[Host, wake up quickly, Sheng Zexi found a matchmaker for you. If you don't wake up soon, she's going to leave, and then how will you marry Sheng Zexi and have babies with him?]
Gu Jia Ning felt unbearably cold, like she'd fallen into an ice pit, even her soul was shivering.
Her head throbbed painfully, memories from her previous life—long and tragic—washed over her again and again.
Fell for a scumbag, got used, missed the one who truly cared, infertile, family destroyed and dead, burned to death in a sea of fire.
The hate and regret surged sky high, but her eyelids felt impossibly heavy, as if loaded with lead. She wanted to open them, but simply couldn't.
The mechanical voice in her mind was anxiously urging her to wake up, and all sorts of noisy, chaotic sounds echoed around her.
"Little sis, wake up! As long as you wake up, don't say it's just about work—whatever you want, I'll agree."
"Why did Old Gu family's girl jump into the river? In this freezing winter, even if she didn't drown, she'll be frozen to death. Such a sin!"
"For what else? Must be because of Wen Zhuqing. People in Huaihua Village all know how much trouble Gu Jia Ning caused for Wen Zhuqing."
At that moment, an aunt dressed as a matchmaker—red flower on her head, red kerchief in hand—pushed her way in.
She glanced at the unconscious Gu Jia Ning, thought for a moment, then asked, "Miss, looks like you know the inside story. Can you fill me in?"
The persistently gossiping aunt saw it was a stranger, dressed like a matchmaker, and immediately realized something.
Seeing how everyone around looked so hopeful, she got smug, "Of course I know! My house is right next to Old Gu family."
She lowered her voice a bit, "Yesterday, Gu Family's eldest son was accepted as a clerk at the steel mill. Gu Jia Ning wanted him to give the job to Wen Zhuqing. But her sister-in-law refused, so Gu Jia Ning jumped into the river."
"Oh, so that's how it is, huh."
"Old Gu family has always spoiled Gu Jia Ning. Look at the eldest son, so heartbroken and guilty. Once Gu Jia Ning wakes up, that job's got to go."
"So, Gu Jia Ning likes that Wen Zhuqing?" the matchmaker asked.
"Of course! Who in Huaihua Village doesn't know about this?"
The matchmaker stopped asking. She remembered the reason she'd come today, and couldn't help but sigh.
This flower already has a master, so today's business can't be done.
She just turned to leave, when suddenly an icy cold hand grabbed at her calf, scaring her stiff.
She turned around and saw Gu Jia Ning, once unconscious, had opened her eyes without anyone noticing.
"Little sis, you're awake!"
"Finally awake, that's great!"
The matchmaker stared at the young girl, soaking wet, wrapped in her eldest brother's cotton coat, hair messy, face pale—so pitiful yet breathtakingly beautiful. Goose-egg face, willow brows, apricot eyes—both delicate and charming, her eyes shimmered with tears, making anyone who saw her feel compassion.
Honestly, she'd introduced many matches, seen city girls aplenty, but never seen one so stunning.
No wonder Sheng Zexi, an officer from the Great Northwest Military Region, came all this way just to ask her to arrange a match.
With looks like this, what young man wouldn't be moved?
The matchmaker looked up—this young girl's apricot eyes seemed stubbornly resolute.
"Was it Sheng Zexi who sent you to my house?" the girl's voice was weak, yet both sweet and tender, as if mixed with honey.
"Is he planning to meet me?"
After speaking, she gasped, as if those two sentences took all the strength she had left.
"Yes." The matchmaker nodded, feeling surprised that the girl knew Officer Sheng wanted her to arrange a match.
"If that's the case, I agree."
"Little sis, at a time like this, who cares about meet or not? Big brother will carry you home." Gu Yunting scooped her up, pushed through the crowd, and jogged toward home.
His refined face was tense, mouth mumbling in panic, comforting Gu Jia Ning.
"Little sis, let's get home first, get washed and changed, everything's easier to talk about."
"As long as you don't do anything rash, big brother can give up the job."
"If you want to give it to Wen Zhuqing, Mr. Zhang, or anyone, that's fine."
"..."
Gu Yunting's anxious care—every bit of it fell into Gu Jia Ning's eyes. Two lines of silent tears rolled down. In her previous life, after she jumped into the river, big brother gave in and gave the job to Wen Zhqing. That sowed the seeds of later endless quarrels between him and his wife. After that, it seemed his luck vanished. The clever, business-minded eldest brother failed at everything, spent life in mediocrity, ended up in a loveless marriage.
On the way, other members of the Gu Family came running from the fields and the village committee after hearing the news.
"Quick, carry her home!"
As soon as they entered the home, Yao Chunhua, the matriarch, forced herself to calm down, opened Gu Jia Ning's wardrobe, fetched clothes and towels, saying, "Eldest, put Ning girl on her bed, I'll change her clothes. You go heat up water—she'll need a bath."
Old Gu glanced at his awake but soaking-wet, bedraggled daughter, then quickly turned to go, "I'll go call Old Zhang."
Old Zhang, Huaihua Village's doctor. Anyone rescued from the water might get a high fever.
The eldest sister-in-law, Yang Manman, saw her little sister-in-law's pale face, wet hair, so weak—though she knew why she jumped into the river, she couldn't bear it, stomped her foot, "Mom, I'll go make ginger tea to warm her up."
The second brother, Gu Yunan, took out the hen from the chicken coop—the one meant to be slaughtered days later—and killed it.
The third brother, Gu Yunzhou, stared at his little sister's tightly closed bedroom door, realized he couldn't help much, turned to leave, quietly clenching his fist. Little sis jumped in because Wen Zhuqing seduced her, that bastard's overdue for a lesson.
Gu Jia Ning was pressed by her mother to change out of wet clothes, wiped down, dressed in dry clothes, and drank the ginger tea brought by her sister-in-law.
"In the dead of winter, that river could freeze someone to death, and you silly girl went right in without a care."
"Quick, finish the ginger tea and drive off the chill. Once the hot water's ready, take a warm bath. Your second brother killed a chicken, you'll get some chicken soup soon. Old man said he'd call Old Zhang, how come he's not back yet?" Yao Chunhua's rough hands touched Gu Jia Ning's forehead, "Just worried you'll get a high fever."
"Here, here!" As if hearing the wife's urging, Old Gu pulled Old Zhang over, jogging into the house.
Old Zhang felt Gu Jia Ning's pulse, wrote a few prescriptions of Chinese medicine, then left.
Yang Manman, "I'll go cook the medicine."
Big brother carried in a bucket of hot water, dragged out the big wooden tub, poured it in, and added cool water, "Go have a hot bath first."
When Gu Jia Ning finished bathing, her mother wrapped her in a quilt, and second brother Gu Yunan brought in a steaming bowl of chicken soup.
The steam from the chicken soup blurred Gu Jia Ning's vision. She remembered, at this time, her second sister-in-law was supposed to be resting after childbirth—the chicken should have been saved for her. Now, though…
Gu Jia Ning looked up, gazing at her family, all worried and anxious, not a hint of blame for her. In that moment, emotions repressed across previous and current lives surged up like a tide; she clung to her mother, sobbing loudly, "Dad, Mom, I'm sorry. I was wrong—it's all my fault…"