Chapter Seven: Feeding Nuwa

After buying the house, Wen Yu stayed in the provincial capital to oversee the renovation of their new home, while Wen Yu took Yu Qian back to the county—it was almost time for school to start.

Returning to Experimental Primary School after ten years, Yu Qian felt a sense of anticipation.

She still remembered her beloved English teacher, surnamed Zeng, and her homeroom teacher, Ms. Yang, who taught Chinese. Both had been gentle and kind to her.

She also recalled meeting her long-lost childhood friend here, He Xiaoqing.

As for the rest of the class, her memories were vague, but it didn’t matter—with her enhanced memory after taking the Marrow Cleansing Pill, she could easily get to know everyone again and remember their names.

“Wow, Qian, you actually finished your homework! You scared me!” He Xiaoqing exclaimed, flipping through her workbook as Yu Qian returned from the bathroom. “You never used to do your homework. How come it’s all done this time?”

Really? Was she such a slacker in primary school? She remembered only neglecting homework in high school.

“My mom was watching me—I wouldn’t dare skip it,” Yu Qian replied, even as these thoughts ran through her mind.

In truth, primary school studies weren’t all that demanding; only Chinese, math, and English were important. The other subjects were limited to at most two periods a week, and the teachers never took over music, art, or PE classes.

It was only in music class that Yu Qian discovered she was now a member of the school drum corps. In her previous life, she had become completely tone-deaf—a musical disaster who couldn’t carry a single tune.

“Qingqing, can I skip the drum corps practice this afternoon?” Yu Qian asked gloomily.

“Nope! Mr. Chen said there’s a flag-raising ceremony next week with visitors, so everyone must attend,” He Xiaoqing refused mercilessly.

With a sense of doom, Yu Qian followed He Xiaoqing to the playground after school.

She put on the small drum, carefully mimicked He Xiaoqing’s hand movements, and picked up the drumsticks. Expecting chaos, she was surprised as memories of playing the drum in her past life resurfaced. The Marrow Cleansing Pill seemed to have improved her musical sense as well.

During practice, she made no mistakes—nothing like the disaster she’d imagined. Instead, she was even praised by the teacher for her progress; every beat was on rhythm.

Back home after school, Yu Qian decided to test her theory. She turned on the TV, switched to the Yunjing Music Channel, and sang along when a song came on.

The effects of the Marrow Cleansing Pill were far greater than she’d imagined.

Now, Yu Qian excelled at her studies, had a keen sense of music, and would undoubtedly grow up beautiful and graceful.

Since the start of school, Yu Qian hadn’t checked her phone. She opened Penguin to look at recent messages.

Nuwa was still making a fuss for tasty treats, the Celestial Maiden was busy disciplining mischievous kids, Su Daji and the Howling Celestial Dog were at each other’s throats, and the two little demons were constantly being sent to the “time-out room” by Nuwa.

To Yu Qian’s surprise, the Howling Celestial Dog, unlike her depiction in TV dramas, appeared as a strong, athletic woman. As for Su Daji, the nine-tailed fox, she had added several more “sisters” to her circle besides the Pipa and Pheasant Spirits: the daughter-in-law of the Third Holy Mother, a little fox named Xiaoyu, the Mouse Spirit Lady Earthflow from Journey to the West, and the Jade Rabbit Spirit, Su’e.

Many gods and spirits had sent red packets, but since Yu Qian hadn’t been on her phone, she’d missed all of them—a real pity.

Her rebirth had exhausted the virtue she’d accumulated over ten lifetimes. The Star Lord of Fate had gifted merit to her parents, extending their lives by ten years each. If she could gain three hundred more merit points within twenty-five years, her parents’ lifespans could be fully restored.

Yu Qian thought of Fuxi, who had always been kind to her, offering ideas and methods to alter her parents’ fates. He’d advised her to keep doing good deeds—the easiest way to accumulate merit. He and Nuwa had also prepared many charms and magical artifacts to ensure her safety while performing good works.

