After dinner, Hailee helped Mother Li clean up the dishes, then used the excuse that it was too stuffy inside and she wanted to cool off, to step out of the house.
Mother Li didn't question her excuse.
It was now July, the hottest time of the year. The land in the Spring Plowing Brigade was poor, and life was tough. Not to mention electric fans, even homes with electric lights were rare. What could people do when it was too hot to sleep indoors?
At this time, everyone would go outside, find a cool spot to chat, wait until their bodies cooled down a bit, then go back inside to sleep.
Mother Li said, "Hailee, your health... do you want me to go with you?"
Thinking of all the gossip in the village, Mother Li felt worried. Her daughter hadn't inherited her fierce temper at all. Instead, she had a soft, gentle nature. If she went out alone and ran into those gossipy women...
She was afraid her daughter would end up crying from what they said.
Hailee rejected the offer without thinking, "Mom, I'm just going to Tana's house for a bit. I'll be back soon."
Tana was a younger cousin from her grandfather's side of the family. They were around the same age and had grown up playing together.
But that was only what the original Hailee thought.
Hailee, looking from an outsider's view, could see clearly. Tana was fake and two-faced. If she hadn't kept talking in Hailee's ear about how great Mike was, saying only someone like him was worthy of Hailee, she wouldn't have become interested in Mike at all.
Later, when Hailee noticed Mike getting close to Yara, even though it broke her heart, she was ready to let go. But then Tana said things like Hailee had given so much, it would be a waste to give up now. She told her to compete with Yara.
She also said Mike liked Hailee, and that it was Yara who kept bothering him. That Hailee should show her true place so Yara would back off.
It was because of her words that the original Hailee went to confront Yara, only to be humiliated and ended up jumping into the river.
The original Hailee didn't see it, but after going through her memories, Hailee knew the truth clearly. Tana had said those things on purpose.
She was jealous of Hailee.
They were both girls from the Su family. Why did Hailee get everything she wanted, even the chance to go to school and learn to read, while Tana had to work from the time she could walk?
Hailee was pretty and could openly chase whoever she liked. Tana couldn't. She had to hide her feelings and admire from afar.
Yes, Tana liked Mike.
Hailee found this out while going through the original memories. Many times, when the original went to see Mike, Tana would find some excuse to tag along. The original Hailee was too shy to notice, but Tana's gaze toward Mike was unusual.
The original saw Tana as a true sister. She shared everything with her, even food. So now that her body had recovered, it made sense for her to want to talk with Tana. That fit the original personality.
Sure enough, when she said she was going to find Tana, Mother Li didn't doubt her. She only said, "So you're going to see Tana. She asked about you during work today. Heard you woke up, said she'd visit tonight."
"That's perfect. I'll go find her instead, so she doesn't have to make the trip. You know how my second aunt is. If she hears Tana's been running around, she'll probably yell at her again."
Tana's mother favored sons over daughters. She often said things like "a girl should work hard at her parents' house so she won't be disliked after marriage," and treated Tana like a workhorse.
Hailee had to get up before dawn every day to cook for her family. After breakfast, she followed them to work in the fields. When they returned, she continued cooking, working, and doing laundry. She had to finish all the chores before she could rest. If she missed even a single task and her mother found out, she would be scolded and beaten.
The original Hailee had a good relationship with Tana and knew that her life was hard. She had even secretly helped her wash clothes.
Keep in mind, Hailee rarely helped with laundry at her own home. It wasn't because she was lazy or unfilial, but because her family didn't allow her to.
Since she had used Tana as an excuse, Hailee left her house and headed toward Tana's place. Having memories in her head was one thing, experiencing everything in person was another.
Hailee planned to use this chance to walk around the village and get familiar with the memories.
As soon as she reached Tana's front door, she heard loud scolding from inside. The voice was very familiar to her. It was Tana's biological mother, her aunt.
Normally, she would've knocked right away out of concern for Tana. But today, she only paused for a moment at the door, then turned and walked away.
Hailee wore an old, worn-out wristwatch. It had been given to her grandfather, Grandpa Su, as a reward when he retired from the military. Later, he passed it to her older brother. When her brother left to join the army, he left the watch at home. When Hailee was accepted into high school, he gave it to her as a reward.
Even though the watch was outdated and shabby, many people still admired it. In her memory, Tana had mentioned more than once that she wanted to wear that watch. Even though the original Hailee had such a good relationship with her, she couldn't bring herself to give it up.
The public elementary school in summer let out at 6:30 in the evening. After grading papers and preparing for the next day, Mike usually left around 7:00. He didn't have a bicycle. Walking from the commune to the Spring Plow brigade took about an hour.
It was exactly 8:15 now. If Hailee went to the threshing ground to wait, the timing would be perfect.
The threshing ground was behind the village to the east. There weren't many houses around that area. Hailee purposely avoided people on her way there, so no one saw her.
Her hearing was sharp. Just as she got close to the threshing ground and was about to hide behind a haystack, she heard a familiar voice.
"Callan, we've been waiting forever. Did Mike already leave?"
It was summer, the peak season for mosquitoes and flies. The threshing ground was not a pleasant place to be, and Cohen's face was already covered with bites from waiting so long.
Hailee carefully moved toward the sound. Under the moonlight, she saw two crouching figures behind a haystack.
Cohen was tall and broad. Squatting there, he looked like a big, clumsy bear.
The guy beside him wasn't any better. On such a hot day, the two were huddled close to avoid being seen.
Callan lowered his voice. "Don't worry. I checked everything. That bastard is good at pretending, but he's always the last to leave. He hasn't gone home yet, I'm sure."
Callan had made a lot of preparations for this moment. He even had someone follow Mike to confirm his dismissal time and route.
He never did anything without purpose. To make sure they could catch Mike, he even confirmed the time with Hailee before leaving.
"According to the plan, he should show up any minute now. Don't talk, Cohen. If he hears us, it's over."
Cohen's voice was naturally loud, and Callan didn't want any trouble tonight.