“Boom—”
Along with a flash of lightning across the sky, a sudden clap of thunder rang out. After several rumbling peals, large raindrops began to fall.
The sky turned dark and heavy, black clouds churning and pressing down, making the already gloomy sky seem to plunge instantly into night.
On the streets, pedestrians hurried along in haste. Those who had not yet managed to return home or find shelter were soon drenched as the rain soaked through their clothes.
The rain poured down like a waterfall. Fortunately, it was still the season of July and August. Even if one was soaked by the rain, it was not cold. Instead, the sudden coolness dispersed the oppressive heat that had built up throughout the day.
Zhenyuan General’s Residence.
Maids and old servant women bustled in and out of the courtyard. Accompanied by peals of thunder, heart-rending screams came from inside the room. Maids carried basin after basin of bloody water outside in a hurry, making the people waiting at the door anxious beyond measure.
“Madam, push! The child is almost out!”
“Take a deep breath, push—it’s almost there!”
“One more time, push!”
The people outside were anxious to the point of panic. Inside the room, the midwives were also drenched in sweat. The fetus seemed to have grown too large from excessive nourishment, and with twins in the womb, the delivery was even more difficult. The general’s wife lying on the bed was already exhausted, yet the baby still would not come out. The two midwives were extremely worried.
Outside, the people waiting were like ants on a hot pan, pacing back and forth at the door. The old madam, supported by the eldest daughter-in-law, also waited anxiously.
“Mother, don’t worry. Sister-in-law is blessed. Mother and child will surely be safe.”
The woman spoke gently, her eyebrows soft and her face kind. Although she herself was worried, she still tried to comfort her mother-in-law so that the old madam would not become ill from anxiety.
“Amitabha… Bodhisattva, please bless them. Bless mother and child to be safe.”
The old madam kept turning the string of Buddhist beads in her hand, murmuring prayers under her breath. A man pacing nearby suddenly noticed that the screams inside had stopped and hurried over to ask what had happened.
A midwife rushed out in panic.
“General, this is bad! Madam has fainted from exhaustion. What should we do? The child is stuck in a difficult birth. If we delay any longer, it will be three lives lost!”
As soon as the midwife finished speaking, the old madam rolled her eyes and fainted from anxiety. The eldest daughter-in-law cried out and hurried to support her.
“Mother! Mother!”
Hearing the news, the general felt darkness sweep before his eyes. His steps staggered. Before he could rush into the room, the old madam had already fainted.
Seeing this, the eldest daughter-in-law hurriedly said, “Go check on Nanzhi first. I’ll take care of Mother here.”
The general immediately ordered servants to fetch a physician before rushing into the room.
On the bed lay a once beautiful woman, now pale and weak, her breathing faint as if she might stop at any moment. Ignoring the bloodstains on the bed, he rushed forward and gathered her into his arms.
“Zhizhi? Zhizhi? Wake up. You haven’t seen our child yet. Didn’t you say you liked daughters the most? You haven’t seen our daughter yet—how can you fall asleep?”
Jiang Shi’an’s eyes reddened. The hands that had cut down countless enemies without trembling now shook like leaves in the wind. He did not even dare touch his wife’s face until the hot tears falling from his eyes landed on her cheek and spread into damp marks. Only then did he realize he was crying.
“Zhizhi… look at me, please?”
Jiang Shi’an called out to his wife again and again, trying to wake Shen Nanzhi, but she did not respond.
Suddenly, her belly bulged upward. At first the midwife thought she had seen it wrong, but when she looked closely, she realized it was the shape of a tiny foot—it was the child inside moving.
At that moment, someone still inside the womb and not yet born kicked again in dissatisfaction. She felt a sense of suffocation, and the space around her seemed to be getting smaller.
Originally, she had been asleep, but it was too noisy outside, so she woke up. Only then did she realize that today was the day of birth—and that the little fellow bigger than her was supposed to be born first. Yet after struggling for so long, he still hadn’t managed to squeeze out, which made her extremely anxious.
At first she had thought that giving birth was something that should follow nature and that she shouldn’t interfere. But suddenly everything outside had gone quiet, which made her panic.
