Quick Transmigration and Childbirth: The Target is Not Human

The successful counterattack at Luoma River enabled the southward-bound army to capture Jiecheng in one fell swoop.

The fall of this transportation hub, which connected thirteen railway lines, was like a heavy blow, shattering the enemy's backbone.

While the good news was spreading northwards, news of the death in Beiping was just released.

My brother's handwritten letter arrived seven days later than the telegram.

He slept very lightly for the past seven days.

Whenever he heard unfamiliar, hurried footsteps, he assumed it was a letter from Beiping.

Although the telegrams and newspapers contained detailed and seemingly credible information, he always felt that they were false.

My brother must have his reasons for not denying these rumors.

He would not believe any newspaper propaganda unless he saw his brother's handwriting with his own eyes.

As Lu Xize was writing the letter in his brother's hand, the army doctor was changing the dressing on his gunshot wound.

Contrary to his expected excitement and eagerness, he also wondered if his adjutant should help him open it since one of his hands was inconvenient.

But he still slowly tore open the envelope, steadily unfolding the paper with two fingers of his right hand, smoothing out the heavy creases.

The handwriting is that of my elder brother.

The content is also concise and to the point.

The letter omitted the fact that the childbirth was difficult, only saying that the nanny who was taking care of the child was drowsy in the middle of the night and knocked over the candlestick, causing a fire.

By the time the situation was discovered, the fire was already raging.

Most of the furniture inside the house was burned to ashes, and the eldest sister-in-law, Xia, died from suffocation due to excessive smoke inhalation.

Contrary to what his trusted guards thought, contrary to Wang Shu's cautiousness, and even contrary to his own expectations, Lu Xize did not experience much grief or surprise.

My mind, which had been muddled by the continuous rainy season in Jiangnan, suddenly cleared up.

It still feels fake.

The military is currently taking stock of the casualties, and more and more comrades have died on the battlefield.

He seemed to have been prepared for the arrival of the word "death".

His tears had dried, and his heart was numb.

The room remained silent for a long time; no one spoke.

"My eldest sister-in-law has passed away." Lu Xize folded the letter with one hand and said calmly to Wang Shu beside him.

Wang Shu was on edge. He asked cautiously, "Is there anything you'd like to do?"

Lu Xize: "Let's finish bandaging the wound first."

The messenger brought not only letters but also some items, all of which were packed in a rather large cabinet, requiring him to go and see them himself.

As he was leaving, Wang Shu asked him, "Young Marshal, are you alright?"

"It's nothing," Lu Xize replied casually.

Others looked at him with pity, worried that he was too heartbroken, but only he knew that he really felt he was fine and could accept this reality.

Lu Xize walked into the courtyard and saw the outline of the carved pear blossom rosewood wardrobe in the distance. Suddenly, he felt his throat tighten.

The messenger was a trusted confidant of the Lu family, and he witnessed the entire process.

From the moment the eldest daughter-in-law was rescued from the burned-down house, to her death despite all efforts to save her, and finally to her burial.

He approached Lu Xize and asked, "These are the things the eldest young mistress used before she passed away. The eldest young master sorted them out and said he would entrust them to you. Would you like to see them now, or move them into the house first?"

"The young mistress passed away in her sleep, without suffering, and the fire did not spread to the bed."

Lu Xize opened the wardrobe and glanced around. All the items were familiar: her peach wood comb, the pair of mandarin duck pillows she often used, her used calligraphy brush, pink embroidered shoes, a water cup…

He touched the luminous pearl he had given her, then let go, closed the wardrobe, and said, "Burn it all."

The messenger and Wang Shu exchanged a glance, both taken aback.

The messenger asked, "Was it all burned? Do you want to leave something behind? A note or a wooden hairpin?"

"No need." Lu Xize looked at the messenger, his eyes calm. "Let's go, let's go together."

So many items, ordinary fire wouldn't burn them, so they went to the funeral home.

Lu Xize stood at a distance, watching as those familiar objects were put into the incinerator. His thumb repeatedly stroked the character "漾" on the handkerchief, as if it were a machine.

After an unknown amount of time, the ashes left from the burning were collected by the staff into a small porcelain jar.

"Would you like to open it and take a look?" the staff member asked.

Lu Xize snapped back to his senses, his eyes regaining their calm. He put away his handkerchief, but his gaze was burned the moment it touched the small porcelain jar.

"I won't watch it."

The nascent sense of relief I had felt was wiped out.

He was afraid to face this fact, even though he had mentally rehearsed it countless times.

Jiecheng's neighbor is Lincheng, Xia Yangyang's home, the Changshi Mansion.

It was only three days ago that it was recaptured.

The night wind was damp and stuffy.

