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.

Zhi held the torch high, its flickering glow casting long shadows on the dirt path. Yun'er clutched Yiling's sleeve tightly, her small fingers trembling with every step.

There were too many questions. Too much fear.

Yiling's mind raced, replaying the moment again and again—the sight of her husband, the way his voice cracked, the terror in his eyes. And then… the other him. The way it stood, still and watching, as if it knew something she didn't.

Whatever was happening, it wasn't something she could ignore.

She glanced down at Zhi and Yun'er. Their faces were pale, their eyes wide and restless, lost in their own thoughts.

Yiling took a slow breath. No matter how shaken she was, she had to be strong for them.

By the time they reached home, the night had deepened, the cold seeping into their bones.

Yiling coaxed the children inside, helping Yun'er with her shoes and brushing the dirt from Zhi's clothes. She moved with quiet efficiency, her hands steady even as her mind churned.

She guided them to bed, pulling the thin blankets up to their chins.

Yun'er shifted, her tiny fingers gripping the fabric. "…Mama?"

Yiling ran a hand over her daughter's hair. "Sleep, Yun'er. We'll talk in the morning."

Zhi turned his head toward her. "You won't leave again, right?"

Yiling hesitated. She knew she should reassure him, tell him everything was fine. But she had never been one to lie to her children.

She brushed his bangs back gently. "I won't leave without telling you."

Zhi studied her, as if weighing her words, then gave a small nod.

Yiling sat with them until their breathing evened out, until Yun'er's grip on the blanket loosened and Zhi's furrowed brow softened in sleep.

Only then did she rise and move to her own bed.

She lay down but didn't close her eyes.

The night replayed behind her lids, over and over.

Her husband's voice. I never left.

And his final words—words she barely had time to process before he disappeared.

"I don't even know if I'm me anymore."

Yiling's fingers curled into the blanket.

Tomorrow, she would go to the village chief.

She had planned to visit anyway, to buy more seeds for the garden. But now, it was more than that.

The village elders knew the history of this place, the old stories whispered by generations before them. If there were answers to be found, they would be the ones to give them.

One way or another, she would learn the truth.

Yiling closed her eyes, but sleep did not come.

Outside, the wind whispered through the trees, carrying secrets she was no longer sure she wanted to hear.

Chapter 31: Unspoken fears