She decided that on the next overcast Saturday, she would buy a pile of snacks to send to Nuwa. She didn’t have class, she had money, and she could buy and send each treat as she pleased—hopefully enough to satisfy Nuwa’s appetite.

[Shallow Fish]: “Ancestor, is there anything Lady Nuwa doesn’t eat?”

After making up her mind, Yu Qian messaged Fuxi privately to ask about Nuwa’s tastes.

[Fuxi]: “?”

[Fuxi]: “Nothing! There’s nothing I won’t eat! As long as it’s edible, I’ll eat it!”

[Shallow Fish]: “Lady, you’ve taken over the Ancestor’s phone again. I was hoping to surprise you.”

Yu Qian was helpless—Nuwa was always hijacking Fuxi’s phone to chat, ruining her planned surprise.

[Fuxi]: “No such thing. As long as there’s food, anything goes.”

[Fuxi]: “Little one, what delicacies are you preparing for me? I want to try mortal snacks—I’ve seen so many people eating them through the Water Mirror.”

[Shallow Fish]: “I haven’t decided yet. I’ll see what’s good when I go out on the next cloudy day. Is there anything you especially want to try?”

The moment food was mentioned, Nuwa became visibly excited, making Yu Qian feel even more helpless. The divine, ethereal Nuwa of her imagination had become a total foodie.

[Fuxi]: “Cola! Braised chicken feet and wings! Spicy sticks! And that fried potato thing—I saw crowds lining up for it. I want some!”

Nuwa rattled off a long list of snacks, making Yu Qian break out in a sweat. It looked like buying everything would take all afternoon.

Wen Yu had already resigned from the Silk Factory and gone to the provincial capital to start a business with Wen Yu.

At home, Yu Qian lived with her grandparents, who took excellent care of her.

Her parents had scouted all around the provincial capital and decided to open a TB online shop.

At this time, TB hadn’t yet grown to its later scale, but it was already well-known, making it the perfect time to open a store.

Wen Yu was smooth and quick-witted; Wen Yu had a sense of fashion and could draw. Together, they opened a clothing shop, running both a physical and an online store.

Wen Yu created many designs according to her own taste, which Wen Yu then took to a garment factory for production. By the time the goods were ready, both the physical and online stores had been renovated and were just waiting for stock. The new home was also finished and airing out. The couple decided to take some time off to visit their daughter and parents.

Yu Qian, out shopping for snacks, had no idea her parents were coming home.

From the first snack shop, she never stopped. After each purchase, she’d find a hidden spot, stash the treats in her phone, and head to the next store.

By noon, she’d spent over a thousand yuan, and her phone’s fifty storage slots were full. She found a noodle shop, ate a bowl of noodles, and planned to send the snacks to Nuwa once she got home.

Nuwa often disappeared mid-conversation in the group chat, but always replied instantly to private messages.

Yu Qian sent the food, one portion at a time, from her phone’s inventory. Nuwa snatched up each red packet almost instantly; Yu Qian couldn’t keep up.

She sent one more packet to Fuxi, then stopped.

[Shallow Fish]: “Lady, I’ve kept a few portions. Can I send them to the group so the other gods can try as well?”

A bit nervous, she worried Nuwa might be annoyed.

[Nuwa]: “Go ahead. Social courtesy is important; it’s only right to share.”

Nuwa wasn’t angry at all and even explained her reasoning.

After that, Nuwa stopped replying—she must have gone off to eat.

Switching back to the group chat, Yu Qian divided the red packets into a hundred portions, sending out the snacks until two slots were emptied.

The group chat was filled with messages: “XXXXXX claimed Shallow Fish’s red packet.”

[Nuwa]: “Wow, Qian’s snacks are absolutely delicious!”

Nuwa was first to give feedback, and soon others who’d tasted the snacks chimed in as well.