Reborn in 1993, Dark Sea

An Zhenhua paused here, a look of fear flashing in his eyes.

Outside the window, the sun had begun to set, casting a warm glow over the earth, but large patches of dark clouds could be seen gathering in the sky.

The weather in the mountains really can change in an instant.

After an unknown amount of time, An Zhenhua's voice rang out again, this time carrying an inexplicably gloomy tone:

"In 1971, our whole family was sent to Apojiao for labor reform."

Back then, Apo Cape was all mountains and sea, and apart from us, there were almost no outsiders.

When we were first dumped there, there was nothing there. The people who brought us here just threw us three raincoats, two straw hats, and two tattered straw mats.

Fortunately, the villagers of Apojiao are kind and simple.

They didn't mistreat us. The old village chief even put us in a dilapidated little wooden house by the sea, a house that fishermen used to temporarily store things when they went out to sea.

But we are already very satisfied. At least here, we don't get beaten, we don't get dragged out of our sleep and paraded through the streets. We also have a roof to shelter us from the wind and rain. It's already perfect.

The next day, the old village chief brought us a fishing net and half a salted fish.

That night, our whole family gathered around a broken pot and enjoyed a delicious meal of wild vegetables stewed with salted fish. The taste was so wonderful that I still remember it clearly to this day – the incredibly fresh and delicious flavor!

And so we settled down in Apojiao Village. Although life was still very difficult, Yujiao and I were very content.

Although the villagers of Apo Cape wouldn't make things difficult for us, they didn't dare get too close to us either. Some people had repeatedly warned them that our whole family were sinners, a group of stubborn and incorrigible reactionaries.

Therefore, the villagers of Apojiao Village will avoid dealing with us if possible.

There is only one exception: your mother, Chen Shuifen.

Shuifen was so kind. She couldn't bear to see anyone suffer or go hungry, so she would often secretly give us some food and daily necessities.

Shuifen, what a kind and innocent girl! She had no idea that she was about to provoke two very different kinds of people.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before those two beasts discovered Shuifen's kindness, and as if they had made a pact, they both began to pursue her madly.

Although those two beasts were still labeled as members of a reactionary family, their appearance was extremely deceptive. In addition, no matter how hard life was, I always forced them to read and write, which made them stand out among the young men who were born and raised in the old lady's corner.

Before long, they became one of the young people in the village. With their deliberate flattery, people even began to forget their identity. It was from that time that our whole family slowly and truly integrated into Apojiao Village.

Shuifen couldn't resist; she developed feelings for both of those beasts.

It's not Shuifen's fault. Those two beasts are twins. They look so alike that if they didn't speak and deliberately tried to hide it, Yujiao and I would have a hard time telling them apart.

I think that for a long time, Shuifen couldn't tell the difference between the two of them. She probably didn't even know which one she loved.

In the end, however, Shuifen chose her brother An Zheran.

These two beasts knew very well that winning Shuifen's heart wasn't difficult, but actually marrying her was extremely difficult. Shuifen's parents, your maternal grandparents, would never agree.

In order to get their hands on Shuifen, these two beasts decided to make it a fait accompli. They found an opportunity to get Shuifen drunk, and the older brother, An Zheran, took advantage of her, ruining her reputation.

Shuifen's parents, your maternal grandparents, were honest, simple fishermen. When they learned what had happened, they were terrified and at a loss. In the end, they had no choice but to agree to let Chen Shuifen marry your brother, marry that coward!

An Zhenhua paused here, his teeth clenched, his eyes burning with simmering anger.

An Xiaohai remained silent. He knew that the story of these two brothers was far more complex than it seemed, otherwise his grandfather would not have needed to hide it so much.

After an unknown amount of time, when only the last rays of the setting sun remained outside the window, An Zhenhua continued his story:

Soon, things started to go wrong.

At her brother's wedding to Shuifen, the two beasts had a huge fight in front of all the guests, and the reason they gave was because of Shuifen.

But I know that's not the reason at all. I know those two beasts too well. Even when they were fighting, their eyes were clear, and there was not a trace of anger in them.

I didn't know what they were up to, and with so many guests in front of me, I couldn't just expose them directly. So, together with the old village chief, I forcibly pulled them apart.

Overwhelmed with shame and indignation, his younger brother, An Zhehao, slammed the door and left, never to return.

I know that my brother hasn't gone far. Our whole family is undergoing labor reform, so he couldn't possibly go far. Otherwise, it would be considered fleeing from justice, and he would only receive a more severe punishment.

My younger brother built a thatched hut not far from the village entrance and has lived there alone ever since.

Not long after, Shuifen became pregnant, and I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

A father is strong, a mother is resilient. I eagerly await the birth of this little life, hoping that its arrival will change Zheran, this coward.

