Chapter 182: Rebirth

“Ouyang, why has my sister been unconscious for so long this time? It’s been half a month, and she still hasn’t woken up.”

“You know very well that with her condition, she might never wake up at any moment.”

“Ouyang, please, I’m begging you. Think of something else.”

“Ah, Er Linzi, you know as well as I do that I’ve tried every possible method. I’m sure you’ve consulted many specialists too. The only option left is a heart transplant, but there’s no suitable donor. What else can we do?”

So noisy. But why does this sound so familiar? Like in my past life, every time I had a heart attack, my family would desperately beg the doctors, and every time, the doctors would issue a critical condition notice. This time, they even mentioned a heart transplant. This dream feels so real.

“Ouyang, what about using mine? My whole family has the same blood type. Mine should work, no rejection.”

“Oh, Uncle Lin, not this again. Even if you had two hearts like kidneys—where you could remove one and still live—you have coronary heart disease yourself. Your heart isn’t viable.”

“Then… what do we do?”

“Use mine. I don’t have coronary heart disease. Ouyang, take mine.”

“Aunt Lin, Aunt Lin, your blood pressure is high. You need to stay calm. Don’t get worked up. Maybe Lin Fang will wake up soon. You have to hold on. I remember when Lin Fang was hospitalized, you promised to make her stir-fried rice noodles. If you get too upset and something happens, she won’t get to eat them anytime soon.”

“But what do we do? Why won’t my daughter wake up?”

Even though it feels like a dream, Mom’s crying still breaks Lin Fang’s heart. She feels her eyes grow hot, as if tears are streaming down her face.

“Dad, Mom, Er Lin. I’m here. I’ve made food and left it by the stove. You all go home. I’ll stay with my sister.”

Even Big Brother is here. Lin Fang cries harder. It’s been so long since she dreamed of the whole family together. Today, she finally does, only to find it’s such a sorrowful scene.

“Mom, stop crying. Your tears are falling on my sister’s face.”

“Wait. Er Linzi, it’s not Aunt Lin’s tears on Lin Fang’s face—Lin Fang is crying herself. She might be regaining consciousness. I’ll examine her right away.”

“Good, good, check her quickly.”

Her eyelids are lifted, and a beam of light shines into one eye, then the other. When her eyelids are pulled back, Lin Fang feels like she really sees Ouyang—the son of Old Ouyang from their village clinic. Little Ouyang, after graduating from medical school, was assigned to the regional hospital. Every time she had an episode, after emergency treatment locally, she’d be transferred to him for hospitalization.

The quilt is pulled aside, and a cold, round metal object is placed over her heart. A stethoscope? Why does this feel so real?

“Ouyang, how is she? Is my daughter waking up?” That’s Mom’s voice, cautious and hopeful.

“Mmm. Almost. Keep talking to her.”

“Fang, are you awake? If you are, open your eyes. The moment you do, I’ll make you stir-fried rice noodles—extra oil, nice and fragrant.” Knowing she loves stir-fried rice noodles in winter, Mom is trying to tempt her.

“Fang, don’t sleep anymore. If you keep sleeping, you’ll have to repeat the grade. Look how much schoolwork you’ve missed.” Dad’s pretending to be strict—the same man who always said she shouldn’t go to school because he was afraid she’d overwork herself.

“Haha, sis, don’t listen to Dad. He always says the opposite.” That’s Second Brother. Everyone knows Dad’s habit.

“Sis, wake up soon. Little Yuanyuan just learned to say ‘aunt’ these past couple days. His pronunciation’s a bit off—he calls you ‘Dou’ instead. But it’s so crisp and sweet. Hurry and wake up so you can hear it yourself.” That’s Big Brother’s voice.

Haha, that kid. He thought calling her “Dou” was fun and refused to correct it even after he could speak properly.

A drop of water lands on her face, followed by Mom’s stifled sobs. It feels so real—must be Mom’s tears. So, maybe this isn’t a dream? But no, she’s already graduated from college and started working. Why would Dad worry about her falling behind in school? And when her nephew was learning to talk, she was still in high school. So, she must still be dreaming.

“Lin Fang, stop sleeping. Open your eyes and see how much your parents have suffered because of your illness.”

How much have they suffered? Slowly, she opens her eyes. The first thing she sees is Mom’s haggard face, her hair streaked with white. She’s smiling, but tears keep streaming down her cheeks. Over the years, Mom mastered the art of crying silently without her voice trembling. But right now, Mom looks exactly as she did when Lin Fang was in high school.

Then she looks at Dad. His brows are furrowed into a deep crease. Though he isn’t crying, his eyes and nose are red from holding back. His stubble, gray and white, is a few millimeters long—he hasn’t shaved in days.

