Chapter 1

“Your second sister really has good fortune. Not only is she the only college student in the village, she even married a rich man from the city. That little car of theirs is so grand, and the things she wears are all expensive. You better cozy up to her properly. Even the tiniest bit of help from her could completely change our lives.”

Zhang Xiaolan, the wife of the Song family’s youngest son, couldn’t hide the smile on her sallow face. In her hands was a gift from her second sister-in-law, a brand-new set of Dacron clothes. She held it up beside the bed, already daydreaming about a better future.

“If we can get you a job in the city, we could become city people too. We’d be able to eat government grain, and the child might even get a city household registration. You really need to be more attentive.”

“Hmph, good fortune? My ass!” Song Jiawang scoffed as he sat beside a small table, gulping wine straight from the bottle. His voice dripped with sarcasm. “If Mom hadn’t favored her and handed over our eldest sister’s college admission letter, do you think she would have even gone to university? And marrying a city man? She’s dreaming.”

“What did you just say…?”

Zhang Xiaolan stopped fixing the bed and turned to her husband in shock. “Didn’t your eldest sister die a long time ago? What nonsense are you talking about?”

“I’m not talking nonsense. Back then, Mom and Second Sis were plotting in the east room when no one was home. I had just come back from picking fruit on the mountain and happened to overhear it. With this secret in hand, I can make Song Chunhua do anything I want…”

At that moment, the very person they were talking about, Song Chunzhi, the eldest sister whom Zhang Xiaolan believed had long since died, was hovering nearby, invisible to them. Her drunken brother’s words filled her with rage. She rushed toward the room where her younger sister was, reaching out with her transparent hand. Just as she was about to touch her, a red beam of light struck her forehead. Everything went black.

Suddenly, pain surged through her body. Her arms and knees were burning, and her head throbbed as if it might burst. It didn’t make sense. She had been a ghost for years. Ghosts weren’t supposed to feel pain. Darkness overwhelmed her. She struggled to open her eyes, but the light was so bright it hurt.

She found herself surrounded by forest. Sunlight filtered through the trees, casting golden patches on the ground and on her skin.

Gritting her teeth, she raised her head and felt an odd sense of familiarity. Just moments earlier, she had gone to confront Song Chunhua. Why was she now in the mountains?

Just as she was deep in thought, howling and rustling sounds came from not far off in the forest.

“Oink oink… snort snort…”

It was the sound of a wild boar. Alarmed, Song Chunzhi looked down at her clothes, a faded blue short-sleeved shirt. Then it hit her. She had been reborn.

In her previous life, she had come to the mountains to collect firewood and mushrooms. A wild boar had chased her. She had slipped, fallen off a cliff, and been seriously injured. When she returned home, her mother scolded her for being useless and refused to feed her. She had been bedridden with a high fever for several days before recovering.

“Oink oink… snort…”

The wild boar’s growls drew closer. Without a second thought, Song Chunzhi scrambled to her feet. Seeing the basket of mushrooms she had been protecting, she couldn’t help but feel a bitter irony. Even when fleeing for her life, she had not let go. With a sigh, she grabbed the basket and sprinted uphill, scanning for a thick tree. That was the only way to possibly save herself.

The mountain forest, having just experienced rain, was difficult to traverse. Mud clung to her feet, each step feeling as heavy as a thousand pounds, but she didn’t dare stop. It didn’t matter whether there was a proper trail or not. She had to run.

She had been given a second chance. She wasn’t going to die again, not like this.

In her previous life, after her sister got into university, her parents hastily married her off to a local thug in exchange for a hefty bride price to cover college expenses. On her wedding night, the drunk scoundrel beat her to death. The compensation they received was used to find a wife for her brother. Her body was even secretly used for a ghost marriage, allowing the scoundrel to happily marry someone new.

Her whole life had been tragedy after tragedy. And the cruelest blow came a decade after her death, when she found out the truth… that her mother had given her college admission letter to her sister, letting her take her place at university.

Rage surged within her, darkening her gaze. Why had she met such a terrible fate while her family lived happily and without guilt? This time, she would never let them take advantage of her again.

Up ahead, she saw two green figures. Gasping for breath and squinting hard, Song Chunzhi couldn’t see them clearly. She wanted to shout for them to stay away, but all she could do was wheeze. Anxious, she ran toward them as fast as she could.

“What’s that?”

A young man in military uniform turned toward the sound, fully alert. Just as he reached for the weapon behind his back, a blue figure crashed right into his chest. He staggered two steps before regaining balance. Looking down, he saw a girl covered in mud, her hair messy, her cheeks flushed, and her body thin and trembling.

“Miss, are you all right? What happened?”

“Captain, wait…”

The soldier beside him turned and was stunned to see their captain holding a girl. They had only come up the mountain to gather medicinal herbs. Where had she come from?

“Ah… ah…”

Song Chunzhi leaned against the man’s chest and opened her mouth, but no words came out. Remembering she had no voice, she pointed in the direction she had just come from. Before she could even lower her hand, the growling sound became louder.

“Oink oink… snort snort… oink oink…”

A black blur burst from the bushes. A massive wild boar charged straight toward them. Its size did nothing to slow it down. It barreled through the trail at frightening speed.

“What is that?”

“Captain, it’s a wild boar. Judging by the sound… wait, I see it. It’s huge.”

