A Daughter in a Matriarch's World
The scent of fresh grass and warm bread drifted through the air as the sun rose over the village. In the open fields, the sharp cries of young girls echoed as they raced across the training yard, wooden swords in hand and dirt streaked across their cheeks.
It was a typical morning.
Girls trained.
Boys watched.
That was simply how life worked.
While the daughters of every household honed their strength, agility, and leadership, the young boys sat neatly under the shade, clapping softly when a sparring match ended or hiding their eyes when things got too intense. Some wore ribbons in their braids, others held parasols to shield their fair skin.
Five-year-old Lin Yue darted through the crowd with a cheeky grin, covered in dust and scratches from a morning sparring match she had somehow won—again.
"You cheated!" a girl shouted behind her, panting as she struggled to keep up. "You used your slipper!"
"War is war!" Yue laughed, sliding behind a cart for cover.
Despite being one of the smallest girls in her age group, she was already hard to beat. Not because she was stronger—though she was lean and fast—but because she was clever. Calculating. Always three steps ahead.
It wasn't just the girls who noticed.
Among the watching boys, a few had eyes only for her. They whispered among themselves in flustered excitement whenever she walked by.
"She's so brave…"
"I heard she lifted a whole basket of millet by herself!"
"I want someone like her to protect me…"
Yue didn't react, but inside, she smirked. This world is so different...
In her past life, she would've been scolded for running wild or called 'unfeminine' for getting a bruise.
Here, girls who didn't fight or sweat were the ones getting laughed at.
She had learned fast: Don't play with flowers. Don't act soft. Don't ever show weakness.
That was a boy's job.
So she played her part well—strong, sharp-tongued, a little wild. Just enough to fit in.
But no one knew the truth behind those calm, calculating eyes.
Inside her small body lived the soul of a woman who had already lived one full life... and died with a wish in her heart.
"Get back here, Yue! You owe me a rematch!"
The sharp voice came from Tao Lin, a broad-shouldered girl with messy hair and a permanent smudge of dirt on her nose. She was Yue's rival and sometimes-friend—hotheaded, fiercely competitive, and known for breaking two wooden swords in one match.
Yue only laughed. "Only if you promise not to cry again when I win!"
Tao Lin growled and lunged, but Yue danced out of reach, skipping behind another girl—Shu Fen, tall and lean with a quick temper and an even quicker kick.
"Stop using me as a shield!" Shu Fen snapped, but didn't move. She liked watching Yue stir up trouble.
A few paces away, Mei Qi, the quietest of the group, sat with her legs crossed, drawing battle plans in the dirt with a stick. "You three are going to tear the village down one day," she muttered, not looking up. "And I want front-row seats."
They were just kids, but everyone in the village already knew: this little gang was going to be something else when they grew up.
Nearby, a group of boys peeked from behind the well, giggling as they watched the girls wrestle and shout.
One of them, a soft-spoken boy named Lan Yu, clasped his hands nervously over his chest. "Lin Yue is so cool…" he sighed.
"She looked at me today!" another boy whispered, practically glowing.
"Maybe she'll ask you to be her husband," a third teased, earning a scandalized gasp.
Lan Yu's face turned red as a tomato. "D-Don't say things like that!"
Yue noticed them watching and shot them a wink that sent them hiding behind the well again like startled rabbits.
She turned back to her friends. "Wanna go raid the apple orchard again before old Madam Liu wakes up?"
"You mean steal?" Tao Lin raised a brow.
"I mean strategically retrieve surplus supplies," Yue said, straight-faced.
Shu Fen burst out laughing. "Let's go then, general!"
And just like that, the four girls took off, barefoot and howling, leaping over fences and darting through alleyways like young wolves on the hunt.
As the sun climbed higher, they collapsed beneath a shaded tree, arms full of stolen apples and legs tangled together.
Between bites, Mei Qi asked, "Yue… do you ever think about the future?"
Yue paused, an apple halfway to her mouth.
"Sometimes," she said softly.
But she didn't tell them about the empire she wanted to build. Or the lovers she'd one day have wrapped around her fingers. Or the strange voice deep in her soul that told her she was meant for more than just running through village streets.
That part… she kept hidden.
For now, she was just Lin Yue.
A village girl with scraped knees, clever eyes, and a secret life waiting to begin.