Chapter 10: Confusion—Did Shen An’an Seek Out Her Birth Parents Herself?

Seeing Jiang Zhining hadn’t touched her chopsticks, Lin Chunmei and Shen Guochao exchanged a glance.

“Zhining, are you not used to the food? How about this—I’ll borrow some rice tomorrow and make something more to your liking,” Lin Chunmei said, concerned.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Jiang Zhining smiled lightly. “It’s not that. I was just thinking about something.”

She picked up her chopsticks and started eating.

Seeing her eat, Lin Chunmei finally relaxed. “Do you like it? What would you like to eat tomorrow? I’ll ask your dad to go buy something from town.”

“I like it. This sweet potato porridge is great. I’m not picky—just some of the vegetables grown here will do,” Jiang Zhining replied with a friendly smile. She was only staying temporarily and didn’t want to trouble anyone.

Hearing that, Lin Chunmei’s gaze softened. “Good, good. These are our homemade pickles—try some.”

She picked up some for Jiang Zhining.

Looking at the vegetables in her bowl, Jiang Zhining felt the warmth of family for the first time. Her smile deepened. “Thank you.”

Her polite and gentle manner quickly won over the family’s affection.

“Zhining, your adoptive parents must’ve raised you well. I can tell they taught you properly,” Lin Chunmei asked gently.

“Mhm, before they found out I wasn’t their biological daughter, they treated me very well,” Jiang Zhining responded casually.

Everyone understood the unspoken bitterness behind her words.

“I’m sorry, it’s our fault. If An’an hadn’t gone to seek her birth family, you could’ve continued living your life,” Lin Chunmei sighed.

“Mom, Shen An’an has her own legs. It’s not like we could’ve stopped her even if we wanted to,” Shen Weilü said bluntly.

Jiang Zhining caught onto something. “You mean, Shen An’an went to find her birth parents on her own?”

“Yeah. That day she got into a fight with Huniu from the village, hit her head on a rock and passed out. When she woke up, she was muttering weird stuff. The next day she borrowed money and went to the county to investigate her background. When she came back, she said she’d found her real parents.”

Jiang Zhining felt a spark of doubt. What Shen An’an did after regaining consciousness didn’t make much sense.

If no one told her, how could she know who her biological parents were?

Could it be… she was also someone who transmigrated into a novel?

“Later, we followed her into town. After investigating, it turned out the babies really were switched,” Shen Guochao said while smoking his pipe. “We didn’t expect that girl to be so heartless—she never saw us again after that.”

Lin Chunmei sighed. “She must hate us for making her suffer all those years.”

“She suffered? She didn’t have to work and just stayed home all day. My brother gave up school for her,” Shen Yueyue’s eyes turned red.

Though she was never particularly close to Shen An’an, she had loved her as a sister. She hadn’t expected that today, because of her, her own future would nearly be destroyed. She looked at Jiang Zhining, full of gratitude.

After chatting for a while, Lin Chunmei led Jiang Zhining to Shen An’an’s room.

“Child, you can sleep here tonight. Is steamed buns and eggs okay for breakfast?” she asked gently.

Looking at the kind woman in front of her, Jiang Zhining knew she was trying her best to treat her well.

“Today’s pickles were delicious. Steamed buns and pickles sound great,” Jiang Zhining said playfully.

Lin Chunmei’s eyes reddened. “Good. I’ll stew an old hen for you at lunch tomorrow to build up your strength. Get some rest now.”

Watching her leave with tears in her eyes, Jiang Zhining’s once-cold heart felt warmed by this family’s kindness.

Once in the room, she looked at the neat and tidy space and could feel how deeply the Shen family had loved Shen An’an.

Sitting on the bed, Jiang Zhining thought of all they had done for her and felt she should do something in return.

She opened her suitcase and pulled out the seeds she had bought that morning. Taking a deep breath, she said, “Time to get to work.”

With that, she lay down on the bed and focused her mind, entering her space through the blood-red jade bracelet on her wrist.

As soon as she arrived, Guolai came running on short legs, its chubby body wobbling as it ran to her.

“Guolai!” Jiang Zhining hugged it tightly, rubbing her face into its fluffy body.

“Master, you’re finally here! Are we starting our farming life now?” the cuddly panda asked, its fat head bobbing.

“Yup, time to work hard and build our fortune,” Jiang Zhining said with a bright smile. “Come on, follow me and help build my empire.”

She bounced forward with Guolai in her arms.

“What do you want to plant first?” Guolai asked curiously. “Time flows faster here—one hour equals a month.”

“That fast? Then I’ll be a millionaire in no time!” Jiang Zhining’s eyes lit up.

Guolai laughed, “If you work hard, you just might.”

Jiang Zhining didn’t dwell on it. She arrived at a spot and said, “When I was a student, I loved the Peach Blossom Spring by Tao Yuanming. So I want to build my own version—starting with peach trees.”

She jumped down from Guolai’s arms, and he strolled forward. “Then let’s begin with planting.”

With that, Jiang Zhining picked up a hoe from Guolai and started digging and planting.

It was her first time doing farm work, and she was soon exhausted. “I’m so tired, Guolai, help me out!”

Guolai sat on the ground munching a big bamboo shoot. “Nope! Master has to do it herself.”

(⊙o⊙)…

Jiang Zhining kept digging. She had dreamed of a vast peach forest, but reality hit hard.

After planting 50 seeds, she was completely out of breath.

Seeing this, Guolai kindly brought her some spiritual spring water, his cute face resembling a cartoon villain. “Drink it, and you’ll feel refreshed.”

Jiang Zhining gulped and stared at the tile bowl. “No cup?”

“Nope! We only have the wooden hut, and tiles match best,” Guolai said helpfully.

With no choice, Jiang Zhining drank from the tile. As expected, spiritual spring water really worked—she recovered some strength.

“Feeling better? Then let’s get back to work!” Guolai said, moving his fluffy head closer.

“Guolai, you sound like a greedy capitalist,” Jiang Zhining muttered, pinching its cheeks.

“Wuwu… I’m doing this for your own good! Let’s escape poverty and get rich!”

That made sense. Jiang Zhining took a deep breath, threw the hoe over her shoulder, and struck a pose.

“Let’s plant!”

Peach trees would take at least three years to bear fruit. Even in this accelerated space, it would take several days. In the meantime, she’d focus on planting rice and other fast-growing crops and fruits.

It could also help the Shen family with food shortages.

Returning kindness with kindness—that was Jiang Zhining’s way of life.

She marked out an area for rice, then began hoeing the field.

But the difficulty far exceeded her expectations.

“Ahh! No one told me farming was this hard! I’m sorry, dear farmers—I’ll never waste food again!”

“Why do I have to sow and transplant too? Guolai, my back’s breaking!”

“When can I level up and free my hands…?!”

Her wails echoed through the space.