Chapter 1: Sweet Potato Rice

 

The first person to notice that something was off with Xu Guoguo was none other than her grandmother.

Old Madam Xu was the eldest member of the Xu family and the pillar that held the household together. Though her age kept her mostly confined to bed, her cloudy eyes still gleamed with sharpness and authority. Just one look from her could make your heart skip a beat. No matter what lie you tried to tell, under her gaze, it would unravel in seconds.

Today was no different. Old Madam Xu sat there, watching this “returned from the dead” granddaughter, and asked a string of questions. Xu Guoguo answered them one by one.

As it turned out, five days ago, the youngest member of the Xu family, Xu Guoguo, had accidentally fallen off a cliff while gathering herbs in the mountains. She hit her head hard, so badly that her skull cracked open. By the time she was found and brought home, she was already barely hanging on. Her mother had wailed on the spot and rushed to call the best doctor in the county. After checking her condition, the doctor had only shaken his head and said there was nothing more he could do and it was up to fate now.

The Xu family was large. Old Madam Xu had two sons and a daughter. Her eldest son, Xu Jianshu, was Guoguo’s father. He’d married Qiu Zhen, a woman from Qianshu Village, and had three children: the eldest, Xu Dejiang; the second son, Xu Dehai; and the youngest, their daughter, Xu Guoguo.

Though the family had many members, their luck was awful. Two years ago, when the court conscripted soldiers for war, Xu Jianshu was sent to the frontlines and hadn’t been heard from since. That left Xu Guoguo’s mother raising three children all by herself. Life had been extremely tough. This harsh upbringing had made the original Xu Guoguo a timid and fearful girl. The day she went up the mountain, she got separated from her companions and panicked so badly that she ran blindly and fell off the cliff.

It was at that moment that the current Xu Guoguo “crossed over.”

When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a shabby, ancient-looking room with crumbling walls. A woman—her supposed mother—was weeping beside her. The moment she saw her daughter awake, she bolted out of the room, yelling for the others. In the midst of all the chaos and noise, Xu Guoguo slowly began to understand her new reality.

She should’ve been dead herself. The last thing she remembered was a blinding surgical light and doctors in white coats surrounding her. The beeping of the heart monitor had turned into a long, piercing tone, and the doctors had stopped their efforts to save her. They shook their heads in regret. Xu Guoguo hadn’t even had time to reflect on her lonely life before her soul landed here—in a version of Bianjing that resembled the Song Dynasty.

After a few days of observation, she realized this wasn’t exactly the Bianjing from history. It was similar, but not quite the same. Still, there was no point in dwelling on it. The truth was, she had ended up in a completely unfamiliar world, surrounded by unfamiliar people.

The Xu family’s main household now consisted of six people. Ideally, with her two sons grown and starting their own lives, things shouldn’t have been so hard for Mother Xu. But the eldest son, Dejiang, had also been conscripted into the army and wasn’t home. The second son, Dehai, had gambled away the family’s land two years ago. His wife, furious, had returned to her maiden family and refused to come back, leaving behind their two children: Huniu and Hudan.

Mother Xu was a frail woman, and Old Madam Xu was old and sickly. The result? A six-member household that was dead broke, worrying about where their next meal would come from.

Xu Guoguo sighed.

Before she could even figure out how to survive in this new life, Old Madam Xu had already sensed something was wrong.

According to the doctor, with that much blood loss, her recovery without divine intervention was impossible. Yet here she was, fully awake and walking after just four days in bed.

How could Old Madam Xu not be suspicious? What Xu Guoguo didn’t know was that there was another crucial reason the old woman was watching her so closely: her mother was a passive, indecisive woman. When Xu Guoguo had nearly stopped breathing that first night, it was Old Madam Xu who had taken matters into her own hands, using an old superstitious method—calling the soul back. That’s how this Xu Guoguo had come into the body.

Now, she stared sharply at the girl in front of her and said, “You’re not my granddaughter. Who are you?”

Xu Guoguo froze and looked up.

Was she exposed already?

That couldn’t be. She hadn’t even spoken much to the others. She was still trying to digest the original owner’s memories, which had been flooding her brain since she arrived. She’d spent most of her time lying in bed, but this old woman…

Old Madam Xu didn’t miss a single twitch of her expression. Seeing how calm and composed she was, even thoughtful, the old woman sighed. “Enough… I already know the truth. You’re not her. She would never look at me like that.”

Xu Guoguo realized there was no point in pretending. “How could you tell? I didn’t even speak.”

“She was timid. When I questioned her, she never dared look me in the eye. You, on the other hand, are steady and thinking about how to respond. You… are not her.”

Xu Guoguo nodded. “I see.”

Tears welled up in the old woman’s eyes. “So… my granddaughter… Is she really gone?”

Xu Guoguo didn’t want to hurt the old woman, but she seemed wise enough to deserve the truth. So she gave a small nod. “Yes.”

Tears rolled silently down Old Madam Xu’s cheeks. “And you? Where are you from?”

“I should’ve died too. Somehow, I ended up here by accident.”

