Back to 1972

Lin Wan, thirty-nine years old, woke up one morning in the body of Zhou Xiaohua, a village girl from 1972.

Worse still, her son, who was always putting off his homework, had become her stern “grandfather” at fifty, while her husband, a lie-flat slacker, had turned into her hot-blooded, reckless “uncle” at nineteen.

With barely a thing to her name and the village bully demanding repayment, she used her modern-day wits to outsmart the troublesome and quietly earn money for the whole family. Just as life began to improve, a woman’s corpse, missing for two years, was pulled from the riverbank, bringing to light a yellowed photograph, an altered letter, and a secret buried for many years.

Chen Hai was dead. He had died on the riverbank, beside that old willow tree.

When she finally met the person who shared her blood, she discovered that the truth was far crueler than she had imagined. Two pocket watches, two pieces of candy, two lives: one called Lin Wan, the other Zhou Xiaohua.

They were the same person.

This is a story of dislocation and reunion, loss and protection. When she finally returned to reality and clasped her husband’s and son’s hands, she understood: the people who had protected her through hardship, and the sweetness of those candies offered in silence, had all become the brightest light in her heart.