Yu Xiaolian leaned on the window, looking out into the courtyard. The yard was empty as the Yu Family had gone inside to eat. It was the perfect time for her to secretly visit Madam Hao.
Yu Xiaolian put on her small cloth shoes, bent her body low, and slipped out of the Yu Family courtyard.
Based on the original host's memory, Madam Hao's house was on the west end of the village, near the foot of the mountain. It was an easy place to find, as there were only two houses there — Jiang the Hunter's and Madam Hao's.
Yu Xiaolian frequently went to the mountain to dig for wild vegetables and always passed by there, so she easily found Madam Hao's house.
Seeing her arrival, Madam Hao seemed quite surprised. Yu Xiaolian pondered for a moment before speaking, "Granny Hao, if someone calls back the wrong soul, can it be sent back?"
Madam Hao reached out and touched Yu Xiaolian's forehead. "Could this child have a fever that's made her delirious? What nonsense is she talking about?"
Yu Xiaolian nervously swallowed. In her heart, she was very uneasy. "I mean... if the wrong soul is called, can it be sent back?"
Seeing Yu Xiaolian's earnest expression as she repeated her question, Madam Hao's face changed, and she pulled Yu Xiaolian inside the house.
"Get on the kang and lie down!"
Obediently, Yu Xiaolian lay down, a sense of relief rising in her heart. Great, she should be able to return.
Madam Hao took a bunch of thick incense. Yu Xiaolian didn't see how it was lit, but it seemed to ignite on its own. Madam Hao waved the incense over Yu Xiaolian's body a few times, muttering incantations Yu Xiaolian couldn't understand. The intense, pungent incense smoke made Yu Xiaolian close her eyes.
Slowly, Yu Xiaolian felt drowsy, and when she opened her eyes again, she found herself in her family's supermarket.
I'm back!
Yu Xiaolian joyfully leaped up. She couldn't wait to open the door and find her parents, but the glass door seemed to be against her, refusing to budge.
Yu Xiaolian was anxious, pulling with all her strength, but the door remained unmovable.
"Yu Xiaolian... Yu Xiaolian..."
She heard Madam Hao's voice again. This time, she didn't dare to respond; she didn't want to go back.
Reading about time travel seemed fun, but thinking about living without a phone and computer made Yu Xiaolian feel unwell.
As long as she didn't answer, Madam Hao shouldn't be able to call her back.
But everything was not up to her. Yu Xiaolian opened her eyes once more and saw the grey-haired Madam Hao.
Madam Hao looked at her nervously, as if silently questioning her.
Yu Xiaolian exploded, "Why did you call me back again?"
Madam Hao's right hand shook, and the burnt incense fell onto the kang.
"I want to go back!" Yu Xiaolian shouted in despair.
The next second, Yu Xiaolian found herself in her family's supermarket again. Overjoyed, she once more tried to open the door to get out, but it still wouldn't open.
Suddenly, Yu Xiaolian felt a sharp pain at her fingertips. It turned out Madam Hao had pricked her finger with a needle since she hadn't woken up for a long time.
"Child, Grandma has tried her best. No matter who you were before, from now on, you can only be Yu Xiaolian. Ultimately, it's Grandma's fault. Don't worry, I'll keep your secret safe."
Yu Xiaolian's expression turned desolate. She knew she could never return to her original home. Crestfallen, she left Madam Hao's house.
"Ah, isn't that the little jinx? Wasn't she supposed to have a fever that wouldn't break? How come she's not dead yet?"
"Quick... let's take a detour to stay away from her."
A few young girls, holding baskets woven from willow twigs, were planning to go together to the mountain to dig wild vegetables. They encountered the dejected Yu Xiaolian and whispered among themselves as they avoided her.
Yu Xiaolian glanced up, recognizing only one of the girls, Zhao Erya. She was familiar with the faces of the others but didn't know their names.
Zhao Erya was the only girl her age who wasn't afraid of her. But despite her bravery, her family was scared. After hearing that Zhao Erya was getting close to Yu Xiaolian, they beat Zhao Erya severely. Now, Zhao Erya didn't dare speak to Yu Xiaolian anymore.
When Yu Xiaolian returned to the Yu house, Granny Sun had just come back, carrying a bag of freshly milled rice on her back. Seeing Yu Xiaolian return from outside, she didn't question her, just darkened her face, went inside to store the rice, scooped a bowl, and headed to the kitchen.
In the kitchen, Yu Changfu's wife, Mrs. Cao, was washing dishes. When she saw Granny Sun enter, she quickly threw down the bowl in the pot, "If you want to use the pot, you have to wash the dishes."
Without saying a word, Granny Sun took the bowl from Mrs. Cao's hand and started scrubbing.
Mrs. Cao, with a smug expression, said, "I've never seen anyone as foolish as your family Changhe, abandoning their own child to raise someone else's, and raising them with such enthusiasm."
Granny Sun just kept scrubbing the bowl without replying.
Mrs. Cao glanced at the bowl of rice Granny Sun had brought, "Are you not cooking any dishes today? Mother said to watch you and not let you use our family's oil and salt."
Granny Sun quickly scrubbed out the plates and bowls in the pot, then began to scrub the pot, "Don't worry, sister-in-law. I'll just use the pot to make porridge."
Mrs. Cao leaned against the doorframe, speaking in a mocking tone, "Porridge, huh? Making porridge uses a lot of water. When you're done, don't forget to fill up the water tank. Since Second Uncle's leg is crippled and can't fetch water, it's up to you to do the hard work."
Granny Sun paused her scrubbing, then coldly said, "Sister-in-law should leave, or else the pot's wash water might splash on you."
As she spoke, Granny Sun forcefully flicked the scrubbing brush towards Mrs. Cao.
Although Mrs. Cao's clothes weren't made of fine material, she still didn't want them stained. She quickly retreated several steps, spat at Granny Sun, and left.
Back in her room, Yu Xiaolian's mind was consumed with thoughts of the scene at the supermarket. Could she really never go back?
Somehow, Yu Xiaolian found herself in her family's supermarket again. This time, she again tried to pull open the convenience store's glass door, but it was still no use.
She went to the cashier's area. Her half-eaten bag of chips and the novel she was reading on her phone were still there.
She attempted to pick up the half bag of chips and managed to do so.
She took a bite, and it tasted just the same.
She had heard people say that when someone dies, their soul gets trapped in the place of death, reliving the moment of death repetitively.
But now, everything in this supermarket seemed frozen in time.
All this must be an illusion.
After wrestling with the situation in her mind several times, Yu Xiaolian realized she could travel back and forth between the ancient times and the supermarket.
And as long as she thought of it, things from the supermarket would appear in her hand. This discovery that she could bring modern items to the ancient times lifted her spirits considerably.
Since she couldn't go back, Yu Xiaolian accepted her fate and went to the kitchen to help Granny Sun start a fire, "Mom... let me start the fire, okay?"