Chapter 1
Lin Ji’s consciousness gradually returned. Fresh air rushed into her nose and lungs, and the suffocating sensation of seawater rising over her head was finally gone.
Lin Ji’s eyes flew open, but the dazzling sunlight struck them, forcing her to close them again. It took quite a while before she could finally reopen them.
She turned her head to avoid the direct sunlight. The first thing she saw was a rather short sleeve. As her gaze traveled upward, she noticed a crooked patch sewn onto it. The garment’s right lapel crossed over the left, clearly not something from the modern era.
Lin Ji slowly raised her gaze until it settled on the little girl’s thin face.
The little girl looked timid. Under the steady gaze of Lin Ji’s dark, phoenix-shaped eyes, she clasped her hands even tighter in front of herself and lowered her head. “Big Sister, I haven’t been greedy. I really haven’t eaten much…”
Lin Ji turned her head away and closed her eyes again.
She had to be dreaming. Otherwise, how could she have been rammed into the sea along with her car one moment, only to find herself in an unfamiliar courtyard the next? And why was this little girl dressed so strangely?
Before she could make sense of her thoughts, a flood of memories and written passages suddenly poured into her mind without warning.
Lin Ji raised a hand to press against her violently throbbing temples, slowly sorting through the unfamiliar memories that had appeared in her head—
She had transmigrated into a novel?
And she had become a minor background character in a novel about transmigration, no less.
Like her, the female lead of the original novel had transmigrated from another modern world. The female lead had become the Crown Prince’s younger cousin, a daughter born to a concubine, and embarked on a romance with her cousin that was equal parts sweet and heartbreaking.
As for Lin Ji, she had transmigrated into a background character who wasn’t even mentioned in the original novel.
The original owner shared her name. “Lin Ji” had been intelligent since childhood, and three years ago, at the tender age of fifteen, she had passed the imperial examinations and earned the rank of a licentiate. She should have continued studying diligently to pass the provincial examination and attain the rank of a provincial graduate. Instead, flattered by a group of disreputable friends, she gradually neglected her studies. After Mother Lin passed away, she spent her days frequenting brothels and wine shops, eventually developing a gambling habit. In just half a year, she squandered all fifty taels of silver that Mother Lin had painstakingly saved over the years. In the end, unable to repay her gambling debts, she handed over her only younger sister, Lin Nian, to the gambling house as collateral.
Even then, she couldn’t give up gambling, and ultimately lost her life because of it.
Lin Ji slowly sat up from the reclining chair and surveyed the small courtyard. The wooden house on the southern side was divided into three rooms. The main hall occupied the center, while the western room had belonged to Mother Lin and Lin Nian. After Mother Lin passed away six months ago, Lin Nian had lived there alone. Meanwhile, the more spacious eastern room had always belonged to “Lin Ji,” serving as both her study and bedroom.
Lin Ji got to her feet and headed toward the eastern room.
Upon entering, the first thing she did was pick up a bronze mirror from the table. Its cloudy surface reflected her face, and although the image was indistinct, she could vaguely make out features identical to her own.
Could there really be such a coincidence in this world? Not only did they share the same name, but they even looked alike?
Lin Ji put down the bronze mirror, turned around, and lifted the bedding. She picked up the money pouch lying on the bed and emptied all the copper coins inside.
One glance was enough for her to determine the amount—one hundred wen, no more and no less.
Since the day she was born, she had never seen such a pitifully small amount of money.
She had only recently taken over the Lin family business, yet in the blink of an eye, retaliation from an enemy had turned her into an impoverished scholar with nothing but a hundred wen to her name.
The only reason the original owner could remain so comfortably at home was that she was confident the ten taels of silver she had invested with a good friend would yield a tenfold return. Today was supposed to be the day she collected her profits.
In reality, however, that friend had already disappeared without a trace, taking her ten taels of silver along.
If Lin Ji hadn’t transmigrated here, the original owner would have taken her last hundred wen to gamble as well. And once she lost…
Lin Ji turned around and looked at the little girl standing outside the eastern room.
The girl was only six years old, precisely the age when she should have been growing. Yet since Mother Lin’s death, the original owner had completely neglected her. Every bit of money had gone toward her own extravagances, leaving the little girl hungry and poorly clothed for the past six months. She was still wearing last year’s clothes, which had grown too short, exposing her thin wrists and ankles.
