Chapter Two: A Turning Point Beyond the Back Mountain

“Big sister, did you... sell our eldest aunt?” Su Jin Xiao’s eyes widened in disbelief, her lips trembling.

“Jin Xiao, she wanted to sell us first. I only returned the favor in kind,” Su Jin Yu replied calmly.

As the carriage entered the city, Aunt Zhang realized Mrs. Wu had cheated her out of silver and was likely to beat her severely. Su Jin Yu wasn’t exactly a saint; since others wanted her life, she intended to repay them tenfold.

She stuffed the silver ingots into her clothes and felt her stomach growl painfully.

“Gurgle, gurgle...” Su Jin Xiao’s stomach echoed the same hunger. The siblings hadn’t eaten for two days. They couldn’t starve to death right after crossing into this world.

They rummaged through the woodshed but found only two pieces of wild kudzu root, which they placed in a bamboo basket. When others from the Su family arrived, they quickly locked the door from inside, propping a large water jar against it to buy some time.

Quietly sneaking out the back door and stepping across stones along the courtyard wall, Su Jin Yu nearly stumbled.

“Ouch...” The younger brother lost his footing and fell on his backside. Su Jin Yu hurriedly helped him up.

Peeking over the fence, she saw the elders and other family members aggressively storming the woodshed.

“What’s going on? Oldest daughter-in-law, open the door! Why are you hiding in the woodshed?”

“Open it now! Open it!” they shouted.

Su Jin Yu sneered inwardly. It seemed the plan to sell her and her brother was a collective decision by the entire Su family. These so-called relatives treated them like strangers, ignoring the coming and going of Aunt Zhang’s carriage.

The eldest aunt was merely a pawn; the real masterminds were probably the Su family elders.

There would be time to settle scores once they were well-fed.

“Big sister, if grandpa and grandma find out we ran away, they’ll beat us to death. I’m scared...” Su Jin Xiao’s legs trembled as she heard the shouts from the Su family elders.

“We’ll hide in the back mountain first. After we’re full and rested, I’ll come back and settle the score!” Su Jin Yu said firmly.

Nodding, the siblings hurried along, avoiding greetings to villagers they passed.

Finally reaching the back mountain, they sat on stones, gasping for breath.

“Big sister, this is kudzu root! Here, eat this,” Su Jin Xiao offered two dark, muddy pieces from the basket.

The kudzu roots were fresh from the dirt, covered in mud and fibrous strands. How could they eat them raw?

Frowning, Su Jin Yu hesitated but accepted the roots, moved by her brother’s sincere eyes.

“What the heck, I’m going all in!” she thought. During the apocalypse in her previous life, she had eaten worse—gnawing on roots dug from the earth. Kudzu was medicinal anyway; it wouldn’t kill them.

Just as she opened her mouth to bite, she paused and peeled away the mud.

“Jin Xiao, look closely. This isn’t kudzu, it’s cassava. If we eat this, we’ll die right here today.”

Perhaps the Su family had mistaken cassava for wild vegetables during their foraging.

Su Jin Xiao examined the pieces carefully, then slumped to the ground, dejected.

“Big sister, are we going to starve to death here? Maybe it’s better to die and be with mom and dad in the afterlife, so at least we’re together...” she murmured.

Su Jin Yu’s will to survive hardened. She refused to let herself think like that.

“Don’t talk like that about the afterlife. Do you think our parents gave birth to you only to have you give up? They sent money every year to raise you!”

Su Jin Xiao looked at her with a puzzled and curious gaze.

Su Jin Yu’s heart raced. She realized her behavior was so different from the original girl’s. The original was meek and timid, while Su Jin Yu was determined and strong.

Her sister, having lived with the original for years, would naturally be suspicious.

“I was knocked out by the eldest aunt this morning, but in a dream, I heard Mom and Dad telling us to live well. Before, I was too weak and let them bully us. Now, I’ll take care of those bad people. So, Jin Xiao, we can’t die—we have to live to find Mom and Dad at the border. They say Mom and Dad are gone, but I don’t believe it. You have to see with your own eyes.”

