Nos romances, geralmente é o herói que salva a bela, mas no caso de Yu Nian'an, foi a bela quem salvou o herói. No instante em que tirou Gu Shen do rio, Yu Nian'an achou que ele era, de fato, muito bonito. Os moradores da aldeia diziam que o novo jovem intelectual só tinha boa aparência, mas que, na prática, não era útil e não tinha força para o trabalho. Mas Yu Nian'an não pensava assim; ela gostava mesmo era de gente bonita. Afinal, a beleza dura um tempo, mas a feiura é para a vida toda. Observando Gu Shen, que estava cada vez mais bonito, uma ideia ousada surgiu de repente na cabeça de Yu Nian'an. Ela teceria uma rede com ternura, prepararia tudo com atenção, e seduziria Gu Shen passo a passo, até que ele aceitasse de bom grado depender dela. Só quando finalmente o teve em suas mãos, ela percebeu que os moradores da vila estavam errados. O jovem intelectual não era só bonito, mas também muito capaz.
“Down with the landlords and evil gentry! The poor who once bowed their heads three inches lower now stand tall and proud—”
A fragment of old film music played intermittently, jolting Yu Nian’an awake. Staring up at the dark, dilapidated roof above her, she felt dizzy and momentarily thought she was trapped in a dream within a dream.
Yet the melody didn’t fade; instead, it seemed to pierce through time itself with a strange dissonance, making it hard to hear clearly.
Slowly, she sat up and rubbed her head. Her vision gradually sharpened.
She was lying on a modest kang (heated brick bed), and the wall beside her was plastered with a few big-character posters. Squinting, Yu Nian’an tried to read them.
July 1976?
Suddenly, she pinched her thigh hard.
Pain! This was no dream.
She jumped to her feet, not bothering to put on shoes, and shoved open the door, peering outside.
The courtyard was enclosed by a wooden fence, with two water jars beneath the eaves. The gate was half broken, looking dangerously unstable.
This room was the only one in the yard aside from the kitchen.
Blinking repeatedly, Yu Nian’an finally accepted that she had traveled through time.
Could someone tell her why, after merely complaining about a badly written novel before bed, she woke up like this?
She punched the yellow mud wall beside her, only to hear a crackling sound as loose earth fell away.
Quickly retracting her hand, she checked repeatedly to ensure the wall wouldn’t collapse, then sat on the doorstep to gather