Lin Xi found an empty spot, took the Disguise Pill, and then ambled along behind Xue Min, who was wearing a red dress.
Xue Min walked fast and urgently. If Lin Xi hadn't been consistently drinking the Genetic Repair Serum and practicing the Yi Shu Thirteen Meridians, she would have almost lost her.
Lin Xi trailed Xue Min at a careful distance, neither too close nor too far. She was now certain that Xue Min's ability to enter her mother's body definitely involved some kind of unusual encounter.
Otherwise, it would be impossible for Xue Min, who had just undergone uterine cancer surgery, to walk so briskly. The person in their village who had surgery around the same time as Xue Min still walks unconsciously hunched over.
Lin Xi had also doubted whether this person was really Xue Min. To verify this suspicion, she took an Invisibility Pill and ran right in front of her. Only after seeing the black mole in the concha of her left ear did she confirm it was Xue Min herself.
Lin Xi continued following her.
Xue Min navigated through narrow alleyways with familiar ease, finally arriving at the only villa district in Shawu Town—Yuhua Residential Area. She scanned her face and walked right in.
Xue Min seemed to sense someone following her, frowning and looking back several times, but saw nothing.
After that, she slowed her pace considerably. At every intersection, she would use the act of turning a corner to glance back, but each time, no one was there.
Seeing this situation, Xue Min's expression turned very grim. However, no matter how bad she felt, she couldn't miss the appointed time. She soon reached today's destination: the innermost villa in Yuhua Residential Area.
As she approached the door, it opened automatically. Xue Min took a deep breath at the threshold and stepped inside. Lin Xi wanted to follow but was blocked. She reached out her hand to touch the barrier; the sensation beneath her fingers was like rippling water—soft, pliant, and undulating.
A person dressed in black robes walked out from inside the house, their eyes scanning the surroundings with intense killing intent.
Lin Xi immediately hid behind a landscaping tree, holding her breath and not daring to move. After what felt like a long time, the man finally turned around. Just as his foot was about to cross the threshold back into the house, a transparent, invisible force shot toward the tree Lin Xi was hiding behind.
Lin Xi rolled to the side to dodge it. The tree she had just been hiding behind was uprooted.
In that instant, Lin Xi thought of the person mentioned in Lin Zhongxun's letter—the one who could tear through the void. If this man was really that person, then the question that had been troubling her for days was finally answered at this moment.
It also made sense why her father had become lost in another spacetime.
Having gotten the answer she wanted, Lin Xi quickly left the area. Once outside the residential compound, she went to a dessert shop, ordered a bowl of sweet soup and two snacks. She ate while playing on her phone, occasionally glancing across the street.
She found Da Mingbao's contact in her WeChat friends list and sent her a message, asking her to inquire about Xue Min's whereabouts through an aunt who lived in the same village as Da Mingbao's grandmother.
After about forty minutes, Xue Min came out. Compared to when she entered, her steps were now unsteady, her face was deathly pale, and there was a red, slightly swollen mark on her fair skin.
This time, Lin Xi did not follow Xue Min again.
After finishing the last piece of water chestnut cake, Lin Xi paid the bill and left. She didn't stay in Shawu Town any longer. She could clearly feel the gap between herself and that black-robed man. Before her wings were fully grown, staying here any longer would be nothing short of alerting the enemy.
Furthermore, from now on, she would have to be even more careful about hiding herself. At this moment, Lin Xi felt immensely grateful that during this period, she hadn't revealed too many attention-grabbing, era-transcending products.
Otherwise, with Xue Min living in the neighboring village, it would be as easy for her to investigate Lin Xi as it was for Lin Xi to investigate her.
Just as her car drove out of Shawu Town's limits, Lin Xi received a call from Da Mingbao. Lin Xi pulled over to answer.
"Little Lin Xi, my aunt just called. She said your mom isn't home; she went traveling and won't be back for another three to five days." Da Mingbao was currently at a photography studio. Her wedding was in May, and she had been incredibly busy lately. She had now reached the stage of taking pre-wedding photos.
Lin Xi and she hadn't seen each other in a long time.
"Does she travel often?"
"My aunt says she goes two or three times a year. She has money and free time, living a pretty carefree life. The people in my aunt's village are quite envious of her. Do you need something from her?"
"It's just my grandma. She keeps telling me to stay in touch with her more, nagging until I'm annoyed. I thought I'd go see her while she's home," Lin Xi casually made up a reason.
On the other end, Da Mingbao was getting her makeup done. Hearing this, she pursed her lips: "If you ask me, your grandma is overthinking it. But then again, she's getting old, so it's understandable. Once she's gone, your mom will be your closest relative."
Da Mingbao didn't doubt Lin Xi's story at all.
They chatted casually for a while, until Da Mingbao's makeup and styling were done and she had to go out for the photoshoot, then they hung up.
Lin Xi drove home. It was already late at night when she arrived. Because the roads were slippery from rain, Chi Xiangping was staying at the guesthouse, squeezing in with Yao Yuran and her two daughters. Lin Xi quickly threw together something to eat.
The group chat was as lively as ever, everyone chatting animatedly, with the two new members also present. When Lin Xi opened the group chat, Zhong Shuyan, the elderly farmwife from the ancient world, was speaking.
[Ancient World Farmwife Zhong Shuyan: I don't know what the point of making me transmigrate was. I was sixty before transmigrating. Although this body is only forty-eight, it looks even older than I did before. Isn't transmigration something for young people? What does it have to do with an old lady like me?]
Zhong Shuyan was the oldest transmigrator in the entire group. Her arrival shattered most people's assumption that transmigrators were only young.
[Ancient World Xu Huanhuan: Granny Zhong, what's your situation over there? Tell us about it.]
[Transmigrated/Reborn Female Gu Nuanyang: There aren't many of us in the group who transmigrated to ancient times. As a member of the Ancient Times faction, Granny Zhong, how has life been for you over there after transmigrating?]
