Rebirth: Ordinary Life and Living

Zhou Xinyue walked forward with big strides. Erdan looked at Goudan, who was so free and easy in the sunlight, as if he had met her for the first time.

Erdan stared at Zhou Xinyue's receding back in a daze, as if he was meeting her for the first time. He used to think that she had lost her memory and didn't remember anything, but since the accident that day, she seemed like a different person, feeling both strange and familiar. But looking at Goudan in front of her under the warm sun, she liked the current Goudan more because he was braver, more mature, and more generous.

When Erdan was staring at her back in a daze, Zhou Xinyue turned around and said, "Aren't you leaving yet? What are you doing standing there?"

Erdan smiled knowingly and said, "Here I come."

Erdan ran over happily and followed Goudan as they strode forward.

When they arrived at the destination, Grandma Li jumped up anxiously and said, "My little ancestor, why did you come just now? Do you know that the master is about to jump up in anxiety? Our mansion is a great honor. The emperor sent the twenty-ninth prince to visit the mansion for the first time. It is a great honor. People are waiting for you. Everyone is waiting for you. Hurry up, hurry up, what happened to your clothes? Why did the beads on your clothes fall off? Some of them are gone. You, you are being disrespectful to our ancestors and distinguished guests. Oh, why did you make such a scene at this critical moment, my little ancestor! Your pearl hairpin is also crooked, my God!"

Grandma Li grumbled for a while, then helped to tidy up her appearance and said, "Forget it, forget it, hurry in and finish the ceremony first, quick, quick, quick!"

Zhou Xinyue nodded hurriedly and followed Grandma Li in.

Grandma Li cleared her throat and shouted, "The heaven and earth are boundless, the sky is clear and bright, the sky is the witness, the earth is the man, the ancestors of our family are in Shangjin, and the adopted daughter also pays homage to them and goes down, release them!"

Suddenly, fireworks started to go off in the sky. Grandma Li shouted again, "My adopted daughter is entering the ancestral temple today. Once she enters, the family blessings will continue. Enter!"

Several servants poured some small stones on the ground. Zhou Xinyue had her shoes and socks taken off by two servants outside the threshold and began to step over the rubble.

Zhou Xinyue took a deep breath and walked forward step by step. Why did this stone feel much sharper than that time during the rehearsal? Zhou Xinyue vaguely remembered that the stone was round and plump that day. How could it suddenly cut her feet like this? It must be someone's masterpiece again. Zhou Xinyue walked forward helplessly.

Zhou Xinyue walked forward step by step with difficulty, and finally came out of the eaves. The spacious courtyard was full of guests watching the ceremony.

Some people looked at Zhou Xinyue carefully, some were whispering. Zhou Xinyue's foot was suddenly cut by a sharp object. Zhou Xinyue quietly lowered her eyes and saw porcelain fragments. Zhou Xinyue felt a sharp pain and blood instantly came out from the sole of her foot.

Zhou Xinyue paused for a moment and continued to walk forward. She felt a sharp pain in the soles of her feet again. Grandma Li didn't know what was going on with Zhou Xinyue from a distance and felt that she was walking very slowly.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Zhou Xinyue gritted her teeth and finally crossed the gravel road. Zhou Xinyue's head was covered in sweat, with beads of sweat dripping down one by one.

There were crowds of people on both sides, men and women, old and young, all paying attention to the little girl.

The further you go into the ancestral hall, the more gorgeous the people's clothes seem to be, and the more noble the people inside must be.

Before Zhou Xinyue could catch her breath, she saw several large basins of water on the platform. Grandma Li followed Zhou Xinyue under the platform and shouted, "My adopted daughter has stepped over mountains and waded through rivers. She has come over mountains and rivers. Waded."

Before they knew it, the sun was already at its highest point in the sky, and everyone inside stretched their necks to look outside.

Zhou Xinyue took a deep breath, then took another deep breath, mustered up the courage to stretch out her right foot and put it into the water. In an instant, a sharp pain rushed from the sole of her foot straight to her forehead.

Zhou Xinyue's eyes were in pain and she was in tears. She gritted her teeth and beads of sweat dripped down her head.

Grandma Li had no idea what was going on below the stage. She only knew that the level that she had passed in just a few tries that day was obviously very easy. Why did Goudan seem to be having such a hard time today? It was really strange!

The sun was shining brightly in the sky, and the sunlight shone on Grandma Li's eyes, but she couldn't open them. She only knew that Zhou Xinyue was moving slowly.

Someone nearby grumbled, "It's just a gravel road, with some water to wade through, why are you going so slowly? It's so annoying! It's so hot."

Zhou Xinyue knew that this was salt water, and it was hot. The pain on the soles of her feet would be unforgettable for her whole life!

Zhou Xinyue plucked up her courage, stretched out her left foot, then her right foot, and waded through it while enduring the pain.

After Zhou Xinyue waded over with gritted teeth, a servant handed her a bowl of black water. Zhou Xinyue looked at the bowl of water and drank it immediately.

Zhou Xinyue was so straightforward that before Grandma Li could even finish her words, she quickly added, "The sky of our family, the earth of our family, the people of our ancestral temple are upright, and our ancestors may bless you to live in peace and order. Cheers!"

Zhou Xinyue concluded that the water was not poisonous. They would not dare to poison it in front of so many people. With distinguished guests present and so many people around, if she died, her family would not be able to escape responsibility. At most, they could put some laxatives in it, which would not poison her.

After Zhou Xinyue determined all this, she simply drank it in one gulp and got the matter over with, hoping to finish this tedious process as quickly as possible and leave this place of trouble.

Grandma Li immediately noticed Zhou Xinyue's feet, and her eyes instantly turned into worry.

Zhou Xinyue glanced at Grandma Li and nodded slightly, telling Grandma Li not to worry and let her continue shouting.

Grandma Li's eyes were filled with shock and worry, and she kept staring at her feet with heartache.

Zhou Xinyue slowly stepped into the ancestral hall. Some people on both sides exclaimed in surprise, and various voices emerged one after another.

Someone whispered, "Wow, joining this clan is like walking on a mountain of swords and diving into a sea of ​​fire. This family, this scene, is even more severe than some wealthy families. It's too scary. Look, those bloody footprints along the way."

Another person said, "That's right. Look at that trail of bloody footprints. How much suffering must this person have endured. God, this is really terrible."

Someone sighed: "It seems that it is not easy to cross the social class from a commoner. It's terrible. This girl didn't say a word. She has some backbone."

Some men also looked at her with lust and said, "This girl is pretty, the master really knows how to appreciate her, haha!"

Some girls also said sarcastically: "What kind of person is she? She just relied on her looks to climb up. Humph, does she think this class is as easy as she thinks? This little bit of suffering is nothing. She should jump off a cliff."

All kinds of words came into Zhou Xinyue's ears. She listened to them and tried her best to adjust her mentality and not listen to them or care about them. She just let them say whatever they wanted since they were in her own mouth.

Zhou Xinyue quickly made another eye contact, and Grandma Li quickly took a deep breath and shouted again: "The ancestors of the family come to see you, and the adopted daughter drinks all the family dust. The ancestors are above, please bless me, the adopted daughter comes to see the family, bow!"

Zhou Xinyue walked to the table in front, took out a stick of incense that had been prepared long ago, and lit it over the candle flame. Zhou Xinyue knelt on the cushion with the incense in her hand, closed her eyes and bent over to worship devoutly. Unexpectedly, the incense in her hand broke in half and fell to the ground.