Chapter 1: Rebirth After Jumping into the River

[Host, wake up! The matchmaker that Sheng Zexi sent is here. If you don’t wake up soon, she’ll leave, and then how will you marry Sheng Zexi and have babies with him?]

Gu Jianing felt unbearably cold, as if she had fallen into an icy pit, her very soul shivering.

Her head throbbed painfully, and the long, tragic memories of her previous life kept flooding back.

Falling for a scumbag, being used, missing out on someone who truly cared, infertility, family ruined, everyone dead, and finally dying in a fire.

Hatred and regret surged within her, but her eyelids felt unbearably heavy, as if weighed down by lead. She wanted to open her eyes, but simply couldn’t.

A mechanical voice in her mind was urgently urging her to wake up, while all around her, noisy voices clamored.

“Little sister, wake up. As long as you wake up, forget about work—whatever you want, I’ll agree to it.”

“Why did the old Gu family’s girl jump into the river? In the dead of winter, even if she didn’t drown, she’d freeze to death. What a tragedy.”

“What else could it be? It must be because of that educated youth, Wen. Everyone in Huaihua Village knows how much trouble Gu Jianing has caused for Wen.”

At that moment, a woman dressed as a matchmaker, with a red flower on her head and a red handkerchief in her hand, squeezed her way in.

She glanced at the unconscious Gu Jianing, thought for a moment, then asked, “Miss, you seem to know what’s going on. Tell me about it.”

The gossipy aunt, seeing it was a stranger dressed as a matchmaker, immediately understood. Seeing how eager everyone around looked, she grew smug. “Of course I know. My house is right next to the Gu family’s.”

She lowered her voice, “Yesterday, the eldest Gu got a job at the steel factory. Gu Jianing wanted him to give the job to Wen, but her sister-in-law refused. So, Gu Jianing jumped into the river.”

“Oh, so that’s what happened.”

“The old Gu family has always favored Gu Jianing. Look at how guilty and upset the eldest Gu is. Once Gu Jianing wakes up, I bet he’ll give up the job.”

“So, Gu Jianing likes that Wen?” the matchmaker asked.

“Of course! Who in Huaihua Village doesn’t know?”

The matchmaker stopped asking questions, remembering why she’d come today, and sighed.

Looks like this girl already has someone in her heart. This match won’t work out.

She turned to leave, but suddenly, an icy hand grabbed her calf, making her jump in fright.

She turned around to see Gu Jianing, who had been unconscious, now wide awake.

“Little sister, you’re awake!”

“She’s finally awake, thank goodness!”

The matchmaker looked at the girl—soaking wet, wrapped in her brother’s padded jacket, hair a mess, face deathly pale, utterly disheveled, yet still breathtakingly beautiful. An oval face, willow brows, almond-shaped eyes—delicate and charming. At this moment, her eyes shimmered with tears, making anyone who saw her feel protective.

Honestly, she’d arranged many matches and seen plenty of city girls, but never one as pretty as this.

No wonder Sheng Zexi, an officer from the far-off Northwest Military District, would travel all this way to ask her to arrange a match.

With looks like this, what young man wouldn’t be tempted?

The matchmaker looked up. The girl’s almond eyes were bright and stubborn.

“Did Sheng Zexi send you to my house?” The girl’s voice was weak, but sweet as honey.

“He wants to meet me?”

She took a deep breath, as if those two sentences had used up all her strength.

“Yes.” The matchmaker nodded, surprised that the girl knew Sheng Zexi had sent her.

“If that’s the case, I agree.”

“Little sister, never mind about meeting anyone right now. Big brother will take you home.” Gu Yunting scooped her up, pushed through the crowd, and hurried home.

His handsome face was tense, and he muttered anxiously, trying to comfort Gu Jianing.

“Little sister, let’s get you home for a bath and some dry clothes. We can talk about everything later.”

“As long as you don’t do anything foolish, I don’t need the job.”

“If you want to give it to Wen, or Zhang, or whoever, that’s fine.”

“…”

Gu Yunting’s anxious concern was clear to Gu Jianing, who lay in his arms. Tears silently streamed down her face. In her previous life, after she jumped into the river, her brother gave in and gave the job to Wen Zhuqing, which became the fuse for endless arguments between her brother and sister-in-law. It seemed from then on, her brother’s luck was gone. Though smart and business-minded, he failed at everything, lived a mediocre life, and his marriage became miserable.

Halfway home, the rest of the Gu family, who’d rushed over from the fields and the village committee, caught up.

“Hurry, take her home.”

Once inside, the matriarch, Yao Chunhua, forced herself to stay calm. She opened Gu Jianing’s wardrobe, took out clothes and a towel, and said, “Eldest, put Ning on her bed. I’ll help her change. You go boil some water for a bath.”

Father Gu glanced at his drenched, disheveled daughter, then hurried out. “I’ll go get Old Zhang.”

Old Zhang was the village doctor. People who’d fallen in the water could easily get a high fever.

Sister-in-law Yang Manman, seeing her pale, frail sister-in-law with wet hair, knew why she’d jumped but couldn’t help feeling sorry. She stomped her foot. “Mom, I’ll make some ginger tea to warm her up.”

Second brother Gu Yunnan went to the chicken coop and killed a hen they’d planned to save for a few days.

Third brother Gu Yunzhou, seeing the closed door to his sister’s room and unable to help, clenched his fists and left. He was sure Wen had talked his sister into jumping—he’d have to teach that guy a lesson.

Gu Jianing let her mother change her out of her wet clothes, dry her off, and dress her in clean ones. Then she drank the ginger tea her sister-in-law brought.

“In the dead of winter, that river could freeze someone to death. Only you would be foolish enough to jump in,” Yao Chunhua scolded, her rough hands feeling Gu Jianing’s forehead. “Drink the ginger tea to warm up. Once the water’s hot, take a bath. Your second brother killed a chicken—have some soup later. Your father’s gone to get Old Zhang. Why aren’t they back yet?”

“Coming, coming!” As if on cue, Father Gu hurried in with Old Zhang.

Old Zhang checked Gu Jianing’s pulse and prescribed some herbal medicine before leaving.

Yang Manman said, “I’ll go make the medicine.”

Big brother came in carrying a bucket of hot water, pulled out the big wooden tub, poured in the water, and added some cold. “Take a hot bath first.”

After Gu Jianing finished bathing, her mother wrapped her in a quilt, and second brother Gu Yunnan brought in a steaming bowl of chicken soup.

The rising steam blurred Gu Jianing’s vision. She remembered that at this time in her previous life, her second sister-in-law was in confinement after giving birth, and the chicken was meant for her. But now…

Gu Jianing looked up, taking in the anxious, worried faces of her family, none of whom blamed her at all. The emotions she’d held back for two lifetimes surged up, and she threw herself into her mother’s arms, sobbing, “Dad, Mom, I’m sorry. I was wrong. It’s all my fault…”"