It would have been fine if Gu Nuanyang hadn't said this, but once she did, Lin Xi and the others also noticed that the number of ancient world transmigrators in the group did seem to be fewer than modern ones. The ratio between ancient and modern was somewhat unbalanced.
Her comment instantly piqued everyone's interest.
[Dragon King Nemesis Liu Zhongxing: Ancient faction member quietly popping in.]
[Primitive World A Huahua: That raises the question, what faction do I belong to? The Prehistoric faction?" A Huahua laughed at her own comment as she sent it.
[[Dog Brother] Wife-Slaying Daoist Chu Qianmo: Then Qingting and I would be the Xianxia faction.]
【Entire Family Transmigration ABO Wen Wan: Then Ranxi and I are the interstellar group.】
【Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland Lin Duxi: I'm the post-apocalyptic group.】
Zhong Shuyan had been a relatively easy-going person since her youth. She would only complain once, and that was enough. Lin Xi found a moment to send her a gene repair serum. Zhong Shuyan clicked to receive it, took a drop, and swallowed it directly.
Back in modern society, although she was sixty, she wanted for nothing and lived a carefree life. Her son and daughter weren't highly accomplished, but they were extremely filial to their old mother. Her daughter-in-law was virtuous and her son-in-law honest. Most importantly, her husband had passed away early. Every morning, she would go out to buy groceries, pick up and drop off her grandson for school and extracurricular classes. In her free time, she would go with her girlfriends to the community center for senior activities, dancing to music. Her life couldn't have been more comfortable.
In one fell swoop, she transmigrated. Although she became over twenty years younger, what was the use? At forty-eight, in an era with a low average lifespan, she was outright an old granny. Family, who understands? Only forty-eight, and already three generations under one roof. In another four or five years, by the time she's fifty-one or fifty-two, she could achieve four generations living together.
Just thinking about it gave her the chills. Not to mention, the original owner of this body had given birth to six children, one after another, and her body was riddled with ailments from head to toe.
Of course, the main issue was that the original owner's husband was still alive. The thought of that dried-up, scrawny little man who was 'her' husband made Zhong Shuyan feel uncomfortable all over.
So, on the second day after transmigrating, she packed her things and moved into her granddaughter's room. Staying with that old man for even one more second was unbearable.
Just as she was about to reply to the group chat, a girl of about ten, but painfully thin, walked in. Her hair was dry, yellowish, and sparse. Her face was quite pretty, but too sallow.
"Grandma, Grandpa asked me to ask when you'll stop being angry and when you can move back." The little girl glanced at her, then timidly lowered her head again.
This was the original owner's eldest granddaughter, Eldest Girl Lu, the daughter of her eldest son. Among the four children playing in the courtyard outside, two boys also belonged to the eldest branch.
The remaining two, a seven or eight-year-old boy and girl, were twins from the second branch. The original owner's third son had married a city girl and now lived in the city. The fourth son wasn't married yet and spent his days loafing around the village.
Her two daughters had long been married off.
Zhong Shuyan considered herself someone who liked children, but now she wasn't so sure. Looking at that whole brood of kids every day now just made her head ache.
Zhong Shuyan's mood had been relatively okay, but upon hearing Eldest Girl's words, she instantly became thoroughly annoyed.
"Go back and tell him I want to live separately from him." Zhong Shuyan's face immediately darkened. If it weren't for that old codger, the original owner wouldn't have died. If the original owner hadn't died, she wouldn't have transmigrated here. If she hadn't transmigrated, she would be properly, thoroughly dead. Being dead, she wouldn't have to suffer this torment.
All because the original owner argued back a couple of times when he wanted to give money to subsidize the third son again, he had beaten her up. If her body hadn't been so weak these past few days, she would definitely have taught that old codger a lesson.
She, Zhong Shuyan, had never suffered such bullying in her entire life!
Eldest Girl Lu acknowledged and turned to leave. As she reached the threshold, Zhong Shuyan called her back. Turning her back, Zhong Shuyan dripped a drop of gene repair serum into the pottery jar she had just drunk from, then poured a cup of water.
"Come here, have some water. Look at you, sweating all over." Poor child. A twelve-year-old girl, barely over 1.3 meters tall. Girls in modern society started developing by eight or nine. She had nothing yet, and she hadn't even gotten her period, she'd heard.
This simply wouldn't do.
Eldest Girl Lu looked at Zhong Shuyan in surprise, pursed her lips, drank the bowl of water, and then walked outside.
Reaching the main house, she couldn't help but look back at Zhong Shuyan and suddenly smiled. She didn't know why, but she felt her grandmother had changed. The old grandmother hadn't disliked her either, but her true affection was for Panpan, from Third Uncle's family.
Calling her to drink water like today was a first. These things used to belong only to Panpan. Thinking of this, Eldest Girl Lu suddenly felt particularly happy. She didn't know if it was an illusion, but she felt warmth in her heart and a warm feeling in her lower belly too.
She stood at the doorway of the main house and delivered the message her grandmother had told her to give to her grandfather.
Her grandfather walked out with a face as dark as a thundercloud and, standing with his hands behind his back in the doorway, started cursing.
"Zhong Shuyan, I'm telling you, don't be ungrateful when given face. Just because I gave you a few slaps, you want to live separately from me? This is being unchaste, lacking in feminine virtue. You better move back to our room tonight, or I'll beat you to death." Old Man Lu's face was full of cold fury.
Zhong Shuyan snorted inside the room. This old lecher, old in age but not in heart. Nearing fifty, yet still wanting to do those indescribable things with the original owner every night, like a donkey in heat.
The original owner had started getting pregnant from the age of fifteen. For twelve years after that, there was hardly a break. Later, if the original owner hadn't stubbornly refused to have any more children, there probably would have been several more.
As she grew older, the original owner had become fearful of such matters. Unfortunately, every time she resisted, she failed. Thinking of this made Zhong Shuyan livid.
And now, in broad daylight, with people potentially passing by the courtyard gate at any moment, that old codger actually dared to speak of such things right at the doorway! Who said ancient people were reserved? What nonsense! That old codger at the door was utterly shameless. In her sixty years of life, she had never seen anyone speak so openly about such things in front of their grandchildren!
