Xia Li stood under the eaves, breathing in the fresh, moist air as the scenery outside unfolded before her eyes.
It was the blossoming days of the third lunar month, with a vibrant display of colorful flowers everywhere. Mountain blooms flourished in abundance, and even along the roadside and beneath walls, wildflowers of various hues bloomed freely. Particularly striking was Mount Sanhua behind the village—layers of emerald green dotted with clusters of bright colors, the rolling mountains stretching into the distance until they met the blue sky.
Xia Li’s home was a typical quadrangle courtyard, with three rooms each in the main house, the east and west wings, and the opposite row. Since only she and her mother lived there, the east and west wings were unoccupied and locked. Both she and Mrs. Xia resided in the main house: Mrs. Xia in the east room, and Xia Li in the west room, while the central hall served as a space for receiving guests and dining. The three rooms opposite housed a kitchen, a storage room, and a woodshed.
All the buildings were constructed of blue bricks and tiles, including the courtyard walls, and the ground was paved with blue stone slabs.
To the east of the yard stood a jujube tree, and to the west, a well. In the ancient countryside, households that owned their own well were exceedingly rare—typically only large landowners had such a luxury. In their entire village, Xia Li’s family was the only one with a well; even the minor landlord Village Head Zhou’s family had to fetch water from the village well.
Xia Li’s village was called Xiaowa Village, nestled at the foot of Mount Sanhua. Mount Sanhua was one peak of the Huaxiang Mountain range, located in its northwestern corner. The Huaxiang Mountains stretched for hundreds of miles, with frequent bandit unrest in the southeast. However, the Tongning County area, where Xiaowa Village was situated, remained untouched by the banditry due to its proximity to the provincial capital and its location at the tail end of the Huaxiang range.
To the west of Xiaowa Village lay Jitou Village, followed by Sancao Town. About twenty li to the north was Tongning County town, and roughly over a hundred li to the northeast stood Jin’an Prefecture, the provincial capital of Xiangjiang Province. Thus, despite being at the mountain’s base, Xiaowa Village enjoyed convenient transportation.
Their home was at the easternmost edge of Xiaowa Village. Less than half a li further east stood Mount Sanhua.
Xia Li descended two stone steps into the courtyard. The afternoon sun felt warm and exceptionally comforting on her skin. A gentle breeze brushed against her face, smooth as silk.
After just a few steps in the yard, Xia Li began to feel short of breath. The original host’s body was terribly weak—she would need to strengthen her exercise routine and ideally “learn” archery in the future.
Mrs. Xia said, “Li Li, come back inside. Don’t overexert yourself and worsen your condition.”
Xia Li shook her head and walked toward the backyard. Although she had the original host’s memories, she wanted to see her home with her own eyes.
The backyard was larger than the front, featuring a vegetable plot, an outhouse, and next to it, a pigpen and a chicken coop. They didn’t raise pigs but kept eight hens, which had already been let out to forage.
After touring the backyard, Xia Li returned to the front yard, already panting and out of breath.
Mrs. Xia urged her again to go inside and rest, but Xia Li shook her head and said softly, “Mother, I’d like to bask in the sun. It’s warm here—it won’t harm me.”
She sat on a small stool under the eaves, sheltered from the wind yet still able to enjoy the sunlight.
Mrs. Xia didn’t press further. She went inside to fetch a light jacket for Xia Li, then after washing the bowls, brought a stool and sat beside her daughter. She chose a spot out of the direct sunlight, keeping Xia Li company while embroidering. Mrs. Xia was only twenty-nine years old, but her eyesight was already beginning to fail.
Xia Li said with concern, “Mother, I’ve grown up now. Please don’t overwork yourself—don’t embroider at night.”Mrs. Xia looked up at her daughter and smiled gently, saying, “Once we’ve prepared a generous dowry for Li Li and she marries into a good family, I won’t have to worry anymore. By then, I’ll only do embroidery work during the day, just enough to support myself, and stop working at night.”
It seemed that her daughter marrying well was her ultimate goal, and her eyes brightened considerably when speaking of this ideal.
Xia Li knew she couldn’t avoid marriage in this lifetime. In this world, if a woman remained unmarried by twenty, official matchmakers would come knocking – unless she became a nun. Rather than being “forcibly matched by officials,” it was better to find someone herself. But she didn’t necessarily need to take in a live-in son-in-law to continue the family line. As long as the person was suitable, whether he moved in with her family or she married out would be fine.
Of course, she didn’t expect to find a soulmate in ancient times – just someone to share life with. Whether in her previous life or this one, she could never forget Ye Feng…
In her previous life, she occasionally read online novels where special forces soldiers transmigrating seemed quite popular. Such people could not only become female generals but also make fortunes through hunting. Due to poor health since childhood, her father had enrolled her in various physical training classes: swimming from age three, taekwondo from five, archery from seven. She persisted with taekwondo and archery until junior high graduation and became quite skilled. But she was self-aware enough to know she couldn’t compare to special forces soldiers – her chances of becoming a female general or constable were zero…
In her former life, she could only sew buttons. Though the original owner of this body was dexterous with hands, designing fashion-leading clothing or accessories was impossible. Selling recipes wasn’t feasible either – in her previous life, she only mastered a few dishes and snacks that Ye Feng particularly liked, while the current body’s original owner hardly ever entered the kitchen.
However, with her millennium-ahead wisdom and diligent hands, while great wealth might be beyond reach, becoming a leisurely small landowner or merchant was achievable. Then she could find a hardworking, clean, wife-cherishing man who would treat his mother-in-law well and wasn’t too dull-witted… Well, perhaps these standards were somewhat high. She could reconsider and lower them appropriately if needed.
Xia Li said, “Mother, if I take in a live-in son-in-law later, we’ll definitely take good care of you. If I marry out, I’ll buy you a house near my husband’s home so I can look after you easily. Though I’m not a son, I’ll still support you for life.”
In ancient times, men typically lived with their parents, and it was impossible for a daughter-in-law to bring her mother into her husband’s household. But buying a nearby residence for caregiving was feasible.
Actually, Mrs. Xia was only twenty-nine – the same age Xia Li had been when she died in her previous life. If she could meet a good man later, she deserved her own life and happiness. Xia Li decided to help her find someone – if a suitable man appeared, she’d help her mother remarry. If none could be found, she’d keep her company for life. Of course, this had to be done secretly, as Old Mrs. Xia would never agree to her daughter taking family assets to benefit outsiders.
Hearing her daughter’s words, Mrs. Xia felt both happy and comforted. She looked up with a silent laugh and said, “As long as you can marry well, I’ll be content. I mustn’t burden you – no in-laws like a daughter-in-law who constantly attends to her birth family. If you displease your husband’s family, life would be hard for you as a wife.”
Xia Li shook her head and said, “I’m not at ease leaving Mother living here alone. Never mind the intentions of outsiders—even Grandmother and Second Maternal Uncle’s Wife have never given up the idea of having San Bao adopted into our family to take over what little property we have. If San Bao could truly treat Mother well, I might accept it, but Second Maternal Uncle’s Wife’s character is not good. In the end, Mother would suffer…”