Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 4

"Silly child, Mom is here." Cheng Jinxiang gently stroked Zhao Da'e's fair cheek and said affectionately.

"Look at you, you've been unconscious for two or three days, Mom was so worried." As she spoke, Cheng Jinxiang carefully got up from the hospital bed, took the newspaper from the porridge bowl on the bedside table, brought the bowl up, blew on it to warm it, and finally took a spoonful of porridge and put it to Zhao Da'e's mouth: "Da'e, hot chicken and mushroom millet porridge. It'll soothe your stomach."

Words cannot express Zhao Da'e's feelings at this moment. But her mother's gentleness pleased Zhao Da'e greatly. She obediently nodded, opened her mouth, and drank the porridge. Afterward, Zhao Da'e picked up the bowl herself and gulped down the porridge.

Zhao Da'e hadn't eaten or drunk anything for days and nights, and was starving. She drank very quickly, and Cheng Jinxiang advised her, "Da'e, drink slowly. If you drink too fast, you might choke."

Zhao Da'e didn't care about anything else. He finished a bowl of millet porridge with a few pieces of chicken, an egg, and some dried mushrooms in no time. After finishing, Zhao Da'e licked the bowl and said with satisfaction, "Delicious. Just like my aunt's."

Cheng Jinxiang nodded. This chicken, mushroom, and millet porridge was indeed brought over by Zhao Da'e's aunt, Cheng Jinxi.

By this time, Cheng Jinxiang was already out of danger. A few days earlier, the shock and anxiety caused by her child being snatched, coupled with forcing herself to get out of bed, had strained her wound, leading to excessive bleeding and putting her life in imminent danger. Fortunately, Zhao Da'e gave her a timely blood transfusion, allowing Cheng Jinxiang to pull through the cracks, but it was a painful experience for Zhao Da'e.

After having approximately 1600cc of blood drawn by the doctor, Zhao Da'e could no longer hold on and fainted, remaining unconscious for three days and three nights. Fortunately, Zhao Da'e has now woken up, and Cheng Jinxiang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After finishing his porridge, Zhao Da'e nestled in his mother's arms. It had been many, many years since Zhao Da'e had felt so happy and relaxed.

In her past life, it was the same time, but with a different outcome. That day, Cheng Jinxiang also went to the hospital to give birth. In the end, her second daughter was given away by Zhao Da'e's grandmother. Cheng Jinxiang became deeply depressed and resentful, and within two years, her health completely collapsed; she spent her days in tears. By the third year, Cheng Jinxiang's condition had worsened; she became mentally impaired and recognized almost no one except Zhao Da'e. In the years that followed, Cheng Jinxiang's health deteriorated year by year, from slurred speech to only being able to utter one sentence: "Give me back my child." Finally, Cheng Jinxiang went completely insane, running around every day searching for her second daughter in the mountains, rivers, and wells. This continued until Zhao Da'e was fifteen or sixteen years old. Cheng Jinxiang not only went insane but also became paralyzed, unable to walk any longer.

In her previous life, Cheng Jinxiang lived for a few more years after becoming paralyzed, but by then, she didn't recognize anyone. She relied entirely on Zhao Da'e for care, needing to eat, drink, and relieve herself. Zhao Da'e didn't work to care for his mother, barely surviving on the two acres of meager land allocated to the family. Ultimately, however, Zhao Da'e couldn't save his mother. After countless years of paralysis, Cheng Jinxiang passed away, leaving this cold world forever. Before she died, Cheng Jinxiang uttered two clear sentences: "Da'e, finding your sister is my fault; I couldn't take good care of her. Also, pay off all the debts I've accumulated over the years. I have no other choice, but I don't want to leave with regrets. I, Cheng Jinxiang, came into this world with a clear conscience, and I don't want to leave with regrets."

Cheng Jinxiang then passed away.

After burying his mother, Zhao Da'e embarked on a period of hard work to pay off his debts.

Come to think of it, it's been over thirty years since he last saw his mother so clearly and heard her speak so clearly. Zhao Da'e felt a pang of sadness, and tears streamed down her face.

The hardest thing in life is wanting something but not being able to have it. At this moment, the person who treated her the gentlest has reappeared, and Zhao Da'e can hardly control her heartache.

Cheng Jinxiang took out a handkerchief and wiped away Zhao Da'e's tears. She didn't know what Zhao Da'e was thinking, but she said calmly, "Da'e, don't be afraid. Your mother is here for you. As long as your mother has a breath left, she will protect you."

"Mmm." Zhao Da'e bit her lip and nodded firmly.

Looking down, she noticed the adorable, pink-cheeked little girl over there in the ward. Zhao Da'e leaned closer and stared at the little one.

The little pink dumpling has incredibly delicate skin, big eyes, a small face, and sparse fur, though it's a bit dark...

Zhao Da'e asked Cheng Jinxiang with a puzzled look, "Mom, why do I feel like my sister doesn't take after either of us? Look at your skin, it's so fair. And my skin is even more—skin like cream, with delicate features. Sometimes I feel like my skin is so pale that you could slap it and leave five finger marks. But why does my sister look a bit dark?"

Cheng Jinxiang smiled, tucked her second daughter in with the blanket, and said, "When you were born, you were even darker than your sister. Babies are often a bit darker-skinned. It's just that they haven't fully developed yet; it'll get better in a month. Don't touch your sister's head; it's still soft and not fully developed. It needs time, so you see I'm tucking her head in like this."

Let her sleep a little longer, in a good position. That way, her head will develop a normal shape. Otherwise, she'll end up like your uncle's older brother, with a hunched back.

Zhao Da'e remembered his uncle Zhao Tiebao's eldest brother, whose head was pointed and flat, probably the head shape his mother had mentioned from not sleeping well as a child.

Zhao Da'e genuinely didn't know before that a newborn baby's head is soft. She thought all heads were normal and hard. She never imagined that the shape was determined by sleeping; Zhao Da'e had truly learned something new.

"Mom, have you named my little sister yet?"

Cheng Jinxiang paused, then said, "No, things have been busy at home these past few days. Your dad only came twice to check if you were awake, and then left in a hurry. I asked him what happened, but he wouldn't say. Your grandma and the others didn't come either. Only your aunt came twice and stayed with me for two days. I sent her home at night too, since there's nowhere to sleep in the ward. Your aunt's husband is a real troublemaker; he's a good person, but he likes to fight with your aunt in the winter. Or rather, if he loses money gambling, he comes home and beats your aunt. I was afraid he'd cause trouble again, so I didn't let your aunt stay here."

Everyone's not here. And I haven't had much schooling; I can't even recognize all the characters. How am I supposed to name your sister?

Zhao Da'e thought for a moment and said, "How about calling my little sister Xiao Juan? The ancients said, 'The Emperor Wang's heart is entrusted to the cuckoo.' All our hopes, mother and daughter, are for our little sister to be healthy, happy, and live in peace. Let's just call this hope 'Xiao Juanzi' (Little Cuckoo)."

"Zhao Xiaojuan?" Cheng Jinxiang murmured a few times, and finally said, "Okay. I'll do as you say. From now on, your sister will be called Zhao Xiaojuan."