Especially since Eldest Girl was already ten. In this era where betrothals could be discussed at eleven or twelve, Eldest Girl Lu already understood matters between men and women. This was truly unbearable. Zhong Shuyan fished out a firewood chopper from under the bed and strode out.
She was determined to chop that old codger to death.
"Damn your mother, Old Man Lu! Have I been giving you too much face these past few days?" The gene repair serum worked quickly. Her bodily functions had improved a lot. Zhong Shuyan swung the chopper down. If Old Man Lu, whose physical condition was decent, hadn't dodged swiftly, he would have surely drawn blood.
Old Man Lu had married Zhong Shuyan at fifteen. In over thirty years, he had never seen her so crazed.
They say the timid fear the fierce, the fierce fear the ruthless, and the ruthless fear those who don't care about dying. Old Man Lu, who had been the unchallenged authority at home his whole life, quick to beat his wife and children at the slightest provocation, was a ruthless one.
But now, seeing Zhong Shuyan's life-risking ferocity, Old Man Lu became timid.
Zhong Shuyan had understood a principle since she was little: some matters require pressing the advantage. With a man like Old Man Lu, who was all bluster at home, you had to beat him into submission in one go. Otherwise, once he recovered his wits later, he'd be harder to deal with.
Thinking this, Zhong Shuyan changed direction and gave Old Man Lu another whack, sending him staggering to the side.
The children playing in the yard finally snapped out of their daze, and instantly, wails and shrieks rose and fell.
Neighbors drawn by the crying came running over. Seeing Zhong Shuyan chasing Old Man Lu with a firewood chopper scared them out of their wits.
"Wife of Dageng, what on earth are you doing? Can't things be discussed properly? Must it come to this?" The neighbors didn't dare step in to mediate, only shouting from the sidelines. Blades have no eyes, and they all valued their lives.
Zhong Shuyan ignored the neighbors shouting outside and kept chasing, gaining momentum with every step.
Old Man Lu thought Zhong Shuyan had gone mad. Dodging, he yelled, "Zhong Shuyan, I'll divorce you! I'll divorce you!"
Ancient times were different from the modern era. In this age, being divorced was the most disgraceful thing. One's maiden family would be ashamed of a divorced woman, and some families might even drown a daughter returned home in disgrace.
Old Man Lu had used this threat to control Zhong Shuyan since their youth, and it always worked. As he dodged, he looked at her smugly, waiting for her to stop. He had already decided: since she refused the face he offered, he'd give her a harsh lesson, and no one's pleading would change his mind. He was determined to teach Zhong Shuyan a severe lesson.
Hearing this, Zhong Shuyan was delighted. Divorce her? She couldn't ask for more. "Divorce, divorce me right now. To tell you the truth, Old Man Lu, I've long been sick of living with you. Since you've shown no shame in front of your grandchildren, I won't bother either. I just want to settle this with you."
The whole family has six children. You've doted on the third son since he was little. From the moment he could talk and walk, any little good thing went to him. Now it's even worse; you'd give him every last hair in the house.
"Anything good in this house belongs to your third son. The eldest, the second, the fourth, and the two daughters can't even touch anything. Anyone who dares contradict you gets a beating." Zhong Shuyan genuinely felt wronged on behalf of the original host.
She had borne six children. The others were good, quite filial. Only the third son, having monopolized all the family's good resources, had always looked down on the original host and his siblings.
He came back home two or three times every month, and each time, he wished he could even empty out the mice from their holes to take with him. Anyone who uttered a word of dissent would get a vicious beating.
Most of the beatings the original host suffered before were for trying to secure resources for the other children.
"If the third son weren't truly my own flesh and blood, I'd think he was some young master from another family."
Oldest Lu, Second Lu, and Fourth Lu pushed through the crowd and ran in. Seeing their mother chasing their father with a chopper, their legs went weak.
Because their father favored Third Lu and their mother was ineffective, the other Lu siblings had become exceptionally sensible and united, especially Oldest Lu, who was particularly steady.
But today, even his steadiness failed him. He mustered all his strength and shouted, "Mother! Father!"
Because of this cry of 'Mother' and 'Father,' Zhong Shuyan spared a rare glance at Oldest Lu. Generally, when children addressed their parents, 'father' came before 'mother.' Putting 'mother' first, as Oldest Lu did, was something Zhong Shuyan had seldom seen.
Second Lu and Fourth Lu rushed over. One pulled Old Man Lu behind him, while the other grabbed Zhong Shuyan, trying to reach the chopper in her hand.
How could Zhong Shuyan let him get it? She flung the knife forward, and as luck would have it, it landed right on Old Man Lu's struggling foot.
The children's cries and the neighbors' chatter vanished in that instant.
Old Man Lu looked down at his foot and let out a delayed howl.
At that moment, Zhong Shuyan felt utterly refreshed, even a bit smug. There was a square pond by her family's gate when she was little, and she loved skipping stones on it. Later, just skipping stones wasn't enough for her.
Then she took to throwing pebbles. Hey, even after crossing through time and space, this special skill hadn't left her. Zhong Shuyan was overjoyed, her face full of smiles.
Her smile successfully stunned another batch of people. Neighbors closer to Zhong Shuyan couldn't help but take a step back.
Even Fourth Lu, who was holding her, stealthily retreated a step.
At this moment, Fourth Lu looked at Zhong Shuyan with a trace of awe, a trace of worship.
Fourth Lu was only a little over a year younger than Third Lu, but their status in the family was worlds apart. Fourth Lu never said it aloud, but he harbored great resentment towards this family.
He had always thought he would be the first in the Lu family to snap. Who would have thought, who would have thought, that his mother, who always seemed quite normal, would be the first to lose it.
Old Man Lu was still wailing. Oldest Lu finally snapped back to reality and hurriedly shouted at Second Lu, who was standing there dumbfounded: "Second brother, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and bring the handcart to take Father to the clinic!"
"Oh, oh, oh." Second Lu was very honest and most obedient to his eldest brother, doing whatever he was told.
