Miss_Little_Secret

When Jian Yiling wakes up in the body of a struggling village woman in 1960s rural China, she finds herself burdened with two malnourished children, an empty kitchen, and a reputation as a fragile, abandoned wife. But Yiling is no ordinary woman—she has knowledge, survival skills, and a sharp mind.

With foraging, hunting, and rare medicinal herbs, she fights to turn their fate around, one meal at a time. But just as she begins to rebuild her life, strange occurrences shake the village. Her supposedly missing husband returns—but why does another man, identical to him, appear in the shadows? And why does the village chief seem to know more than he lets on?

As Yiling digs deeper, she uncovers secrets buried beneath generations, a mystery tied to a hidden legacy, and a force that threatens to unravel everything she’s worked for. Along the way, fortuitous encounters bring her riches, knowledge, and influence—enough to not only transform her own fate but that of the entire village.

Her children, once weak and forgotten, will rise as geniuses of their time—one in business, the other in medicine.

But first, she must survive.

In a world where history is set in stone, can a single woman rewrite the future?

THE FORAGER'S LEGACY.

The Children Hear What She Doesn't Want to Believe

Yiling jumped back, her hand almost dropping the matchstick in her trembling grasp. But before she could compose herself, she heard a light, fragile voice coming from behind her.

"Is it the forest spirits, Mama?" Zhi's sleepy question sent a chill down her spine.

Yiling spun around to find Zhi standing at the door to their small room, his innocent face framed by the shadows. Yun'er, rubbing her eyes groggily, peeked out from behind him.

Yiling's throat was dry. She had thought the children were asleep. She had hoped they wouldn't hear.

"It's nothing," she said quickly, forcing a smile. "Just the wind."

But Zhi's small hands clenched at his sides. "Mama, I heard them. The villagers… they said something bad is coming."

Yiling's heart pounded. "You shouldn't listen to gossip, Xiaobao."

"But it wasn't gossip." His voice was firm despite its smallness. "They said the mountain is cursed. They said we should leave before—" He hesitated. "Before we disappear too."

Yun'er whimpered and clutched her brother's sleeve. "Like Papa?" she whispered.

The words struck like a slap. Yiling's breath hitched.

She knelt, reaching for them both. "No one is disappearing," she said, her voice steadier than she felt. "I won't let anything happen to you."

"But Mama…" Zhi's lips wobbled. "You're scared too, aren't you?"

Yiling swallowed. The truth lay heavy on her tongue, bitter and unspoken. Yes, she was scared. Scared of the whispers, of the way the villagers avoided their hut, of the stories she didn't want to believe. Of the strange footprints near their door, of the eerie howls at night that didn't quite sound like wolves.

But she couldn't let them see her fear.

She forced a chuckle and pulled them into her arms. "Even if the forest spirits are real," she murmured, "they wouldn't dare take us away. Because I'll fight them."

Yun'er sniffled, pressing her face into Yiling's shoulder. Zhi was silent for a moment, then nodded against her.

"Then… we'll fight too," he whispered.

Yiling closed her eyes. She wished they didn't have to.

The matchstick in her hand finally burned down, singeing her fingers. But she barely noticed.

And for the first time, she wasn't sure if it was just the wind.

This keeps the tension and mystery while focusing on Yiling's inner turmoil. Let me know if you want any changes!

Chapter 25: The children hear what she doesn't want to believe.