"Chirp, chirp."
"Chirp, chirp, chirp."
Accompanied by the continuous birdsong from outside the window, a new day began.
Ning Yan opened his eyes, looked around the unfamiliar room, and felt momentarily dazed.
Reflecting on his arrival in this world just yesterday, it felt like a dream; only now did Ning Yan truly accept reality.
He had genuinely transmigrated, and he would never be able to go back.
Sinking his consciousness into his mind, he saw the Ascension Bead still resting within, emitting a faint glow as if trying to comfort him.
The uneasiness in Ning Yan's heart seemed to be smoothed away.
Ning Yan stepped out of the room, came into the courtyard, and looked around.
It was a very simple, square-shaped peasant courtyard with a row of rooms on both the north and the east sides. Of the three rooms on the north side, the middle one was the living room, the one on the left was originally his parents' bedroom—now locked by Ning Yan—and the one on the right was his own room. On the east side, there were two storage rooms used to store hunting gear, some food, and miscellaneous items for Ning Dali, plus a kitchen.
The ground in the courtyard was meticulously leveled. Against the western wall, a small vegetable plot had been cultivated, and an old water well stood in the middle. The courtyard was enclosed by a wall over a meter high, topped with a bamboo fence. As the weather warmed up, the wisteria and green ivy entwined along the bamboo fence were beginning to turn green again.
Looking at everything in the courtyard, memories of the original owner's life surfaced in Ning Yan's mind, feeling as vivid as if he had experienced them himself, and the corners of his eyes involuntarily grew damp.
Did he really transmigrate only when the original owner lost his life by the river?
Just as Ning Yan's mind was wandering, the Ascension Bead in his mind flickered with a faint light, conveying an image and a message.
A familiar courtyard, a pregnant woman about to give birth; a glimmer of light suddenly appeared in the sky, plunging straight into the pregnant woman's arms inside the house, followed by the cry of a newborn baby from within.
The infant's mind could not bear adult thoughts and consciousness, falling into a deep slumber until, when its life was in danger and about to fade away, it broke through the veil of the womb and awakened the memories of its past life.
Therefore, both past and present lives belonged to one and the same Ning Yan.
Ning Yan stood motionlessly in the courtyard for a long time, his thoughts drifting far away, until a knock at the door broke the silence.
"Brother Xiaoyan, Brother Xiaoyan, open the door! I brought you your favorite braised pork trotters with kidney beans," rang a girl's voice, crisp as a silver bell.
It was Shuangshuang. The image of a delicate young girl with twin ponytails emerged in Ning Yan's mind.
Lu Shuangshuang, daughter of Lu Fang, was one of the first two people Ning Yan saw after regaining consciousness yesterday. She had followed behind Ning Yan to play since they were little, making her his childhood sweetheart.
When Ning Yan's parents were still alive, they had joked with Uncle Lu Fang that they wanted Lu Shuangshuang to be their daughter-in-law. Because of this casual remark, Lu Shuangshuang had developed different feelings for Ning Yan ever since, often bringing good food from home to give him, acting just like a devoted little wife.
However, the former Ning Yan had always treated Lu Shuangshuang as a younger sister, as his heart seemed to belong elsewhere.
Lu Fang was the apothecary and private school tutor of Ning Family Village. Lu Fang and his daughter had arrived in Ning Family Village thirteen years ago. Ning Yan had once heard his father mention that Lu Fang was originally a scholar who was supposed to take up an official post in the county seat, but due to certain events, the village chief had invited him to settle in Ning Family Village. From then on, the village gained a schoolteacher, and Ning Yan had spent a few years studying characters under him.
Because he was a physician, aside from herbs gathered from the mountains, he frequently needed to purchase uncommon medicinal ingredients from the town and the county seat. Yesterday, he had gone to the county with the village's trading caravan to buy medicine, and on the return journey, he happened to encounter Ning Yan falling into the water. It was also due to Ning Yan's fate that his life was not meant to end there, for at ordinary times very few people ever frequented that stretch of the Qingshui River.
