Chapter 1: Crossing Over

  There have been many cases of time-traveling every year, but this year there are especially a lot.

  Li Suyan did not think that she would also become a member of this vast army crossing over. Although, in her free time, when she had nothing better to do, she occasionally fantasized about how she, who was approaching spinsterhood, would fare if she were to travel back in time and cause a stir with her beauty, with all the handsome men vying for her attention and offering their true hearts to her, and then she would look at her boyfriend's ordinary face and sigh inwardly, thinking that this lifetime is not destined to be with a handsome guy! But, but, I was just venting my frustrations after eating my fill, heaven, you didn't have to play me like this, did you?

  Just woke up from a dream and everything is off!

  Li Suyan's eyes quietly rolled around, oh my god, her family didn't even hang such an elegant mosquito net in the summer, and it was red! Shouldn't mosquito nets be white? Wow, what a quilt, Li Suyan was immediately dazzled by the large peony flowers embroidered on the quilt. She stretched out her hand to touch the exquisite flower patterns, secretly admiring them. For herself, who was only at the stage of sewing buttons, this was a work of art! In Li Suyan's mind, there was only one memory of embroidery, when she stayed in a hotel and accidentally discovered many beautiful embroidered pictures hanging on the wall of the circular corridor. She was attracted to take a closer look, which was her first time seeing embroidery other than cross-stitch. When she reached out to touch it, the feeling was warm. The most memorable one was a picture of lotus flowers, which were embroidered very realistically. Under the soft lighting of the hotel, it was breathtakingly beautiful. She carefully appreciated all the pictures along the corridor before reluctantly returning to her room with her boyfriend's urging. At that time, she thought, if only she could treasure one! Later, she downloaded many photos of this type on her phone and would often admire them. Now, she finally got to touch a real ancient embroidery, how could she not be excited?

  Just as Li Suyan was marveling at this, she discovered that she was wearing a white undergarment. Wait, these slender arms, these small hands, they absolutely didn't belong to her plump adult body! She hastily stretched out another arm and found it to be the same. Had she really crossed over? Her two hands immediately covered her face. The skin on her hands was incredibly smooth, definitely not something that could compare to her own skin. Li Suyan quickly threw off the covers and crimson curtains, got out of bed, and saw a pair of small embroidered shoes placed at the foot of the bed. Without thinking, she hastily put them on, and they fit perfectly! Not daring to think too much, she rushed outside for a few steps, stopping in the middle of the room. She quickly glanced around this ancient boudoir, discovering that opposite the bed was an exquisite dresser with mother-of-pearl inlays. Li Suyan hastily ran over, saw that on top of the dresser lay an octagonal copper mirror, and quickly picked it up to face herself. In the mirror's reflection was a small face like a lotus flower, with features not yet fully developed. She looked only eleven or twelve years old. To Li Suyan's eyes, she was too beautiful. She had never seen such a lovely little girl before. She couldn't help but be stunned. Suppressing the excitement and unease in her heart, Li Suyan reached out to touch, feeling skin as smooth as jade. This was real, not a dream. Had she really crossed over? Li Suyan's heart was racing with anxiety.

  Just as she was thinking, she suddenly heard the sound of the door creaking open, followed by the curtains being lifted. Before she could even turn her head, Li Suyan heard a clear and crisp female voice say, "Miss!" Li Suyan let out a startled yelp, and the lotus flower mirror in her hand fell to the ground with a loud crash. She hastily squatted down to pick it up, but found that it had shattered into pieces, leaving her at a loss for what to do. Looking up at the green-clad maid who had just entered, she gave an embarrassed smile and said, "I didn't mean to, nor did I do it on purpose."

  "Miss, you're awake?" The maid said, putting down the tray in her hand and showing a delighted expression. "Miss, you've finally woken up! You're still weak, how did you get out of bed? Quick, lie back down." She hurried over to support her.

  "What's your name?" Li Suyan asked. The maid was taken aback, looking at her strangely and saying, "Miss, you've been ill for a while, and you don't even recognize me? I'm Chun Xiang!"

  Li Suyan pretended to be surprised, making an "oh" sound, and allowed the maid to help her back into bed, covering her with the quilt so that only her head was exposed. "Miss, are you thirsty?" Li Suyan nodded, feeling a bit parched at this moment.

  She took the tea poured by Chun Xiang and drank it in big gulps, finishing the cup quickly. The warm liquid didn't have any particular taste to her. In modern times, Li Suyan wasn't fond of drinking tea and hadn't studied it, so she had no idea what kind of tea this was.

  "Miss, drink slowly," Chun Xiang couldn't help but say. She found it strange that Miss Li's personality had changed - she used to be gentle and slow-paced, but now her movements were rough and hasty while drinking tea. However, her hands didn't stop moving as she carefully took the teacup away and said, "I'll go tell Madame that you're awake right away. Are you hungry, Miss? I'll have Manzi bring some congee from the kitchen immediately. Ah, Madame hasn't been sleeping well for days because of worry about you."

  Without waiting for Li Suyan's response, she turned around and left.

