"It hurts!" Li Xue exerted every ounce of her strength, the excruciating agony making her want to black out. The heart-wrenching pain left her body devoid of strength.
"Madam, push! You mustn't faint again! Madam, push!" Noisy shouts rang in her ears, accompanied by waves of pain from her arms. *Heavens, what on earth is happening? This is killing me!* After an eternity, a sudden lightness in her abdomen signaled the end. As the pain finally receded, Li Xue collapsed into unconsciousness, though she thought she heard the faint cry of a child before she slipped away.
On a narrow mountain path, a pale and handsome young gentleman lay motionless. A girl of fifteen or sixteen ran toward him. Seeing he could still be saved, she hurried down the mountain and found several villagers to carry him back. The scene shifted: a red bridal veil, a new bride’s face radiant with happiness. The veil was lifted, revealing the groom. His pale face was now tinged with a slight flush, making him look even more dashing. The scene shifted again: a man in green robes looked at the young woman with a complex, lingering gaze. He glanced at her slightly protruding belly and took a deep breath. "Wife, if I have not returned by the time the child is born, go to the bedroom and open the hidden compartment in the bedframe. Remember this well!" He turned away, his fists clenched tight, and departed with grim determination.
"Husband! Husband! You must come back! You must!" The young woman’s tears flowed uncontrollably. Her heart ached; she felt as though this departure meant they would never meet again.
"Ah!" Li Xue woke up, cold sweat beading on her forehead from the unbearable heartache.
"Madam, are you awake?" A woman approached the bedside and pulled back the bed curtains. Seeing Li Xue drenched in sweat, she hurried to fetch a warm cloth to wipe her brow. "Madam is still weak. I have prepared some red date porridge; please have a little." Li Xue felt famished and utterly drained. She instinctively opened her mouth to accept the porridge the woman fed her. After eating, she lay back down, her thoughts in a whirl. The woman looked at the dazed Li Xue and sighed inwardly. She walked over to a small cot, picked up the infant, and brought him to Li Xue’s side. "Madam, look at how handsome the young master is. He doesn't cry or fuss; he's such a good baby."
Li Xue turned her head blankly. Indeed, a lovely little thing lay there with his eyes closed. Suddenly, a soft spot in her heart was touched. Feeling a profound connection to the child, she couldn't help but reach out to take him. The woman was overjoyed, her voice nearly choking with emotion. "Madam, you’ve finally come back to us. You gave me such a fright." She went on to ramble about how, ever since the master left, the Madam had spent every day in tears, her body growing weaker by the day. She had even fainted during labor and nearly stopped breathing. It was a miracle the young master was born safely, but seeing the Madam wake up so unresponsive had terrified her.
Li Xue looked at the child in her arms, her mind growing more confused. *What is going on?* Her head was still a mess. Seeing Li Xue’s complexion pale further, the woman realized she hadn't recovered yet. She took the child away to find a wet nurse, settled Li Xue back to sleep, and then left the room.
As she slept, fragments of dreams continued to surface. By the time Li Xue woke for the second time, she finally understood the situation. *I’ve actually joined the ranks of transmigrators. The miserable part is that I crossed over just to give birth for the original owner. Giving birth... what a life-threatening ordeal!* Li Xue stared speechlessly at the top of the bed canopy, cursing both Fate and the original owner a thousand times in her heart. That original owner, Xia Xiaoqing—just because her man didn't make it back before the birth, did she really have to drive herself to death? That was far too unfair to the child in her womb, and certainly unfair to the soul who had taken over her body. And that man, Li Ran—how irresponsible! What could be so important that he had to abandon his wife and child? Men really are unreliable, whether in ancient or modern times. Looking at the incredibly well-behaved infant beside her, she mentally cursed Li Ran and Xia Xiaoqing’s ancestors for ten generations.
The following days were spent in postpartum confinement. Fortunately, it was autumn; had it been summer, Li Xue surely would have stifled to death. Strangely enough, after taking the tonics prescribed by the physician, her body recovered rapidly. The infant was also in excellent health. He only cried when he was hungry or needed a change; otherwise, he was quiet and well-behaved, especially when held by Li Xue. Sometimes, she wondered if he was a transmigrator too—she was a soul-transmigrator, while her son was an infant-transmigrator. Every time the thought occurred, she felt embarrassed by her own imagination. Surely such a coincidence was impossible.
From her memories, she learned that this was a border village in the Kingdom of You called Xishan Village, near Shanyuan Town. The villagers there mostly made their living by hunting. The original owner, Xia Xiaoqing, was an orphan whose parents had died young. She had married Li Ran after saving his life. Although Li Ran looked like a sickly scholar, he possessed extraordinary skills. Every time he went into the mountains, he returned with a great haul. He had even taken down large bears several times, selling them for a handsome price.
Over two years, their life had gradually become prosperous. They built a double-courtyard residence and even hired Liu Sao’s family as help. Liu Sao took care of their daily needs, while her husband, Liu Dashan, served as a gatekeeper and guard. Life had been good. Unfortunately, six months ago, Li Ran had left on a long journey for reasons unknown. Xia Xiaoqing had spent every day washing her face with tears, ruining her once-healthy constitution until she couldn't even survive childbirth. *Love truly is a ruinous thing,* Li Xue lamented.
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Ascended Without Me: Cultivating with a Genius Son | Chapter 1 | A Painful New Beginning | Novela.app | Novela.app