As he recalled all this, Ning Yan walked over to open the door.As the door swung open, a lovely young girl with double ponytails stood gracefully on the threshold. Her dark, clear eyes beneath arched, willow-leaf eyebrows blinked through long lashes, and she carried an exquisite bamboo basket over her arm.
Yesterday, having just transmigrated, his memories from past and present had yet to merge. Fearing that others might notice something amiss, he had kept his head lowered the entire time he faced Lu Fang’s only daughter.
Now, looking closely at the girl before him, he felt the refreshing breeze of her youth wash over him, lifting his spirits as if he had been transported back to the carefree days of his own fourteenth or fifteenth year.
"Am I not a fifteen-year-old youth right now? It seems my mindset hasn't quite shifted away from that of a middle-aged uncle battered countless times by life." In a mere instant, Ning Yan’s mindset shifted.
"Brother Xiaoyan, Brother Xiaoyan, are you feeling better? I boiled your favorite pork trotter and kidney bean soup, and I even added the golden rattan flowers and old mountain ginseng that my dad keeps treasured away. I didn't sneak these this time, honestly—Dad’s the one who gave them to me to put in!" Seeing Ning Yan, Lu Shuangshuang’s eyes curved into crescent moons as she spoke to him with excitement.
"I’m all recovered. Thank you for caring, Shuangshuang, and be sure to thank Uncle Lu for me later." Ning Yan led Lu Shuangshuang into the courtyard and brought out two sets of bowls and chopsticks from the kitchen.
"I’m just glad you’re alright, Brother Xiaoyan. I actually wanted to stay a bit longer last night to look after you, but my dad dragged me away." Lu Shuangshuang poured the soup into the bowls and took two flaky pastries out of the bamboo basket.
"Eat up, Brother Xiaoyan, have some more trotter to build up your strength." Lu Shuangshuang scooped all the pork trotters into Ning Yan's bowl.
Ever since Ning Yan's parents passed away, Lu Shuangshuang had worried that he wouldn't be able to take care of himself, so every few days she would bring food from home and eat with him.
The trotter soup tasted delicious and was cooked until extremely tender. Shuangshuang must have started preparing it the moment she went home yesterday.
Looking into the bright eyes of the young girl before him, Ning Yan felt that the original Ning Yan had been quite a scoundrel—on one hand accepting all of Lu Shuangshuang's devotion, while on the other claiming he always regarded her as a younger sister, all because he harbored feelings for someone else in his heart.
This world was very much like ancient times. If they did not practice martial arts, ordinary men were considered adults at sixteen, after which they could marry and start a family. Girls matured earlier, reaching adulthood at fifteen. Those who practiced martial arts married somewhat later, typically not until they had achieved initiation into the Martial Way.
Lu Shuangshuang had already turned fifteen this year and had long since blossomed into a graceful young woman. Years ago, matchmakers from all around within a radius of ten miles had already begun coming to propose marriage for her, and it was only because she kept putting them off under the pretext of practicing martial arts that she had been spared a great deal of the disturbance. But the fundamental reason was simply that her heart belonged to Ning Yan.
After all, he was a transmigrator. Even though his consciousness had lain dormant right after crossing over, he was still far more mature than his peers. Without realizing it, he had won the heart of this young girl, who had resolved never to marry anyone else.
As for taking a wife and having children, Ning Yan had long yearned for it with utmost anticipation. Yet, after all, Ning Yan’s perceptions were still dominated by the memories of his past life; everything in this present life was only just beginning for him.
"Shuangshuang, you're really wonderful." Ning Yan looked at the young woman before him, struggling for a long moment before finally squeezing out those words.
Hearing Ning Yan's words, a shy blush bloomed across Lu Shuangshuang’s cheeks.
There are truly few sincere words in this world, and a woman’s blush surpasses any lengthy dialogue. That bashful flush of red seemed almost impossible to find on the faces of women back in the decadent era of his past life.
With those words spoken, the two of them quietly lowered their heads to eat, not daring to meet each other's gaze, as an inexplicable atmosphere rose between them.