Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Confessing Her Identity Li Wanqing watched the people by the bed argue over who would take the beating and who would protect her, and she let out a soft laugh. Just then, Zhao Lan came in carrying a bowl of rice porridge. She happened to see the smile on Li Wanqing’s face. It was not the silly, bewildered smile from before, but a smile carrying a touch of relief and a hint of pity. She hurried over and set the bowl on the bedside cabinet. Grabbing Li Wanqing by the arm, she asked anxiously, “Qingqing, look into Mother’s eyes. Are you better? Are you no longer foolish?” Li Wanqing smiled at Zhao Lan. “Mother, I’m better. I’m not foolish anymore.” Zhao Lan stared straight into Li Wanqing’s eyes. They were no longer silly and vacant, filled with confusion as though they were empty. Instead, they were clear and bright, like eyes filled with stars. They were so beautiful! But why did her heart hurt so much? It was as though something had been lost—something she would never be able to find again. She hugged Li Wanqing and cried like a child. “Mother’s Qingqing…” Li Wanqing gently patted her back. “Mother, Qingqing is here. I’ll always be here.” When the two little ones saw their mother crying, they were so frightened that each of them hugged one of her legs. “Mother, don’t cry. We’re both here.” Zhao Lan released Li Wanqing and sat down beside the bed, reaching out to draw the two little ones into her arms. “Mother won’t cry. You’re all Mother’s precious treasures.” Li Wanqing looked at them, her nose turning a little sore, but she did not cry. She was not the original owner, after all, and did not have such deep feelings for them. She thought that perhaps the original owner had been her previous life. She had seen the original owner’s appearance in her memories, and it was the same as hers when she was little, only somewhat more frail. Her mother in the modern world also looked a little like Zhao Lan. Perhaps this was fate! Zhao Lan picked up the porridge from the bedside cabinet. “You haven’t eaten anything since you woke up. Have some porridge first.” Li Wanqing held the bowl and drank a few mouthfuls before handing it to Zhao Lan. “Mother, you and my younger siblings have some. I don’t have much of an appetite and can’t drink very much.” Her body still had a slight fever, and she had no appetite. Li Wanlian hurriedly waved her hands. “Second Sister, you drink it. This porridge was cooked with white rice, and it smells so good. We’ve already eaten, so we aren’t hungry.” As she spoke, she unconsciously swallowed. Zhao Lan handed the bowl back. “Drink a little more. We’ve all eaten. You need to drink more to regain your strength.” Li Wanqing pushed the bowl back. “Mother, I really don’t have an appetite. You two drink it. Don’t let it go to waste.” Seeing that Li Wanqing truly did not want any more, Zhao Lan handed it to the two little ones. “You two drink the porridge. I’ll go bring back the rest.” The two little ones carefully took the bowl and divided the porridge between them, drinking it all. Zhao Lan took the bowl and went out to bring back the rest of the porridge. Li Qinghe looked at Li Wanqing curiously. “Second Sister, are you really better? Then do you know what our names are?” Li Wanqing smiled and nodded. “Mm! Of course I do. Your name is Li Qinghe, and your younger sister is Li Wanlian. You’re both five years old this year, right?” Li Wanlian said with a smile, “Second Sister is amazing! That’s right, all of it is right.” Afterward, the two little ones both giggled. Zhao Lan brought in a clay pot filled with porridge and placed it on the bedside cabinet. She sat down beside the bed and took Li Wanqing’s hand. “Wanqing, from now on, Mother will call you Wanqing. You only had the intelligence of a three-year-old before, so Mother called you Qingqing. Now that you’re better, Mother will call you Wanqing.” As if afraid Li Wanqing might feel uncomfortable, she added an explanation. “I also call your younger sister Wanlian or Xiaolian.” Li Wanqing smiled. “Mother, it’s fine. Wanqing is a good name.” Seeing no anger or sadness on Li Wanqing’s face, Zhao Lan nodded and asked, “Wanqing, how did you suddenly get better?” Li Wanqing put away her smile and spoke seriously. “What I’m about to say may frighten you, so don’t be afraid. “After I fell into the river, my soul went to the underworld. King Yama said that I wasn’t supposed to die.” Zhao Lan sucked in a sharp breath when she heard this. Li Wanlian moved closer