Chapter 1 Awakens

Gu Yunjin was awakened by the cold.

She shivered and curled up, thinking to herself, "It's no wonder it's so cold in the winter in the north of the mountains. It's just the first snow, and it's so cold that even someone like me, who is on the brink of death, is awakened by the cold."

It's really torturous!

If she's going to die, she might as well die quickly and be reincarnated early. What's the point of lingering on in agony?

She was just waiting for death, not even bothering to open her eyelids.

Vaguely, Gu Yunjin heard voices speaking.

Is this the last glimmer of life?

She had already experienced a revival three days ago when she, bedridden for months, went to the Taoist temple not far from the village to pay respects to Lü Dongbin.

She had never heard of a second revival.

"Niann Xia," Gu Yunjin called out, just those two words, and her throat felt dry and hoarse.

It seems that death is not far away.

Soon, hurried footsteps approached, and Niann Xia's voice sounded by her ear, a mix of excitement and caution, "Miss, you're awake? That's good. I've been so worried."

At the sound of her voice, Gu Yunjin slowly raised her eyes and looked at Niann Xia. She was taken aback.

The person in front of her was clearly Niann Xia, but also different.

Niann Xia had married several years ago, and now she wore the most ordinary married woman's hairstyle. After becoming a widow, she became even more plain and unadorned. When the two of them were sent to the north, dressed in coarse cloth, the twenty-six-year-old Niann Xia looked no different from the forty-year-old woman in the village.

But now, the Niann Xia that Gu Yunjin saw had a face so tender it could squeeze out water.

Gu Yunjin blinked, about to speak, but was shivering so much from the cold.

Niann Xia quickly tucked the blanket around her, "There's ginger soup in the kitchen. I'll go get it for you. Drink it quickly to warm up."

"What's wrong with me?" Gu Yunjin asked hesitantly.

Niann Xia's face turned pale, "Miss, you fell into the water. Are you feeling confused?"

Fell into the water?

In her whole life, Gu Yunjin had only fallen into the water once.

She was only fourteen years old at the time, living in her cousin's house in the Xu family.

Gu Yunjin suddenly sat up, looked over Niann Xia's shoulder, and saw the screen with the image of an orchid.

She loved orchids and this screen. The courtyard she lived in was also called Orchid Garden.

Gu Yunjin leaned against Niann Xia, and in the previous moment, she was waiting to be reincarnated, and the next moment, she was back ten years ago?

Should she cry or laugh?

She didn't know.

Gu Yunjin lay back down, holding the blanket, thinking that since she had no chance of being reborn into a good life, she might as well live a long life this time.

And live it to the fullest.

As soon as Niann Xia left the room, Huamei came in.

"Miss, you're finally awake!" Huamei smiled and sat on the edge of the bed, "Your fall into the water caused quite a stir in the house. Madam was very worried about you, but there are guests in the house today, so she couldn't come. She sent me instead. As long as you're safe and sound, nothing else matters..."

Gu Yunjin stared at Huamei, not interrupting her chatter.

She was indeed a cousin of the Xu family, but Gu Yunjin was not related to the Xu family by blood.

Gu Yunjin was the daughter of the General of Zhenbei's mansion. Her birth mother had passed away, and her father had remarried to Xu. Gu Yunjin's relationship with her stepmother was a mess.

When her grandfather died when she was ten, and her father passed away, the mansion was turned upside down, and there was no place for them in the fourth house. Helpless, Gu Yunjin and her elder brother followed their stepmother to the capital to seek refuge with the Xu family.

It was said to be seeking refuge, but Xu did not move back to the Xu family's house, instead buying a small house not far away.

Gu Yunjin understood Xu's thoughts.

Xu's own mother had passed away early, and now the lady of the house, Lady Min, was Xu's stepmother. Lady Min had been at odds with Xu for decades, and Xu had to rely on her family to eat and establish herself. She dared not show her face to Lady Min, for fear of provoking her.

Xu did not go back to the Xu family's house, and Gu Yunjin spent two-thirds of the month at Orchid Garden.

At that time, she was young and just wanted to oppose Xu. If Xu had a conflict with her family, she would go to the Xu family, always at odds with her stepmother.

Furthermore, she was born into a military family and was tired of rough and uncouth military men. The Xu family was scholarly, and the sisters were gentle and cultured, with poetry, music, calligraphy, and painting, exuding an air of elegance.

She really liked it there...

Gu Yunjin clenched her hand under the blanket, a hint of sarcasm in her eyes.

For a whole ten years, if she had grown in any way, it was that she had come to understand one thing: sincerity does not necessarily beget sincerity.

Her affection for the Xu family, over those ten years, had been completely betrayed.

"Huamei," Gu Yunjin looked at her, "Did Aunt send someone to North San Hutong to pass on a message?"

This sudden question caught Huamei off guard.

Gu Yunjin was a guest, and when she first arrived in the capital, she had a bold and carefree attitude. Over time, she became much more gentle and delicate in her interactions. Whenever she saw her, she was extremely polite, always addressing her as "Miss Huamei." When did she become so cold?

Moreover, Gu Yunjin and Xu were at odds, and she never mentioned North San Hutong. It was unexpected to hear her bring it up.

Huamei couldn't help but look closely at Gu Yunjin's face.

After all, she had been in the cold water for a while and had been asleep for over an hour. Gu Yunjin's face was pale, and her lips lacked color, looking sickly.

"Superfluous. I didn't notice the plum blossom painting. I could only smile awkwardly and say, 'We're hosting guests today, and everyone in the mansion is busy. Madam has already given orders, so I suppose someone should go and deliver the message.'"

Gu Yunjin pursed her lips.

She inexplicably found herself back ten years ago, her mind still in a haze. But she still remembered that year when she fell into the water. It wasn't until three days later, at the end of the month, that someone came to check on her in the Beisan Hutong, completely unaware of her accident.

At that time, Gu Yunjin and the Xu family were at odds, so she naturally harbored ill intentions towards them, believing that Xu deliberately ignored her situation. After the visitors left, she was so angry that she couldn't eat for the whole day.

But after living through those ten years, she no longer harbored such thoughts towards the Xu family.

After she fell into poverty, the only ones who cared for her and treated her well were the bedridden Xu and her sharp-tongued but kind-hearted sister-in-law.

In the Beisan Hutong, there was no way they would have known about her accident and still not shown any concern.

Gu Yunjin wanted to sort out her thoughts properly and didn't want to argue with Huamei, so she said, "Since we're short-handed, why don't you go and do it, Huamei?"

Upon hearing this, Huamei raised her eyebrows.

Make her run errands?

She was the chief maid by Madam's side. Why should she run errands for a cousin?

She was already relying on the Xu family for food. Who did Gu Yunjin think she was?

Although she was dissatisfied, Huamei couldn't directly confront Gu Yunjin. She cleared her throat and forced a smile, "Cousin, Madam is still waiting for me to do something."

"Are you that busy?" Gu Yunjin tilted her head and looked at her. Seeing Huamei nod, she pursed her lips. "Then why were you chatting with Nian Xiadong at the door just now? If you have time for that, you might as well go to Beisan Hutong."