01 Jumping on the Time-Travel Train
“Zhao Liniang! If you know what’s good for you, pack your things at once. Otherwise, if this blows up, you’ll be utterly disgraced!”
“Da Lang was buried barely two days ago, and Qinghe is still unconscious—and yet you want to drive the three of us—me and my two daughters—out? Sister Qian! You must act with a clear conscience!”
“Hmph! The division of the household was settled long ago. I suspect you have ulterior motives and intend to cling to our home!”
“You… I’ve always given way to you and avoided conflict since I married into the Tao family all these years. But with Qinghe still ill, are you trying to drive us to our deaths?!”
“Very well, Widow Zhao! You always looked so meek and docile, yet now you dare to threaten us with death? I shall go and ask the village head to clarify this. Since this matter has been brought out into the open, what is there to stop me?”
Tao Qinghe’s head was splitting with pain, and to make matters worse, the sound of the argument was ringing in her ears. She tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt as heavy as if they were weighted down with stones. Once, twice… She struggled against the heaviness, and finally, she opened her eyes.
Everything was a blur; she could see nothing clearly. She gasped for breath, waiting for her vision to focus. Slowly, the scene came into focus.
…Something seemed wrong! This was clearly a dilapidated mud-brick cottage, but where in the village were there still houses like this? Had she been rescued by people from the neighbouring village?
Tao Qinghe struggled to sit up and search for answers, but the moment she lifted her head, a sharp pain shot through her, and countless images flooded her mind—memories of ‘Tao Qinghe’ suddenly surfacing.
She knew not how long it took, but when she had finally absorbed all the memories and looked once more at the mud walls before her, Tao Qinghe no longer knew whether to laugh or cry.
She had travelled through time, into the body of a girl bearing the same name in the Great Wei Dynasty. As for the cause of the original owner’s death, that story must begin with her own father, Tao Dalang. Just two days before she arrived, Tao Dalang had been laid to rest.
In the era preceding the Great Wei Dynasty, high-ranking officials and the nobility had a particular fondness for tending to flowers and plants; flower-growing had become a fashionable pastime. Later, due to the corruption of the previous dynasty and the turbulent times, the floristry industry gradually declined.
Following the establishment of the new dynasty, all trades flourished once more, and this industry gradually began to thrive again.
Some wealthy merchants in Huailing Prefecture had a particular fondness for rare and exotic plants. Drawing upon the skills passed down through his ancestors, Tao Dalang would often venture out during the agricultural off-season, and over time, this had earned him a fair sum of silver.
Not long ago, Tao Dalang heard rumours that a florist in the neighbouring Yuening Prefecture had cultivated peonies of unusual colours. He resolved to travel there in search of these rare specimens, hoping that any rewards he might receive would alleviate his worries regarding Tao Qinghe’s dowry.
So, without telling his family, he set off alone—and it was on this journey that disaster struck.
Upon arriving in Yuanning Prefecture, Tao Dalang asked around for the florist’s residence, but from all the information he gathered, it turned out there was no such person at all!
Unwilling to return empty-handed, Tao Dalang stayed on in the area, searching high and low. Little did he know that, bold as he was, he would venture alone into the deep mountains. On this expedition, he found no rare flower, but instead encountered a wild beast out in search of prey. How could Tao Dalang, a mere mortal, possibly stand a chance against such a ferocious creature? By the time a nearby hunter rescued him, he was already on the verge of death.
Clutching at life, Tao Dalang was taken by the hunters to the prefectural capital for treatment, and later encountered a merchant caravan from Huailing Prefecture, who brought him back.
Alas, his injuries were too severe; Tao Dalang breathed his last the moment he was brought home. The Tao family settled all the expenses incurred along the way and immediately arranged for his burial.
It was because of this incident that the original owner, Tao Qinghe, felt she had caused her own father’s death; consequently, she threw herself against a wall and died just two days after Tao Dalang’s burial. And so, the modern-day Tao Qinghe found herself transported to this world.
