Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Ji Yunshu woke up crying.

She blinked blankly, her pillow soaked through. Outside, the day was already bright, and cicadas on the locust tree by the window were screeching at full volume. She stared at the ceiling for a long time, her chest still pounding.

The dream had been too long—so long that Ji Yunshu still felt exhausted after waking.

In the dream, she married He Jianjun, the second son of the He family, to whom she was betrothed.

At first, things were fine. The marriage was harmonious. Ji Yunshu was the prettiest among the younger generation in the military compound, and He Jianjun was the most accomplished of his cohort. The two families were a powerful alliance—who wouldn't call it a perfect match?

But as time went on, things soured.

He Jianjun's mother complained she didn't know how to run a household, that her laundry wasn't clean, that her cooking wasn't good, that she was too pampered for wanting egg water every morning, and that she hadn't given him a child in three years of marriage.

When she hung clothes in the courtyard, the women next door would stand around gossiping, just loud enough for her to hear—"That Ji family girl, spoiled since childhood, how would she know how to wait on her mother-in-law?" "Exactly, I heard old Mrs. He scolds her every day, and it's nasty."

Ji Yunshu had never washed clothes or cooked in her life—how could she possibly do it well? There was a mess hall for meals, and He Jianjun's mother could wash her own clothes. Why did she have to wash the whole family's clothes and sheets all by herself? Ji Yunshu refused and only washed her own clothes, but that only made He Jianjun's mother badmouth her even more to He Jianjun.

Later, He Jianjun came home less and less often. When he did come back, he had a grim look on his face. When she spoke to him, he grunted in response; when she moved closer, he edged away.

She later found out that he wasn't busy—he just didn't want to come home.

Until one day, she was called to the neighborhood office to pick something up. As she walked in, she saw He Jianjun sitting inside, and beside him stood a woman with a red mole between her eyebrows, her belly big and round. The woman saw her, smiled, and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

He Jianjun stood up, pulled a piece of paper from his pocket, and slapped it down in front of her.

Divorce papers.

He said, "Yun Shu, let's get a divorce. We have no children. Go back to your family, and we'll each go our own way."

In the dream, Ji Yunshu pointed at the woman and asked, "Who is she?"

He Jianjun didn't answer, but the woman spoke first, her voice soft: "Sister, I'm Meng Li."

Meng Li.

That name stabbed into Ji Yunshu's ears like a thorn.

Meng Li said, "Sister, you don't know, do you? You're not the Ji family's daughter—I am. We were swapped at the hospital back then. You're from the Meng family—a capitalist's daughter. The Ji family raised you for twenty-two years, and now everything should be given back to me."

Ji Yunshu stood there, unable to say a single word.

She couldn't remember much of what happened afterward, only that she returned to the compound, and the young guard at the gate gave her a strange look.

It was the height of the Great Movement, when political identity mattered more than anything. Before Ji Yunshu even reached home, she heard people whispering behind her back—"That's her, the capitalist's daughter, who stole the Ji family's real daughter's place." "Officer He divorced her, and the Ji family's real daughter is pregnant with a big, healthy boy. I heard they're doing great."

Ji Yunshu wanted to go home and have her parents stick up for her. Her mother—no, actually her adoptive mother, He Qiuxia—stood at the door, eyes red, wanting to say something but stopping herself. Her father—actually her adoptive father, Ji Haiguo—turned his back on her, not saying a word.

Ji Yunshu wanted to ask her parents if it was all true, but the scene shifted, and she saw the Meng family, ragged and in tatters, having been "sent down." Before she could understand what "sent down" and the "Great Movement" really meant, she was suddenly pushed to the ground by the Meng mother: "I don't have a daughter like you—get out of here!"

The pain was so real. She had become a curse rejected by both the Ji and Meng families. At the same time, a group of people wearing red armbands suddenly rushed out and dragged her off to who knows where.

Thick, cloying darkness slowly swallowed Ji Yunshu's vision, and her ears rang with shouts—"She's that Meng family's capitalist's daughter!" "Down with the capitalist!"...

Then she dreamed she wasted away and died miserably.

"I'm not! I'm not a capitalist's daughter!" Even at death's door, Ji Yunshu was still protesting painfully.

The next moment, she jerked awake.

She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, unable to come back to her senses for a long time. Tears ran from the corners of her eyes into her ears, tickling, but she was too weak to wipe them away.

"Yun Shu?"

Footsteps came from outside, and the door was knocked twice before being pushed open. He Qiuxia walked in carrying an enamel mug. Seeing her face, she exclaimed, "oh," and set the mug on the nightstand, quickly sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" He Qiuxia reached out to wipe her tears, her movements gentle and quick. "I just heard you shouting—what happened? Did you have a nightmare?"

Ji Yunshu wrapped her arms around her waist, burying her face in her chest, her voice muffled: "Mom—"

"Oh, sweetie, what did you dream about?" He Qiuxia held her, patting her back with one hand. "Don't be scared, Mom's here."

Ji Yunshu said nothing, just clung to her.

Seeing she didn't want to talk, He Qiuxia didn't push it. She simply held Ji Yunshu gently, patting her back in a steady rhythm. The cicadas outside were annoying, so she pressed Ji Yunshu's head closer to her chest, as if shielding her from the noise.

After a long while, Ji Yunshu finally spoke, her voice muffled and sounding hurt: "Mom, I dreamed I wasn't your real daughter."

He Qiuxia stopped patting her back.

She looked down at her daughter in her arms and brushed the stray hair from her forehead. "You're a big girl now—still acting like a baby over a dream?"

"Really." Ji Yunshu looked up, eyes red, her nose red as well. "In the dream, I was swapped. I'm a capitalist's daughter, and your real daughter is named Meng Li. She came back and kicked me out. I also dreamed I married He Jianjun, and he treated me badly, and everyone in the compound laughed at me."

