"Water, water..." Zeng Ziqing didnt know what was wrong with her. It felt like a nightmare, her head and feet hurt, her whole body ached, and she was thirsty to death. Could it be that she caught a chill from the wind by the river last night? No, wait, wasnt she on the bus back to school? Oh no, the bus had an accident! But where was this place? It didnt seem like a hospital, there was no smell of disinfectant, only a foul odor, like the smell of a pigsty. She hadnt smelled that in years.

  A strong desire to survive made Zeng Ziqing open her eyes. Good heavens, it was a low, earthen house with a thatched roof, and although it wasnt drafty everywhere, there was a window, but no glass or plastic covering, just straw haphazardly stuck on. It must be temporary.

  Hmm, she must have been rescued by some kind people in the mountains. But this family was really too poor! Nowadays, its not easy to find such a thatched hut, unless its a pigsty or cowshed. Oh no, this smell is just like a pigsty!

  Zeng Ziqing slowly got up, and although she had been grateful just now, she was now gritting her teeth in anger. "You say, how can people be so unkind? Not only did they not send me to the hospital, but they also couldnt find me a cleaner room! Are you trying to make me grateful or resentful?" Zeng Ziqing had a habit of muttering to herself when she was unhappy. The people around her were used to it.

  "Ah, Ive encountered a ghost! My hand, my hand is so small, and my foot, its all over, my foot is also so small. Hair, hair, heavens, its like withered grass." The strange discovery made Zi Qing immediately stop her initial scream. After calming down and thinking for a while, could it be that she had traveled through time? How else could this be explained? But she didnt have any memories of being this little girl. Where was this place, what dynasty, and why was she thrown into a pigsty? Zi Qing knew nothing, looking at her tattered clothes, exposed cotton padding, no buttons, only a few straps. Looking around, the place where she lay was covered with thick, clean straw, she should be grateful not to be sharing with pigs. No wonder, when she found out that her boyfriend of many years had someone new, she wouldnt have smiled and wished him happiness. But what about her parents on the other side? How would they feel when they knew she was gone? Thinking of her loving parents and brother, maybe she would never see them again, Zi Qing couldnt help but feel a deep sorrow, sobbing uncontrollably, forgetting where she was, forgetting time.

  "Qinger, Qinger, are you awake? Are you better now? Im your second brother, Second Brother has come to see you."

  "Second brother? Qinger? Im still called Qinger? This is relatively acceptable?" Zi Qing looked around and found a pair of small cloth shoes next to her, the color was indistinguishable. She put them on and walked to the door, the small wooden door was locked from the outside. Through the gap in the door, which was about the width of a palm, she saw a boy of 6 or 7 years old squatting outside. He looked relatively clean and had a somewhat delicate appearance, but his clothes were quite tattered. His hair was combed back on top of his head and then hung down, it was clearly an ancient hairstyle from TV dramas, definitely not from the Qing dynasty.

  "Qinger, are you really better? Its great, mother gave birth to a little brother last night, and big brother went to uncles house early this morning to deliver the news. Grandma sent a message to father, and when father comes back, you can come out."

  What, Zeng Zi Qing is furious and unforgivable. Theres a father, a mother, an older brother, and yet such a small child was locked in a pigpen to fend for themselves. What kind of family is this? Its too outrageous! Careless Zeng Zi Qing didnt even realize that the child wasnt speaking normally, but she somehow understood what he said.

  But I dont know anything myself, so Ill just have to make it up as I go along.

  "Second brother, Qinger is thirsty and hungry. Can you find some water and food for Qinger?" The voice was soft and sweet, and surprisingly, it came out in the same dialect.

  "Uh-huh, you wait. Ill go take a look in the kitchen."

  Zeng Ziyun carefully examined the thatched cottage, where a rectangular pit was dug along the wall corner using wooden bars. Inside the pit were three fat pigs sleeping soundly. On the other side of the house, there was another pit, but it was smaller and shallower than the first one. Next to it stood a wooden stick, with a messy pile of straw on the ground, likely used as a cowshed, which Zeng had seen before in rural areas during his childhood. The corner of the wall near the cowshed was stacked with farm tools, while a small patch of dry land by the door was covered with fresh straw, where Zeng lay down.

  "Qinger, come, Second Brother has found something for you to eat."

  A small bowl was passed over from the gap at the bottom of the door, it was rice porridge, and there was indeed a hint of rice fragrance. Zi Qing hastily brought it to her mouth, no choice, she was both thirsty and hungry, after finishing the bowl, "Is there any more?"

  "Wait, Ill go again."

  It arrived in no time and I drank three bowls continuously, actually the bowls were not big either.

  "Second brother, Im scared, tell mom for me, I want to go home."

