Chapter 1: Rebirth

“Big Brother, wake up! I’m so hungry!”

Lin Chaoyang groggily opened his eyes to see a very familiar-looking child shaking his arm non-stop.

“Big Brother, you’re finally awake! We’re all starving!”

Staring at the child’s face, Lin Chaoyang’s eyes suddenly widened in shock.

This child—this was exactly what his younger brother Lin Chaoyu looked like as a kid!

Was he dreaming?

Lin Chaoyang pinched himself hard. The pain made his brow furrow.

It hurt. He wasn’t dreaming!

He had really gone back to his childhood!

Suddenly, Lin Chaoyang looked up at Lin Chaoyu, his voice rising unconsciously.

“If you’re hungry, figure it out yourself. You’re not little kids anymore—why are you still relying on your big brother to cook?”

Lin Chaoyu had never been yelled at by his brother since they were young. Startled by this treatment, he immediately ran out, feeling wronged.

Lin Chaoyang watched his back coldly.

In his previous life, thanks to his dear younger siblings, he suffered his entire life.

In the end, he fell ill, and they even teamed up to trick him out of all his medical money.

He could never forget the ugly, greedy faces they showed after squeezing out every bit of value from him.

Maybe it was because his last life was too bitter, too unjust—that heaven had given him a chance to start over.

Now that he had a second chance, there was no way he would be the naive, self-sacrificing big brother again!

This time, he would live for himself!

Lin Chaoyang made up his mind. Just as he was about to get out of bed and make himself something to eat, his legs gave out and he fell.

But instead of hitting the dirt floor of his house, he landed on white tiled flooring.

Startled, Lin Chaoyang looked up and around. This place couldn’t be more familiar.

After being swindled out of all his money in his previous life, he had no choice but to hide his illness and work part-time at a supermarket.

And the place he was in now—was that very supermarket!

At this moment, the store was eerily quiet—not a single sound could be heard.

Lin Chaoyang first checked himself over. After confirming he was still in his teenage body, he slowly began to explore the area.

The supermarket layout was exactly the same as when he used to work there, except now there were no staff or customers. The whole place was completely still.

He cautiously walked toward the exit of the cashier area, but as soon as he stepped past the gate, a layer of white mist blocked his path.

He tried every possible way out of the supermarket, but all were blocked by the fog—even the employee entrance to the warehouse was locked tight.

Looking around in confusion, Lin Chaoyang wondered—what the hell was going on?

Unable to find an answer, and both thirsty and hungry, he gathered his courage and grabbed a bottle of mineral water and a meat bun from the deli section, quickly eating them.

As he ate, he thought about how to leave the supermarket—then, in the blink of an eye, he was back sitting on his bed.

Stunned, Lin Chaoyang looked at his hands—he was still holding half a bun and half a bottle of water.

Could it be that this supermarket belonged to him alone? That he could take things out of it?

Thinking of the possibility, Lin Chaoyang trembled with excitement.

If this was really the scarcity-stricken 1970s, and he had a whole modern supermarket at his disposal—then he had struck it rich!

He quickly finished the bun in a few bites, hid the water bottle, and immediately began testing again.

He closed his eyes and silently said, “Take me to the supermarket.” When he opened them again—he was back inside the store.

Looking at the shelves stocked full of goods, Lin Chaoyang couldn’t hold back his laughter.

Very soon, he suddenly heard a noise and quickly slipped back into the room.

A skinny little boy pushed open the door, holding a piece of wild vegetable flatbread in his hand.

“Big Brother, Second Uncle gave us some flatbread. You eat it.”

Lin Chaoyang suddenly felt a bit emotional. The child in front of him was his youngest brother, Lin Chaoxing.

In his previous life, Lin Chaoxing died when he was only seven.

But in Lin Chaoyang’s memory, his little brother had always been a gentle and well-behaved child.

He was different from the other siblings.

Right now, he was also the only one who brought food for his big brother.

Seeing Lin Chaoyang staying silent, Lin Chaoxing climbed up onto the bed and stuffed the flatbread into his big brother’s mouth.

“Big Brother, eat. Once you’re full, you’ll get better.”

Lin Chaoyang wasn’t hungry after just eating, so he took a small bite from Lin Chaoxing’s hand, then pushed the flatbread back into his brother’s mouth.

Lin Chaoxing instinctively took a bite, then shook his head at his brother.

“Big Brother, you eat. I’m not hungry.”

But before he even finished his sentence, his little stomach let out a loud growl.

Lin Chaoyang sighed and gently patted his little brother’s head.

He knew those three ungrateful brats all too well. They were selfish and self-centered—there was no way they would let Lin Chaoxing take one and then go back for another piece.

If Lin Chaoxing brought him this bread, it meant he had gone hungry himself.

“Xingxing, you eat. Big Brother’s not hungry.”

Holding the bread, Lin Chaoyang fed it to his little brother, bite by bite.

In his previous life, Lin Chaoxing died early. He had never wronged him.

But even so, Lin Chaoyang didn’t dare get too close to him this time around—he’d have to observe first.

Once Lin Chaoxing finished eating, Lin Chaoyang wiped his mouth and took him outside.

In the yard, the younger sister Lin Chaoyun, second sister Lin Chaoxia, and third brother Lin Chaoyu were squatting on the ground, wolfing down flatbread.

Next to them sat a basket with two uneaten pieces still inside.

Looking at the two remaining pieces, Lin Chaoyang couldn’t help but sneer inwardly.

These three ungrateful wretches—when there was food to eat, they stuffed their own mouths. Did it ever cross their minds that their big brother was sick in bed with nothing to eat or drink?

He couldn’t understand how, in his previous life, he had been so blind and foolish to spend his life caring for them.

Only when he was dying did he finally see their true colors—and by then, it was far too late.

When the three saw Lin Chaoyang come out, they stopped eating and looked at him a bit guiltily.

“Big Brother, Xiaoyu said you seemed to be asleep again, so we didn’t bring you any food,” Lin Chaoxia mumbled, nudging Lin Chaoyun to back her up.

Lin Chaoyun, being the eldest of the three, knew how to save face. She turned her head and said nothing.

Lin Chaoyang’s expression grew cold, and his tone was even colder. “Is that so? And that’s why you were all ready to finish off the food? You wouldn’t even let Xingxing take one more piece?”

Lin Chaoxia flushed red and quietly argued, “Xingxing’s still little. One piece is enough—if he eats too much, his belly will bloat.”

Lin Chaoyu chimed in to defend their sister. “Yeah! He’s so small. What if he bloats to death from overeating?”

Lin Chaoyang laughed in anger. “Then what about those two pieces in the basket—were those saved for me, or did you just not have time to finish them?”

The three of them said nothing.

Lin Chaoyang’s voice turned even colder. “Since you’re all apparently not getting enough to eat, then tomorrow, the three of you can get to work in the fields to earn labor points and exchange for grain.”

Lin Chaoyun opened her mouth to argue, but Lin Chaoyang cut her off sharply. “We can’t rely on our relatives forever. You’re not children anymore. Starting tomorrow—go work!”