Chapter Two: The Stepsister Falls into the Water

It was the height of summer, and many villagers were outside seeking relief from the heat. When word spread that something had happened by the river, they hurried over, and by the time Qin Huiyin arrived, the crowd was packed in layers, surrounding the scene.

"Move aside, hurry! Maybe my sister can still be saved!"

Hearing Qin Huiyin’s voice, the villagers parted to let her through.

Still, their expressions showed little hope.

“Huiyin, your sister has already drawn her last breath.”

Without a word, Qin Huiyin rushed to Tang Luwu and began performing chest compressions.

Tang Luwu was nothing but skin and bone; now, having been dragged from the water, her patched clothes clung tightly to her frail frame—she looked more skeleton than girl.

Qin Huiyin didn’t know if it was too late, but she could only try, desperate for any chance. The image of how Li Peach Blossom and her daughter died in the original story flashed through her mind, sending a shiver through her as she pried open Tang Luwu’s mouth and breathed into her, then pressed rhythmically on her chest.

“Has Huiyin lost her mind? What is she doing? Heavens, how the world has changed…”

“The girl is already dead, why shame her body like this? Tsk, tsk, two young women, utterly shameless.”

“Exactly—she’s gone mad, hasn’t she?”
...

Li Peach Blossom, with her bound feet, moved painfully slow. By the time she arrived, Qin Huiyin had been pressing on Tang Luwu’s chest for quite a while.

“How… how did this happen?” Only when she saw Tang Luwu lying on the ground did fear truly seize Li Peach Blossom’s heart. Though Tang Dafu was crippled, and with the backbone of the family gone, she’d been irritable and short-tempered with his children, she hadn’t wanted to cause anyone’s death.

“Huiyin, stop tormenting Luwu and let her go in peace!”

“Yes, let the dead rest quietly and hope for a better life in the next world.”

Tang Yixiao was descending the mountain with firewood on his back. Passing the river and seeing the crowd, he remembered his sister had come to wash clothes here. He hurriedly dropped his load and squeezed through the throng.

Seeing Tang Luwu lying there, he let out a piercing cry and lunged forward, shoving Qin Huiyin aside and cradling his sister’s body, sobbing, "Sister, what’s wrong? Wake up! Don’t scare me. You were fine just now—how could this happen? Please wake up..."

“Put your sister down, don’t delay me saving her,” Qin Huiyin said, eyes rimmed red.

The original Huiyin had inherited Li Peach Blossom’s beauty, and her skin was fair as a dusting of snow. Normally, the villagers would have admired such a pretty child, but now, their dislike for Li Peach Blossom had spilled over onto her daughter.

“Get lost,” Tang Yixiao snarled like a wounded wolf, biting down on Qin Huiyin’s arm.

“Ah—!”

“Daughter—!” Li Peach Blossom, seeing this, set aside her fear and shoved Tang Yixiao away.

Sickly as he was, Tang Yixiao couldn’t withstand the push from an adult and toppled over, bringing Tang Luwu down with him.

Seizing the moment, Qin Huiyin pressed down hard on Tang Luwu’s chest. “Wake up! Can’t you hear your brother’s voice? Wake up, please!”

Suddenly, Tang Luwu, who had seemed dead, choked and spat out a mouthful of dirty water, then began to cough weakly.

The crowd was stunned into silence, staring wide-eyed as Tang Luwu opened her eyes.

“Unbelievable—did a dead girl just come back to life?”

“I saw her—she wasn’t breathing, her body was cold. How is she alive?”

“Was Huiyin really saving her? How did she do it?”

Tang Luwu looked around in bewilderment. “What… what happened?”

She had always been timid. Now, with half the village gathered and herself drenched and wretched, she wished she could vanish into the earth. Like a startled kitten, she clung tightly to Tang Yixiao’s sleeve.

“Sis, you nearly died,” Tang Yixiao sobbed as he hugged her. “You scared me so much. If anything happened to you, how would I explain to our brother?”

Qin Huiyin sat beside Tang Luwu, soaked through—half from Tang Luwu’s wet clothes, half from her own cold sweat.

Now that the crisis had passed, the villagers lost interest and dispersed.

Li Peach Blossom muttered curses under her breath, blaming Tang Luwu for almost scaring her to death. Still, it was clear this fright had subdued her somewhat; she didn’t dare provoke Tang Luwu further.

From the scattered conversations, Tang Luwu pieced together what had happened while she was unconscious. Gratefully, she said, “Huiyin, thank you.”

“Why are you thanking her?” Tang Yixiao retorted angrily. “If it weren’t for her mother making you wash clothes, you wouldn’t have fallen in, and you wouldn’t have nearly drowned. Wicked woman!”

“I told your sister to wash clothes, not to throw her life away. Go ask any girl in the village—who doesn’t do laundry? Why is it only your sister who fell in? Why not admit she’s useless?” Now that Tang Luwu was safe, Li Peach Blossom’s confidence returned and she no longer gave way to Tang Yixiao. “There are so many of you in this family—am I supposed to serve you all alone?”

“Then why doesn’t she do laundry? Why doesn’t she cook? Why doesn’t she gather wild vegetables, collect firewood, fetch water?” Tang Yixiao jabbed a finger at Qin Huiyin.

Qin Huiyin fell silent.

He had a point, and she had no answer.

Li Peach Blossom had fled famine with her daughter. She first married a hunter in the village, who died within a year, then married Tang Dafu. Through both marriages, Li Peach Blossom had never made her daughter do chores or farm work. She might not have been a good woman, but she was certainly a devoted mother.

She always nagged at her daughter, insisting she must live a good life, and that for her daughter’s happiness, she would do anything. After marrying the hunter, who was skilled and often brought home game—big animals for sale, small ones for their table—Li Peach Blossom and her daughter lived quite comfortably.

But fate was jealous—soon, the hunter died.

Li Peach Blossom wept bitterly, but then steeled herself to plan for her daughter’s future. She was a spendthrift, and the money left by the hunter quickly ran out. At that point, Tang Dafu, who worked in town, began to woo her. Seeing his decent income, and after confirming he would care for her only daughter, she agreed to marry again.

Li Peach Blossom dragged Qin Huiyin away.

Tang Yixiao glared furiously at Li Peach Blossom’s retreating figure, then turned to Tang Luwu. “When big brother comes back, we must tell him how evil that woman is and drive her from our home!”

“But little brother, Aunt Li isn’t wrong—every girl does chores. I just got dizzy and slipped today. Next time, I’ll be more careful.”

“Was it because you hadn’t eaten breakfast that you felt faint? That wicked woman gives all the good food to her daughter, and we’re left with nothing but soup and scraps. Even now that Father is like this, he still sides with her.”