Chapter 18: Blessed

After watching the fireworks for a while, everyone remembered that it was New Year’s Eve and that they should set off firecrackers at home too. So they all headed back to their own houses.

Old Master Xia happily went back inside to fetch firecrackers and brought them out to the courtyard. The sharp crackling sounds of the firecrackers echoed loudly as they exploded. The firelight reflected off the faces of the Xia family—every single face was filled with excitement and joy.

In the village, firecrackers began to go off in succession. The sound was unending, rising and falling in waves. Xia Daohua covered her ears, but she still couldn’t block out the constant noise.

All of Beiguan Village was setting off firecrackers, bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new one.

Suddenly, a string of loud bangs erupted from the courtyard of the Feng Scholar’s household. Over a dozen skyrockets shot up into the sky, and then—

Boom! Boom! Boom!

An explosion of colorful fireworks burst open.

Red, green, gold, silver—every imaginable color lit up the night sky.

The villagers of Beiguan stared in awe. Many couldn’t help but sigh in admiration at how wealthy and extravagant the Feng Scholar’s family was.

In the light of the fireworks, Madam Liu glared viciously at Xia Daohua.

Daohua stood nearby with Linghua and Zaohua, joyfully watching the fireworks. She was completely unaware of Liu’s menacing stare.

However, that very look was spotted by Wulang.

He tugged on Lihua’s sleeve and whispered quietly to her. Lihua turned to look at Liu and happened to catch Liu casting another murderous glare at Daohua, muttering angrily under her breath.

Lihua strode over without hesitation, walking directly up to Liu:

“Aunt Liu, what are you muttering about? Were you cursing at Daohua?”

“No such thing! You misheard!”

Liu quickly denied it, though her heart was pounding violently.

She already had a guilty conscience, and Lihua walked like a cat—completely silent. Now that she had suddenly appeared in front of her, Liu was so startled that even her lips trembled.

But she absolutely dared not and could not admit that she had just cursed Daohua—wishing her dead, no less.

If she did, and it earned her a scolding from Madam Zhou, she could forget about ever getting another copper coin from the old couple again!

Liu quickly forced a smile and cautiously tried to coax Lihua:

“Lihua, think about it—Daohua is such a well-behaved child. She’s never done anything to wrong me. Why would I, out of nowhere, curse her for no reason? I must’ve lost my mind?

It’s most likely the firecrackers were too loud and you misheard!”

Lihua knew very well that she hadn’t misheard. But with how loud the firecrackers were, she truly hadn’t caught exactly what Liu was mumbling.

Looking at Liu’s overly eager, ingratiating smile, Lihua realized she probably couldn’t pursue the matter any further tonight.

Otherwise, the old couple would definitely take Liu’s side, and even her own parents might accuse her of stirring up trouble for no reason.

Lihua stared coldly at Liu for a moment, her gaze so intense that sweat began to bead on Liu’s back. Then she lowered her voice and threatened:

“Aunt Liu, I don’t care what kind of grudge you have with Daohua, but if you want to harm her, you’ll have to go through me first!”

With that, Lihua turned and walked away. Liu was so angry she nearly lost control of herself. It took all her effort not to explode, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t keep the fake smile on her face.

Throughout the entire exchange, Wulang had been silently watching. His eyes never once left Liu’s face. In the flickering light of the fireworks, he saw every subtle expression pass over her features.

Wulang clenched his fists tightly. His palms were ice cold.

Maybe it was time to seriously reconsider all the “nonsense” Daohua had once claimed.

Back at Daohua’s side, Lihua’s face was tight with anger. Daohua looked at her with some concern and reached out to hold her hand:

“Big sis, what’s wrong?”

Lihua took a deep breath and said with utmost seriousness:

“Daohua, remember this: from now on, don’t get close to anyone from the main house.

If Aunt Liu ever asks you to go somewhere with her, you must bring me or Wulang with you. You absolutely must not go alone. Understand?”

Xia Daohua nodded obediently.

There wasn’t a single trap in this world that could truly ensnare her. But since she couldn’t reveal the existence of the space supermarket, there was no need to let Lihua worry unnecessarily.

Seeing Daohua so well-behaved made Lihua’s heart ache even more.

A child this sensible only made Aunt Liu’s malicious behavior all the more infuriating. Something was definitely suspicious about Aunt Liu’s reaction—there had to be more to the story!

Lihua couldn’t help but lift her hand and stroke Daohua’s head. The girl’s hair had grown back quickly. It had only been a few days, but the once bald patches now had nearly half an inch of stubble.

Xia Daohua also reached up to touch her head. The scar on the back of her scalp had mostly healed. Even without applying medicine, it probably wouldn’t get infected again.

But the original host’s memories were becoming more fragmented.

At the very least, she could no longer recall any specific grudges between the original Xia Daohua and Madam Liu.

From what she could remember, the original girl had been quiet and reserved—sometimes even bullied by Yinhua, who was a year older. But even when she was bullied, she never dared to speak up…

As for Liu, there didn’t seem to have been any real contact between them at all.

Eventually, the fireworks from the Feng Scholar’s household ended. The Xia family reluctantly returned indoors, following their usual New Year’s Eve tradition: everyone sat in their designated places, waiting for dumplings.

The bowls and chopsticks were already set. Soon, the dumplings were brought out and served. Xia Daohua picked up her chopsticks and began eating the dumplings with some pickled garlic.

As she chewed, there was a sudden clink—she bit down on a copper coin hidden inside a dumpling.

Lihua smiled brightly at her and called out loudly:

“This year, Daohua is the first to be blessed!”

After speaking, she even glanced smugly at Madam Liu and the rest of the main house.

Every year, the Xia family made dumplings with a few special ones hidden among them—stuffed with lucky “ingredients” like copper coins. Whoever found one was believed to have good luck, fortune, and success throughout the coming year.

Usually, those dumplings were marked secretly and placed in the bowls of Old Master Xia or Madam Zhou. Depending on whom Madam Zhou favored, she would give that lucky dumpling to someone with a quiet flick of her chopsticks.

The adults all knew this unspoken tradition. But the children had always been kept in the dark.

However, Xia Daohua was not a real child.

In her previous life, before her parents divorced, they too had played this game. Except her mother thought coins were dirty, so the lucky dumplings were filled with sweet candy instead.

Tonight’s dumplings, unintentionally, brought back a flood of childhood memories long buried.

Xia Daohua sat dazed for a moment.

Her younger aunt, Xia Yujiao, was already laughing:

“Looks like our little Daohua has really come back to enjoy a blessed life!”

Once Xia Yujiao said that, everyone else laughed happily as well.

Yes, after all, Daohua had survived such a serious injury—wasn’t that the very definition of “a great disaster overcome, followed by great fortune”?

Even if no one else knew, Xia Yujiao knew the truth.

She was the one who had served the dumplings tonight.

The marked ones with the hidden coins had all been placed in the bowls for Old Master Xia and Madam Zhou. Daohua ending up with one was pure coincidence!

This child Daohua must truly be blessed!