She Only Cares About Cultivation

"Have you noticed? Qiuxia and Caihua look really healthy, and their clothes don’t have patches—they aren’t brand new, but at least they’re not old. When I pulled them earlier, I could feel their thick cotton-padded jackets, and look at their waterproof cotton shoes!"

"Teacher An treats them really well, much better than home—it’s so unfair that fate didn’t smile on us at the time to be in their shoes!"

"You’re not thinking straight—you want to be a comfort woman? Have you seen your own face? Would anyone even want you?"

"You vile woman—nothing good comes out of your mouth! I’ll slap you!"

...

The three sisters walked home silently, not saying a word. Only An Yi’s angelic voice calling ’Mom’’ ’Mom’ kept on ringing in their ears, accompanied by the crunch of their footsteps on the snow, escorting them near home, where Nut wagged its tail welcoming the four inhabitants.

"Come in, close the door."

An Yi’s voice was cold. Caihua, covering her bleeding face, silently turned to close the door.

Once they entered the room, lit by an oil lamp, dim yet warm like spring, An Yi removed An’an’s shoes and placed her on the bed to play, finally speaking to the two standing at the door.

"What are you standing there for? Sit down, I need to disinfect your wounds. I’ve seen the nails of those two women—they’re full of filthy mud—avoid tetanus, quickly sit down, I’ll get the medicine!"

Leaving the bedroom, An Yi took out the disinfectant from the space storage, along with a flashlight.

Then she asked Qiuxia to help with the light, first disinfecting Caihua, who flinched when touching the wound. An Yi quickly said.

"It stings a bit, bear with it. This needs disinfection; otherwise, there could be serious consequences. Don’t worry; I’ll try not to let you guys get scars. But I hope you remember today’s lesson: only when you become self-reliant will others respect you. Make me proud—get into college, and keep those who belittle you forever beneath your feet!"

Caihua’s tears brimmed: "Sis..." Her choked voice couldn’t form words as she looked at An Yi with a pitifully aggrieved expression.

Beside her, Qiuxia wiped tears too. An Yi felt no better: "We aren’t wrong; the world is, history is—nobody asked for this. We could live our lives without marriage but must never let others belittle us. I hope you both fight for yourselves. Don’t let empty promises fool you. Let me tell you, no man will accept us after what happened—including myself, having a dark past. Why do you think I sympathize with you? Because I’ve been raped—by one person and multiple people, you think it matters?"

"It doesn’t matter. We all feel unclean, but for that reason, we cannot abandon ourselves. We must strive even harder to rise above. Don’t care where you end up; remember, rely on yourself above anyone. Walk your path and let others talk. Stay clear-headed, don’t let gossip sway you. Every strong heart was hardened alone into iron—it’s the stronger you become. Those who attack are mostly jealous and envious—they smear you because they aren’t as good, seeking to dirty you with their foul hearts!"

"Defeat them, and you conquer yourself!"

...

That night, the three sisters, along with Little Anan, lay on An Yi’s warm bed.

"Sis..., give us names? We’ll change names in the spring; I don’t want to be Liu anymore,"

"I don’t want to be Li either, she’s no mother, she’s a demon!"

An Yi took a bathroom break, soothed the crying Little An Xin, changed her diaper, nursed her, then gave them names as she lay on the grass playing.

"Qiuxia, you’ll be the family’s Second, named... Anna—safe, graceful, and beautiful."

"Caihua, you’ll be... Angel—serene jade, where ’Qi’ signifies rare and exquisite jade. Whether Anna or Angel, I hope you both face life anew. Forget the past; we start from zero."

No wonder cultured people make great names—they’re catchy and lovely. The sisters adored their names and even found them prettier than An Ran’s, but they dared not say so, fearing An Yi’s scolding. The new names sparked dreams of a promising future, easing them into blissful sleep.

Once they slept, An Yi became a red-clad Female Ghost, wreaked havoc at the Liu and Li families, even frightening two Old Ladies to wet themselves, forcing them to swear by their descendants never to trouble them again.

But she didn’t rush home—she went to Liu Fugui’s house, taught him and his mother a lesson, seeking more for her daughters under Zhang Ying’s name.

That year, Liu Fugui stirred much trouble, but if she heard of a woman seeking marriage or them going on matchmaking visits, she’d intervene. Near folks shook heads at Liu Family talk, unwilling girls stayed away. Distant ladies or widows, seeing he had three daughters, often replied ’will see’ before cutting ties.

Since Zhang Ying passed a year and a half ago, Liu Fugui’s been single that whole time. The Liu Family bothers their minds over his marriage. In quiet nights, does Liu Fugui regret his past actions? And the chief culprit, the Old Lady, does she regret meddling excessively? Regret not staying home helping with the grandson?

If... if there’s another chance, would they treat Zhang Ying the same way?

That night, how many stayed awake due to An Yi’s chivalry?

But An Yi didn’t care about them. After feeding and changing An Ran, she entered the space in another hall and went to play with Anning.

The little one is plumper now, fair and adorable, cuter by the day. A double-eyelid, big-eyed child exuding Healing essence, making her a true angel when she smiles, sweeping away An Yi’s gloom!