Didn't Know General Was Female Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Is this the feeling of death?

Rong Jia Hui felt as though she had been asleep for  thousands of years. She had regained consciousness, yet she lacked the strength to do anything. Before her eyes was only darkness.

“Jia Hui! Jia Hui!”

It sounded like someone was shouting at her……

This gentle voice, she knew it well……

Mother……

Is it mother? When she was 22 years old, her mother became seriously ill and died. She had always loved her mother… Many times, when she had been wronged, she really wanted to go back to her mother and cry in her arms, but she didn't. She didn't want to let her mother feel sad at first. Later, she never had a chance again……

Mother……

“Jia Hui! Don't scare mother! Wake up! Jia Hui!”

“The doctor said that nothing was wrong with Jia Hui, she should wake up soon”

Father? Father is also here? How many years has it been since she saw him? Were these ghosts? They wanted her to wake up? h.e.l.l was truly much different than she thought it would be. While she was thinking, she could still hear her mother and father speaking.

“You speak very nimbly, but you don't really care do you!”

“You……”

“What?!”

“Nothing……”

“Get out! Get out of my way!”

Rong Jia Hui listened to the footsteps of her mother and felt that she had walked outside the house. Then she heard an angry voice through the doors and windows: “You've finally done it! You actually let my daughter fall into the river! It makes me furious! Granny Mo, have all these servants taken out and given fifty lashes each, then sell them all! How could our Rong family keep all these useless animals!”

After she heard what her mother said, Rong Jia Hui felt confused. She fell into the river? Then why did she remember dying? Although it was shameful, she really did remember being killed by a winter melon. But she didn't remember falling into a river. What was the meaning behind her mother's words? Did the Liu family say that she lost her balance and fell into a river after she choked? Nonono, that can't be right.

Somewhat confused, she tried to open her eyes but it seemed like her eyelids weighed a thousand pounds each. The image before her eyes gradually became more clear. But she didn't see her red sandalwood bed, but rather a lavender-carved canopy bed with a lilac-shadow gauze, a familiar bed……

This seemed like the bed she slept in when she was a child……

Did somebody build a room identical to the one she lived in at the Marquis' residence? Or was she just blind?

She moved her hands to her face and rubbed her eyes repeatedly, but the scene in front of her didn't change even a bit. She really wasn't blind……

At that moment, a servant suddenly realized that she was awake and came running over while shouting: “Madam! The young miss woke up!”

Her mother, who had still been reprimanding the servants, quickly came running over and sat down next to her bed.

At this moment, Rong Jia Hui had managed to prop herself up and her long hair, which was still damp, fell down on her shoulders. Her small face was still pale because of the fever she had and both her eyes were looking dazedly at her mother.

She hadn't seen her mother's radiant face for a long time.

She choked out: “Mother……”

When she opened her mouth and spoke, she was shocked to find out that the voice that came out of her was that of a child. Was she really that young?

She shuddered and looked down at her hands. These hands…… they were indeed hers, but they seemed incredibly small.

What was going on?!

Endlessly confused, she once again looked towards her mother……

This was indeed her mother, same eyebrows and same eyes. But it wasn't the mother she was used to seeing. The last time she had seen her mother she had been thirty nine years old, but the mother in front of her was only in her twenties, still like an innocent young girl, but with a little bit of mature charm.

What is this all about? She was 10 years younger? Or maybe…… She looked out of the window, and the sun was shining……

Maybe she truly was in the afterlife?

Her mother reached out and took her into her arms and softly said: “Jia Hui, how are you? Do you feel alright? Tell mother okay? You know, you really made mother anxious.”

Rong Jia Hui was cutely snuggled up against her mother's chest and her round face was full of shock. She was obviously twenty four years old and had been living in the Liu house for eight years so, how was it that she was now a child again? Perhaps, she is lying in her bed at the Liu family household and crying for her father and mother in her sleep. Or, maybe her life at the Liu family was a dream, an eight year long dream? A Zhuang Zhou b.u.t.terfly Dream? [it's a poem – ] Before she still felt ridiculous, but now she was just confused. She didn't know if she was in reality or in a dream.

