Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside Chapter 2 - 002 Waking Up

A terrible headache tormented Gu Jinli, her ears overwhelmed by chaotic noises—chatter from crowds, travelers' footsteps, yells, swears, and the clamor of woodblocks and drums being pounded.

Gu Jinli felt confused; she had died already, so why could she still hear noises and think clearly?

She tried desperately to open her eyes and check her surroundings, but no matter her efforts, her eyelids refused to budge. Her mind spun like a lantern, flashing through countless memories—some her own, others belonging to a raggedly dressed little girl.

Initially clueless about the chaos, it took her three full days to understand what those mental images truly meant.

Rebirth had claimed her; after dying, her soul entered this little girl's body.

This girl shared the name Gu Jinli, matching her own completely... yet villagers knew her as Gu Xiaoyu, from Gu Family Village in Gaoshui County, Long'an Prefecture, Northwest Great Chu Dynasty.

Father Gu Dashan, mother Mrs. Cui, twin elder sister Gu Jinxiu and elder brother Gu Jin'an—both fourteen years old—and little brother Gu Jincheng made up her family, all fleeing famine along this desperate road.

The Old Gu Family split into four branches; her father led the first, trailed by second, third, and fourth uncles.

Three aunts existed too, but only one blood aunt, Gu Daya—Father Gu's twin—had married into Lin County and stayed behind during the escape.

Granny Gu, a widow who remarried, brought the eldest aunt along, while the youngest aunt, Elder Gu and Granny Gu's cherished late child, fled famine with the rest of the family.

Beaten to death by the five Niu brothers over a sweet potato, the girl had perished; now reborn, Gu Jinli lay unconscious ever since.

Over these three days of coma, Father Gu and Gu Jin'an carried her tirelessly on foot. Disaster victims urged them to leave her behind, and Granny Gu spat vicious curses, calling her a corpse they dragged, yet Father Gu and his son refused, determined to bear her onward... This loyalty, she vowed to repay.

Those five Niu brothers? With the original owner's body now hers, vengeance would be hers to claim!

In her past life as a military doctor, Gu Jinli recognized the sharpening clarity in her thoughts meant brain blood clots were dissolving—she'd awaken soon. True enough, by the third evening, her weighed-down eyelids at last lifted.

Fires dotted the scene, each circled by emaciated, tattered refugees; some sprawled exhausted on straw, others gnawed meager dry food, chewed tough beans, or boiled tree leaves when stores ran empty.

The Gu Dashan family lacked even boiled leaves, settling for raw dry ones—bitter and puckering—yet they savored them contentedly.

Little Brother Cheng beamed and declared: "Dad, Mom, tonight's leaves are half-green, they're juicy." Far better than yesterday's withered, dry batch with its rotten aftertaste.

A sharp pang pierced Gu Jinli's heart; she parted her lips and called: "Dad... Mom... elder brother, elder sister, little brother."

Her voice rasped hoarsely, each word tearing at her throat like fire, but she forced the names out.

At her sound, Mrs. Cui's tree leaves tumbled from her grasp in shock; tears streaming, she whirled to see Gu Xiaoyu sitting up awake and lunged into a hug: "Mom's Xiao Yu has finally awakened."

Gu Dashan's hands shook with overwhelming joy—Xiao Yu lived again.

Gu Jincheng had dreaded losing Second Sister forever; spotting her revival, he crashed into Gu Jinli, sobbing, "Wuu, Second Sister is alive, Second Sister didn't die... Second Sister, don't die, Brother Cheng can find food for himself now, you don't need to find food for Brother Cheng anymore."

Second Sister had blacked out from the Niu brothers' blows while shielding the sweet potatoes she'd traded for him.

"Xiao Yu." Gu Jinxiu's voice broke with emotion; worry over Gu Xiaoyu had gnawed at her for days, fearing she'd never stir.

Gu Jin'an beamed brightest. The fourteen-year-old boy, gaunt from hunger, face blistered and peeling from sun yet flushed dark, flashed a radiant grin and inquired, "Xiao Yu, are you hungry?"

Gu Jin'an looked over at the Old Gu Family's spot, noticing everyone there had fallen asleep, so he boldly pulled out the hidden pouch of beans and passed it to Gu Xiaoyu. "Hurry and eat. Big Brother saved these just for Xiao Yu; they've been roasted by the fire pit already."

Water shortages plagued everyone, and over these last few days, hardly any households boiled meals; roasted eats were all they had.

Having suffered through the struggle to secure vital provisions, Gu Jin'an grew cunning, secretly stashing away food bit by bit, though not in large amounts.

Gu Jinli eyed the beans bundled in some withered leaves—around twenty soybeans, mung beans, and black beans—then gazed at her emaciated relatives nearby, snatched up the beans, shared a handful with each, and declared, "We'll share this meal." Her voice remained raspy and hard to make out.

Gu Dashan swiftly retrieved a bamboo tube, uncorked it, and offered it to Gu Jinli: "Xiao Yu, take a drink now; this is our family's share of water."

During their famine escape, water held value equal to rations. Just a tiny amount lingered in the tube; they'd rationed it strictly, taking mere sips, terrified that depletion would doom Xiao Yu without a drop to quench her thirst.

Noticing they hadn't touched the beans nor had she sipped the water, Gu Jinli pressed firmly, "We'll eat together."

Unable to sway her, Gu Dashan and the rest munched on the beans and took one sip each from the water. Only then did Gu Jinli consume the leftover beans, swallow two additional sips, and hand the tube back to Gu Dashan.

"Xiao Yu, have a couple more gulps," Gu Dashan urged. "Daddy'll hunt for water tomorrow; we won't go dry in our house, so drink up freely."

Gu Jinli understood how vital the water was right now, with merely a few sips remaining in the tube for dire needs. Thus, she refused with a shake of her head, "Daddy, I'm not thirsty; I don't require much water."

Concerned over Gu Jinli's wounds, Gu Jin'an said to Gu Dashan, "Daddy, let me fetch Doctor Du to check on Xiao Yu."

"Daddy'll accompany you." At merely fourteen, Brother An needed his father to handle the doctor visit properly.

Mrs. Cui passed the bamboo tube to Gu Dashan. "Bring this water along, for Doctor Du."

For three straight days, Doctor Du visited each day to apply acupuncture on Gu Xiaoyu, easing her blood clots; the family had scraped together just half a bowl of coarse grains that first evening. Today, water was their sole payment for his services.

This final water reserve meant life or death for them, but Gu Dashan didn't waver; he grabbed the tube and set out with Gu Jin'an to summon Doctor Du.

Upon learning Gu Xiaoyu had roused, Doctor Du rushed there, felt her pulse, inspected her eyes, and reviewed her wrapped injuries. He posed several queries: "Any dizziness? Head pain? Memories you can't recall?"

Gu Jinli replied to each: "No dizziness. Head aches slightly... Certain memories aren't sharp in my mind."

Though Gu Xiaoyu's memories filled her thoughts, she hadn't lived those events herself. To avoid suspicion, she stuck closely to Doctor Du's inquiries.