Tong Xuelu rode her bicycle as she called out, “Mianmian, Big Sister is back. Respond to me if you can hear me.

“Mianmian, c’mon out quickly and come home with Big Sister.”

Tong Xuelu kicked herself for being too careless. She never should have left Tong Mianmian behind by herself.

Who else could be as reliable as herself?

She would feel awful for the rest of her life if anything happened to Tong Mianmian!

She seemed to heard a child’s crying voice coming from inside of an alley when she rode past it. It sounded a lot like Tong Mianmian.

It was an hour walk to the Public Security Bureau from where she was.

Tong Mianmian was a child and couldn’t walk for that long. She would need to carry her then but she wouldn’t be able to carry her with her small arms and legs.

If Tong Mianmian was not going with her, she could borrow a bicycle and ride over there. It would save her a lot of time that way.

Nevertheless, she still patiently asked the little bun’s opinion. “Mianmian, Big Sister need to go take care of some things. Do you want to stay here or go with Big Sister?”

Tong Mianmian blinked her big eyes and cocked her head. “Mianmian will wait here for Big Sister like a good little girl.”

Mother Tong was sighing and talking with the Vice Director of the Women’s Federation Office when someone knocked on the door to the office.

An administrative clerk walked inside and said, “Director Tong, your daughter is here. She’s waiting for you outside.”

Mother Tong was caught off guard, “Which daughter is that?”

The clerk scratched under her eye and said, “The one from before, Comrade Tong Xuelu.”

Mother Tong let out an “Oh”. It was until the vice director had given her a push before she recollected herself and hurried outside.

The man standing in front of her was wearing a Shanghai Tourbillon watch. Let it be his temperament or his outfit, he looked extraordinary.

When running into a fairytale-like character such as this man, regardless of whether Tong Xuelu wanted to score him, she must at least earn his good will.

Her mannerism switched 180 degrees instantly.

Gasping as though she was in pain, she apologized voluntarily, “I’m sorry. I apologize. Are you alright? I didn’t mean to push you earlier.”

“I should be the one apologizing. How’s your head?”

After a long while, a stiff voice came from across, “What exactly are you proposing?”

“It’s very simple. I make the calls around here,” said Tong Xuelu crisply. “It’s alright if you can’t trust me fully; just don’t pull my legs externally.”

Tong Jiaming raised his brows, “That’s it?”

Tong Xuelu nodded, “That’s it.”

Tong Jiaming thought it over, frowning, before he nodded stiffly, “Alright. But you must guarantee that you will not bring any harm to Jiaxin and Mianmian!”

“Of course. It’s nice working with you,” said Tong Xuelu as she laid back down facing the wall. “Let’s sleep. We can talk about the details tomorrow.”

After a long while, a stiff voice came from across, “What exactly are you proposing?”

“It’s very simple. I make the calls around here,” said Tong Xuelu crisply. “It’s alright if you can’t trust me fully; just don’t pull my legs externally.”

Tong Jiaming raised his brows, “That’s it?”

Tong Xuelu nodded, “That’s it.”

Tong Jiaming thought it over, frowning, before he nodded stiffly, “Alright. But you must guarantee that you will not bring any harm to Jiaxin and Mianmian!”

“Of course. It’s nice working with you,” said Tong Xuelu as she laid back down facing the wall. “Let’s sleep. We can talk about the details tomorrow.”

The young boy’s voice sounded particularly clear and abrupt in a night like this.

Tong Xuelu opened up her eyes and said in the most green-tea way, “This is our home and you are my only family left on this world. It’s only right for me to return to be with you.”

A snicker could be heard in the air. “Save your spiel for someone else. Have you forgotten what awful things you have said about our parents when they died? You said our Tong family was like a beggar’s den and that you would rather than to return with them!”

Tong Xuelu was taken aback a little. That reminded her of the chit that the original owner had pulled.

Tong Jiaming only washed up after he had first cleaned his sister’s hands.

Tong Jiaxin ran over, looking upset, “Second Brother, why didn’t you let me give her a piece of my mind? What were you worried about?”

Tong Jiaming still didn’t make a sound.

Tong Jiaxin went on and on like a little firecracker. “Don’t worry, Second Brother. Only little sister will be fooled by some sweets. Not I! I won’t even have the dinner that she prepared!”

