the bride out of the room on his back. Once outside the room, the groom will take the bride back home either by driving a horse-drawn carriage or riding a bicycle.
Thinking that she was about to see that man immediately, Fang Pingying's heart began to pound fiercely, curious about what he would look like at first glance in this life.
As she hesitated, the door was opened abruptly, and Fang Pingying looked up to be met by a pair of cold, expressionless eyes.