It was summer, and the blazing sun baked the earth.
From a home in Xiangyun Village, the heart-wrenching cries of a little girl could be heard.
"Auntie, Ningning really didn't ruin your clothes."
"You little brat, still trying to argue? That silk dress was expensive! It was a gift from my sister's family. Now you've ruined it! What am I supposed to wear to the banquet? Are you trying to embarrass me on purpose?!" Aunt Qin cursed, the force in her hands increasing.
The pitiful four-year-old girl cried, huddled tightly in a corner.
Her skin was fair, her large eyes filled with tears. She had cried so much the tip of her nose was pink.
"It wasn't me, it was Sister..." She looked at the Qin Family's young daughter, Qin Fangmei, who was standing nearby.
"Shen Ningning!" Qin Fangmei suddenly cut in, her voice screeching. "My uncle is a Landlord! When he finds out you ruined our things, he'll make you pay!"
Aunt Qin viciously raised a bamboo switch and lashed it cruelly across her hand. "Will you admit you were wrong or not?!"
Shen Ningning let out a pained scream and wrapped her small arms around herself.
"Ningning didn't do anything wrong... Ningning won't admit it..." The little one's whole body trembled in pain.
Locked in the woodshed, Grandma Qin pleaded desperately through the window, "Stop hitting her! Gui Hong, I'm begging you on my knees for Ningning's sake! If you keep going, you'll kill her!"
Aunt Qin shot Grandma Qin a disdainful look.
"Hmph. I'm just helping Mother discipline the child. If you hadn't insisted on picking her up and raising her back then, I wouldn't be this angry right now."
"This little bastard stole eggs last time. I locked her up for three days, and when she got out, she was bent on revenge and ruined my dress. She's already like this at such a young age. Is she going to grow up to be a murderer?!"
Shen Ningning endured the pain and lifted her pale little face. "I didn't steal anything to eat..."
"Just listen to her! The little orphan has become a compulsive liar. How can she learn if I don't beat her?!"
Furious, Aunt Qin rolled up her sleeves, raised the bamboo switch again, and brought it down viciously.
Shen Ningning hugged herself, curling into a ball on the ground.
It hurt...
'Why won't Auntie believe me?'
It was obviously Qin Fangmei who had accidentally burned the dress.
That night, she'd been in too much pain to sleep and had seen Qin Fangmei secretly take the silk dress out of the wardrobe and drape it over herself with delight.
While spinning around to admire it, she had accidentally knocked over a nearby candle, burning two holes in the dress.
She had wanted to say something at the time, but she had just been beaten by her aunt that day and didn't have the strength to speak.
Now, Aunt Qin was beating her mercilessly, and the little one's body curled up in pain.
Grandma Qin was still pleading, her sobs so intense it seemed she was about to pass out.
"That's enough! Hurry up and get going, or you'll be late for your brother-in-law's birthday banquet." Uncle Qin, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up with a frown. He was already annoyed.
It was a year of famine, and his fields hadn't yielded a harvest in a year.
"When you see your brother-in-law, ask him to pull some strings and find me a job in the city. Otherwise, the rice jar at home will be empty."
Hearing her husband speak, Aunt Qin snorted coldly. She threw down the bamboo switch and shot a glare at Grandma Qin. "And isn't it all your mother's fault! Insisting on picking up a child four years ago. This burden can't do anything right, just eats our food and drinks our water all day. Of course the grain is running out fast! If I were her, I'd be too ashamed to live!"
Uncle Qin's face darkened, but he didn't dare to argue. He just urged Aunt Qin to go back inside and change her clothes.
The family climbed onto an ox-cart borrowed from the village chief, ready to leave.
But Qin Fangmei had sharp eyes and spotted Shen Ningning, still kneeling on the ground, trying to stand up.
"Mother! Let Shen Ningning kneel here and reflect! Teach her a lesson!"
"Our Meimei is right! Shen Ningning, you will kneel right here. If I come back and find you've moved even a little, you'll see how I deal with you."
Feeling that wasn't enough, Qin Fangmei picked up a small stone and drew a tiny circle around where Shen Ningning was kneeling, warning her with a grin.
