[Please add my next novel, Back to My Parents' Youth, to your collection! The blurb is at the very bottom. Thanks, everyone!]
After arguing with her parents, Zhang Yike ran away from home, accidentally fell into a river, and ended up in an unknown world.
In this world, the relationship between parents and children is different from that in the real world.
Everyone's identity depends on the work they do.
Whether a person is a parent or a child, that role is simply a job they do.
It's just that the "children" haven't fully awakened yet.
They still have the traits of children in the real world: they long for love without reservation and need care for no reason at all.
But the "parents" are different.
They know with absolute certainty that this role is simply their nine-to-five job.
Zhang Yike's identity here is that of a child.
But she's different from the other children.
She retains the consciousness of an adult, no longer longing for love quite so desperately, yet she's controlled by an unknown substance that makes her keep acting as if she needs love.
So in the end, she gets replies like:
"I'm off work. Go find your night-shift parents."
"Please don't bother me after work. Thanks."
Of course, some people are more considerate and willing to care for her.
But then they say things like:
"I'll look into it for you tomorrow."
"I'll get in touch with your night-shift parents for you."
Zhang Yike doesn't know whether to laugh or cry, but she finds it rather interesting.
Until one day, her identity changes from "child" to "parent."
And the child she has to look after is her own parents from her real life.
Zhang Yike: "..."
#Did I become my parents' guardian?#
What is this?!!!
Back to My Parents' Youth blurb:
The three people Shen Xiao has loved most in her life are also the three she feels most sorry for:
Her parents and Lin Ye.
Both her father and mother were the least loved children in their families.
Their marriage was arranged, too. They met once through a matchmaker, then stepped into the long, unknown years that followed.
In Shen Xiao's memories, her parents often argued and blamed each other. Those hysterical scenes were painful memories she never wanted to revisit.
But there were many tender moments, too:
From the time she was learning to talk until she turned thirty.
In front of her, her parents were sailing ships that cleared the way; behind her, they became waves that poured everything they had into lifting her up.
Shen Xiao loved them and felt for them, but she didn't want to become them.
So on her thirtieth birthday, after much careful thought, she turned down Lin Ye's proposal.
*
When she returned home, her parents were sprawled at opposite ends of the sofa. Their sleepy faces were exactly alike, their phones loosely clasped in their hands. Cooking tutorials and melodramatic short videos played over each other, as if the sounds were having a conversation across the room.
Shen Xiao walked over and sat between them. Her tightly furrowed brows caught their attention.
They put down their phones without asking what had happened. One took a cake they'd made earlier from the fridge, while the other went to the kitchen and cooked a bowl of longevity noodles. They wished her a gentle happy birthday.
The candle's faint light and tiny flickering warmth fell across her face. Shen Xiao closed her eyes and made a solemn wish: I have one wish.
*
The next morning, she opened her eyes and found herself in a brick house.
Someone beside her gently fanned her, stirring the stuffy air.
She saw him smile awkwardly and bashfully. "Sis, I think we've gone back to the eighties."
Only then did Shen Xiao recognize some faintly familiar details in the surroundings. Stunned, she pushed open the door and ran along a muddy country road after the rain.
Within an hour, she saw her father, drenched in sweat as he waded through the water, planting rice seedlings one laborious step at a time. She saw her mother driving an ox cart and threshing wheat in the open square under the blazing sun.
She turned around. Lin Ye stood behind her, never leaving her side, his eyes full of hope.
Shen Xiao caught her breath and asked him, "What are we to each other here?"
Lin Ye thought of the marriage certificate he'd hidden that morning, smiled, and said, "Siblings?"
*
In Lin Ye's life, there has only ever been one person he's loved most, and one person he's felt most sorry for.
He understands all her worries, understands every thought she has, and respects every choice she makes.
His only regret is that he didn't grow up with her, and couldn't be there for every moment that still weighs on her.
*
I have one wish: that someone would love you properly when you were young.
I have one wish: to grow up before you, so I could hold your hand and lead you through every moment of uncertainty.
*
I have one more wish: to love you for a while without any scruples or second thoughts, simply because I love you.
* Blurb written on 2024.01.13
Theme: May we all be free.
Holding Fast Together
A Different Kind of Possessiveness
Is Senior Brother Still Alive Today?
I Got My Mole Put Back, Look!
Serious Illnesses Can Be Cured, Minor Ones Can Kill
This Is a Huge Conspiracy
Back to My Parents' Youth
Who Will Remember the Runner-Up?
That Monk Is Always Sneaking Glances at Me
A College Student Transmigrates and Takes the Imperial Examinations
The Abyss Descends, and Dreams Come True
At Last, the Long Night Ends
The setting is special and the writing is very good. I seem to understand it but not understand it at the same time.
Spreading flowers, will the character without a "name" awaken and become their friend? I hope they gain lots of love along the way and forget about work~
Who is the system? Does all the property in its name cost 1200? Hahaha
Ah ah ah, if I wear it, I won't be able to show off the last one...
Not really, right? Women's strength decreases after menstruation
[Orange Candy] I clearly remember that I have finished reading it. Could it be that my memory is confused orz [EYE][EYE][EYE] to complete the order
Thanks for the limited fee! The intention is quite good, why are parents parents, why should they be willing to dedicate themselves, and why should they instill their own ideas into their children. I feel like the ending is a bit abrupt. The protagonist group is obviously very capable in fighting, but for the sake of he hahaha
Oh my gosh, it counts as a phone call, but there is a reminder. Why do you have to keep beating? Even if you are worried, the heroine was still a baby before and couldn't stand up at all. Impossible to connect
Isn't there an obvious deepening link between people?
Why sometimes medicated oil can relieve fever, and sometimes it actually has a burning effect.