Lu Xize, carrying the porcelain jar, tore off the interlocking cross-shaped seals on the gate of the Changshi Mansion, pushed open the door, and went inside.

I never imagined that the first time I openly brought her home would be in this way.

The courtyard is lush with greenery.

The ground was wet and clean from the rain.

As he walked, he came to the small house where the two of them had once lived. The once cramped corridor now looked quite spacious.

He placed the porcelain jar on the edge of the pond, which had accumulated about half a pool of rainwater.

The pond was covered with old, withered lotus leaves and fallen petals. A net sat beside it. He frowned, squatted down, took the net in his hand, and scooped the fish into the center of the pond.

With the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, the clear, pristine beauty of the pond was revealed with each splash of water.

He wiped the sweat from his brow as he pulled the last netful of fish up.

Among the withered branches and fallen leaves mixed with silt, he saw a round object that shone with a soft light and was somewhat dazzling.

He was a little confused, so he stepped forward and picked it up.

The bead, the size of a pigeon egg, shone even brighter against the calluses on his fingertips.

It is a luminous pearl.

He was stunned.

Did she once have a luminous pearl?

The dusty album of memories was suddenly opened.

He recalled a nameless winter day when she was also struggling to fish with a net by the pond, her little face red from the cold, panting and exhaling white breath.

As he passed by, he casually remarked, "Only a toad would hide a list in the mud."

She rolled her eyes at him and said, "Who said I was looking for a list?"

"Are you looking for toads? There are no toads in winter."

"Aren't you going out? Hurry up and go."

At the time, they did this to avoid being discovered.

At night, no lights can be turned on, and the interior can only be vaguely discerned by moonlight, making it easy to bump into things on rainy days.

So, this is what she retrieved.

This bead is very important to her, something she keeps thinking about. It might be a birthday gift, or something she saved up for months of allowance when she was young to buy, or perhaps a gift from some so-called old friend...

How did it come about? He had no idea.

But he was certain of one thing: when she generously gave away the pile of jewels he had given her, but kept only the luminous pearl, she was not as perfunctory as she appeared.

There must have been a flicker of joy in her heart.

This joy, however, transcends life and death, and only now does it resonate with him.

My palms were burning and sore from the beads.

Lu Xize's eyes suddenly stung, but he couldn't help but smile.

Such is the wonder of the world. He could have asked one more question if he had just been a little more humble and not so arrogant and overbearing.

But he didn't.

He missed a vivid and interesting moment of hers.

And thus she missed the real reason why she chose that luminous pearl.

This wouldn't have been a big deal.

No one can have God's perspective.

But now, he has retrieved this luminous pearl.

He managed to salvage it!

Is this a reminder to him? Is it punishment for not showing him pain for her? Is it?

He thought he knew her very well, but that was a mistake.

When they went south, due to their inner prejudices, they spent 80% of the time distancing themselves from each other.

When they were at the Xia residence, due to the traditional relationship between uncle and sister-in-law, they only exchanged a few words during dinner at night.

Even after returning to the Lu residence, and even after crossing the line, he often worked at the headquarters, and the time he truly spent alone was pitifully short.

He thought he had plenty of time.

He thought he had a lifetime ahead of him.

Lu Xize tidied up the Xia residence one last time.

He found the shuttlecock she had hidden under the carpet.

In the cabinet where she cooks, I found a fantasy novel that was stuck on a certain page.

Inside her bed, they found a rabbit that had been crumpled and then mended with needle and thread.

In the old boudoir, which had been emptied of valuables, they found glass candy wrappers that even the ransacking team hadn't bothered to take with them.

Lu Xize slumped down.

I sat in the chair she had sat in, and leaned against the backrest she had leaned against.

The moon slowly rose outside the window.

The moonlight shone into the room and onto the luminous pearl.

The beads emit a soft light.

She recalled that night when she murmured, "[Is this misfortune because I did something wrong, or is this just how life is supposed to be?]"

[Will everyone eventually leave me, or have I never truly possessed anyone from the beginning?]

In this world, those unexpected opportunities are like the thin sheet of paper separating people.

He thought it was too thin and could be punctured at any time, so he wasn't in a hurry; but precisely because it was too thin, she thought he could see it, so she kept waiting.

In the end, no one got to see it.

Misfortune is not caused by doing something wrong; it is the act of living itself, which means learning to accept loss.

Everyone will leave you, but no one is something you've never had before; it's just that when we have something, we don't realize it's something we possess.

Lu Xize rested his elbows on the table, lowered his head, and buried his face in his hands.

The bead slipped from between his fingers, rolled to the ground, and into the moonlight.

Hot tears also dripped from between her fingers.

It accumulated into a small puddle.

All the belated sorrow surged in from all directions, completely overwhelming him.