“Spare us madam!”

Hearing the voices of all the servants outside, Rong Jia Hui became clear headed once again. Although she once had horrible conduct, she was still raised lovingly. When she woke up she had a room full of servants waiting to serve her. She also had four personal servant girls that would follow her everywhere. They all had soft skin and tender flesh. And fifty lashes, which could kill even a seven foot tall strong man, would definitely kill them. If so many people were to die because of her, she wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

Though she currently didn't know why she had fallen into the river and had no idea if these people were truly innocent, she still dragged her arm up and tugged at her mother's sleeve, requesting: “Mother, it was all because I wasn't careful. Don't beat them, and don't sell them, Okay?”

Earlier, when Yu Shi(her mother) had seen that her daughter had fainted and hadn't woken up for half a day, she had fallen into a fit of anger. Therefore, she had demanded that they have fifty lashes each. In fact, just twenty or thirty lashes was enough to kill someone. After she said it, she had started regretting it, but she couldn't just change her mind for no reason whatsoever. Now that her daughter had asked her to spare them she looked towards her own servant, Yu Ru, and signalled with her eyes. Yu Ru understood what she wanted and left.

Yu Shi stretched out her hand and gently stroked Rong Jia Hui's somewhat messy hair. The group of servants were lucky that someone had thought to save them. Other than having a pale face, nothing else seemed to be wrong with Rong Jia Hui. If her daughter had been seriously injured, then Yu Shi would have wanted to die.

And now, seeing that the servants wouldn't be killed, Rong Jia Hui looked at her mother, who was gently rearranging her hair. She felt a little sour. Her parents had always loved her a great deal, but before losing them she had never appreciated their love.  Now, after being married off, she realized just how good they were to her.

Thinking of this, she threw herself into her mother's arms and cried. Then she couldn't bear it any more and started sobbing: “Mother, I thought…… I thought I would never see you again!”

When Yu Shi had seen her daughter soaking wet and unconscious, her heart had almost broken. When her daughter was unconscious, she didn't know how many Bodhisattvas she prayed to. As long as her daughter could wake up, she would even give her life.

She caressed Rong Jia Hui's hair and said, “It's okay, mother is here.”

“Yes……” Rong Juahui cried and absent-mindedly agreed.

She firmly held onto her mother and could feel her warmth. Even if this was just a dream, she was able to see her mother again and hold her mother again, it was enough.

After a few days of recuperation, Rong Jia Hui finally heard from a servant why she had fallen into the water. They said she had been playing in the garden and was running after a servant girl, trying to catch her. While playing they had unwittingly moved to the riverbank and she had lost her footing and fallen in. It had taken them quite a while to fish her out and once they had they were scared that she was already dead.

However, it wasn't that big of a deal. She had always been too busy to sleep. After laying down for a few days, she felt like she had become moldy. She was worried at the beginning that it was just a sweet dream, and as long as she opened her eyes, she would see Liu Qian Chen, and her mother would be alone in her grave.

And now, after a few days of living normally, she knew that she wasn't in a dream. Was it actually that those ten years were the real dream? Had that ten year long dream just been the result of her falling into the river?

She wasn't really that confident in this idea. But then again, after what had happened she now felt that nothing could be too bizarre. It could really be true. Or maybe, some Bodhisattva took pity on her and after those ten years, returned her here.

The more she thought, the stranger her ideas became. Maybe she should just stop trying to figure it out. Anyways, she was now only twelve years old. She was no longer twenty four. She no longer needed to do any work.

So, that Dingyuan County marquis Zhong Li Luo should still be really young right? If she was able to see him, then she would be able to confirm if she had been dreaming or not. She remembered that when she was twelve years old was when he appeared.