The atmosphere at home began to improve day by day, and even Yu Jiao, who hadn't smiled in a long time, slowly started to smile again.

We are all looking forward to the arrival of this little life, and we also hope that life will eventually get back on track.

But as expected, the unexpected still happened.

In 1973, the national college entrance examination was reinstated.

When Shuifen was two months pregnant, her younger brother, who had been hiding outside, actually came back and told me that he had gotten a letter of introduction for taking the college entrance exam.

At that moment, I was completely stunned. How did he manage to get this letter of introduction given our family situation?

I've thought about it for a long time, and I still can't figure out how he got the letter of introduction.

However, I didn't say much. After all, he is my son, and I'm happy that he can go to university and learn.

I even fantasized that perhaps university life could gradually restore this psychologically twisted wolf to its kind nature.

At the same time, I was also hoping that my younger brother would go to university, those two beasts would be separated, and Shuifen was so innocent and kind. Maybe with time, my older brother and that coward would become normal again.

So I didn't say anything, and didn't even mention it to Yu Jiao.

To my surprise, a month later, my younger brother actually got into university.

Honestly, I was very happy, and I carefully told Yu Jiao the news. Although Yu Jiao was also shocked, as a mother, she was equally happy.

Even if she has to be separated from her son by thousands of miles in the future, as long as her son can live a happier life than he does now, she will be happy!

So, on the day my younger brother embarked on his studies, our whole family secretly went to see him off, and Shuifen went too.

We didn't mention this to anyone. We didn't even tell anyone that the bastard got into university, for fear of affecting his future. Outsiders only found out about it much later.

However, things started to get increasingly strange.

After his younger brother left, the older brother, who stayed at home, suddenly seemed like a different person. He went out early and returned late every day, became taciturn, and would often find excuses to stay in the production team instead of going home.

Soon, Shuifen was the first to notice something was wrong. The brother who stayed at home was actually not the brother, but the younger brother, An Zhehao, that vicious jackal!

The one who went to university in another city was the older brother, An Zheran, that complete coward!

Shuifen secretly told me about this discovery, and I was so frightened that I broke out in a cold sweat. I immediately took Shuifen and cornered the jackal at the village entrance.

Originally, I thought this jackal would deny it and try to make excuses, but he readily admitted it. He told us that the one who really wanted to go to university and leave this godforsaken place was his brother, that coward.

Upon learning that the national college entrance examination had been reinstated, that coward immediately regretted it. He regretted getting married and having children there. He wanted to go to university and start a completely new life!

The younger brother, that jackal, in order to fulfill his older brother's wish, managed to obtain a letter of recommendation and successfully got into university. Then, he gave up this opportunity to go to university to his older brother, to that coward.

That's utter nonsense!

Xiao Hai, do you know how shocked I was? Do you know how heartbroken and desperate Shui Fen was?!

The jackal begged us not to tell anyone, saying that if it got out, our family would be doomed once again.

This is truly a catastrophe!

I'm really scared. After such a long period of torment, life has finally gotten a little better, and I'm really afraid of going back to those days.

Coward, I'm a coward too!

That fierce and cunning jackal, An Zhehao, knew I wouldn't stand up and expose them, so he focused all his attention on Shuifen.

He begged Shuifen not to make a fuss, saying he would pretend to be her brother and stay by her side until her brother finished university, after which they would switch identities back.

Then the family will be reunited, and the older brother will have fulfilled his life's dream.

Shuifen was so kind; her heart was so tender. She didn't want to ruin the family, and she didn't want the child in her womb to be born without a father.

Shuifen agreed, she agreed to the jackal's promise, she agreed to the promise to these two beasts, and she would keep it a secret for them!

I was completely at a loss. These two beasts were my own flesh and blood! What could I do? I could only help them cover it up.

Fortunately, at that time, Yu Jiao was already somewhat delirious due to the immense pressure she had been under for so long, and she didn't seem to realize that her brother and younger brother had switched identities.

Perhaps she discovered it, but like me, she chose to remain silent.

Sigh... How could any mother in this world not care about her child?

Life seemed to have returned to normal, but I felt like I was walking on thin ice every single day!

During that period, my younger brother became very restrained and extremely well-behaved. He took the initiative to do all the chores, but he became increasingly silent and taciturn.

He was probably worried that others would discover the truth.

As Shuifen's belly grew bigger day by day, and the arrival of the little life drew ever closer, the whole family became busy again. In the midst of all this busyness, I gradually forgot the fear in my heart.

Sometimes, watching my younger brother take such good care of Shuifen, I feel a little dazed, and a terrible thought even pops into my head: if life could continue like this forever, it wouldn't be so bad.

But I was wrong, terribly wrong!

Soon, the jackal revealed its true colors, showing me the ugliest and most terrifying scene in the world!