When Lin Fang woke up again, she knew she was already in the field. Although she hadn’t done much farm work in her previous life, having grown up in the countryside, she was very familiar with the scent of rural life—the pungent smell of soil, the scent of fresh grass, the stench of manure, and the distant sounds of livestock creating a vivid picture of pastoral labor in her mind.
She felt warm all over, but her eyes were uncomfortable, probably because sunlight was shining directly into them. It seemed her mother had laid her down flat on her back. As time passed, the sun had shifted, the tree shade disappeared, and she was now exposed directly to the sun.
Just as she was about to complain about her mother’s carelessness, she suddenly smelled the fragrance of flowers and then felt her nose tickled. It was Erge (second older brother), Lin Wu, gently brushing flowers against her nose. His childish voice sounded in her ear, “Sister, when will you wake up? Have you really become stupid? Mom cries every day. Elder brother said Mom’s eyes are swollen from crying and she can’t see the embroidery patterns clearly anymore. If she keeps crying like this, she’ll go blind. I don’t want Mom to go blind. The mother of Goudan is blind and can’t see anything. It’s so pitiful.”
Lin Fang was shocked at what she heard. In the past month, she had only focused on eating, sleeping, and relieving herself, not thinking much or wanting to think. She hadn’t expected that her mother, the mother of this body, had deteriorated so badly because of her, the impostor.
Before she could continue thinking, Lin Wu began sobbing, “Sister, please wake up soon. As long as you wake up, I won’t fight with you for anything anymore. I won’t be angry when you take Mom from me, I won’t hide your diapers, I won’t pour water on your clean diapers, and I won’t cut the ribbons on your clothes anymore.”
Hmph, so her second brother was jealous of his little sister. She imagined how well Lin Wu must have lived before his mother gave birth to this body. After the arrival of the little sister, a large portion of his mother’s love was taken away, making the little boy feel resentful and leading him to do these immature and foolish things. Lin Fang inwardly criticized him, not knowing that these pranks of his didn’t punish his sister at all but instead caused a lot of trouble for their dear mother.
“People couldn’t understand why your body was so weak. Mom insisted on bringing you along even when she went to work in the fields. Elder brother told me that Mom suspected you fell into the laundry tub, and Grandma deliberately drowned you. Fortunately, Auntie happened to come home from playing just in time. You weren’t dead yet, so Grandma had to pull you out, claiming she had just failed to hold you properly and you slipped in accidentally. Mom is afraid Grandma will try to harm you again, so she takes you with her wherever she goes, not giving Grandma another chance.”
It wasn’t that she wasn’t dead yet; she had died and this body was taken over by Lin Fang, an outsider. Lin Fang felt a wave of sorrow. Why were there so many evil people in the world? In her previous life, she had been abused to death by her mother-in-law and husband. In this life, why did she encounter similar people again, and this time it was even the body’s own grandmother, someone she couldn’t escape from no matter what. How heartless could one be to harm a two-month-old baby? It seemed she would have to stay far away from this old woman in the future.
“Elder brother told me to always stay with you and not let any more accidents happen to you. If anything happens to you again, Mom will be heartbroken and might even die. I don’t want Mom to die. Sister, please wake up. Look, I picked some blooming flowers for you. They smell so good. There are many other fragrant and beautiful flowers too. I’ll pick them all for you as long as you wake up. Qigu (seventh auntie) has many beautiful hairpins and changes them every day. When I grow up and have money, I’ll buy beautiful flowers and clothes for my sister. Sister, please wake up soon.”
What a pure-hearted child, but who would save her now? It was no longer just warm but becoming unbearably hot. If she wasn’t moved out of the sun soon, her fragile body might turn her into a wandering soul again.
“Ah, sister, why are you sweating so much? Mom, Mom! Sister is sweating.”
Thankfully, the boy was quick-witted. When she recovered, she would treat him well, Lin Fang thought inwardly. In no time, her small body was picked up by a familiar large hand and quickly carried into the shade. Her outer garment was removed, and she immediately felt much cooler.
“Oh my, my precious baby, I was so careless. I was too focused on weeding and forgot the time, letting my baby suffer. Are you hungry, darling? Come, have some milk. Once you’re full, you’ll have the strength to open your eyes.”
A sweaty nipple was placed into her mouth. Lin Fang didn’t have the luxury to be picky anymore. She hadn’t eaten enough in the morning and was starving by now. She sucked on the nipple, but after a few sucks, her mouth was already sore from the effort. Remembering Lin Wu’s words, she forced herself to suck a bit more before resting. If she wanted to recover quickly, she had to find a way to eat well first. She couldn’t afford to act on her whims anymore. The mother and brothers of this body cherished her like a treasure. Since she had taken over the body of their beloved daughter and sister, she couldn’t betray their loving hearts. From now on, she would be their daughter. The Lin Fang of the previous life had died.
Before Lin Fang finally succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep, the last thing she heard was Li Cuimei’s delighted voice: “Oh my, baby, you ate more than usual this time. My baby will recover soon.”
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