Lin Ji walked toward her, but before she could reach Lin Nian, the little girl hurriedly took a step back to make way, not even daring to look at her.
The original owner had disliked Lin Nian because she was a child Mother Lin had adopted. She found the girl stupid and an eyesore, and ordinarily wouldn’t even allow her into the eastern room.
That was why the little girl only dared to stand outside and wait for her.
Lin Ji stepped out of the eastern room and raised a hand, intending to pat the little girl’s head. After a moment’s thought, however, she lowered it again and said gently, “I’ll go take a look in the kitchen.”
Apart from the three rooms along the southern side, a kitchen had been built on the western side. It wasn’t particularly spacious, but it was more than adequate for cooking.
Lin Ji checked the rice jar and found that, sure enough, it was almost empty. Fortunately, there was still some oil, salt, ginger, and vinegar left by the stove.
“Big Sister, I went up the mountain and picked some wild vegetables…” Lin Nian’s quiet voice came from behind her.
Lin Ji turned around.
Lin Nian was carrying a bamboo basket filled with fresh green leaves.
Lin Ji walked over and took the basket to examine its contents. Most of the vegetables were shepherd’s purse and wild green onions. There was still soil clinging to their roots, making it obvious they had only recently been picked.
Lin Ji looked at Lin Nian’s hands. There were several tiny scratches on the backs of them, and dirt still clung to her fingertips.
Lin Ji placed the bamboo basket on the stove, walked back, and took Lin Nian’s hand.
Lin Nian glanced at her timidly but didn’t struggle.
Holding her hand, Lin Ji led her over to the water vat. She scooped a ladleful of water into a wooden basin, took the little girl’s hands in hers, and carefully washed them clean. As she washed, she said, “Don’t go up the mountain alone next time. It’s too dangerous. Big Sister will take care of the rice, flour, and vegetables, so don’t worry.”
Lin Nian had originally kept her head lowered, but hearing how gently she spoke, she gathered the courage to look up at Lin Ji and said softly, “Don’t worry, Big Sister. I went with Sister Hu Niu. She knows the mountain paths really well. Sister Hu Niu said wild vegetables are the freshest and tastiest at this time of year. I can cook them for you.”
Whenever “Lin Ji” wasn’t home, Lin Nian had to cook her own meals.
Lin Ji glanced at the low stool beside the stove. The little girl was so small that she had to stand on it just to reach the stovetop.
Lin Ji took a handkerchief from her sleeve, crouched down, and dried the water from Lin Nian’s hands. When she finished, she looked up at the little girl. “Big Sister was foolish before. I trusted people I shouldn’t have trusted and let bad people swindle away all the money Mother left us. But I’ve come to my senses now. I want us to live a good life together, Nian Nian. Can you trust Big Sister?”
From now on, she would be living with Lin Nian day in and day out. She needed to give the little girl some explanation for her sudden change in behavior.
The little girl gazed at her with large, black, grape-like eyes and nodded without the slightest hesitation. “I believe you, Big Sister. You’re the smartest! There’s nothing you can’t do.”
Thinking of the last hundred wen lying on her bed, Lin Ji raised a hand to rub the little girl’s head and smiled. “That’s right. There’s nothing Big Sister can’t do.”
She only had a hundred wen left, but Mother Lin had helped quite a few people in Wutong Village over the years, and most of the villagers still remembered her kindness to some degree.
Lin Ji returned to the eastern room and put the hundred wen back into the money pouch. Then she left the courtyard, walked a short distance, and called loudly over a fence toward the courtyard beyond. “Aunt Jiang, are you home?”
It was almost noon, and smoke was rising from the cooking fires of households throughout the village.
After Lin Ji called out, a little girl of about seven or eight came running out of the main hall. She was sturdy for her age and was none other than Sister Hu Niu, whom Lin Nian had mentioned.
The moment Hu Niu saw Lin Ji, she frowned. Then she ran toward the kitchen, shouting as she went, “Mother! Big Sister Lin is here!”
Hearing this, Jiang Mei hurriedly transferred the vegetables from the wok onto a plate and came out of the kitchen. Sure enough, Lin Ji was standing outside the fence, and when she saw Jiang Mei emerge, she even greeted her with a smile.
