Chapter 1

“Big brother, Mother isn’t moving. Is she dead? Wuwu, I don’t want—I don’t want Mother to die, Erya wants Mother…”

What’s that sound? So noisy.

Yun Shuang furrowed her brows, forcing herself out of the heavy darkness. When she first opened her eyes, the dazzling morning sunlight instantly stabbed at her vision. She instinctively turned her head and closed her eyes again. When she slowly reopened them, Yun Shuang finally saw everything around her clearly.

In a dilapidated shack with walls covered in blotches, there wasn’t a single decent piece of furniture besides a crooked set of table and chairs. Against the wall were several deformed, scattered bamboo baskets piled carelessly, and… two tiny children clinging tightly to each other beside the baskets.

Thin and filthy like two muddy little monkeys just rolled in dirt, their wide eyes stared at her in horror, as though they’d seen a zombie leap out of a coffin in broad daylight.

Wait—shouldn’t she be the horrified one?

Even Yun Shuang, nicknamed the “Iron-Blooded Police Flower,” froze in place for a long moment. She opened and shut her eyes several times, convinced it was a hallucination. Yet no matter how many times she blinked, the scene in front of her didn’t change.

She remembered clearly—she’d been chasing a criminal. But that little bastard had somehow gotten a gun and fired while her back was turned. The bullet hit her straight in the chest. Shouldn’t she be in a hospital now? Why is she here?

Her brows knitted tighter. She tried to sit up, but even the slightest movement drained her. Her limbs were weak, her head was spinning—and she fainted once more. At that time, she had a long, long dream.

In it, she wasn’t the modern Yun Shuang—but a young lady named Yun Shuang from the Kingdom of Da Qi, daughter of a low-ranking county magistrate and a scholarly, gentle mother. Her elder brother was kind and diligent. Such a background surpassed seventy percent of ancient girls.
But when that Yun Shuang came of age to marry, she was bewitched by the charming words of a poor scholar. Ignoring her family’s warnings about his shallow and insincere character, she eloped with him. Alas, not listening to her elders brought instant regret. Just as her parents predicted, he was full of deceit. When they reached the borderlands of Da Qi, he rescued a noble lady who instantly fell in love with him, and he plotted to abandon Yun Shuang. But she wasn’t one to be bullied. She immediately sensed his shift and threatened to expose his betrayal publicly if he dared to leave her.

That very night, she suddenly lost consciousness. When she awoke the next day, her clothes were disheveled, and she found herself beside a mountain cave. The scholar stood proudly before her, accusing her of cheating and losing her chastity, with her supposed lover hiding in the cave.

Yun Shuang panicked, crying and begging him not to tell anyone. But he took advantage of her despair, stole most of her possessions, and chased after the noble girl.

Just as he had predicted, Yun Shuang had neither the strength nor the courage to seek justice. She suspected his scheme, but what had happened to her was real—she did lose her virginity. She vaguely remembered someone trying to reach for her as she was being dragged out of the cave, and grabbing nothing but the jade pendant at her waist.
That pendant, intricately carved with frosted patterns to match the “Shuang” in her name, had vanished. Her mother had it custom-made for her at birth.

Yun Shuang didn’t dare go home, and she lacked the money to travel. Though she considered ending her life, bitterness kept her going—why should he live well while she suffered?

She wandered into a village and settled there. Later, she discovered something terrifying: she was pregnant. Though she endured hardship and gave birth to a pair of twins, the trauma and relentless struggle took a toll. She grew weak and depressed, and without help from the villagers, the children might not have survived. It was a miracle she lived this long.

But the original Yun Shuang eventually passed away the night before, and the current Yun Shuang woke up in her body. As she stared blankly at the ceiling, the memories of the dream—so detailed and heartfelt—felt painfully real. It was as if she had truly lived that other life. They had the same name. Even their preferences and habits mirrored each other. Perhaps this Yun Shuang was truly her past self, and she was here to rewrite her story.

“Mother…”

A soft and timid voice suddenly rang beside Yun Shuang’s ear. Turning her head, she saw a little head quietly poking out from behind the door—it was her borrowed daughter, Yun Erya.

Perhaps she was gradually getting used to this body, because this time, Yun Shuang managed—with some effort—to sit upright. She gave Erya a gentle smile and said, “Erya.”

The original owner of the body had no energy left for thoughtful naming after giving birth to the children. She let the villagers call them whatever came naturally. Eventually, the daughter was nicknamed “Erya,” and the son’s name was even more outrageous—he was called “Goudan (Dog Egg).”

Yun Shuang couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on. She’d have to find time to give the children proper, respectable names.

Erya was stunned. Her round eyes widened in surprise.