Oldest Lu placed Old Man Lu on the handcart. Second Lu pulled the cart and left, with Oldest Lu running behind. After a few steps, Oldest Lu suddenly turned around.
Zhong Shuyan glanced at him sideways. "Why are you looking at me? No money. Go ask Third Lu for it. If Third Lu won't give it, leave the old man at his doorstep. Tell anyone who asks that I said so, and have them come argue with me."
The original host had been married to Old Man Lu for so many years without a single penny to her name—her pockets were cleaner than her face. Asking her for money was like asking for her life.
Oldest Lu left with a complicated expression. Old Man Lu also heard this and began cursing foully.
"You , ! Just you wait! When I get back, I'll kill you!"
Zhong Shuyan lifted the blood-stained firewood chopper. Seeing this, Second Lu pulled the cart faster than if a donkey were pulling it, and Old Man Lu shut his mouth.
Oldest Lu followed behind. Fourth Lu's gaze at Zhong Shuyan grew even more worshipful and fervent.
Zhong Shuyan was eager to chat with the group. She glanced at Fourth Lu, frowned, and walked away.
She thought this Fourth Lu wasn't very bright!
She went and settled in Eldest Girl Lu's room. The neighbors who came to watch the spectacle, seeing the main parties had left, also dispersed, but they certainly wouldn't let the matter drop.
Heavens above, what a calamity! That wife of Lu Dageng has gone mad and tried to kill her man!
This matter isn't as thrilling as hearing about which mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had a fight, or which couple sleeps with their door unlocked, is it?
Old Fourth Lu looked at his nephews and nieces: "Stop crying, go do whatever you need to do. Eldest Girl, come here, tell me what happened at home today."
It wasn't the busy farming season now, so children didn't need to work in the fields. The Lu family had many kids, and Eldest Girl Lu, being the eldest girl, was responsible for watching her younger siblings at home.
Meanwhile, the three brothers went to the mountain to chop firewood, and his eldest and second sister-in-laws went to the mountain to pick wild fruits to bring back and dry. The grocery stores in the city were buying this stuff; you could get one copper coin for five catties.
Eldest Girl Lu answered and moved closer to Old Fourth Lu, telling him everything that happened today.
A sarcastic smile appeared at the corner of Old Fourth Lu's mouth, his eyes cold. To talk about his father... old as he was, that lustful heart of his hadn't diminished. Damn it, he was ugly but played the field.
He had no shame, saying those things right in front of his grandchildren, no wonder his mother went crazy and beat him up.
In Eldest Girl Lu's room, Zhong Shuyan had already finished reading the messages in the chat group.
[Ancient World Farming Granny Zhong Shuyan: Sorry everyone, the old bastard came to cause trouble midway, I gave him a firewood chopper.]
As soon as Zhong Shuyan sent this message, the screen was instantly flooded with exclamation marks.
[Primitive World Ah Huahua: My Granny Zhong, no, Sister Zhong, next time something like this happens, can you livestream it for us? I'm just too bored.]
Ah Huahua's comment received likes from everyone.
Zhong Shuyan knew about livestreaming. Her granddaughter loved watching them, and Sister Liu from her dance team also loved going live—she even had three thousand followers. Zhong Shuyan had watched her livestream before and was guilt-tripped into spending one or two hundred bucks.
Thinking about it now still made her furious.
But she had never done it herself. Zhong Shuyan was a bit tempted: [How do you start one?]
A group of people then began a live tutorial right in the group chat. After she figured it out, Zhong Shuyan @'ed Lin Xi in the group. She first thanked Lin Xi politely and sincerely, then asked Lin Xi if it was true that she hadn't traveled through time.
[Earth Girl Lin Xi: Yes, I'm the only one in our group who hasn't traveled through time. Sister Zhong, is there anything you need my help with? I'll help with anything I can.]
After Ah Huahua's outburst, everyone started calling Zhong Shuyan 'Sister Zhong'.
Zhong Shuyan really did have something.
[Ancient World Farming Granny Zhong Shuyan: I actually do. I have some cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. I figure I probably died before I traveled through time. If nothing unexpected happened, I died of a heart attack.]
[When I was young, I ran a small business with my old man. When he died, he used all the money he had hidden to buy gold bars for me and buried them under the peach tree at our old house. He was afraid that after he was gone, our children wouldn't be filial to me. Those gold bars were his way of providing a little security for me.]
Speaking of this, Zhong Shuyan was still quite moved. Whatever else, her old man was truly devoted to her. Although she was sad he passed away early, she still thought of him from time to time. Of course, her not remarrying all those years wasn't about staying faithful to his memory.
It's just that single life was too wonderful. You could do whatever you wanted, and no one dared to mouth off at you.
[Ancient World Farming Granny Zhong Shuyan: But, my sons and daughters were actually very good to me. I never used any of those gold bars; they're still buried under the peach tree at the old house. I left so suddenly I never told them. If it's convenient, could you tell my son for me?]
[I won't have you do it for free. You can take one of those gold bars.] Zhong Shuyan understood perfectly well that Lin Xi was no relative of hers; it wasn't right to ask someone to do something without offering any benefit.
She had to give some reward, otherwise why should Lin Xi help her? Especially since Lin Xi had also sent her the gene repair fluid. It had been about a month since she traveled here. For the first few days, she was bedridden, and only in the last couple of days could she get up and walk a few steps.
But before joining this group, she felt dizzy just sitting up and lightheaded when standing. After taking that gene repair fluid, she felt completely comfortable.
[Earth Girl Lin Xi: No need, no need. It's just passing on a message, no need for anything. Don't worry about the gene repair fluid I gave you either. I give it to every new member who joins the group. @Liu Zhongxing, Dragon Reborn's Rival, he got one too.]
[Dragon Reborn's Rival Liu Zhongxing: That's right, that's right, I got one too, thank you, miss. When I'm done with my work, I'll get you all some local specialties from my world.]
The group got lively again, and Lin Xi also received a private message from Zhong Shuyan.
