When she heard the faint sound of crying, Qu Tantan thought she was dreaming.
She seemed to dream of returning to her childhood, finding herself in an old kindergarten. A group of children gathered around, doing something she couldn’t quite see. In the center sat a little girl, sobbing loudly. She looked somewhat familiar, as if Qu Tantan had seen her somewhere before.
As she wondered why she was having such a dream, she noticed a few boys pointing at the girl, laughing and shoving the girl. It was clear they were bullying the girl.
Seeing the lead boy yank the little girl’s braid, Qu Tantan suddenly realized—this girl looked like a younger version of her best friend! At that moment, anger surged within her, and she rushed forward, throwing a punch at the bully. The pain that shot through her fist nearly made her cry.
What was going on? How could she feel pain in a dream?
Annoyed, Qu Tantan shook her hand. Seeing the boys pounce toward her, she easily took them down. They had strength but no technique, so she pinned them all to the ground and gave them a good beating. Before the adults could separate them, she even managed to leave a ridiculous bite mark on the face of the ringleader. How dare he bully her best friend!
The boy clutched his face and wailed loudly. Standing beside her young best friend, Qu Tantan watched the scene with glee, laughing.
The teacher, trying to break up the fight : “……”
As several teachers rushed over in a panic, Qu Tantan remained fearless. She still believed she was dreaming, so she turned to the stunned little girl, unable to resist patting her head. With a serious tone, she said, “Kid, you really need to learn Taekwondo in the future. Look at you now, so weak that you can’t even fight back against a little boy. That’s pathetic.”
She wasn’t sure if the little girl understood, but her bright eyes were filled with admiration.
Qu Tantan almost burst out laughing. She had actually dreamed of Meng Jiajia, that little rascal, wearing a dress with two pigtails. When she woke up, she would definitely mock her for it.
This had to be because the two of them had been flipping through old photos last night and discovered they had attended the same kindergarten. Their late-night conversation must have led to this dream.
Finding this ‘dream’ rather amusing, Qu Tantan even boldly faced the teachers’ lecture. She stood tall and proud, explaining with confidence that she was only protecting Meng Jiajia.
She spoke clearly and logically, unfazed by the shocked gazes around her. More importantly, she noticed that Meng Jiajia’s eyes were shining with admiration, making her feel extremely pleased.
After all, in real life, Meng Jiajia was always the one calling her weak. Now, it was finally her turn to be admired!
The surreal feeling of it all made her strangely excited, until she heard the teachers exclaim, “Qu Tantan’s Mom is here!”
She looked up in shock, only to see a woman who was so familiar, so familiar that she didn’t dare to believe it.
And when the woman took her hand with a stern face, the pain in her fingers became even more distinct.
Wait… wasn’t this a dream? Why did the pain feel so real?
And, what was up with her Mom’s tacky perm?!
Even as she was carried out of the hospital by her mother, Qu Tantan was still in shock.
She stared blankly at her bandaged hand, her mind a mess. What on earth was happening?
Wasn’t she dreaming? Just last night, she and Meng Jiajia had been chatting about how they finally got into college and were planning how to have fun. How did she suddenly wake up as a child?!
The pain in her injured wrist finally made her realize, this wasn’t a dream. It seemed she had somehow… been reborn.
Sitting on the back seat of her mother’s bicycle, she looked around at the somewhat unfamiliar scenery, feeling utterly bewildered.
If this really was a rebirth, then—
As they passed by a rundown street that would one day become the city’s prime commercial district, Qu Tantan suddenly became excited. She hugged her Mom’s waist and shouted, “Mom, let’s buy this place!”
Right now, it looked old and shabby, but in the future, it would be a bustling commercial hub. The surrounding neighborhoods would also become the most luxurious high-end residences in the city!
If she really had been reborn, then this was her golden ticket to wealth!
Just as she was eagerly preparing to discuss their future as real estate tycoons, her mother smacked her lightly on the head and laughed. “Do you think buying land is as easy as buying a toy? Did your dad tell you he wanted to buy property here? You actually remembered that?”
She muttered to herself, “That big mouth… talking about it in front of the kid when we haven’t even decided yet.”
Qu Tantan, realizing that her family wasn’t rich yet : “……”
Frustrated, she slumped back onto the bicycle. Damn it! Even if they couldn’t buy the whole area, they could at least buy an apartment or a small shop!
Her parents had once regretted not buying property here when they had the chance. By the time it became a prime location, the prices were no longer affordable.
Now that she had a second chance, she was determined to seize this opportunity!
When they got home, Qu Tantan was still buzzing with excitement. But before she could say anything, she was scooped up by a pair of strong arms. Looking up, she saw a familiar young face grinning at her.
“I heard our little hero made quite a scene today? Let Dad see if the big hero cried!”
Seeing her young and handsome father, Qu Tantan first thought that, yes, her Mom really was a beauty, though that awful perm was a disaster. But the moment she looked at her Dad, a strange warmth welled up inside her.
Her nose tingled, and before she knew it, she had wrapped her arms around his neck.
She didn’t even know what to say.
In her memory, her Dad had always been a quiet and reserved man, seeming weighed down by many burdens. Even though he loved her, he never put it into words. At most, when she turned back to look at him, his perpetually solemn face would reveal a dry, awkward smile.