  "Hey!" Li Suyan hastily called out to her, but only saw a green shadow float out of the door and disappear in the blink of an eye. "Isn't she a maid? Why doesn't she listen to me when I call her 'Miss'?" Li Suyan thought resentfully, and her head began to hurt again. "Who am I, anyway? Where is this place?" But no one answered her. She hummed in anger, pulled up the quilt to cover her head, and couldn't help but shout, "Heavens! Earth! Strike me with lightning and send me back! In half a year, I'll be getting married! It's not easy for me to have found someone I like at the age of 26, it's not easy!" Thinking that she had traveled through time and become a little girl again, everything would have to start anew. Li Suyan was overcome with grief and burst into silent tears. She completely forgot about how happy she had been just now, returning to her childhood and becoming beautiful once more.

  That voice sounded quite sad, but Li Suyan's face didn't have a single tear. She started crying again and began to pound her chest and stamp her feet. She put on a big show, exaggerating by 90%. Whenever Li Suyan suffered a little bit of grievance in front of her boyfriend, she would make it seem like she had been wronged greatly. And he would always comfort her. Over time, this became second nature to her. Now, without realizing it, Li Suyan started doing the same thing again, but there was no one to respond to her. Li Suyan wailed for a while, feeling a bit hoarse, and prepared to stop and find some water to drink. Speaking of which, where did that Chun Xing girl go? Where did she put the tea? Just as Li Suyan sat up and was about to get out of bed to look for water, a group of people suddenly appeared at the door, dressed in ancient clothing. A beautiful woman around 30 years old with a childlike face led the way, holding hands with a delicate-looking little boy who looked like he was only five or six years old. Li Suyan took one glance and discovered that the boy had some resemblance to the woman. The group of people behind them looked like maids and servants from their attire.

  The woman's face was covered with tears, and she rushed to the bed, embracing Li Suyan. She called out, "My poor Jin'er!" After crying for a while, she gritted her teeth and said, "Don't cry anymore. Your father sent a letter back saying that he has already settled the rumors outside. Although your father abandoned us, you still have me! I will take good care of you and Mingxuan. My poor child, what would I do if you were gone?" As she spoke, tears streamed down her face.

  Li Suyan was confused, thinking to herself, "Ming Jin? Is this her name in this life?" This woman seemed to be her mother. Li Suyan felt a sense of suffocation and thought she was too young. She wasn't much older than herself from the previous life, yet she looked so beautiful. Her own mother had already turned gray and had wrinkles at the age of 50, which was worlds apart from this woman. Would she have to call this woman "mother" in the future? It felt too awkward. She couldn't bring herself to say it.

  She thought about her father, wondering who he was. Li Suyan remembered what the woman had said earlier about him leaving them behind. What was going on? Was this a family of four? Were these all the family members she had? Li Suyan muttered to herself but didn't dare speak out loud for fear of revealing her true identity.

  However, she couldn't help but wonder if it was because of some rumors that her father had left them. Was this the reason why this body had died? It was too ridiculous.

  "Madam, let Miss drink some porridge?" Chun Xiang walked in with a tray holding a bowl of steaming hot porridge and put it down. She bowed and said. The woman nodded and finally released her grip on Li Suyan's body, letting her lean against the pillow and sit up properly. She personally took the tray from Chun Xiang's hands and used the spoon to stir the porridge twice before scooping out a spoonful and blowing on it gently before feeding it to Li Suyan.

  Li Suyan opened her mouth to eat, but then felt that this was too awkward, so she said, "I'll do it myself!" "You're still sick!" The woman said lovingly. "But I feel fine?" Li Suyan thought to herself that there wasn't anything uncomfortable about her body.

  "It's up to the doctor to decide what's good or bad." The woman said helplessly, "Permit Auntie, go and see if Doctor Liu has arrived."

  "Yes, ma'am." A serious-looking maid curtsied and left. Li Suyan took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and struggled internally for a moment before speaking in a small voice; "Mother, why did you cry as soon as you came in? Is my illness very severe? But I feel fine now." The woman scolded; "Don't talk nonsense, you only have a cold. Mother heard from the maid that you woke up and hurried to see you. As soon as she walked into the courtyard, she heard Jin'er crying out in pain. Mother was reminded of memories and cried." The woman slowly fed her porridge while speaking softly; "Jin'er, don't think too much, mother knows you're sad, otherwise you wouldn't have cried like that, rest assured, you still have mother and Xuan'er." However, she deliberately didn't mention the fact that Jin'er had been on the brink of death earlier.

  Li Suyan's face turned red with embarrassment, it turned out that she had just heard her own wailing and howling.

  The woman saw that Li Suyan had finished her porridge and hugged her into her arms, gently stroking her head. Li Suyan was touched and slightly trembled, quickly relaxing herself, fortunately the woman hadn't noticed anything unusual. "Sister!" Feeling her hand being held by a small hand, Li Suyan looked up to see a pair of clear eyes staring at her like a deer. She smiled warmly at him, which served as a greeting. Unexpectedly, the little face in front of her lit up with joy and shouted: "Sister is smiling at me!" Li Suyan was secretly puzzled. Could it be that the previous owner of this body was someone who rarely spoke or smiled, cold and icy? An image of a pedantic old scholar wearing glasses and a suit immediately appeared in Li Suyan's mind. She shook her head, this was too different from her own personality! Oh no, what if she accidentally revealed herself?

