La médaille d'or est à toi, et tu es à moi

Chapitre 1

Chapter 1 The Return Journey

In the warm spring of March, willows sprout new buds, peaches and plums bloom, and the outskirts of Beijing are a scene of bright sunshine and prosperity. Three black-lacquered flat-headed carriages travel briskly along the wide official road.

An Ran, along with An Mu and An tide, sat in the second carriage.

"Big sister, are we almost there?" A chubby little boy, fidgeting restlessly, blinked his big, clear eyes at An Ran.

An Ran smiled and patted his head, asking, "Is Xiao Mu tired?"

An Mu nodded vigorously, pouting, "We took a boat and a car, but we can't go out to play!"

The waterway was the most convenient route from Yangzhou to the capital. An Mu was initially excited when he boarded the boat, but being young, he naturally couldn't sit still for long. After finally reaching the shore and having spent two days by carriage, An Mu was already counting down the days until their arrival.

Actually, Anran hoped the road ahead would be longer, so she wouldn't have to face reality so soon!

"Mu-ge'er, why are you always thinking about playing!" another girl, around ten years old, scolded softly. "We're almost at the Marquis's residence; we should be careful in everything we do and not cause trouble for our eldest sister!"

An Mu lowered her head dejectedly and remained silent.

“Xiao tide, there’s no need to restrain him like this.” An Ran felt a warmth in her heart and smiled as she comforted the two of them, “When we get to the Marquis’s residence, someone will naturally teach us how to behave. Just remember, we must be open and generous, so that no one will look down on us.”

An tide and An Mu nodded in unison. Although An Xi appeared mature beyond her years in front of An Mu, she was still only around ten years old, and faced with an entirely unknown future, she was still afraid. An Xi clutched An Ran's sleeve, her almond-shaped eyes flickering with unease. "Sister, I'm a little scared!"

An Ran smiled slightly, her expression calm and composed. She spoke softly as if chatting casually, "They're the ones who want to take me back. Do you think they'll mistreat us?"

Her composure at least infected An tide and An Mu, easing their anxiety somewhat.

Anxi and Anmu secretly lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, curiously peering at the scenery outside. The peach and apricot blossoms along the roadside were already in bloom, their tender pink and pinkish-white petals delicate and vibrant. A slightly cool spring breeze swept by, causing the petals to fall, and a faint fragrance filled the air.

This idyllic spring scenery held no appeal for An Ran; her gaze was fixed on her two children, An Xi and An Mu. Captivated by the view, An tide and An Mu's cheeks were rosy and their expressions joyful—this was how children should be!

An Ran was momentarily dazed and lost in thought.

It seems like only yesterday that her two children were crying every day because of her. An Ran was already terminally ill, and fifteen-year-old An tide and twelve-year-old An Mu were crying their hearts out by her bedside. She wanted to pick up a handkerchief to wipe their tears, but she didn't even have the strength to lift her hand.

A hoarse, desperate cry; swollen, red eyes...

She closed her eyes, but the images still wouldn't leave her.

It was the third year since she married Chen Qian. Their marriage was initially met with skepticism; she was from a poor family, while Chen Qian was the only son of a wealthy merchant. Chen Qian was handsome and showered her with sweet words, and fifteen-year-old An Ran fell head over heels for him. Looking back now, she realized Chen Qian was only after her beauty, and it was all just a passing fancy.

The good days didn't last long.

Originally, Chen Qian's mother, Madam Ding, disliked An Ran, but she couldn't go against her doting son and reluctantly agreed to let An Ran into the family. Within two days of the wedding, An Ran was made to follow the rules by her side every day, and she was given many tasks. Every now and then, she would have a governess from the palace scold An Ran, treating her extremely harshly.

Anran lost two children because of this.

That wasn't enough; Madam Ding kept stuffing beautiful maids into her son's room, and even promoted concubines and maids.

Gradually, Chen Qian's feelings for An Ran faded.

When love is strong, everything is sweet; when love is weak, everything is cold.

Chen Qian allowed his mother-in-law to torment her and his concubines to mock her. He didn't even wait for her to take her last breath. While she was still bedridden, he couldn't wait to marry his second wife, Xu Hui, the daughter of a fallen official family.

She still remembered that Chen Qian ignored her, didn't care about her life or death, and wouldn't allow his family to see her. At that time, fifteen-year-old An Xi knelt in front of Xu Hui and begged to see her, while twelve-year-old An Mu tried every means to slip her the money she earned from working for others.

However, despite exhausting the An family's meager resources to seek medical treatment for her, they still couldn't save her life.

Less than three years after their marriage, Anran was tortured to death.

She hated Chen Qian, hated Ding Shi, hated Xu Hui, but she hated herself even more for making the wrong choice. Whenever she thought of this, An Ran felt both regret and hatred, as if a piece of cotton was stuffed in her chest, making it hard to breathe.

However, all of that happened in my previous life.

She died peacefully at the age of eighteen, but has been reborn back to the age of thirteen.

Now that she has been given a second chance at life, she will certainly not repeat the same mistakes!

In her previous life, she was born into a poor family and raised by her grandmother along with her cousins from her uncle's family. Although the family was not wealthy, An Ran was pampered and spoiled, with the best of everything. Even An Mu had never been to school, but An Ran was sent to a girls' school. Although An Ran was the eldest daughter, her younger sister An tide, who was three years younger than her, and An Mu, who was six years younger than her, shouldered more of the family's responsibilities.

In her final moments, Anran reflected on how she had ended up in this state. Perhaps she had been too spoiled, becoming arrogant and domineering because of her grandmother's favoritism. Having been pampered since childhood, she ultimately lacked shrewdness and was unable to survive in the cutthroat world of the inner court.

Looking back on her short life, it turns out that the time she spent with her grandmother, brother, and sister before she got married was the happiest and most precious time!

She wants to change, she wants to cherish, she wants to live well.

Although her grandmother has passed away, she regrets not being able to fulfill her filial duties. She still has younger siblings to take care of, and she wants to raise them well so that they won't be burdened by life too early.

Anran began clumsily changing herself.

At first, An Mu and An tide were surprised by An Ran's change, thinking she was just sick.

The siblings took care of her, consulting doctors and giving her the best of everything, their two identical big eyes filled with worry. Seeing the children's pure and sincere concern, Anran finally lost control, tears streaming down her face. She was so foolish; only after dying once did she realize what was truly important.

Fortunately, we made it in time.

An Ran tried her best to learn the mundane affairs she had never touched in her previous life, just to make up for her regrets. She began to learn how to manage household chores and take care of her younger siblings, and finally, just as everything was slowly getting on the right track, she tightened her belt, pawned her previous frivolous possessions, and saved money to nourish her younger siblings, support her brother's education, and save money for her sister's dowry.

As life got better, Anran's inner turmoil gradually dissipated, and she became much more cheerful. Although her only relative, Anran's uncle and Anmu and Anxi's father, were working far away in the southwest, Anran was still able to support her family.

Just when Anran thought that life would continue peacefully and steadily, something unexpected happened.

A month ago, a group of well-dressed people came to the house, claiming that they wanted to take Anran back to the capital. They kept saying that Anran was the long-lost ninth daughter of the Marquis of Nan'an's mansion.

Even if she was born out of wedlock, the life of a noble lady was vastly different from An Ran's current life. If it were her previous life, An Ran would have happily returned, but she had already lived once and knew everything from her past life. Now, someone suddenly appeared claiming to be the ninth young lady of the noble family. How could she believe it?

This didn't happen in my previous life!