Chapter 5: The Poorest Jiang Family Village in History

Jiang Fubao remained silent, listening quietly.

The original owner’s memories only spanned a single shallow year.

After all, she was only three years old; memories before the age of two were mostly forgotten.

Other than a few familiar people in Jiang Family Village, she knew almost nothing.

Nor did she understand much.

By listening to their conversations, Jiang Fubao had roughly pieced things together.

This world was a fictional one, not belonging to any historical dynasty.

The place she was in was called Tianling Kingdom, and the current emperor had reigned for twenty-three years.

Apart from the imperial city, Tianling Kingdom had eleven provinces.

Jiang Family Village belonged to Ruling Prefecture in Xushu Province.

Xushu Province only had two prefectures, one north and one south, and their customs differed greatly.

The south ate rice while the north ate wheat, and the crops they grew were very different. Ruling Prefecture mainly grew rice, whereas Yingnan Prefecture grew wheat.

Ruling Prefecture consisted of five counties.

Ranked fifth, Qixi County was the poorest.

Under Qixi County, there were three towns.

The main town was Chang’an, where the county government was located, and it was the most prosperous town.

As for the other two, both were poor, but Lianshan Town was considerably larger than Baishui Town.

Jiang Family Village was located in Lianshan Town.

The town was roughly spherical, with the urban area in the center and ten surrounding villages around it.

The villages were named after the most common family surname in each, ranked from wealthiest to poorest.

The wealthiest was Zhang Family Village.

The poorest was Jiang Family Village.

Upon learning that her village was the poorest in the entire province, Jiang Fubao almost laughed in disbelief.

Other people’s transmigrations made them princesses or royal consorts, or at the very least, young ladies of wealthy families.

And her?

She didn’t transmigrate at all—or if she did, she ended up in the poorest village.

Thankfully, she had a space (inventory) at her disposal.

Otherwise, she might have been better off reincarnating—at least that would be preferable to suffering in such a destitute village.

By noon, it was time to eat.

The grandmother and granddaughter left the village entrance together.

“You little rascal, why are you sighing? Tired from walking? Come, grandma will carry you back.”

Hearing her granddaughter sigh, Zhang Jinlan misunderstood and thought she was tired. Squatting down, she picked up Jiang Fubao despite her protests.

Zhang Jinlan was very thin.

But her back wasn’t hunched.

She was about 1.55 meters tall.

Although only in her forties, she looked nearly sixty.

In this place, sixteen-year-olds were considered late to marry.

Combined with hard labor and famine-related food shortages, people often went hungry. Living to sixty could be considered long-lived.

Unlike the plump Jiang Fubao, Zhang Jinlan’s back was almost skin and bones.

It was so uncomfortable that Jiang Fubao furrowed her eyebrows.

All Jiang family members were sallow and thin, except for the original owner, who had been well-fed.

While Jiang Fubao was lost in thought, a little girl came out from the alley.

Her hair was dry and yellow, her skin dark, and she was so thin she seemed like the wind could blow her away.

She looked about six or seven years old.

Her slanted eyes fixed tightly on the grandmother and granddaughter.

There were clear palm prints on her cheeks and bruises on her arms, as if she had been pinched and beaten.

“She’s still alive? What a stubborn life!”

The little girl muttered under her breath and walked away.

“Mom, you’re back! Pingmei and I dug a basket of tender vegetables. Once we finish sorting, we’ll cook. By the way, Fubao, are you feeling better? Still uncomfortable?”

Zhu Yingqiu, sitting in the courtyard sorting vegetables, called out loudly when she saw them return.

“I’m better, aunty.”

With the original owner’s memories, Jiang Fubao found these forms of address natural.

After a while, the people working in the fields gradually returned.

The whole family washed their hands and gathered in the main hall to eat.

The Jiang family did not have separate seating rules for men and women; sixteen people filled the round table.

Jiang Fubao looked up and saw two dishes of dark greenish-black vegetables and a reflective bowl of water.

Or rather, it seemed like coarse rice porridge.

It was hard to feel any appetite at all.

Just as she hesitated over whether to eat this pig-like meal, a steaming bowl of egg custard was placed in front of her.

She looked up.

Her grandmother was gazing at her with a loving expression.

“Good granddaughter, eat. There are still six eggs left. These past days, Fubao has been eating egg custard.”

Never having experienced familial love, Jiang Fubao was momentarily stunned.

“Silly Fubao, why are you daydreaming? Eat quickly! Didn’t you used to love egg custard the most?” Jiang Tongmu, noticing her daydreaming, asked with concern.

“Yes, hurry up and eat. Eat well, and a few days later, your eldest brother will take you to the foot of the mountain to play.”

“Is it too hot? Do you want your third brother to blow it for you?”

“Fubao must be so happy she’s dazed. The last time she ate egg custard was before New Year. This bowl is all for you. Fourth brother won’t compete with you, silly girl.”

“…”

Jiang Fubao had expected her grandmother’s favoritism to upset her brothers, but hearing their caring words, her heart felt a warmth.

She paused a moment, then got off the bench, picked up the bowl, and went around the table, serving a little custard to each person.

Two eggs only; even with extra water, it was barely half a bowl. After dividing, only a spoonful remained in her own bowl.

Yet Jiang Fubao was very happy.

Rather than eating alone, she preferred sharing food with everyone.

Moreover, seeing the gaunt Jiang family, she felt a pang of pity.

Such good egg custard—no one would dare eat it all themselves. One egg could be traded for plenty of coarse rice, which could make a large pot of porridge for the whole family.

“Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom, uncles, brothers, let’s eat together!”

Jiang Fubao called out each name carefully and then took a spoonful of egg custard.

Just like last night.

Delicious.

“Look at our Fubao, so filial. Grandma can enjoy the good life now,” Zhang Jinlan said with a wide smile, pinching her granddaughter’s chubby little face.

“I’ll earn lots and lots of silver, so Grandma can eat well,” Jiang Fubao said.

Zhang Jinlan beamed with joy.

“Alright, alright, Grandma will wait for that day,” she said, not taking it seriously.

A three-year-old’s promise was just something to hear; she only hoped her granddaughter would grow up safely and marry well, living a smooth life. That would satisfy her.

As for eating fancy food, she didn’t even dare to dream.

The past two years had been very dry; rice couldn’t even grow.

Only drought-resistant crops could be planted, with very low yield. Taxes were especially high, making all the year’s labor almost wasted.

Being able to fill their stomachs without starving was already a blessing.

“Alright, everyone eat. Fubao generously shared the egg custard; remember her kindness!”

Zhang Jinlan’s expression suddenly turned serious.

Once her children and grandchildren all agreed, her frown slowly eased.

Everyone in the Jiang family followed Jiang Fubao’s example and ate the egg custard.

Savory, fragrant, and smooth.

Such delicious egg custard—who wouldn’t like it?