Now, in the room, only Elder Liang and Madam Liu remained.
Both were comforting their frightened and anxious daughter.
Qianhua, sensing that everyone else had left, finally calmed down.
Elder Liang had promised to punish Cuihua, which meant her goal was accomplished.
The reason she had pretended not to wake up was that she knew if she woke up too quickly, everyone would think she was fine, and the incident of nearly drowning would be taken lightly.
Cuihua might not be severely punished.
But in reality, the original owner of this body had genuinely lost a life because of it. So, she had no choice but to pretend she wasn’t fully awake, forcing Elder Liang to promise punishment for Cuihua.
Madam Liu touched her forehead.
Seeing that she was still a little feverish, she went to the kitchen to prepare some medicine.
The body she had crossed into had already been running a high fever, leaving the mind groggy.
Though the medicine reduced the fever slightly, the acting last night—shouting and screaming—had exhausted her.
Madam Liu prepared the herbal decoction and fed her a bowl. Qianhua drifted into a hazy sleep.
The next day, she didn’t wake until the sun was high in the sky. At first, upon waking, she thought she was still lying in her modern duplex bed. It wasn’t until she felt a hand on her forehead testing her temperature that she realized she was in another time and space.
“Thank heavens, the fever has finally broken. Thank God my daughter is safe,” Madam Liu murmured as she touched Qianhua’s forehead.
Only then did Qianhua open her eyes. Seeing this, Madam Liu’s face lit up with joy. “Qianhua, you’re finally awake. Do you feel unwell anywhere?”
Last night, she had only called out “Mother” as part of her acting.
Today, saying it for real felt somewhat difficult.
But seeing Madam Liu, her eyes bloodshot, exhausted yet full of joy as she stared at her, having stayed by her bedside all night, Qianhua finally found herself saying, “Mother, my body still aches a little, and my head is still a bit dizzy.”
The soft, sweet sound surprised even Qianhua herself.
Although she had spoken last night during her acting, she had been too absorbed in the performance to pay attention to the original owner’s voice.
Now she realized the original owner’s voice was as melodious as an oriole emerging from the valley—sweet, clear, and intoxicating.
In modern times, Qianhua had graduated from a renowned art college in China. During university, she had studied various forms of dance and vocal performance and had self-funded lessons in multiple musical instruments, which she could play proficiently.
She had also taken courses in traditional opera and sword dancing—both among her special talents.
After entering society, during the surge of livestreaming, she gained a following by performing singing, dancing, playing instruments, and sword dancing.
Later, she combined her talents with product promotion livestreams, steadily increasing her income—from twenty to thirty thousand yuan a month initially to seventy or eighty thousand, and eventually hiring top instructors to refine her skills, ultimately becoming a major internet celebrity earning millions a month.
With her earnings, she bought herself a duplex villa and enjoyed a life of comfort.
But before she could fully enjoy it, she fell into the sea and was transported to this world.
Although she could no longer livestream or promote products here, she was happy to have her beautiful voice; singing and dancing had always been her passion.
“You had a high fever all night, so your body must ache. You haven’t eaten anything since last night, so you must be dizzy from hunger. I made some rice porridge early this morning and left it warming on the stove. I’ll bring it over for you now. Eat it and see if the dizziness eases,” Madam Liu’s gentle words pulled Qianhua out of her thoughts of the modern world.
“Alright.” She hadn’t eaten last night and was indeed hungry.
A bowl of porridge gradually restored her strength.
“Feeling less dizzy now? If it still hurts, I’ll go call Doctor Huang to check your pulse,” Madam Liu asked carefully.
“Mother, I feel much better. It must have been hunger dizziness. You don’t need to call Doctor Huang,” Qianhua said.
Besides some body aches and slight chills, she felt no other discomfort.
Seeing her still concerned, Madam Liu fed her another bowl of the herbal medicine.
Having been awake nearly all night, Madam Liu was finally persuaded by Qianhua to rest in the adjacent room.
Once Madam Liu left, Qianhua immediately sat up.
She noticed a pair of worn straw shoes under the bed. Lifting the blanket, she put them on and prepared to stand.
But as soon as she stood, dizziness hit her, and her vision went black; her body wobbled uncontrollably.
She had to lean on the bed and sit down again.
She thought: this body is severely undernourished—I must earn money to properly restore my health. Reborn in this body, she had to take care of herself.
After a moment, the dizziness passed, and her vision cleared.
She eagerly found a small bronze mirror—a gift from Elder Liang, who had traded it for silver while hunting.
From the original owner’s memories, she knew this body had a beautiful face. Cuihua had always been jealous because of the original owner’s beauty.
Over the past few months, the original owner had been worn down by Elder Liang’s torment, looking increasingly haggard. People said she was growing uglier. Qianhua wanted to see her current appearance with her own eyes.
Holding the mirror to her face, she saw a youthful, egg-shaped face. The small girl’s skin was yellowed and dark, dull, and lifeless. With short, tattered clothes, at first glance, she looked like a simple, dark-skinned village girl—not strikingly beautiful, just neat-featured.
But looking closer at the delicate features, she saw thin, arched eyebrows, seductive phoenix eyes, a high nose bridge, a small cherry-like mouth, and a pointed chin. The face was soft, pretty, with natural charm. The features were exquisitely arranged—a masterpiece.
From a modern perspective, if she cared for her skin, nurtured her thin body, and restored vitality, this beauty would easily outshine many others. In a few years, she could be a breathtakingly beautiful woman.
The current dull skin, thin body, and ragged clothes diminished the original owner’s beauty. Even if known in the village as pretty, she was never considered astonishingly beautiful, mainly because of her youth, poor nutrition, and recent abuse.
It was surprising that Elder Liang, with an ordinary appearance, and Madam Liu, merely graceful, could produce a daughter with such refined features. At just 13, the original owner was already 1.65 meters tall.
Elder Liang, Madam Liang, and their three sons were all short. The daughters-in-law were similarly short, except for one slightly taller. So Cuihua and the two cousins weren’t tall. It was remarkable for the original owner to be so tall at such a young age—a true “bad bamboo producing good shoots.”
Though she wasn’t born into nobility, with her good voice, exquisite features, and tall frame, she had been lucky. In the future, she vowed to earn money and maintain herself beautifully.