Jiang Mei walked over, opened the courtyard gate, and invited her inside. “A-Ji, what brings you here? Is something the matter?”
Ever since the original “Lin Ji” had passed the imperial examinations and become a licentiate, she had considered herself superior to everyone else and rarely treated her fellow villagers with any courtesy.
But the Lin Ji who had transmigrated here knew how to ask someone for help. She let her smile fade, lowered her eyes, and spoke in a subdued voice. “I’ve been behaving disgracefully for quite some time. It was only when I looked around the house today that I realized even our rice jar was empty. But it’s nearly half an hour’s walk from the village to the county town, so I was wondering if I could buy some brown rice from you at the market price for now. At least that way, Nian Nian and I can have something to fill our stomachs.”
Lin Ji kept her head lowered, gripping the money pouch tightly in her hand.
Jiang Mei was momentarily stunned by her behavior, but quickly nodded. “Of course you can! Just wait here. I’ll go get you some rice.”
Jiang Mei went inside to scoop out some rice, leaving Hu Niu standing in the courtyard, glaring at Lin Ji with an unfriendly expression.
When Jiang Mei came back out, she gave her daughter a pat on the shoulder. “What are you standing around here for? Go to the kitchen and wash the vegetables.”
As Hu Niu turned away, she muttered, just loud enough to be heard, “So she actually knows Nian Nian gets hungry.”
A faint blush spread across Lin Ji’s face, but she said nothing.
Jiang Mei walked over and handed Lin Ji a sack of rice and a slab of cured pork. Seeing Lin Ji reach for her money, she pushed her hand back. “It’s only a few catties of rice. This pork was cured last winter, and Hu Niu and I can’t finish it all by ourselves anyway. Take it home and let Nian Nian have some.”
Her face still flushed, Lin Ji accepted the rice and cured pork. She looked up at Jiang Mei, her eyes slightly red. “Thank you, Aunt Jiang. Once I go to the county town to buy rice tomorrow, I’ll return what I borrowed.”
“There’s no need to return it. Hurry home now. Don’t leave Nian Nian hungry,” Jiang Mei said.
Lin Ji nodded and turned to leave. She had only walked a short distance when Jiang Mei suddenly called after her again. “A-Ji, wait a moment. I’ll go inside and get you some vegetables too.”
There was a small vegetable plot in the Lin family’s courtyard, but since Mother Lin’s death, it had been left neglected and overgrown.
Jiang Mei went inside and gathered some fresh bok choy and Chinese chives. She added two eggs to a vegetable basket and handed it to Lin Ji. Then she slipped a cloth bundle into her arms as well and lowered her voice. “Take these two taels of silver. You don’t have to pay me back. When Hu Niu and I first came to Wutong Village, it was your mother who helped me find my footing here. Consider this my way of repaying her kindness. A-Ji, you’ve read plenty of books, so Aunt Jiang won’t lecture you. From now on, take good care of Nian Nian and live a proper life together. If you manage to pass the provincial examination and become a provincial graduate someday, Aunt Jiang might even get to share a little of your good fortune.”
Lin Ji stared at the abundance of things in her arms, along with the two taels of silver that had come to her rescue, and froze.
Her eyes grew warm. She looked up at Jiang Mei and smiled. “Don’t worry, Aunt Jiang. I’ll definitely repay this money someday. Thank you so much.”
When Lin Ji returned to the Lin residence carrying the rice, meat, and vegetables, Lin Nian had already washed all the wild vegetables and lit the fire in the stove. She turned her head, and the moment she saw everything Lin Ji had brought back, her eyes lit up.
“I’ll help you, Big Sister!” The little girl rushed over and took the sack of rice.
Lin Ji set down the vegetable basket, opened the sack, and poured all the brown rice into the rice jar. “Aunt Jiang lent us this rice. For lunch today, we can stir-fry the cured pork with wild vegetables and make some steamed egg custard.”
Hearing this, the little girl immediately turned to start chopping vegetables.
Lin Ji took the kitchen knife from her and handed her the measured rice instead. “Today, I’ll let you try Big Sister’s cooking. Help me wash the rice first.”
The little girl couldn’t sit still, and even if she had nothing to do, she probably wouldn’t feel at ease.
