TPW – Chapter 1 Not Going Means Not Going

November, 1982

The morning in Lian City was roused by the howling wind. Early winter had arrived in full force—if you passed through a wind tunnel, it felt like your scalp might be torn right off.

Qiao Lu cradled her child in one arm and struggled to hold up an umbrella that was nearly blown inside out. She trudged through the puddled streets, buffeted by wind so fierce it made it hard to breathe.

Not until she ducked into a small bungalow did the mother and son finally come back to life, the warmth inside wrapping around them, mingled with the laughter of children.

“Don’t cry when you go into class later, okay?” she coaxed.

The silk reeling factory’s kindergarten was a daycare facility established for its employees. As long as a parent worked at the factory, it only cost three yuan per semester to enroll a child.

Qiao An had already been there for a week. Because of his quiet temperament and the short time spent there, he hadn’t adjusted yet. The teacher said he always cried the moment his mother left.

The little one, heartbreakingly obedient, nestled against her mother’s shoulder and murmured softly, “Okay…”

After dropping Qiao An off at the factory daycare, Qiao Lu turned and walked away without looking back. She resisted the urge to turn around, afraid she’d see the little boy with teary eyes clinging to the gate.

At the fence, Qiao An stood watching, his eyes misty, fighting back the urge to call out “Mama” as he watched her mother’s figure grow smaller in the distance.

At the Silk Reeling Factory

It was time for the early shift. The factory workshops were teeming with people. The roar of spinning spindles was constant and deafening, like thousands of hummingbirds chirping at once. Living in such a noisy environment long-term inevitably damaged one’s hearing.

As if that weren’t enough, prolonged exposure to the silk reeling solution could cause hand dermatitis.

Qiao Lu rubbed her ears and chafed her cold hands, contemplating whether she should find another job.

Two days ago, the Qiao Lu of the 1980s fell into the water—and the Qiao Lu from the 21st century woke up in her body, inheriting both her memories and her child.

The original Qiao Lu had looked exactly like her: a rural woman who had, six years ago during the Down to the Countryside movement, fallen in love at seventeen with a southern male educated youth named Ge Wenrong. It was love at first sight and quickly became a secret relationship.

By the late ’70s, the tide of returning to the cities swept across the nation. Educated youths tried everything to get back—those with connections had already gone home smoothly. Those without had to find ways, using tactics like job replacements, medical retirements, or college entrance exams to escape the countryside.

Ge Wenrong was one of the lucky ones. He made it out via the 1979 college entrance exam and successfully returned to the city.

That year, the original Qiao Lu was nineteen and pregnant with his child. Without hesitation, he joined the wave of returning youths. He swore to the heavens that once he settled down, he would come back for her and their child.

But his departure pushed her into an abyss.

In rural China in the late ’70s, an unwed pregnancy was a disgrace. Not only would the woman be scorned, the child would be looked down upon, and the entire family would suffer shame.

Qiao Lu’s father lost face completely in the village. But in the end, the baby was still his grandson, and the child was born safely.

The little one was named Qiao An, and he was now three years old. But he was so small and skinny, he barely looked his age.

Even so, he was stunning—he’d inherited her mother’s beautiful features, with large eyes and long lashes. He was even more delicate-looking than a doll.

But having a beautiful child wasn’t always a good thing.

Over three years, Qiao An had been kidnapped four times. One of those times, it had even been someone the family knew. Ever since, Qiao Lu barely let him leave her sight.

And it wasn’t just the child that others coveted. Because of her own striking appearance, Qiao Lu herself had become the object of unwanted attention from the village’s older single men.

These men had never had the means to marry, and years of repression had left them like starving dogs. A young, delicate widow was naturally the target of their lustful fantasies.

Unable to endure the harassment any longer, the original Qiao Lu had written a letter to her second sister in the city. Furious after learning what had happened, the sister brought her to the city and arranged a flurry of blind dates, hoping to marry her off so she could settle down.

As of today, Qiao Lu had been on eight blind dates.

Her thoughts drifted further and further away. Because of the loud machinery, she didn’t notice someone quietly approaching from behind.