[Ancient Farming Granny Zhong Shuyan: I see everyone in the group calls you Xiao Xi, let me call you that too. Could you give my son a call and tell him about this?]
[Earth Girl Lin Xi: Sure, sure, Sister Zhong, just give me a phone number.]
After Lin Xi sent this message, Zhong Shuyan fell silent. She suddenly remembered, embarrassingly, that ever since cell phones became common, you just saved numbers in your phone, carrying a smart phonebook everywhere. Whether it was her son's, daughter-in-law's, daughter's, or son-in-law's numbers, she didn't remember any of them.
On the other hand, she remembered the numbers of those TV health supplement salesmen perfectly clearly.
But the health supplement salesmen wouldn't know her son's number either.
Over on the other side, Lin Xi, not getting a reply from Zhong Shuyan, sent another message.
Zhong Shuyan braced herself: [Well, Xiao Xi, I've forgotten my sons' phone numbers.]
To make up for it, Zhong Shuyan immediately sent another message: [But I know my granddaughter's Douyin username. Can you help me contact her? My eldest granddaughter is sixteen this year. She has her own phone, and her mom lets her play on it for half an hour every night after she finishes her homework.]
Zhong Shuyan was immensely grateful she still remembered her granddaughter's Douyin username. No helping it, it was just too memorable; after seeing it once, it was hard to forget.
She had just heard from the group that Lin Xi was in Yunnan Province, while her home was in neighboring Sichuan Province—quite far apart.
[Earth Girl Lin Xi: Of course, no problem at all.]
[Ancient World Farming Granny Zhong Shuyan: My granddaughter's username is Sexy Mother Cockroach.]
This time, Lin Xi was truly speechless. She knew contemporary netizens could be weird, but she hadn't expected them to be this bizarre.
She remembered when she first got her QQ account, her screen name was in Martian text, but at least it wasn't that hellish.
Damn, a Sexy Mother Cockroach. Even Lin Xi couldn't imagine what a sexy mother cockroach would look like.
She first registered a secondary Douyin account, then searched for the Douyin username of Zhong Shuyan's granddaughter and followed her.
[User33446787542: Hu Xiawei, your grandmother appeared to me in a dream. She said there's gold buried under the peach tree at your old family home.]
After sending this, Lin Xi directly exited Douyin and went into a chat group to talk with her friends.
In a garden residential complex in Mianzhong City, Shu Province, Hu Xiawei had just finished her homework and gotten her phone from her mother.
The phone was fully charged. Humming a tune, Hu Xiawei lay on her bed and began her happy time for the day. She first opened the Digua app and browsed for ten minutes.
Then she went on Weibo, spending three minutes checking in under the posts of her favorite celebrities and fan communities. Finally, she opened Douyin to start today's dose of fun.
But before scrolling through Douyin, she first checked her messages.
With just one glance, Hu Xiawei couldn't help but let out a "What the hell?". She thumped out of bed and ran to the living room.
"Dad, someone sent me a private message on Douyin saying there's gold under the peach tree at our old family home."
Hu Xiawei's dad, Hu Dawei, was playing a brain-training, anger-management game. He was using Daji and had almost pushed the towers to the enemy's crystal. This was his promotion match, about to move from Platinum to Diamond.
He had made a bet with his buddies: whoever reached Diamond could order any one person to do anything. He actually knew this was just his buddies' way of humoring him. Sigh.
Hearing his daughter's words, Hu Dawei was stunned for a moment, a wave of sorrow washing over him.
His mother had passed away just half a month ago. The sound of a character's death came from the game. Hu Dawei looked down at his phone and then said, "Don't shout, don't shout, this is a critical moment! Gold under our old home? Nonsense! What kind of family are we? Don't I know?"
Listening to the game sounds from her dad's phone and leaning over to see his 3-7-11 score, Hu Xiawei pursed her lips and left.
Before her grandma died, her dad wasn't addicted to games either; he just played a couple of rounds when he had time. But after her grandma's funeral, her dad changed.
But how could she just blame her dad? Even she felt sad whenever she thought of her grandma.
Back in her room, she happened to see her cousin Zhao Xu (her aunt's son) was online. An idea struck her, and she sent him a message.
They quickly agreed to meet up. Hu Xiawei replied to that user's private message, stuffed her phone in her pocket, and went to the next room: "Mom, my period is coming, I'm going to buy some pads."
"Alright, come back early," her mother's voice came from the room.
Hu Xiawei dashed downstairs. Zhao Xu was waiting downstairs.
Their families lived in the same building in the same complex. The old family home wasn't far from where they lived, just a ten-minute bike ride.
Zhao Xu looked at the message on Hu Xiawei's phone: "Hmph, total nonsense! Grandma wasn't without family. Why would she appear in a dream to some stranger instead of us? Superstitious nonsense. Let's go to the old house. If there's no gold, we'll call this person and curse them out."
"And I'm sure this is definitely someone we know trying to trick me," Hu Xiawei said firmly. She had never posted a single photo on her Douyin, but she had liked classmates' videos. That must be how someone figured out her identity.
She had to find out who sent the message.
"I think so too, let's go," Zhao Xu agreed, also leaning towards this being someone's prank.
The two teenagers rode their bikes out of the complex one after the other, full of youthful spirit. It was mostly because they were bored that they went to verify such a far-fetched thing.
Ten minutes later, the two unlocked the door to the old house, turned on the light in the yard, and fetched a hoe and a shovel from the tool shed.
There was a small vegetable garden in the yard, the plants growing exceptionally well. Their grandma had planted them in the spring.
The two walked under the peach tree. "Weiwei, you dig on that side, I'll dig on this side."
"Okay." The two had been raised by Zhong Shuyan since they were little. When their grandma was working, she never let the kids idle, so both of them had long since learned farming skills.
They dug two big pits on either side of the peach tree. Half an hour passed, nothing was found.
They each received two or three calls from their parents, which they brushed off by saying they ran into classmates to discuss homework problems.
An hour passed, and the adults from both families were on the verge of losing their minds.
