Zhang Yaning had no idea that someone was secretly thinking about her husband behind her back.

At that very moment, she was crouching by the roadside holding a piece of peach pastry, trying to lure out a little puppy she had stumbled across.

“Come here, come here, little sweetheart.”

“There’s something tasty over here.”

She crouched lower, inching closer to the bushes where the puppy was hiding.

“Where did this little thing come from?” Aunt Wang asked in surprise. “This is pretty close to the family compound, but I haven’t heard of anyone around here raising a dog.”

Although living conditions were much better now and people no longer worried about starving, there still weren’t many willing to spare grain to feed cats or dogs.

The puppy lay motionless in the bushes, its body dusty and filthy, as if it had rolled around in mud.

Even though it was still a pup, it already looked fairly large, and none of them could tell what breed it was.

“Could it be a wild dog’s pup?” Lin Qiu guessed. “It looks pretty big.”

Occasionally, people spotted wild dogs in the hills behind the compound. They were usually larger than village mutts.

The puppy’s round eyes stared warily at the group gathered outside the bushes before locking onto the fragrant peach pastry in Zhang Yaning’s hand.

Clearly tempted.

Slowly, it crept forward to sniff at the food, but just as its little head emerged, a tiny sound from the crowd startled it back into hiding.

“Yaning, be careful. Don’t let it bite your hand.”

Li Sisi had once been chased by wild dogs as a child, and ever since then she had feared dogs of any size. Watching Zhang Yaning repeatedly try to approach the puppy made her nervous enough to clench her fists.

But Zhang Yaning wasn’t nervous at all.

In fact, she was excited.

“It’s fine. Puppies this cute don’t bite people.”

She had always wanted to raise a dog.

Unfortunately, even though her family had been relatively well-off for villagers—her father was the village production team leader and her mother worked at a textile factory in the county—they simply had too many children.

She already had three older brothers and a younger brother beneath her. There had never been enough spare grain to feed a dog too.

Later, when her older brothers got married and had children of their own, raising a dog became even more impossible.

But now she was married.

For the first time, she had some extra money, enough food, and the freedom to make decisions herself.

With the opportunity suddenly appearing right in front of her, how could she not be tempted?

The moment she heard movement in the bushes and realized it was a puppy, she had acted immediately, afraid it might run away if she hesitated.

Seeing that the puppy still refused to come out, she tossed a small piece of peach pastry into the bushes.

The puppy sniffed cautiously before suddenly gobbling it down in huge bites, clearly starving.

After finishing, it let out soft little whimpers at Zhang Yaning, unbelievably adorable.

She tried calling to it again, and this time the puppy finally emerged from the bushes.

Still cautious, one tiny ear twitched nervously.

“Come here, don’t be scared.” Zhang Yaning softened her voice and held out another piece of peach pastry in her palm.

The little thing had bright, round eyes full of spirit. It wagged its tail slightly, and Zhang Yaning instantly fell in love with it.

Its damp nose brushed against her fingertips before it snatched the pastry from her hand and retreated halfway back into the bushes.

“Well, aren’t you clever,” Zhang Yaning laughed.

The puppy’s tiny teeth could only nibble at the pastry bit by bit.

Carefully, she reached out and stroked its head.

The fur felt surprisingly nice.

“Where’s your mama dog? Why did she leave you here?”

When she realized the puppy didn’t resist her touch, she gently scooped it into her arms.

It was surprisingly heavy.

At first the little thing panicked and struggled, but after Zhang Yaning stroked its head and smoothed down its fur soothingly, it gradually relaxed and became obedient.

“Oh, it’s actually pretty friendly. Doesn’t seem like a wild dog’s pup after all.”

“What are you planning to do with it?” Lin Qiu asked. “Take it to the guard station in the compound or bring it home?”

Judging from its size, the puppy clearly ate a lot. Lin Qiu had wanted to suggest leaving it with the guards so they could arrange something, whether the dog belonged to someone or not.

But seeing the affection on Zhang Yaning’s face, she decided not to discourage her.

