Chapter 1

Chapter 1: My Reborn Younger Sister Steals My Marriage “I don’t want to! I don’t, I don’t, I absolutely don’t!” Su Wan had just stepped into the courtyard with a basket on her back when she heard her younger sister Su Xue’s tearful cries coming from the west room. She took the basket off her shoulder, tipped its contents onto the ground, and sorted them into what could be eaten, dried, or fed to the pigs. Su Xue was still crying inside the west room. “Mother, you’re trying to force me to my death! What’s so good about Huo Shian? He’s a soldier, rough-handed and with no idea how to cherish a wife. He might suddenly die one day, for all I know. I’m not marrying him.” Huo Shian? At the sound of that name, Su Wan’s eyes shifted slightly. The Huo family was one of the wealthiest households in the surrounding villages. They had a large blue-brick house with a tiled roof, plenty of farmland, and even a cow. Every unmarried girl in the village wanted to marry Huo Shian. In her previous life, Su Xue had married into the Huo family. Unfortunately, not long after the wedding, something had happened to Huo Shian. She had no children and was left a widow. After she returned to her parents’ home, the villagers whispered behind her back that she was a jinx who had brought about her husband’s death. No one came to propose marriage to her after that. Su Wan, meanwhile, had married Xu Xiuzhi from Xu Family Village. Back then, the Xu family had been so poor they could barely scrape together a living. Xu Xiuzhi, however, was good at studying. He went on to earn the rank of Tanhua—the third-place finisher in the palace examination—moved to the capital, and eventually rose to become Vice Minister of War. Su Wan, in turn, received an honorary title by imperial decree and enjoyed considerable prestige. Everyone said Xu Xiuzhi was devoted, keeping no other women by his side and remaining faithful to Su Wan alone. Naturally, Su Xue had been jealous. So after being reborn, the first thing she did was make a fuss about refusing to marry Huo Shian. The second thing would presumably be to steal Xu Xiuzhi. The corners of Su Wan’s lips curved slightly. Go ahead and steal him. She didn’t want that man. In public, Xu Xiuzhi was refined and gentle, but behind closed doors, he was cruel and vicious. He would hit her and deliberately torment her in ways outsiders would never see. The Su Wan in the original story had endured her entire life in that seemingly glorious residence. That supposed imperial honor and that supposed devotion were nothing but a veil over the shame, bought with her blood and flesh. She had transmigrated here at the age of ten. In the world she had originally lived in, might made right, and everyone could awaken a spirit body at the age of twelve. Her spirit body took the form of a lotus and had followed her here. Although it could no longer grow stronger, she was already content. All these years, she had hidden her abilities and behaved no differently from the village girls, while her lotus breath had gradually nourished her body into excellent health. She had no interest in momentary acclaim, and she would never follow the same path as the original Su Wan. Su Wan patted the bits of grass from her skirt and entered the kitchen. She lifted the lid of the pot and saw that the rice inside had already come to a boil. She went to the stove, skillfully smothered the fire, and took out the steamed vegetables. The crying from the west room had quieted considerably. Figuring it was about time, she called out, “Mother, breakfast is ready.” Madam Su’s irritated voice immediately came from next door. “Take your father’s and eldest brother’s meals to the edge of the fields. They’re irrigating the crops today and don’t have time to come back to eat.” Before her voice had even faded, Madam Su had already arrived at the kitchen door. She looked upset, her brows drawn together. Clearly, Su Xue’s tantrum had worn on her nerves. “All right.” Su Wan took five bowls from the cupboard, filling three with porridge, one with coarse-grain steamed buns, and one with steamed vegetables. Her movements were brisk but unhurried. Seeing her like this, Madam Su felt somewhat better. “You’re still the sensible one.” Su Wan looked up and smiled. “Xiaoxue is still young.” “She’s already sixteen. How is that young?” At those words, Madam Su’s anger flared again. “What a wonderful marriage proposal! The Huo family has plenty of food and clothing, and Huo Shian is steady and ambitious. He’s already a xiaoqi, a junior military officer. If Shian’s mother hadn’t taken a liking to your sister, our family wouldn’t even have been able to reach for such a match. Yet she insists on calling him a common soldier and refuses to marry him no matter what. She even says she wants to find a scholar.” Madam Su angrily slapped the doorframe. “Would a family of scholars even consider people like us? A person has to keep their feet on the ground instead of dreaming all day.” Su Wan lowered her eyes and placed the bowls of porridge into a basket. “Mother is right.” She was just about to leave when the door to the west room creaked open. Su Xue walked out immediately afterward, her eyes red, her hair slightly disheveled, and tears still streaking her face. The moment she saw Su Wan, her expression changed. Her gaze held