Chapter 12

Since Shen An had stopped, Shen Ning, who was carrying the basket with him, also halted and turned around in confusion, “Brother, why did we stop?”

Shen An lowered his eyes, hiding the doubt within, and suppressed the strange thought that had just crossed his mind: “I’m looking for wild ginger.”

“I’ll help look too,” said Shen Ning, unaware of her brother’s thoughts. Hearing him mention wild ginger, she also started looking around, asking Sang Luo, “Big sister, how tall is wild ginger usually?”

“Between one to three feet?” Sang Luo wasn’t sure if ginger in this era looked the same as in her original time since her predecessor’s memories only included ginger that was brought to the table. She had never seen it growing in the ground.

Besides, species evolve over time, and this era’s timeline was different.

Both were focused on searching for wild ginger, and neither noticed Shen An, who had also claimed to be looking for it. His gaze was not on the ground but occasionally on Sang Luo, mixed with surprise, scrutiny, and disbelief, reflecting the turmoil in his eyes.

……

Shen An was acting out of sorts.

Sang Luo noticed it while preparing dinner.

The lively boy from the daytime had become unusually quiet, occasionally casting glances her way.

And when she caught him looking, he would quickly avert his gaze, thinking he was being discreet.

Indeed, it would be discreet if he were dealing with a child.

But was Sang Luo a child?

A woman's age should not be mentioned, but in her previous life, she was already twenty-eight. Could she not discern that a nine-year-old boy was emotionally off?

Sang Luo was puzzled, then suddenly tense, realizing something.

It wasn’t paranoia; after all, she had traversed through time. Although she had traveled here, the original body's owner had likely passed away before her arrival. Occupying someone else's body was like resurrecting in another's form... Sang Luo couldn’t help feeling uneasy inside.

Had it not been for the immediate threat of starvation upon arrival, she would have pretended to be ill, stayed in bed, and avoided anything that might give her away.

But could she really afford to do that? Relying on the two liters of rice Shen An had begged from the Chen family, how could they survive, especially considering her predecessor had died of illness and hunger?

She dared not.

So, had the little boy sensed something?

Sang Luo’s mind raced, but she carefully hid her thoughts, not even allowing a frown to show.

She quickly reviewed when Shen An's behavior changed, rewinding her memories bit by bit.

And then she remembered Shen Ning's long list of compliments...

"Big sister, you really know a lot! Fishing, making fairy tofu, recognizing wild ginger, and even how to treat a cold!"

"Big brother, why aren't you walking?"

Well, the case is solved.

This child is really sharp and quite cunning.

He's only nominally nine years old, equivalent to a seven or eight-year-old in the modern world, a first-grader.

Kids that age, well-protected by their parents, are still adorably naive.

But look at Shen An... Not only sharp but also able to keep his composure upon sensing something amiss. His excuse about searching for wild ginger was clever - it didn't alarm Shen Ning or startle her, the 'snake' in this scenario.

While adding some salt to the clay pot and gently stirring with a spoon, Sang Luo wondered, what did she represent in Shen An's mind now? A demon or a ghost?

Hmm, according to the original's memories, people in this era were quite superstitious, firmly believing in the existence of deities, demons, ghosts, and all sorts of creatures. Just thinking about this made Sang Luo click her tongue in wonder.

And to covertly observe her for so long, this child was indeed bold.

She decided to act as if she was unaware, simultaneously contemplating a coherent logic and excuses while observing how long Shen An could hold out.

She wasn't scared; she believed in facing challenges head-on.

However, she did reflect seriously. Being too casual due to having the original's memories and being around only children, she realized she had been too careless. She needed to be more careful in the future, ensuring her actions were logically sound.

Otherwise, she might end up being branded a mountain spirit or wandering ghost and find herself at the mercy of a torch.

Sang Luo didn't want to experience such a terrifying and painful death just after getting a second chance at life. And if she died again, would fate grant her another reincarnation?

