The Bad Girl's Quick Transmigration System: Traveling Back and Forth

The smoke from the chimneys of Qingyufang is the most persistent signal on this land. Spring, summer, fall, or winter, rain or shine, cold or hot, as the golden glow of sunset begins to cast a warm outline over the distant mountains, wisps and plumes of white smoke, carrying the aroma of food, slowly rise from the chimneys of each household, lingering and curling in the air before finally blending into the gradually darkening sky. Like gentle hands, they beckon the farmers to return home, and like silent sighs, they speak of the tranquility and serenity of this village day after day.

The crops in the fields continue to follow the rhythm of nature, growing freely under the nourishment of the soil and bathed in sunshine and rain. In spring, there are emerald green rice seedlings, in summer, there are rolling waves of wheat, in autumn, there are plump ears of grain, and in winter, there is a blanket of white snow. This land is never stingy with its gifts, nurturing generations of Qingyufang residents and bearing witness to the changes and stories of the village.

However, beneath this tranquility and peace, there is always a faint, lingering layer of longing. This longing, like smoke from a cooking stove, is silent and yet omnipresent, permeating every inch of Qingyufang, every corner, and the hearts of every villager.

This yearning stems from a morning several years ago. A valiant squad of female soldiers, like a refreshing breeze, suddenly arrived in this quiet mountain village. They were neatly dressed in uniform, carrying backpacks, and their faces were filled with youthful vigor and determination. They were here to carry out their mission: assisting local land reform propaganda, organizing women's education, helping villagers learn to read, and occasionally picking up hoes to experience the hard work of farming on the ridges of the fields.

The leader was a girl named Lin Wei, about fourteen or fifteen years old, with two black pigtails. Her eyes were as clear and bright as a mountain spring, and her voice was crisp, exuding an undeniable sense of competence. The female soldiers under her command were all excellent. The cheerful Xiaoyan always managed to make everyone laugh; the calm Yuehua, with her attentive mind, always noticed the villagers' difficulties; and the youngest, Xiaomei, with her childish face, possessed a courage beyond her years...

They stayed in Qingyufang for quite some time. Their presence could be seen in the village's threshing grounds, along the edge of the fields, and in the dim candlelight of the girls' school. They taught the girls to read and write, sang women's military songs, and told them that women could participate in the imperial examinations and become nobles and generals. They told the children stories, stories of their conquests and the wonders of the outside world. They lived and ate with the villagers, like a family.

Aunt Liu still remembers the first time Lin Wei came to her house to borrow water. The child, standing at the gate, asked generously but a little shyly: "Auntie, can I have a bowl of water?" Aunt Liu quickly let them in and scooped a large bucket of cool well water. Lin Wei drank it all in a gulp, wiped her mouth, and said with a smile: "Auntie, your water is so sweet!" It was that smile that illuminated Aunt Liu's heart like a ray of light. Later, Lin Wei and her friends often went to Aunt Liu's house, sometimes to give her some propaganda posters, sometimes to help fetch water and chop firewood, and sometimes, just to listen to Aunt Liu's stories about the past. Aunt Liu has no daughters, and when she looks at Lin Wei and her friends, she feels like she is looking at her own daughters, and she loves them from the bottom of her heart.

The children in the village even regarded them as idols. Little Stone was the one who was most attached to Lin Wei. His parents died early, so he lived with his grandmother and was usually taciturn. After Lin Wei and the others came, Little Stone seemed to have changed into a different person, following them around every day, calling them "Sister Lin" and "Sister Xiaoyan" non-stop. Seeing that he liked to wield swords and guns, Lin Wei used hardwood from the mountains to carve a small and exquisite wooden dagger for him, and carved a crooked five-pointed star on it. Little Stone treated this wooden dagger as a treasure and would even sleep with it in his arms. He said that when he grew up, he wanted to be like Sister Lin, join the army, carry a real gun, and fight bad guys.

During that time, Qingyufang was filled with unprecedented vitality and vigor thanks to the arrival of these female soldiers. The villagers smiled more and their hearts brightened. They felt that their lives had a purpose and the future was filled with hope.

However, all good things must come to an end. Mission accomplished, the female soldiers eventually had to leave.