Tong Xuelu never needed to do any housework. She was raised in a family of government officials. Surely, she wouldn’t know how to do anything.

Tong Jiaxin had on him a schoolbag that was put together from multiple pieces of fabric. He scooted over closer to his brother and said, in surprise, ”Second Brother, isn’t she that, you know who?”

Their parents had brought back a photo before the accident. The person in the photo looked a lot like the one standing in front of them right now.

That wasn’t the problem. The problem was: what was she doing here?

Tong Jiaming stared at Tong Xuelu and didn’t say a word.

Time always flies when one was gossiping.

Tong Xuelu took a look outside and stood up, “Aunty Cai, it’s getting late. I shouldn’t keep you any longer.”

Aunty Cai took a look outside as well and shouted. “Oh mi, I had forgotten about the time when we chatted. Xuelu, you come over to look for me whenever you want. Bring the eggs back with you!”

The days were rough for everyone, especially the kids who had lost their parents. She couldn’t take their eggs.

“Aunty Cai, it is fine. It’s just a couple of eggs. Keep them.”

When Tong Zhenzhen woke up in the hospital, she blamed herself for fighting with Tong Xuelu and that she was so fragile that Mother and Father Tong had to worry about her.

Then she insisted on being discharged from the hospital as she felt that it was too wasteful to stay in one.

Mother and Father Tong were already feeling guilty toward their real daughter and, seeing how mature she was, started blaming Tong Xuelu for being too immature.

When they arrived home, however, they were told that Tong Xuelu had left!

Tong Zhenzhen had a look of disbelief on her. “Sister-in-law, did Tong Xuelu really leave?”

The little girl’s marble-like eyes were clear and bright and she had two little dimples on both of her cheeks.

Tong Xuelu couldn't help but lowered her head and gave her a peck on her cheek. “Our Mianmian is so pretty. Prettier than a little fairy.”

Tong Mianmian looked at her with her big and limpid eyes like a startled deer. Her little face turned beet red right away.

Tong Xuelu stopped teasing her and, for the first time, had a chance to look at her own reflection in the hand-held mirror.

The Tong’s unit was adjacent to that of Aunty Cai’s.

Tong Xuelu hasn’t even got to the front of her unit when she saw a little girl sitting there propping up her chin. She was staring at the ground motionless and nobody knew what she was looking at.

The little boy twisted and turned again. “Put me down, Mommy. I want to go play with Mianmian.”

Aunty Cai smacked him a couple times on his bottom again and said, “You are covered in mud, brat. Stop trying to get her dirty like you.”

Mianmian?

A loud voice came from behind her.

Tong XueLu finally recollected herself. She turned around and saw a middle-aged woman in a blue outfit standing behind her. She had boy around 3-year-old or so in age clamped under her armpit.

The little boy was so dirty that she could barely stand looking at him. He looked like he had just finished rolling around in mud and he had snorts coming out of his nostrils.

When Tong XueLu looked over at him, his mouth cracked out and he have her a big, bright smile. “Big sister is so pretty!”

Tong XueLu walked over to the entrance from her memory.

The Tong’s family lived in the compound belonging to the General Logistic Department. Everyone there was a government official.

Father Tong was the Director of the Oil Department of the General Logistics Department of the People's Liberation Army and Mother Tong was the Director of Women's Federation. All the other members of the Tong’s family also worked for the government.

Family background like this was very impressive even in modern time. It made sense to Tong XueLu why the original owner was reluctant to leave.

Prior to transmigrating, she had a conversation with her plastic sisters about the best period to go back to should they be transmigrated. At the time, Tong XueLu said any period of time would be find as long as it was the sixties of the seventies.

Lo and behold, she was transmigrated to the 70s.

What in the Sam’s hell?

Problem was that this book with questionable moral standards was utterly ridiculous.

In the novel, the female lead used the fact that she was rebirthed as her gold finger to take over the fake daughter’s fiancée and job and accomplished great things with her life.

Tong Xuelu was woken up by the noises of cicadas from outside of the window.

Wait a minute. She recalled that she was skiing at a ski resort before she lost consciousness. Why would there be cicadas in the middle of winter?

She opened up her eyes, confused. What she saw was a crude mosquito tent, an old-style thermos sitting on top of a wooden table next to it, and an enamel mug with the words “Women Hold Up Half the Sky” printed on it.