Chapter 2: A New Body, A Fated Quest

Hao Yang observed her surroundings. The minivan appeared to be in a suburban area.

She knew that if she remained here tonight, she would inevitably repeat the little girl’s tragic end.

Rummaging through the minivan, she discovered a tattered, old schoolbag. Inside, she found several elementary school textbooks and some food.

She didn’t believe this was all there was. Continuing her search, she located a crumpled sum of over thirty yuan hidden in a discreet compartment.

Tucked alongside the money was a photograph. The picture had yellowed with age, bearing a distinct vintage feel.

It depicted a woman, and the instant Hao Yang saw it, a memory fragment suddenly flashed through her mind.

This was the photograph the little girl’s grandfather had given her just days before his death.

****

Inside a dilapidated, humble room, an extremely frail old man lay on a dark wooden bed.

A little girl sat beside him. Suddenly, the old man produced a photograph and began to speak.

“Daughter, the person in this picture is your mother. Go find her.”

“If you do, you’ll be able to eat your fill every meal, go to school with other children, and live in a big house, just like them.”

The grandfather, lying in bed, broke down emotionally at this point. Tears welled in his eyes at first, but the more he spoke, the less he could hold them back.

“Daughter, it’s all Grandpa’s fault for being useless, for not giving you a good life!”

“It’s all my fault for being so worthless! Why is your grandpa such a good-for-nothing?!”

The grandfather cried out to the sky, tears streaming down his face. Beside him, the little girl, seeing her grandpa weep, began to cry along with him.

Though Hao Yang had gained these memories, she hadn’t fully processed them yet. She only had a rough understanding of the girl’s basic circumstances, realizing this particular memory had been triggered by the photograph.

The woman in the photograph was young and beautiful, dressed in clothes that had been quite fashionable years ago.

She leaned against a stone railing, with a prominent building visible behind her. Hao Yang recognized this structure: the Oriental Pearl Radio & TV Tower, a landmark of Chaohai.

Hao Yang gazed at the photograph for a long time. Finally, she tucked the money back into the schoolbag’s hidden compartment.

She then continued searching the minivan. She found a woven plastic bag filled with scrap materials, but nothing else.

Near the minivan, a blue children’s bicycle stood, still fitted with training wheels.

In the memories Hao Yang had acquired, this bicycle seemed to have originally belonged to the little girl.

She tied the bag of scrap materials to the bicycle’s rear seat with a strap. Then, she slowly pedaled the bicycle toward the small town ahead.

She felt utterly bewildered. Why was she now in a little girl’s body?

What had happened to her original body? Was it unmoving, like a person in a vegetative state? Her parents must be incredibly worried.

Suddenly, a voice echoed in Hao Yang’s mind. It was a sweet, warm, childlike voice.

‘I want to find my mommy.’

Hao Yang’s body instantly stiffened at the sound of the voice. She found herself unable to refuse the request.

She spoke aloud.

“I’ll help you find your mommy.” Hao Yang replied with her own consciousness, and the voice that emerged was distinctly male.

“Thank you, Big Brother. I’m giving this body to you.” With that, the voice vanished completely.

“You…” Hao Yang’s voice had become soft and childlike.

The entire conversation had taken place within her mind.

‘Was that voice the original owner of this body?’

Hao Yang touched her head. She couldn’t comprehend what was happening today. First, she had inexplicably transmigrated into a little girl’s body, and then she had agreed to a truly troublesome request.

Though the request was undeniably troublesome, for some reason, she felt an inexplicable desire to fulfill it. She would see it through, no matter how difficult.

Suddenly, more memories flooded Hao Yang’s mind. The influx caused such a searing headache that she clutched her head for a long while.

The little girl’s name was Tang Xiao, and her grandfather was Tang Shan. The two had relied solely on each other since childhood, scraping by through collecting scrap.

As her grandfather aged, his health steadily declined. His daily routine of collecting scrap from dawn till dusk led him to contract severe tuberculosis.

The illness was neglected for too long, eventually developing into cancer. His body was utterly ravaged by the disease, and he ultimately passed away in his bed.

She remembered the little girl falling asleep on a stool, leaning against the edge of the bed. When she awoke, she found her grandfather’s body beside her, cold and unresponsive. No amount of calling could rouse him.

The little girl ran into the street, screaming.

“Help! My grandpa’s dying, help!” She cried uncontrollably as she shrieked.

Passersby merely glanced at her before walking away. Not a single person offered assistance.

Two small children even burst into laughter, amused by the little girl’s distraught state.

Finally, an old woman, pitying her cries, called 120. The ambulance arrived, and Tang Shan was pronounced dead at the scene.

His body was lifted into the vehicle, and the little girl climbed in too. She sat there, gently touching her grandfather’s cold body, her tears flowing endlessly.

The body was transported to the morgue. The little girl tried to force open the morgue door, desperate to take her grandfather away.

Eventually, the hospital administrator, left with no other choice, called 110 and handed her over to the police.

The local police, finding her a nuisance, transferred her to the local orphanage. The orphanage refused to accept her because she had no identification and was unregistered.

So, the orphanage sent her back to the police station. From there, she managed to sneak away, determined to find her grandfather.

The little girl couldn’t find her way back to the hospital. Alone, she began collecting scrap to survive.

Eventually, her dilapidated little hut was suddenly locked, a small padlock securing the door.

The little girl desperately hammered on the door. She couldn’t understand why the world was treating her this way.

Finally, she found a brick at a construction site and managed to break open the lock. She gathered a few of her clothes, took all her money, and clutched the photograph that represented her hope.

Mounting the broken bicycle her grandfather had found for her, she embarked on a journey to find her mother. Tragically, she froze to death after only just leaving the county town and enduring a single night.