Cherish life and keep a low profile.

Fortunately, after moving to Shili Village, the original occupant of this body rarely ventured outside and was quiet and reserved. Apart from these two siblings, even Shen San and his wife Li, who lived with her for half a month, didn't really know her.

People's characters often change after experiencing great upheavals and brushes with death. It's perfectly normal, so she didn't need to go out of her way to mimic the original's behavior.

……

Shen An's heart was far from the calm Sang Luo imagined.

Just as Sang Luo thought, he indeed started contemplating supernatural explanations. The only difference was, aside from initially thinking of mountain spirits and wandering ghosts, he also considered deities and immortals.

This was because of the food Sang Luo made from leaves today, which she named using terms related to divinity - 'Immortal Tree' and 'Fairy Tofu'.

From his initial suspicion, Shen An's thoughts gradually shifted towards the idea of redemption, considering that a benevolent immortal might have come to help him and his sister in their suffering.

However, even this thought didn't settle firmly.

The tales circulated among the village children, often told by adults, included stories of demons and spirits luring people with benefits as traps.

So, is this really his sister-in-law? If not, is this being here to help him and his sister, or to harm them?

Torn with countless thoughts, yet afraid to show any sign, he wanted to test but dared not; not testing, he feared it might really be some demon or spirit, and once the sun sets and darkness falls, what might happen...?

He couldn't bear to continue the thought, feeling like his heart was being cooked over a slow flame, utterly tormented.

……

Shen An and Sang Luo had their separate thoughts, while Shen Ning was purely joyful.

The little girl squatting by the stove, watching the gradually whitening fish soup in the pot, listening to the bubbling sound, smelling the fresh aroma, and swallowing saliva, all the while dreaming about how to prepare for the next day's market to earn money.

Her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth were all incredibly busy.

Sang Luo looked at Shen Ning and couldn't help but feel emotional, thinking this is how a child of seven or eight should be.

How come Shen An, born on the same day, seemed to have the worries of an adult with a thousand thoughts?

Seeing the soup nearly ready, she first added the pre-washed wild onion bulbs, waited a while, and then added the remaining wild onions, snapping them into pieces with her fingertips, into the pot.

The scent of the wild onions burst forth upon touching the hot soup, filling the entire room with its fragrance.

Shen Ning was utterly entranced by the aroma, taking a deep breath and smiling at the creamy white fish soup in the pot, unable to close her mouth: "The fish soup Sister-in-law made smells so good!"

Sang Luo slightly lowered the fire in the stove, reaching for a bowl to serve the fish, and paused for a moment when she heard Shen Ning's comment.

Fortunately, the original body had never cooked fish soup for these siblings.

Calmly picking up the bowl, she used a wooden spoon to scoop up the palm-sized fish from the bottom of the pot and handed it to Shen Ning: "The onions naturally make it fragrant. The soup is very hot, so start with the fish and purslane. You and your brother can share this fish."

Shen Ning's face lit up with joy: "Thank you, Sister-in-law!"

Sang Luo smiled, took another bowl for herself, and scooped up a slightly smaller fish into it, slowly picking at the flesh with chopsticks.

Shen An couldn't help but observe again.

Demons and spirits don't eat food like humans, do they?

……

Sang Luo was truly troubled.

This surreptitious glancing, again and again, would be better off just being asked outright.

She decided to face Shen An directly, meeting his gaze, and asked: "How is the fish? Do you like it?"

Shen An, secretly pondering over what kind of demon or ghost Sang Luo might be, was caught off guard by her question. Feeling a bit guilty, but also strangely emboldened to probe, he nodded in response to her question: "It's delicious. Why didn't you take us fishing before, Sister-in-law?"

"And why didn't you pick leaves to make that Fairy Tofu?"

"With these skills, how could you have ended up starving and sick to death?"

He carefully concealed his sharpness, even forcing a naive smile that a nine-year-old should have.