I Got Rich in Period Fiction
Chapter 196: Give My Body Back to Me!

Chapter 196: Chapter 196: Give My Body Back to Me!

In Qiao Qingyu’s dream, a little girl whose face she couldn’t see pulled her to a large rock beside the river. The little girl told her there was a red carp in the river, and she stared with her eyes wide, bending over to gaze intently at the surface of the water. Then the little girl pushed her into the river...

She struggled desperately, instantly engulfed by a feeling of suffocation, and then she saw the faceless little girl jump in after her, viciously grabbing her hair and screaming maniacally, "Give me back my body, you thief, you robber, give it back to me... Give me back my body..."

The voice repeated endlessly, and then the little girl’s hands reached for her throat.

Qiao Qingyu struggled frantically, and finally, she could see the little girl clearly — but only her eyes.

Her eyes were pitch black, cold, and merciless, like a venomous snake staring you down.

Qiao Qingyu screamed in terror, and then heard her bedroom door being flung open, with He Xiuyu in pajamas quickly stepping inside.

At that time, the dawn faintly lit the room, and the eastern sky held just a sliver of weak dawn light.

He Xiuyu took Qiao Qingyu’s hand, and she slowly opened her eyes, her forehead slick with sweat, her gaze somewhat vacant as she looked at He Xiuyu, obviously not yet awakened from the nightmare.

He Xiuyu sat on the edge of the kang bed, extended his arms, and gently pulled Qiao Qingyu into his embrace, softly saying, "Did you have a nightmare?"

Qiao Qingyu nodded instinctively.

"It’s okay, it was just a dream. Don’t be afraid."

The familiar scent and gentle voice calmed Qiao Qingyu’s heart bit by bit, and it was only then that she pushed He Xiuyu away, slightly embarrassed, "I’m fine now..."

He Xiuyu let go of her and looked carefully at Qiao Qingyu before saying, "Go brush your teeth and wash your face then. Breakfast is ready. I’ll go pick up Rongrong."

After Qiao Qingyu murmured an acknowledgment, He Xiuyu then left her bedroom.

Qiao Qingyu wiped the sweat off her back, the memory of the nightmare resurfacing — it had felt so real, as if she had lived through it.

The original owner?

Could that little girl be the original owner?

But why were her eyes different from hers?

The girl who pushed her into the water and then followed her jumping in had single eyelids and slightly upturned eyes that looked cold.

And why did she look about eleven or twelve years old?

Logically, she should be around seventeen or eighteen.

If these were reflections from deep memories, had she fallen into the river at the age of eleven or twelve?

But she didn’t have any memories of that sort.

Could this simply be just a dream?

Qiao Qingyu’s expression turned stern as she shook her head vigorously.

When it came to things she couldn’t understand, Qiao Qingyu wouldn’t let them trouble her continuously. She decided to make a call to the Qiao Family Team.

Even though the long-distance call was available, there were regulations in place and the call charges had to be deducted from He Xiuyu’s salary. Otherwise, with the current high cost of calls, the base couldn’t afford it.

Qiao Qingyu never made calls when it wasn’t necessary, but today she wanted to ask her family.

Although it was summer, rural people got up early because the weather was too hot at noon, making it hard to work in the fields, so some tasks were done early to take advantage of the cooler morning.

The call was unexpectedly answered by Accountant Zhang, who, after chatting cheerfully for a few sentences, was told by Qiao Qingyu to pass on a message to her parents that she would call them in three hours.

After hanging up the phone, Qiao Qingyu went to the vegetable garden.

The marigolds planted next to the grape trellis were blooming beautifully, instantly uplifting anyone’s spirits. Qiao Qingyu picked two persimmons, two cucumbers, a handful of chili peppers, and a bunch of cilantro before heading into the kitchen.

She wondered how big the potatoes in their field had grown and thought she should check later. She planned to dig out a few potatoes to stew with green beans, served with rice—it would be delightful.

The dough-ball soup Qiao Qingyu made yesterday was all gone, and this morning, He Xiuyu had simmered some millet porridge and reheated a few two-grain steamed buns from the cupboard.

This time He Xiuyu brought back foods from Beijing that could be stored without a fridge, especially since they did not own one and it was summer, so he mostly brought dry goods.

Wrapped in paper was even a piece of salted cured meat, a big bowl contained several salted duck eggs, and there was also a bundle of kelp and seaweed.

She didn’t know where he managed to find a large bundle of hanging noodles and vermicelli.

All of which were stored in the bottommost cupboard.

Qiao Qingyu noticed that He Xiuyu was really good at stocking up the home with food and drink.

Seeing the full cupboard, Qiao Qingyu felt especially content and finally had meat to eat.

Although it was just dry, salty cured meat, once prepared, it was also delicious.

By the time He Xiuyu came back with Rongrong, Qiao Qingyu had already stir-fried two dishes that should have been made at noon. However, He Xiuyu had to return to the base after breakfast, as he hadn’t been home for half a month and had a backlog of work piled up.

The salted cured meat, after a simple preparation and cut into thin slices, was stir-fried with hot peppers for a spicy and aromatic dish.

She also scrambled some eggs with cucumbers, a dish that Rongrong particularly loved.

She cut up all the sausages that had been brought home; He Xiuyu had bought them from the provincial city just a day before, but they would have spoiled if left for another two days.

After breakfast, He Xiuyu took his briefcase and went to work.

Rongrong squatted on the kang, choosing comic books, and after making her selection, she ran off the bed and said to Qiao Qingyu while running, "Little aunt, I’m going to take the comic books to Xiao Hu, I’ll be right back."

By the time she finished speaking, she was already out of sight.

Qiao Qingyu smiled and shook her head.

After tidying up, the time came for the call she had arranged with her family. Qiao Qingyu dialed the number, and the call was immediately answered—it was her mother, Han Xianglan.

The mother and daughter were speaking on the phone for the first time, which felt strange at first. But as soon as they started talking, the intangible longing flowed through the phone line.

Han Xianglan’s voice was choked with emotion, "Qingyu, how are you doing?"

"Mom, I’m doing well here. How about you all?"

"We’re good too, of course. Your dad and your older brother have gone to the fields to work. Feifei and the others have gone to school. Your younger brother is at high school in the county and can only come back on the weekend. Your sister-in-law said she’ll prepare some radishes and cherries to make steamed vegetable buns for dinner..."

Qiao Qingyu couldn’t help but swallow hard, "Sister-in-law makes the best steamed vegetable buns, you’re making me crave it."

"Silly girl, who told you to marry so far away? If you had married closer, couldn’t you come back to your mother’s house to enjoy a good meal?" said Han Xianglan with regret.

"Oh, mom, let’s not talk about that. By the way, I wanted to ask you, did I fall into the river when I was about eleven or twelve years old?"