CH 1

Disclaimer: Machine translated by DeepL, Baidu, and usage of editing softwares. I have done my best in providing context, defintions, according to my level of understanding. So, please forgive me if there is anything amiss or done wrong. Please DO NOT repost my translations elsewhere. Also DO NOT CREATE EPUBS unless it is for private use.

It was a hot day at the end of June. Even though it was almost nightfall, the sun was still scorching hot, and it was extremely humid.

It was a noisy place in the governor’s house in Beijing, with the women laughing as they played cards and the men exchanging glasses*.

[TL/N: As far as I researched, this seems to be just socializing while drinking.]

Yao Zhi had just woken up from her sleep. There was a small bandage on the forehead of her exquisite and beautiful face, caused by her accidental fall down the stairs.

The room was very quiet and peaceful. The window near the bed was open, and the wind blew in. Although it was not cool, it was comfortable.

Yao Zhi was stunned. The decor of the room was both familiar and unfamiliar. The pink bed, a huge row of shelves filled with the girl’s favorite books and toys, and the floor covered with a soft and cozy looking carpet.

Tears fell from her eyes she realized that this was the room she used to grow up in.

She pinched her arm so hard that the pain made her tears fall even harder, but she couldn’t help but laugh through her sobs.

‘She was back. She was really back.’

It was not a dream or an illusion. She really came back.

Was her father still alive? Could she and Shen Xu start over?

The memories of her past life flashed through her mind like a movie. She cried so hard that she couldn’t catch her breath. The scene of the young man struggling to get her to stay in her previous life lingered in her mind.

The omnipotent marshal, with red ears and expectant eyes, told the girl, “If you follow me, I will give you everything, okay?”

But before she could give him an answer, she had left him forever.

His eyes, which has never shed a single tear since he was young, welled up with tears as he held her photo and wept in the mourning hall.

Only after her death did she know why her father entrusted her to Shen Xu and why he said to her, “Zhi Zhi, marshal only cares about you. If you follow him, I can rest assured.”

She became a soul and followed him for five years until he wiped out the Central Plains, fought against the Japanese army and died on the battlefield. Before he died, he was still clutching the sachet she embroidered for him.

Shen Xu had died, and she had unexpectedly come back to life in the blink of an eye.

Did the heavens give her a chance?

A faint breeze blew in, accompanied by a few harsh and sharp curses.

“You bastard, come here! Come here!”

The shout hurt her eardrum, followed by the sound of several cracking whips. Her heart pounded and she hastily stuck her head out of the window to check.

The governor’s residence and the marshal’s residence were right next to each other, and this building where Yao Zhi lived was next to Shen Xu’s small courtyard.

In the courtyard below, a young man in sackcloth* was kneeling on the ground, and a simple, crude wooden wheelchair, stained with mud, lay beside him. The boy’s face was pressed against the wheel of the wheelchair, trampled by a foot in tattered embroidered shoes, and pressed firmly into the earth.

[TL/N: a very coarse, rough fabric woven from flax or hemp (From Google).]

“It’s all your fault! It’s all your fault!”

A woman in an old cheongsam*, her hair disheveled, stepped on the young man’s head with her feet. She cried and whipped the young man hard with a vine whip, looking like a madwoman.

[TL/N: A chinese traditional dress typically worn by woman, also known as qi pao]

The young man’s body shook with pain, but he did not say a word. His dark and cold eyes lifted up and stared at Yao Zhi, colliding with her eyes.

The young man clenched his teeth, and Yao Zhi could not clearly see his expression. He buried his face in the mud again and did not raise his head.

“Zhi Zhi, when I used to get beat up, the thing I hated most was that you lived next door to me.”

The young man sat in a wheelchair and said gently.

Tears streamed from her eyes. She sobbed, turned around, rushed out of bed, opened the door, and ran out.

Several servants who were passing by on the street were worried when they saw her running and stumbling.

“Miss, miss, where are you going?”

“Miss, you fell down the stairs today. Be careful, miss.”