The day we left was also dusk. The setting sun dyed the sky a brilliant crimson, like a sea of ​​fire. The entire village gathered at the old locust tree at the village entrance to see us off. The female soldiers wore neat uniforms and carried backpacks, just as they had when they arrived. However, there was a hint of reluctance in their eyes.

"Mr. Lin, when you arrive at the military camp, remember to write to me!" Aunt Liu held Lin Wei's hand, her eyes red, and she was reluctant to let go.

"Don't worry, Auntie, we will definitely write a letter!" Lin Wei's voice was a little choked. She hugged Auntie Liu tightly, "Please take care of yourself!"

Xiaoyan and Yuehua also said goodbye to the aunts they knew, while Xiaomei was surrounded by several children, reluctant to leave.

Little Stone, clutching the small wooden dagger, stood at the front of the crowd, looking up at his sister Lin. Lin Wei squatted down, touched his head, and whispered, "Little Stone, study hard and take good care of grandma. When your sisters come back, they'll check your homework and see if you've grown taller and become stronger."

Little Stone nodded vigorously, tears welling up in his eyes, but he stubbornly refused to let them fall. He held the small wooden dagger in front of Lin Wei and said, "Sister Lin, this... is for you. It will protect you!"

Lin Wei was stunned for a moment, then smiled and shook her head: "Silly child, this is a gift from your sister, you must keep it well. When you grow up, use it to protect Qingyufang and protect people like your sister, okay?"

"Yeah!" Little Stone responded heavily.

"Let's go!" Lin Wei stood up, wiped the moisture from the corners of her eyes, and gave the order.

The female soldiers lined up neatly, turned around, and walked with determined steps along the winding path at the entrance of the village, heading towards the sunset. From time to time, they looked back, smiled, and waved.

"goodbye--!"

"Sister Lin, goodbye!"

"Be careful on the road—!"

The villagers' voices echoed at the village entrance for a long time. Little Stone watched until Lin Wei and the others' figures became a few small black dots and finally disappeared at the end of the road. The small wooden dagger in his hand seemed to sense its owner's loss and became a little heavy.

Since then, Qingyufang has returned to its former tranquility, but something has quietly changed. The villagers' hearts have been partly taken away by those young female soldiers. They have become accustomed to waiting, waiting for letters from afar, waiting for the promised "come back to visit."

Seven or eight days passed. Every evening, as the setting sun once again painted the sky crimson, a group would gather beneath the old locust tree. There were elderly men with gray hair, women clutching children, and children growing up like small stones. They all gazed into the distance, at the path leading to the outside world, silently hoping, hoping, for the heroic squad of female soldiers to appear there again.

Little Shitou would help his grandmother with farm work and care for the elderly in the village. He still carried the small wooden dagger Lin Wei had given him, polished to a gleaming shine. But in his hands, the dagger seemed to grow heavier. It carried more than just a child's simple longing; it carried the weight of a neighborhood's unwavering remembrance and hope for these heroic sons and daughters.

Aunt Liu is now over sixty years old and still in good health, though her eyesight isn't as sharp as it once was, and her hearing is a little impaired. Her daily routine remains revolving around her small courtyard, feeding chickens, growing vegetables, and cooking. But no matter how busy she is, at dusk, she always leans on her cane and slowly makes her way to the old locust tree at the village entrance to gaze out at the trees with everyone else.

This day was no different from any other. Smoke from cooking fires still curled upwards, and crops continued to thrive in the fields. As usual, the setting sun generously cast its final rays across the earth, painting the sky a brilliant orange-red. Leaning on her cane, Aunt Liu slowly walked to the old locust tree and found a stone stool to sit on.

"Auntie Liu, you're here?" A woman sewing shoe soles next to her greeted her.

"Well, come and take a look." Aunt Liu squinted her eyes and looked into the distance. In her cloudy eyes, the backs of Lin Wei and the others when they left that year seemed to appear again.

Just then, a commotion at the street corner broke the evening's tranquility. Erzhu, the son of Aunt Liu, who worked as a postman at the post station sent by the county government, stumbled back and rushed into Aunt Liu's courtyard.

"Erzhu, why are you back? You look so flustered. What happened?"

"Yes, Erzhu, look at your expression..." said an aunt who was sewing clothes with Aunt Liu.

Erzhu frowned, waved his hands, and said in a tearful voice, "Mother, guess what I saw today at the gate of the Black Wind Demon gang's lair?"

