Reborn in 1979: I Raised a Fortune with Four Daughters

Chapter 2 There's No Going Back

"Waaaaaah..."

The sound of a baby crying came from the left-hand room.

"Mmm...."

Then came the sound of a woman soothing a baby.

The baby's crying soon stopped, and a faint sucking sound could be heard. The baby must have been hungry and was now content with the milk.

A rustling sound came from the side room on the right.

With a creak, the door opened, and a little girl who was about 150cm tall walked out.

Her hair was messy and dull, and she wore a faded floral cotton-padded jacket.

Thin and slender.

As she walked, she ran her fingers through her hair and tied it up with a rubber band.

This is the 10-year-old eldest daughter, Zhao Zhaodi.

"dad."

Zhao Zhaodi called out "Dad!" and hurried to the kitchen.

Since their mother became pregnant, Zhao Zhaodi has taken on most of the household chores. Her younger sister, Zhao Laidi, who is three years younger, can also help with chores such as starting the fire and washing dishes. The two sisters have to cook meals for the whole family as quickly as possible, and after eating, they still have to walk three miles of mountain road to school.

Zhao Zhaodi picked up the pot and prepared to cook rice first.

"Hey."

Zhao Yuan snapped out of his daze, got up and went to the kitchen, taking the pot from his daughter's hand.

When my son was that young, he was taken care of by a nanny every day.

Zhao Zhaodi took a step back in fright, looking at Zhao Yuan with fear, and instinctively covered her head with her hand, afraid that the pot would be smashed at her again.

"Go wash your face and brush your teeth."

Her voice was unexpectedly gentle. After speaking, she took the pot to fill it with rice, but she didn't even know where the rice was.

"Huh, brushing your teeth?"

Zhao Zhaodi looked at Zhao Yuan with fear and confusion.

In this isolated rural area, people didn't use toothbrushes at this time, and they couldn't afford them either.

He paused for a moment, slightly taken aback.

Zhao Zhaodi quickly took the pot, filled the rice bin with rice, rinsed the rice, and started a fire—all in a smooth and efficient manner.

After getting up, Zhao Laidi didn't even have time to wash her face before sitting down in front of the fire pit to take over the task of starting the fire.

Zhao Zhaodi quickly picked up a broom and dustpan and cleaned up the battlefield from last night.

"Squeak—......"

Zhao Zhaodi opened another door, quickly went out, and took out the trash.

Next came chopping pig feed, mixing pig feed, and carrying a bucket of pig feed to the pigpen next to the house, followed by cheerful grunting sounds.

Back home, Zhao Zhaodi opened the chicken coop, let the chickens out, and fed them a handful of shriveled millet.

He then ran to the nearby haystack, pulled out a bundle of straw, and put it in the cowshed.

Zhao Zhaodi walked around the bamboo grove, lifted the long bench, opened the door at the back of the main room, went to the vegetable garden behind the house, picked a cabbage, quickly washed, chopped, and stir-fried it, and soon brought out a bowl of boiled cabbage.

It is clear that this is the effect of repeating the process day after day.

"Dad, are you eating now? We're going to eat and then go to school."

Zhao Zhaodi called out timidly in a low voice, but she had no choice but to call him "Dad," fearing that she would be beaten and scolded again.

The two sisters quickly ate white rice with a bowl of boiled cabbage.

After finishing their meal, the two sisters went to their mother's bedside. Zhao Zhaodi looked at her mother's wound and saw that it had scabbed over and the wound was not big.

"Mom, my sister and I are going to school. The food is ready, so don't use water. My sister and I will do the housework when we get back."

With a creak, Zhao Zhaodi closed the door behind her.

He carried a military green cloth backpack slung across his back.

As Zhao Zhaodi walked out, she helped her younger sister fix her hair.

Zhao Yuan stood by and watched all of this, feeling an indescribable bitterness and mixed emotions.

A desire to protect arises in my heart.

But Zhao Yuan quickly suppressed this thought.

"I want to go back to my world; this place doesn't belong to me."

With a creak.

The door opened, and Lin Fangfang came out of the room with a large scab of blood on her forehead and bloodstains on her face.

She has delicate features, big eyes, a slightly upturned nose, and a cherry-like mouth; she is truly a beauty.

She was wearing a blue cotton-padded jacket, a towel wrapped around her forehead, and her hair was loosely draped behind her head. Although she was the mother of a 10-year-old child, she was only 27 years old. She was about 160cm tall, and although she had just given birth, her body was slightly swollen, but she still had a voluptuous figure. However, her face was a little pale and she looked tired.

Lin Fangfang glanced at Zhao Yuan, feeling a little timid.

She silently walked past Zhao Yuan and headed towards the outhouse.

"I'm sorry, I drank too much last night. I'll make you some egg drop soup later. You're still in your postpartum period, so please get some rest."