“Why are you just getting here? Haven’t seen you in days.”

A hand suddenly landed on Qiao Lu’s shoulder, and another reached toward her chin to try and stroke it.

No matter the era, that kind of move would qualify as harassment.

Qiao Lu jumped and took two quick steps back. When she saw who it was, her brows furrowed sharply.

“Comrade Wang Bin, show some respect!”

His hand missing its mark, Wang Bin stared at her wide-eyed.

Wang Bin was the factory director’s brother-in-law—and the only one of her blind dates the original Qiao Lu had actually liked. Her current job at the factory had been obtained through his connections.

“What’s gotten into you?” Wang Bin snapped, displeased, his expression twitching with annoyance.

Though he was well-off, Wang Bin was unfortunate in the looks department. He was a skinny, freckled man with a face shaped like a triangle—almost like a snake’s head. His eyes were small and slightly crossed, with a faintly sinister glint.

The only reason the original Qiao Lu had considered him was because of his good job and stable background. A few days ago, during a walk in the park, Wang Bin had gotten handsy. Startled, she had pushed him away—and accidentally fallen into the lake.

With that fall, Qiao Lu died—and transmigrated.

“Wang Bin.” Qiao Lu lowered her gaze, then looked back at him seriously. “After falling into the lake last time, I’ve had some time to think. We’re not suitable for each other. I’m taking back what I said about being willing to give us a try.”

“What?” Wang Bin thought he’d misheard and scratched his ear. “It’s not like I pushed you in on purpose. Who told you to stand so close to the lake?”

Qiao Lu furrowed her brow and took a step back. “Maybe you didn’t do it on purpose, but I’m serious. From now on, there’s nothing between us. Let’s part ways peacefully.”

If he had thought earlier that Qiao Lu was just throwing a tantrum over the incident, Wang Bin was now thoroughly dumbfounded.

All because he’d been a little handsy, tried to cop a feel…?

But hadn’t she said she was willing to be with him? So what if he touched her a little? He even helped her get a job! Why couldn’t he touch her?

The more he thought about it, the more he felt Qiao Lu was getting out of hand. They’d only just started seeing each other, and she was already walking all over him. What would it be like after marriage?

Refusing to back down, he reached out to touch her face—but just as his hand got close, there was a sharp “smack”!

A solid slap landed on his cheek, leaving a clear five-finger mark, burning like a branding iron. His shocked expression made the whole scene even more ridiculous.

“Qiao Lu, what the hell—are you crazy?!”

As soon as he yelled, all the female workers in the silk-reeling workshop, who hadn’t noticed the commotion before, turned their heads in unison to look.

As if she’d touched something filthy, Qiao Lu wiped her palm disdainfully on her apron. “I didn’t mean to either. Who told you to reach your hand out like that?”

She threw his own words right back at him, leaving him speechless.

“My face is numb from your slap, and you’re saying it wasn’t on purpose?”

Qiao Lu’s smile only grew more innocent.

As the two faced off, more and more workers peeked out from their stations, their gazes filled with curiosity, surprise, and even gossip. Some whispered to each other while staring in their direction.

Wang Bin couldn’t hold onto his pride any longer. His face darkened, and even his arm trembled as he pointed at her.

“You—You damn widow! Playing innocent in front of me? I helped you get this job, and now you want to cut ties? Qiao Lu, you’re really something, burning bridges like this!”

She’d waited until now to say they weren’t a good match? Why didn’t she speak up when he pulled strings to get her in?

“I told you—we should part ways on good terms. I’ve only been working here for less than a week, haven’t even gotten paid. I’ll return everything you gave me. After this, we owe each other nothing.”

Qiao Lu spoke so decisively that it shocked Wang Bin into silence. He couldn’t understand — what had happened to the meek, obedient little bunny from before?

The woman in front of him was like a complete stranger.

Yet no matter how closely he examined her, trying to find something off—

Qiao Lu was still Qiao Lu. Her curvy figure, fluttering eyes, and stunning beauty could make any man’s heart melt with just one glance.

