After Liu Ping brought a bowl of steaming egg drop soup to the front of the house, she lightly pushed open a wooden door.
A woman lay slumped on the bed, her face as round as a silver basin yet appearing pale and listless, which caused Liu Ping a surge of heartache.
She continued forward, handing over the soup bowl and speaking in a comforting tone:
“Zhu’er, are you hungry? Drink a bowl of soup first to warm your body and get some nourishment.”
Her hands were warm, but the limbs she had felt earlier were ice-cold; her heart had been in her throat, nearly jumping out of her chest.
But seeing that she could now respond and knew to eat when hungry, she truly wanted to chant Buddha’s name a few more times in gratitude.
The woman called Zhu’er paused for a moment before reaching out to take the bowl. Seemingly famished, she tilted her head back to drink, frightening Liu Ping into a hurried warning:
“This just came out of the pot; drink slowly, be careful not to burn yourself!”
After she finished speaking, she still couldn’t help but complain slightly:
“Silly child, look at you. If you really didn’t agree to this marriage, couldn’t you have just asked your father to talk to your Uncle Xu? At worst, we could have gathered some more money and paid back double the betrothal gifts. Why did you have to ruin yourself? You were unconscious for two or three days, and we even had to invite Auntie Yang from the village. If you had passed away, how would your father and I have gone on…”
The lingering taste of the soup remained in Ding Baozhu’s mouth. Listening to the woman’s nagging, she didn’t say a word, but her heart felt complicated.
How could she dare to speak? Because she simply couldn’t be considered this woman’s daughter anymore!
She clearly remembered that she had been staying up late editing videos by her computer when her vision suddenly went white. She never expected that she would die suddenly and receive a complementary transmigration service; when she opened her eyes again, she had arrived in this strange place.
Above was a structured wooden beam ceiling, and all around were rough, dim rammed-earth walls. Although the furniture was arranged neatly, it was clearly old and had been used for a long time. Even the quilt covering her was covered in numerous patches.
Her head felt burning hot and was in immense pain. When she finally managed to reach up and touch it, she only felt a thick layer of wrapping cloth. This was likely one of the reasons she had ended up here.
After a young woman and an old woman had left earlier and didn’t return, Ding Baozhu still felt weak all over. She could only close her eyes to rest, and after calming down, she managed to roughly sort out the memories left behind by the original owner of the body.
The original owner’s name was just one character different from her own: Ding Baozhu. The woman with the red-rimmed eyes just now was the original owner’s mother, surnamed Liu, with the single name Ping.
The original owner’s father, Ding Hong, was likely still out working at this time. As the eldest daughter and big sister of the Ding family, she had two younger sisters, Baozhen and Baoqin—this made up their household.
However, in a classic ancient family like this, “this family” might not be the only family…
Ding Baozhu felt a sense of trance-like confusion, but just then, the mother, Liu Ping, pushed the door and entered.
This time she didn’t just come in; she was holding a bowl of something that was emitting curling wisps of steam.
As a food blogger, Ding Baozhu only needed to sniff to know that it was the natural fragrance of sesame oil.
Taking another deep breath, her stomach immediately began to growl; it seemed this body had been unconscious for a long time without food.
So when Liu Ping handed over the soup bowl, she impatiently took it and drank, not even caring about the temperature.
The so-called soup was actually half a bowl of water, with only a few wisps of yellow and white egg drop floating on the surface, along with a few small drops of light brown sesame oil and several grains of green onion. Although it was egg drop soup, it could be described as “clear soup and thin water,” having at most a bit more flavor than plain boiled water.
Ding Baozhu estimated that only one egg had been cracked into it, and without the boost of modern technology, the size of that egg was probably quite small.
Yet for some reason, she couldn’t help but salivate over this steaming bowl of egg drop soup.
The smooth egg drop seemed to slide right down her throat. Paired with the sesame oil and green onions—two ingredients that can bring out an aroma with just a small amount—she felt warm all over after drinking only half the bowl.
Unfortunately, no salt had been added. After gulping down most of the bowl, there was almost no flavor left in her mouth.
It seemed the original owner only had a head injury, while the rest of her was fine. Liu Ping continued to nag, but at the same time, she tucked in the quilt and adjusted the pillow with a face full of concern, causing Ding Baozhu to sigh inwardly.
Ninety-nine point five percent of those who transmigrate can’t go back, so she could only say the standard phrase—since I’m here, I might as well make the best of it!
“I’ve said so much to you; have you actually listened to any of it?” Seeing Ding Baozhu remain silent, Liu Ping thought she was still sulking. Helpless and feeling a bit of “resenting that iron cannot become steel,” she said displeasurably, “I really spoiled you too much normally, letting you have your way in everything. Now that such a big thing has happened, just wait until your father comes back and see how you…”
Unexpectedly, before she could finish her sentence, a sudden burst of sharp words came from outside the door, clearly intended to be heard in this direction:
“Just for an incompetent, disobedient daughter, is it really necessary to invite both a doctor and a spirit medium? Do you really think she’s some kind of treasure? It wasn’t easy for her to finally make a contribution to the Old Ding family, yet it’s been turned into such a mess. The second son really found himself a ‘good’ wife and sired a shameless ‘good’ daughter!”
“Doesn’t finding a doctor to treat an illness cost silver? Did you lay those eggs yourself? I’ve been saving them and couldn’t bear to eat them, they should be saved for the grandsons, but instead, they’ve benefited that ‘money-losing commodity’!”
“Anyway, no matter what, this marriage is already set. Next time, whether you hit a wall or jump into a river, I will have you tied up and sent over. You should just give up on that idea!”
