Chapter 12

Shen An and Shen Ning carried the basket together. When Shen An stopped walking, Shen Ning naturally stopped a few steps later, puzzled. “Big Brother, why did you stop?”

Shen An lowered his gaze to conceal his confusion and suppressed the inexplicable thought that had just crossed his mind. “I’m going to look for wild ginger.”

“I’ll look for some too.” Shen Ning was unaware of her brother’s thoughts and followed suit. When she heard her brother say he was looking for wild ginger, she also looked around, asking Sang Luo, “Sister-in-law, how tall does wild ginger grow?”

“Between one to three feet?” Sang Luo wasn’t sure if ginger in this era looked the same as in later times because she had never seen it growing in the ground. She had only seen ginger served on the dining table in her original memories, not planted in the ground.

Species have evolved continuously, especially in different times and spaces.

Both of them were focused on finding wild ginger. Neither of them noticed that Shen An, who had said he was also looking for wild ginger, didn’t actually look down at the ground but kept glancing at Sang Luo, his gaze shifting between surprise, scrutiny, and the realization that it couldn’t be true.

—

Sang Luo sensed that something was off about Shen An.

She only noticed during dinner preparation.

The little guy, who had been excited during the day, suddenly became unusually silent, occasionally casting glances at her.

It was fine to glance, but if she caught him doing it, he quickly averted his gaze, thinking he was being discreet.

Indeed, if he were facing another child, it would be discreet.

But was Sang Luo a child?

She couldn’t disclose her age, but she was already twenty-eight in her previous life. Could she not tell that a nine-year-old child’s mood was off?

Sang Luo was full of question marks, but then she felt a sudden tightness in her chest. With a turn of her mind, she realized what was happening.

No wonder he was sensitive; she had crossed over. Although she managed to cross over, the original owner of the body should have died before she arrived. This was akin to borrowing someone else’s body. 

Would Sang Luo really be free from guilt?

If it weren’t for facing the prospect of starving to death immediately after crossing over, she would have obediently feigned illness, stayed quietly, and avoided any possibility of revealing her true identity.

But could she? Relying on the two liters of rice Shen An had begged from the Chen family in the middle of the night, she had to feed three people. Even with this, the original owner still fell ill and starved to death. Would she dare not to think of ways to supplement their nutrition?

She didn’t dare.

So what had this little guy noticed?

Sang Luo’s thoughts raced, but she didn’t dare show any sign of it on her face, not even a frown.

She quickly recalled when Shen An’s attitude had changed, rewinding her memory bit by bit. Then she remembered Shen Ning’s long string of compliments…

“Sister-in-law, you know so much. Catching fish, making fairy tofu, recognizing wild ginger, and even knowing how to treat colds!”

“Why did you stop, Big Brother?”

Got it, case solved.

This little guy was really sharp and had enough cunning.

Although he was only nine years old, which in modern terms would be seven or eight years old, a first-grade elementary school student who had been well protected by his parents would still be a cute and naive child.

But look at Shen An… not only sharp but also able to remain calm when he sensed something was wrong. By saying he was looking for wild ginger, he didn’t scare Shen Ning or raise any suspicion in Sang Luo.

Sang Luo stirred some salt into the clay pot while thinking, what kind of ‘thing’ was she in Shen An’s mind? A demon or a ghost?

Hmm, in the memories of the original owner, people in this era were quite superstitious and firmly believed in the existence of immortals, gods, demons, and ghosts. Just thinking about it made Sang Luo shake her head.

To observe her for so long, this little guy must have a lot of courage.

She decided to play dumb. While she contemplated her logic and reasoning for covering her tracks, she also observed how long Shen An could hold out.

She wasn’t afraid; she could handle whatever came her way.

But she still reflected seriously because there were only two children around, and she had relied on her memories of the original owner. She had been too careless. She realized she needed to be more cautious in the future and make sure everything she did made sense logically.

She didn’t want to be mistaken for a mountain spirit or a wandering ghost and be burnt alive.

