Chapter 3 

Speaking of her poor health, Su Xi felt powerless to complain; the original owner suffered an unjust death.

Little Su Xi’s parents were both military personnel. Although their professions kept them away from home most of the time, there was still Grandma and two elder brothers who showered her with affection. In this era, it was rare for a girl to live an easy life, cherished by her family.

Unexpectedly, over three months ago, Su Xi’s parents sacrificed themselves to protect their comrades during a mission, leaving the entire family devastated. 

Now, several months later, the young girl had managed to somewhat recover. Keeping her promise to her friends, she decided to take a stroll on the nearby mountain, clearing her mind and searching for wild vegetables.

The Hongqi Brigade is situated against a backdrop of expansive mountains. Even though it’s June and despite a drought, the mountains showcase splendid scenery with numerous beautiful flowers in full bloom, creating a picturesque landscape of vibrant red and green hues.

Girls naturally have a weakness for flowers. About four or five days ago, the 15-year-old Su Xi, after finishing school, joined a group of girls to pick wildflowers on the mountainside.

Little did she know that the village boys would tease and throw things at her.

Although Su Xi’s temper was somewhat spoiled by her family, her exceptional beauty set her apart from the other village children. Her fair complexion resembled a translucent jade.

These teenage boys, about the same age as her, had a crush on Su Xi and expressed their admiration awkwardly and recklessly. They would play pranks, hoping to gain the attention of the young girl.

On this particular day, as the boys threw things toward Su Xi, she instinctively reached out to catch them. Upon closer inspection, she let out a piercing scream before fainting on the spot.

The nearby girls rushed over, shaking Su Xi and glancing at the objects scattered around her feet.

To their horror, the items were not ordinary. The girls screamed in shock.

Unbeknownst to them, in this remote area of the mountains lay the remains of many children. In times when families couldn’t afford to raise a child or when baby girls were born unwanted, they often met untimely deaths. Heartless families would discreetly dispose of the infants in this secluded spot. The villagers, being superstitious, believed that children who hadn’t lived long enough were not suitable for ancestral graves. They would simply wrap them in a straw mat and discard them in this desolate place.

This time, what had terrified Su Xi into unconsciousness was the skull of a child.

Su Xi, a pampered and delicate girl, had never encountered such a situation before. She was considerably frightened and had a high fever for two consecutive days after being sent home. When she finally opened her eyes again, the person inside the body was no longer the sheltered Su Xi but a boxing champion with the same name and surname who had traversed through time.

The young girl was scared to death. After thinking of the cause of the young girl’s death, Su Xi sighed.

Su Xi, who came from a future era, was fortunate to inherit the memories of the original owner. Thanks to those memories, she realized that she wasn’t just traversing through time; she was also traversing through a book.

She had transmigrated into the role of a cannon fodder’s sister-in-law’ in a sweet and cute historical novel.

…..

“What’s wrong? If you’re cold, go put on another layer of clothes.” Chen Xiangyun, noticing her granddaughter’s pale face and slight shivering, set aside the dough she was working on, approached, and used the back of her hand to check Su Xi’s temperature.

Su Xi raised her hand, gently removing her grandmother’s hand, and shook her head. “I’m fine; it’s almost the end of June. I’m not cold.”

Indeed, Chen Xiangyun didn’t sense any abnormal temperature in her granddaughter. She turned around and stretched the dough, then pinched out small pieces of dough. Still worried, she advised, “It gets chilly in the morning and evening. As a delicate young girl with not-so-robust health, don’t endure the cold if you feel it.”

It wasn’t surprising that Chen Xiangyun was making a fuss; the sight of her granddaughter’s unconscious appearance a few days ago left a deep impression, and the fear lingered. She feared that if she wasn’t vigilant, her granddaughter might follow her sons and leave.

Su Xi learned from her grandma to roll the small dough and spread it out with a rolling pin while her grandma continued to nag.

She didn’t mind the nagging; she had been alone for a long time. Although she was accustomed to solitude, Grandma’s caring words carried warmth. Without lifting her head, she responded, “I know, Grandma, I really am not cold.”

“Xixi caught a cold?” A clear and masculine voice echoed, interrupting the busy scene in the kitchen.

Su Xi looked up. Although it was not the first time she had seen this young man, Xi Yannan, she couldn’t help but be stunned by his presence.

The man in front of her was tall, easily reaching 190 centimeters, with a well-proportioned body clad in a worn-out, whitish-gray coarse linen sweatshirt. He held two not-too-large grass carp strung together with grass ropes in his hands. His sharp facial features were exceptionally handsome, but a hint of aggressiveness lingered between his eyebrows, giving him a formidable and somewhat fierce appearance.

In Su Xi’s eyes, he had a rugged appearance, full of masculinity, but in this era, he didn’t seem like a good person.

