The primitive world was in the midst of daylight. Ah Huahua, clad in a hide skirt, sat on the makeshift bed inside her cave, fiddling with a stone—the very medium through which she communicated with the chat group.
In this primal society, women weren’t yet referred to as "women" but as "females." Once a female began menstruating, it signaled she was ready for mating. Before Ah Huahua had transmigrated into this body, its original owner had just experienced her first period. During her time here, many young men had approached Ah Huahua seeking courtship.
She rejected them all. In this primitive society, everyone wore hides with nothing underneath—Ah Huahua couldn’t stand their casual exposure, let alone their lack of bathing. The males, especially, reeked so strongly that she could smell them from three meters away!
Because of her refusal to take a mate, Ah Huahua had been driven out by her female mother and male fathers the previous month.
But Ah Huahua wasn’t worried. Her tribe was small, with barely a hundred people, including elders and children. Their settlement was nestled between mountains and water, and since this era still followed a matriarchal clan system, families typically lived together in shared caves.
As a result, there were plenty of small, unoccupied caves nearby. Gathering her meager belongings, Ah Huahua moved into one she had carefully chosen—situated between two larger family caves but far enough to ensure both safety and privacy.
Though this primitive society hadn’t yet advanced from the Stone Age to an agrarian civilization, Ah Huahua wasn’t concerned about survival. She had already planted thorny bushes around her cave and cultivated a small vegetable patch in front, transplanting wild greens commonly eaten by the tribe.
Now, as she gazed at the thriving greens, her lips quivered, and she felt like crying. Back in her modern life, despite growing up in a patriarchal household, she had lived in the city—her only farming experience was planting garlic in flower pots. Even these rudimentary gardening skills were self-taught from snippets of online videos she vaguely remembered!
In the Stone Age, weapons were nothing more than sharpened rocks and wooden sticks. The number of times Ah Huahua had broken down while clearing the land and planting thorns was beyond counting. Her hands were still covered in blisters and cuts.
Over the past days, she had cycled between despair and self-comfort, barely holding on—until she dug up the stone in her hands. That night, she connected to the strange chat group.
When she learned that Lin Xi was on Earth and could send items across dimensions, Ah Huahua’s first thought was to request seasonings, followed by tools like a hoe, an electric baton, and a sickle.
But Lin Xi could only accept one task at a time. For days, Ah Huahua had waited, checking the stone whenever she could. Finally, her patience paid off, and she nearly wept with joy. Yet, when it came time to post her request, she hesitated.
She deleted her drafted message and rewrote it:
[Primitive World Ah Huahua: @Earth Girl Lin Xi, could you please check on my cat for me? In return, I’ll give you a gemstone I found in the river.]
Attached was a photo of a translucent lavender stone, its soft pastel hue strikingly beautiful against the backdrop of green mountains and clear water.
No girl could resist such a delicate, dreamy color.
Ye Bingbing, who had transmigrated into a domineering CEO’s world some time ago, was instantly captivated. Money had never been an issue for her, especially in this world where wealth was treated like play money.
Indulging in her carefree lifestyle, she had already sent several admiring messages in the chat.
Lin Xi, notified by the system, waited in the group chat. The moment Ah Huahua’s message appeared, she accepted the task. Soon, Ah Huahua sent her a private message.
[Primitive World Ah Huahua: Hello, Lin Xi. My name is Liu Hua. I died from overwork while pulling an all-nighter. My home was in Wangping Village, Guangyang District.]
[My parents favored sons over daughters. In their eyes, women were worthless because they’d eventually marry into another family. My modern life was painful, so in a way, transmigrating was a relief. The only thing I miss from that world is my three-colored cat, Cao’er.]
[Cao’er had a lame leg and a blind eye. During my hardest times, it was Cao’er who kept me company. We relied on each other, and now I’m so worried about it.]
Ah Huahua’s face twisted with worry as she thought of her cat.
Visiting a pet cat was perhaps the simplest task Lin Xi had taken on so far. The name Liu Hua also sounded familiar. After a few seconds of thought, Lin Xi remembered—about a week ago, that name had appeared in the news. Even now, short videos about her death and its aftermath still circulated online.
Her parents, still clinging to their son-preference, were harassing her former company for compensation.
[Are you Liu Hua, the employee from Ruiao Tech in Guangyang District?] After some hesitation, Lin Xi couldn’t resist asking.
On the other end, Ah Huahua’s hands trembled as she read the message. She took a deep breath. Of course—she had lived pitifully and died unjustly. It was only natural her story would make the news.
[Primitive World Ah Huahua: Yes, that’s me—the unlucky one!]
Satisfying her curiosity, Lin Xi didn’t pry further. [I’ll go check after work at noon.]
Ah Huahua grew anxious upon reading this. To distract herself, she started chatting with Ye Bingbing in the group. The kind of gemstones she had offered Lin Xi were common in the primitive world—plenty could be found in the river outside her cave.
Because of their beauty, the females in the tribe often collected and strung them into jewelry.
Ah Huahua was no exception. To take her mind off things, she began showing off her treasures in the group—vibrant, colorful gemstones that instantly caught the attention of the other women.
Even Xu Huanhuan, who was busy hiring a tutor for her son while locked in a fierce battle with her mother-in-law and aunt, was drawn into the lively conversation. Lin Duxi also watched the chat but couldn’t quite grasp the women’s excitement.