There were two cooking pots on the stove, one large and one small. The larger one was set farther back and used for cooking rice and boiling water.
Lin Ji added water to the washed rice and poured it into the large pot. Then she sliced off a little less than half of the cured pork, placed it on top of the rice, and left them to steam together.
After blanching the shepherd’s purse that Lin Nian had brought home, she finely chopped it together with the wild green onions and set them aside. Next, she cracked two eggs into a bowl, scooped some freshly heated boiling water from the smaller pot, and slowly poured it into the eggs. As she poured, she used her chopsticks to whisk the yolks and whites together with steady, vigorous movements. By the time she had finished adding the entire bowl of water, the eggs were thoroughly mixed.1
Lin Ji turned around to look for a rack to support the bowl, but Lin Nian had already brought over a bamboo steamer.
Smiling, Lin Ji took it from her, placed the bowl inside, covered it with a lid, and set it in the smaller pot to steam.
“I noticed the water vat was almost empty earlier. I’ll go fetch some water from the back. Can Nian Nian keep an eye on the rice and steamed eggs for me?”
Seeing her pick up the buckets and shoulder pole, Lin Nian had originally wanted to follow her. But after hearing her request, she stopped and nodded vigorously. “Don’t worry, Big Sister. I’ll watch them carefully.”
Lin Ji carried the buckets on her shoulder pole around the Lin residence and headed toward the small river behind the house. When she reached the bank, she bent down and plunged one of the buckets into the water. With a gurgle, the bucket filled, and when she lifted it out again, it was full.
The commotion was rather loud, frightening the fish near the riverbed and sending them darting in every direction.
Lin Ji happened to glance down and spotted the shadows of two plump fish. Her eyes brightened slightly, but she first carried the two buckets of water back to the Lin residence.
The egg custard couldn’t be steamed for too long, so Lin Ji took it out in time and set it aside to cool. Once the rice was cooked, she removed the cured pork and diced it. She poured a little oil into the wok and added the pork first, frying it until its fragrant fat began to render. Then she added the shepherd’s purse and wild green onions, stir-frying everything together.
As she cooked, Lin Nian stood beside her and watched.
Lin Nian had never seen Big Sister cook before. Yet today, her movements as she chopped vegetables and prepared the dishes were remarkably practiced, as though such tasks came as naturally to her as breathing.
The little girl lowered her eyes, fiddled with her fingers, and said nothing.
The cured pork was already salty, so Lin Ji didn’t add any more salt. Once the stir-fry was ready, she transferred it to a plate, served two bowls of rice, and carried the food into the main hall with Lin Nian following behind.
The little girl sat stiffly, waiting for Lin Ji to pick up her chopsticks first.
Lin Ji scooped a spoonful of tender, golden egg custard into her bowl. “Try it. It should taste pretty good.”
Lin Nian lowered her head, lifted her bowl, and tilted it slightly. The egg custard slid off the rice and into her mouth. It was fresh, tender, and so soft that it melted the moment she pressed it against her tongue.
The little girl’s eyes visibly brightened.
Holding back a laugh, Lin Ji placed some cured pork and shepherd’s purse into her bowl as well. “I didn’t add any salt. See if it tastes too bland.”
Lin Nian picked up her chopsticks and put the shepherd’s purse and cured pork into her mouth together. The savory saltiness of the pork and the crisp tenderness of the shepherd’s purse filled her mouth. It was so much more delicious than the vegetable porridge she usually cooked for herself!
“Big Sister, you’re amazing!” The little girl gazed at Lin Ji with wide, sparkling eyes. “No wonder Sister Hu Niu said wild vegetables were delicious. It turns out I just didn’t know how to cook them properly.”
Lin Ji chuckled and added more vegetables to the little girl’s bowl. “If you like it, eat some more. There’s still rice in the pot, so help yourself if this isn’t enough.”
“Mm-hmm!” Once the little girl started eating, she couldn’t stop. She held her rice bowl in both hands and stuffed her cheeks until they bulged.
Lin Ji waited until she had swallowed that mouthful before saying, “After we eat, let’s go fishing. If we manage to catch something, we can make fish soup for dinner.”
Lin Nian tilted her head and looked at her. “But we don’t have a fishing rod.”