to Zhao Lan in fright. “Mother, I’m scared!” Li Qinghe’s face went pale as he reached out and hugged Li Wanlian. “Don’t be afraid, Sister. Third Brother will protect you.” Zhao Lan forced herself to remain calm, drew the two children into her arms, and gently patted them. “Don’t be afraid. Mother is here! Wanqing, go on.” Li Wanqing nodded. “King Yama saw me and said…” She paused, then lowered her voice before speaking again. “‘The reason you were foolish is because your soul was incomplete. You only had one soul, while the other two had gone to another world, which was why you were mentally disabled. “‘Your other two souls went to another world. Once they completed their trials, they returned, and you recovered. “‘Your allotted lifespan has not yet ended, so I am sending you back.’ “After that, he waved his hand, and I woke up.” Li Wanlian widened her eyes, her small mouth hanging open. “Second Sister, were you scared when you went to the underworld and saw King Yama? Was the underworld full of ghosts?” Li Wanqing smiled. “King Yama is like a high-ranking official here. There was nothing to fear. I didn’t see any other little ghosts.” She had never actually been to the underworld, so how could she have seen any little ghosts? Li Qinghe asked curiously, “Then what was the other world like? Do you still remember, Second Sister?” Li Wanqing nodded. “I remember. King Yama said it was my reward for completing the trial. Many people in that world had special abilities, and I had one too.” Taking advantage of this opportunity, she told them about her spatial ability. There were many things in her space that she had collected from the supermarket warehouse at the time—rice, flour, cooking oil, and snacks. Although much of it had been eaten before, quite a lot still remained. When she had first woken up, she had checked. There were still four or five hundred kilograms of rice and flour, four or five barrels of oil, and quite a few daily necessities and clothes. However, many of those things would be difficult to take out and use in this era. The food, though, could be taken out. She could use it to nourish the family later. Li Wanlian asked in amazement, “Then what is your special ability, Second Sister?” Li Wanqing gave a mysterious smile. “Don’t blink! Watch closely…” With a wave of her hand, three packages of bread appeared on the bed. The two little ones both let out a “Wow!” Li Qinghe asked in astonishment, “Second Sister, is this an immortal technique? What are these? Did you make them appear?” Li Wanqing pointed at the bread on the bed and explained, “This is bread. You can eat it. Try some—it’s delicious.” Zhao Lan immediately stood up and ran to close the door. When she returned, she lowered her voice and instructed them, “Wanqing, you must never use this ability in front of other people again. And you mustn’t tell anyone about it.” She turned to the two little ones and said sternly, “You must keep it secret too. You can’t tell anyone, even if someone threatens your lives. Do you understand?” The two little ones were frightened by their mother’s serious expression and hurriedly promised, “Mother, we won’t tell. We won’t tell anyone.” Li Wanqing immediately assured her, “Mother, don’t worry. I won’t use it in front of outsiders again.” After a pause, she continued, “This isn’t an immortal technique. I just have a little house that I carry with me, where I can store things. The things inside are food and supplies from another world. I can store and retrieve them at will, but once they’re used up, they’re gone.” As she finished speaking, she put the bread away and then brought it out again. The others watched in amazement. Li Wanqing tore open the bread wrappers and handed the bread to them. “Try it. It’s delicious.” The two little ones glanced at their mother. Only after seeing her nod did they reach out to take the bread. They carefully bit into it, then cried out in surprise. “Wow! It’s so delicious! It’s sweet. I’ve never eaten anything this tasty before!” Li Wanqing handed a piece to Zhao Lan. “Mother, you try some too.” Zhao Lan took it and bit into it. “It really is delicious. It’s even better than the pastries sold in town.” With a smile, Li Wanqing put the wrappers into her storage space. She would burn them if she got the chance later. Zhao Lan took another bite before putting the bread away. “Mother will just have one bite. The rest is for your Big Brother.” Li Wanqing smiled. “Mother, eat it. I’ll give Big Brother another piece later. I still have more.”