This aunt was dressed very simply, wearing a plain dark gray cotton coat. The style looked somewhat old-fashioned, almost like something from an ancient era, but it was quite unique.
“Second sister-in-law, have you gone dizzy from childbirth? How can you not even recognize me? I’m your eldest sister-in-law!” the woman said warmly as she turned and picked up a bowl from the table, about to feed Hua Wanxi.
“Eldest sister-in-law?” Hua Wanxi was even more confused. When did she ever have an eldest sister-in-law?
At that moment, a baby’s cry sounded beside her. Hua Wanxi followed the sound and saw two newborns lying side by side.
Suddenly, a flood of information rushed into her mind. She held her head and closed her eyes for a moment.
When she opened them again, she finally understood what was happening.
She had transmigrated!
Last night, while taking a shower at home, she slipped, fell, and struck the back of her head against the edge of the bathtub. She died on the spot.
And then she ended up here—in a fictional historical novel she had once read.
Her current identity was a woman who shared her name: Hua Wanxi, the aunt-in-law of the female protagonist, who died from childbirth complications in the very first chapter.
Her husband had already died three months ago after accidentally falling down a mountain, leaving her alone to survive while pregnant.
Her husband, Jiang Chi, was the second son in the family and originally a scholar. Because he insisted on marrying Hua Wanxi, an orphan, he was strongly opposed by his mother. After they separated from the family, his wife was never liked by her mother-in-law.
After her husband’s death, the mother-in-law saw her as a thorn in her side, believing she had brought misfortune upon her son. So even while pregnant, she lived completely alone. No one was with her when she went into labor last night.
The original Hua Wanxi gave birth to a son with all her strength but died from exhaustion afterward. If the transmigrated Hua Wanxi had not arrived in time, the newborn son would have frozen to death, and the daughter in her womb would have suffocated.
Having picked up a second chance at life—and two children besides—Hua Wanxi cherished this hard-won opportunity. She decided to live well, together with the children.
“Eldest sister-in-law! Thank you!”
Hua Wanxi drank spoonful after spoonful of the thin rice porridge fed to her by her sister-in-law Wang Shi. The family was so poor they could barely make ends meet, so this rice must have been brought over by her.
Although Jiang’s mother did not like her, the eldest brother and sister-in-law were kind. The sister-in-law often helped her in private; otherwise, as a pregnant woman unable to work in the fields or go up the mountain, she would not have survived until now.
“It’s nothing!” Wang Shi said cheerfully. “We’re all family. Mother just hasn’t come around yet—she’ll understand one day. You are my younger brother’s wife; taking care of you is what I should do!”
Wang Shi was a simple, kind rural woman—hardworking and devoted to her family, the model daughter-in-law type.
Her daughter, Jiang Wenwan, was the female protagonist of the original story and would later be reborn after surviving a famine.
Last night was the day Jiang Wenwan was reborn after recovering from a fever. Because Wang Shi was busy taking care of her sick daughter, she had no time to check on Hua Wanxi.
After finishing the porridge, Wang Shi helped her lie down again.
“You’re still weak. You need to recover quickly. These two children will depend on you for feeding.”
Wang Shi gently comforted her, afraid Hua Wanxi would remain depressed. For the sake of the children, she needed to pull herself together.
“I understand, eldest sister-in-law. I will stay strong and raise both children properly.”
“That’s more like it!” Wang Shi laughed brightly. “I knew you could figure it out. I’ll head back first and come again at dinner time!”
“Alright, eldest sister-in-law. Goodbye!”
Hua Wanxi was deeply grateful to this honest, kind woman and already treated her like an elder. If she ever became successful in the future, she would surely repay her.
Wang Shi left in a hurry, as she had many chores waiting at home. Her daughter had just woken up, crying uncontrollably for a long time as if she had lost her parents, and was still weak and dazed in bed, unable to help with any work.