"You're dead if you dare to move out of it."
Shen Ningning's small face was grimy as she knelt on the ground, helplessly watching them leave on the ox-cart.
The harsh sun beat down on her wounds, and her whole body ached fiercely.
From the woodshed, Grandma Qin called out anxiously, "Ningning, try to stand up slowly."
Shen Ningning didn't move, sitting dazedly on the ground, her coarse clothes covered in dust.
Her large, clear, dark eyes were filled with confusion.
Grandma Qin grew more and more anxious, completely panicked.
「Finally—」
Shen Ningning let out a small whimper of pain, pushed herself up with her small hands, and slowly stood up.
Grandma Qin's heart ached. "Ningning, it's all my fault. I'm not strong enough to protect you."
The little girl swayed as she walked over to the woodshed.
She strained to stand on her tiptoes, reaching her hand through the window to wipe Grandma Qin's tears.
"Don't cry, Grandma. It doesn't hurt at all."
Hearing this, Grandma Qin cried even harder, unable to stop blaming herself.
A few days ago, Aunt Qin had locked Shen Ningning in the woodshed. Unable to bear it, Grandma Qin had snuck the little girl some food.
But Aunt Qin found out and locked Grandma Qin in the woodshed to "reflect" in Shen Ningning's place.
She had been locked in there ever since.
「Suddenly!」
As Grandma Qin cried, she suddenly couldn't seem to catch her breath!
The little girl grew frantic.
"Grandma!"
She quickly touched the small red mole on her right middle finger and, while her grandmother couldn't see, slipped into her space.
With practiced ease, she scooped a ladle of Spiritual Spring Water into a bowl and came back out.
"Grandma, quick, drink some water!" Shen Ningning pressed the bowl against the window and poured all the water through the bars into Grandma Qin's mouth.
After a moment, color returned to Grandma Qin's face. She slumped to the ground, panting heavily. "Ningning, don't worry, Grandma is much better..."
Only then did Shen Ningning breathe a sigh of relief.
When she was two, she had accidentally touched the small red mole on her body and unintentionally arrived in this "Immortal Realm."
Inside were endless supplies of rice, flour, meat, eggs, and fresh vegetables, as well as many seeds Shen Ningning didn't recognize and hundreds of cabinets filled with medicinal herbs.
Even more magical was the clear spring water inside, which could make her wounds heal faster.
Shen Ningning wiped away her tears with her small hand and asked on her tiptoes, "Grandma, why don't you come live in the 'Immortal Realm' with me? Auntie can't bully us there."
Grandma Qin thought Shen Ningning wanted to take her away from the village and quickly shook her head, weak as she was.
"Even though I was the one who found you, you're not an unwanted orphan. When I discovered you back then, you were wearing a silver lock and wish around your neck. That Ruyi, have you kept it hidden well?"
Shen Ningning nodded firmly, lifted her shirt, and revealed her fair little belly.
The silver lock and wish was tied around her waist with a string.
"It's here!"
Grandma Qin nodded in relief. "The name Shen Ningning is engraved on the back of the Ruyi. That's your name. The Ruyi is exquisitely made; it's clearly something from a wealthy family. Your parents must have lost you by accident."
"They will definitely come looking for you. When they do, you can go home and never have to suffer again."
Shen Ningning only half-understood, but she pulled her shirt back down and gently patted her little belly.
"Ningning will protect the Ruyi. When my mommy and daddy come for me, I'll take Grandma with us!"
Grandma Qin smiled through her tears.
「Suddenly!」
"Mother! I told you this little orphan wouldn't just kneel there obediently." Qin Fangmei's shrill voice came from the doorway.
Aunt Qin and the others were back!
*
Author's Notes:
1. This book is set in a fictional historical period. Please do not fact-check against real history.
2. First released on Yunqi Academy, also available on the QQ Reading app.
3. Same old rules: flying the flag of sweet, doting love! Everyone is welcome to join me in pampering our daughter.
4. Two chapters a day, 2000 characters per chapter. More chapters will be released consistently once the schedule stabilizes.
5. Due to the fictional setting and the inflated prices during a famine year, all prices will start from "taels" of silver.
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