Amid the flurry of messages, Lin Xi continued driving her truck along the planned route.
Near the border of Beijing and Hebei, she stopped at a roadside inn, slept until five, then returned the truck before hailing a cab to her shop, yawning all the way.
When Lin Xi arrived at the shop, it was already past ten. Brother Feng and the others weren’t there, but He Chun was sitting at the front desk doing her makeup. Spotting Lin Xi, she smiled sweetly and called out, "Sister Xi," before putting away her mirror, grabbing her phone, and swaying her hips as she headed toward the staircase.
No sooner had she left than Xu Meili walked in. "Off to see Manager Wang again," she remarked.
He Chun made no secret of being the other woman, especially lately—she didn’t even bother hiding it anymore. "Rumor has it Manager Wang’s divorcing his wife. He Chun might just get her way."
Xu Meili knew Lin Xi wasn’t particularly interested in gossip, but she still shared the news. When Sister Xiu, the shop manager, returned from washing rags in the restroom, she overheard and joined in.
The two of them chattered back and forth, their discussion lively, until a customer walked into Xu Meili’s section and they finally dispersed.
Sister Xiu then turned to Lin Xi with a personal matter. "Xi, have you really made up your mind? You’re quitting?"
After selling the jade pendant sent over by Lin Duxi, Lin Xi had made fifty thousand yuan. Combined with her savings and what little she had left, she no longer needed to worry about money. Life as a "Northern Drifter" was tough, and with her grandmother growing older, Lin Xi wanted to go back and spend time with her.
Sister Xiu was aware of Lin Xi’s family situation. Everyone had seen how frugal she’d been over the years, barely spending on herself. Now that Lin Xi had saved enough to leave, Sister Xiu couldn’t bring herself to talk her out of it.
"Xi, if you ever decide to come back to work, you’ve got to call me, alright? We’ll team up again," Sister Xiu said. As a northerner, she had a habit of dropping the first character of a name when she felt close to someone, using only the last as a term of endearment.
Lin Xi had grown up somewhat starved for affection, and whenever Sister Xiu or Brother Feng called her that way, it warmed her heart.
She looped her arm through Sister Xiu’s and teased softly, "Deal! When I come knocking, you better not turn me away."
"Wouldn’t dream of it. Don’t leave after your shift tonight—let’s grab hot pot." Sister Xiu loved hot pot, but her husband and kids couldn’t stand it. Luckily, Lin Xi, hailing from southwestern Yunnan, was the perfect dining companion.
"Same as usual," Lin Xi agreed.
"Fine, fine. But drinks and fruit don’t count as part of the split, got it?"
With that settled, He Chun returned, her face glowing—it was obvious what she’d been up to. She sidled up to Sister Xiu and Lin Xi, flaunting a new gold bracelet. The two were long used to her antics.
At noon, Lin Xi asked Sister Xiu for some time off, which was granted without hesitation.
The subway near the building materials city had a direct line to Wangpingzhuang Station. Since it wasn’t rush hour, Lin Xi arrived in under half an hour.
Liu Hua’s place was at No. 15, West Second Street, Wangpingzhuang—a makeshift shed built outside the main house.
According to Liu Hua, she’d lived in that shed since she was twelve. Back then, security was poor, and drifters often knocked on her door at night. She’d kept a knife under her pillow.
She hadn’t moved out for two reasons: first, to pay off her student loans, and second, because her company didn’t provide room and board.
Living here, she paid her mother three hundred yuan a month in rent—far cheaper than renting elsewhere.
Liu Hua had planned to move out by year’s end, but her employer’s client turned out to be ruthless. After three straight months of overwork, she dropped dead from exhaustion. Even now, white mourning cloth still hung at her doorstep.
Across from Liu Hua’s place was a courier station that also sold drinks, cigarettes, and alcohol. Thirsty, Lin Xi bought a bottle of soda water. As she paid, a woman in her forties came out after picking up a package.
"Did you hear? The Lius went back to Rio Company to hassle their daughter’s boss," the woman whispered to the shopkeeper’s wife.
"They live right across from me—of course I know," the shopkeeper’s wife replied. She paused before adding, "Honestly, the Lius are awful. When Hua was alive, they treated her like some stray cat or dog."
"Now that she’s gone, they’re making a scene. I haven’t seen them grieve at all—just marching over to Rio every day, demanding compensation. A million yuan, I hear."
The woman clicked her tongue. "Heartless. You know they only want that money for their son."
"Favoring boys over girls, as usual. And let me tell you, even if they got three million, five million—it’d all go to waste. My son goes to the same university as theirs. Says the boy’s already into online gambling."
The two gossiped about the Lius for a few more minutes before the woman scanned her code and left with her package. Lin Xi paid and struck up a conversation with the shopkeeper’s wife.
"Shopkeeper’s wife, I used to always see a cat around here—limping, blind in one eye. Haven’t spotted it lately. What happened?"
The shopkeeper’s wife gave Lin Xi a once-over but didn’t think much of it. Wangpingzhuang was a large residential area with plenty of rentals and a high turnover—strangers were common.
Besides, it wasn’t a secret. "That cat had an owner. A couple days ago, the owner passed away. The cat still goes out during the day to scavenge, but at night, you’ll find it sitting at that intersection."
"We figure it’s waiting for its owner to come home from work."
