Chapter 3: Confused Identity of Girl as Boy

A wave of dizziness washed over her, and images flashed rapidly in her mind. After integrating some memories, Song Xiaoxiao confirmed that she had crossed over!

The original owner of this body was only four and a half years old and had died unfairly.

She had tried to help pull out weeds but ended up hurting herself. Grabbing too much grass at once, she leaned back with all her strength, causing the grass to snap, resulting in her losing her balance and hitting her head on the ground.

And that was it—she died!

The elderly woman with gray hair was the original owner’s grandmother, who was just forty this year, yet she looked at least fifty in her view.

Bringing her water was her second sister, Song Pandi!!!

If counting from when she was still an embryo, Song Pandi was only three months older than her.

Explosive, isn’t it?

At 23 years old, she was going to call this five-year-old child “sister”?

That wasn’t all; what made her even more dizzy was that from the original owner’s memories, she discovered that this body was clearly that of a little girl, yet everyone in the family treated her as a boy.

Song Xiaoxiao seriously suspected that the original owner had issues with gender identity. When she quietly unfastened her pants to take a look, she nearly wanted to die—the body didn’t have any male characteristics!

Looking down at herself again and then up at the old woman, she thought: It’s not that the little girl has a problem with her perception; it’s that this family has a problem recognizing gender?

Confusing boys and girls?

What is this!

While Song Xiaoxiao lamented, she continued to sift through the little girl’s memories. Since she was so young, there weren’t many recorded events.

Soon, she found the reason why the girl was treated as a boy.

This matter started with a rule set by the original owner’s great-grandfather.

He was the only son in the family and had been a bookkeeper in town before inexplicably returning to the village. He subsequently acquired sixty-five acres of land in the village, and in his old age, watching his grandchildren start their families, he knew it was time to split the family.

At that time, he had a whim to ensure that his descendants would have more boys, so he divided the sixty-five acres into two parts.

One portion was fifteen acres, divided among his three sons—Song Daqian, Song Erqian, and Song Sanqian—giving each family five acres.

These five acres became their family’s reserved land.

These men were the original owner’s granduncle, second uncle, and biological grandfather.

The other portion was fifty acres, with the rule that whichever family had more male descendants would get a larger share of the fifty acres.

Regardless of age, each male counted as one share, and any deceased descendants would relinquish their share, while every newborn male would gain one share. The allocation would be averaged every three years.

To ensure their family farmed more land, the first generation of Song brothers embarked on the path of having many sons.

Song Daqian’s wife was particularly fruitful, giving birth to three sons and one daughter. Although the daughter couldn’t inherit land shares, she could still help at home.

Over the years, the sons successively married and had children, expanding the family. As it stood, Song Daqian’s family had a total of eleven males, the largest share of land.

In contrast, Song Erqian’s wife was less productive; across five pregnancies, she only had two sons, who also married and had offspring, bringing the total male count in that household to six.

The worst luck belonged to Song Sanqian.

His wife bore him three children but two died, leaving only one son named Song Wangshan.

Song Wangshan married Wang Chunlan early on.

It wasn’t ideal for the third branch either; Wang Chunlan’s first child was a girl named Song Zhaodi. The second child was also a girl named Song Pandi.

Before the third son was born, Song Wangshan went to chop wood in the mountains, slipped, and fell, dying on the spot.

This left the whole family anxious because as long as Song Wangshan was alive, having sons was a matter of time, but now that he was suddenly gone, the entire family’s hopes and future rested solely on Wang Chunlan’s womb and the unborn child.

If that baby turned out to be a boy, their household would continue; at the very least, they would have a grandchild to carry on the family name when Song Sanqian got old.

If another girl was born, then Song Sanqian’s branch would be cut off.

During that time, the most heard phrases in the household were, “Heavens, protect us! Ancestors, bless us!”

Half a month later, when Wang Chunlan gave birth, it felt like the sky had fallen on Song Sanqian; his back almost broke under the weight.

Soon after, news spread in Song Sanqian’s yard that Wangshan had a descendant, and Wang Chunlan had given birth to a son.

As a result, Song Sanqian specifically went into town to have a scholar name his grandson, Liangzuo, meaning “to assist.”

The name represented loyalty and the desire to serve the country, signifying an aspiration to be a loyal and virtuous minister.

The entire family was delighted for a long time over this name whose meaning was so positive.

These were the memories Song Xiaoxiao gathered from the original owner’s recollections.

There was also a deeper intention that neither the original owner nor Song Xiaoxiao were aware of.

That was, without a male descendant, when Song Sanqian died, his wife and daughter-in-law would not be able to keep the family’s land and possessions.

In the world of family and society, reputation mattered greatly, and Song Sanqian would still be mocked behind his back for being unable to create a male heir.

How could he hold his head up in the village?

Thus, the entire family covered up the fact that the girl was in fact a girl, treating her as a boy.

Just when Song Xiaoxiao thought this whole situation was absurd, a little girl charged in from the horizon. Within moments, she recognized the girl as the original owner’s older sister, Song Zhaodi.

Currently, she was also her older sister and would continue to be her older sister.

Before the little girl could run close, her voice rang out first.

“Grandma! Grandma! Not good! Aunt from the big family came to our house and insisted on seeing my little brother’s privates!”

“……???” Song Xiaoxiao was shocked. What’s happening here? Is my cover about to be blown on my first day as the original owner?

The elderly woman straightened up in surprise, “What did you say? Why would they think to come look for your brother?”

Song Zhaodi ran over without stopping along the way, now panting as she stood still and stuck out her tongue.

“You little brat! Hurry up and tell me what they want!” The old woman couldn’t wait any longer when her granddaughter didn’t immediately speak.

She raised her hand and gave Song Zhaodi two heavy pats on the shoulder, lamenting her uselessness, especially during such a critical moment.

The elderly woman had given all her patience and affection to the pretend boySong Liangzuo, and never gave her two granddaughters a kind look.

In her view, daughters were considered burdens and were bound to be married off.

After being scolded, Song Zhaodi finally caught her breath and quickly said, “Aunt said Song Chengjiao saw my brother peeing on the mountain yesterday and that my brother’s privates are different from his. They came to our house to check out my brother’s little thing, and they also said we should give up our land.”

Smack!

The sickle that the elderly woman was holding fell to the ground as she let out a loud wail, “Oh my heavens!”

After her outburst, she turned with red eyes to look at Song Liangzuo.

When her gaze fell on Song Liangzuo, she saw her beloved grandson trembling in fear. She immediately forced a smile, but to Song Xiaoxiao, her mixed expression of fear and forced cheer was truly unsettling.

“My dear grandson, Chengjiao saw you peeing on the mountain yesterday?” the elderly woman asked.

The scene was in the little girl’s memory, and since Song Xiaoxiao, an outsider, could only nod in response.