Zhao Xu was getting cold feet: "We've been digging for an hour. If there's nothing, and my mom and your dad come find us and see we've dug up the ground under this peach tree like this, we'll get beaten, right?"
This tree was planted by Zhong Shuyan and her husband on Arbor Day the year Hu Dawei turned ten, with Hu Li (Zhao Xu's mom) helping. The siblings cherished this tree deeply, especially after Zhao Xu's grandfather passed away.
Hearing Zhao Xu's words, Hu Xiawei's back ached a little at the thought. But she was stubborn by nature. Having come this far, she had to see this through.
That way, she wouldn't be at a disadvantage when they argued later. Whoever dared to twist the knife in her heart when she missed her grandma the most had to face her wrath.
"No, we're almost done digging this whole area. Hurry up and work. If we really dig up nothing, we'll call and curse out the person who sent the message," Hu Xiawei said, changing her position to keep digging. "Since we're gonna get beaten anyway, it'd be a real loss to get beaten without finishing the job."
Zhao Xu thought Hu Xiawei made a lot of sense. So the two changed direction and kept digging.
Halfway through, the cousins heard the sound of a car stopping outside. Hu Xiawei looked at Zhao Xu, just as Zhao Xu looked at her. Then, without a word, the two sped up their digging.
Their parents walked in together. Seeing the yard dug up as if chewed by dogs, Hu Li almost couldn't catch her breath.
She casually picked up a stick and stormed towards the two kids.
She said through gritted teeth, "You two little brats! Are you so bored at night? Huh? You just had to come here and dig holes? Look what you've done to my land!"
Hu Xiawei's mother chimed in from the side, scolding, "You two kids are so stupid! Just because of some random comment from a netizen, you come here to dig holes. If a netizen said the gold was in the cesspit, would you two go dredge the cesspit too?"
Hu Xiawei and the other didn't speak, continuing to dig. They weren't stupid; what normal person would hide gold in a cesspit?
Besides, was that netizen just an ordinary netizen? That netizen could even call out her name!
Hu Li's anger shot straight to the top of her skull. Hu Dawei and the others just stood there, not showing the slightest intention to intervene.
What to do when kids are being naughty? A good spanking will fix it.
Hu Li's stick immediately lashed onto Zhao Xu's back. Zhao Xu grimaced in pain, but his hands didn't stop working.
Seeing this, Hu Xiawei dug even more vigorously. Her aunt always believed in equal punishment; the next strike would land on her. Tears streamed down Hu Xiawei's face, but she didn't stop.
Suddenly, her hoe hit something hard with a loud thunk.
She jumped aside: "I found it, I found it! Xiao Xu, Xiao Xu, I found something!"
Zhao Xu threw down his shovel and ran over. He peered at the ground: "A black box. It's a black box."
Hu Li couldn't help but glance back at her brother. Hu Dawei was already running over.
They had grown up in this small courtyard. They had turned over every inch of this ground and never knew there was a box buried underneath.
Remembering how, ever since their father passed away, their mother would come to this little yard to grow vegetables or do other things without needing them to accompany her, the siblings had already formed a bold speculation in their hearts.
Hu Dawei picked up a shovel and helped dig. Hu Li stopped hitting her son and niece, and the two of them pitched in together.
Hu Xiawei and Zhao Xu had their work taken over. Hu Xiawei's mother walked over, grabbed her ear, and began scolding her.
Ten minutes later, the entire Hu family gathered in the living room, staring silently at the box containing roughly fifteen or sixteen gold bars.
They felt an unreal sense of sudden wealth. They wanted to say the gold bars were fake, but each bar had a label and bore the inscription of Huaxia Bank.
Looking at the receipts inside, they were all purchased before their father's death. Remembering how the old man doted on his wife, everyone understood what this gold meant.
"Vivi, ask that netizen of yours if your grandma can send a dream to me and your aunt," Hu Dawei said, looking at his daughter with hope in his eyes.
Hu Xiawei nodded obediently. However, when messaging Lin Xi, she cleverly changed her father's original words to ask if her grandma could send a dream to her and Zhao Xu.
Their grandma had been so good to them; they missed her too!
Hu Xiawei felt completely justified.
Lin Xi received Hu Xiawei's message, took a screenshot, and sent it to Zhong Shuyan. Zhong Shuyan read it and felt relieved.
With the matter she worried about most after her transmigration now resolved, she felt completely at ease. As for her son and daughter, she wasn't concerned in the slightest. They were in their forties; did they still need their mother holding their hands?
If they couldn't teach their own children properly, then they'd simply wasted all those years.
Zhong Shuyan lay down on the bed and started sleeping. This body was too weak; it needed a lot of rest to recover.
Back on Earth, Lin Xi couldn't sleep at all. She took out her father's old belongings, examining them repeatedly, trying to find even the slightest clue about that man in the black robe.
Just then, Da Mingbao called: "Xiao Xi, are you home? I'm coming over to talk about something."
"Come on over." Lin Xi was feeling restless and wanted someone to talk to.
Da Mingbao hung up with a click and arrived within minutes, carrying some snacks and beer.
Seeing Lin Xi, she chuckled and explained, "I'm getting married soon, feeling a bit anxious, so I came to chat."
"Sure, come in. Shall we drink in the living room?" It had rained during the day, making the evening a bit cool. Da Mingbao was wearing a jacket.
"Okay."
Lin Xi set up a table and went to the kitchen to get some cold sliced meat made by Chu Qianmo to go with the drinks.
They had just sat down when Da Mingbao couldn't wait to say, "Xiao Linxi, are you curious about the man your mom married later?"
Lin Xi wasn't particularly curious about this. She had heard since childhood that Xue Min and that man were introduced by someone, and they got together because they both found each other suitable.
But seeing Da Mingbao's gossipy expression, she nodded.
Da Mingbao beamed, took a sip of beer, and said, "Today, Sun Xianquan and I went to take wedding photos. When we got back, my mom was on the phone with my aunt. My aunt told my mom that the man your mom later married is named Luo Qingfeng, and the reason he married your mom back then was because she looked like his ex-girlfriend!"
