Lin Xia's New Life

As the first rays of dawn pierced through the layers of sky, they spilled softly over the tranquil little town. Gradually, life began to stir within its quiet streets.

At that moment, a dim light glimmered behind the curtains of an ordinary household. After about half an hour, the side door creaked open. Out stepped a girl of thirteen or fourteen, her hair tied into two pigtails.

She closed the door absentmindedly, her expression dazed, and wandered onto the street.

By now, the sun had climbed higher, and the number of pedestrians was steadily increasing. Lin Xia clutched a single yuan in her hand, walking aimlessly down the road, her eyes wide with astonishment at everything she saw.

The narrow asphalt road was lined with unevenly planted pine and cypress trees. It had rained recently—the road was mostly dry, but small puddles lingered in the rough patches of asphalt.

Lin Xia gazed at the familiar houses along the street, her mind struggling to comprehend. On either side were rows of single-story dwellings, with the occasional apartment building jutting awkwardly out, incongruous in the soft morning light.

She stared blankly at one of those old, absurd-looking buildings for a long moment before the truth dawned on her: she had been reborn.

How could this be?

Yesterday had been her twenty-eighth birthday. Yes, Lin Xia belonged to that most popular demographic—an unmarried woman approaching thirty, left behind by the tide of marriage. All her friends had already married and started families, yet she remained single, year aft