Chapter 1: Life Has Lost Its Lustre
"Ah, my head hurts..." Song Qing'er remembers clearly that she was working on her graduation thesis the previous night, but right after completing it, she passed out.
Song Qing'er held her head, slowly opened her eyes, and sat up. What she saw, however, was a room that resembled a rural mud house. "Was I kidnapped?" That was the only thought running through her mind.
"Ah, my head still hurts..." Song Qing'er once again passed out. She dreamed of meeting a girl who looked just like her, but dressed in patched clothing, who greeted her.
“I’m Song Qing’er from the 1970s; I’m leaving now. Your body in your time has already died. I’ve lost my parents, I want to go find them, I miss them. Please, live a good life for me." The Song Qing'er from the 70s said with a smile.
"Wait, I don’t want to stay here. I want to return home. How can you do this? I was enjoying life, about to get my master's degree, with a prosperous future waiting for me," Song Qing'er was not able to accept this. How could she possibly live through the 70s? How could she adapt?
"You cannot return. Your physical body is already dead. Even if you did return, you wouldn’t be able to survive. I’m already dead, just take my body and live a good life. I’m leaving to find my parents. Goodbye," the Song Qing'er from the 70s said before she left.
Song Qing'er slowly opened her eyes. The memories of the 70s Song Qing'er had merged with hers; she was now in 1972, an era where everything required a physical ticket.
The parents of the 70's Song Qing'er had passed away. Her father, Song He, worked in a steel factory in the town and was a skilled worker in the steel industry who earned 40 per month; unfortunately, he passed away due to a factory steel accident. Her mother was Wen Ya, a language teacher in the commune, earning 20 a month. She was a beloved late-life child; her parents passed away happily seven years ago, after seeing that their daughter had found happiness. In their late years, they enjoyed a comfortable life thanks to the dutiful care of their daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter.
Wen Ya and Song He fell in love at first sight and enjoyed a happy life together. After Song He’s death, Wen Ya couldn't bear the impact and stayed in bed; she passed away soon after.
Song Qing'er's grandparents also passed away last year at an ripe age of 78, they left contentedly.
The grandparents only had one child, Song He, and Song He had only born one child as well, Song Qing’er. The whole family spoiled Song Qing’er; she had both money and needs. It could be said that the family was very happy.
The steel factory paid 5000 in compensation, and there were various tickets. The Song Qing'er from the 70s had helped her parents through their final days only to succumb to a serious fever and passed away, thereafter, the 21st-century Song Qing’er transmigrated over.
Song Qing'er was an about-to-graduate master's student, brought up in an orphanage. From childhood, she looked like a Barbie doll, but she was always reluctant to leave the orphanage director, refusing to be adopted. Later in life, she worked and studied by herself. Just as she was about to graduate as a master with a promising future, she ended up here.
Now that she can't return, Song Qing'er can only consider how to move on. The room contained a Kang bed-stove, a desk with high school textbooks, a locked cupboard. Inside the cupboard, there were two cans of meat, a can of malted milk, a pack of White Rabbit Creamy Candy, and some pastries, and a suitcase-sized wooden box full of the original owner's clothes. There were two flannelette dresses, three sets of cotton-padded jackets, three pairs of cotton trousers, about seventy to eighty percent of new clothes and trousers each consisting of 5 pieces, and two sets of clothes with patches.
The living room had a Ba Xian table, chairs, some bamboo woven baskets, and portraits of great men. There was a miscellaneous room, which was previously lived in by her grandparents. This changed after their passing, the room across was her parents’ room, similar to the original owner’s room, but filled with old furniture. The front yard wasn’t big, about 20 square meters, the backyard was about 60 square meters, the kitchen was also in the backyard, there were tomatoes, eggplants, small bok choy, cucumbers, green onions, and cilantro planted there. There were also two hens kept.
Song Qing'er found the compensation of 5000 yuan and the money her parents had saved, around 850 yuan, including savings from her grandparents on both sides. It was a large sum of money, and only Song Qing'er was left in the family, so the expenditure was not large. There were dozens of tickets; in total, there were 5 industrial tickets, two bicycle tickets, over 20 national grain tickets, over a dozen meat tickets, 5 cotton tickets, and over a dozen tickets that were about to expire.
