Thick smoke billowed, flames raged, cries of agony filled the air, and looting, burning, and killing were rampant.
These four words encapsulate the era as aptly described by the girl sitting demurely in the courtyard of a farmhouse.
Her delicate, porcelain-like face was filled with worry about her current situation; she had been in this world for seven years!
Forget about finding Ye Minghan, she's even struggling to keep her own life.
Hua Qingyan glanced at the dusty earthen wall, then subtly shifted her gaze away and looked up at the sky.
Even after living here for seven years, she still couldn't get used to the gray and dirty environment.
Her thoughts slowly drifted back to seven years ago. After losing consciousness in the previous small world, she opened her eyes again and found herself here, still a newborn baby!
At that moment, looking at the dilapidated mud house, she was stunned and couldn't process what was happening.
She never imagined she could be turned into a baby and experience...the Republic of China a hundred years ago!
Yes, it was a romantic and glamorous era for the upper class, but for the lower classes, it was an era filled with endless war and famine.
Unfortunately, she was born into the lowest-class family in this life.
But she was also lucky; she had parents who loved their daughter dearly.
From the day she was born until three days ago, her mother never made her do any work, nor did she ever let her go hungry.
Her father doted on her, often making various handicrafts to cheer her up.
In such a turbulent environment, she was able to live so carefree for seven years, which is truly a blessing.
Just a few days ago, her beloved parents passed away while protecting her cousin from her uncle's family.
Three days ago, her adoptive uncle, Yu Dayong, came to the Hua family and told her father, Hua Wenrui, that he could help unload goods for a wealthy family and earn two silver dollars after three days of work. [Note: The different surnames of the two brothers will be explained later.]
It is now the eighth year of the Republic of China. One silver dollar can buy 40 catties of rice, and two silver dollars are equivalent to 80 catties of rice.
Her strong and capable father agreed on the spot, and her mother was also very interested when she heard about it. When she learned that it did not matter whether it was for men or women, she went along as well.
And then? That was it. What came back were the cold, lifeless corpses of her father and mother.
Her uncle-in-law, Yu Dayong, said that the couple accidentally fell into the river while moving goods and suffocated to death.
She just looked at him silently, not believing his nonsense at all.
Her father and mother were both good swimmers, how could they possibly have drowned?
Later, it was an uncle from next door who secretly told her that her father and mother were killed by Yu Xiaoyue, the daughter of Yu Dayong.
When Yu Xiaoyue heard that the wealthy family who went to help unload the goods was the Yun family, the richest family in Yuncheng, she couldn't resist and secretly followed them.
When she saw the luxurious and exquisite pavilions and towers, she was filled with amazement and delight.
She was incredibly audacious; she secretly sneaked into an unguarded courtyard and took a priceless hairpin.
He was caught red-handed by the Yun family's maid.
That was Miss Yun's favorite hairstyle, which her brother bought and gave to her from across the ocean.
When Miss Yun Ling of the Yun family found out, she was furious and immediately ordered Yu Xiaoyue to be dragged out and beaten to death.
This scene was witnessed by Hua Wenrui and his wife. Seeing that their brother's daughter was about to be beaten to death, they quickly appeared to protect her.
Hua Wenrui only thought of helping Yu Dayong protect his daughter because Yu Dayong had introduced him to a high-paying job.
Unexpectedly, Yun Ling assumed that Yu Xiaoyue was the daughter of Hua Wenrui and his wife after seeing her.
Believing he had failed to properly educate his daughter, they immediately ordered their men to tie them up, gag them with cloth strips, and prepare to throw them into the river.
The young lady from the Yun family even said on the spot, "If a child is not taught properly, it is the father's fault, and you parents should be the ones to accept the punishment."
With their mouths gagged, Hua Wenrui and his wife were unable to explain that they were not Yu Xiaoyue's parents. As they struggled, they were dragged to the riverbank by the Yun family's male servants and ruthlessly thrown into the water.
Yu Dayong, who was mixed in with the crowd, was afraid of death and didn't say a word. He just watched helplessly as his half-brother was thrown into the turbulent river.
After Miss Yun left, the neighbors who were on good terms with the Hua family immediately went into the water and rescued Hua Wenrui and his wife, who were tied to the bottom of the boat.
However, with their hands and feet bound, they were already lifeless.
Only the ten helpers present knew about this.
Yu Dayong had a guilty conscience. Looking at the few silver dollars in the purse, he reluctantly handed one silver dollar to each person and asked them to keep the secret.
When asked, they said that Hua Wenrui and his wife had accidentally fallen into the water and died.
The neighbor who lived next door to the Hua family couldn't get over his conscience. That night, when no one was around, he secretly came and told young Hua Qingyan everything, and also gave her the silver dollar.
Hua Qingyan opened her arms, looked at the silver coin in her fair palm, and sighed silently.
She is now an orphan, having lost both her parents. Her father was the only son of the Hua family, and her biological mother died when she was two years old.
The year after Grandma Hua passed away, Grandpa Hua, whose family was dirt poor, married a widow from the next village through a matchmaker.
That widow, known in the community as Aunt Yu, was ten years older than Grandpa Hua.
Yu Dayong was the child she brought with her; he was fifteen years older than Hua Wenrui.
The day after she married into the Hua family, she told Grandpa Hua that her body was damaged and she would never be able to have children again.
Grandpa Hua didn't care about these things, saying that he only had Wenrui as a child, but Aunt Yu was no pushover.
She immediately stated that she wanted to separate from Hua Wenrui, as she had no interest in being a stepmother.
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