Su Jin Yu quickly concocted this story.

Mentioning Su Xing Zhou and Li Yue E, Su Jin Xiao’s dim eyes brightened.

“Yes, big sister. We have to live. I don’t believe Mom and Dad are gone. I want to find them.”

Previously, the original girl’s weakness had held back her brother, and both had endured endless torment in the Su household.

Now, Su Jin Xiao hoped her sister was telling the truth, so they wouldn’t suffer in darkness any longer.

Relieved to have convinced her brother, Su Jin Yu praised her own persuasive skills silently.

They were both pale and weak from hunger. She feared her brother would lose hope—the moment someone gives up on themselves, even rescue becomes impossible.

Going to the border was also a way to honor the original girl’s lingering soul. Until they confirmed if the news of their parents’ deaths was true, her spirit wouldn’t rest.

Besides, Su Jin Yu refused to cower in this village forever, living like a frog at the bottom of a well. She wanted to explore the wider world, understand this era fully, and seize any opportunity to rise above.

The social hierarchy of the Great Sheng dynasty roughly divided into the royal family, nobility, aristocratic clans, wealthy families, humble households, commoners, and peasants.

Though she was a commoner now, she believed she could carve out a place for herself in this ancient world. Since fate had brought her here, she might as well rise to become part of a prestigious family!

Only by gaining power could she live freely in this era.

Lost in thought, suddenly—

Su Jin Yu felt the world spin wildly, clutching a stone to steady herself.

Damn it! Her body was too weak, two days without food had pushed her to the limit.

“Let’s hold on a bit longer. We’ll find something to eat deeper in the mountain.”

Survival skills learned during the apocalypse were still sharp. Whether flying, crawling, swimming, or running, she believed she could find food.

On the back mountain, the siblings met many villagers returning from gathering wild vegetables.

The past two years of drought had ruined the harvest. Border wars raged, taxes increased, and the people suffered greatly.

After a long walk, they found no edible wild plants. The villagers had already stripped the nearby areas bare.

Parched and desperate, the siblings drank muddy puddle water from rain runoff, their mouths filled with grit and sand.

“Big sister, I... I can’t walk anymore...” Su Jin Xiao whispered weakly.

Suddenly, a thud sounded behind them.

Su Jin Yu turned and quickly lifted her brother onto her back.

“Jin Xiao, don’t sleep yet! I’ll find bird eggs and catch fish to make grilled fish for you. Don’t close your eyes, or you won’t get any!”

Breathing heavily, her footsteps sank deep with each step.

“You’re just saying that. You can’t climb trees or catch fish...” Su Jin Xiao murmured.

Hearing her brother’s feeble breaths, Su Jin Yu broke into a cold sweat, her face as pale as paper.

Could this really be the end?

If she died here, would she return to the apocalypse? Her lab still held supplies and medicines—she couldn’t let others benefit from them.

Her knees buckled, vision darkening, she almost collapsed with her brother on her back.

Suddenly, the ground disappeared beneath her!

Her body floated upward, surrounded by a vast white void, as if caught in a cosmic rift.

A bright light flashed, and after a moment, she cautiously opened her eyes.

To her relief, she was back in the apocalypse research lab!

Inside were dozens of compressed biscuit bags, fifty boxes of bottled water, various medicines—including penicillin, antibiotics, and nutrition drinks—and medical equipment, dust masks, and protective suits.

The lab had a dining area and a restroom. The dining room held tables and chairs, next to a gas stove powered by infinite energy, igniting without fuel.

Two large refrigerators stood nearby.

One contained fresh vegetables, fruits, eggs, beef, lamb, pork, chicken, duck, dairy products, juices, tea, and alcohol.

The freezer held ready-to-eat foods—frozen dumplings, wontons, tangyuan, fried chicken cutlets, chicken strips, steaks, chicken legs, and crispy pork—her favorite apocalypse stockpiles.

They were saved! Neither she nor her brother would starve to death now!