Lin Xi, who hadn't fully swallowed a mouthful of beer, choked violently upon hearing this, coughing for a good while before she could stop.
She wiped the tears brought on by the fierce coughing: "So, you're saying my mom was a substitute?"
Da Mingbao gave her a 'you get it' look, picked up a piece of cold meat with her chopsticks—it was fragrant, numbing, and spicy—took another sip of beer, and finally spoke under Lin Xi's urging.
"Exactly, a substitute. According to my aunt, your stepfather had a girlfriend in Guangyue Province before. Later, that girlfriend died in a car accident. He was heartbroken, sold his business in Guangyue, and came back."
"He hadn't been back for two months when he was set up on a blind date with your mom. Because your mom looked very much like that woman, they got together."
"This is really like fiction becoming reality." Substitute-themed novels have always been popular, both in the past and now. Da Mingbao had read quite a few in her spare time.
She couldn't help but complain: "I really can't understand. Those male leads in substitute novels are so rich, why can't they just fly abroad to look for their 'white moonlight'? Would buying a plane ticket overseas really bankrupt the male lead's family? And going abroad is at most for three to five years; if they can't even wait that long, can it really be called true love?"
"Besides, in those three to five long years, their 'white moonlight' isn't never coming back to the country even once. It's just going abroad, it's not like they died." Da Mingbao had never been able to figure this point out.
Lin Xi thought of the group of friends in her chat who had transmigrated into domineering CEO worlds and were getting utterly wrecked, and said, "Probably because those male leads are all a bit sick in the head. Let's get back to the main topic. So, do you know where in Guangyue that man she later married worked before?"
"Your mom's family is like celebrities in the village; everyone knows everything that happens in their household. Your stepfather worked in a place called something like Shaxu or Shaxi. He ran an auto repair shop there, very successful."
Twenty years ago, at the turn of the millennium, running an auto repair shop, especially one opened in the Guangdong-Guangxi region, was very profitable.
But that wasn't the focus of Lin Xi's attention. What caught her eye was that Luo Qingfeng's ex-girlfriend was from Shaxu, and it was also in Shaxu that her mother had her accident.
Adding to this the fact that Xue Min married Luo Qingfeng less than two months after returning, Lin Xi had reason to suspect that the woman now inhabiting her mother's body was Luo Qingfeng's ex-girlfriend.
Both her grandmother and Wang Peng's mother had mentioned that ever since her mother recovered from her injury in Shaxu, she couldn't tolerate spicy food at all and had developed a preference for the flavors of Guangdong province during meals.
Previously, Lin Xi hadn't paid much attention to this. As she'd said before, she had no emotional bond with Xue Min, and the memory of being driven away by her grandmother in her childhood was too deeply etched.
She somewhat avoided and couldn't even imagine what it would be like to be loved by a mother. Moreover, there wasn't a single photo of her with her mother at home, making it even harder to visualize. In her mind, apart from one memory of her sleeping while her parents talked, recollections of her mother were truly scarce.
It wasn't until she saw that photo in the Mary Sue world that she gained a tiny sliver of imagination about what her mother might have been like.
She also became more willing to investigate.
Recalling now what her grandmother and the others had said, she sneered inwardly. Can a person's taste in food really change that easily?
She had been in Beijing for four or five years herself, and her palate was still firmly rooted in the Southwest region's flavors. How long had Xue Min been in Guangdong province? Not even three months, right?
"And you know what? My aunt says your mom was really foolish. Since your stepfather couldn't forget his ex-girlfriend, during the first couple of years of their marriage, your mom would actually go with him every year to pay respects at his ex's grave. Apparently, she even had meals with the ex-girlfriend's parents every year." Da Mingbao was so disgusted she almost vomited.
Putting herself in that position, if she were dead, and Sun Xianquan found a woman who looked like her, took that woman to visit her grave, and paraded her in front of her parents to upset them, she would claw her way out of the grave to drag Sun Xianquan down with her.
How could anyone be so utterly revolting!
Da Mingbao's statement confirmed for Lin Xi that the person in her mother's body was indeed Luo Qingfeng's ex-girlfriend.
She glanced at Da Mingbao, who was furiously sending accusatory texts to Sun Xianquan, picked up a beer, and said, "Drink, drink. Don't let it upset you."
"Come on, let's." Da Mingbao put her phone aside, picked up her glass, and the two started drinking.
"Da Mingbao, do you know why they got divorced?" Lin Xi didn't even want to refer to that woman as 'Mom' anymore.
A wandering ghost, how dare she pretend to be her mother?
Da Mingbao processed the question for a moment before answering. "My aunt mentioned it to my mom. It was because your stepfather's auto repair factory went bankrupt. He was also involved in some accounting fraud, his business partner found out and reported him."
Luo Qingfeng's repair factory was a large operation. For a business that size, he must have needed investors.
"So they divorced because he went bankrupt?" Lin Xi was very surprised. Seeing how desperately that woman had rushed to marry Luo Qingfeng, she had thought they were true love.
And this is it? Flying apart when disaster strikes?
Da Mingbao leaned in mysteriously close to Lin Xi. "I heard the divorce happened before the scandal broke. She got half of the assets."
Lin Xi nodded in understanding. No wonder.
She changed the subject, talking to Da Mingbao about her upcoming wedding. Given their close relationship, Lin Xi would definitely be a bridesmaid.
They discussed the dresses for the day.
They ate and chatted, an hour passing in a blink. The beer Da Mingbao brought was finished, so they started on the watered-down stuff Chu Qianmo had sent over. Later, Da Mingbao ended up falling asleep in the guest room at Lin Xi's place.
After Lin Xi cleared the table, it happened to be time for Zhong Shuyan from the ancient world to start her livestream.
Having drunk alcohol and unable to sleep anyway, Lin Xi leaned back on her bed and clicked in to watch.
Zhong Shuyan had also just woken up. The original host's eldest and second sons had returned, but they didn't have the handcart with them.
Zhong Shuyan was quite surprised. Had these two sons really abandoned Old Man Lu?
