Zao Courtyard

Gu Ye died.

The first time, he thought it was just an accident.

The second time, he realized the calendar was wrong.

The third time, he memorized everyone's face.

On the twenty-first day, black mist swallowed everything. On the twenty-second day, he opened his eyes again and returned to the beginning.

He had no idea how many times he had relived the cycle. He only knew that every time he woke up, his grandmother was by the stove, smiling as she called him to eat.

Until one day, in the ancient well in the courtyard behind the old grain depot, he heard a woman's voice.

"You've finally come."

She had waited for decades.

And Gu Ye had already died hundreds of thousands of times.

All those tender, everyday moments were fake. Only the pain was real.