1969, Dahe Village, Hongqi Production Brigade.

The sun hung slanted over the old locust tree when someone suddenly shouted,
“Someone fell into the river!”

Villagers who had just finished work rushed toward the riverbank.

The ones who fell in were two young women—both familiar faces.

“Aren’t those the Jiang cousins? How did they both fall in?”

“Oh my… wasn’t Zhou, the educated youth, engaged to Jiang Ling? Then why is he… mouth-to-mouth with Yujiao…?”

The auntie couldn’t finish her sentence, feeling it was improper to say out loud.

“Comrade, are you alright?”

Amid the noisy chatter, a deep, magnetic voice cut through.

Jiang Ling coughed and opened her eyes.

Her vision was blurred by lingering water. The first thing she saw was a pair of dark, profound eyes, followed by a sharply contoured face still dotted with water droplets.

She stared at the somewhat familiar yet cold face, her mind slow to catch up.

Seeing she didn’t respond, Shen Yan’s gaze dropped briefly to her soaked, graceful figure. His Adam’s apple moved slightly.

He took off his army-green jacket and draped it over her shoulders. His expression darkened as he glanced at the pair still clinging together nearby, then he limped away.

Jiang Ling was indeed stunned.

Hadn’t she been pushed into the sea by her scumbag husband and Jiang Yujiao?

Why was she back in the village now…

—and rescued by Shen Yan?

She touched her face. Smooth, firm—nothing like the wrinkled, rough skin of her fifties.

Could it be… she had been reborn?

An auntie nearby sighed,
“What a mess… Ling’s fiancé saved Yujiao, and Yujiao’s fiancé saved Ling. Everything’s all mixed up…”

Jiang Ling looked toward Zhou Qianming and Jiang Yujiao.

Yujiao leaned weakly against him, while Zhou gazed at her with obvious concern.

A trace of mockery flashed in Jiang Ling’s eyes.

In her previous life, she had been thoroughly deceived by these two.

She married Zhou Qianming at nineteen. After losing her parents early, she treated him as her only support. To pursue this refined, city-bred educated youth, she gave him all her money, grain tickets, and meat coupons.

She had even unlocked a spiritual spring space hidden in the jade pendant left by her mother.

With the priceless antiques inside that space, Zhou built factories and amassed immense wealth, eventually becoming the richest man in the country.

They never had children. Jiang Ling even thought the problem was hers.

Until one day, she saw Zhou dining in a high-end restaurant—with Jiang Yujiao and a little boy.

Only then did she realize her husband and cousin had long been involved—and even had a child behind her back.

Her heart turned to ashes.

But she refused to let them live happily.

Driven by rage, she stormed onto their cruise ship with a knife and stabbed Zhou without hesitation. Jiang Yujiao screamed.

“Jiang Ling, have you gone mad?!”

Seeing the truth exposed, Zhou revealed his ruthlessness. To legitimize his son, he joined forces with Jiang Yujiao and pushed Jiang Ling into the sea.

What they didn’t expect—

was that as Jiang Ling fell, she grabbed Yujiao and dragged her down with her.

Jiang Yujiao was reborn too.

Just moments ago, when Zhou jumped into the river to save someone, she decisively threw herself into his arms, crying sweetly:

“Zhou, save me! I’m so scared!”

In her previous life, Jiang Yujiao had married Shen Yan, the lame, discharged soldier. Her life had been dull and uneventful.

He never touched her. They had no children.

Though Shen Yan was handsome and well-built, she despised his limp—and believed he had lost his manhood.

Within a few years, she divorced him.

Meanwhile, Jiang Ling and Zhou grew richer and richer, opening factories, chain stores, and investing in real estate until they became the richest in the nation.

Jealous and restless, Jiang Yujiao used her looks and her identity as Jiang Ling’s cousin to linger around Zhou.

They eventually got together—and had a son.

On the day she tried to persuade Zhou to divorce Jiang Ling on the cruise, Jiang Ling suddenly appeared—and dragged her into the sea.

But now—

she had been reborn.

Back to nineteen, before marrying Shen Yan.

This time, Jiang Yujiao was determined to win Zhou Qianming and become the future richest man’s wife.

She pretended to faint, and Zhou instinctively gave her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

The entire brigade had seen it.

Even if Zhou was Jiang Ling’s fiancé, what did it matter?

She had no choice but to marry him now.

—

When the news reached the Jiang family, Old Madam Jiang looked troubled.

She had three sons and two daughters. Jiang Ling belonged to the second branch—both her parents had passed away early, leaving her to live with the extended family.

Yujiao was from the third branch—and the old lady’s favorite son was the third, so naturally she doted on Yujiao as well.

“What a mess! You two girls—how did you end up in the river?”

Facing the stern questioning, Jiang Ling glanced at Yujiao.

How else? Of course it was Yujiao’s doing.

Yujiao had spotted Zhou approaching from afar and deliberately jumped into the river.

At that time, Jiang Ling hadn’t been reborn yet. Seeing her cousin fall in, she jumped in to save her.

But while both were in the water, Zhou rushed toward Yujiao first.

Jiang Ling’s foot got tangled in water weeds—she nearly lost her life.

It was Shen Yan who saved her.

Yujiao put on a frightened act and clung to the old lady.

“Grandma, I accidentally fell in. Thankfully Zhou saved me.”

Li Chunmei, Yujiao’s mother, stepped forward anxiously.

“Mom! The whole brigade saw Zhou kiss my daughter. She has no choice but to marry him now!”

Old Madam Jiang glanced at Jiang Ling, who stood silently with her head lowered.

“Then what about Ling? Everyone knows she’s engaged to Zhou. If Yujiao marries him, how will Ling hold her head up in this village?”

Li Chunmei didn’t care.

Her daughter came first.

On the way back, Yujiao had already told her—no matter what, she would marry Zhou. He would have a great future.

“Mom, how about this? Let Yujiao marry Zhou… and Jiang Ling marry Shen Yan.”

“Shen’s third son also saved Ling. If we exchange the marriages, no one in the village will say anything. They’re sisters anyway—no need to fuss over it.”

Old Madam Jiang hadn’t even considered such an arrangement before.

But she hesitated.

Zhou looked weak—how many work points could he earn? How would he support Yujiao?

Shen’s third son was different. At least he was a discharged soldier recovering in the village.

Only…his left leg was injured, and he walked with a limp.