He Qiuxia paused for a moment, her smile stiffening: "Nonsense."

"I'm just asking—what if?" Ji Yunshu clung to her waist. "Mom, if I really weren't your biological daughter, would you still love me?"

"No." He Qiuxia made a stern face. "If I didn't love you, would I make you egg water every morning? Would I save up cloth coupons to make you new clothes? Get up now—autumn's coming in a month, and I've made you new clothes. We'll try them on in a bit."

Ji Yunshu wouldn't let it go, shaking her: "Say it, say it."

He Qiuxia, unable to resist her shaking, pinched her cheek: "I love you, love you, alright? Raised you for eighteen years—even if you were adopted, you're as good as my own flesh and blood. Get up and drink your egg water before it gets cold."

That satisfied Ji Yunshu. "Mom, feed me."

"How old are you, still needing to be fed?"

"I want you to!" Ji Yunshu mumbled. "No matter how old I am, I'm still Mom's daughter."

He Qiuxia laughed, picked up the mug, scooped a spoonful, blew on it, and held it to her lips.

Ji Yunshu swished some water in her mouth, opened it to drink, then said, "Mom, I don't want to get up right now."

"Then don't get up—no one's kicking you out. You can try the clothes later." He Qiuxia fed her another spoonful. "If you haven't slept enough, keep lying down. I'll make you dumplings for lunch."

Ji Yunshu's eyes brightened: "Really?"

"Really. Your favorite—chive and egg filling, extra eggs."

Ji Yunshu leaned contentedly against her, drinking the egg water one sip at a time.

Just then, the door was pushed open, and Ji Yunting walked in wearing a tank top. Seeing the scene, he tsk-tsked: "Still sleeping in till noon, and Mom's making you egg water. I never got such treatment when I was little."

Ji Yunshu popped her head out from He Qiuxia's arms and stuck out her tongue smugly: "Jealous?"

"Jealous my ass." Ji Yunting walked to the bedside and tossed her something. Ji Yunshu caught it—a box of White Rabbit milk candies.

"Bro, where'd you get these?" Ji Yunshu unwrapped one and popped it into her mouth, then unwrapped another and fed it to He Qiuxia.

"A buddy brought 'em back from a visit home. I don't do sweets, so they're all yours," Ji Yunting said, reaching over to ruffle her hair. "You not sleep well last night? Your eyes are all puffy."

Ji Yunshu buried her face back into He Qiuxia's arms, saying nothing.

He Qiuxia answered for her: "She had a nightmare and got spooked."

"Aren't you a little old for nightmares?" Ji Yunting sat down on the edge of the bed and poked her arm. "What did you dream about?"

Ji Yunshu mumbled, "I dreamed I wasn't Mom's real daughter and got kicked out."

Ji Yunting couldn't help but burst out laughing. "That's a new one. Don't worry, even if you were adopted, you're still my sis. Anyone who dares mess with you, I'll knock their lights out."

Ji Yunshu looked up: "Really?"

"If you don't believe me, then don't eat the candy I gave you." Ji Yunting rolled his eyes and pretended to snatch the candy box back, only backing off when he saw Ji Yunshu clutching it like a mother hen protecting her chicks. "Get up, quit loafing around. Oh, by the way, Pei Yufeng's back."

Ji Yunshu blinked: "Brother Pei?"

"Yeah, he arrived last night. I picked him up at the station," Ji Yunting said. "He's been on that island for almost ten years and looks like he hasn't aged a day, but I get tan lines after one year as a pilot?"

Ji Yunshu snorted: "You can't even compare to Brother Pei."

"Hey, you're taking his side over your own brother. Why don't you just go be Pei Yufeng's sister already, so he can stop pining over you from afar." Ji Yunting made a move to flick her forehead. "He said he brought you something and told you to swing by and grab it."

Ji Yunshu said "Oh."

Ji Yunting looked at her lounging around and stood up: "What, you don't wanna go? Then I'll just grab it for you, save you the trip. But it's rare for him to come back—if you don't go see him, who knows when you'll see him again."

"Who said I don't want to go?" Ji Yunshu shot him a glare. "I haven't even washed my face yet."

"Hey, you weren't this eager when you picked me up at the station—"

Before Ji Yunting could finish, He Qiuxia interrupted helplessly, "Alright, Yunting, quit bickering with your sister. Yun Shu wants dumplings today, so she'll help me make them in a bit."

"Fine, got it. Let the lazy little thing lounge around." Ji Yunting said as he walked out, then turned back at the door. "Yun Shu, Pei Yufeng asked about you, you know—how you've been, whether anyone's been bullying you."

Ji Yunshu retorted: "Who would dare bully me except you? It's you who bullies me every day!"

"Go eat your candy!" Ji Yunting didn't want to deal with her anymore and went off to roll out dumpling wrappers.

He Qiuxia laughed and patted her: "Alright, alright, once you've rested enough, get up and move around a bit. Don't really sleep the whole day."

Ji Yunshu said "Mm."

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded in the courtyard, and someone shouted "Report!" at the door, saying they needed to see the commander's wife.

He Qiuxia put down the jar and patted Ji Yunshu: "Mom's going out to take a look."

She walked to the door, and Ji Yunting happened to open it. Ji Yunshu also sat up in bed, craning her neck to look outside.

In the courtyard stood a young guard soldier, about seventeen or eighteen, sweating profusely from running. Seeing He Qiuxia, he quickly snapped to attention and saluted: "Report to the commander's wife!"

He Qiuxia asked: "What's the matter?"

The young soldier said breathlessly: "There's a female comrade at the gate asking to see Commander Ji. She said... she said her name is Meng Li, and she's Commander Ji's biological daughter."