“That’s easy. Once we finish eating, Big Sister will conjure up a fishing rod for you,” Lin Ji declared confidently.
The two of them, one big and one small, polished off every last bit of food on the table. Lin Nian, in particular, ate until her little belly was perfectly round.
Lin Ji cleaned up the kitchen, pulled a flexible branch from the pile of firewood, and tied a length of silk thread to one end. Then she attached a curved hook she had removed from an earring to the other end of the thread. After slicing a few pieces of cured pork to use as bait, her makeshift fishing rod was complete.
She took Lin Nian by the hand and headed toward the river behind the house. Once they reached the bank, she set down a small stool, threaded a piece of cured pork onto the hook, sat down, and began fishing.
Lin Nian looked at her, then at the river, her heart full of doubt—
Could that tree branch really catch a fish?
The thought had barely crossed her mind when the silk thread tied to the branch suddenly pulled taut.
The little girl immediately held her breath, not daring to move a muscle.
Lin Ji, on the other hand, remained perfectly calm. She slowly raised the rod, revealing a plump crucian carp thrashing about with the bait in its mouth.
Without the slightest trace of panic, Lin Ji pulled the rod back and dropped the crucian carp into the bucket. “See? We’ve got our fish soup for tonight.”
Lin Nian rested both hands on the rim of the bucket. She wanted to touch the fish but didn’t quite dare. Looking up, she exclaimed once again, “Big Sister, you’re so amazing!”
“That’s because your big sister is smart,” Lin Ji boasted without the slightest embarrassment. She cast the hook back into the river. “Even though I’d never cooked before, I watched Mother do it a few times, so naturally, I knew how. And after watching other people fish a few times, once you understand the trick, you can catch fish yourself.”
Lin Nian tilted her head back to look at her, and the tiny doubts in her heart suddenly scattered like leaves in the wind.
Of course! Big Sister was the smartest. There was nothing in the world that Big Sister couldn’t learn.
Big Sister wasn’t stupid like her. She had been cooking for half a year, but her food still didn’t taste good.
Lin Ji turned her head and glanced at the little girl. One look at her expression was enough to guess what she was thinking.
Only a child like her would believe such a convenient explanation.
In truth, before the age of fifteen, Lin Ji had also been a pampered young lady who had never lifted a finger to do housework. Later, she had accompanied her grandmother to the family’s old residence in the countryside for a year. There, she had to do everything herself, and naturally, she had learned how to manage just about anything.
Looking back now, all her grandmother’s concerns had been justified. Even a vast family fortune could disappear overnight. When she had nothing left, she still needed to possess the skills necessary to survive.
As for fishing, even her grandmother had remarked that her luck in this particular activity was exceptionally good.
And apparently, even after changing bodies, her luck remained just as good.
Sunlight shimmered across the rippling surface of the river.
Lin Ji’s expression grew somber. Since she had transmigrated into this world, presumably her other self in that world had already… She wondered how heartbroken her grandmother would be…
While Lin Ji was lost in thought, she suddenly heard Lin Nian calling beside her. “Big Sister, doesn’t it look like there’s a person floating over there?”
Lin Ji snapped back to her senses and followed the direction of Lin Nian’s pointing finger. Sure enough, there appeared to be a figure dressed in white drifting along the river’s surface.
Lin Ji frowned and reeled in her fishing rod. “Nian Nian, wait here for me. I’ll go take a look.”
If it turned out to be a corpse, the little girl would probably have nightmares if she saw it.
The figure was about to drift close to the bank. Lin Ji waded into the river and approached it. Only when she drew nearer did she realize it was a woman. Dressed in a white inner garment, she floated faceup on the water, her jet-black hair spreading across the surface like silk and making her face appear as pale as paper.2
Lin Ji’s gaze lingered on her face for a moment. Although there wasn’t a trace of color in the woman’s complexion, even that couldn’t conceal the breathtaking beauty and elegance of her features. The afternoon sunlight fell across her cheeks, making her look even paler and almost translucent, like an illusion that would dissolve at the slightest touch.
Lin Ji reached out to check whether she was breathing. A faint breath brushed against her fingertips. Without another moment’s hesitation, she slipped one arm around the woman’s back and the other beneath her knees, then lifted her into her arms and carried her ashore.
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