The old woman nodded slowly. “So that’s how it is…”

She was about to ask something else when the door burst open.

“Nannan! Eat some egg! Mother steamed an egg for you!”

As soon as she saw her daughter, Mother Xu beamed, completely unaware of the conversation that had just taken place. Xu Guoguo’s nickname, Nannan, was a local endearment meaning “precious little girl,” clearly showing how much she had been loved.

“Thank you…” Xu Guoguo replied politely. Seeing the expectant look in her mother’s eyes, she added softly, “Mother…”

Her mother’s eyes lit up with joy. Old Madam Xu cast her a deep look.

The steamed egg was tiny, clearly made from just one egg, beaten very evenly and mixed with just the right amount of water. Even the smallest bowl was only half full. There was no real need to steam it; boiling it would’ve been easier. But Mother Xu had gone to the trouble anyway. There could only be one reason: the original Guoguo loved steamed egg. And given their poverty, there wasn’t enough for a second egg.

Xu Guoguo didn’t reject the heartfelt gesture. She finished it in just a few bites.

Her mother was overjoyed. “Do you want anything else, Nannan? Mother will make it for you!”

Xu Guoguo smiled and shook her head. “No, Mother. Just some hot water, please.”

“Of course!”

Her mother rushed off. Alone again with Old Madam Xu, Xu Guoguo said sincerely, “Granny, I wasn’t a bad person in my past life. I didn’t mean to take over your granddaughter’s body—it just happened. Since I’m here now, I’ll do my best to help this family. All I ask is that you help me keep this secret for now.”

The old woman looked at her for a long while and finally gave a helpless nod. What else could she do? She had been the one who called the soul back; if she hadn’t meddled, the girl would’ve passed on peacefully.

Their deal was sealed. No more would be said about it.

Mother Xu quickly returned with hot water. After Xu Guoguo drank it, she lay back down to rest. The two older women tucked her in and reminded her to sleep well before stepping outside.

“Do we still have any money left?” Old Madam Xu asked softly. “What about dinner?”

Mother Xu looked troubled. “Mother… we still have some sweet potato rice from yesterday. I’ll go pick some greens from the field and make a soup.”

“There’s not much cabbage left in the field, and winter’s coming. The storage cellar is emptier than my face. We need to think of something.”

Mother Xu hesitated. “Understood, Mother…”

“And where’s Dehai? Off being useless again? Tell him to come see me when he gets back.”

She meant Xu Dehai. Mother Xu had long given up on her disappointing son. But a mother’s love is hard to erase. Her attempts to discipline him had always been mild. In the whole house, only Old Madam Xu could still keep him in line.

While the two talked outside, Xu Guoguo had figured out the household’s situation. In short, they were dirt poor. The only adult male, Dehai, was unreliable. The family’s income came mostly from Mother Xu doing laundry for others and selling eggs, while Old Madam Xu embroidered insoles for a bit of extra money.

Xu Guoguo suddenly thought of the bowl of steamed egg. In this home, it was a luxury carved from between clenched teeth. Her mother truly doted on her. Unfortunately, the woman didn’t know that her daughter was already gone.

Later, her mother returned. “Nannan, what would you like for dinner?”

Looking at this unfamiliar mother, Xu Guoguo felt a pang of emotion. “Anything’s fine, Mother. Whatever you’re making, I’ll eat.”

Her mother blinked, then smiled. “I’ll stir-fry some cabbage. You always loved tender baby greens.”

Xu Guoguo nodded. Stir-fried cabbage—it was just a common dish in her old world. What she didn’t realize was that in this household, even cooking oil had to be rationed. Normally, they just made plain soup with the greens. Her mother only chose to stir-fry today because she was worried about her.

Dinner was a bowl of sweet potato rice and a tiny dish of stir-fried vegetables.

With Dejiang away, the family sat around the table—three women and two children. Her mother kept piling vegetables into Guoguo’s bowl, but as Guoguo looked at the large bowl of sweet potato rice, her emotions were hard to describe.

In her past life, sweet potato was trendy. It could be baked, steamed, mashed, dried… It was a health food in high-end restaurants. But now, this tasty ingredient was almost unbearable to swallow. With barely any flavor, the dry sweet potato and coarse rice scratched her throat going down.

And no—this wasn’t her being dramatic.

As for the stir-fried greens, they had barely any oil. It was more like the greens had been tossed in a hot pan and taken out immediately.

She grabbed the tea mug beside her and drank several gulps of water before glancing around at the family.

The youngest, Huniu, looked to be only three or four years old. She was eating this same coarse meal—skinny, yellow-faced, and pitiful.

Xu Guoguo sighed and pushed her vegetables toward Huniu and Hudan. “I’m not very hungry. Let the children eat more.”

 

Cultural Notes:

• Calling the Soul: A traditional Chinese ritual performed when someone is unconscious or near death, believed to call the soul back to the body. It involves shouting the person’s name and calling them to return home.
• Nannan: A Southern Chinese affectionate nickname for daughters, meaning “little girl” or “darling daughter.”