Chapter 2

Who's hitting my butt!

Wu Tian was half-asleep, suddenly feeling his buttocks slapped twice, and vaguely hearing his mother's voice say, "Xiao Tian, wake up. Today is the 23rd of the 12th lunar month, it's the Little New Year. No sleeping in..."

Little New Year? That's not right, it's still two or three months before the New Year... Besides, didn't Mom go on a trip with Big Sister? How did she come back?

Wu Tian groggily turned over, opened his eyes, and was instantly stunned. He saw a woman in her thirties standing by the bed... Is this Mom? How did she suddenly become so young? And the furnishings in this room, isn't this the old house from when I was a kid? This old house was demolished when I was in first grade...

"Don't just stand there, get dressed quickly..."

The woman pulled back the warm blanket and started to dress Wu Tian in a set of children's long underwear and a cotton jacket.

Could it be that I've traveled through time? Reborn?

Wu Tian scratched his throbbing head. The scene of him suppressing his anger and downing a bottle of Wuliangye last night was vivid in his mind, making him break out in a cold sweat—could it be that I drank myself to death?

What a mess!

Wu Tian's mind was still reeling, and he let his mother, Chu Yumei, dress him like a wooden puppet. He took a quick look at his body and saw that he had small arms, small legs, small hands, and even a small penis—still undeveloped!

Oh, what a miserable situation, how old am I now?

"Are you dressed? Hurry up and eat, you're going to be late for work..." A man in his early thirties rubbed his hands and entered the room. Wu Tian's heart skipped a beat, a warm feeling spreading through his chest—this is Dad!

It had been several years since they last saw each other, and suddenly seeing his father, still young, Wu Tian was deeply moved... Rebirth, perhaps this is a chance for me to make up for the regrets of my past life!

"Almost done, you and Yuan Yuan can start serving the food..." Chu Yumei picked up Wu Tian from the bed, sat him on the edge, and put on a pair of handmade cotton shoes for him.

Dazed, Wu Tian was led out of the bedroom by his mother to the living room, where he saw a little girl around ten years old setting the table with bowls and chopsticks. It was Wu Tian's sister, Wu Yuan.

Seeing the young version of his sister, Wu Tian felt a wave of guilt and regret. In his previous life, he had been quite irresponsible, not working properly after graduating from school and just hanging around. When his father fell seriously ill and passed away, and his mother's health was poor, the burden of the family naturally fell on his sister's shoulders. She worked hard running a tutoring center and often helped him, the only male in the Wu family. Later, when he and Jia Liang started an advertising company, he still borrowed the capital from his sister. Although they made some money, it wasn't much, and he was always spending it, so the responsibility of taking care of his mother still fell on his sister...

Before Wu Tian could greet his sister, Chu Yumei had already wrung out a hot towel from the basin by the door and wiped Wu Tian's face, giving him a quick wash. On the other side, his father brought over the breakfast pot, serving each of them a bowl of corn porridge, a dish of pickled vegetables, and a dish of cold tofu. The steamed buns were half white flour and half corn flour. Wu Tian, who was used to eating fried dough sticks and spicy soup, found his appetite suddenly increased, and he quickly finished a bowl of corn porridge and half a steamed bun.

After breakfast, Wu Jianguo, who worked at the provincial newspaper, rode his bicycle to work first, as he couldn't be late. Chu Yumei, who worked at the city library, which was nearby, had a bit more time. She washed the dishes, reminded Wu Yuan to do her winter vacation homework, and told Wu Tian to stay at home and not to leave the yard, before going to work herself.

As soon as his parents left, Wu Tian immediately asked his sister, "Sis, where's the calendar?"

Reborn, he needed to figure out the time first, at least know what year it was and how old he was.

"We haven't bought a new calendar yet! Mom said we'll buy one in a couple of days, it'll be cheaper..." Wu Yuan said while setting up her winter vacation homework and stationery box.

Wu Tian couldn't help but feel depressed. It's already the 23rd of the 12th lunar month, and the New Year has already passed, but they haven't bought a calendar yet, waiting for the New Year's Eve discount? He asked again, "Sis, what year is it this year?"

Wu Yuan tilted her head and thought for a moment, then said, "The Year of the Dog, and the next year will be the Year of the Pig!"

Wu Tian couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed...

Hmm, the Year of the Dog, it should be 1982. I was born in 1976, so I should be six years old now, and I'll be seven after the New Year. What can I do at this age—six or seven years old?

The excitement of being reborn hadn't worn off, and the whole family had already left. His sister was focused on her homework, and Wu Tian felt quite depressed. Just as he was feeling down, a little kid came to the door. It was Wu Tian's lifelong best friend, Jia Liang, who had lived in the same courtyard since they were kids.

The brightest thing about Jia Liang wasn't his name, but the cuffs of his cotton jacket. This kid always had a runny nose, and he would wipe it with his cuffs, making them shiny over time. Thinking about how Jia Liang would become a successful businessman, always well-dressed, and how he would run an advertising company with him twenty years later, Wu Tian couldn't help but laugh at the sight of this little kid with a runny nose.

"Wu Tian, let's go play!" Jia Liang called out, wiping his nose with his cuff.

Wu Tian, who was bored, immediately jumped up, forgetting the rule about not leaving the courtyard.

The so-called courtyard was the family compound of the city library. The yard wasn't very big, with old tile-roofed houses, and about a dozen families lived there. Wu Tian's family lived in the east wing, with two rooms, one for the living room and one for the bedroom. There was a small shed outside the door for the kitchen. Almost every family had such a small kitchen, so there wasn't much space in the yard for children to play. They usually played in the alley at the entrance to the courtyard.

There weren't many entertainment options for children at that time. The biggest fun during the New Year was setting off firecrackers. As soon as they left the gate, they saw a few children setting off firecrackers, but these children weren't from the library compound; they were from the food factory compound on the same street.

Jia Liang watched them set off firecrackers with longing, sniffed, and asked Wu Tian, "Wu Tian, do you have any money?"

Although I'm almost forty, my physical age is now six. Besides, it's been over ten years since the city banned the use of fireworks, so I haven't set off firecrackers in a long time. Wu Tian, feeling a bit nostalgic, reached into his pocket and found some money—a one-cent coin!

What can you do with one cent?

The prices at that time were still quite low. One cent could buy something, like two small sugar lumps or one piece of candy. Firecrackers weren't expensive either; the cheapest were small ones, about as thick as a chopstick tip, twenty in a small string, and a box of ten strings cost only twenty cents!

But the problem is, I only have one cent!

A penny can stump a hero! Wu Tian felt embarrassed. Although he hadn't become a successful person in his previous life, he had at least escaped poverty, and without a family, he had no financial burden. He was used to spending money freely, but who would have thought that being reborn would make him poor again?