Latest Cautious Protagonist Novel

Bi Qiao’an lay motionless in the icy snow, watching helplessly as the falling flakes slowly buried her. As her consciousness faded, her mind drifted back to the three arduous years she had spent struggling to survive in the apocalypse.

She felt her life slipping away, and a sense of relief washed over her. At last, she wouldn’t have to face this harsh world alone any longer. With a heavy heart, she slowly closed her eyes, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

As she teetered on the brink of death, a familiar voice, filled with regret and sorrow, called out her name. At first, she thought it was a mere hallucination, but the sound of someone digging through the snow to reach her seemed all too real.

Mustering the last of her strength, she forced her eyes open, desperate to catch one final glimpse of the face that had never left her heart. However, when her vision finally focused, she found herself in a completely different reality—she had been reborn.

—

Bi Qiao’an, who survived until the third year of the apocalypse, found herself reborn a year before the catastrophe began. Carrying the memories of her previous life’s weaknesses, vulnerabilities, and desperate struggle for survival, she was now armed with the knowledge of the impending disasters. With this foresight, she made a resolute decision to seek the protection and support of her nation.

Shen Yanming, her long-lost childhood friend whose voice had called out to her in the final moments in her previous life, had also been reborn. Reunited in this new life, he not only gifted her a magical space but also assisted her in securing employment and amassing crucial supplies. He stood steadfastly by her side as they navigated the perils of the impending apocalypse together.

However, as they faced the challenges head-on, they discovered that the apocalypse in this life had taken a different course from the one they had previously experienced. The world was not only plagued by global rains and droughts but also by parasitic diseases, the devastating HZ virus, locust plagues, earthquakes, and solar mutations.

Amidst the chaos, the Alliance and the Guardian Team emerged, better prepared and no longer as helpless as they had been in Bi Qiao’an’s previous life. The couple, witnessing the unity and resilience of the Qinghua Nation, felt a profound sense of hope and belief that by holding fast to their country, they would undoubtedly survive the apocalypse.

Years later, as the apocalypse finally drew to a close, Shen Yanming embraced his beloved wife and whispered, “Shouldn’t we consider having another child?”

With a playful pout, Bi Qiao’an replied, “Aren’t two enough?”

It was 1068, Year 1 of the Xining era. Emperor Zhao Xu had recently ascended the throne of the Song dynasty. The widely respected old-guard of civil officials, Ouyang Xiu, Han Qi, and Fu Bi, were in their twilight years. The unorthodox reformer Wang Anshi was full of vigor, wishing to reverse the tide of decline sweeping over the empire. The stubborn Sima Guang would rather leave imperial government than give up on proper orthodoxy. The literary Su Shi watched from the sidelines, unable to pick a side.

With such a talented crop of civil officials, the Song dynasty should have shone brightly. Instead, these geniuses embarked on a mutually destructive course, leaving the Song empire with a gaping, irreparable wound, and leaving future students of history with regret and controversy.

But the sudden arrival of a junior lawyer opens a new path for the Song dynasty. Reformers and conservatives, civil and military officials, domestic and foreign affairs, all shall come under the Law.

Yin Xiaoman endured 18 bitter years in the palace, finally awaiting amnesty and her release.

But just as she was about to step out of the palace gates, she suddenly found herself transported to the 1960s in Shuanggui Village, becoming an orphaned girl without parents or family.

To make matters worse, her late father played a trick on her before his death, forcing her into marriage with Shen Qingyun—a widower eight years her senior, who came with two young children to care for.

Faced with a nearly empty jar of sorghum flour and two thin, undernourished siblings, Yin Xiaoman felt a bit overwhelmed.

As the head maid of the imperial kitchen, accustomed to delicacies and royal feasts, figuring out how to feed the two children with such coarse grains became her immediate priority.

Fortunately, the entire imperial kitchen staff crossed over with her…

—o—o—o—

The Imperial Kitchen has been losing items recently. Everyone assumes a cat has sneaked in, but only Lichun knows the truth: a fairy from the heavens has descended to the mortal world!

When Noble Consort Liu, overwhelmed by homesickness, requests a bowl of fresh shrimp noodles made personally by Lichun, it nearly gives her a heart attack!

The noodles are easy enough, but the palace is located on the plains—where could she possibly find fresh sea shrimp?

Just as she’s at her wit’s end, a note falls from the sky: “Fresh chicken for live shrimp—one chicken for one plate.”

Problem solved.

When the Crown Prince decides to host a banquet, the imperial chefs bring out all their skills—bear paws, deer lips, bird’s nests, snow frogs…

Yet none of their lavish dishes can rival Lichun’s steaming, fragrant seafood pot. And all it requires is ten pounds of rice and twenty eggs!

In secret, Lichun sets up a shrine for the little fairy, offering her continuous incense and seasonal dried fruits, fresh snacks, and pastries. All she wishes for is that the fairy stays happy and the “supplies” keep coming year after year.

Mini Theater:

Shen Dabao: My stepmother treats me so well—she gives me meat every day!

Everyone: Poor kid. No mom and now dreaming of meat? This is hunger-induced delusion for sure.

Shen Erniu: My stepmother keeps forcing me to eat eggs—egg cakes, egg rolls, egg soup… I see eggs and want to run!

Everyone: Oh no, poor thing. Another one driven mad.

Shen Qingyun: …Wife, when can I have some meat too?