Lu the Fourth, who hadn't gone anywhere, looked at his empty-handed brothers in astonishment. "You really dumped the old man?"
Lu the Fourth was rebellious to the bone and hadn't called Old Man Lu 'father' for many years. Because of this, he was already eighteen and still hadn't found a wife.
"We had no money. Would the clinic treat him without payment? We went to find Third Brother. He made excuses, saying he had just bought a lot of writing materials recently and had no money." Lu the Eldest said this with a tone of sarcasm.
Old Man Lu had always believed Lu the Third was the smartest child in the Lu family and had pooled the entire family's resources to send him to private school.
He spent his days at home dreaming of being the father of a Scholar-Official. After Lu the Third managed to charm the daughter of the wealthy merchant Squire Liu in the county town into marrying beneath her station, Old Man Lu became even more convinced this son would bring him glory.
"However, Third Brother's wife arrived quickly. She used her dowry money to pay for his treatment and is keeping him at their house to care for him." The Liu family was wealthy. To accommodate their proud scholar son-in-law, they had specifically bought a house near the county school for Lu the Third and his wife to live in.
They claimed it was so Lu the Third could be immersed in a scholarly atmosphere.
Zhong Shuyan nodded, not saying anything more. She wished that old scoundrel would just stay in the county town forever and never come back.
Thinking of the infuriating chastity concepts of this ancient era, she looked at the original host's several sons. "Here's the thing. I don't want to stay married to your father anymore. What are your thoughts on this?"
Zhong Shuyan had decided to seek a divorce from Old Man Lu. She couldn't stand living under the same roof with such a shameless, perpetually horny man. Who knew when he'd get lust-crazed again?
Although she could physically overpower Old Man Lu, if such a thing were to happen, it would disgust her so much she'd vomit up the meals she'd eaten in her previous life across time and space.
The three Lu brothers exchanged glances. Lu the Fourth's eyes shone brightly, while Lu the Eldest and Lu the Second also showed hints of relief in their eyes. They genuinely wanted to split the household.
Lu the Eldest pondered for a moment. "Mother, you want to divide the family? That's fine. We brothers will definitely follow you."
In this era, there was a custom of not dividing the family while the parents were alive. However, the law also stipulated that if one of the parents insisted on dividing the household, the sons had to comply.
The eldest Lu brother and his siblings certainly wanted to divide the household. Eldest Brother Lu was thirty-two years old, his daughter was already so big, and his two sons were about eight or nine. Yet, he had hardly any private savings. Every time there was any harvest in the family, Old Man Lu took it all away.
Either he exchanged it for money to give to the third brother, or he gave it directly to him. Over all these years, Third Brother Lu had been raised plump and fair, but what about their own children? Sallow and skinny!
Who could stand such a disparity?
As for the matter of assigning Old Man Lu to Third Brother Lu after the division, the eldest Lu brother and his siblings had discussed it countless times.
After all, the law didn't stipulate which son the old parents must live with after dividing the family. As for whether the third brother was willing to support his father, what did that have to do with them? They wouldn't be afraid even if it went to court.
Who in the whole village didn't know about their father's favoritism towards the third brother? Whoever took the lion's share of the property should support him. Even if argued to the heavens, the third brother was in the wrong. Moreover, the third brother prided himself on being a scholar—would he dare to act unfilially?
The reason they hadn't brought it up before was simply that their mother hadn't resisted to this point.
Now that their mother had proposed it, they certainly couldn't drop the ball.
The brothers immediately began to discuss.
The eldest and second daughters-in-law of the original host also returned. They put down what they were carrying and slipped into the kitchen. Both women were thin and gaunt, as if a strong wind could blow them over.
Zhong Shuyan felt a pang of sadness looking at them. As one gets older, one likes to see the younger generation plump and healthy. Being so skinny wasn't good for their health.
Just then, the sound of livestock walking came from outside, and it seemed to be heading towards their house.
Everyone looked towards the sound. A donkey cart stopped right at their gate.
A woman in a ginger-yellow dress descended from the cart and swayed gracefully into the courtyard.
Her captivating eyes swept over the three men standing in the yard, a hint of indescribable allure between her brows.
Soon her gaze fell on Zhong Shuyan, and that alluring look immediately vanished, replaced by a faint, unspoken hostility.
"Mother-in-law, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, Fourth Brother," she greeted them with a graceful curtsy.
Zhong Shuyan wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but she felt the way this third daughter-in-law (of the original host) addressed her was very different from how she addressed the three sons.
It was just... strange.
She glanced at her sons and, sure enough, each had unconsciously furrowed their brows. It seemed her feeling wasn't wrong.
So the question was, what did her third daughter-in-law mean by this?
"Father-in-law is staying at my place. I don't have any clothes or shoes that fit him there. My husband asked me to come back and fetch some," she said softly, as if each word carried a curve.
Eldest Brother Lu's wife, who had been busy in the kitchen, came out. Seeing Third Brother Lu's wife, she was visibly taken aback. Then she spoke up, "Liu Cheng'er, you're here? Mother hasn't been well these past few days. I was the one who packed Father-in-law's clothes. Wait here a moment, I'll go get them for you."
Eldest Brother Lu's wife went into the main room.
Liu Cheng'er showed no intention of acknowledging Eldest Brother Lu's wife. She just stood there delicately, occasionally casting her eyes towards the three Lu brothers.
Those eyes seemed to have hooks in them.
Meanwhile, Zhong Shuyan had been pondering why the name Liu Cheng'er sounded so familiar. She was still deep in thought when Eldest Brother Lu's wife came out with the bundle, having reached no conclusion.
Only after the waiting cart driver outside cracked his whip and left, and her three sons went about their own business, did Zhong Shuyan slap her thigh in realization.
She turned off the cross-dimensional live stream button and sent a message in the group chat.
[Ancient World Farmwife Granny Zhong Shuyan: I've remembered! That Liu Cheng'er is the protagonist of some kind of R-rated novel. She's a transmigrator from an R-rated novel world!!!!]