How could such a delicate, fragile woman have such a drastic personality change just from falling into a lake?

He couldn’t figure it out. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he threatened her:

“Qiao Lu, there’s no such thing as parting on good terms. If you really mean it, then let’s see you quit this job!”

Qiao Lu had been worrying about how to justify resigning, and now Wang Bin had handed her the perfect excuse.

Without hesitation, she tossed aside her scissors, clapped the dust from her hands, turned, and walked away.

“Fine, I quit!”

Steam from the boiling cocoons filled the workshop. The silk-reeling women skillfully wound the white silkworm threads around reels, biting the threads to break them when a spool was full. Their practiced hands barely paused—only their mouths were free to gossip.

“Were they arguing?”

“Seems like it.”

“What were they fighting about?”

“Hey, look! She just came out of the personnel office!”

All eyes immediately turned toward the office.

“Whoa, she’s not coming back—heading straight to the gate. Did she really quit?”

One woman couldn’t stay seated and chased after Qiao Lu. Two minutes later, she came running back.

“She’s gone! I saw her leave the factory gate!”

“Oh my god!”

“I heard she got in here through Wang Bin’s connections. Why’d she leave so easily?”

“Not only did she leave, she slapped Wang Bin too! Look—his face is still swollen, looks like a pig’s head, ha!”

“Hey, did you catch what she said earlier? Did Wang Bin push her into the lake?”

“Wouldn’t be surprised. Wang Bin’s always been trash.”

In no time, chatter about Qiao Lu and Wang Bin filled the workshop, buzzing non-stop. The topic quickly spread throughout the factory, becoming the juiciest gossip around.

But none of that had anything to do with Qiao Lu anymore. Since she was only a temporary worker, the head of the personnel department didn’t even ask for a reason—he approved her resignation on the spot. Plenty of people were waiting in line for the job anyway.

Of course, that also meant no wages.

Wang Bin had been waiting at the entrance. He originally thought Qiao Lu was just putting on a show for him. But to his surprise, when she came out, she was no longer an employee of the silk-reeling factory.

Unwilling to believe it, he stormed into the personnel office, only to be told that Qiao Lu had indeed resigned. He rushed out to chase her down—but she was already gone without a trace.

Two days after transmigrating, Qiao Lu finally felt that the air of the 1980s was exceptionally sweet.

The rain had just passed, and the streets were unusually fresh. The sky was overcast, and the low, worn-down buildings on both sides made Qiao Lu feel like she had stepped into an old nostalgic photograph.

Looking around, the crowd was mostly clad in shades of gray, blue, and black, with only the occasional splash of bright color on a young woman’s outfit.

As Qiao Lu walked toward the daycare, she passed wide sidewalks. On the roadside, an old man was roasting sweet potatoes on a tricycle cart. Two or three customers stood nearby, holding their sweet potatoes and warming their hands with them. The potatoes were so hot their teeth chattered, but they couldn’t bear to slow down eating. The fragrance carried through the air and made Qiao Lu’s stomach rumble louder.

She reached into her pocket—emptier than her pride…

At the daycare, Qiao Lu explained her situation to the administrator. Upon learning that she had resigned from her job, the administrator reminded her that she was no longer eligible for the employee childcare benefit. However, since the 3 yuan tuition had already been paid, the daycare offered her two options:

One, get a partial refund. Two, let her child finish the semester, then withdraw.

Qiao Lu thought it over and decided to ask her son what he wanted.

Led by the administrator, she entered the toddler class, where the children were playing a game under the teacher’s guidance.

Qiao An was shy by nature and didn’t know his classmates very well yet. He wasn’t playing with the group—instead, he sat alone by the door, neither joining in nor causing trouble.

His small hands rested on his thighs, and he sat up perfectly straight. The black cotton jacket he wore, patched in places and faded from wear, made him stand out awkwardly among the other kids.

A little girl tried talking to him, but the boy didn’t respond, silently immersed in his own world.

“An’an.”

At the sound of that familiar voice, the little guy lifted his head. The moment he saw who it was, he bolted toward the door like the wind.

“Mom!”