His voice was low, but it carried a weight that was impossible to ignore. The noisy atmosphere beneath the old locust tree suddenly quieted, and all eyes were focused on Erzhu's face. An ominous premonition, like a cold vine, quietly crept into everyone's heart.

Aunt Liu's heart sank suddenly. She subconsciously clenched the crutch in her hand, and her knuckles turned white from the force.

Erzhu calmed himself down, cleared his throat, and seemed to be weighing his words. He glanced around at the neighbors gathered around him. Those familiar faces now wore expressions of confusion, nervousness, and anticipation. He took a deep breath and spoke with difficulty, "Fellow villagers... I have some news... I need to share with you... It might... it might be a little hard to accept..."

He paused, as if every word weighed a thousand pounds.

"It's about... about the female soldiers from Lin Wei's group who used to live in our Qingyufang..."

"Miss Lin and the others?" Aunt Liu's heart suddenly rose to her throat. She leaned forward anxiously, "Erzhu, what happened to them? Are they coming back? Or...or did they write a letter?"

Everyone around held their breath, anticipating Secretary Wang's next words. Little Shitou was among the crowd. When he heard the words "Lin Wei Team," his heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously touched the polished little wooden dagger at his waist.

Erzhu's expression became even more solemn. He avoided Aunt Liu's eager gaze, moved his lips a few times, and then said in a voice that was almost forced out:

"Lin Wei... and the female soldiers she led... were all hung on the village gate by the 'Black Wind Demon'... Each one of them was naked..."

"boom!"

It was like a bolt from the blue, exploding under the old locust tree!

The crowd instantly fell silent, everyone stunned, their expressions frozen. Bandit suppression? Ambush? These words sounded distant and cruel to the villagers who lived their peaceful lives.

"Erzhu...you...what did you say?" Aunt Liu's voice trembled. She couldn't believe her ears. "I didn't hear clearly...Say it again..."

Erzhu's eyes were red. He gritted his teeth and spoke with uncontrollable sadness, "They...they were ambushed while trying to wipe out the 'Black Wind Demon' gang...and engaged in a desperate battle with the enemy...In the end...in the end...all of them...died in death..."

The three words "martyrdom" were like three cold awls, piercing into the hearts of every villager in Qingyufang!

"No...impossible..." Aunt Liu muttered to herself, her face turned pale as paper in an instant, her body swayed, and she almost fell off the stone pier. Fortunately, the woman next to her supported her in time.

"How could...how could she die a martyr...Lin girl is such a good child..."

"Xiaoyan... Yuehua... Xiaomei... They are all still so young..."

"Oh my God... this can't be true..."

After a brief moment of dead silence, there were uncontrollable sobs and cries. The women covered their mouths with handkerchiefs, tears silently falling; the men clenched their fists, their eyes red, their lips pressed into a painful line. Little Stone stood there blankly, his face pale, his big eyes filled with confusion and fear. The small wooden dagger at his waist seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, almost choking him. That couldn't be true. Sister Lin said she would come back to see him, to check his homework, to see if he had grown taller...

Tears fell from Aunt Liu's cloudy eyes like beads from a broken string. She remembered Lin Wei's smile when she first came to her house to ask for water. She remembered the sweat dripping from her face as she helped her chop wood. She remembered Lin Wei's embrace at parting, saying, "Auntie, take care of yourself." Those vivid memories now became the sharpest knives, slicing through her heart. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but only a sob came out, like a wounded old animal, despairing and sorrowful.

Erzhu was heartbroken watching the scene. He was silent for a moment before speaking again, "They're still hanging on the gate of the Black Wind Demon's camp... every one of them is naked... but there's no one guarding them right now... They're just... about two miles from our neighborhood... If you want to check them out... we can sneak over there after dark... After all, they've helped Qingyufang so much... we should... give them a send-off!"

"See you off..." Aunt Liu suddenly raised her head, a glint of determination flashing in her cloudy eyes. She struggled to stand up, clutching her crutches, her voice hoarse but remarkably firm: "I'm going... I'm going to see Miss Lin... to see my Miss Lin..."

"I'm going too!"

"Erzhu, let us go!"

"I'm going to see my sister Xiaoyan off..."

The villagers responded one after another, and amidst their sorrow, a strong desire surged. They wanted to see those children one last time, those heroic sons and daughters who had brought them light and hope.