“Aigooooo, this little ancestor!*”

[TL/N: In Asian culture, showing respect to elders and others high up in the hierarchy is highly followed. Elders often can just scold young children at will and don’t need their opinions. To use irony to call a child a ‘little ancestor’ is to complain that the child does not listen to adults and is difficult to please. This is a term that is usually only used to children they are close with and has a positive connotation.]

Yao Zhi ran to the door of the marshal’s mansion. The soldiers guarding the door all knew her. They were surprised to see her in such a mess, but they didn’t stop her and let her in directly.

After seven or eight turns, Yao Zhi finally ran into the courtyard and pushed open the door. As soon as she rushed in, the woman who had just hit him was gone. The muddy boy held onto the handrail of the wheelchair and struggled to get up.

Seeing her come in, Shen Xu tightened his grip on the handrail and lowered his head as if he didn’t see her at all.

……

‘Her hair and her clothes, why is it so messy?‘

“Shen Xu…” Yao Zhi’s fingertips gripped the corner of his cloak and called out with a cracked, wailing voice.

After a pause, Shen Xu got on the wheelchair and said in a low voice, “What’s wrong?”

Yao Zhi didn’t know what to say. She sobbed and took a candy out of her pocket. She walked over and whispered to him, “Do you want some candy…?”

Looking at her, he suddenly sneered and looked at her with his dead eyes. He said coldly, “Are you crazy?”

Humiliation and discomfort filled his heart, it would have been a matter of concern long ago, but not now, in front of her.

Yao Zhi touched his fingertips and said, “Today is my birthday.”

As she ran out, she saw the big words in front of the governor’s office – Happy 14th Birthday to Miss Yao!

Shen Xu froze for a moment, but he finally took the candy.

Little gumdrops* were her favorite. With an imperceptible tenderness on his face, Shen Xu put the candy in his pocket and kept it safe.

“Aren’t you going to eat it?”

“Don’t like to eat it.”

Shen Xu continued to answer one after another.

“Well… Okay.” Yao Zhi looked at him and knew that he was definitely not ready to eat.

“Then I’ll bring you other flavors tomorrow.” Yao Zhi thought to herself – this time she’ll give him lots and lots of sweets, so many that he can eat them all if he wants, all from her.

She really wanted to comfort the young man, but she knew that standing here with a hot head had already embarrassed him. If she continued to comfort him, it would only make him feel more uncomfortable.

“I’m leaving now. See you tomorrow.” Yao Zhi smiled, as if she had really just come to deliver a piece of candy.

The girl leaned forward slightly, her slightly disheveled hair hanging down, and a faint scent came with the wind, making his heart tremble.

It was only when she reached the door that Shen Xu lowered his eyes and said in a soft voice, “See you tomorrow.”

His ears were slightly red, and his heart was bitter and sweet.

‘Just now, her fingertips touched….’

Shen Xu’s fingers curled up slightly. He brought his fingers and touched it gently with his lips under the sunset.

‘Zhi Zhi’s…..‘

He liked her so much that he was going crazy.

[TL/N: In the last scene, it might be a little bit confusing to discern what’s actually happening. So, basically I think she touched his lips with her fingers? because I am pretty sure there is no kiss in the first chapter…lol.]

———

### Author’s statement

There is something wrong with the text. The heroine should be 14. I can’t change it now. Please pay attention Ang*.

[TL/N: I think it is kind of like ‘fighting!’ from the Korean slang.]

Reference images:

Translator:

Ahhhh…. Did this impulsive thing at around midnight and am so freaking tired… Okay! So, I just started this site on a whim and literally spent my whole evening decorating and translating this shit^^. Nevertheless, I hope my site is easy to navigate and you are able to read my translations. I welcome all feedback and notices of any mistakes, but please don’t bash the quality as this is mainly done by relying on online software (I literally know no Chinese other than baobei…) Ha… That doesn’t mean there was no effort put in this because I spent around 4-5 hours on just this chapter when I have a final tomorrow… It’s ok… I will also get to putting this novel on NU as soon as possible (I don’t know how;[), but still finishing my site comes first. Also, even your beloved translator has not read the story beyond chapter 1, so let’s embark on this journey together!!

*Another thing, should I put the reference pics in the end of the chapter as I already did or do you want me to put in right after the sentence where the word appears?