1 01. Death, life, death...

"I'm sorry my child. Soon I will join your mother. You will stay on your own. I can't even give you advice as I don't know what to tell you. Since your accident, you changed greatly. You became serious and that is good. Listen. Go to your aunt. She promised to buy you a piece of land in the nearby village. You know she can't take care of you either, so don't hold grudges against her." He took her hand and realized it became rough.

A few months ago she went to buy medicine for him with some of their money and had an accident. Since then she changed from a whiny girl that complained all the time about her situation, into a calm child that did odd jobs to survive and support him. He had a hunch that change might have done great damage, but he would never think about another possibility.

"Xiao Mei, my dear child, since your brother got sick and died, we did all we could to live properly. We didn't know mother will get sick, then die and now even I would come to this. I fear something is wrong with this place. Ask the landlord to give you leftover money back. With that, you can pay burial and some seeds. It's springtime so you can live properly if you work hard. Our family was always filled with scholars. As scholars, we work for people." He started coughing and blood started gushing out his mouth.

"Father, stop overthinking. I learned by now how to live properly. Soon I will go and test for the first degree of the scholar. You do know the Emperor made a decree that even women can apply. Just live a bit longer, please." Tears trickled down her pale face and out her brown eyes sadness could be seen.

He wished his lips with the cloth she gave him and took her hand again. "No child. Let me rest. I will be just a burden. Promise me that you will do best to live properly. I don't ask you to become someone grand. No, I beg you not to. Nobles, royals and similar are just burdensome fellows. Will you get married or just adopt children, I do not care. I just want you to breathe properly and live happily."

Since her childhood, he knew she won't have been able to have her own children. So she was already thinking about adopting a couple of children and raise them.

Lee Mei Li nodded. "I understand. Father, going to cook soup, wait for me."

She went into the kitchen as her eyes again clouded and remembered that day. She rushed to the school and a drunken man lost control over his car and hit directly at the whole group of people that were waiting for the bus.

Among them, she was badly hurt and died in the hospital due her injuries.

In her past life, she lived a normal life. Father died when she was a baby and her mother raised her and her older brother on their own. They had a normal life. No problems or strange happenings. She had rather good notes in school and had a good relationship with her big brother and loved her quirky mother.

Before death, she heard the doctor saying that if she survives she might become complete waste and her mother and brother would have to take care of her for the rest of her life. How could she do that? With last strength, she turned off her own life-supporting machine and slowly slipped into darkness.

Doctors heard the alarm and even the camera shows that she did it herself, but anger in the mother's heart made from a happy woman to become sick and almost to die. She came into her dream and told her that she is at least free, not captured into a broken body. It was dreadful prison and she escaped.

"Mom, one day I will reincarnate and live properly. Gods will give me chance, don't worry. Love you mom. Now go and get healthy. Big brother needs you as well. Give him a hug from me. And tell him I bought him something for the wedding. It's in a big red box under my bed. Mom, let me go. It's time I rest." The same words echoed in her head and she dropped the bowl she had in her hands.

With bad premonition, she came into the bedroom and saw Lee Delun lying with a calm expression and closed eyes. With shaky legs, she touched his hand and started crying. His heartbeats stopped and even tho his body was still a bit warm, initial stiffness started appearing.

All she could do is to act fast and try at least reviving him. But no matter how much she tried CPR nothing helped and slowly under her hands the body started getting colder and colder.

That moment she realized. He was gone. Death, life, death. Everything had its own way...