Han Zhaoyin stared out the window, having been confined to her bed for three days, accepting the fact that she had been reborn.
In her previous life, she had suffered from a fever for several days, but never had she thought that in this life, she would be given the chance to reincarnate.
Fortune had been good to her.
If she were to be blind to truth once again like her previous life, she vowed to commit seppuku.
She arose, put on her shoes, donned a thick coat, and left her room.
In the yard, Mrs. Tian was washing clothes with a fire pot on the side. Even though the sun was out, it was the freezing cold last month of winter.
"Mother," Han Zhaoyin said, her voice gravelly and deep due to her sore throat.
"Zhaoyin, why are you up? Is your head still hurting?" Upon hearing Han Zhaoyin's voice, Mrs. Tian raised her head to look at her daughter. A brush of concern passed across her face.
For some unknown reason, she was a docile child in her early days, but then she began to assert her own independence.
The day before yesterday, she insisted on dragging her brother up the mountain to pick camellia flowers. She tripped and broke open the back of her head, sending she and her husband into a fright. Their normally peaceable child suddenly fell sick, spouting nonsense, rendering them anxious.
"Mother, I'm fine. I've never felt better," Han Zhaoyin replied, grinning radiantly despite the persisting pain in her head.
Indeed, she had never felt better.
She messed up in her last life, and now the heavens had granted her a second chance.
In this life, she was determined to ‘look after’ the man she had believed she loved in her past life.
"Is that so? Don't strain yourself, go back and lay down,” Mrs. Tian said, gesturing towards the house while continuing to scrub the clothes. “Your big brother and your father have gone to the mountain to dig up that tree. Your brother mentioned that you fell off the cliff trying to reach that very camellia tree. You should rest.” Upon observing that Han Zhaoyin seemed slightly better and was bundled up warmly, Mrs. Tian did not persuade her further.
Hearing this, tears welled up in Han Zhaoyin's eyes. It was already November, yet the Lady Tian was still doing the laundry.
She looked at Lady Tian's hands, frozen red despite the heating brazier and realized she never truly observed them despite thinking she had treated Lady Tian well in her past life.
She had moved too fast, foolishly believing that the entire household would thrive if she was strong enough.
She had even forgotten the subtle frown on Lady Tian's face when she confessed her feelings for Xu Zhijun, the earnest advice of her older brother, and her father's persistent disapproval.
For some reason, these memories were crystal clear at this moment.
"Huh? Why are you crying, child?" Lady Tian looked at Han Zhaoyin whose radiant smile had now been replaced by tears.
Han Zhaoyin took slow steps towards Lady Tian, then crouched down and hugged her arm.
"Mom, I promise to behave myself."
After saying these words, she started to sob, as if releasing all the grievances from her past life.
Lady Tian, seeing Han Zhaoyin's tears roll down even more, first dried her own hands on her skirt, then comforted Han Zhaoyin by patting her on her back, "I know you're tired. You've been running to town for this family for years. Even though I may nag you, that's because I care about you. After all, your father and your brother are here to earn money."
Upon hearing this, Han Zhaoyin quickly wiped away her tears and then burst into laughter, "I understand. I will stop pushing myself too hard."
Although she said those words, a man came into her mind.
What would he be doing at this moment?
She would have to wait for another two months before she could meet him.
Lady Tian, seeing Han Zhaoyin laughing again, shooed her back to her room to rest, but Han Zhaoyin didn't leave.
It wasn't long after Han Changshan and his son returned.