Chapter 2: Rebirth
Three houses with green tiles and red walls stood in a spacious farmyard, the ground blanketed by a thick layer of snow. The guard dog, a large black hound, ambled to the doorway, lazily nibbled at the bones in a broken bowl, then retreated to its kennel as if chilled by the cold.
It was New Year's Eve. Colorful New Year paintings depicting bountiful harvests adorned the door, and three plump red lanterns hung from the eaves. The sound of firecrackers echoed outside, while laughter and chatter filled the house. It was time for the annual New Year's Eve feast. Though the dishes were rustic, the eight main courses were prepared with care—meat and vegetables perfectly paired: steamed perch with spicy fermented beans, Empress Dowager-style braised pork, tea-smoked chicken, multicolored shredded eggplant, lamb and scallion dumplings, auspicious prawns, four-joy meatballs, and golden corn with jade-like greens. Beside them sat a pot of richly brewed sorghum liquor.
Amid the clinking of cups and lively revelry, the innermost and most secluded courtyard of the farmhouse remained desolate. Inside a dilapidated room, the dim candlelight flickered weakly, as if on the verge of extinguishing.
A tall young woman with a maid's bun sat by the doorway, carefully adding firewood to the brazier. The room was cramped, and as the wood caught fire, thick, acrid smoke immediately filled the air.
Another, more petite maid hurried over, grabbing a tattered palm-leaf fan from the ground to fan away the smoke. She scolded, "Lianqiao, be careful! The young mistress hasn’t fully recovered yet—what if she chokes?"
Lianqiao curled her lip indignantly but kept her voice low. "I wish there wasn’t any smoke at all. Today, I went to see that Zhang Lan. Forget silver-veined charcoal—she wouldn’t even give us ordinary charcoal! She claimed the storeroom was empty because of the heavy usage these days. Pah! Who does she think she’s fooling? It’s New Year’s—how could the household be out of charcoal? She’s just bullying us because she can. If the young mistress weren’t still ill and I didn’t want to worry her, I’d have slapped that woman twice!"
"You..." The maid with the fan sighed. "Can’t you rein in that stubborn temper of yours? No matter how much they bully us, we’re under their roof and have no choice but to yield. If you start a fight, it’s the young mistress who’ll suffer in the end."
Lianqiao shot her a disdainful look. "Zisu, I never knew you could be so timid. What status does this family have? And what status does our young mistress hold? No matter what’s happened to her, with her standing, she should never let these lowly people trample over her!"
Zisu shook her head. "We’re both the young mistress’s maids—do you think I don’t want what’s best for her? But there’s been no word from the capital. Who knows how long she’ll have to stay here? A short while is one thing, but look—it’s already been six years. Has the master ever sent anyone to check on her? If we’re to stay here indefinitely, and you pick fights with them, it’s the young mistress who’ll pay the price."
Lianqiao fell silent. After a long pause, she muttered, "So we just let them walk all over us?"
Zisu could only sigh softly in response.
The room sank back into stillness, broken only by the occasional crackle of burning wood. The two maids continued fanning, unaware that the figure on the bed had already awakened.Jiang Ruan had been awake for some time now, and every word of the conversation between Zisu and Lianqiao had clearly reached her ears. Three days ago when she awoke from her bed, she discovered to her astonishment that she had returned to the age of twelve. The events of her past life seemed like an afternoon nightmare, but she alone knew that the sea of blood and vengeance could not be dispelled by mere dreams. Since Heaven had granted her a chance to start over, she would unceremoniously accept it and make good use of it.
Three days prior, when she woke from her bed, Zisu and Lianqiao had heaved a great sigh of relief. After falling into the water, Jiang Ruan had been unconscious for more than ten days. The physicians who came had all declared there was no hope of recovery, and Zhang Lan had even gone out to inquire about funeral arrangements. Who could have guessed she would wake up again? Lianqiao had clutched her hand and wept bitterly, exclaiming that Heaven had shown mercy, but Jiang Ruan had only narrowed her eyes.