After all, she had finally been reincarnated with the memories of her previous life. She couldn’t die before even being born—that would be a terrible loss. So she adjusted her position and kicked the little fellow’s bottom twice. The little fellow also struggled, trying to get out.
Perhaps the commotion inside the womb was too great. Shen Nanzhi seemed to sense the children’s movements, or perhaps Jiang Shi’an’s desperate calls were too sincere.
In any case, Shen Nanzhi woke up.
With a clap of thunder and a loud cry of a newborn baby, the child was finally born.
“He’s born! He’s born! General, it’s a young master. Congratulations!”
Just as one midwife lifted the baby up, the other suddenly cried out.
“Madam, there’s another one! Madam, push!”
Hearing there was another baby, Shen Nanzhi’s heart, which had just settled, tightened again. Only then did she remember she was carrying twins.
Compared to the first child’s difficult birth, the second was much easier. Shen Nanzhi hardly felt much before the child came out, mainly because the baby was very small.
“Congratulations, General and Madam. It’s a young lady—a son and a daughter, a pair of auspicious twins.”
Each midwife held one child and showed them to Jiang Shi’an.
He looked at the plump son who weighed six or seven jin, then at the thin and tiny daughter who weighed only three or four jin. His heart ached. He reached out to take his daughter and quickly brought her to his wife.
The baby was so small, like a kitten. Jiang Shi’an held her stiffly but carefully, afraid of hurting her.
“Zhizhi, look—our daughter. See how beautiful she is.”
Although Shen Nanzhi was weak, she forced herself to glance at the child. Seeing that it truly was a daughter, she finally fell asleep in satisfaction.
“General, this young master…”
Jiang Shi’an waved his hand without even looking.
“Take him to the old madam and my elder sister-in-law.”
In truth, he felt a bit resentful toward this son. The little fellow had caused his mother a great deal of suffering. And when he saw that his precious daughter looked undernourished while the boy was plump and healthy, it was obvious the boy had taken most of the nourishment in the womb. Naturally, he couldn’t feel happy about it.
The smiles on the two midwives’ faces stiffened. Awkwardly carrying the baby boy, they left the room.
The physician soon arrived and examined Shen Nanzhi, confirming that she was fine—only extremely weak after childbirth and needing some time to recuperate.
Outside, the rain had stopped without anyone noticing. The entire residence echoed with the sounds of insects and birds. The small paths were damp, and crystal raindrops clung to the branches, ready to fall.
The little baby in Jiang Shi’an’s arms opened her eyes and curiously looked at the room and her new father.
Carved beams and painted rafters, an ancient-style room, and the man before her with his hair tied high in a crown and wearing a long robe—it was not difficult to tell.
This was ancient times.
So… she had been reborn in ancient times?
In her previous life, she had been an orphan with no parents, raised in an orphanage. Later she was taken in by an organization and trained for more than ten years to become a genius assassin. Yet she died in a sea of flames during an accident.
When she opened her eyes again, she was already inside someone else’s womb—still carrying the memories of her past life.
She didn’t know whether she had transmigrated, been reborn, or simply reincarnated with her past memories. But in any case, in this life she was no longer alone.
Perhaps to make up for the regrets of her previous life, heaven had not only given her parents who treasured her like a jewel but also a family who loved and cherished her, and even a blood-related elder brother.
Compared with her popularity, her twin brother was not as favored.
The reason was simple: the eldest uncle’s family already had two sons, and the Jiang family did not favor boys over girls. Thus, this little girl was even more doted on than her brothers.
Not only the Jiang family, but her maternal grandfather’s Shen family also had only boys. Now that they finally had a baby girl, she was treated like a treasure.
Her grandfather visited the Jiang residence every few days, bringing all kinds of delicious food and fun things. Even though she was still very young, the entire Shen family loved giving her gifts.
Her father was the third-rank Zhenyuan General of the Nanyao Kingdom. Her mother was the legitimate daughter of the wealthy merchant Shen family—a true rich young lady born with a golden spoon in her mouth.
Although her two uncles held no official positions, they were extremely capable in business.
Thus, the Shen family never lacked wealth.