Allure of a Country Maiden

The cries of the baby, the intermittent sobbing sounds, and the harsh swearing voices mixed together chaotically as in a bustling market. Shen Xiaoxiao was disturbed by the noise, her ears buzzing and her head aching. She struggled to open her eyes, astonished to see a roof made of wood and tiles. What was happening? Had her brain been damaged in the car crash? She had no idea that there were hospitals in A City designed like this. After her accident, she should have woken up in a hospital. Where was this place? She secretly looked around: the adobe wall, the wooden lattice window, the windows were patched with yellowing paper, some of which were torn, and a kang bed with a torn straw mat! It was terribly impoverished! Beside the bed sat a woman in ancient clothing, holding an infant and nursing it while crying. She closed her eyes and opened them again, was this some kind of joke or was she on a film set?

She raised her hand, wanting to touch her splitting headache, suspecting that she was hallucinating. Then she realized her hands were smaller, it looked like a child's hand! Then she looked at her body, my God! It was the body of a five or six-year-old child! Was this some sort of prank like a time-travel joke?

The woman beside her noticed Xiaoxiao's stirring, joy welled up in her, and she stopped crying, exclaiming with delight, "Xiao'er, you're awake, thank the heavens, you're finally awake! My Xiao'er is finally awake!" Balancing the baby in one hand, she reached out and gently touched Shen Xiaoxiao's forehead, "Xiao'er, does your head still hurt? Is there any other discomfort? You must tell Mom if you're not feeling well, okay?"

Shen Xiaoxiao quietly observed the woman, who addressed her as Xiao'er and referred to herself as her mother. She must be her new body's mother. The woman was wearing a coarse cloth diagonal collar shirt, which was bleached white and mended in numerous places. Her hair was done in a simple round chignon and secured with a wooden hairpin, she wore silver earrings, her skin was a bit dark and dry but overall delicate. She had exquisite features and slightly swollen eyes, probably from crying. The overall impression she gave was of a gentle and kind woman. If her skin was fairer and her frame a bit plumper, she would certainly have been a great beauty. Now she was nothing but a bag of bones! Xiaoxiao concluded in her heart.

"Xiao'er, Xiao'er... is something uncomfortable?" Seeing that Shen Xiaoxiao was staring at her without responding, the woman waved her hand in front of her eyes worriedly, afraid that her daughter might have damaged her brain.

Shen Xiaoxiao came back to her senses. Her throat felt dry and she was about to ask for a glass of water when the door curtain was lifted. A boy of about eight or nine, and a tall, sturdy man walked in one after the other. The two had similar features; it was clear at a glance that they were father and son.

Upon seeing them, the woman encouraged them to come over with joy, "Child's father, come quickly, Xiao'er is awake." She couldn't hold back her teary eyes, tears of joy poured down.

"Xiao'er" both of them said at the same time, and then they simultaneously rushed over to the bed. The man gently touched the top of Shen Xiaoxiao's head and asked with a pained expression, "Xiao'er, does your head still hurt?"

The boy held her hand and said with a sob, "Xiao'er, you're finally awake. You've been sleeping for three days and two nights. If you don't wake up, I'll eat all the bird eggs I found and won't give any to you... Xiao'er, why aren't you talking?"

Shen Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes inwardly, they didn't even let her speak. Finally, when she had a chance to speak, she hurriedly said, "I want to drink water." Her voice was very hoarse, almost inaudible, but everyone heard it because they were all attentively listening.

"I'll go and pour it right away!" No sooner had the boy finished speaking than he bolted out the door, and soon returned with a bowl full of water.

"Old Three's wife, aren't you going to cook? It's your turn to cook today. Soon father and the others will be back from the field, and the whole family, young and old are waiting!" A woman's loud voice could be heard from outside the room, "Really! Lying in bed in broad daylight, luxuriating in idleness! You're not afraid of dying young! Poor me, I got up before dawn to cut grass, feed chickens, feed pigs, water the vegetables, do laundry, cook breakfast, I haven't even had a drop of water now!"

Everyone in the room paused.

"Xiao'er, after you finish your water, lay down again. Mother will bring you lunch in a while." The woman glanced at the sleeping baby in her arms, then gently placed her on the kang bed, covered her with the quilt, prepared to get off the kang, "Rui'er, mother is going to cook, help feed Xiao'er some water and help mother look after your sisters. If anything happens, just call for mother, okay?"

The man stretched out his hand to stop the woman, his face was full of disagreement as he frowned, "What are you doing? Father just said yesterday that you can start doing chores after you finish your confinement. I'll go and talk to Second Sister." With that, he left.

The boy also held the woman's sleeve tightly, his eyes full of pleading and worry as he shook his head at her, "Mother!"

Shen Xiaoxiao was puzzled by what was happening. This woman was expected to cook during her confinement, that's a joke! Women who didn't rest properly during their confinement were likely to get sick in later life. To help this the body's mother out a little, she, herself, decided to let her feed her water, so she looked at the woman with pitiful eyes.

"Mother, I want you to feed me!"

Seeing this, the woman acquiesced. She herself wasn't supposed to be working during her confinement, not to mention that she often cooked for her Second Sister-in-Law anyway. If anything else were to happen to her daughter who had just woken up, she might as well die.

"Alright, mother will feed you." She carefully helped Xiaoxiao sit up, took the bowl, and spoon-fed her.

After Shen Xiaoxiao finished a bowl of water, she felt much better. She lay back on the kang with the help of the woman. She needed some peace and quiet to think about her current situation. Being dizzy, she said, "I want to sleep a bit more".

"Alright, you sleep. Mother will stay by your side." The woman tucked her in and lay down on the kang herself, for she was still recovering from childbirth.

Seeing that both of them had fallen asleep and there was nothing to do, the boy said, "Mother, I'm going to play with Brother Zixuan."

"Alright, remember to come back for dinner on time." Having agreed, the woman let him go.

With her eyes closed, Xiaoxiao was thinking to herself. She remembered just finishing the company's congratulatory banquet. Her eldest brother took their father, mother, and pregnant sister-in-law home to their main villa. Her second brother left the banquet halfway through to catch a flight to the USA. Her third brother was dropping his girlfriend home. Because she had a meeting early the next day, she decided to drive back to her apartment near the company. Unfortunately, on her way home, she encountered a truck running a red light. It was the middle of the night, the roads were scarce with cars and people, both cars were speeding, and so it turned into a tragic accident, flinging her into this godforsaken place.