Sang Luo didn’t want to experience such a terrifying and painful death just after coming back to life. Besides, if she died again, would fate give her another chance to cross over?

Cherish life and cover your tracks well.

Fortunately, the original owner had lived a reclusive life in Shili Village and rarely interacted with anyone besides these two children. Even the Third Uncle Shen and the Li family, who had lived with her for half a month, didn’t really know her.

And after experiencing a major change in life, followed by a brush with death, it was quite normal for one’s temperament to change. She didn’t need to consciously imitate the original owner’s behavior.

…

Meanwhile, Shen An’s mind was far from as calm as Sang Luo had imagined.

Just as Sang Luo had thought, he did start considering supernatural possibilities, but the only difference was that besides the initial thoughts of mountain spirits and wandering ghosts, his thoughts gradually turned towards gods and immortals.

Because of the food Sang Luo had made for them today using leaves, which she named “fairy tofu” and “fairy tree,” both words were associated with immortals.

After the initial suspicion, Shen An’s thoughts slowly shifted towards redemption, thinking that perhaps kind-hearted immortals were coming to help them because he and his sister were suffering too much.

Of course, this line of thought didn’t hold up either.

The children in the village often heard stories from the adults about how monsters and spirits set traps with benefits. So, was she really his sister-in-law? If not, was she here to help them or harm them?

His mind was in turmoil, but he didn’t dare show any sign of it. He wanted to probe, but he was afraid to. If he didn’t probe, would they be safe once night fell and darkness enveloped them?

He couldn’t bear to think about what might happen next, and his heart felt like it was being roasted over a fire.

Meanwhile, Shen An and Sang Luo were lost in their own thoughts, but Shen Ning was simply happy.

The little girl squatted by the stove, watching as the fish soup in the clay pot gradually turned milky white. She listened to the bubbling sound of the soup in the pot, smelled the fragrant aroma of the fish soup, and eagerly anticipated how to prepare for the market the day after tomorrow to make money.

Her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth were all extremely busy.

Sang Luo looked at Shen Ning and couldn’t help but feel moved. This was how a seven or eight-year-old child should be.

Why was Shen An, who was born on the same day, so suspicious, as if he had grown an extra eight hundred eyes?

When the soup was almost ready, Sang Luo threw the chopped wild onions she had prepared into the pot and waited for a while. Then she cut the remaining wild onions into pieces with her fingertips and tossed them into the pot.

The fragrance of the onions filled the room as they were heated in the soup.

Shen Ning was ecstatic. She took a deep breath, looked at the milky white fish soup in the pot, and couldn’t stop smiling. “Sister-in-law, the fish soup you made is delicious!”

Sang Luo adjusted the fire on the stove and was about to ladle out the fish when she heard Shen Ning’s words, and her hand trembled.

Fortunately, the original owner had never cooked fish soup for these two children.

She calmly picked up a bowl and used a wooden spoon to scoop up the palm-sized fish from the bottom of the pot, handing the bowl to Shen Ning. “It’s fragrant because of the onions. The soup is too hot, so eat the fish and purslane first. You and your brother can share this fish.”

Shen Ning was delighted. “Thank you, sister-in-law!”

Sang Luo smiled and took her own bowl, scooping up the slightly smaller fish into it and picking up her chopsticks to eat slowly.

Shen An couldn’t help but observe again.

Would monsters and ghosts eat food like humans?

…

Sang Luo was really getting a headache.

Instead of secretly observing each other like this, why not just ask directly?

She turned her head and met Shen An’s gaze, asking him, “How’s the fish? Is it delicious?”

Shen An secretly pondered what kind of monster or demon Sang Luo might be. Suddenly asked a question, he felt a bit guilty, but inexplicably, he also felt a hint of courage to probe. He nodded in response to Sang Luo’s question, “It’s delicious. Sister-in-law, why didn’t you take us fishing before?”

Why didn’t she pick tree leaves to make that fairy tofu?

With these two methods, how could they have ended up dying from illness and hunger?

But he concealed his sharpness, even making an effort to pull out a naive smile that a nine-year-old child should have.