  "Mother is also helpless, Grandma wont let it, saying that you will pass the illness to others. Second Aunt has been ill all day, but she didnt say she wanted to pass it to others either. Its just favoritism. I even heard Mother crying, Third Aunt said that Mother was angry, and thats why Little Brother came out."

  So thats how it is, damn it.

  "What about Father? Doesnt he want Qinger either?"

  "Isnt Father at home? It will be all right when Father comes back."

  "Dad, why arent you home?"

  "Qinger, have you forgotten? Father is at the county school, today is the day he comes home, father will be back soon."

  Its okay, almost exposed, fortunately it was a 6 or 7 year old kid.

  "Second brother, what disease did I get?"

  "Arent you having chickenpox? Grandma is afraid of infecting everyone in the house, so your parents said to isolate you here."

  Good heavens, can this still be alive? Wait a minute, what kind of family is this?

  "Little brother, youve come to see your sister again."

  Xiao Er, this name has a nice ring to it, I like it.

  "Big brother, come quickly, little sister is okay."

  "Really?" A gust of wind ran over, "Boss, dont be so excited, considering youre genuinely concerned about me, Ill let this incident slide." Zeng Zi Qing muttered to herself.

  "Sister, are you really okay? Tell big brother, is there anywhere else thats uncomfortable?"

  "It still hurts a bit, and its also a bit dizzy."

  "Oh, then Ill tell Mom first, and then ask Grandpa to find Old Zhang from Zhou Village to take a look at you."

  "Big brother, you go quickly. Second brother is accompanying me."

  After waiting for a while, I finally figured out the situation of this big family: Grandpa and Grandma had five children, three daughters and two sons. The two sons were older and both married with kids. Eldest sister Chunyu was married to a man in Yan Village, ten miles away from home. Second sister Xiayu and third sister Qiuyu were still unmarried. Second sisters health wasnt good, and she took medicine all year round. It was said that Fathers earnings were all spent on her medical bills. Eldest uncle Ruiqing had only one daughter, who was 10 years old, a year older than my eldest brother. He worked in some government office in the prefecture, but Second Brother couldnt explain what he did. All he knew was that he came home every month to stay for a few days. The rest were all from this branch of the family: Father Rui Xiang and Mother Shen Shi, plus the little brother who was born last night, making five children in total. I, Ziqing, was in the middle, with two older brothers and two younger brothers. Eldest Brother Zifeng was 9 years old this year, but I didnt know if it was his actual age or nominal age. He had already started school at a private academy in town. Second Brother Zilu was 7 years old and hadnt started school yet. I, Ziqing, was only 5 years old. It seemed that having the same name and surname was convenient for me when I came here. There was also a 3-year-old brother named Zishou, and another new baby brother who had just been born (I guessed his name was) Zixi. Now we have all the good fortune, prosperity, longevity, and happiness!

  Such a big family, surprisingly not separated, Zeng Ziying is really unbelievable. This day should be lively. Its not that every day is chaotic, Zeng Ziyings heart is secretly joyful, the days wont be boring, life wont be lonely. She completely forgot that life is difficult and days require tears and sweat. This matter will soon be verified.

  "Second brother, why dont we divide the family property? If we did, mother wouldnt have to suffer anymore and Zi Qing wouldnt have to be locked up either."

  "The old couple quarrel every day and want to separate, but its all because grandma and grandpa dont agree."

  Its probably for the two aunts, and we still need money for medicine and dowry. Zi Qing immediately analyzed the essence of the problem. Alas, I dont know how much land and property this family has, but it shouldnt be too good. Zeng Zi Qing finally realized the issue of living quality. If only I had known earlier, when Liu Cen and I were making wishes under the moon yesterday, my greatest wish should have been to become a child of a wealthy landlords family, at least we wouldnt have to worry about food and clothing.

  Lang Zhong didnt come, but Yi Ye actually came first. This whole family, no one else came to see me, its too cold. The extreme product is indeed an extreme product. Zi Qing muttered to herself.

  "Qinger, Qinger, whats wrong with you? Dont scare Daddy like that. Werent you fine when Daddy came home last time?"

  "Dad, Qinger is fine now. Qinger wants mom."

  "Good. Qinger is back home." Zeng Rui Xiang opened the door and hugged Zeng Zi Qing tightly.

  "Qinger, Father is late, let my Qinger suffer, its all Fathers fault, Father almost didnt get to see Qinger."

  Zeng Ziqing felt a warm and wet sensation on her face. They say that men dont easily shed tears, but it seems that Father is really afraid of losing his daughter after all. But he doesnt know that in the end, he still lost her. However, Zeng Ziqing thought she would do better anyway.