Xi Yannan was indeed not considered a good child in the eyes of the elders. Perhaps it was due to being an orphan from a young age and engaging in many fights. Even after being taken in by his brother Su Dong and leading a stable life, the fierceness in his demeanor hadn’t dissipated, making people hesitant to meet his gaze.

Chen Xiangyun, on the other hand, was completely attracted by the fish in her grandson’s hands. A smile appeared on her face as she clapped her hands on her apron, took a few steps forward, and reached out to take the fish from Xi Yannan’s hands. She even checked the weight, happily saying, “This fish is not small, weighing over a kilogram. I’ll keep it in the water, and tomorrow I’ll make a ton of soup for you all.”

Seeing Grandma take the fish to find a wooden tub, Xi Yannan didn’t stop her. He approached Su Xi and was about to reach out and touch the little girl’s head when he noticed his hand was still wet. Knowing the girl cared about her appearance, he pointed to a nearby ladle and said to Su Xi, “Fetch some water and rinse my hands, sis.”

Upon hearing this, Su Xi set down the pancake in her hand, quickly went to the washroom, grabbed a piece of soaproot, and handed it to Xi Yannan. She advised, “Use this to scrub first. Go to the well; I’ll fetch water for you. The fishy smell won’t go away with just a ladle of water.”

“Tsk! Such a troublesome little girl,” Xi Yannan complained, but was not slow in action; he used the soap and rubbed it in his hands until bubbles formed. In the end, he still listened to Su Xi.

Su Xi ignored his words and walked to the water well. When she reached the well, facing Chen Xiangyun, who had already put the fish into the bucket, she said, “Grandma, you go make pancakes. I’ll handle things here with my brother. If we don’t prepare dinner soon, mosquitoes will be a problem once it gets dark.”

Upon hearing these words, Chen Xiangyun immediately looked up at the sky. It was indeed getting late today, and she couldn’t afford to delay any longer. She washed her hands and hurried to the kitchen.

The well in the Su family wasn’t the oldest type with a round opening, but a pressure well. Su Xi reached for the handle, effortlessly pumping a few times, and cool water gushed out from the spout.

Xi Yannan squatted at the water outlet, washing his hands, and brought up a topic that had previously gone unanswered: “Did you catch another cold?”

“No, Grandma worries too much.”

“Knowing that Grandma is worried about you, you should take care of yourself. Our family… can’t afford to lose another one.” Xi Yannan’s voice grew heavy.

“…Hmm!” Su Xi took a moment before responding softly.

“Has your strength increased again?” Xu felt that the topic he just talked about was not good, and Xi Yannan suddenly changed the topic.

“How did you know?” Didn’t that washbasin for laundry still keep it a secret from him?

Xi Yannan rubbed his face with his clean hands, his handsome face filled with helplessness. He wordlessly pointed to Su Xi’s right hand.

Su Xi lowered her head and frowned, her red lips pursed into a straight line. She released the water handle, which had been crushed into wood chips at some point.

Xi Yannan took off the towel from his neck and wiped his hands. He walked over and ruffled Su Xi’s hair. Comforting her, he said. “Alright, being a strong girl is a good thing. At least she can defend herself. Just adapt to it slowly. Leave the pole there; I’ll fix it later. Don’t let grandma know; she’s getting old and can’t handle shocks.”

Su Xi pursed her lips upon hearing his words, and even if she didn’t have the strength, with the ability of her previous life, most people wouldn’t be able to harm her. “And the laundry basin, I broke it a bit. I put it in the utility room. Fix it when you have time, okay?”

“Fine! How about I change the well handle to iron?”
“Forget it. Now, all the iron is used to make steel. Let’s keep a low profile. I’ll adapt slowly.” In a few more years, that dark decade would arrive, and she didn’t want to attract any trouble.

Xi Yannan placed a hand on Su Xi’s slender shoulder, pushing the sulking girl towards the kitchen. He suggested, “Tomorrow is Sunday, and you have a day off. Before you go to school, let me take you to the county town for a checkup. You fainted once, and your strength is getting abnormal. It’s not normal. Maybe something is wrong with your body.”

Before, the little girl had some strength, but it was comparable to that of an average boy. Now, the power to casually break wood seemed abnormal, like she had practiced some internal strength from a martial arts novel.

Su Xi shook her head. She didn’t think the hospital could detect anything, and she didn’t feel any discomfort in her body. On the contrary, compared to waking up weak and frail, now her entire body felt warm as if there was endless strength she couldn’t exhaust. “We’ll go later. I don’t feel uncomfortable. If I do, I’ll let you know.”

Xi Yannan saw that the little girl was somewhat resistant to going to the hospital, so he no longer forced her. He thought he could go and ask the old traditional Chinese medicine practitioner in the county about her situation before making a decision.