Cao Xiaoman glanced at the streak of clouds appearing in the sky, and then looked up at the small path covered by wild grass in front of her, taking a deep breath.
She remembered very clearly that in her previous life, Yang Donglai returned from the army on this very day.
It was on his way back to the village when he fell into the trap set up by Zeng Zihao and herself.
Because of her, his broken leg was not treated in time, leaving him with a lifelong disability.
After that, all the sufferings and misfortunes in his life were because of her.
As a result, she spent the second half of her life in regret, longing day and night for a chance to redo her life and return to the morning when Yang Donglai came back to the village.
Now, the heavens had finally heard her and granted her wish, allowing her to start her life anew after her death, and return to the day before the turning point in her and Yang Donglai's destiny.
Thank heavens, this time she had been given the opportunity to save their remaining lives!
"Donglai, you must wait for me! Walk slowly, the slower the better!" Cao Xiaoman wiped the sweat from her forehead, silently chanting and climbing up the mountain.
The morning dew had soaked her cloth shoes, and she didn't even care that her pants were wet halfway.
She originally wanted to intercept Yang Donglai on the main road under the cover of darkness, but her fall yesterday had left her with a cut on her head, making it impossible for her to stay awake until then. When she woke up, the sky was already beginning to brighten.
In her previous life, Donglai was carried back home in the morning. Although she didn't know the exact time, but she remembered very clearly it was in the morning, and she was then lying in bed with the breakfast her mother had just brought.
At this time in the countryside, people had to go out for early morning work, so they had to eat breakfast before dawn. In order to make it in time before the accident occurred, she had to take the back mountain route to reach the main road.
Now that the sky was already bright, she didn't know if she could make it in time.
Cao Xiaoman, anxious and sweating profusely, didn't care that she was so tired she could barely breathe. If it weren't for the difficult mountain path, she would have already started running.
After much difficulty climbing over the mountain, Cao Xiaoman could see the main road at the foot of the mountain. She didn't care whether Yang Donglai had made it there or not; her only thought was that she mustn't let him set foot on that road back to the village.
So, as she ran down the mountain, she shouted loudly: "Yang Donglai! Yang Donglai!"
Her clear voice echoed through the woods, and the echo sent her voice even further. The sound of her voice reverberated throughout the mountains.
Yang Donglai had just reached the main road when he heard someone calling his name. He found it hard to believe that this was Cao Xiaoman's voice.
Didn't she hate him the most? She had never even shown him a kind face since they were kids, and the few times she reluctantly spoke to him, it was always in a cold tone. She had never called him by his name before.
But this voice...
Yang Donglai stopped in surprise, as the shouts from behind the mountain grew louder and louder.
Although she disliked him, he was more familiar with her voice than anyone else's. This was definitely Cao Xiaoman's voice, no doubt about it.
But why would she be here at this time? Her foster parents had only one daughter, whom they had always pampered and doted on, as if she were the apple of their eye. She was eighteen years old and had never been allowed to do any early morning chores; they always let her sleep in until late morning.
It was still so early today. Yang Donglai glanced at the sky, then shone his flashlight on the watch on his wrist; it was only six o'clock.
He wasn't sure if it was because he had turned on his flashlight, but the voice from the mountain became more excited.
"Yang Donglai! Donglai!"
Now, Yang Donglai was even more certain that the one calling him was indeed Cao Xiaoman.
"Xiaoman?" He called out, raising his voice, "Is that you?"
He asked, but the sound of Cao Xiaoman's voice on the mountain suddenly came to an abrupt halt.
Cao Xiaoman was running downhill when she suddenly heard this deep, not yet hoarse voice, causing her heart to tremble. Her feet softened, and she tumbled down the slope with a series of muffled thuds.
She rolled for a long distance before finally coming to a stop. The pain in her body couldn't compare to the pain in her heart. Cao Xiaoman struggled to get up, realizing she should be more cautious. She hadn't managed to stop Yang Donglai yet, nor had she apologized to him.
But she didn't know which part of her body had been injured in this fall. Despite trying to get up for a while, she failed, growing more anxious and angry. Cao Xiaoman couldn't help but break into tears.
She finally had a chance for a fresh start; she wanted to make sure Yang Donglai was alright and everyone else too.
"Donglai, Donglai, don't go over there..." Cao Xiaoman cried out while desperately trying to crawl forward.
"Xiaoman!"
Suddenly, a beam of light appeared in front of her, and someone ran toward her. Cao Xiaoman looked up, and Yang Donglai came striding toward her with a healthy gait, bathed in the soft morning light.
How wonderful – his legs were still fine, unlike the previous sight of him struggling to run towards her with a walking stick.
How wonderful – he was still alive and well, not like his body gradually turning ice cold after taking a blow for her.
How wonderful – he still looked so spirited and energetic!
"Xiaoman!"
Yang Donglai squatted in front of her, his face full of concern as he gazed at her. He reached out, but dared not touch her. For a lifetime, he had been cautiously guarding her side, not even touching her hand without her permission.
Cao Xiaoman looked at the vigorous face in front of her, and memories of the past intertwined in her mind, sorrow surged from her heart. She suddenly threw herself at him, hugging his neck and sobbing as if she had regained something precious.
"Donglai, you're finally back!"
