Chapter 66 Chen Huihong’s Gift

Qin Huai felt his mind was a bit in disarray—he needed to sort things out.

Alright, first of all, the fact that Chen Huihong wasn’t human was something he had been mentally prepared for a long time ago.

Chen Huihong being a divine tree from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, undergoing a trial in the human world—though a bit sudden, was still within an acceptable range.

She failed her trial and entered reincarnation. From the dream memories, one could roughly infer the reason. That was also acceptable.

But… was their trial system a bit unreasonable?

It lacked logic.

In the logic of cultivation novels, when one reaches a certain level, one breaks through; at higher levels, one is struck by heavenly tribulation. Survive the lightning, and one levels up; fail, and one starts over.

There is a structured, standardized process.

But Chen Huihong’s group didn’t seem to have any structured process at all.

It felt mostly… based on mood.

Qin Huai organized his thoughts and asked seriously, “So… are you the ‘mad lady’ from Peking, or the Chen Huihong from our neighborhood committee?”

“Both,” Chen Huihong replied. “I’ve awakened, not been possessed. I’m still myself—I’ve just remembered my past lives.”

Qin Huai: “…You read cultivation novels too?”

Chen Huihong laughed heartily. “Not much. My eyesight isn’t great now, and reading on my phone for too long strains my eyes, so I mostly listen to audiobooks. Recently I really liked that one about the domineering CEO and his cold, beautiful wife. I was embarrassed to play it out loud, so I secretly used Bluetooth earbuds—wore them so much my ears started hurting.”

Qin Huai: …

“Maybe we should talk about something less… human-related,” Qin Huai said numbly. “Is Huihui the reincarnation of Huiniang?”

Chen Huihong shook her head.

“I don’t know.”

Seeing Qin Huai’s surprise, she smiled helplessly. “I’m just a tree. I’m not a divine beast like Bifang or Taotie with the power to devour heaven and earth. When I first attempted my trial, I didn’t even realize I had failed until just before death. I was confused myself—how would I know human affairs?”

Qin Huai thought that made sense—she really was a bit confused.

“From where did you start seeing my first life memories?” Chen Huihong asked curiously.

Qin Huai: …

Such a strange question-and-answer.

“You were buried underground and suddenly emerged,” he replied succinctly.

“Oh, I think I know when that was,” Chen Huihong nodded. “It’s like this: plants like us generally don’t have much ability to protect ourselves. When we take human form to undergo trials, it’s often very dangerous.”

“Successful predecessors sometimes shared their experiences with us, telling us that the human world is often in chaos—wars, famine, and occasional plagues.”

“In times like these, trials are very risky.”

“Especially for us ‘Bai’. When Bai encounter famine years during their trials, they can be eaten by refugees or rebels, or even captured and treated as mobile food supplies—having flesh cut daily. Many fall into despair and hatred, failing their trials.”

“When I first arrived in the human world, I stole some clothes and gathered information in the provincial city. When I heard there had been a three-year drought and countless refugees, I was terrified and wanted to hide deep in the mountains overnight.”

“But the drought in Jin province was so severe that I couldn’t even find a proper mountain forest. In the end, I had no choice but to bury myself in the ground.”

Qin Huai: …

“After hiding in the soil for a while, I realized that wasn’t viable. Our trials don’t have fixed procedures, but if you avoid the world entirely and never interact with people, you will definitely fail. So while hiding, I also looked for lone, weak-looking individuals to interact with.”

“As you know, when I first became human, everything was new to me, and I wasn’t good at it—I was full of flaws.” She smiled nostalgically. “If I hadn’t met Huiniang, who taught me how to live as a human, and later ended up in Peking being mistaken for a ‘mad lady,’ I might have long been discovered and captured or burned.”

“Though… being captured and burned might actually have meant success. For us plants, one of the fastest ways to succeed a trial is to be exposed as a demon and burned by humans, so we generally don’t pay much attention to human rules.”

Qin Huai scratched his head, not knowing what to say.

Chen Huihong chuckled. “Do you find all this rather strange?”

Qin Huai nodded. “A bit.”

“But that’s just how it is. If you look at the Classic of Mountains and Seas, you’ll see that powerful great demons are rare. Most of us plants, without special abilities and often used for food or medicine, are the norm. Aside from a few gifted ones, most of us just aim to get through the trial—because failure means death.”

“Also, in the first life, we can choose our human appearance and age. If we fail in the first life and enter reincarnation, it’s a true reset—too much uncertainty.”

“Most of us who fail the first trial find it very hard to succeed later.”

“For example, in my case—I lived seven years in my first life and was eventually shot by bandits.”