So, her Dad, before experiencing all those painful setbacks, had once been so full of life.
As Qu Tantan let her thoughts wander, tears unknowingly began to fall. Her Dad, thinking she was scared, hurriedly wiped them away in a fluster, making exaggerated expressions and calling her ‘Great Hero’ and ‘Tan Bao’er1‘ to cheer her up.
Seeing her Dad’s comical attempts, Qu Tantan quickly suppressed her tears and gave him a big smile, seriously sharing her own heroic exploits with him.
Mother Qu had originally come home planning to scold her daughter, but upon arriving, she found the child crying so pitifully that she couldn’t bear to reprimand the child. Instead, she grumbled from the side, recounting how, after being called to the school, she had watched her ‘Great Hero’ fiercely argue with the other kids’ parents.
“…Acting all heroic and even spraining her own hand in the process,” Mother Qu added at the end.
She didn’t mention how things had ultimately been handled with the teacher and those parents, but Father Qu, beaming with pride, kept praising his Tan Bao’er for being amazing. His words made Qu Tantan feel delighted, so much so that she ate an extra half-bowl of rice that night.
Later, when it was time for bed, Qu Tantan nearly got carried into her parents’ room, which reminded her that when she was little, she had always slept between them. It wasn’t until she started elementary school that she moved to her own bed.
“The teacher said we’re grown up now and shouldn’t stubbornly insist on sleeping with our parents anymore,” Qu Tantan cleared her throat and found an excuse to push her Dad out. “Tan Bao’er is obedient, she will sleep alone from now on.”
Her Dad was touched for a moment but soon returned, holding a storybook.
“Doesn’t Tan Bao’er need Dad’s stories to fall asleep every night?” Father Qu grinned, sitting down beside her bed. “Since you did something good today, you get a reward, ten extra minutes of storytime.”
…Since when had her Dad been this clingy?
Speechless, Qu Tantan watched as her father cleared his throat and began reading ‘The Legend of the Condor Heroes2‘. Was this really her childhood bedtime story?
His deep, soothing voice filled the room, but instead of feeling sleepy, her mind raced wildly. If she really had been reborn, what should she do? Could she successfully prevent her Dad from suffering those past hardships? And what about Meng Jiajia’s forehead scar? Oh, right, she also had to deal with Grandma and that scumbag of an uncle as soon as possible…
Thinking it all through, she realized she had a lot to do.
She was so deep in thought that she didn’t even notice when her father stopped reading, only snapping back to reality when she felt a light tap on her forehead.
Blinking, she looked at her father with an innocent smile. “Dad, Tan Bao’er can’t sleep.”
“Didn’t you always fall asleep as soon as I started reading? Were you scared today?” Her Dad, unaware of her thoughts, patted her head with concern. “Or is your wrist hurting? Do you want to sleep with Mom and Dad after all?”
Qu Tantan quickly shook her head and, after a moment’s thought, grabbed his sleeve. “Dad, tell me about buying a house.”
“Are we really getting our own home? Or is it a shop? When Mom picked me up today, we passed by that area, but she said she wasn’t sure about buying it yet. But Dad, you do want to buy it, don’t you?”
Father Qu looked surprised that she had overheard their conversation. He hesitated for a moment before asking, “Tan Bao’er, do you like that place?”
Qu Tantan nodded enthusiastically. “And I like the houses there! Some of my kindergarten friends live there, and they say it’s great. I want to live there too.”
Right now, their family was renting a small, old house with peeling walls and a run-down appearance. They had saved up some money but were still hesitating on whether to buy a house immediately.
The original plan was to buy a new house and rent a storefront in that area. But since their daughter liked the houses there, and they were cheaper than the one they had initially considered, they could actually afford both a house and a shop.
Hearing his daughter’s innocent yet eager words, Father Qu felt a pang of emotion. His lingering doubts faded, and he firmly promised, “Alright, since Tan Bao’er likes it, we’ll buy a house there.”
Qu Tantan’s eyes lit up, and she immediately added, “And the shop too!”
“Alright, alright, we’ll get both.”
Thinking about what she had heard in her past life, she knew that soon, her uncle would come stirring up trouble with Grandma. He would manipulate his way into taking all their money, leaving them with neither a house nor enough money to rent a shop. Worried that her Dad might waver, Qu Tantan clung to him and repeatedly made him promise to buy the properties no matter what.
Father Qu chuckled and patted her forehead. “Do you not trust Dad at all? Don’t worry, Tan Bao’er, I’ll make sure you have a new home, alright?”
Finally reassured, Qu Tantan forced herself to relax and get sleepy. The first step was done. Next, she had to deal with that so-called ‘Uncle.’ She wasn’t sure exactly when he would show up.
Come to think of it, she had never even seen how her Uncle really looked like. In her past life, after tricking her Dad and Grandma out of their money, he had run off, never to return.
He had ruined her Dad and Grandma’s lives. He was nothing but scum.
- the word 宝 (bǎo) literally means treasure, but also a word to call a baby or someone precious (usually using the variations 宝宝(bǎobǎo) or 宝贝(bǎobèi). The word 儿 (‘ér) is a common suffix to someone’s name or nickname to make it sound more endearing. ↩︎
- This is the title of a wuxia novel ↩︎