resentment, hatred, and undisguised calculation. Su Wan pretended not to notice and continued walking out with the basket. Su Xue suddenly spoke. “Sister.” Su Wan stopped. “What is it?” Su Xue bit her lip, and tears fell again. “Sister, Mother says everything about the Huo family is wonderful. Do you think so too?” Madam Su immediately glared at her. “Su Xue, what are you trying to stir up now?” Su Xue ignored her and stared only at Su Wan, as though she had to force an answer from her mouth. Su Wan’s expression remained calm. “Whether the Huo family is good or not, you’ll have to decide for yourself. You’re the one getting married, and you’re the one who’ll live that life.” Su Xue’s eyes grew even redder. “What if it were you instead?” The courtyard suddenly fell silent. Madam Su’s expression changed. “Su Xue, what nonsense are you spouting? This marriage proposal is for you. Why are you dragging your sister into it?” Su Xue clutched at her sleeve, her voice thick with tears. “Didn’t Mother say the Huo family was so wonderful? Elder Sister is more sensible than I am, and she’s better at managing a household too.” She raised her head and looked at her mother. “If it’s such a good marriage, the Huo family will only be more satisfied if Elder Sister marries into it.” Su Wan quietly watched her. Just as she thought. Su Xue wanted to push the Huo family onto her, then go after Xu Xiuzhi. Madam Su did not immediately scold her. She looked at her calm and capable elder daughter, then at her younger daughter, who was sobbing so hard she could barely catch her breath. Her gaze gradually changed. You could search every nearby village with a lantern and still struggle to find a wealthy family like the Huos. If this marriage fell through, she would feel the loss for more than half a year, waking up at night sick with regret. But a marriage joined two families in goodwill; it was not meant to create a grudge. Her younger daughter, Su Xue, was strong-willed. Now she was crying, making a scene, and threatening to die. If she were truly pushed too far and something happened, that would be disastrous. If it were her eldest daughter instead, it wasn’t impossible. Her eldest daughter was among the finest young women in the nearby villages. She was diligent, mild-tempered, and good at everything inside and outside the home. Most importantly, she was pretty and fresh-faced. It wasn’t as if matchmakers hadn’t come to propose over the past two years, but Madam Su had been so poor that the thought of poverty frightened her. She had always wanted to marry her daughter into a well-off family, so she had held back from agreeing to any of them. The Huo family’s circumstances were excellent. The more Madam Su thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. As the idea took shape in her mind, the deep creases between her brows suddenly smoothed out. Standing to one side, Su Wan kept her eyelids lowered halfway, seeing straight through Madam Su’s thoughts. Su Xue did not want to marry, while the family was unwilling to give up the Huo family match. In the end, the marriage would certainly fall to her. Sure enough, Madam Su rubbed her hands together, her tone much gentler than before. “Xiaowan, what do you think?” Su Xue bit her lip, tears still clinging to her face. She stared at Su Wan, a sense of urgency hidden deep in her eyes. Reader's Notes: 1. Tanhua: Tanhua is the title awarded to the scholar who ranks third in the palace examination, the final stage of the traditional Chinese imperial civil-service examinations. It is a prestigious academic distinction, not the first-place rank. 2. Imperial Honorary Title: In imperial China, the wife or mother of a high-ranking official could receive an honorary title by imperial decree. Such a title conveyed social prestige but did not make her a member of the imperial family. 3. A Jinx to Her Husband: The villagers' accusation reflects a traditional superstition that a woman could bring misfortune or early death to her husband. This is a prejudiced belief used to stigmatize the widow, not a proven cause of his death. 4. Rebirth and Transmigration: In Chinese web fiction, rebirth usually means living again with knowledge of an earlier life, while transmigration means arriving in a different world or identity. Su Xue's rebirth and Su Wan's transmigration are distinct events. 5. Spirit Body and Lotus Breath: In this novel's fictional supernatural setting, a spirit body is an ability or manifestation that can awaken in a person. Su Wan's takes the form of a lotus, and its lotus breath has a nourishing effect; its full rules have not yet been explained. 6. Xiaoqi: Xiaoqi is a junior military rank, associated historically with command of a small unit. The chapter does not establish the exact dynasty or military organization, so no more specific rank equivalence is assumed. 7. Xiaoxue and Xiaowan: Xiao, meaning "little," can be attached to part of a given name as a familiar or affectionate form of address. Xiaoxue refers to Su Xue, and Xiaowan refers to Su Wan; they are not additional characters. 8. Marriage Matchmaking: Marriage proposals in traditional Chinese settings were often negotiated between families, with household resources and status carrying considerable weight. The family's discussion of who should marry Huo Shian reflects this practice