Having died once, the events of her past life had not faded into oblivion—instead, she remembered them with terrifying clarity. Six years ago, her mother had passed away, and a wandering Taoist who visited the estate had taken one look at her and declared that her Eight Characters were extremely inauspicious—that she was destined to bring misfortune to both husband and mother, a true Star of Calamity and Solitude. Jiang Quan had originally intended to send her to the family temple to live out her days in solitude with only the dim light of Buddha lamps for company. It was only because Jiang Susu had knelt and pleaded for leniency that Jiang Quan changed his mind and sent her to a rural estate instead. Because of this, Jiang Ruan had always harbored a sense of gratitude toward Jiang Susu. But now, looking back, she realized that every bit of suffering she endured here had been orchestrated by Jiang Susu and her mother.
The estate was managed by Zhang Lan and her family. Zhang Lan was greedy, miserly, and extremely vicious, never missing an opportunity to hurl veiled insults at Jiang Ruan. Her husband, Chen Fu, was a lazy, drunken gambler. The couple had a son and a daughter—Chen Zhao, who was lecherous to the extreme, and Chen Fang, who was sharp-tongued and spiteful. Many of the jewelry and valuables Jiang Ruan had brought with her had either fallen into Zhang Lan’s hands or been swindled away by Chen Fang. More than ten days ago, Jiang Ruan had accidentally fallen into the water—though in truth, it was because Chen Zhao had made unwanted advances toward her by the pond. Unable to endure the humiliation, she had jumped in herself. Seeing the trouble he had caused, Chen Zhao had fled in panic. By the time Lianqiao and Zisu called for help and pulled Jiang Ruan out, she was already unconscious.
It was the dead of winter, and the pond water was icy cold. Combined with the years of harsh treatment under Zhang Lan that had left Jiang Ruan’s body increasingly frail, the chill had been the final straw—she had immediately fallen gravely ill.
Jiang Ruan remembered clearly that in her past life, she had not woken up this early. After regaining consciousness back then, she had been left with lingering health problems. More importantly, not long after, rumors had begun to spread—that at such a tender age, she had already learned to seduce men, that despite her noble status, she had no self-respect, that she had thrown herself at Chen Zhao and only fallen into the water when he rejected her advances. No doubt this had been Zhang Lan’s doing, shifting all the blame onto her. Thanks to these slanders, when Jiang Ruan’s beauty blossomed in later years, she was branded a temptress.
This time, however, she had woken up much earlier, and the rumors had yet to spread. Zhang Lan likely hadn’t thought of that angle yet—which meant Jiang Ruan could take the opportunity to give her a New Year’s gift. There was no future in continuing to live on this estate where she was bullied and humiliated at every turn. Nor could she bear to be sent into the palace years later as a mere pawn. She would not allow herself to be taken advantage of again—this time, everyone would pay the price for their actions. And Chen Zhao would be the first to taste her blade.
Jiang Ruan glanced out the window. The faint sound of firecrackers outside only made the cold desolation of their three-person household feel even more pronounced.
She slowly sat up. Hearing the movement, Zisu hurried over and asked, "Miss, you're awake—are you feeling unwell anywhere?"Jiang Ruan shook her head. "What time is it now?"
"It's around Xu hour," Zisu replied.
Lianqiao set down her fan. "Are you hungry, miss? This servant will go to the kitchen to fetch some food."
Most ladies sent to the manors for recuperation were those who had committed offenses, but they were still masters after all. Unless specifically ordered otherwise, they shouldn't be living in such destitution, worse off than servants. That the New Year's Eve meal hadn't been delivered early was truly thought-provoking.
Before Jiang Ruan could answer, there came a knock at the door. A clear voice called from outside, "Miss, this servant has come to deliver the New Year's Eve meal."
Lianqiao was startled. Jiang Ruan said, "Come in." With a creak, the door opened to reveal a maid dressed in very festive clothing, carrying a food basket with a smile. "Aunt Lan instructed this servant to bring food. Please eat some, miss."
Seeing Jiang Ruan remain motionless for a long while, Zisu looked down in confusion just in time to catch a fleeting emotion flash through Jiang Ruan's eyes. Then Jiang Ruan raised her head and smiled faintly.
(End of Chapter)
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