After barely resting for a few days, on one afternoon, the newly reborn little An Ning had already nimbly resud her duties, her hair tied in freshly done twin buns.
"A-Ning's here! Why not rest a few more days? Does your throat still hurt? Sister still has so loquat syrup left..."
"Co to think of it, wasn't A-Ning dressed too lightly the other day? That must be why she caught cold. Look at these tiny hands..."
"So young and still so unaware of things..."
As they spoke, a fluffy hand warr embroidered with what appeared to be little ducks found its way into An Ning's small hands.
The senior maid in light green cotton-padded jacket nearby looked over with evident pride, as if saying, "See? My embroidery isn't half bad!"
Seeing her smug expression, several girls from Snow Garden couldn't help but giggle. Everyone in this courtyard knew that while Xue Qing excelled at many things, her embroidery skills were notoriously awful.
"Xue Qing-jie, you're just taking advantage of A-Ning being young and naive..."
"Little A-Ning, I'll make you a better one tomorrow." "What do you an by that, you brat?"
Being girls of eight or nine years old—the most playful and mischievous age—they soon tumbled into a lively frolic during their break. Still, mindful of the young mistress resting next door, they kept their voices low.
Amidst it all, An Ning smiled sweetly, hugging the hand warr like a treasure as she flattered her elder sisters: "I love anything made by my sisters!"
Her adorable cleverness earned her rounds of cheek-pinching from the older girls. Even the newly awakened Miss Lin asked in a deliberately grown-up tone: "Has A-Ning fully recovered? You could rest a few more days if needed!"
An Ning naturally shook her head to indicate she was fine. Seeing her good complexion, Miss Lin didn't press further, only advising her to rest more indoors these days instead of coming early.
By the end of her first day back at work, An Ning could barely carry all the little gifts—golden beans from Miss Lin, Xue Qing's hand warr, Xue Yuan's loquat syrup, and Xue Yan's...
From the original body's mories, though the Lin household had strict rules, the masters treated servants kindly. The young mistress being only four ant minimal rivalry among maids, creating an exceptionally harmonious atmosphere.
The reality matched this observation.
Holding these small gifts, An Ning easily understood why the original soul's final wishes—besides her sister's welfare and revenge against the Chen family—included hoping these elder sisters and the young mistress would fare better than in their previous lives...
Perhaps feeling her requests excessive, the original had specifically added that if necessary, the Chen matter could be dropped... Her sister's happiness remained paramount.
Recalling the girl's tragic previous ending, An Ning sighed softly: "Truly, for kind souls, love outweighs hatred."
That night, lying on her narrow bed while icy wind seeped through the window cracks, An Ning shivered involuntarily. Huddling under her thin quilt with chattering teeth, she suddenly asked: "System, if I rember right, this world has spiritual energy, doesn't it?" With fox spirits and Daoist witches around...
"Correct," the system nodded, then quickly shook its head: "But this minor world's energy is not only scarce but also impure. Most crucially, your current body lacks spiritual roots..."
Growing cautious towards the end, the system was surprised when An Ning, though disappointed, took it in stride. Even in major worlds, spiritual roots were rare—one in ten thousand—hardly sothing to expect casually. If this path proved impassable, she'd simply find another.
"Host, in a few days, Lin Daiyu's younger brother will fall gravely ill, ultimately... Would you consider...?" With an heir present, wouldn't Lin Daiyu, the host, and those girls be safeguarded...? The system mused.
Given her usual approach, it expected refusal but instead received an uncharacteristic nod: "Indeed, this is a rare opportunity." The sole heir of the Lin household—such importance...
An Ning unconsciously tapped her fingertips before hurriedly bundling herself tighter in the quilt. The system: "..."
Days passed smoothly as An Ning, emulating the original's deanor, grew close with all the elder sisters—even exchanging light banter with young Miss Lin occasionally.
Until several days later...
When the old physician Liang, rushing out of the manor with other doctors while wiping cold sweat from his brow, found his path blocked by a little maid.
"Wait—what did you say, child?"
"You want to take you as my disciple? Even help you and your sister shed your servant status?" The elderly doctor nearly laughed in exasperation at the few-year-old girl before him. His dical knowledge was a family heritage, never to be taught to outsiders.
Though he'd lost his son, he still had grandsons. Moreover, this was a girl child. Yet seeing her stubborn expression, he tempered his voice: "Child, go back. I've no ti for idle chatter."
To his astonishnt, the girl didn't retreat but tremblingly pulled from her robes a battered, aged booklet—unearthed from sowhere, still faintly earthy.
The mont he glimpsed its contents, the old physician's expression shifted. Still, he insisted: "Go ho, girl. This is impossible! I cannot take this..."
"You don't understand its value, but I won't exploit your ignorance..."
Seeing his integrity matched the system's investigation, An Ning subtly withdrew the hidden dicinal powder and yellow talisman. Instead, she lifted her head with a bright smile: "Grandfather, I'm very clever. Though I can't read these words, I've morized them all after just one look..."
"Taking as your disciple won't be a loss."
As hesitation flickered across his face, she pressed on: "Besides, the doctor in our village—Master Yang—fled here after trouble in the capital. He was once renowned. This was his legacy. With this, you might find a solution?"
"Physician Liang, Magistrate Lin is formidable!"
At these words, the old doctor's face changed dramatically.
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