Shen Chuyun was dead.
As a military doctor, she had encountered terrorists while on vacation. To protect the civilians, she had sacrificed herself, dying in an explosion alongside the terrorists.
But somehow, she had come back to life.
When she regained consciousness, she found herself surrounded by a warm, flowing sensation. A force squeezed her body as she was pushed through a narrow passage.
Then, voices reached her ears one after another.
“The baby is out! Just as expected, it’s a girl.”
“This child is an ill omen. The Marquis has ordered us to throw her away immediately for the safety of everyone in the household.”
“No… hurt… my child. Please, let… her go…”
“Madam, don’t blame us. We’re only following orders. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for occupying the position of the Marquis’s wife and refusing to step aside, blocking Madam Ru’s path.”
“A merchant’s daughter like you is simply unworthy of being the mistress of the Marquis’s household.”
“Once you die, Madam Ru will become the new mistress of the household. She will take good care of your son.”
“As for the daughter you just gave birth to, she’s an ill omen! Even before she was born, she brought disaster upon the entire family. She caused the Old Madam to fall ill, made the eldest young master fall into the water, and caused Concubine Yang to miscarry. Now, she has killed you the moment she was born.”
“A child like this must be thrown out of the manor.”
“No… My daughter… is not… an ill omen. You… give her back to me.”
Shen Chuyun: “…”
What was going on?
Had she been reincarnated?
And she was already being treated as an ill omen and thrown away the moment she was born?
How miserable could she get?!
Shen Chuyun was furious. She desperately tried to fight back, but her hands and feet refused to obey her. Even the curses she tried to shout came out as nothing but a baby’s cries.
She had barely cried twice before someone covered her mouth.
A harsh voice sounded beside her ears. “You little jinx! Stop crying, or I’ll strangle you to death right now!”
A burly, round-faced old woman carried Shen Chuyun away and ordered someone to lock the delivery room door.
The old woman approached a man dressed in luxurious clothing.
“Marquis, the child has been born. Just as the eminent monk predicted, it’s a girl.”
The man glanced coldly at the baby in the swaddling cloth, disgust flashing in his eyes.
“Throw her somewhere far away.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Shen Chuyun, whose face had turned red from being smothered by the old woman’s hand, was utterly shocked.
Was this man her father in this lifetime?
What a vicious scumbag of a father!
Just you wait. If I don’t die, then once I grow up, I’ll make sure you regret ever being born!
Ah! What a disastrous start to life! She hadn’t done anything evil in her previous life, so why was she suffering so miserably in this one?
Completely helpless, Shen Chuyun was stuffed into a basket by the old woman and carried out of the Marquis’s residence. She had no idea where they were going to abandon her. Her head was already spinning.
Just as she was about to lose consciousness, a voice suddenly rang out.
“Give my little sister back!”
A chubby little boy suddenly appeared and charged straight into the old woman.
Immediately afterward, a woman rushed forward, snatched the basket from the old woman’s hands, and knocked her unconscious with a stick.
She lifted the floral cloth covering the basket. Seeing Shen Chuyun staring up at her with wide-open eyes, she broke into a smile.
“Thank goodness you’re still alive! Little Miss, don’t be afraid. Yuxiang is here to protect you.”
She then turned to the chubby boy.
“Eldest Young Master, we need to hurry! If the Marquis’s people arrive, we won’t be able to escape!”
“Okay! We have to go. I must protect my little sister!”
“Little sister, don’t be afraid. Your big brother will protect you. I won’t let anyone hurt you!”
It was already dusk. Yuxiang and Su Linzhou carried Shen Chuyun and ran desperately toward the exit. They managed to leave the Marquis’s residence through the back gate, but just as they turned onto a small path, the household’s men caught up with them.
Su Linzhou stopped and placed a piece of jade inside the swaddling cloth.
“This is the warm jade Mother left for my little sister. I’ll hold them off. Take my sister and run as far away as possible!”
Ignoring Yuxiang’s attempts to stop him, he turned and ran back toward the pursuers.
With his tiny body, Su Linzhou tried to block the men chasing them. Yuxiang clutched Shen Chuyun and kept running, eventually making her way onto a mountain path without realizing it.
There were too many men from the Marquis’s residence. Su Linzhou couldn’t hold them off for long. Before much time had passed, they pinned him to the ground.
He could only watch helplessly as the men caught up with Yuxiang and shoved her down the hillside.
