Chapter 5

In her past life, the thing she regretted most was not taking good care of Grandma while she was still alive, and after getting married, she still let Grandma worry about her until her death. Countless nights, she wished Grandma were still alive, thinking about how she should have taken care of her, but sadly there are no ifs in this world, and now she was here...

Heartbeats racing violently, 'thumping' as if bursting out of her chest, Lan Tian closed and reopened her eyes, praying to the heavens that her wish could come true, even if it were just a dream.

She looked around the room that was both familiar and strange, shock and disbelief reflected in her eyes, yet somehow she seemed to understand after sorting through her thoughts.

She carefully examined the crumbling old earthen house, the dark beams whose original wood was unrecognizable, the deep blue, almost black rough mosquito net, the old-fashioned wooden bed; everything slowly overlapped with the room in her memory, confirming that this was where she lived with Grandma, and this room was indeed that same room.

As she watched, she felt a sourness in her nose and dampness in her eyes. Lan Tian covered her eyes with her hand, tears seeping through her fingers falling onto the pillow. The corners of her lips lifted involuntarily, unable to be suppressed, as she felt a rush of indescribable excitement in her heart.

This dream was so wonderful, so real that she never wanted to wake up. She wished she could stay in this dream forever, where everything around her seemed tangible, so that she could see Grandma again.

"Child, you're finally awake."

A hand suddenly touched her forehead, rough and dry from calluses, causing a numbing sensation, and the burning warmth reached deep into Lan Tian's heart. Hearing that longed-for voice, her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly opened her eyes to see that face weathered by time and full of unconcealable concern and care.

"Grandma"

Lan Tian suddenly sat up, throwing herself into Grandma's arms, hugging her tightly and rubbing against her, sobbing and repeatedly calling out for Grandma, restraining her tears out of fear that Grandma would notice something amiss.

Having lived together more than a decade, Lan Tian had never lost control of her emotions like this. No one could understand the joy of regaining what was once lost; at this moment, Lan Tian felt grateful to the heavens.

Lan Tian's sudden embrace scared Grandma Sun, who held her tightly, one hand touching her head, "Are you feeling unwell? Tell Grandma, are you still dizzy? Does your body still hurt? Still nauseous? Scraping therapy didn't seem to work, we'll have to go see Lao Wu, let him come and check on you. Child, lie down and rest, Grandma will call Uncle over to take a look at you."

As she spoke about laying her down, listening to Grandma's words full of worry, warmth mixed with a pang of sorrow filled her heart. Grandma was too old for such constant worry. Lan Tian rubbed against Grandma a few times to wipe away her tears, smiling she looked up and said, "Grandma, I'm fine, just a bit dizzy. I'll rest a while and all will be well, you don't need to worry."

Grandma Sun didn't believe her words. The night before, she was bed-ridden, the family scraping and pouring medicine down her throat all night long. In the morning, Yuangle came to check and said she wouldn't awaken until the evening, but she recovered during the time it took to cook a bowl of porridge. Grandma Sun remained deeply concerned, touching Lan Tian's head and back, "Really, you're alright?"

Seeing that Grandma Sun didn't believe her, Lan Tian put on a pair of wide eyes like lanterns, and specifically raised both hands, making a strongman gesture to prove her health had recovered, "Grandma, I really do feel much better, look, I can even raise my hands. Just one more night of rest and I can work in the fields tomorrow."

After lifting her arms, Lan Tian finally noticed something was off—why were her hands so thin and small, like those of a child several years old, with wrinkled and malnourished skin, both dark and thin, barely any different from when she was a refugee during her childhood.