chapter 1

For a brief moment after my last breath, my soul floated in midair.

I heard my mother-in-law plop down on the ground, wailing that the doctor had killed her precious golden grandson.

She had always thought I was carrying a daughter.

I saw Zhang Shuai clutching my corpse, bawling his eyes out, his tears and snot smearing my face.

I watched as my mother rushed over. After a round of crying, she and my mother-in-law began pulling at the doctor, demanding the hospital pay a million yuan in compensation.

A million!

So my life was worth that much.

A voice sounded in my ear: “It’s time for you to reincarnate.”

But I was really unwilling.

How did my life end up like this?

“Do you want to live again?”

“Yes!”

My consciousness was suddenly plunged into darkness.

When I opened my eyes again, I was fifteen.

The village loudspeaker was broadcasting: “Although SARS hasn’t affected our city yet, …”

Zhang Shuai, wearing flared pants, stopped me at the entrance of the village: “Zhaozhao, I heard you’re going to Vocational School too?”

His young, innocent face startled me.

I turned and ran straight home.

After a few steps, I doubled back, raised my hand, and slapped him: “Serves you right, you mama’s boy!”

He was stunned by the slap.

It took him a while to chase after me, shouting, “Song Zhaozhao, why did you hit me? What’s a mama’s boy?”

I ran all the way home toward the setting sun.

The yard was bustling-my aunt from the city had come back.

She had graduated from Vocational School years ago, was assigned to a state-owned enterprise, later married a coworker, and the company gave them an apartment.

From then on, she became a city person.

She was the most successful in the family and had a lot of influence.

At that moment, she was holding court: “Although Zhaozhao got into No. 1 High School, her score was at the bottom.”

“Girls just don’t have the stamina. In high school, she’ll fall even further behind.”

“No. 1 High School’s college entrance rate isn’t good now. If she doesn’t get into university, all that studying will be for nothing. She might as well go to Vocational School-she can start working and earning money in two years. Then she can help Xiao Mu with his tuition, and you two will have it easier.”

Back then, my parents believed her.

Seeing she was about to go on and on, I loudly interrupted: “Dad, Mom, I want to go to high school!”

My aunt kept chattering, so I replied directly: “Aunt, don’t worry, we won’t borrow money from you.”

You wouldn’t lend it anyway.

She left in a huff.

Night fell, and the yard was plunged into darkness.

Dad scolded me: “No manners-how can you talk to your elders like that?”

I repeated, “Dad, Mom, I want to go to high school!”

I knew this was an era full of opportunities.

But to seize those opportunities, you needed a stepping stone.

A college diploma was that stone.

Mom turned on the light in the main room.

The five-watt bulb was only a bit brighter than a kerosene lamp.

Dad took big drags from his water pipe, and Mom sighed deeply.

“Zhaozhao, high school tuition is 1,800 yuan per semester, and your dad and I don’t have the money.”

“The price of rice is down, and two of our pigs died…”

“Your dad and I aren’t capable, and your brother’s schooling costs money too…”

In my previous life, it was the same.

They kept repeating how hard things were for them.

Back then, I was young, inexperienced, soft-hearted, and kind.

In the end, I compromised and went to Vocational School.

Then I found out that many of my classmates’ entrance exam scores were only half of mine.

Later, when Xiao Mu took the entrance exam, my parents scraped together money from everywhere, paid a 5,000 yuan sponsorship fee, and sent him to No. 1 High School.

In that moment, my world collapsed.

But that’s life-one wrong step leads to another.

Word by word, I said, “I must go to high school. I’ll find a way to pay the tuition myself.”