Second Brother, standing tall at 1.86 meters, with his scruffy beard and messy, coarse black hair, looks exactly like the “caveman” she used to tease him about.

Big Brother, half a head shorter than Second Brother, has always been meticulous. After years in the military, he kept his disciplined habits even after discharge, always neat and tidy. But now, his eyes are red too.

“Am I really not dreaming?” The moment she speaks, Lin Fang realizes how hoarse and rough her voice sounds.

“She’s awake! Oh, sis, what were you dreaming about? The first thing you ask is if you’re dreaming. Did you dream about donkey meat sandwiches? Don’t worry, you haven’t eaten much in days. For now, you can only have liquids. Once you recover a bit, I’ll buy you all the sandwiches and meat you want.”

Her face prickles and itches. Seems she really isn’t dreaming.

Second Brother, five years older, has a full beard. Whenever he plans to travel for business, he stops shaving a few days in advance, making himself look fierce and a decade older. In truth, he’s naturally kind-faced—the scruff is just to intimidate people so he doesn’t get bullied for looking too gentle. Big Brother is ten years older too. Both brothers still treat her like a little kid, especially Second Brother, who loves rubbing his scratchy beard against her face.

Mom, Dad, and both brothers all look exactly as they did when she was in high school. So, what about those ten-plus years in another world? Was it all just a long, vivid dream? So vivid that even now, remembering it makes her heart ache.

And she clearly remembers already having a job. That can’t be a dream, can it? The only explanation is that she’s been reborn again—this time, back to her high school days in her past life.

Being able to return to her original family, living with her parents and brothers again, without having to tiptoe around like in that other world—terrified someone might discover she was a soul from another world and brand her a monster—feels wonderful. But what about her other family? Her sudden disappearance must have devastated her mother and father, her doting brother, her protective grandparents… and that cold-faced, dark-skinned—

Lost in thought, Lin Fang doesn’t notice how her dazed expression frightens her parents and brothers. They start calling out anxiously:

“Fang, what’s wrong? Say something!” Dad’s voice is trembling now.

“Ouyang, come quick! What’s wrong with my sister? She’s just staring blankly, not even blinking!” Oh, Second Brother, do you realize how loud you are? Little Ouyang’s going to make you pay for his ears later.

“Haha, don’t worry. I just had a really long dream. I’m still coming out of it.” Yes, such a long dream. Maybe she’ll spend this whole life trapped in it, unable to break free.

Dad grumbles, “This child, always lost in her thoughts since she was little. Now her body’s so weak, and she still hasn’t kicked the habit. It’s exhausting. You’ve got to stop this.”

Mom snaps, “How can you talk to our daughter like that? It’s not like drinking or smoking—something you can just ‘quit.’ Why don’t you quit drinking first? With your coronary heart disease, you’ll drink yourself into an early grave.”

Both parents are in their fifties. Mom’s going through menopause, her emotions volatile. Once she starts, she doesn’t stop, criticizing Dad nonstop all day. Back then, their constant bickering annoyed her, but now, it feels strangely comforting. Her other-world mother is fifty too. She wonders when she’ll start nitpicking at her father like this, suspicious and nagging. How will her gentle father handle it then? Too bad she’ll never see it.

“Mom, I’m so hungry.”

That one sentence from her precious daughter shuts Mom up instantly. Big Brother quickly opens the insulated lunchbox he just brought—the rice porridge inside is still steaming. Mom takes it, and Dad helps Lin Fang sit up, letting her lean against him. She tries to lift her hands to hold the bowl, but her arms are too weak, so she lets Mom feed her spoon by spoon.

After waking, Lin Fang stays in the hospital for two more days. Little Ouyang examines her thoroughly again, confirming she’s stable for now, before discharging her.

Lin Tuo doesn’t go home with Lin Fang and their parents. Her hospitalization cost another fortune—just the IV nutrients during her two-week coma were expensive. So, Lin Tuo heads out to see if he can source diesel for their small shop. Farm machinery mostly runs on diesel, and the profit margins are good. If he plays it right, he can make enough to pay off some debts.

Lin Fang’s father, Lin Yuanmin, used to work in the supply and marketing system. After retiring, his second son, Lin Tuo, who’d only finished middle school, took over his position. Later, the company restructured, giving employees two choices: either invest money to contract supply and marketing cooperatives, grain stations, or cotton stations—or be selected as a partner by those who did. In other words, become an employee under the new bosses.

At the time, Lin Tuo really wanted to contract a store, but the family couldn’t afford it. So, he had no choice but to wait and see if someone would pick him.