The news of Shen Anran and her mother preparing to set up a stall in Yuxi County spread through the village faster than summer heat. People talked at the wells, whispered in courtyards, and shook their heads as though the matter concerned them deeply.
Shen Anran couldn't be bothered.
She sat on the edge of the kang, carefully writing down a list of tools she would need, each item marked with the exact price she had been told at the market. Her handwriting was neat and deliberate. Shen Anran had always had a good memory—perhaps honed by years of memorizing measurements as a fashion designer in her past life, or perhaps it was simply something she had been born with.
When she was done, she folded the paper neatly and tucked it away.
She shifted closer to her mother and sat beside her. For a brief moment, nostalgia washed over her. She wondered what the old Shen Anran had been like—before everything changed.
"Mother," she called softly.
Liu Meilan turned to look at her.
Shen Anran suddenly felt shy. She lowered her head, then lifted it again. "Do you… do you feel I've changed?"
Changed.
Yes. Shen Anran had changed—quietly, deeply.
"Hehehe," Liu Meilan chuckled. "Of course you've changed. Ever since that incident."
Shen Anran's fingers tightened against her clothes. "Can you tell me what changed?" she asked gently. "What was I like before?"
Liu Meilan studied her daughter's face for a long moment before speaking.
"You were hardworking," she said slowly. "Very hardworking. You still are. But before, you never thought about business or plans. I'm surprised—you have this side now."
She smiled faintly, then sighed.
"My only worry back then was that you feared gossip too much. People talked, and you would carry it in your heart. Now, no matter what they say, you don't seem to care anymore."
She reached out and patted Shen Anran's hand.
"I like that you're not like me. Be fearless. Don't let gossip drain you."
Then she hesitated.
Shen Anran noticed immediately. "Mother… you can say it."
Liu Meilan sighed deeply. "That boy—Zhou Jianwei." She shook her head. "You loved him since childhood. I truly thought the two of you would end up together."
Shen Anran searched her inherited memories. Zhou Jianwei wasn't ugly. In fact, compared to most village youths, he had been quite presentable. No wonder the original Shen Anran had fallen for him.
"One day," Liu Meilan continued, her voice heavy, "you told me you wanted to work and save money so he could go to Haicheng. I tried to stop you, but you wouldn't listen."
Her hands clenched unconsciously.
"You went from farm to farm—clearing weeds, bending your back under the sun. Your palms were split, blistered. You came home exhausted every day, but you always smiled. You said you were doing it for someone you loved."
Her eyes reddened.
"You saved three hundred yuan. You showed it to me and said it was for your Jianwei."
Shen Anran's throat tightened.
So that was where the money came from.
"Then that day," Liu Meilan's voice broke, "you left like usual. You said you were going to the farm—but also to give him the money so you wouldn't spend it."
She grabbed Shen Anran suddenly, holding her tight.
"Not long after, they called me. They said you were found in a hole near the Zhou family's farmland."
Her tears fell freely now.
"I thought I lost you. I truly thought I did. Don't leave me again… please."
Shen Anran couldn't speak. She held her mother and cried with her.
In her past life, she had never known love like that—never loved someone enough to destroy herself for them. Now she understood. The original Shen Anran had been a lover girl, pure and naive, willing to sacrifice everything for a promise.
She remembered the memory clearly now—Anran telling her mother that once Jianwei settled in Haicheng, he would bring them both to live a better life.
How foolish. How cruel.
"Mother," Shen Anran said at last, her voice steady but cold, "that boy… I have forgotten him."
Her eyes hardened.
"Him—and Xiaoru—they will face their retribution."
She tightened her embrace.
"I promise you. This time, I'll work hard—not for anyone else, but for us."
"I know… I know," Liu Meilan murmured, wiping her tears and turning her face away, embarrassed by her sudden breakdown.
Shen Anran's heart ached. She hated seeing her mother cry.
"Mother," she said softly, "I never gave Jianwei the money. I forgot it in my cloth bag. The three hundred yuan is still with me."
Liu Meilan froze.
"This time," Shen Anran continued, her eyes bright with resolve, "we'll buy proper furniture. We'll eat well. And when I learn sewing, I'll make beautiful clothes—for you."
Liu Meilan burst into laughter, wiping her tears again and again.
"I believe you. I believe you."
The two of them sat together late into the night, planning a future that finally belonged to them.