“Little sister!” Su Linzhou screamed in anguish. “You killed my little sister! I’ll fight you to the death!”
“Let me go! I have to find my sister!”
“Little sister!”
As they tumbled down the slope, Yuxiang shielded Shen Chuyun with her own body. By the time they reached the bottom, Yuxiang was covered in wounds, and her head had struck a rock.
Although Shen Chuyun was unharmed, the impact of the fall had knocked her unconscious.
She had only just been born, yet she had already endured such terrible suffering. What a cruel fate!
Yuxiang tried to get up but discovered that she had no strength left.
Just then, she saw someone nearby. It was a child.
With no other options, she held out the swaddling cloth.
“Please… save… my… young miss…”
After those words, she lost consciousness.
The handsome little boy looked at Yuxiang, then at the baby in the swaddling cloth. His beautiful brows furrowed tightly.
Suddenly, voices came from not far away.
“They fell over there! Hurry and find them! We need to see them alive or dead!”
“Madam Ru said that little jinx must die!”
The boy froze and looked down at the baby.
An ill omen?
He reached out and picked her up.
By the time the Marquis’s men arrived, the boy had already disappeared. Only Yuxiang remained lying on the ground.
“Where’s the jinx? Where did she go?”
“Search everywhere!”
“Take that wretched servant back with us!”
Just as the men were about to carry Yuxiang away, a pack of wolves suddenly emerged from the mountains.
“Wolves! Run!”
Terrified, the men from the Marquis’s residence scrambled away in panic.
The wolf king approached Yuxiang and sniffed her. A glimmer of light flashed in its cold, piercing eyes. Then, it bit down on her clothes and dragged her into the mountains.
When Shen Chuyun woke up, she realized someone was carrying her while running. She could smell the sweet scent of milk.
This wasn’t Yuxiang’s scent. Yuxiang smelled of jasmine.
Where was Yuxiang?
Who was carrying her?
The boy carried the baby into a cave.
“Master, I’m back!”
An old man sitting beside a campfire, roasting a wild chicken, turned around.
“Why did it take you so long just to go pee?”
Then he noticed the object in the boy’s arms and asked suspiciously, “What are you carrying?”
The boy handed the baby to him.
“A baby.”
The old man sprang to his feet in shock.
“You went out to pee! Why did you come back with a stolen baby? You’re not even five years old, you little brat! Are you already thinking about becoming a father?”
The boy explained, “I didn’t steal her. I rescued her. Someone was chasing her, and the maid protecting her died. If I hadn’t brought her back, she would have died too.”
The old man snorted.
“You’re usually the coldest little brat around. What got into you today? Why are you suddenly acting like a different person?”
The boy grinned.
“I feel like we’re destined to meet. Her scent is really nice.”
The old man leaned over and glanced at the baby in the swaddling cloth.
“Nice, my foot! She smells awful! This little brat was just born and hasn’t even been washed yet. Of course she’s filthy.”
“However…” His voice trailed off, and his aged eyes flickered slightly. “Her eyes are quite pretty, but she looks terribly weak. I’m afraid she won’t survive. How about this, Old Sixth? Let’s do a good deed and bury her. That way, she won’t be left lying in the wilderness to be eaten by wolves or jackals.”
Shen Chuyun, who had only one breath left in her: “…”
She absolutely did not want to be buried alive!
Summoning every last bit of strength she had, Shen Chuyun suddenly burst into loud, wailing cries.
Her tiny face turned red, and her delicate little features scrunched up.
The old man and the little boy were both startled.
The old man burst into laughter.
“This little thing sure has a powerful set of lungs!”
The boy exclaimed happily, “Master, she’s crying so fiercely! That means she has a strong will to live. She should survive, right? Can we keep her?”
The old man tapped him on the head.
“Fine, fine! It’s just one little baby. If I can raise one of you, I can raise two. But let me make one thing clear. I’ve never raised a baby this young before. I can take her in, but I can’t guarantee she’ll survive.”
The boy jumped up with excitement.
“That’s fine! As long as you’re willing to raise her, that’s all that matters. Wonderful! I have a little junior sister now! I’m no longer the youngest!”
The old man blew out his beard in irritation.
“So that’s what you were plotting, you little rascal! I agreed to raise her, not take her as my disciple. I already have enough disciples. I can’t teach another one! And you, you little brat! How do you know she’s a girl? Couldn’t she be a boy?”
“I checked. She looks different from me.”
Shen Chuyun: “…”