The voice sounded quite elderly, but the shrewish and scolding tone was top-tier, and the pitch was sharp. It was likely that not only this house, but the neighbors in the surrounding area could hear it.
Liu Ping heard it clearly, and her expression changed instantly. Her eyebrows slanted upwards slightly, but she pursed her lips and said nothing. Instead, it was Ding Baozhu who frowned.
This was the content of the other half of the original owner’s memories.
The person outside, who was complaining and blaming both implicitly and explicitly, even escalating to angry insults, was none other than Liu Ping’s mother-in-law, Ding Hong’s mother, and Ding Baozhu’s grandmother, Madam Jiang.
This Madam Jiang didn’t hate Ding Baozhu that much at first; it was only later that she changed.
In this so-called Old Ding family, the elders were Madam Jiang and her husband Ding Jin, who was also the grandfather. They had a daughter and three sons, who had now formed three branches within the Ding family.
Within these three branches, although Ding Hong was the second-born, he was the first to marry and have children. Therefore, Ding Baozhu was not only the eldest daughter of the second branch but also their first grandchild, so they had liked her back then.
They weren’t the only ones who liked her; Ding Hong and Liu Ping were also extremely delighted with their first child. Spoiling her since childhood had fostered the original owner’s arrogant and willful personality, which gradually became a thorn in Madam Jiang’s side.
Additionally, the children Madam Jiang had later were all daughters, while the first and third branches successively added sons. Consequently, Madam Jiang not only disliked Ding Baozhu but also began to despise Liu Ping as well, frequently creating trouble for her.
However, in the original owner’s memory, the fact was that Madam Jiang was dissatisfied with this second daughter-in-law from the very beginning. So even if Liu Ping had truly added a son to the Ding family, it likely wouldn’t have shifted her attitude.
As for the original owner, her willfulness was partly due to being pampered, but much of it was for the sake of her long-suffering, submissive mother. The villagers wouldn’t bother to distinguish who was right or wrong, so gradually, her reputation in the village began to sour, and she became a well-known “troublemaker.”
But Liu Ping hadn’t started out with a submissive personality; it could be said that her edges were slowly worn down after marrying into the Ding family. The original owner had then been painted in the eyes of outsiders as someone who lacked respect for elders, so naturally, she was disliked.
As for the latter half of those words, the original owner surprisingly had no memory of them; it seemed to be something she completely didn’t want to recall.
But since Ding Baozhu now occupied the original body, she eventually managed to sort it out.
The original owner was actually eighteen years old this year. At this age, other women in the village would already be mothers, but the relationship between the second branch and Madam Jiang had always been tense, and the village matchmakers knew exactly what kind of character the Ding family’s eldest daughter had. Not wanting to take the job, it had been dragged out until now.
What people didn’t expect, however, was that Ding Hong had actually privately arranged a childhood betrothal for the original owner!
It was just that a childhood betrothal relationship was, strictly speaking, relatively weak—nothing more than the two parties exchanging a keepsake. Thus, both sides had also agreed: if there were a more suitable marriage for either party in the future, the childhood betrothal would be canceled.
As luck would have it, up until now, the children of both families had not settled on any marriage, so what followed became a matter of course.
Just five days ago, the prospective in-laws sent over the betrothal gifts. It was said to include wedding cakes, bolts of fabric, high-quality tea leaves, as well as a pair of wild geese, animal skins, and dried meat. Madam Jiang was so overjoyed that her eyes narrowed into slits.
These betrothal gifts could be considered top-tier in the entire village. If word got out, it would bring great face to the Ding family.
However, the original owner insisted on making things difficult for Madam Jiang. As for the reason…
Ding Baozhu couldn’t help but press her forehead and sigh deeply.
Naturally, it was because the original owner had a sweetheart! It was just that cliché!
The original owner had always liked the son of the village carpenter, “Little Woodworker.” But her “fame” was far-reaching, and her own conditions weren’t great; the Little Woodworker had absolutely no interest in her and would avoid her whenever he saw her.
The consequences were predictable. Five days later, the original owner used such an aggressive method to protest that she perished, allowing the current Ding Baozhu to begin a new life.
Although she had survived, having to get married the moment she opened her eyes still made Ding Baozhu feel somewhat caught off guard.
But the Ding family had already accepted all the betrothal gifts. Madam Jiang would absolutely not spit them back out, nor would she care what impact this matter had on Ding Baozhu. She might even want her to marry over sooner so she could have some peace.
Liu Ping glanced at Ding Baozhu and sighed:
“Zhu’er, just let your grandmother’s words go in one ear and out the other. As for that marriage… the betrothal gifts have been accepted, and we’re just waiting for them to come for the wedding. So you…”
Hearing this, it seemed Liu Ping also hoped Ding Baozhu would marry into that family. After all, she was truly getting older, and it wasn’t certain anyone else would want to marry her. Plus, the conditions over there were likely a bit better than the Ding family’s; in her eyes, it was indeed a good match.
But she also hadn’t expected Ding Baozhu to be so resistant that she nearly lost her life. Fortunately, she had finally woken up.
And what could Ding Baozhu say? As an outsider, she could probably only follow the development of this situation!
She paused for a moment before opening her mouth to ask softly:
“I understand, Mother. I wonder when they will come from that side to receive the bride?”
Liu Ping was stunned, suddenly noticing that the daughter before her was emitting a strange aura.
Because she followed her father in his work, she had gradually developed a loud voice and was usually quite boisterous; Liu Ping had never seen her looking so gentle and calm.
Could it be that this blow to the head had actually changed the person?
Just as she was in disbelief, she heard a different conversation coming from the courtyard.