When she regained her senses, all she could hear was the chirping of birds and she thought maybe she was not dead, and this was possibly all a dream. The thought of succumbing to mushroom poisoning scared her, but now she thought maybe she did not die and all she need to just seek help.
The pain on her side further strengthened her speculation as she was sleeping on a hard surface and she thought she was still sleeping on the floor in the middle of the forest and was happy at least she would not be leaving this world with a record stating that she passed away from mushroom poisoning, her hopes further strengthened when she felt someone lifting her head to feed her water and she was happy she did not die.
Her friends would have made fun of her, and she really hated I told you so rhetoric.
She had a splitting headache and opened her eyes and the moment she did she made eye contact with a small boy around the age of ten with tears in his eyes the moment their eye met he blushed and looking to the side wiping his tears. What confused her was that she was sure she was in a forest in North America but the boy Infront was of Asian descent and wearing traditional Chinese outfit and without a break another wave of headache hit her and a rash of memories filled her head. She remained shocked her. She was unsure about what to say or what to do. Her mouth hung open in shock; she just sat there.
The small boy whispered to his sister that she had frightened him when she fainted. Then, realization dawned: she inhabited a sixteen-year-old girl, a namesake, they also shared village of her parents' origin.
She was from a family of fallen nobles. Her mother passed away when she was around six years old, while giving birth to her younger brother was the daughter of the current prime minister. Her father was from the famous Li family but was arrested two years ago as he was accused of corruption and he passed away in a cell and she had some gossips that it was self-induced death.
Before being arrested, their father paid the steward, instructing him to take the children to a house on the outskirts of the city. His grandparent owned a farm next to their hut, which was old and almost falling apart, but at least they had a plot of land for farming.
The girl has been in the field throughout, tending to their recently growing millet plants when she sprayed pest control substance and after spraying it on the seeds. She had some water and ate a roast corn for lunch without washing her hands, where she got Sulphur poisoning and passed away.
Mei felt her eyes pool with tears. She was really sad this little girl had such a difficult and short life, and she really hoped the girl was not dead and swapped souls with her. Maybe then she can have a good life, maybe lonely but a good one.
She looked at the small boy, who had red eyes he was looking at her closely and he was brilliant as he noticed the changes in her immediately. She was not crying. Today, usually, his sister was very emotional and cried at a drop of a hat, but his sister now was just staring at him. Shaking her, he called again, and out of no where she engulfed him in a hug. He was stunned. He didn't remember the last time his sister hugged him.
She made a promise to take care of him and not let him suffer; he didn't know what overcame his sister, but he didn't dislike it before she was trying to keep them both alive and did not have time to spare for hugs and feelings and he felt weak he knew his sister was trying hard she was dealing with as a lot of responsibilities the head of their household and with the capital people shunning them even when she tried to hide it he could see it.
Two days prior, he ascended the mountain in search of bird eggs and berries, only to discover upon his return that she was still unwell. She wanted to go to the distant maternal family for help, but his fear of rejection stopped him. He nursed her through the night, yet her health deteriorated. Despite his hatred for the begging, he decided to seek their help, but there was no one to drive him to the capital; he also couldn't leave his sister alone, so he returned to their hut dejected.
His sister remained the same during the night and he decided if his sister did not wake up the next day, then he would go seek help from his maternal family if they couldn't help then he would wait till his sister woke up and if she did not wake up then he will follow.
He was crying when he felt her move and his heartbeat speed up, and after a while, she opened her eyes.
Mei noticed the small boy, who appeared smaller than the other children his age, tugged at her heartstrings. She embraced him, vowing to give him a bright future. Despite his surprise, he embraced her back. And she understood she wouldn't face life solo; she had gained a brother.
Her friend at the university loved reading novels Transmigration and Reincarnation web novels. She even tried to make her read one, but Li Meilin, who never enjoyed reading novels, rejected it, and now that she has been thrown to an ancient time with no manual to follow she regretted why she did not at least read one. She really wondered if she had upset someone with powers.
This was only her second day since arriving in this part of the world. Her mind was brimming with thoughts. She wondered if her body would be discovered, or if someone else had been reborn within it. Her brother diligently nursed her back to health. He cooked her porridge, even bringing home a wild chicken for soup. After three days' rest, she could walk around.
The sun's descent painted the evening in sunset hues as she emerged from the hut. A cool evening breeze played upon her skin with a gentle whistle.
She inhaled the air which was much fresher than the one in modern times, as there was no air pollution and as an environmental activist who had to the forest to get this type of air was happy she would be living here with her brother as she had a lot of knowledge about soil and plant she was going to use that to her advantage to improve their lifestyle. Her little brother worriedly tried to get her back to the hut, fearing another collapse, but she smiled, ruffled his hair, and promised she was fine.
Intending to check the situation, she decided to go to the farm tomorrow.