Gu Huaishan’s cold expression was full of alertness. He pushed Song Chunzhi behind him and reached for the weapon slung over his back. His gaze sharpened, and he fired directly at the charging wild boar.

“Bang!” The shot rang out, and the wild boar collapsed to the ground. Its shrill cries echoed through the forest.

“It’s over.”

Gu Huaishan put his rifle away and glanced at the girl behind him, who was still gasping for breath. His voice was calm and low as he reassured her, “The wild boar is down. You’re safe now.”

Song Chunzhi stood behind the man in military uniform and turned to look at the fallen boar. Its massive black body was thrashing on the ground, crying out in pain. The wild fury it had shown just moments ago was gone. She finally breathed a sigh of relief. She nodded at the soldier, wanting to thank him, but she was still too out of breath to speak.

“Captain, this wild boar must weigh at least two hundred jin. Your aim is incredible,” said the other soldier as he walked up to the animal, his face full of excitement. He glanced at the disheveled Song Chunzhi and chuckled. “Girl, you’re lucky. If you hadn’t run into our captain, that beast might have taken your life.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

Gu Huaishan gave the soldier a sharp look and scolded him with a cold tone. He then looked over Song Chunzhi again. Other than being in a mess, it looked like her arm had been scraped.

“Miss, are you alright?” he asked.

“This girl looks pretty. Big eyes, double eyelids. How come she’s mute?” Ma Xiangfeng scratched his head and joked when he noticed she still hadn’t spoken. Before he could finish, a clear voice interrupted him and left him embarrassed.

“No… I’m fine… I just ran too fast and fell. It’s nothing serious.”

Realizing she was still leaning on the captain’s back, Song Chunzhi quickly stepped away. Despite her heavy breathing, she forced herself to speak. “Thank… thank you for saving me.”

“Sorry, I thought…” Ma Xiangfeng quickly apologized. He had assumed she couldn’t speak, and it turned out she could. She was even beautiful, which made his comment all the more awkward.

“It’s okay. I was just too scared and out of breath to say anything. The misunderstanding was my fault.” Song Chunzhi waved her hands as she spoke.

Thinking back on how she had acted, she realized it had been inappropriate. The man had spoken to her several times, and she hadn’t replied. Although she had been short of breath, her mind had also been overwhelmed by everything that had happened.

“Mm.”

Gu Huaishan gave a short reply to acknowledge her words. He then glanced at Ma Xiangfeng, who seemed a little too interested in the girl.

“Go back and get help. Do you think the two of us can carry this boar alone?”

“Yes, Captain!”

Ma Xiangfeng lit up at the order. Although they were stationed at the foot of the mountain, their meals were nothing special. The captain had just arrived and had already taken down a massive wild boar. This was going to be a real feast. Honestly, it was thanks to this village girl that they even encountered the animal in the first place.

“Thank you for saving me, Captain,” Song Chunzhi said as she looked at the man’s sharply defined features. His refined face, framed by thick brows and a piercing gaze, made a lasting impression. He had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, looking far better than the strange-looking men from her village. She couldn’t help but glance at him a second time. Then she offered him her basket. “These are ji zong mushrooms. They’re excellent for soup. If you use them to stew the wild boar, it will taste amazing.”

“Protecting the people is our duty. I can’t accept anything from you,” Gu Huaishan replied firmly. His refined face was serious as he refused the gift.

“These were just picked from the mountain. It’s no big deal for you to take them.”

Seeing that she was insistent, Gu Huaishan pointed at the wild boar lying near the bushes.

“I only got that boar because of you. If I keep it, it would feel like I’m taking advantage of you.”

“No, that wild boar belongs to you. If it weren’t for you, I’d already be dead.”

Since he was so firm, Song Chunzhi didn’t press the matter further. Smiling, she asked, “Comrade, what should I call you?”

“Gu Huaishan.”

“I’m Song Chunzhi.”

Now that she had gotten the answer she wanted, she introduced herself as well. After resting a little longer, she saw the other soldier return with help. She said her goodbyes to Gu Huaishan and began making her way down the mountain.

From what she had remembered earlier, she now realized she was just a cannon-fodder character in a period romance novel. The female lead was her younger sister, Song Chunhua. According to the story, the heroine had been spoiled by their family since childhood and had worked hard to get into college. She became the village’s first college student, married a wealthy tycoon, and lived a pampered life. Meanwhile, Song Chunzhi was written as the jealous older sister who constantly caused trouble and met a tragic end.

Song Chunzhi scoffed. Because her family had favored sons, she had protected and helped her sister since they were little. Yet the book made her out to be the villain. Her mother had even given her own college admission letter to her sister. In the end, she was the one discarded. She had become the stepping stone for her sister’s perfect life, paving her path with her own blood and bones.

She had given everything for her family. Cannon fodder? No, not anymore. She would never again be a stepping stone to someone else’s happiness. Her life was her own. In her past life, no one had shown up to save her from the wild boar. That fate had already changed. As for what came next, she would wait and see.

“Yo, you damned girl, out wasting the whole morning and only now coming back? Why didn’t you drop dead out there?”

Zhao Wanmiao glared at her, eyes wide and face twisted with rage. She cursed at Song Chunzhi as she limped home.

“Why are you standing there like a stump? Go make dinner already!”