After the blackout, Shen Shuangshuang had completely lost consciousness.
She was woken by a sharp pain in her knees.
Slowly opening her eyes, she saw mottled vermilion beams above her, and the air was heavy with a mix of incense ash and mildew.
“Hiss…”
She tried to move, only to find her knees numb, as if they weren’t her own.
Looking down, she realized she was kneeling on the cold blue-gray stone floor.
In front of her stood a row of ancestral tablets on a table, and the incense burner before them held a few sticks of nearly burnt-out incense.
Where was she?
A family ancestral hall?
Before she could make sense of it, a sharp pain exploded in her head, like countless needles stabbing her, blacking out her vision. She groaned involuntarily.
“Ugh…”
The pain came quickly and went just as fast.
Soon, it began to fade, and an unfamiliar memory flooded her mind like a tide.
The original owner of this body was also named Shen Shuangshuang.
She was the legitimate daughter of the Third Branch of the Quling Marquisate in the capital. Officially a “legitimate daughter,” but her status was extremely awkward.
Her father, Shen Yaozong, was a branch-born son of the marquis; her birth mother, Lady Bai, had passed away early. She was raised under the name of the main wife, Lady Zhou—a legitimate daughter in name only.
The First Branch of the Shen family was the main line, and the eldest son, Shen Yaowen, was the heir. His daughter, Shen Jiaojiao, was the most beloved girl in the entire household.
Three days ago, Shen Jiaojiao had accidentally fallen into the lotus pond in the mansion. The original Shen Shuangshuang happened to be nearby, giving Lady Zhou a perfect excuse.
Lady Zhou had already disliked the Third Branch, so without trial, she punished the original Shen Shuangshuang by forcing her to kneel in the ancestral hall.
The original girl went three days without food, enduring an autumn rain that leaked into the hall. She caught a high fever, cold and hungry, her explanations ignored. Stubborn as she was, she refused to beg.
When Lady Zhou learned she would not admit guilt, she furiously added another three days of kneeling.
The original Shen Shuangshuang couldn’t survive. She died of fever and exhaustion, leaving the body open for the transmigration of the modern Shen Shuangshuang.
“What the hell…”
Shen Shuangshuang rubbed her aching forehead, muttering angrily, “Other people transmigrate as princesses or noble consorts. Me? I get a punching bag body, locked in an ancestral hall to die.”
She touched her face—yellowed and thin, hands rough with calluses. Clearly, the original owner had suffered greatly in the Marquisate.
The first priority: restore the body. Otherwise, she might die before finding her parents.
She reached for the four-leaf clover necklace at her neck… only to find it missing. Panic set in. Looking closely, she realized the necklace had transformed into a four-leaf clover birthmark on her neck.
Concentrating, she whispered mentally, “Enter Space,” and instantly appeared in the courtyard of her modern storage space.
Luckily, the space was intact.
The central well gleamed faintly, its water as clear as ever. Shen Shuangshuang hurried over, scooped a dipper of water, and drank.
This wasn’t ordinary water—it was spiritual spring water.
She had discovered its power during her modern stocking-up: a small cut on her hand would heal before her eyes after drinking.
Sweet and smooth, the water’s warmth spread through her body, clearing her mind and easing the pain in her knees. Most of the chill was gone.
“Much better.”
Shen Shuangshuang exhaled, but her thoughts immediately turned to her parents.
“Dad? Mom? Where are you?”
She searched the space but saw no sign of them, so she returned to the ancestral hall.
As she approached, a sour, foul smell wafted from a corner. She frowned—there was a chipped chamber pot.
“This is where the original girl had to relieve herself?”
Shen Shuangshuang clenched her fists in anger. “Just because she has no power behind her doesn’t mean she deserves this!”
The original girl’s father, being a branch-born, had no standing in the household. Consequently, his wife and daughter were disregarded.
Shen Jiaojiao falling into the pond had merely given Lady Zhou a reason to punish the Third Branch.
Shen Shuangshuang’s anger surged, but she knew this wasn’t the time to act rashly.
Remembering the space rules: if her parents were within a hundred meters, she could freely enter and exit. Perhaps they had already transmigrated to the mansion, but were separated.
To be safe, she hid behind a folding screen holding ancestral portraits, ensuring no one could see her, and slipped back into the space.
Her stomach growled; the spiritual spring water healed but didn’t fill her.
She walked to the storage warehouse, grabbed a bowl of pre-prepared congee and a plate of pickles, and sat at the stone table in the courtyard.
The congee, made by a modern breakfast shop and kept warm in the space, was soft, fragrant, and comforting.
Halfway through, she felt the ground beneath her tremble slightly, and the space’s light flickered.
Her heart skipped.
“Could it be…?”
Next moment, two figures suddenly appeared in the center of the courtyard, collapsing to the ground with a thud.
“Dad! Mom!”
Shen Shuangshuang’s eyes widened as she ran forward.
On the ground were Shen Yaozong and Xiang Meimei, looking terrible.
Shen Yaozong lay face down, his coarse linen clothes torn, his backside bloodied and staining the grass.
Xiang Meimei, heavily pregnant—over nine months—was pale, covered in sweat, curling in pain.
“Mom! What happened to you?”
Shen Shuangshuang knelt beside her. “Why are you pregnant?”
Tears streamed down Xiang Meimei’s face. “Shuangshuang… we transmigrated too! My body’s original owner was already pregnant. Lady Zhou punished her, pushed me… now the baby is hurting me so badly…”
“Dad!”
Shen Shuangshuang looked at Shen Yaozong. He was in too much pain to speak, his lips white.
“Your dad…” Xiang Meimei explained through tears, choking on words, “When we arrived, the original father and mother went to plead for you. That old witch, Lady Zhou, wouldn’t listen. She had your dad pressed to the ground and beaten ten times, saying he didn’t raise his daughter properly. I tried to stop her but was shoved into a pillar…”
“Damn that old hag!”
Shen Shuangshuang’s anger exploded. In her modern life, she had faced ruthless business battles, but never such humiliation and helplessness.
“Just wait. I’ll make her pay for this!”