Oh my goodness, what just happened?

In broad daylight, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck her from the sky, hitting her directly!

No, could it be that the heavens know she’s done something wrong and are punishing her?

Oh no, what should she do if she gets struck dead by lightning?

She better run for it!

Liu Hongmei, with smoke still rising from her body was so terrified that she screamed and ran out of the hospital room with her hands over her head.

As the troublemaker fled, Zhao Xiuying and Lin Yuehong, who witnessed the whole scene, were stunned. It was the first time in their lives they’d seen something so bizarre. They exchanged glances and couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

Lin Yuehong laughed heartily and mischievously winked at Zhao Xiuying:

“Sister-in-law, do you think this is karma catching up with the third sister-in-law?”

Thinking of Liu Hongmei’s sorry state, Zhao Xiuying couldn’t help but feel both amused and exasperated.

“This third sister-in-law… What can I even say about her?”

“Oh, sister-in-law, let’s not worry about her. It’s not like anything serious happened to her anyway. We should go ahead and feed Wanyue the chicken soup before it gets cold. Mmm, it smells so good.”

Lin Yuehong cheerfully opened the chicken soup and took a deep breath, savoring the rich aroma with satisfaction.

“Look at you, drooling already. Should I save you a bowl?”

Zhao Xiuying, amused by Lin Yuehong’s gluttonous expression, teased her as she reached for a bowl to ladle out the soup.

Seeing that her sister-in-law was serious about giving her some, Lin Yuehong hastily waved her hands in refusal.

“No way! This chicken soup was specially made for Wanyue by our mother. I’m not like Liu Hongmei, who’s shameless enough to be greedy at her age. Ugh, she should be embarrassed!”

Lin Yuehong, whose temper flared quickly, got angry just thinking about it.

Zhao Xiuying filled a bowl with soup, gently patted Lin Yuehong on the shoulder and smiled:

“Just don’t let our mother hear you say that or the third sister-in-law will be in trouble again.”

“Oh, I know, I know.” Lin Yuehong made a face as if to say she understood perfectly, then turned to check on the girl in the hospital bed.

The next moment, her eyes widened in surprise and she stammered.

“Sister-in-law, Wanyue is awake!”

Zhao Xiuying’s heart skipped a beat and she instinctively looked towards the bed, her eyes welling up with joy.

On the pristine hospital bed, the bright and lively young girl was smiling sweetly at her.

“Mom, I’m hungry. I want some chicken soup!”

At that moment, Zhao Xiuying felt the weight of worry lift off her shoulders. She was about to say “Alright,” but then she couldn’t hold back and started sobbing.

“What are you doing, crying in broad daylight? I could hear you wailing all the way down the corridor!” 

As Zhao Xiuying cried, a strong voice echoed from the doorway and in the next second, a feisty old lady barged in with a stern face.

But in the very next moment, the old lady’s eyes softened as she saw the young girl with her braids smiling up at her.

“Grandma, I’m fine now.”

“Oh, my sweet child, I knew it! I knew my darling would be just fine. You’ve always been blessed with good fortune.”

The old lady’s smile grew wider and her eyes grew misty. She quickly wiped them with her sleeve, looking at her granddaughter with deep affection.

“My dear, you must be hungry after sleeping for so long. Xiuying, quickly, bring the chicken soup we made. Let her have some to fill her stomach.”

“Yes, right away, Mom!”

Zhao Xiuying quickly handed the bowl of chicken soup to her daughter.

Wanyue, who had been asleep for two days and had only had a bit of rice porridge during that time, was already starving.

As the smell of the chicken soup reached her nose, she couldn’t help but devour the whole bowl in a few gulps, including all the meat in it. After finishing, she licked her lips, savoring the taste.

“Grandma, I want more.”

“Of course, of course! Eating well is a blessing. After everything you’ve been through, you need to regain your strength.”

Chen Juhua, delighted to see her granddaughter’s appetite return, happily took the bowl and went to refill it herself.

The little girl, who hadn’t eaten properly in two days, ended up drinking three whole bowls of chicken soup before finally setting down her utensils, lying back in bed and humming contentedly while rubbing her full belly.

Ah, it had been so long since she’d eaten so heartily.

As she reminisced about the delicious chicken soup and thought about all the tasty dishes her grandma had promised to make, a broad smile spread across her face.

Her twin cousins, Song Wenzhe and Song Wenbo, watched their little cousin’s contented expression and couldn’t help but laugh.

“Wanyue really is a little glutton,” Song Wenbo teased with a big grin.

The little girl didn’t take kindly to being teased and in a playful tone, complained to her second aunt,

“Second Aunt, Third Brother and Fourth Brother are making fun of me!”

What? These two rascals must be asking for a scolding!

The Song family had been anxiously waiting in the corridor for two whole days, with everyone’s eyes red from worry. Now that the little girl had finally woken up, they could all relax.