The voice was very gentle.

Lin Fangfang was startled and turned around to look at the man in front of her with fear.

He suddenly roared loudly:

"What do you want now? You don't want to poison me, do you? Think about your three daughters. If you poison me, you won't survive either. After all, these three children are our flesh and blood. How can you be so heartless?"

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably, and she eventually broke down in sobs, unable to catch her breath.

For a moment, Zhao Yuan was at a loss.

Perhaps my sudden change startled Lin Fangfang.

Zhao Yuan has been a complete scoundrel these past few years.

For Lin Fangfang.

I haven't heard such a gentle voice in years.

Lin Fangfang was from the next village and was recognized as a great beauty by several villages. The two were classmates and got married through free love, which was quite avant-garde in those days.

The first few years of their marriage were very happy. Zhao Yuan was hardworking, quick-witted, and had excellent bamboo weaving skills. He was able to earn money, and he gave all his earnings to Lin Fangfang. Lin Fangfang was good at managing the household, so they lived a very comfortable life.

Everything has slowly changed since my son died prematurely 8 years ago.

Zhao Yuan began to drink heavily. After the birth of his second daughter, Zhao Yuan became even more irritable. He was infertile for several years afterward, and drinking and smashing things gradually became the norm in the family.

There used to be some decent things in the house, but this bastard has smashed them all over the past few years.

Lin Fangfang was afraid of the man in front of her, but she had no choice but to compromise for the sake of her three children.

I can only blame my own stomach for not being able to produce enough nutrients.

"Don't cry, don't cry, it's not good to cry during postpartum confinement."

Zhao Yuan could only offer a few words of comfort to Lin Fangfang before falling silent, not daring to make any promises, as he had to go back. He feared that once he returned, that bastard Zhao Yuan would likely act like a scoundrel again.

Zhao Yuan silently looked around at everything, thinking about his spacious villa and extravagant life, which were worlds apart from his own.

I don't want to stay here for a second longer; I must find a way to get back to my own world as soon as possible.

Zhao Yuan walked silently into the next room. He had been in this room when he traveled through time; perhaps he could find the entrance back here.

Zhao Yuan closed the door, lay down on the bed, which was made of straw, covered with a cotton mattress with countless patches, and covered with a black floral cotton quilt.

What is this thing? It's not even as good as a beggar's food.

In her previous life, she had experienced such a terrible life, and even her pets wore designer brands.

Zhao Yuan closed his eyes and imagined finding the entrance to return.

As soon as I closed my eyes, my head started to feel dizzy and throbbing, as if I had returned to the past, but all I could see was a black and white scene.

I can't see myself; it seems like there's only a jar of ashes.

My head is getting more and more painful.

Zhao Yuan reluctantly opened his eyes, looking at the mosquito net above the bed with fear in his eyes.

Can not go back?

I'm not reconciled.

Such a wonderful life.

Zhao Yuan closed his eyes again, trying to imagine his soul leaving his body and returning to his past life.

This time, I only saw a can of ash.

I opened my eyes to find myself in the same terrible environment.

Zhao Yuan repeated the above attempts, but to no avail.

Zhao Yuan quickly considered which environments might be possible passageways.

But my mind was a complete mess, and I had no ideas at all.

Zhao Yuan got out of bed, as if he had woken up lying on the floor.

He imitated the position he had just been reborn in, attempting to travel back in time.

Close your eyes and imagine a time-travel scene from a TV show.

This time, we can't see anything.

Can not go back?

I feel utterly hopeless.

Fear.

Tears involuntarily welled up from the corners of my eyes.

In his previous life, Zhao Yuan always had a smooth life, only occasionally experiencing minor setbacks, which he was always able to resolve quickly.

I have never felt so powerless.

Has my past self turned to ashes?

Zhao Yuan lay helplessly on the ground, not caring that it was still February, just after the Lantern Festival, and the weather was still very cold.

He was not reconciled.

He searched his mind for those time-travel dramas on TV, and only then did he regret not watching more of those kinds of soap operas in his previous life.

In my memory, it all seems to be just a single moment.

It might be in front of a painting.

Maybe it's under a tree.

Zhao Yuan quickly got up and went to the main room.

It was already quite bright outside.

On the innermost wall of the main room hangs a picture of Chairman Mao.

Zhao Yuan ran to the photo and waited to be transported to another world.

He closed his eyes, hoping for that ray of light.

But nothing happened.

Zhao Yuan panicked.

......

He tried several more times, but there was still no response.

Zhao Yuan ran out of the house and ran towards the tree behind the house.

Zhao Yuan stood under the big tree, closed his eyes, and waited for that ray of light.

Nothing happened.

Zhao Yuan collapsed to the ground, his eyes filled with genuine despair.