"Little rubber ball, kick it high, Malan blooms at twenty-one..."
"Old Wolf, Old Wolf, what time is it?"
"It's three o'clock!"
It was early summer, the breeze was cool, and the setting sun on the horizon bathed the small town of Linhai in a pale gold light. On the playground of the Linhai Institute of Technology, children who had finished their dinner were gathered in small groups, playing with rubber bands or running through games, the air filled with the sound of their crisp, bright laughter.
A screen had been set up early on the rostrum, with rows of wooden benches neatly arranged below. People had arrived early to claim their spots; women sat busy knitting sweaters, occasionally glancing up toward the playing children and calling out reminders for them to run carefully and not to fall.
Sheng Xia gazed at the vibrant scene before her, momentarily dazed. Just a moment ago, she had been sitting in a cinema with her granddaughter, sipping milk tea and watching a 3D blockbuster, when a sudden wave of dizziness hit her. Then, she discovered the scene before her had changed. The familiar playground covered in yellow sand, the wooden benches, and the modest attire of the people all told her the truth: she had returned to 46 years ago, the early summer of 1982.
This realization made Sheng Xia frown in utter confusion. Her granddaughter had often told her that protagonists in rebirth stories were always people who felt they had missed out on too much or harbored deep regrets. But she?
She had married the educated youth Xu Aijun at twenty, right after graduating from middle school, and gave birth to their daughter, Xu Qing, the following year. After the college entrance examination was reinstated, Xu Aijun was accepted into a university and returned to the city. Upon graduation, he was assigned to teach at the Linhai Institute of Technology, and she was assigned to work in the school library as well. Later, Xu Aijun became a national academician and a leading expert. Although he passed away before retirement, the patents he left behind generated millions in sales every year. Her life had been one of comfort; she had been born beautiful, and she had lived beautifully, too.
That was why, when her granddaughter once asked her if she would want to be reborn if given the chance, her answer had been, "Either way is fine." Her life hadn't been perfect, but she had no major regrets. Still, she had been curious about what a different way of living might look like. At the time, her granddaughter had teased her for being so laid-back, comparing her to a capybara and saying she didn't fit the criteria for a rebirth because she wasn't fueled by bitterness or vengeance. Yet, here she was.
"Xia... Xia..."
As she mused, Sheng Xia heard someone calling her from the playground entrance. She looked up and, sure enough, saw a young woman wearing a gray suit jacket and trousers, her long hair neatly pinned in a bun at the back of her head.
Sheng Xia searched her memory. It was true—even though she hadn't been senile before her rebirth, her young mind now felt much sharper. She immediately recognized the woman as Zhu Yun, who lived next door to her family in the faculty housing complex.
"Xia, I just saw your Teacher Xu bring a young girl home! Aren't you going to rush back and take a look?" By now, Zhu Yun had sprinted over to Sheng Xia, grabbing her arm with an anxious expression.
Hearing this, Sheng Xia remembered: in her previous life, it was on this very day that the school organized a film screening for faculty and their families, and she had arrived early to save their seats. As soon as she sat down, Zhu Yun had come over to tell her that Xu Aijun had brought a woman home. She had rushed back in a panic, only to discover it was Wang Chaoying, the little sister of Xu Aijun’s neighbor, who had come to beg for their help in finding a job so she could move back to the city. By the time they finished talking with Wang Chaoying and returned to the cinema, the good seats she had saved had already been taken by Zhu Yun’s family.
"Is that so?" Sheng Xia said, unhurried, having seen right through Zhu Yun's ploy.
Seeing that she didn't budge, Zhu Yun grew even more anxious.She had been busy today and arrived late, failing to snag a good seat. She was just worrying about her husband and son complaining when she ran into Xu Aijun and that woman.
She had thought about coming over to tell Sheng Xia, so that when Sheng Xia left, she could take her seat.
She never expected that even though the man was already with another woman, Sheng Xia would still be so unruffled. Just as she was about to say something more to stir Sheng Xia up, she heard Sheng Xia speak.
"In that case, I'll go back and see..."
Sheng Xia remembered how, in her previous life, Zhu Yun had been constantly belittled and complained about by her husband and son at home, eventually passing away early from breast cancer in her forties, so she couldn't be bothered to argue with her.
Besides, Sheng Xia didn't even want to watch this movie anyway; it couldn't compare to the 3D movies of the future, where you put on glasses and felt like you were inside the screen, as if you could reach out and touch the people and scenery.
She had sent her daughter to her maternal grandparents' house for the last two days. She would go back now, tidy up, and go visit her little girl while she was still so small.
After all, before she was reborn, her daughter’s hair had been balder and grayer than her own.
And then there were her mom and dad. In her memory, they were only withered and old. Having been reborn, she could see them in their younger days once again.
Thinking of these things, Sheng Xia quickened her pace.
Seeing her leave, Zhu Yun finally let out a sigh of relief. Now, her family would have a good seat for the movie.
Sheng Xia walked briskly. The faculty housing for the Linhai Institute of Technology was right behind the sports field; she reached her building in just a few minutes and climbed the stairs to the third floor.
It was good to have young legs again. Sheng Xia reached her front door without even being out of breath.
"Mmm... Brother Jun..." Then, she heard a woman’s coquettish gasp from inside: "Be gentle..."
Hearing this, Sheng Xia pulled a "grandpa looking at his phone on the subway" face. Was it really what she thought it was?She immediately pulled out the key and opened the door. Sure enough, she saw a young man in the living room with his clothes in disarray on the sofa. Upon seeing Sheng Xia, he hurriedly pushed away the woman clinging to him, who was wearing nothing but her undergarments. "Sheng Xia..."
"Sister-in-law, it’s all my fault. I love Brother Jun too much. It’s not Brother Jun’s fault. If you want to blame someone, blame me. I just... I’ve just been in love with Brother Jun for so many years, and I couldn't help myself..."
Before Sheng Xia could say a word, Wang Chaoying, having been pushed aside by Xu Aijun, lunged forward and knelt before Sheng Xia, kowtowing repeatedly with a loud thudding sound.
Yet, as she looked up at Sheng Xia, her eyes were filled with provocation, and deep down, a jealousy she couldn't hide.
"Yingzi..." Xu Aijun’s eyes were filled with emotion at the sight of her. So, little Yingzi loved him this much?
"Heh..." Looking at the undisguised expression in Wang Chaoying’s eyes, Sheng Xia finally understood that when a person is truly speechless, they really do laugh.
In her previous life, Wang Chaoying had come here simply to ask for their help in finding a job so she could return to the city. They had even found her a temporary position at the institute.
She remembered that not long after, Wang Chaoying got married and had a son. By 1995, after her husband was laid off, she got a divorce.
Later, when Xu Aijun was promoted to another school, she moved with him, and they lost contact with Wang Chaoying.
It wasn't until her youngest daughter, Xu Qing, was giving birth that she saw Wang Chaoying again at the hospital.
At that time, Wang Chaoying had been complaining about her daughter-in-law staying in a private room, saying that she had given birth without such luxuries herself. Her son and daughter-in-law had pointed fingers at her, accusing her of having suffered and therefore being unable to stand seeing others enjoy comfort.
That was the last time she saw Wang Chaoying, and Wang Chaoying had seen her too.
Back then, the look in Wang Chaoying’s eyes was exactly as it was now—a jealousy so palpable it felt like a physical weight.