“I’ll keep it for now,” Zhang Yaning said reluctantly. “If someone comes looking for it, I’ll return it. If nobody does, then I’ll raise it myself.”

She really couldn’t bear to leave the puppy at the guard station.

What if it escaped again? Worse yet, what if some greedy person caught it and ate it?

After informing the soldiers on duty that she had found a puppy—so anyone looking for it would know where to ask—the group finally dispersed.

Aunt Wang checked her watch.

“Oh dear, it’s almost lunchtime already. I need to hurry home and cook for my grandson.”

The others realized the same thing and headed back into the compound.

Once home, Zhang Yaning looked at the filthy puppy and immediately heated a pot of water to wash it.

Luckily, the midday weather was warm enough that she didn’t have to worry about it getting cold.

After adjusting the water temperature, she carefully rinsed the puppy with warm water, scrubbed it with shampoo paste, and rinsed it clean again.

A freshly bathed, sweet-smelling little puppy finally emerged.

“So you’re actually yellow underneath all that dirt.”

Unexpectedly, the mud-covered puppy had turned out to be quite cute.

The little thing shook water from its fur, then quickly trotted over and licked Zhang Yaning’s hand.

Its courage had grown considerably compared to before.

“How are you this adorable?” she laughed, unable to resist kissing it once.

Using one of Shen Nansheng’s old towels, she carefully dried the puppy’s fur.

Without even bothering to eat lunch herself, she first mixed powdered milk with warm water for the puppy and soaked pieces of steamed bun in it.

Only after the puppy ate until completely satisfied did Zhang Yaning cook herself a simple bowl of noodles.

The entire afternoon passed happily while she played with the puppy.

That night, she made a little bed for it beside her own using some of Shen Nansheng’s worn-out clothes.

The puppy turned out to be extremely smart.

After being taught just once, it learned to go to the bathroom in a designated spot in the courtyard, then obediently curled up in its new nest without making any fuss.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yaning sprawled across the bed reading a novel happily.

As time passed, however, the excitement of having the house to herself gradually faded.

Eventually she even put down the novel she normally would have stayed up all night reading.

The room was too quiet.

Without Shen Nansheng reminding her to turn off the light and sleep, she suddenly felt strangely unaccustomed to it.

When the clock finally pointed to ten, Zhang Yaning decided to go to sleep.

But this time, the bed that once felt crowded suddenly seemed enormous.

Without someone squeezing against her, she unexpectedly felt lonely.

Listening to the puppy’s occasional sleepy whimpers, Zhang Yaning didn’t even realize when she fell asleep.

When she woke again, rain was softly pattering outside.

…

Amid the rhythmic clattering of the train tracks, on June 6th, 1980, Chu Qing finally arrived in Qingcheng—the northern city where she had spent most of her previous life.

The moment she stepped off the train, cold air rushed toward her.

She pulled a light jacket from her suitcase and put it on before spotting the man waiting near the station exit from afar.

He wore a green military uniform and leaned quietly against a vehicle with a cigarette between his fingers.

The moment he saw Chu Qing emerge, he casually extinguished the cigarette and tossed it away.

“Are you cold?” he asked, taking her suitcase and gently holding her slightly chilled hand.

“No.”

Looking at the familiar face from her memories, Chu Qing suddenly felt bitterness rise in her chest.

In her previous life, she had spent decades competing stubbornly against that village woman.

Not only had she neglected her husband, she had also ignored her son’s upbringing.

After learning there had once been another woman in her husband’s heart, she had caused endless scenes and arguments, refusing to listen to his explanations.

It wasn’t until he suddenly passed away from illness that she finally realized just how foolish she had been all those years.

The man who had silently protected her from behind and tolerated her endlessly was suddenly gone.

Even while enduring painful illness in his final days, he had continued putting up with her unreasonable behavior.

He had even arranged everything in advance after his death, afraid she might suffer grievances once he was gone.

Yet as his wife, she had done nothing for him.

She truly hadn’t been a good wife.

Ignoring the gazes of passersby around them, Chu Qing suddenly threw her arms around the man in front of her.

Her voice trembled with endless longing.

“Lu Heng… I missed you.”