C2 Settle down

In just one day, Xiaoxia managed to lose her husband and get the news of her "return" spread throughout the entire village. Already labeled as a "jinx," she had now become the village's laughingstock.

At this moment, the person in question was lying on her rickety little bed, pretending to be sick with her eyes closed. She had come back to life, and suddenly became the thorn in the Shi family's side. Her two younger sisters, who had been by her bedside taking care of her, were sent off to work by their grandfather's dismissive remark, "She's tough, she won't die!" Now, with the room empty, Xiaoxia listened carefully for any sounds outside. Once it seemed quiet, she slowly opened her eyes.

Staring at the cobweb-covered ceiling beams, Xiaoxia began to think things through. She remembered clearly that she had just helped her company land a big deal and had returned to her hotel, exhausted. She slept like a log, only to wake up and find herself in a completely different world.

This illogical turn of events was indeed a bit tricky. After much consideration, she realized that her only option was to play the role of "Xiaoxia" as best as she could. Was she supposed to die again in Xiaoxia's body? What if this time it was for good?

Xiaoxia never did anything without confidence. With a sigh, she closed her eyes again. Since this was her reality now, she decided to take it one step at a time.

After the incident, Xiaoxia lost her value in the eyes of the family. Almost immediately after she was sent to her room, Grandpa instructed everyone not to give her any food, let alone medical attention.

This decision was unanimously supported by her aunts, who rarely agreed on anything. Ultimately, they just wanted Xiaoxia out of the house, but were too concerned about gossip to do it openly.

Life became tough for Xiaoxia in the family. She cleaned the wound on her forehead with water and wrapped it with a clean cloth. Thankfully, there were no signs of infection, which was a small relief.

In just a few minutes outside her room, she faced a barrage of mockery from her siblings. Surprisingly, the usually timid Xiaoxia didn't even glance at them. She walked straight into her tiny room and slammed the door shut.

Around evening, the door opened quietly. Xiaoxia turned to see her two younger sisters.

Xiaodong signaled Xiaoqiu to close the door and then approached the bed, proudly holding a bowl.

In a hushed voice, she said, "Sis, we sneaked some rice soup for you. Drink it while it's warm."

Xiaoxia glanced at the bowl of rice soup in her hand. It was truly a thin soup, with just a few grains of rice that could be counted on one hand. She looked at her two younger sisters, who were watching her with concerned eyes, and felt her heart soften.

As the CEO of a company, she had tasted the finest delicacies, so this simple meal didn’t appeal to her. But for her sisters, this might be the most precious thing they had. Earlier, she had noticed that while their family wasn’t wealthy, they certainly weren’t destitute. This was clearly a special treatment for their branch of the family.

It seemed they wanted to push the three sisters to the brink.

Under the hopeful gaze of her sisters, Xiaoxia took the rice soup and drank it down without hesitation, then placed the bowl on the table. “Xiaodong, go find a knife. We’re heading to the river.”

Xiaoqiu and Xiaodong stared at her, but neither objected. The three sisters were the closest people in the world to each other. Xiaoxia had always taken care of them, and they never questioned her decisions.

The sun was slowly setting. Though it wasn’t midsummer yet, the air was already warm. Xiaoxia led her sisters to the riverbank, found a sturdy bamboo stick, and sat down in the shade.

Xiaoqiu and Xiaodong exchanged glances, both feeling puzzled. Their sister had seemed different since she woke up. Like earlier, when she suggested going to the river to spear fish, they were skeptical about actually catching anything. But neither said a word because Xiaoxia seemed more determined than ever, which oddly reassured them.

Xiaoxia skillfully sharpened a piece of bamboo into a spear, testing its weight in her hand. Satisfied, she smiled at her sisters, rolled up her pants, and waded into the shallow part of the river. She watched the water for a moment before suddenly making her move.

The sisters hadn’t expected much, merely watching her out of habit. But then Xiaoxia turned and called out, “Xiaodong, bring the basket!”

Startled, Xiaodong focused on her sister, who was holding up the bamboo spear with a wriggling fish on the end! Xiaoqiu reacted quickly, grabbing the basket and rushing over. Xiaoxia placed the fish inside and turned back to the water, striking again with precision.

Xiaoqiu and Xiaodong were amazed. Their usually gentle sister had a surprising talent. Her skill at spearing fish might even rival that of Mr. Liu, the village’s expert fisherman!

In just about half an hour, the basket was already filled with several fish. Xiaodong's eyes were full of admiration as she eagerly approached Xiaoxia, watching for a while before finally blurting out, "Sister, you're amazing!"

Xiaoxia waded slowly out of the river and smiled at the compliment. She glanced at her two younger sisters and patiently explained, "Xiaoqiu, Xiaodong, fish swim fast. When you're spearing fish, you shouldn't aim directly at them. Instead, aim in the direction they're swimming and spear ahead of them." The two sisters suddenly understood, their admiration for her growing even more.

The three girls busied themselves setting up a fire under a tree to grill the fish, completely unaware that someone was lying on the large tree above them.

Shaoxuan had come with his father on business, and with his tasks completed, he took a moment to relax and nap in the tree. He hadn't expected to stumble upon such an interesting scene. Parting the thick leaves, he looked down to see the girl who had been spearing fish now sitting on the ground, preparing them. He watched her work on the fish, curious about what new and unusual method she might be using. From his vantage point, he could only see her serene and graceful profile, her forehead wrapped in a bandage as if she had recently been injured. It was hard to imagine that this gentle-looking girl was the one who had caught all those fish.

Wen Shaoxuan squinted, let go of the leaves, and closed his eyes to continue sleeping. But it wasn't long before he was awakened by a rich aroma wafting up from below the tree.

He could hear the chatter of a few girls beneath him. Glancing at the ground nearby, he noticed three fish skeletons. On a makeshift grill, more fish were roasting, the source of that enticing smell.

Suddenly, his stomach growled loudly.

Wen Shaoxuan rolled his eyes and gracefully jumped down from the tree. His martial arts skills made the leap effortless, though it startled the three sisters enjoying their meal below.

Ignoring their surprised expressions, Wen Shaoxuan fixed his gaze on the golden-brown grilled fish. He was genuinely hungry.

A mischievous smile played on his lips as he said, "Hey, girls, mind sharing a fish with me?"