Chapter 10: Full of the Martial World

Gently, she let out another breath, then lay flat on the wooden bed. The wooden bed was a bit hard, but it was covered with two layers of mattresses, and even the duvet cover was washed spotlessly clean. She pulled up a corner of the quilt and held it under her nose; it had the scent of laundry detergent, mixed with the smell of sunlight.

It was a scent she hadn't smelled in a long time—the scent of a mother.

She closed her eyes. That night, she drifted in and out of sleep, having many dreams, one after another. At one moment, she was in her previous life at the hospital, half-dead and looking like a skeleton; the next, she was back in the days on the Tianyuan Continent when she was missing a soul. All her memories flooded in, as if being forcibly stuffed into her brain, until she opened her eyes again and the sky outside was already beginning to brighten.

She sat up and ran her hands through her hair.

It really wasn't easy; three lifetimes of memories were crammed into her head, and yet she could still distinguish between them.

Outside, there were a few crisp bird calls, and the crowing of a rooster could also be heard. It held the simplicity and naturalness unique to this era. Later on, as technology became highly advanced, such natural purity was lost.

Clean air, crisp bird calls, and the rustling sound of wind blowing through leaves. She leaned against the window and could vaguely see people up early in the courtyard, sweeping the ground, along with the faint sound of street vendors calling out their wares.

These were the early risers, and life was never easy for anyone.

She closed her eyes, let out another soft, heavy breath, and then sat up straight, feeling the faint pulsing sensation hidden in her fingertips. Although it was only a tiny feeling, she believed that if given a few more years, even if she couldn't reach the cultivation level of her past life, it would still be of great help to her in the future. And from this moment on, she already knew what she had to do.

*Ring!* The alarm clock on the bedside table went off. Zhou Lanping woke up with a start. She grabbed the alarm clock; because she had been grading papers, she had gone to bed late, no wonder she woke up late. In the past, she should have been up long ago.

She didn't have time to think too much; her body's instincts were faster than her brain's reaction. She hurriedly put on her clothes and ran toward the kitchen. If she were any later, that ancestor of hers would throw a tantrum again. A tantrum wasn't the main issue, but what would happen if she didn't eat? She was still just a child.

No matter what others said about Liu Liang—that she had a thousand faults—in Zhou Lanping's heart, she was just a child, a child she owed. She had only given birth to her but had never raised her, leaving her in someone else's home, where heaven knows what kind of hardships she had suffered.

Otherwise, how could such a wealthy family let her Liangliang learn to cook such good dishes at such a young age? If she hadn't been holed up in the kitchen for ten years, how could she have such good skills?

But just as she rushed out while putting on her clothes, even kicking off one of her shoes, the door opened to reveal that the lights outside were already on, and breakfast was already set on the table.

There were steaming small steamed buns, a plate of finely shredded potatoes, and a plate of the pickled vegetables they often ate. Come to think of it, it was a habit; Zhou Lanping cut potatoes and pickled vegetables too, but why were hers never this thin or this uniform?

She walked over, dazed, her eyes wide open, as if the food on the table were fake. She absolutely did not believe that a "snail girl" had conjured this up for her.

Liu Liang came out of the small kitchen carrying two bowls of porridge. Although her skin was fair, she was very thin. The clothes she wore were not as flashy as before; they were much simpler, just like many of the children here—fair-skinned but still ordinary and plain.

She had always thought she was different, that she was born to save the Earth, to save the whole world, that she was a fairy from heaven reincarnated. As it turned out, she was nothing. She felt like a turtle, not only hiding in her own shell but eventually ending up with a "green hat" on her head.

She placed the bowls on the table—one for herself and one for Zhou Lanping.

She pushed the bowl toward Zhou Lanping.

"Mom, eat."

There were no extra words, and she couldn't say any more. In any case, today would be better than yesterday, and tomorrow would be better than today.

Liu Liang picked up her chopsticks and started eating. After a few bites, she couldn't help but look up.

"Aren't you eating?"

What was the use of looking at her? Could looking at her fill her stomach? She wasn't some celestial beauty. Even in her own mother's eyes, she might look like a flower, but surely not to the point where one glance would make her full?

"Eating, eating."

Tears welled up in Zhou Lanping's eyes. She picked up the bowl and slurped down the porridge. She truly felt this was the most delicious porridge she had ever eaten in her life.

For the first time, she ate until her belly was round; for the first time, she ate until she was a bit stuffed; and for the first time, she ate with such satisfaction.

As soon as she put down the bowl, Zhou Lanping grabbed it and rushed toward the small kitchen, as if afraid Liu Liang would snatch her chores away. A mother preparing breakfast for her child in the morning was only natural. As a mother, she felt truly ashamed. It was one thing to let her child make her breakfast, but could she really let her child wash the dishes too?

Xu Jiajia had been raised by her for twelve years, and she had never let her cook a meal or wash a dish. There was no reason for her, the biological mother, to mistreat her own daughter.

Zhou Lanping washed the dishes efficiently. When she came out, Liu Liang was still sitting at the table. She glanced at the clock on the wall; she should head to school soon. She still had to prepare lessons in the morning, and she was hoping to teach this class of students well and win an "Excellent" award or something so she could get a bonus. Don't look at it as just an elementary school; even this elementary school was full of its own "rivers and lakes."