Chapter 2: What? Our Parents Are Missing

She was absolutely certain this wasn’t a matriarchal world. She had transmigrated from the apocalypse into ancient times—a world where men were respected above women.

Then why did their mother have such a modern and progressive mindset?

Even in modern times, very few men actually cared about the Three Obediences and Four Virtues.

From her memories, their mother really was different from other women. She didn’t interfere with her children’s preferences, nor did she force them to do anything they disliked.

All in all, she was a laid-back, distinct, and incredibly loving mother who adored her son and daughter deeply.

And their father? He also loved his children very much—but he loved their mother even more. Wherever she was, he followed.

That popular saying, “The parents are true love; the children were accidents,” described them perfectly.

As she recalled all this, An Xiyan suddenly shivered. Had she done too many bad things in her past life?

Because whether in her former apocalyptic life or now in ancient times, she seemed doomed to constantly eat dog food (a slang term for witnessing others’ public displays of affection). It was honestly unbearable.

After all, she was a single lady who had been solo since birth for 18 years. She hadn’t even held a guy’s hand before. She simply couldn’t understand why men and women had to be so clingy with each other.

Tangyuan stepped forward and gently felt An Xiyan’s fair forehead, asking worriedly, “Miss, are you feeling cold? I’ll cover you with a quilt right away!”

Without waiting for a reply, she swiftly grabbed a blanket and tucked it over An Xiyan’s chest.

An Xiyan immediately felt a weight press down on her small steamed-bun-sized chest. Her eyes widened slightly as she shot a look at Tangyuan.

“Girl… if you keep doing that, this big sister of yours is really going to die,” she said through gritted teeth.

Tangyuan froze, not understanding what her young miss meant—though she did catch the words “going to die.”

She smiled and waved it off, saying cheerfully, “Miss, there’s no need to thank Tangyuan! This is what I’m supposed to do. Serving you is my duty—it’s only natural.”

An Xiyan ground her teeth and said each word slowly and clearly, “Girl… could you please do me the favor of lifting your noble hand and sparing my poor little steamed buns? They’re already tragically underdeveloped.”

Back in her previous life, she had been nicknamed the Princess of Flatness. Even at eighteen, her chest had stubbornly refused to grow.

She had been the butt of countless jokes, often mocked for looking like a tomboy—it had infuriated her to no end.

So now that she had been reborn, the one thing she cared about the most was chest development. There was no way she was going to repeat the same flat-chested fate.

Tangyuan looked completely bewildered. “M-Miss… are you trying to say you want to eat steamed buns?”

Then, with a conflicted expression, she continued, “Tangyuan did promise you not to…”

“…not control your food anymore, but since you’ve been unconscious for two days, you can only eat some plain rice porridge. Otherwise, your stomach won’t be able to handle it.”

“Also, Madam and my mother already instructed me: if you wake up, I mustn’t let you eat too much. And another thing—”

An Xiyan quickly raised a hand to stop Tangyuan from continuing. Her head was already pounding. Why is this girl so chatty?!

She slapped her forehead in mild regret—Ugh, I’m really getting rusty. With all that talk, I could’ve just gotten up and done it myself.

Without any ceremony, she threw off the blanket covering her, stretched lazily, and twisted her neck. Her joints cracked audibly with each movement.

After lying down for two days, she felt like she was falling apart. And believe it or not, she had actually transmigrated two days ago, but only woke up today.

As for the original owner of the body? She had literally choked to death… on a single peanut. In the end, this body ended up as hers.

What puzzled her the most was how perfectly this body fit her.

In the two days she had been unconscious, she had absorbed all the original owner’s memories—and to her shock, their personalities and temperaments were exactly the same.

She had a strong suspicion: she was the original owner, and the original owner was her. Her soul had merely returned from the apocalypse, and only now had it become whole again.

Whatever the truth, it didn’t matter. Whether she was the original or not, she’d just assume she was. This was her body now, and she would cherish her family.

Speaking of how she died in her past life—she honestly felt like crying. It was so pathetic.

She… had also choked to death… on a single peanut.

Sigh. Best not to bring up such humiliating stories. The more she talked about it, the dumber it made her sound.

Seeing that his sister really seemed okay, An Xi Xuan slumped down on the bed in relief. He patted his little chest and let out a long sigh.

Then he turned to Tangyuan and urged, “Sister Tangyuan, my sister’s hungry! Go to the kitchen and bring her a big bowl of porridge. And get some pickles too—she likes to mix them in.”

Right on cue, An Xiyan’s stomach let out a loud growl.

She quickly clutched her belly and gave them an embarrassed smile.

“Hehe… Sis, little bro, my stomach’s being a bit disobedient. It’s telling me that it needs two big bowls of porridge to be full.”

An Xi Xuan: “Uh… Sister, my mouth just told me that since you just woke up, you shouldn’t eat two bowls. Otherwise, your tummy might explode.”

Tangyuan blinked—

Tangyuan glanced between the young miss and the young master, then giggled and dashed out of the room toward the kitchen.

She could never out-talk her young miss’s twisted logic, so she might as well let the young master argue with her—he was probably the only one who could actually win.

An Xiyan felt a metaphorical black line form on her forehead. Ugh… kids. She really didn’t have the patience for human cubs.

Forget it. There was no point in arguing with the little guy. She was the adult here—she should be magnanimous.

Soon, Tangyuan returned swiftly, bringing a large bowl of rice porridge and two small side dishes: one plate of preserved radish, and one of finely chopped pickled vegetables.

An Xiyan couldn’t help but swallow hungrily at the sight. In her world, food was everything. No matter the matter, it always came second to eating.

Without hesitation, she flipped off the bed, slipped on her embroidered shoes, and strode over to the table.

Her eyes sparkled as she stared at the porridge and pickles.

She picked up her chopsticks and began to eat gracefully, her movements fast but refined.

As she ate, she mulled over her family situation.

Her family consisted of four people: two stunningly attractive parents, a clever five-year-old little brother, and her—an energetic fourteen-year-old girl.

They also had a loyal household of servants: Tangyuan’s family.

Tangyuan’s family was also made up of four: her parents and two children. Tangyuan was the older sibling, the same age as An Xiyan, while her younger brother, Qingzhu, was eleven.

Both families lived in this small town, never lacking in food, drink, or money.

What puzzled her was that their parents didn’t seem to run any sort of business, and yet money was never a problem. It all felt a little mysterious.

She had never left the town since childhood. Her parents had always said that when they were young, they had offended a powerful figure, which was why they were hiding out in such a remote place.

An Xiyan was curious—just who had they offended?

Judging by her parents’ noble aura and refined demeanor, it was obvious they were not ordinary folk. She suspected they had crossed someone extremely wealthy or influential.

She quickly finished her last bite of porridge and the final bit of pickle. Just as she set down her bowl and chopsticks—

A shout rang out from outside.

“Something’s wrong! Something’s wrong! Miss! Young Master! The Master and Madam are missing!” a middle-aged man called out anxiously.

At the same time, a woman’s sobbing voice echoed in the background.

“Wuwu… My lady! Where have you and the Master gone? Wuwu…”

An Xiyan shot to her feet, eyes wide in shock.

What?! Our parents are… missing?!