Chapter 2: Father's Concubine
When she opened her eyes, the sky outside was still cloaked in night, faint stars and a pale moon scattered amidst drifting clouds.
"Ah Heng, another nightmare?" She saw the concerned face of her second mother, Su Caiyun, whose round visage radiated warmth and kindness.
She shook her head. "No, not a nightmare. Just memories from my past life." For years, as night fell, memories of her previous life stubbornly returned in her dreams.
Letting out a soft sigh, she replied apologetically, "It's nothing, Second Mother. Please, go back to sleep."
Su Caiyun tucked her blanket snugly before lying down again. Soon, the room filled with her gentle snores. However, sleep continued to elude her.
Zhong Qinglan was dead.
Now, she was Lian Heng, the fifteen-year-old daughter of Lian Zheng, a wealthy timber merchant.
"You'll end up in a good family," she remembered the ghostly Xiaosu saying.
And indeed, it was a good family.
She was reborn in the early spring of the fifth year of the Ming Wanli era. She could still recall opening her eyes to the sight of a room lavishly adorned in gold and jade, the sound of celebratory blessings ringing in her ears.
She was the first child born to the Lian family.
At her one-month banquet, countless soft hands reached for the plump little baby girl, each leaving behind gifts—a gold locket, silver bracelets, jade pendants, and embroidered sachets—until she was adorned from head to toe.
Though forced into reincarnation, she had to admit she was now one of the world's most fortunate infants.
The tall, broad-shouldered young man with upright and handsome features was her father—Lian Zheng, a native of Huizhou in southern Anhui. He owned a flourishing timber business and was wealthy beyond measure. At the time, her father was only twenty years old but had already taken over the family business entirely.
"Luoying, look at this little one! Her bright, darting eyes are simply adorable!" Her father picked her up from her mother's arms, playfully pinching her soft cheeks.
She frowned slightly but didn't feel any aversion toward this father of hers.
"Luoying, how about naming her Heng'er? She's my first child, and I hope her arrival brings lasting prosperity to the Lian family business!"
"Lian Heng! What a wonderful name!" her mother agreed joyfully.
As the official wife, Yu Luoying was treated with respect despite giving birth to a daughter.
Looking at her parents' unfamiliar yet tender faces, the little baby silently sighed. So it's true—I've been reincarnated.
She hadn't wanted to come to the ancient past, but Xiaosu had forcibly pushed her through the gates of reincarnation.
What rotten luck. Her head was spinning, so she decided to stop thinking and resign herself to the ordinary life of an infant—eating and sleeping.
Even though she had taken only a small sip of the forgetfulness soup, she couldn't remember anything about her past life before the age of five, except for Xiaosu.
At five, the memories began trickling back, piece by piece, in her dreams.
That was the year her second mother, Su Caiyun, joined the Lian household.
For five years, her mother's womb had remained barren. With such a large estate, a male heir was needed. If Yu Luoying couldn't provide one, then Su Caiyun would take her place.
On her father's wedding night with Su Caiyun, her mother held her and cried silently throughout the night.
Her mother's sorrowful tears stirred something deep within her. Resting in her mother's soft embrace, she embarked on a journey through the dreams of her past life.
From then on, the dreams of her previous life came every night, unstoppable.
She remembered her childhood and youth spent in the ancient city of Z in Jiangnan. She had been her parents' only beloved child, living a smooth, carefree life. At 18, she went to university, majoring in psychology, a subject she had little interest in. Secretly, she also studied beauty and hairstyling, unexpectedly winning an award for design. Later, she started working, first at a local government office, then, for reasons she couldn't recall, moving to another city to open a chain of beauty salons.
Yet there were crucial memories she couldn't piece together.
Why had she left a stable and promising job?
Had she ever loved someone?
Had she been married? Did she have children?
Everything was a blur.
As the vivid details of her past life grew clearer in her mind, she realized these experiences were hers alone, as if the most important memories had been erased by the forgetfulness soup.
How strange.
She often found herself lost in thought, sighing, "That soup is incredible!"
At those moments, her sharp-eared wet nurse, Nanny Luo, would always rush over, wobbling on tiptoes. "Miss, w-what soup would you like to drink?"
"Ah… lotus seed soup…" she would stammer, improvising, cold sweat trickling down her forehead.
After countless such incidents, she finally broke the habit of talking to herself.
When she was eight, her second mother had been in the household for three years but had yet to bear a child. A diagnosis revealed she was incapable of conceiving. This news left Lian Zheng deeply disappointed. Before he could decide how to handle her, a fortune-teller declared Lian Zheng was destined to have no sons.
Thus, she became the Lian family's irreplaceable and cherished young lady, receiving unmatched love and grooming from her father.
Both her mother and second mother treated her well, especially the pitiful Su Caiyun, who, having no children of her own, truly regarded her as her own. Knowing she suffered from nightmares and restless sleep, Su Caiyun often replaced the wet nurse to stay with her at night.
"Well, since I'm here, it must be fate. Better settle down and live well, Lian Heng!" she told the mirror, staring at the young girl dressed in fine silk.
…
Fifteen years had passed since her rebirth into the ancient world.
Tonight, for the first time, she remembered him.
It turned out she had been married.
It turned out she had loved someone.
It turned out that person had hurt her deeply…
But who was he?
She still couldn't recall his face or what he was like. All she could remember was the searing pain of betrayal and heartbreak, as vivid as the day it happened, transcending even the cycle of reincarnation.
Clutching her chest, she gazed blankly at the early autumn night sky, unaware that tears were already streaming down her face.
At breakfast, Lian Zheng's eyes lingered on his daughter's slightly reddened eyes. "Ah Heng, didn't sleep well last night?"
Before she could answer, he turned to reprimand Su Caiyun, "Caiyun, how could you not take good care of Ah Heng? From now on, let Nanny Luo stay in her room."
Su Caiyun lowered her head and replied meekly, "Yes, Master."
"If you can't handle it, don't pretend you can!" a crisp voice interjected.
The speaker was a young woman with a delicate oval face, long phoenix eyes, fair skin, and a slender figure. Dressed in a sapphire silk robe, she was strikingly beautiful—Lian Zheng's third wife, Lu Qiaoqiao.
"Qiaoqiao, Caiyun meant well!" Yu Luoying, the first wife, spoke disapprovingly. "Let's eat, everyone."
Lu Qiaoqiao pouted her rosy lips but picked up her bowl without another word.
Looking at the three women at the table, Lian Heng felt a headache coming on. Lu Qiaoqiao had joined the household a year ago. Originally a courtesan at Yunxin Pavilion, she was charming, sharp-tongued, and often assisted Lian Zheng in business dealings. Gradually, their relationship deepened. Unable to part with her, Lian Zheng redeemed her from the brothel and brought her home as his third wife.
In this era, men openly having multiple wives saved them the trouble of choosing.
Each woman in the household was beautiful.
Her mother was elegant and refined, with jet-black hair and autumn-like eyes that had once captivated countless young men. At 32, she still maintained her youthful beauty.
Her second mother, at 29, had a round face, gentle eyes, and a curvaceous figure, exuding a graceful charm.
And her third mother, just 22, was undoubtedly the youngest and most stunning of all.
What kind of woman could truly hold a man's heart?
When external qualities were equally exceptional, what drew her father to someone new?
Was it—novelty?