Part 1The Red Dust of Revival

My fiancé, Lucas, went off to the countryside for a volunteer program and secretly started dating a local girl.

When the program ended and he returned to the city, he dumped her cold turkey and married me instead.

Later, he found out his ex-girlfriend died in childbirth due to an amniotic fluid embolism.

Lucas spent the rest of his life drowning in guilt and depression.

He dragged me through a loveless marriage until I died young from illness.

On my deathbed, I told Lucas: "If there is a next life, I don't want to make the same mistake."

Then, I was reborn. It was the spring of 1977.

This time, Lucas chose to stay in the mountains with his country love, Sarah.

And I quit my cushy government job to take the college entrance exams.

Decades later, I returned to the countryside as a high-ranking official on an inspection tour and met Lucas again.

He had built a brick house, farmed land, and had a brood of kids with Sarah.

Seeing me dusty and tired from the journey, Lucas sighed:

"It's been decades, haven't you moved on? You're not young anymore; just find someone decent and marry."

He thought my motion sickness was heartbreak.

The next day, a black Mercedes-Benz pulled up to the village entrance to pick me up.

Lucas collapsed in the dust.

"Didn't you say that even if we tortured each other, you'd haunt me forever?"

* * *

If I hadn't been accompanying the Governor on this inspection tour, I probably never would have set foot in this backwater again.

And I certainly never expected to meet Sarah—the nightmare of my past life—face to face.

The sun was high. Her face was flushed with sunburn, but the wrinkles around her eyes couldn't hide her joy.

"My Lucas just contracted a few more acres. After the harvest, we're building a new wing for our eldest son's wedding."

The village women around her were chirping like birds:

"Sarah, you're so lucky! You snagged a capable man!"

"Right? Back then, most of those city boys just played around and left. Who else stayed for love?"

"Besides the Village Chief, you guys are basically the richest family here, right?"

Sarah soaked up the praise like a sponge, feigning modesty:

"Oh, stop it. He just got lucky with the new policies. He's not that amazing."

But her chin was tilted so high she could probably drink rain.

I looked away. It seemed Lucas was doing well in this life. No regrets here.

I had never met Sarah in my past life or this one, yet I recognized her instantly.

First, because the neighbors had their black-and-white wedding photo on the wall.

Second, because in my past life, my husband kept a photo of her at eighteen hidden away, weeping over it constantly.

I was about to turn back to find my delegation when I saw Lucas walking over with a few teenagers carrying hoes.

They had his eyes. Definitely his and Sarah's kids.

In my past life, Lucas and I were engaged since childhood. But during his volunteer stint in the countryside, he had a fling with Sarah.

Desperate to return to the city, he abandoned a pregnant Sarah and married me.

Shortly after our wedding, news came that Sarah died in childbirth.

Lucas was consumed by regret. He never touched me again.

I lived like a widow for decades and died alone.

This time around, Lucas got his wish. A full house of kids with Sarah.

Suddenly, a toddler crashed into my legs.

The crying drew everyone's attention.

Recognizing me, shock flashed through Lucas's eyes.

"Ava? What are you doing here?"

I bent down to help the kid up.

"I'm here for work."

A villager asked, "Lucas, who's she?"

Lucas looked uncomfortable. "An old neighbor from the city. We knew each other as kids."

A woman nearby sneered. "Look at that city girl frame. Thin as a rake. Probably can't bear children. No wonder Lucas picked Sarah."

Hearing this, Sarah puffed out her chest, looking smug.

"Just a neighbor. My Lucas has high standards."

She looked me up and down with disdain.

"Your face is sallow, and you're flat as a board. Can you not afford food?"

"I heard you city folks need ration coupons for rice. Unlike us country folk—we grow our own and eat till we burst."

I glanced at Sarah's plump figure and smiled politely, ignoring her rudeness.

I turned to leave.

But a sudden wave of dizziness hit me.

The long journey on bumpy roads had given me severe motion sickness. I stumbled.

Lucas rushed forward to catch me.

Once I was steady, he let go and stepped back quickly.

He looked at me with pity.

"Ava, it's been years... why torture yourself like this?"

Sarah rushed over like a guarding hen, blocking Lucas.

"Ava, have some shame! You tried to seduce Lucas when you were girls, and now that he's my man, you chase him all the way here?"

Another woman spat on the ground. "Homewrecker! Coming here to ruin a family? We won't let you bully Sarah!"

A young wife put her hands on her hips. "City slut! Still playing these games at your age?"

Even an old grandma hobbled over, pointing a cane at my nose. "Didn't your parents teach you any morals?"

The crowd surged forward, trying to push me out of the village. "Get back to the city! We don't welcome your kind!"

I tried to explain, but Lucas stopped the angry mob.

"Aunties, please. She's here for me. Let me talk to her... You know I'm a good man!"

Lucas looked at me, his voice dripping with condescension.

"Ava, haven't you moved on after all these years? Stop living in the past. I have Sarah and the kids now. I'm happy. You're not young anymore. Even if you can't find someone perfect, just settle down."

His public declaration of loyalty made Sarah beam. She looked at me with scorn.

"I know you're bitter because you met him first. But love isn't first-come-first-served! You're obsessed with him, and you're almost hitting menopause, aren't you?"

"Did you come here because you heard Lucas is the richest man in the village now?"

Lucas frowned, looking at my dusty clothes.

"Didn't you get into college back then? How are you doing so badly you can't even eat properly? You have hands and feet; surely you can find work..."

He thought for a moment, then carefully pulled a few crumpled bills from a pocket sewn inside his pants.

"Here. I'll get an ox cart to take you to town this afternoon. Buy a bus ticket and go home. Don't come back."