“. . .Heavens! ”
Having pieced together the whole story, Tao Qinghe couldn’t help but curse! She’d merely picked a wild rose out of idle curiosity whilst climbing a hill—how on earth had a slip and fall led not only to her death but also to this time-travel? She couldn’t help but ponder the possibility of dying again by banging her head and returning to the modern world…
Whilst Tao Qinghe remained lost in her thoughts, Zhao Liniang—having just had a heated argument with Qian Zhenniang—was now hiding in the kitchen, weeping quietly.
Tao Dalang had only just been buried, and already the sisters-in-law from the second branch were clamouring to divide the household. How could she not understand? This wasn’t about dividing the household at all; it was clearly just an excuse to drive her and her two daughters out!
Zhao Liniang truly did not know what to do. The division of the household had indeed been agreed upon earlier, but now that Da Lang was gone, how could they possibly go through with it? Not to mention that the eldest daughter was still unconscious… Thinking of Tao Qinghe, Zhao Liniang forced herself to swallow her tears. She wiped the corners of her eyes and rose to go and tend to the eldest daughter.
With a creak, the door swung open.
Tao Qinghe’s train of thought was interrupted; she turned her head towards the doorway. A woman dressed in coarse cloth and wearing an apron walked to the bedside—it was the original owner’s mother, Mother Zhao.
As soon as Zhao Liniang pushed the door open, she saw Tao Qinghe staring at her. Overcome with emotion, she rushed forward, seized her hand, and tried to smile, but could not hold back the tears streaming down her face.
“Silly girl, why on earth did you do such a foolish thing?” Zhao Liniang choked out.
Tao Qinghe looked at the woman before her, sighing inwardly that she still did not know her own daughter had perished in the incident. She wanted to speak, but could not bring herself to call out ‘Mother’; instead, she chose a different form of address to reassure her: “Rest assured, this will not happen again.”
Zhao Liniang raised her hand to wipe away her tears, then asked, “Are you still feeling unwell?”
“My head still aches a little,” Tao Qinghe said, raising her hand to touch the wound. “I suspect it’ll take a few more days to heal.”
Zhao Liniang nodded and instructed her, “Lie down and rest for now. Once the evening meal is ready, have Qingmiao bring it over for you.”
“Let’s eat together.”
Tao Qinghe thought back to the arguing she’d heard upon waking; judging by the commotion, it must have been the original owner’s mother and younger-aunt. Yet in her memories, this younger-aunt had not been a kind person. Now that they were here, she needed to get a clear picture of the situation before making any further plans.
After Zhao Liniang had left, Tao Qinghe felt dizzy and light-headed; she’d barely spoken a few words before her strength was completely drained. She had no choice but to close her eyes and rest once more.
Before long, Tao Qinghe faintly heard footsteps approaching. She opened her eyes to see a young girl walking towards her—it was the original host’s younger sister, Tao Qingmiao.
“Big Sister, Mother says dinner is ready,” Tao Qingmiao said softly.
“All right, come and give me a hand.”
Leaning on the young girl, Tao Qinghe slowly made her way out.
Just as she stepped out, the door to another room swung open. She looked up to see none other than the original host’s younger uncle’s wife, Qian Zhenniang.
After her quarrel with Zhao Liniang, Qian Zhenniang simply could not swallow her pride. With the family division seemingly within reach, it was just at this moment that Tao Dalang had met with misfortune; the costs of medicine and the funeral alone had already consumed a great deal! And that wretched girl Qinghe—who knows what possessed her—had gone and banged her head against the wall again. Trying to divide the household at a time like this was simply impossible; surely the eldest branch was a family of jinxes! Spotting Tao Qinghe emerging from the room, she immediately piped up: “Oh, Qinghe, are you all better now?”
