She understood what the original owner of this body had done in the past. Back then, to avoid marrying an old man, she had secretly run away in the middle of the night—a bold move indeed. But afterward, with nowhere to stay, she had begged along the way and nearly starved to death.
Fortunately, by a twist of fate, she had saved a man, who turned out to be a rather important figure. He took her to live in a grand mansion, and eventually, the two developed feelings for each other and had four sons.
But for some reason, the original owner always felt the man was dull and lacked charm, unable to speak sweet words. Taking advantage of his complete devotion to her, she became ungrateful. Influenced by the flattery of a pretty-faced scoundrel, she kept thinking of running away. After several failed attempts, she ended up venting all her resentment on her four sons, beating and scolding them relentlessly.
Half a year ago, the man suddenly disappeared, and she finally ran away with the money. Afraid of living alone without anyone to serve her, she brought her four sons along as servants and returned to her hometown, Qingshan Village.
That’s how the earlier events came about.
Logically, the money she brought should have been enough to support her and her sons for half a lifetime. But the original owner was used to extravagance, indulging in daily luxuries and wastefulness, and within less than half a year, she had spent it all.
Now, the family relied entirely on the eldest son’s earnings from working at a blacksmith’s shop in the city.
Unable to bear such a life of poverty, the original owner vented her frustrations by beating the children every day. Early this morning, she decided to go find the pretty-faced scoundrel herself, abandoning the four children. Unexpectedly, while crossing the mountain ridge, she slipped and fell off a cliff, meeting her end.
And then, this unlucky soul—herself—transmigrated here.
Thinking of this, Jiang Xia couldn’t help but sigh and said, “Uncle Wu, I was too willful in the past. Now that I’m the mother of four children, I won’t be willful anymore. I’ll live a good life from now on.”
Wu Ruixiang felt greatly comforted by Jiang Xia’s words. “Good, it’s good that you have this mindset. If you need any help, just come to me.”
Wu Ruixiang turned and left. Jiang Xia saw him off at the door, watching him leave before turning back into the courtyard.
The three children stood by the wall, their three pairs of big eyes round and alert, fixed on Jiang Xia.
Their gazes held hatred, fear, terror, and curiosity.
But there was no love.
This was hardly the way a son should look at his mother.
It was more like chicks looking at a hawk.
Jiang Xia opened her mouth to say something, but thinking of how the original owner had beaten and scolded these children, she felt deeply ashamed.
She walked over to the broken water vat in the courtyard, scooped out a few ladles of water into a basin, and looked at the three children. “Come here!”
The three children shuddered in unison, their eyes filled with terror as they stared at Jiang Xia.
Was it finally time for a beating? All three were both afraid and terrified.
Indeed, the protective demeanor she had shown in front of everyone earlier was all an act.
How could this woman possibly change for the better all at once?
The slightly taller boy stepped in front of the two shorter children, adopting a protective stance.
“Don’t hit them! If you want to hit someone, hit me!”
Though his words were bold, his young face still bore unmistakable fear.
Jiang Xia was puzzled. Was her voice just now really that frightening?
Although she had never given birth herself, in her previous life she had younger siblings, so she was quite skilled at taking care of children.
Jiang Xia glanced at them and said, "Jiang Yinan, it's good that you know how to protect your younger brothers, but I am your birth mother—do you think I'm going to eat you?"
As soon as she finished speaking, expressions of surprise appeared on the faces of the three children.
After all, the Jiang Xia of the past had never spoken to them kindly, either shouting and yelling or abusing them.
Just now, Jiang Xia had actually spoken a complete sentence to them calmly and without interruption?
Seeing their expressions, Jiang Xia went from initial confusion to now feeling a pang of heartache.
It was just a simple sentence, yet all three of them were so shocked.
The eldest son, Jiang Xiangbei, was only eight years old and had to go to the blacksmith's shop in town every day to work and earn money.
The three little ones before her—Jiang Yinan was seven, Jiang Yangdong was six, and the youngest, Jiang Linxi, was only five.
To live such a life at such a young age… the shadow she had left on them in the past must have been deep, right?
Jiang Xia shook her head helplessly, suppressing her emotions, and spoke in the gentlest tone, "Don't be afraid. I just saw that your faces were too dirty and wanted to wash them for you."
"I promise I won't hit anyone!"
As she spoke, Jiang Xia looked at the three of them with sincere eyes.
The three remained unmoved.
Jiang Xia had no other choice but to pick up the basin, walk over to them, and squat down.
She first took the hand of the youngest, Jiang Linxi.
"Come, let Mother wash your face. Look how dirty your little face is."
Jiang Xia said with a smile, scooping up a handful of water to wet her hands, then gently touching Jiang Linxi's face.
As soon as she made contact, Jiang Linxi's small body shivered.
Jiang Xia was startled and asked with concern, "Xiao Xi, is it too cold?"
Jiang Linxi looked at Jiang Xia with his big eyes, pursed his lips, and shook his head.
It wasn't that it was too cold, but because it was the first time in his life that he had been cared for by his mother.
So this was what a mother's hand felt like—so soft and comfortable.
Jiang Xia smiled, finished wiping his face, and then looked at Jiang Yangdong beside him. "Your turn, Dongdong!"
Jiang Yangdong stared at Jiang Xia with wide eyes, stubbornly pursing his lips. "I don't want to—"
This woman was so vicious; he couldn't be fooled.
Jiang Xia was puzzled. "But your face is really dirty. I'll be very, very gentle, I promise."
As she spoke, she ignored Jiang Yangdong's reluctance, took his hand, and began wiping his face.
After cleaning him up, Jiang Xia saw that the water in the basin had turned dirty, so she carried it to the doorway and poured it out. Then, she poured the last remaining water from the broken water jar. "Jiang Yinan, it's your turn!"
Jiang Yinan clearly resisted and immediately ran to the side.