In a small mountain village on the border of the Dasheng Dynasty, Shen Yu opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the low, worn roof, dimly lit.
Where was this? She turned her head, and a sharp pain shot through the back of her skull.
She touched it: “Ouch…” — a huge bump. What had happened?
Hadn’t she died? The lingering agony of her body being torn apart by an explosion still pulsed in her awareness. How was she now lying on this shabby bed?
Before Shen Yu could process anything, the door was kicked open. An old woman with a fierce expression stormed in:
“You worthless thing, you wake up and still pretend! Get up quickly! A buyer finally came, and you’re still playing dead. Eating and freeloading every day — who could afford to keep you?”
She reached to yank Shen Yu by the hair while cursing.
Suddenly, a frail middle-aged woman lunged forward, desperately trying to stop the old woman:
“Mother, you can’t sell Yu’er! My daughter-in-law only has this one girl. Please, spare Yu’er. I’ll work like a beast, do whatever you say — just please, Mother…”
A small child was crying, snot and tears streaming down his face, pulling hard on the old woman’s hand:
“Grandma, don’t pull Sister’s hair! Grandma, don’t sell Sister! If you want to sell someone, sell me instead!”
Amid the chaos of crying and shouting, Shen Yu felt a bit stunned.
This didn’t seem like an act…
The sharp pain in her scalp made her realize: she had transmigrated!
Before she could think further, Shen Yu grabbed the old woman’s wrist, twisted, and pushed — throwing her to the ground in one swift motion.
The old woman froze.
Her granddaughter had always been timid and obedient, never retaliating when hit or scolded. Could it be that today she was rebelling against the heavens?
Regaining her senses, the old woman charged at Shen Yu:
“You shameless girl, you dare hit me?! Who gave you the nerve? I’ll beat you to death today!”
Shen Yu sidestepped, elbowing the woman’s waist. The old woman fell again, harder this time.
Now she was truly thrown violently. The old woman flailed on the ground:
“You little whore dares strike an elder! Cursed you, worthless creature! I’ll sell you to the brothel, let you be ridden by a thousand men, let you catch disease and die a horrible death…”
She shrieked while crawling out the door, screaming vile words that seemed designed to let the whole village know her “unfilial granddaughter” had dared attack her.
The middle-aged woman hurriedly pulled the small child along and followed outside.
Shen Yu was about to get up when a wave of dizziness hit her. Strange memories flooded her mind.
The village was called Shen Family Village. The original owner of this body was a ten-year-old village girl, also named Shen Yu.
Her father, Shen Yong’an, was the eldest son of the Shen family, born to Shen Yu’s grandfather Shen Zhongliang’s first wife.
After the first wife died, her grandfather remarried Liu Guilan (Shen Liu Shi), who gave birth to the second and third sons, Shen Yongtian and Shen Yongcai.
Shen Yu’s mother was Lin Shuyuan, a woman who had fled famine and was “bought” by Shen Yong’an in exchange for three catties of millet. She had given birth to Shen Yu and a younger brother, Shen Xiaohao, who was only five this year.
The second uncle, Shen Yongtian, had married Xie Jinhua, the eldest daughter of a neighboring village chief. They had a son and a daughter: Shen Cui, thirteen, and Shen Xu, ten.
The third uncle, Shen Yongcai, was still studying at the academy and unmarried.
The whole family lived in one courtyard. Shen Liu Shi, citing overcrowding, had only given them one room. Over the years, she had found every way to make Shen Yong’an and his family suffer. All labor fell on them — even little Shen Xiaohao had to climb mountains to gather firewood and dig wild vegetables every day, while Shen Yu served Shen Liu Shi’s family day and night. Meanwhile, Shen Liu Shi’s own sons never had to do any heavy work.
Her grandfather, knowing Shen Liu Shi favored the younger sons, remained silent to maintain the illusion of peace.
Over time, he fell ill, and before Shen Yongcai could marry, he passed away last year in melancholy.
After Shen Zhongliang’s death, Shen Liu Shi became even more ruthless, with physical abuse and scolding becoming daily life. Yesterday, when the old woman had beaten Shen Yu’s mother, the original Shen Yu had tried to intervene and was thrown against a jar, hitting her head fatally. That’s when Shen Yu had taken over.
Absorbing these memories, Shen Yu felt a wave of frustration. How had she transmigrated into such a miserable life?
She touched the bump on the back of her head and found it unharmed. Just as she was about to rise, a shriveled old man with a goatee barged in. He glanced at Shen Yu with satisfaction, then called to the old woman outside:
“Old lady, stop screaming! Will you sell her or not? I don’t have time to waste here.”
“Sell, sell! That little brat just woke up. Give me the silver, and you can take her away.”
Shen Liu Shi entered to grab Shen Yu. The frail mother burst in from the door:
“Who dares take my daughter? I’ll fight to the death! If necessary, no one survives!”
“Grandma can’t sell Sister! Grandma is bad!” The little boy’s voice was hoarse from crying as he clutched Shen Liu Shi’s pants.
Shen Yu felt warmth in her heart. This was her mother in this world. Looking closer, she did resemble her mother from the other world — and the little brother, though five, looked smaller than expected.
When the old woman clawed at her again, Shen Yu grabbed her wrist and twisted, disarming her.
Shen Liu Shi shrieked like a pig being slaughtered:
“Ah! She’s killing someone! Come quick!”
She ran out, still screaming. Lin Shuyuan couldn’t restrain her and followed, wanting to protect her daughter’s reputation.
Little Shen Xiaohao, tears in his eyes, stared at his sister without blinking.
Shen Yu gently patted his head:
“It’s okay, little brother. Go protect mother. If Grandma bullies her, sneak out and find the village chief, but don’t let her see you.”
Shen Xiaohao nodded and ran off.
Seeing her mother and brother fiercely protecting her, Shen Yu was moved.
Silently, she promised the original Shen Yu: “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of your family. Thank you for giving me a second chance at life.”
She felt a voice whisper, “Thank you!” and finally sensed her soul and body fully in sync.
Looking at the family’s current situation, Shen Yu realized that Shen Liu Shi and her cronies were the biggest obstacle. But with her current small, weak body, changing things would be difficult. Her first step: increase her physical strength.
She stood, tidied her hair, and prepared to go out. Glancing at her left wrist, she noticed a faint red mark. Looking closer, she saw a small iris flower clearly imprinted there. Her heart leapt — yes! Her previous life’s space had come with her!