Tao Qinghe was on her way to the kitchen; hearing her sarcastic remark, she paid it no mind. Tao Qingmiao, however, standing nearby, was furious and retorted, “She’s not well yet, Auntie. Why don’t you spare a few coins to hire a doctor to give my elder sister a proper examination?’
Hearing this, Qian Zhenniang immediately stamped her foot in exasperation: “There isn’t a single coin left in the house! Your father…”
As if realising the impropriety of her words, Qian Zhenniang clamped her mouth shut, yet muttered resentfully under her breath, “You two little brats, I’ll show you sooner or later.” With that, she strode off to the eating area, leaving the sisters behind.
Tao Qingmiao’s eyes turned red with fury at these words. Their aunt had never taken a liking to them before, and now she spoke without the slightest pretence; the second branch of the family were nothing but a bunch of nuisances!
Tao Qinghe remained silent throughout this exchange. Since Tao Dalang’s funeral, the original owner had barely managed to eat a proper meal, and following the incident of banging her head against the wall, her body was utterly weakened. All she could do was pat Tao Qingmiao’s hand and say, “Let’s go inside and eat first.”
Upon entering eating area near the kitchen, the rest of the Tao family were already gathered there, with Zhao Liniang serving out portions one by one. Spotting Tao Qinghe enter, she hastily added an extra spoonful of bean porridge to her bowl before passing it over.
This gesture thoroughly annoyed Qian Zhenniang, who snapped, “Well, sister-in-law, are you giving all this food to Qinghe? Are we not to eat at all?”
Zhao Liniang forced a smile and explained, “Qinghe has been unconscious since yesterday and hasn’t had a single bite to eat. She really must eat more today, otherwise how will she ever recover?”
“What a load of rubbish! She’s just a girl—what’s there to recover from? Father and My Husband haven’t eaten yet; how dare she expect to eat the best food?”
These were harsh words indeed. Upon hearing Qian’s outburst, Old Man Tao’s face darkened. Thinking of Tao Dalang’s affairs and the recent expenses, he could not bring himself to look kindly upon the three members of the eldest household. He slammed his wooden spoon down on the table. “Can’t we even have a meal in peace! If the eldest daughter isn’t well yet, she should go back to her room and lie down!”
Qian Zhenniang was furious at this. Was the whole family to go without food, lying in their rooms waiting for the wind to blow? She jabbed Tao Erlang hard in the arm, signalling for him to say something.
Tao Erlang[1]second son jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2188222_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2188222_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); had been busy in the county town until late afternoon before he could rest. Now that he’d finally managed to sit down for a meal, the household was in such an uproar again. He was deeply annoyed but didn’t wish to stir up trouble, so he merely muttered, “Let’s eat first!”
Seeing that no one in the household was taking her side, Qian Zhenniang had no choice but to suppress her anger, pick up her bowl, and begin eating.
Tao Qinghe looked at the bean porridge in her bowl, which remained watery even after another spoonful had been added, and then at the dark, unappetising side dish on the table. She felt like shaking her head and sighing. Would this porridge keep her going for even two hours?
She looked up and surveyed her surroundings. Sure enough, Old Man Tao and Tao Erlang, and even the two little ones from the second branch of the family, were all holding coarse flatbreads in their hands.
Brilliant! Here was the very first problem she’d encountered since arriving in this world: how on earth was she going to tackle this preference for sons over daughters?
Tao Qinghe gulped down the porridge in her bowl in a few mouthfuls, then stood up and walked straight over to the earthenware pot holding the porridge, intending to help herself to another bowl.
This move caused quite a stir. Qian Zhenniang instantly flared up like a string of firecrackers that had been lit, her temper exploding in a flash.
She began to speak to Tao Qinghe in a sarcastic tone: “I say, Qinghe, do you have absolutely no idea how much money the family spent recently, or how much was spent on you yesterday? Don’t you fear you’ll burst your stomach eating and drinking like this?”
“And besides, what sort of young lady eats so much? Your two younger brothers haven’t even finished their meals yet—how dare you eat?”
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