Chen Juhua, seeing that her granddaughter was eating and drinking energetically, figured there was nothing to worry about anymore. Knowing there was still work to be done at home, she sent Old Song and Song Jiandang back with the others.

Song Xiangguo, the second son of the Song family, had to return to the coal mine due to his busy schedule.

Originally, the old lady had wanted to send the troublesome twins home too but the brothers stubbornly refused to leave. Annoyed and thinking there wasn’t much work to be done in the fields, she let them stay at the health clinic.

The doctors at the clinic, who had witnessed Wanyue’s miraculous recovery were amazed and couldn’t stop discussing it with the old couple, Song Xiangdong and his wife, in their office.

With only Lin Yuehong left in the ward, she was sitting by the bed knitting a sweater. When she heard the little girl complain, she immediately jumped up, grabbed her two troublemaking sons by the ears and gave them a good scolding:

“Wanyue just woke up and isn’t fully recovered yet. How dare you two brats make fun of your sister! Is this how brothers should behave? Get out of here!”

The twins, heads hung low in shame were thoroughly chastised.

The little girl, feeling a bit guilty for getting her brothers in trouble, quickly hugged her second aunt and half-joking and half-apologizing, sweet-talked her until she finally smiled again.

The three siblings heaved a sigh of relief.

Seeing their antics, Lin Yuehong pretended to be angry.

“So, am I the only bad guy in this house now? Are you all saints?”

The little girl, like a bunny, pounced on her second aunt, hugging her tightly and showering her with sweet compliments:

“No, no. Second Aunt is the best! You’re so pretty and talented. The other aunts in the village are so envious of you.”

Lin Yuehong, thoroughly flattered by the little girl’s sugary words, tapped her on the nose and laughed,

“Tsk, what a sweet talker you are! I bet you dipped your tongue in honey,” she said, then happily resumed her knitting.

Seeing her second aunt was no longer upset, the little girl cheerfully sipped the sour plum juice her grandmother had made.

Mmm, the juice was cool and sweet, just perfect.

As she sipped on the juice, her twin cousins looked on in bewilderment.

That… that was something else. With such smooth-talking skills, they had to give it to their little sister.

～

The sweet-talking little girl stayed at the health clinic for over half a month, eating and drinking to her heart’s content. She was so lively and full of energy that by the time the doctors unanimously agreed she had recovered fully and could be discharged, the Song family could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

On the last day of June, with the sunset painting the sky in hues of gold and red, the Song family climbed into Wang Jiefang’s tractor and rumbled their way back to Dahe Mountain.

The summer heat blanketed the peaceful little village and in a remote straw-thatched courtyard in the northern part of the village, an elderly man with white hair sat under the eaves, busy weaving a grass basket.

A young boy with sharp features sat nearby, his eyes downcast as he swiftly worked on weaving bamboo strips. Suddenly, the commotion of village children running past the fence caught his attention.

“Hurry up! The tractor’s back in the village, let’s go climb on it!”

“Woohoo! Let’s go ride the tractor! Haozi, are you coming?”

“Nope! My fifth sister is back. I’m going to see her!”

The little boy, with his round face and straw sandals, ran home with excitement.

Hearing this, the teenager who had been focused on weaving suddenly paused, nearly cutting his finger on the unfinished bamboo basket. Grandpa Ye, observing the boy’s reaction, smiled knowingly.

“Xiaochen, the watermelons I’ve grown are ripe and sweet. Why don’t you pick a few and bring them to Wanyue? She loves sweet things.”

At his words, the boy’s usually stern face reddened slightly. He quietly got up and went to pick the best watermelons.

After loading the watermelons into a bamboo basket and heading out, his expression remained as serious as ever. However, the slight curve at the corners of his lips betrayed his good mood.

Grandpa Ye chuckled as he watched the boy leave, softly murmuring,

“My dear, our Xiaochen has found someone special. It’s wonderful, isn’t it?”

When Ye Chenchuan stepped out with the basket on his back, Song Wanyue was fast asleep in her own little bed, her head resting peacefully on a small pillow.

On the tractor ride home, the little girl had been yawning non-stop, clearly exhausted. Before long, she had nodded off, her head bobbing gently as she slept.

Song Xiangdong, seeing how soundly his daughter was sleeping, had carried her home on his back. Now, the little girl was sleeping peacefully, her cheeks flushed pink.

But this time, she was having another strange and vivid dream.

In the dream, she saw her great-grandmother holding a white porcelain fishbowl with a look of utmost seriousness. Inside the bowl swam a plump, golden carp, joyfully swimming around.

Her great-grandmother smiled and spoke kindly.

“Wanyue, this King Koi is our Song family’s heirloom. Now that you’ve overcome the trials and ascended, I’m entrusting this King Koi to you. Remember, you must take good care of it.”

*Mmm! Great-grandma, don’t worry.*

The little girl nodded solemnly, determined to take good care of the King Koi.

As soon as she woke up, she would ask Grandma to cook the King Koi into fish soup!

Great-grandma & King Koi:

……