Chapter 1: As Precious as Pearls and Jade

“Child’s mother, didn’t the doctor say the child is fine? Doctor Huang already examined her. How about we get another doctor from town tomorrow? You know, we live in this village—surely we can’t afford to offend Doctor Huang…”

Gu Yuzhu, in a haze, vaguely heard voices arguing by her ear.

“Gu Dapeng, shut your filthy mouth! Is your daughter’s life less important than saving face for Doctor Huang? Why don’t you go straight to heaven?!” A shrill female voice suddenly rang out, startling Gu Yuzhu. Unfortunately, her whole body felt weak and sluggish, as though her bones had fallen apart. She couldn’t even open her eyes.

“Yes, yes, Feng’er, don’t be upset, don’t get mad, alright? Look at your bad temper—what if you scare our daughter again?” The man’s voice clearly lacked vigor.

The woman’s voice lowered slightly but still carried a suppressed rage. “Gu Dapeng, don’t think I don’t know. This time, it was your precious grandson and granddaughter who coaxed Zhu’er into climbing that loquat tree at the village entrance. Otherwise, why would our obedient Zhu’er climb a tree for no reason?”

“Sigh, there you go again. How can you say that? Changwen and Huihui are only five or six years old. They’re just little kids—how would they know anything? They were just playing together, weren’t they?” the man replied meekly.

The woman flared up even more. “Gu Dapeng! You know exactly what kind of person I, Yan Fengru, am! Haven’t I always been strict in raising our children? Qingbo and Yuzhu are both good kids. I’ve warned them countless times—not to go near the pond, not to climb trees! They always listen to me. So what happened? Qingbo fell into the pond last month. I haven’t even dealt with you about that yet, and now my daughter’s in danger?”

“Let me tell you, Gu Dapeng. When I worked as a head maid for a noble lady in Fucheng, I saw plenty of dirty schemes in the inner courtyard. Last time, you said it was an accident—I believed you. But now there’ve been two incidents in a row, and both involved my children? I don’t believe it! And the time I gave birth—wasn’t it because of your precious daughter? They say being a stepmother is hard, and I’ve come to understand that clearly over the years. If the man of the house isn’t someone who sees reason, it’s even harder for a stepmother.”

The woman’s emotions were clearly out of control. Gu Yuzhu could sense that if not for worrying about her, the woman might have already erupted. Even so, her voice was on the brink of breakdown.

“If it hadn’t been for Zhou Meizi’s son, your youngest son might’ve died!”

The woman growled in a low voice.

Hearing this, the man seemed a bit disgruntled. He knew the childbirth had been dangerous back then, but he was unwilling to believe his eldest daughter was to blame.

Besides, weren’t children always a little mischievous? Weren’t these all just accidents? And didn’t things turn out fine in the end? Deep down, Gu Dapeng didn’t want to think badly of his own blood—his grandson and granddaughter.

But seeing his wife’s furious expression, he thought better of arguing. A real man, after all, doesn’t quarrel with his wife.

So instead of rebutting, Gu Dapeng responded with a placating tone.

“Feng’er, don’t worry, don’t be angry! I was wrong. I’ll go to town right now and get a doctor for Zhu’er.”

At the moment, Yan Fengru was so angry just looking at Gu Dapeng that she wished she could send the old man far away. How had she been so blind back then to marry this useless old thing?

Gu Dapeng was nearly forty, while Yan Fengru was just a little over thirty. They were an old husband and a young wife.

Gu Dapeng was tall and solidly built with proper features, but age had taken its toll, and he looked a little stooped.

Yan Fengru, on the other hand, was different from the usual countryside women who often looked worn and dirty. She always kept herself neat and clean. Her plain, fair face, almond-shaped eyes that slanted upward at the corners, and the simple silver hairpin in her bun gave her an air of elegance.

So how had these two—nearly ten years apart—become husband and wife? There was a story behind that.

Yan Fengru had three younger brothers and a younger sister. Unfortunately, their parents had died early, and as the eldest, Yan Fengru had made a heart-wrenching decision: she sold herself into servitude to feed her siblings.

By the time she finally bought her freedom in her twenties, she was already considered an old maid.

At that time, Gu Dapeng’s first wife had been dead for over a year, leaving behind a son and a daughter.

Though becoming a stepmother wasn’t easy, Yan Fengru thought Gu Dapeng was an honest, diligent man. Most importantly, he was the only suitable man left in their village. The others were either too old or had some kind of flaw or defect.

With no parents and no elders to rely on, Yan Fengru—who had once made the bold choice to sell herself—was clearly a woman of depth, strong will, and independence.

Moreover, during her years working in the noble household in Fucheng, she had seen much of the world and wasn’t impressed by ordinary men.

After considering all her options, Gu Dapeng was actually not a bad choice.

Though her younger brothers and the sister married into town were all willing to support her—and even warned their children to respect their aunt—Yan Fengru had too much pride to rely on her siblings or burden her nephews and nieces.

So she decided to find a husband and live a stable life.

Close to her maiden home, with an honest man and a pleasant appearance, Yan Fengru finally agreed to marry Gu Dapeng. As for Gu Dapeng, a widower with two children, marrying a respectable young woman who had worked as a head maid in a wealthy household was more than he could have hoped for.

When Yan Fengru married into the family, the son and daughter left by Gu Dapeng’s deceased wife were already fifteen and twelve. At that age, they were set in their ways and hard to raise.

Gu Qingshan and Gu Caihe clearly resented their stepmother and did everything they could to challenge her.

Yan Fengru, considering herself the adult, usually didn’t bother arguing with the two little brats. For the sake of her reputation and her conscience, she never mistreated them.

But these two weren’t obedient. It seemed someone had said something to them, deepening their hostility toward her.

A few years later, Yan Fengru got pregnant and gave birth to fraternal twins—a boy and a girl. From then on, the older children treated the twins like enemies.

Normally, twins are difficult to carry to term, but Yan Fengru didn’t go into labor naturally. She fell and triggered an early delivery. The situation was extremely dangerous. If not for her sister Yan Fengjiao, who was married into a well-off town family and brought ginseng slices in time, she might not have survived.

Thinking back, Yan Fengru always suspected the culprit was Gu Caihe, who was already sixteen and engaged at the time. But there was no proof. That made her even more disheartened.

She may have been a stepmother, but she had a clear conscience. Who would’ve thought those two brats could be so cruel? Then her son fell into the pond, and now her daughter had fallen from a tree. No matter how kind-hearted Yan Fengru was, she now hated those stepchildren to the bone.

After the twins were born, the younger daughter—Gu Yuzhu, now the current body’s host—had been premature. Because the twins competed for nutrients in the womb, her health had always been poor.

Fortunately, Gu Dapeng worked hard and had some savings, and Yan Fengru, as the girl’s birth mother, always gave her the best care. That was how the little girl had managed to grow up safely. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say she was as precious as pearls and jade.

At this moment, Gu Yuzhu had already received all the memories of the original body.