  "Madam, the doctor has arrived." The maid who had gone out came back and said: "I just went out of the courtyard when I met Doctor Liu hurrying over. He led him in hastily and is now waiting outside the door."

  "Come quickly."

  Li Suyan was curious about the appearance of ancient doctors, so she stretched her head to take a look. She only saw an old man with a kind face and piercing eyes walking in with his head down. He bowed to the woman and said, "Please, madam, be at ease." The woman hastily stood up and helped Li Suyan lie back down, then stepped aside to make room for him by the bed. The old man walked forward with his head down and took Li Suyan's pulse. After a moment of contemplation, he smiled and said, "Congratulations, madam, Miss has recovered from her wind chill." The woman's face showed an expression of joy beyond expectation. Li Suyan thought to herself, could it be that this small wind chill almost took the life of this body? This was how she had transmigrated here. Alas, in her previous life as Li Suyan, she had caught a cold fewer than ten times in over twenty years. Especially in recent years, there were records of her catching colds but not taking medicine. She had always endured through them. Now this body was so weak. In the future, wouldn't she have to drink that bitter medicinal water frequently?

  Li Suyan sighed inwardly, her heart tangled with worries. On the other side, the woman had already given a generous reward and politely sent off the old doctor, then turned around to see Li Suyan's face scrunched up in distress. Unaware whether she was worried about taking medicine later or upset about parting with her father without saying goodbye, she hurriedly comforted her for a while. Seeing Li Suyan's smile, she softly said, "Jin'er, rest well, Mother won't disturb you anymore." Li Suyan was taken aback by the woman calling her Jin'er and hastily responded. The woman then left with the others.

  Spring Apricot saw Madam Li leave, then closed the door and turned around to meet a pair of bright eyes staring at her. She was startled. "Miss, why are you looking at me like that? Is there something dirty on my face?" she asked, touching her face with her hand. Miss Li couldn't help but laugh, then slowly asked: "Spring Apricot, how long have you been following me?" As soon as she heard this, Spring Apricot felt that strange feeling in her heart again - why was Miss asking this? She seemed like a completely different person after waking up this time. "Miss, I entered the manor at six years old and have served you for five years, seven months, and six days."

  How long has it been? Li Suyan exclaimed, and immediately became extremely delighted. It seems that the relationship between these two masters and servants should be very solid. From the moment she woke up, this little girl had been by her side, and no one else was seen. This little girl should be the confidant of this body! It seems that the task of deceiving heaven and earth and familiarizing herself with the environment is hers alone! Li Suyan smiled with curved eyebrows and eyes, like a sly fox. Chun Xing shuddered all over at the sight, Miss, why are you smiling so sneakily? How do I feel like I've become a piece of fat meat in her eyes? Ah, is there such a description of oneself? However, Miss, don't stare at me with such fervor! Chun Xing retreated backward in some terror.

  Li Suyan only then realized that she had been too enthusiastic and scared Chun'er. She looked like a trembling rabbit. Was I like a ferocious tiger? Li Suyan pretended to cough several times to cover up her embarrassment, and put on a gentle and kind expression: "Chun Xiang, I've lost my memory."

  Just then, Chun Xiang's face turned pale as if she had seen a ghost, her mouth agape and unable to utter a sound. Li Su Yan waved her hand in front of Chun Xiang, who swallowed hard and anxiously said, "Miss, why didn't you say so earlier? The doctor has already left! I'll go tell the mistress to invite the doctor again." She turned around and rushed out. Li Su Yan hastily stopped her, "Don't disturb the mistress, it's not a big deal, come here and talk to me about the past, maybe I'll remember something."

  Chun Xiang finally stopped, turned around and stared at her with those worried eyes, looking quite disbelieving. Li Suyan said: "Go get me a cup of tea." Chun Xiang responded, hastily pouring a cup of tea and handing it to Li Suyan, "Miss, be careful, it's hot." Li Suyan took a sip, and Chun'er took the teacup back, only to hear Li Suyan say: "Chun Xiang, how have I treated you?" As soon as she heard this, Chun Xiang immediately expressed her gratitude, saying: "Miss has been very kind to me, if it weren't for Miss buying me from the human trafficker's hands all those years ago, I wouldn't know if I would still be alive today? Miss has never scolded me, let alone hit me. The other maids in the house are all envious of me, saying that Miss is a rare good master..." Li Suyan cut off her endless words and said: "Chun Xiang, I have something to ask you, and you must answer honestly."

  "The slave must know everything and speak without reserve."

  Digression

  Everyone, this is my first time writing an article, and I hope everyone can give me a lot of guidance. My heart is very nervous right now. I don't know if it will pass the review or not, but I've already written five chapters! No matter what, I'll stick to finishing this article. I hope everyone won't be stingy with their valuable opinions, thank you all in advance!