The sun dipped lower as Wei Lian and Shen Yi walked side by side, baskets full and steps slow. The warm dust swirled around their ankles, and the faint scent of grass drifted with the wind.
Shen Yi broke the silence first.
"My mother-in-law is ill again," she said softly. "That's why I originally came to the town… to buy medicine."
She sighed and lifted the bag of cloth and shirts she'd bought instead.
"But once a woman sees a market, she ends up buying everything except what she came for."
Wei Lian smiled faintly, listening.
Shen Yi continued, voice lighter now.
"At least my husband is working steadily. After those awful years in the army, he finally found peace. The post office job pays enough to keep food on the table."
There was gentle pride in her tone.
"And my two boys…" she added with a small laugh, "three and seven. Loud little things. But healthy. And my husband's younger brother—he's a fourth-grade scholar now. Always reading, always studying. If he keeps going, maybe one day our family will have a real scholar."
As Shen Yi spoke, her voice was warm, steady, filled with quiet contentment.
Wei Lian nodded… but her mind slowly drifted far away.
Her friend's family…
Everyone worked.
Everyone contributed.
Everyone supported each other.
A husband with a stable job.
Two sons growing strong.
A scholar in the house.
A mother-in-law who, despite illness, was still cared for.
A normal family.
A working family.
A family with unity.
Unlike hers.
Unlike the past of the body she now inhabited.
Unconsciously, her steps slowed.
Her own stepmother-in-law lived comfortably—
in a big house with a solid roof, eating warm meals, sitting near a fire in winter.
She had two sons who were doing very well:
One ran a carpenter shop in town—
the same trade the original husband had worked hard in.
The other ran a sweet shop—
earning enough to feed dozens.
They both had farms.
Livestock.
Fields that produced grain every year.
They lived easily, eating rice, meat, even sweet pastries sometimes.
While she—
She clenched the basket strap.
This body's husband had been the true carpenter.
He built beds, cupboards, chairs.
He worked long days, hands rough, back bent from labor.
He provided for his mother his whole life.
But the moment he died…
His mother didn't shed tears.
She didn't support his widow.
She pushed her out—
gave her this broken mud house, with only a backyard and front yard full of weeds.
No money.
No grain.
No help.
Nothing.
Just three "simple-minded" sisters-in-law to feed.
She lived poor not because she was lazy—
but because she was abandoned.
Shen Yi's voice pulled her gently back to the present.
"…anyway, I'm glad I ran into you," she said with a soft smile. "I missed talking to you."
Wei Lian returned the smile.
"I'm thankful I have you."
Shen Yi's eyes crinkled.
"You know, Lian… you're still the prettiest in our whole village. Maybe even the nearby villages too."
Wei Lian blinked, surprised.
"Me?"
"Yes," Shen Yi teased. "That's why some women get annoyed with you. A beauty always attracts trouble."
Wei Lian looked down, confused.
She truly hadn't looked at her new face since transmigrating.
She made a mental note to find water or a bronze plate to see herself.
By then, the village roofs were already visible in the distance. Smoke rose from kitchens, children ran barefoot, and chickens darted about.
At the village entrance, Shen Yi stopped.
"I'll come tomorrow morning," she said gently. "Let me know if you need help."
Wei Lian nodded gratefully.
"Thank you."
They parted ways.
Wei Lian walked toward her small mud house, basket heavy and heart heavier—yet strangely hopeful.
Before she could knock—
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The door burst open.
Three tall teenage bodies rushed out—
but with toddler souls full of excitement.
"Mama!!"
"Mama come home!"
They clung to her—arms around her waist, legs, and shoulders—almost knocking her over.
Wei Lian laughed and knelt, hugging all three tight.
"My babies, Mama is here."
Xinyu leaned into her chest.
Qingmei rubbed her cheek against her arm.
Xiaotang climbed half into her lap, whispering, "Mama… miss…"
Wei Lian kissed all three.
"I missed you too."
Then she lifted the basket.
"Mama bought many things today."
Their eyes sparkled instantly.
"Toys?"
"Books?"
"Food?"
"Yes," she said, smiling softly. "Everything."
The girls squealed and ran inside, their laughter filling the empty house like sunlight breaking through clouds.
Wei Lian stood in the doorway a moment longer, feeling a small bloom of hope.
Tomorrow…
she would begin a new life for her daughters.