Qi Ziyue felt a complicated mix of emotions.
She hadn’t expected that over all these years, the little boy had actually been living in the same room as the mad original host. Then… were the injuries on his body really caused by her?
Qi Ziyue decided she would ask him properly after finishing her bath.
She took the old soap and hair powder from Qi’s mother, then deliberately left the clothes on the stool and went to the outdoor bathhouse.
It wasn’t even dawn yet, but fortunately there was a light installed inside the bathhouse.
In the 1970s, cities already had electric lighting. As a respected figure in Jiang City’s education circle, Old Man Qi was influential enough that the Qi family’s living conditions were quite good.
With political movements happening outside, Qi Ziyue didn’t know why the Qi family hadn’t yet been implicated. In any case, this made things slightly easier for her for now.
The bathhouse was a small brick structure built separately outside the courtyard. Inside, everything was made of stone and cement—small, but fully equipped.
As soon as she entered, there was a simple faucet and sink. Turning on the tap released cold water.
Above the sink was a small mirror, with a dim light hanging above it.
Beside the sink was a towel rack, and underneath it a storage shelf. Qi Ziyue casually placed the soap and hair powder there.
Further inside was a simple bathing area enclosed by a curtain.
Behind the curtain, she saw two buckets of hot water already prepared.
She could go straight in and bathe.
Before washing, she went back to the mirror and looked at the original host’s face—and was shocked.
This face… looked almost identical to her own from her previous life. At least seventy to eighty percent similar.
The only difference was that the original body was thinner, dirt-covered, and pale from years of poor mental health and neglect. Her face was slightly gaunt.
But there was no doubt—they looked extremely alike.
Qi Ziyue couldn’t help wondering if this was the reason she kept dreaming about this world… and why she had ended up here.
Suppressing her doubts, she carefully studied the face again.
The body was too thin, the complexion too pale, but overall it was still healthy.
She knew that once nourished properly, this body would only become more beautiful.
And with her “Peach Blossom cultivation technique,” her appearance would only continue to improve as her mental power strengthened.
She even thought about the so-called “peach blossom scent” and her special physique that attracted men and made them easily infatuated.
Thinking about the chaotic situation outside, she couldn’t help shivering.
If she wanted to survive, she would have to disguise herself—make herself look plain. In the future, she would even need special makeup techniques to make herself look ordinary.
That would be the safest approach.
For now, both she and the child were still being confined by the family. Even though she had tried last night, it was clear they would not easily allow the child to move freely.
Moreover, she had been “mad” for years. After last night’s fire incident, her family probably still believed she wasn’t normal.
They might tie her up again at any time.
The child had no official household registration, and in this era, movement was strictly controlled. Outside was also dangerous.
The Qi family had not yet been implicated, but as political movements deepened, they might eventually be sent down or punished.
She needed to prepare early.
It was only 1971—there were still many years before the movement ended, and too many variables remained.
In the original story, the little villain’s entire family had died in the fire. She didn’t yet know what the true outcome would be in this life, but she intended to resolve immediate dangers first.
The most urgent problem was getting the child registered.
Also, if she “recovered,” the family might try to use her marriage as a bargaining chip. She should leave as soon as possible—maybe even go down to the countryside as an educated youth.
But where to go?
While her thoughts were turning rapidly, she heard footsteps outside.
She had assumed the child would refuse to bring her clothes. But when she opened the door, she saw him standing there.
He was holding a set of clothes in his arms, silently watching her.
Qi Ziyue quickly stepped forward and gently patted his head.
“Thank you for bringing Mommy the clothes, An’an.”
But the boy remained expressionless. He handed her the clothes and turned to leave.
Qi Ziyue grabbed his hand.
“An’an, were your injuries caused by Mommy?”
His body trembled slightly, and he bit his lip but said nothing.
Her heart tightened even more.
She crouched down to meet his eyes.
“No matter what happened before, Mommy will protect you from now on. I won’t let anyone hurt you again.”
The boy’s eyes turned red.
He looked at her quietly for a moment—then suddenly pushed her away and ran off without a word.
Qi Ziyue: “…?”
Fine.
She had originally planned to call him to bathe too, but considering his rejection of closeness, she decided to take things slowly.
She went inside with the clothes, tested the water temperature, and saw the wooden tubs were still warm.
Although there was no modern shampoo or body wash, she had prepared some supplies in her spatial storage, so it wasn’t a problem.
She quickly washed her hair and body, trying not to delay in the cold weather. Then she took out thermal underwear from her space and put them on before wearing the cotton padded clothes prepared by Qi’s mother.
It was freezing outside, and she even changed her socks twice before going out.
When she returned, Qi’s mother said dinner was ready.
“Where’s An’an?”
Qi’s mother replied while tidying the bathhouse, “He’s in your old room. Your brother cleaned it up for you—you’ll stay there from now on.”
The Qi family lived in a large three-courtyard compound. The outer courtyard had guest rooms; the middle had side rooms; and the main house had many rooms.
The original host had lived in the innermost west wing. After the fire, most of the backyard extension built for her had burned down, leaving only part of the compound intact.
After bathing, Qi Ziyue felt completely refreshed, as if reborn.
She went to the room Qi’s mother mentioned.
In the dim light, a small figure was curled up on the bed.
She had intended to call him for dinner, but he had already fallen asleep.
However, the moment she stepped inside, he woke up instantly.
He looked at her with dark, emotionless eyes—filled with deep vigilance.
“An’an, come eat with Mommy.”
At the words, he immediately burrowed under the blanket, covering his head completely and refusing to respond.
Qi Ziyue: “…?”
This kid really was hard to get close to.
She walked over, pulled the blanket up to cover him properly, then placed two warm buns beside him from her spatial storage.
“I won’t force you to eat, but you probably haven’t eaten properly. These are steamed buns Mommy got for you. Eat them later.”
He didn’t respond.
She sighed softly and left.
In the kitchen, she ate a simple meal and felt surprisingly satisfied.
Afterward, she returned to her room and planned to sleep early, then go out tomorrow to understand the world better—its society, rules, and current political situation.
She also intended to buy the child some winter clothes so she could later justify taking out her own supplies for him.
When she checked on him again, he was asleep—and the buns were gone.
She gently lifted his head from under the blanket and used wet wipes from her space to clean his face.
Only after several wipes did a surprisingly beautiful little face appear.
No wonder he would become the future blackened villain.
Even in the original story, his appearance was so striking that people were easily deceived by him.
Thinking further, his biological father must also be exceptionally good-looking.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have such a face.
A man who had ruined the original host’s life…
She stopped thinking further and returned to her room to rest.
That night, she began practicing her Peach Blossom mental cultivation technique.
She didn’t know how long had passed, but the next morning she woke up to a pleasant surprise—the technique was actually working automatically.
Her mental strength had clearly improved, and even her headache was gone.
She got up feeling refreshed and radiant.
Although her body was still thin and pale, there was now a noticeable vitality to her.
If her modern family saw her now, they would definitely be happy for her.
In this era of scarcity, she had resources in her spatial storage. She could exchange them for money and ration coupons, making survival in the countryside manageable.
But she still had one worry.
As she continued cultivating, she would emit a “peach blossom scent” and possess a physique that attracted men effortlessly.
How was she supposed to avoid interactions with male comrades in the future?