However, if it wasn't just a dream, and he actually existed, he still had yet to come. Even though none of that had happened yet, and she was still only twelve years old, she remembered Zhong Li Luo had come to her home when she was twelve, even though she couldn't remember which month or which day, 

She didn't know why, but for some reason she was looking forward to his arrival. Maybe it was because she wanted to seize this opportunity and become the pavilion closest to the water. Or maybe she just wanted to see what he looked like after not seeing him for eleven years……

Soon the sun dipped down in the west and the sky was dyed red. All the servant girls had finally left her room after she had said she needed to rest and asked to not be disturbed. After they left she got out of her bed and stealthily crept out the window. Who needs to rest!

Although the sun had been shining brightly during the day, in the evening, facing the clouds and a gentle breeze, it was very comfortable. She walked in the sunset with her heart full of peace and quiet.

At this time, in the middle of summer in June, the lotus blossoms in the pond were excellent. The green lotus leaves were covered with green pond water, the hibiscus was bright red, the beauty was perfect. She couldn't help but recall how she had fallen into the river, but she had no reason to be afraid of the pond. She squatted down on the sh.o.r.e, stretched out her hand, wanting to fold a lotus to put in her room.

She leaned over, and when she was about to touch the stalk, suddenly behind her she heard a shout: “What are you doing!”

This sudden voice scared Rong Jia Hui and startled her. No! She had only just gone out but had already been caught. In a panic she hurriedly tried to stand up, but one of her legs was numb, and her whole body lost its balance. Tottering, she tried to move herself away from the pond, since hitting the sh.o.r.e would be better than falling head first into the water. But, she was unsuccessful.

She guessed that the pond was about three meters deep, and after being exposed to the sun all day it had become warm. The warm water poured into her mouth, she tried to spit it out, but she just drank more and more. She was really suffering from her poor decisions. Even after her parents told her to stay in her room she still just had to go out……

Little by little, she became motionless, in a daze, she felt like there was more than one hand on her waist, her eyes closed and she fainted with confidence.

When she opened her eyes again, she had returned to her room. The servant girl near her saw that she was awake and ran away excitedly to tell her parents.

Rong Jia Hui sat up, touched her unkempt hair, blinked her eyes, then saw a few people come in, her sullen father, frowning mother, and……

Her eyes shined, she was surprised to see the figure of a ten-year-old youth, who looked a little like a woman, and his appearance overlapped with the blurry image of Zhong Li Luo in her memory.

“Why don't you listen? Still playing near the water! If we hadn't come, you'd have drowned! n.o.body would have known! Why do you always disobey?”

If it wasn't for your shout I wouldn't have fallen into the water! Rong Jia Hui silently cursed, but she didn't dare talk back. She had no option but to droop her head and obediently listen to her father's admonishments.

Seeing her Rong Chen's angry appearance, Yu Shi pulled on his sleeve and spoke: “Ah Chen, I think Jia Hui also knows she was wrong, she definitely won't do it again. Besides, if you hadn't shouted, Jia Hui wouldn't have been scared and fallen.”

Rong Jia Hui couldn't help but nod. She really had the best mother. Besides, she wasn't even hurt, she had only swallowed a few mouthfuls of water, that's all.

Rong Chen glanced at Yu Shi and said: “You are too protective of her, she's spoiled by you!”

Looking at Rong Chen, Yu Shi was too lazy to deal with him. She saw Zhong Li Luo standing on the side and not speaking. She shook her head with a smile, then took him to the side of Rong Jia Hui's bed, and said: “Jia Hui, this is your older brother Zhong Li Luo. He should be fifteen years old this year. Just now, you were safe thanks to him, he went and got you out of the water. Now thank your brother for his help.”

Rong Jia Hui looked at Zhong Li Luo, and as she thought about his great future, her smile became more and more brilliant: “Thank you gege!”

Looking at the delicate round face of the smiling girl in front of him, his white face couldn't help but be infected with a faint blush. He bowed his head, then somewhat uncomfortably said: “It was nothing.”