Country Maiden: Fields and Fortune

Dark is the night, and high the wind—a perfect time for murder!

A carriage was hurrying along the mountain path, its wheels often running over rocks, which caused anguished cries to come from within the jolting carriage.

The carriage stopped at the edge of a cliff, and the roaring sound of the turbulent river below could be heard.

"Do we really have to do this?" asked the man, his voice shaky.

"Think about our daughter's future wealth and honor, think about us two, do you really have the heart to let them be merchants for their whole lives?" the woman said sternly, her voice laden with undisguised ruthlessness and greed.

"..."

The man was silent.

The sound of the roaring river struck his soul, and after a while, he still reached out, dragged a sack out from inside the carriage, placed it at the edge of the cliff, and trembledly asked, "Should, should we really push it down?"

"Push, push, push, stop dawdling!" the woman, annoyed, pushed the man aside, and reached out to push the sack.

A voice came from inside the sack, "Let me go, let me go!"

The woman, terrified, kicked out in panic and knocked the sack off the cliff.

"Ahh..." A scream pierced the night sky.

"Boom! Boom!" Suddenly, there were two muffled rolls of thunder.

It was as if the heavens had seen the scene, unable to look away, issuing a warning and punishment.

"Ahh!" The man screamed and fell to the ground in fright.

"Let's go, let's go, hurry!" the woman urged. She had already climbed onto the carriage, cowering in a corner, muttering incessantly.

The man came to his senses, trembling as he groped his way to the driver's seat, and realized it was wet; he was startled to find that the woman had urinated in fear.

Without concerning himself with much else, he drove the carriage away as quickly as possible...

Those who do no evil have no fear of ghostly knocks at the door, but for those who do, nightmares haunt their sleep.

"Miss, Miss..."

Xie Zhinuan felt intense pain all over her body and could barely open her eyes, but the pain made her groan.

"Doctor, how is she?"

"It looks like she's out of danger now. Don't stop the medicine, take good care of her, and she should be well in a couple of months!"

"...!" After a brief silence, another voice asked, "What about the fees for the medicine and treatment?"

"Let's talk about it when she wakes up; you were good to save her!"

Xie Zhinuan's head throbbed painfully, and she didn't grasp what was happening for a moment.

She had just reflected on her own busy life, having become an envied wealthy person, only to find herself utterly alone, without a single relative by her side. Surely a couple of extra drinks couldn't lead to pain like this.

"Old man, are we really going to spend silver to get her treated?"

"The girl was picked up by me from the riverside. We still have some money in hand; let's consider it a loan to her. Once she gets better, we'll have her pay us back!"

Another silence followed.

Then, an elderly woman's voice spoke, "Alright then, I'll go and cook some porridge. She can have some when she wakes up. The poor thing... who knows from what height she fell, ending up injured like this!"

Fall?

Xie Zhinuan wondered if she had gotten drunk and fallen down some stairs.

But that didn't seem right either...

When she opened her eyes and managed to see the room clearly, Xie Zhinuan blinked and quickly shut them again.

It must be an illusion, a definite illusion.

Xie Zhinuan then felt as if she was soaking in warm water, extremely comfortable, without feeling any pain on her body, as if she was lying in a warm and cozy soft bed.

She opened her eyes.

The blue sky and white clouds above, she was actually soaking in water.

"Ahh..."

Xie Zhinuan cried out in shock, flailed her arms and legs, and dog-paddled to the shore. She clambered up onto land and heaved a deep breath of relief.

But soon, she was stunned again.

The clothes on her body were wrong; traditional Chinese clothes... she didn't own any traditional Chinese clothes, and even her hands looked different—delicate and fair, unlike her own hands, which were rough from years of handling kitchen knives and kneading dough.

Her hair... she had short hair, but now it was long, waist-length.

"..."

Xie Zhinuan tried to calm herself and surveyed the surroundings.

An endlessly vast lake with crystal clear water, where she could see fish and shrimp swimming; the fish were huge but swam leisurely.

The shore where she was had a large house behind it, ancient and elegant, more exquisite than any guild hall she had ever visited.

She quickly got up, approached the door to knock, "Is anyone there, is anyone there?"

No one answered, but the door opened.

"Anyone home?" Xie Zhinuan called out again.

She didn't dare to enter.

It would be too presumptuous if the homeowner was not present.

Better to leave...

At that thought, Xie Zhinuan felt a jolt; it seemed she had changed places again.

A wooden ceiling, a brick bed, dust everywhere—she was back.

The pain in her body was distinctly more noticeable.

"Oh, you're awake!" Old Mrs. Ni entered, setting a bowl aside, "The medicine is ready..."

"Eh? Why are your clothes so wet? Are you that weak?"

Old Mrs. Ni was astonished. She wanted to help Xie Zhinuan up to change her clothes, then thinking of her injuries, she called out, "Daughter-in-law of Er Wang, come here a moment!"