Gu Anran gradually regained consciousness amidst bouts of severe headaches. Opening her heavy eyelids, the blurry surroundings became clearer gradually.
The low ceiling of the small bungalow left its stout wooden beams exposed. A solitary light bulb hung down from the beams, emitting a dull yellow hue.
The walls seemed freshly painted – quite white, yet rough and uneven. On a traditional wooden table in the center of the room rested a rather antiquated tea set.
Hand-cut red "Happiness" symbols were plastered on the walls and two half-burnt red candles flickered on the window sill…
Where was this? How did she end up here? Hadn't she been in a car accident?
The agony from the car crash seemed so real: the brutal impact, the height and speed of being thrown, the hard fall. She couldn't possibly have survived!
Recalling when the red-light-runner struck her, she had even thought up the ideal headline for the news: "Promising Young Medical Doctor in Chinese Medicine Loses Life in Car Accident!"
Then the doors creaked open, and a solemn-looking middle-aged woman entered the room.
Approaching the bed like a matronly figure, the woman looked down at her and said sternly, "I hope you won't engage in such foolish, life-threatening endeavors in the future! If you’re not afraid of death, why should you fear becoming part of our Mo family as a daughter-in-law?"
After her cryptic warning, the woman glared at her before turning and leaving Gu Anran dazed.
Who was that woman? Was this some kind of drama shoot? Had she been hit into a film set by the car? But wait, there were no cameras around!
Suddenly, another wave of intense headache hit her, and a flood of unfamiliar memories surged into her mind.
Oh...
She had reincarnated! Reborn as a girl with the same name from the 1980s!
The girl was only eighteen this year! She had just gotten into college. Her parents had passed away from illnesses when she was young. She had been raised by her uncle, and the cousin from her uncle’s family had also just started college this year.
Uncle's family could hardly afford one college student, let alone two. If only one could go to university, naturally they would send their own son.
Because of this, Gu Anran cried and made a fuss, and even went on a hunger strike at home in protest. Her uncle and aunt wanted to marry her off, and the whole village knew she was unwilling to work in the fields, only dreaming about going to university. For this reason, nobody wanted to marry a woman like her, whose sole wish was to be educated.
However, the second son of the Mo family from the neighboring village was having trouble finding a wife. He didn’t mind her unwillingness to work on a farm, so her uncle and aunt arranged her marriage to him. The woman who had sternly warned her just now was her mother-in-law.
Just a moment ago, she rammed into the wall out of her disdain for the marriage, rendering her head bleeding so profusely that the wedding nearly turned into a funeral.
Gu Anran stared blankly at the small blood smear on the wall. The old Gu Anran no longer existed, and she would have to live on as someone else from now on.
The new wife of the Mo family, Mo Bei's wife, was her new identity.
Her head was still bleeding, and if she wanted to live peacefully here, she needed to deal with her wound first!
She found a piece of cloth, tightly wrapping it around her head, and walked out of the room with a throbbing headache.
There was a small table under the big tree in the middle of the yard, and the whole family sat around it, fanning themselves to cool down.
When she came out, everyone looked at her. Although she couldn't clearly see their expressions in the twilight, she could feel their wary eyes on her.
Her mother-in-law anxiously asked, "Why did you come out when you should be resting inside?"
Gu Anran pointed to her head, "I need to dress my wound at the village clinic."
Mo Bei tossed away his cigarette and stood up, "I'll take you there."
Her mother-in-law Wang Shuzhen worriedly followed them to the yard gate and whispered to Mo Bei, "Be careful on the way, don't let her run away!"
"Okay," Mo Bei answered, then he and Gu Anran gradually disappeared from the elder's sight.
Gu Anran was struggling with a headache, and with the roads being rough and uneven, every step she took was a huge effort. Every few steps, Mo Bei had to stop and wait for her. The two of them proceeded in silence to the health clinic.
The people lounging at the entrance of the clinic were not holding their tongues, their gossip audible to the two inside.
"See that? Mo Bei spent all his money to buy himself a young wife. But just after being married, she already wants to escape. The Mo family is keeping a tight watch so she can't get out, now she's trying to commit suicide by crashing into walls. Their joyous occasion almost turned into a tragedy!"
"It's normal for a young girl to want to escape. I heard that their village had two young scholars admitted to university this year! One of them is her! What a bright future! Isn't it a pity to waste it on the ruffian Mo Bei?"
"Shh... Keep it down... Mo Bei used to be a soldier, he's very strong, careful he might hear you and beat you up!"
When Gu Anran heard these words, she turned to look at Mo Bei. She thought he would be furious, but to her surprise, his face was expressionless as if he had heard these slanderous remarks so often that he had become numb to them.
With the memories of Gu Anran, she came to know a little about her husband Mo Bei.
Two years ago, he was judged as a ruffian for simply touching the hand of a village belle and was locked up for it.
In this era, to be labeled as a ruffian was a disgrace, even in jail he was bullied for his misdemeanor.
So, the deeper the gloom in Mo Bei's eyes, the plainer his expression, the more it revealed the intense humiliation and aggression he endured over these two years.
After her wounds were dressed, Gu Anran walked up to Mo Bei. He silently got up, and suddenly, she held his hand.
This action made Mo Bei's body stiffen, his face turned pale, his gaze was filled with confusion. Looking at him, Gu Anran felt a pang in her heart.
Even this simple touch, a small action between men and women, had such a huge effect on Mo Bei. How deep was the wound that incident left on him!
Gu Anran looked up and smiled gently at him, "Why are you nervous? We are husband and wife, what's wrong with holding hands? Not only do I want to hold your hand, I also want you to carry me back. My head hurts so much, and I twisted my ankle when we came here. I won't be able to walk back."
"I... carry you?" The emotion in Mo Bei's eyes changed uncertainly, Gu Anran guessed he must be thinking she was planning some kind of trick.
Gu Anran made a pout and tugged at his clothes, her voice protesting in a coquettish tone, "Squat down, will you! You're so tall, how am I supposed to jump onto your back?"
She was only eighteen, her face was full of collagen, and even without any makeup, her skin was fair with a hint of blush, her lips red and teeth white. Her shy and naïve smile stirred some warmth into the frosty demeanor of Mo Bei.
Those gossipmongers by the door, watching Gu Anran being carried out by Mo Bei, fell utterly silent all of a sudden. Even if mosquitoes landed on their faces for a hearty meal, they forgot to wave their fans to shoo them away, simply staring at the two of them in disbelief.
In the moment of silence, Gu Anran swung her legs back and forth, her arms wrapped around Mo Bei's neck, while lying on his back. She cooed, "Brother Mo Bei, I promise to never be naughty again! If it weren't for me insisting on you carrying me on your shoulders, I wouldn't have fallen so badly!"
Mo Bei: "......"
