Chapter 5

Father Xu lifted the blanket and stepped out.

“What are you talking about? That’s called masculinity! What do you know? Lu Huaijin must be even stronger than him—aren’t you worried about that?”

Xu Ruhua joined in, “Exactly! Dad’s right. If you marry Lu Huaijin, you’ll be a stepmother over there, which isn’t as good as being with Li Qiang.”

Xu Nianian looked at her father and said, “I’m not afraid. Soldiers are the most honorable people; how could he hit me? It’s fine to joke about it at home, but please don’t say it outside—you could get in trouble.”

Then she turned to Xu Ruhua and said, “So you don’t want me to go on a date with Lu Huaijin? Well, now I have to, just to spite you!”

She looked at Xu Ruhua’s face for a few seconds, where the red swelling from before was still visible.

How amusing—she’s not been back from her rebirth for long. Xu Ruhua now went out fully wrapped up, looking paler than before.

Xu Ruhua covered her face, feeling a bit flustered by Nianian’s gaze, which seemed intrusive.

“What are you looking at?”

Xu Ruhua still remembered her persona of someone who was mistreated. If her father weren’t here, her hand would already be up, ready to start a fight.

Xu Nianian smiled. “Oh, nothing. I was just admiring whoever gave you such a beautiful name—Ruhua, ‘like a flower.’ So pretty.”

Xu Ruhua’s face darkened. Having been reborn, she naturally caught the sarcasm in her tone.

“None of your business.”

She had originally planned to change her name to “Ruhua” upon graduating high school, so she could enter her new workplace with a fresh start.

Xu Nianian’s gaze returned to her father.

“Dad, make sure to arrange a time and place for the date, okay? His family should be in the capital too, right?”

Father Xu nodded, still thinking of a way to convince her to marry Li Qiang.

He wasn’t bragging, but her face really did look just like her mother’s. It made sense that Li Qiang was interested.

With his nod, Xu Nianian left, and Father Xu, unable to fall back asleep after the disruption, got dressed and went to work.

Xu Ruhua clenched her fists; her worst fear was coming true.

Back in her room, Xu Nianian realized a crucial point—she still didn’t know what she looked like. She grabbed the original owner’s small, cherished mirror.

Looking intently at her reflection, she saw a face about seventy to eighty percent similar to her past self, only less fair. But those eyes were stunning—large, glossy, and slightly upturned, like two plump black grapes. They could probably captivate anyone, even a pig!

Her hair was black and shiny, though a bit unruly due to a lack of nutrition, and her neck was swan-like, without a single wrinkle.

Under her tank top, her chest was clearly well-shaped, and her waist looked so slender it seemed like it could be broken with a squeeze.

Tying up her hair, she thought, “This face in this era could be a real knockout—and could also get me into trouble.”

Now she understood why so many young bachelors in the compound had been sneaking looks at her and why, after all her stepmother’s schemes, Xu Ruhua was getting more acceptance instead.

With her “seductive” appearance, she was the type of woman men loved and mothers-in-law despised. Combined with her reputation, no one dared propose to her.

But so what? She liked her looks.

Thinking of how she’d been reincarnated after slipping on something unpleasant, she wondered if she might have a special ability here—perhaps a “golden finger” or a helpful power?

Some sort of space or magic spring water would be great; she wasn’t picky.

As she thought about it, she mentally chanted for it. The next moment, she found herself in a new dimension.

She clutched her chest, afraid her heart wouldn’t take it and she’d end up reincarnated again.

Her excited heart was matched only by her trembling hands as she took in the fertile, dark soil in front of her, so rich it was almost shiny. This must be the legendary land for planting crops!

Unable to resist, she reached down and grabbed a handful. The soil had no distinct scent—not fragrant or unpleasant—just the earthy smell of real dirt. It was soft to the touch, as if already cultivated.

She noticed a clear stream nearby. Walking over, she saw the water was crystal clear, though there were no fish in it.

Beside her was a small spring, though it didn’t look like a typical well. It was surrounded by emerald green jade, which gleamed with an ancient glow.

The gem had a high, almost priceless quality, and she resisted the urge to take a bite out of it. Her gaze turned to the spring water flowing into a jade cup.

She instinctively took the cup, marveling at the clarity of the water, though she wasn’t about to drink it herself. She noticed that once she took the cup, the spring stopped flowing.

With a thought, she exited the space, cup in hand.

Back in her room, she held the spirit water, not sure who or what to test it on. Searching around, she spotted the only living thing in the house besides people: a chicken.

This chicken was bought by her stepmother to celebrate her son’s birthday tomorrow. In these times, even the head of the family only ate chicken a few times a year.

The chicken was slumped in its cage, barely clinging to life.

She carefully poured half the cup into the chicken feed, but the chicken seemed uninterested. Hesitant, she moved the feed closer, fearing it would peck her.

The chicken slowly turned its head towards the feed, looking more lively, and began to eat. It started slowly, then picked up speed, eating faster and faster until it finished the entire bowl.

Then, it looked up at her, as if to ask for more.

Startled, Xu Nianian thought, “Is it still hungry?”

She added some shredded vegetables and poured in a bit more spring water, which it quickly finished.

Then, as if out of gratitude, the chicken squatted down. Moments later, it laid an egg.

And then another.

Incredibly, it produced a third egg. What kind of spirit water was this? Not only had it revitalized a half-dead chicken, but it had made it lay eggs, too!

Just then, the chicken, as if to show off its achievement, started clucking loudly.

Xu Nianian quickly put two of the eggs into her space.

Her stepmother, Xu Xiuhong, appeared in the doorway. “What’s with the chicken making all that noise?”

Xu Xiuhong was usually unafraid of her, as Xu Nianian was mostly known for her looks. But today, something about her made her uneasy.

Worried about the chicken, she squatted down to inspect it.

She was surprised to find that the almost lifeless chicken was now energetic and had even laid an egg.

The seller had told her it wasn’t laying anymore, which was why he sold it so cheaply. Had she gotten a lucky break?

Feeling excited, she glanced at Xu Nianian and, unable to resist, blurted out, “Do you want to eat it?”