In March, the grass began to sprout, birds flitted around, and new buds gave the village a fresh green look.

It was spring plowing season, and by midday, most villagers had finished their morning farmwork and gone home to rest. But today, a crowd had gathered outside the Shen family’s yard, curiosity pulling them closer.

”Breathe, push… almost there! You’ve made it this far; you can do it!”

”Ahhh!”

At the faint cry, Fu Bao regained awareness, blinking into darkness.

Where am I?

She hadn’t realized what was happening before she’d been forced out.

“She’s here! Thank heaven—she’s safe!” The elderly midwife held the newborn in her rough hands and gave her a light slap. Fu Bao felt the sting and instinctively started to cry.

Wait… why am I crying like a baby?

Then it clicked.

She had once been a little lucky star in the heavens. But when she’d helped a powerful spirit escape the celestial guards by giving him a spark of luck, she’d broken the rules. Her punishment? She’d been cast down to the mortal world with a mission she needed to complete before she could return.

Life in the heavens had been getting dull anyway. She often snuck away for adventure, so maybe this “punishment” was just what she needed.

Now, here she was—a newborn in her mother’s arms, with a long journey ahead before she’d ever make it back to the stars.

“Is it a boy or a girl?” The woman on the bed, pale and sweating, asked eagerly.

“It’s a girl—a beautiful girl who looks just like you!”

A relieved smile crossed the mother’s face as she reached out. “Please, let me see her.”

The midwife chuckled. “Hold on, let me clean her up first.”

Fu Bao felt herself gently bathed in warm water, her tiny body wrapped in soft cloth and handed over to her mother.

The house was simple but warm. The midwife slipped outside, pulling back the worn blue curtain as she left.

A man pacing outside rushed up the moment he saw her, his handsome face worn with worry, his eyes red with concern. “Did the baby arrive? How’s my daughter-in-law?”

An elderly woman with gray hair and a hunched back approached with the same anxious look. “I thought I heard a baby cry. Is everything alright?”

Behind her, four boys of various ages gathered around, all looking equally tense.

The midwife’s smile widened. “It’s a girl! Mother and baby are both healthy.”

“A girl?!”