“In my second life, I died of starvation at age three. I couldn’t even tell where I was born.”

“In my third life, I was stolen as an infant by traffickers. When they discovered I was a girl and couldn’t sell me, they threw me down and killed me.”

“In my fourth life, things were better. I was born into a family in the city with four siblings, and we lived happily. But by then I had mostly forgotten who I was. I only felt a lingering obsession that everyone should live well and have enough to eat. I later got into an agricultural university, studied seeds, and worked myself to death before turning 30.”

“And then came this life.”

Qin Huai could only sigh, “Your obsession is actually making sure everyone can eat their fill. That’s such a great aspiration.”

Chen Huihong laughed and shook her head. “It probably isn’t that. I’m not entirely sure what my true obsession is.”

“When I died in my first life, I realized that what I couldn’t let go of was the bowl of longevity noodles I had ordered for Huiniang’s coming-of-age ceremony at age fifteen—which she never got to eat.”

“Perhaps deep down, what I truly resented… was myself.”

“I resented my lack of attentiveness. I knew corn flour that had gone moldy couldn’t be eaten, yet I didn’t strongly stop Huiniang.”

“I resented my coldness. That night, I already suspected her stomach pain was caused by the spoiled corn flour, yet I didn’t insist on taking her to a doctor.”

“I also resented my selfishness and cowardice. If I had hired a rickshaw to take her to a hospital in the inner city and borrowed money from Manager Lu, she might not have died. I wasn’t afraid of others discovering I wasn’t a mad lady—but I was afraid of failing to maintain my disguise and being exposed as non-human.”

“At that time, I was enjoying life in the human world. I thought Peking was more interesting than any elder had described. I feared being caught and burned—ending my trial prematurely—and I also feared my attachment to the human world would cause me to fail. In the end, I chose to avoid trouble and watched Huiniang die.”

“Until that moment, I never truly realized it. Only at the moment of death did I think: what a regret—if only she had eaten that bowl of longevity noodles, perhaps she could have lived long and healthy. That’s when I realized my trial had likely failed.”

“So…” Chen Huihong’s expression carried a hint of helplessness. “My obsession is probably that I never saw Huiniang live a healthy and happy life.”

Qin Huai fell silent.

After a long while, he asked again, “So… I still have the same question.”

“Is Huihui the reincarnation of Huiniang?”

“I don’t know,” Chen Huihong smiled and shook her head. “Maybe she is, maybe she isn’t. In a vast sea of people, it’s not unusual for strangers to resemble one another—especially after nearly a century.”

“I once heard that when a spirit reaches its final life, heaven gives it one last chance to succeed. That is both heaven’s opportunity and our final chance to save ourselves.”

“Perhaps Huihui is that chance given to me by heaven.”

“I don’t care whether she is Huiniang or not. She is the Huihui I raised. I only wish her lifelong health, peace, and happiness.”

“Xiao Qin, do you have anything else you’d like to ask?”

Qin Huai shook his head. He felt he had learned enough.

“Then I have a question for you,” Chen Huihong said.

“What do you want?”

“According to our traditions, if someone helps us succeed in our trial, we should offer them a great gift in gratitude.”

Qin Huai immediately straightened his posture.

“According to typical novel logic—‘a drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring of gratitude.’ I came empty-handed and will leave empty-handed, so it’s only right to repay with everything I have.”

Qin Huai sat even straighter.

“But my entire wealth is reserved for Huihui.”

Qin Huai: …

So remembering your mad lady memories really does change you, Sister Hong.

“However, there is a gift you might like,” Chen Huihong said, taking out her phone and opening the admissions website of Shuanghai High School.

“I can have my brother donate money to Shuanghai High School to renovate the track field or improve facilities. In return, the school can recommend one student with special talents for tuition-free admission.”

“My brother’s daughter, my niece Jiahai, already attends the junior division of Shuanghai, so she doesn’t need this quota. That leaves it available for Luo Luo.”

“Shuanghai High School is not far from here. Luo Luo wouldn’t even need to live on campus, and Sister Zhao wouldn’t have to be separated from you and your family to accompany her. Most importantly, my brother’s company can sponsor outstanding students there—for example, funding Luo Luo’s overseas studies three years later.”

“Honestly, I think Luo Luo is very suited for athletics. Have you ever considered letting her pursue a sports specialty path?”

“Xiao Qin, what do you think of this gift?”

Qin Huai paused for a moment, then said, “So… you’re not spending a single cent.”

It’s all coming from your brother.

No wonder he got cheated out of 200,000 before—he must have been “cheated” plenty at home too.