Volume One, Chapter Three: Never Say That Again from Now On

“Dad, I’ve married Guan Guan, and she will be my wife for life. Don’t say those things anymore.”

Upon hearing this, Old Tang opened his mouth dryly, then finally let out a faint “Eh.”

After all, she was his own daughter, and to hear such a promise from his son-in-law brought him not only guilt but also great relief.

His heart finally settled.

No matter what, the child was his own!

In the end, his heart still leaned toward his beloved daughter.

“Creak.”

Suddenly, the door was pushed open from outside, the old wooden door groaning with a decayed sound.

The two who were speaking froze simultaneously and turned to look toward the doorway.

Inside, a kerosene lamp flickered dimly; outside, the night was pitch black, the earth a bleak, pale gray, with snowflakes continuing to drift.

As the door swung wide, a cold wind swept in, carrying snow with it.

The wind made the candlelight inside flicker, casting shifting shadows.

The visitor was slender, with a delicate face that seemed almost unreal in the dancing candlelight.

“Second daughter?”

Old Tang rubbed his eyes, hardly daring to believe it.

They hadn’t even gone to fetch her, and she was already back?

Lu Hang remained calm, his expression unchanged, but on closer look, his eyes held a complex emotion.

Guan Guan stood at the door, gazing at the two inside, the corners of her eyes tinged with red.

From the county town to Stone Village, on this snowy day, she’d limped for a full four hours.

Yet she never felt the road so endlessly long.

Now, she was finally home!

Thankfully!

Home was still here!

“Dad, Lu Hang!”

Guan Guan called softly, a call that seemed to span a lifetime.

“You—you called me what?” Old Tang clutched his ear, incredulous.

Since being recognized, the second daughter had never once called him “Dad.”

“Dad!”

Guan Guan raised her voice, calling out again, tears streaming freely down her face.

Old Tang stood frozen, eyes wide, speechless for a long moment.

Lu Hang sitting on the kang felt a slight tremor in his heart.

Today, Guan Guan seemed different somehow.

Looking up, his eyes met hers, shining with tears.

Neither spoke a word.

Guan Guan simply stared straight at the young version of Lu Hang.

His sword-like eyebrows slanted sharply, a high, straight nose, clear and determined eyes.

Lu Hang’s eyes were not the big, round, popular ones of the 1980s aesthetic, but somewhat elongated, with a sharp double-folded phoenix eye.

His sharply defined facial features were tense.

His well-shaped thin lips habitually pressed into a straight line.

He exuded an aura of sternness, a warning to keep strangers away.

Lu Hang’s complexion was a sun-kissed bronze, clearly weathered by wind and rain; a bluish stubble sprouted on his chin, lending him a slightly haggard look.

Yet his posture remained erect, even sitting on the kang, his lower back held straight.

He bore none of the weariness or premature gray hair of his forty-plus self from the past life, nor the slightly stooped shoulders.

Guan Guan felt a burning heat in her eyes, tears pouring like an uncontrollable torrent.

In truth, Lu Hang was handsome, embodying the masculine beauty that would become popular many years later.

But in the past life, the twenty-year-old version of herself was headstrong, favoring a delicate, soft-spoken pretty boy instead.

She had been blind all along.

Guan Guan sighed deeply.

“Lu Hang—” she called again softly.

“Eh—”

“Mm.”

Old Tang, finally roused from the shock of hearing “Dad,” his eyes moist, answered the call.

Lu Hang nodded expressionlessly, his thoughts swirling.

In the past, Guan Guan always called him with a scowl, “Hey!” or “That guy!”

“Cold at the door, close it and come inside.”

Old Tang comforted himself, his rough, cracked hand wiping his aged face. Instinctively, he reached for his pipe at his waist, only to realize he’d left it in his room.

But this did not diminish his joy.

The second daughter was finally calling him Dad—did that mean she had accepted reality?

Would she stay and live peacefully now?

Old Tang stepped forward, pulling his daughter inside, then stood by the door calling next door.

“Wife, are you asleep? If not, come over here!”

The light next door was already out; he knew his wife had long since gone to bed.

It was past ten at night; rural folk had no nightlife and went to bed early to save lamp oil.

Still, he called for her.

His wife had fallen asleep with tears in her eyes; seeing their second daughter again would bring her peace.

With peace in her heart, she could sleep soundly.

He wanted to share this joy with her.

The second daughter called him!

Guan Guan didn’t stop him from calling; she too was eager to see her family, separated by a lifetime.

She thought hard.

She felt guilty.

“Lu Hang? Is your leg—still okay?”

Guan Guan slowly approached the kang, glanced at Lu Hang’s injured leg beneath the blanket, and her heart sank. The guilt spanning a lifetime burned her throat like fire.

It seared her chest with unbearable pain.

This morning, on a snowy day, she had insisted on going to the Zhao family. Lu Hang had stopped her, warning the mountain paths were treacherous, advising her to wait until the snow stopped.

She had misunderstood his kindness, pushing him down and reopening the old injury that had never fully healed.

“It’s nothing serious. A few days’ rest and it’ll be fine,” Lu Hang said evenly, his voice steady without emotion.

His face wore the usual impassive, rigid expression.

In the past, Guan Guan had found such Lu Hang dull and uninteresting.

He was nothing like those smooth-talking, charming young heirs she had met at the Zhao family.

But after living a lifetime, hearing Lu Hang’s straightforward and earnest reply now felt deeply reassuring.

People with honeyed words and hidden daggers—she had seen too many in the past life.

They were like sugar-coated bombs, killing without a trace.

How much more comforting was this steadfast, dependable Lu Hang?

So what if he was ineloquent? This tall, burly man spoke little but always protected you with his actions.

Living two lives, Guan Guan finally understood.

It was not too late.

“Lu Hang, I—I’m sorry!”

At her words, surprise flickered in Lu Hang’s eyes as he looked at her.

The proud and unruly Guan Guan was actually apologizing?

Her cheeks flushed rosy red, whether from the cold or embarrassment, she did not know.

“Old man, why are you still calling for someone this late?” came a voice as Wang Xiuying, wrapped in a patched old cotton jacket, appeared from next door.

The snow outside had piled thickly, crunching underfoot.

Guan Guan’s heart inexplicably quickened.

Seeing her, she choked slightly and called, “Mother!”

Wang Xiuying froze at the door.

The kerosene lamp’s glow inside lit up her daughter’s face clearly.

She slowly opened her mouth, bewildered, looked at her husband, then back at their daughter.

“Second daughter, you’re back? She called me mother?”

Her voice was as light as the breeze, filled with both joy and disbelief.

“Yes, second daughter’s back!” Old Tang’s weathered face broke into a broad smile. “She’s even calling people now!”

Upon hearing confirmation, Wang Xiuying’s swollen eyes welled up again.

“Back is good! Back is good!”

Then, as if remembering something, she opened her mouth again, both hopeful and anxious.

“Are you… going back again?”