On the evening of the second day of the Lunar New Year, 32-year-old Lin Qingyan is scolded by her mother: “At your age, what kind of person are you still hoping to marry? Your job is nothing special, you’re nothing special to look at, and don’t even get me started on your family. Your parents are farmers. Anyone decent will do, so stop being picky.”
Yes. After 32 years of life, she has no idea what it means to like someone, no matter how much she has tried to figure it out. She doesn’t know what she wants, either. But she knows she doesn’t want to marry just anyone or go on living this muddled life. Her mother’s nagging worries and the scolding from relatives and friends make her want to jump off the back of her mother’s electric scooter and into the river, just so she can be rid of all her troubles.
But she doesn’t dare. Cowardly and timid, she can only lie in bed at night and regret the way she has lived. How did her life turn out like this? She used to be so ambitious. She wasn’t like this before...
In the morning, the clamor beside her wakes her. Lin Qingyan is puzzled. Her mother hasn’t made her get up early these past few days, and the Lunar New Year holiday is a rare chance to sleep in. There shouldn’t be so many people at home, either. What’s going on? Still groggy, she tries to make sense of it when someone shakes her hard by the shoulder. “Lin Qingyan, why are you still in bed? It’s already 7:20! Morning exercises start in ten minutes, and everyone’s gone out to line up!” The girl hurriedly finishes speaking and dashes out, leaving Lin Qingyan utterly bewildered. What did she say? Morning! Exercises! Lin Qingyan stares at the rusty bunk bed, the peeling walls, and the familiar wooden door, stunned. What a strange dream.
No, this isn’t a dream. The vivid sensations, the shabby room, the sound of students chattering outside the window... She has been reborn!
