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“Open the door! Open the damn door! Don’t hide inside like a coward!
Dare to steal my eggs? May your whole family’s guts rot. You wretched little brat, may your greed kill you. Serves you right that your family ended up like this—it’s all karma!”
Outside the low thatched hut at the foot of the mountain in Banyue Village, a stout woman was pounding on the wooden door, spewing curses with flying spittle.
Inside, Song Anning sat frozen on the bed, her mind flooded with confusion.
“???”
“Where the hell am I?”
She, a fresh graduate who had just entered the workforce, couldn’t stand the grind of the 996 work culture and had returned to her village to start her own business.
Just as things were picking up and she had earned a bit of money—before she even had the chance to spend it—she had somehow performed an impromptu time-travel act.
The unfamiliar memories flooding her mind made her realize that her soul had landed in an ancient era she’d never heard of, taking over someone else’s body.
The original owner shared her name—Song Anning, a thirteen-year-old eldest daughter.
Lazy, selfish, and with sticky fingers, she was the most notorious troublemaker in the surrounding villages.
A few months ago, the original owner’s father and eldest brother had gone hunting in the mountains and never returned. Her mother, unable to bear the shock, had lost her mind.
Left unchecked, the original owner had spiraled out of control, becoming a menace to the entire village.
Just moments ago, she had been caught stealing eggs from the woman outside. In a panic, she had swallowed three eggs whole—and choked to death…
“……”
Perhaps hearing movement inside, the woman outside grew even more aggressive, practically trying to tear the door off its hinges.
Song Anning sighed in resignation. Rest in peace, you gluttonous girl. Since she was already here, she might as well make do and survive.
With that thought, she got out of bed, unlatched the door, and imitated the original owner’s tone, shouting, “Stop your damn screeching! So what if I took a few of your eggs? I’ll pay you back!”
The woman outside stumbled forward, afraid Song Anning would deny it, and grabbed her wrist tightly. “How dare you call stealing ‘taking’? Shameless brat!
If you say you’ll pay, then four eggs are eight coppers, plus half a pound of dried radish and two steamed buns from half a month ago—that’s twenty coppers total. Pay up!
If you don’t settle this today, I’m not leaving!”
“That’s right, we’re not leaving!”
“Song girl, and my dried bamboo shoots, mushrooms…”
“My salted duck eggs…”
A crowd of villagers pressed forward, and only then did Song Anning see that many people had gathered outside her door. At the front stood the village chief of Banyue Village, his face grim.
Mimicking the original owner’s mannerisms, Song Anning dug at her ear nonchalantly, but her mind was racing:
Over the past few months, the original owner had devoured all the livestock and grain in the house. Only three coppers remained—just enough to buy a pound of coarse grains.
But now, dozens of creditors were at her door, demanding at least three or four taels of silver.
Worse, the original owner’s actions had provoked the entire village. This time, the Village Chief himself had led the debt collection. If she didn’t give them an answer, Banyue Village would likely exile them.
Just as Song Anning had guessed, the Village Chief cleared his throat and spoke. “Anning, you’ve gone too far. In such a short time, you’ve stolen from nearly every household in the village.
Other people’s belongings were earned through hard work. Your family’s misfortune doesn’t justify your thievery!
If you don’t give us an answer today, even I, as your elder, won’t be able to protect you.”
As he spoke, he kept winking at Song Anning. After all, they shared the same surname—no matter how troublesome this girl was, she was still a child of the Song family, and in his heart, he couldn’t help but favor her.
The villagers had expected Song Anning to throw another tantrum and deny everything as usual. To their surprise, she spoke calmly instead:
“Second Grandfather, I, Anning, swear I will never steal again. And I acknowledge what you’ve said—it’s only right to repay debts.
But as everyone knows, my family is in dire straits. We can barely afford food, so I can only repay slowly.”
The villagers were stunned. Then they heard Song Anning continue, “Today, I ask Second Grandfather to bear witness. For every family I owe, I’ll write a loan slip, using the land deed as collateral. If I can’t repay within a year, the fields will be sold to make up the difference.”
The Village Chief paused for a moment before nodding in agreement. “One year at the latest. If you steal again, Banyue Village won’t tolerate you.”
Land was precious to villagers—it was the only hope for farmers. At these words, the courtyard fell silent.
What? What had they just heard? That troublemaker had sworn never to steal again? And she was going to repay them?
The woman who had been banging on the door earlier took a frightened step back and nudged the person beside her.
“Pinch me—am I dreaming? Did I just hear the Song girl say she’d pay us back?”
“That’s what she said…”
The bystander stared blankly at Song Anning. Hearing the word “repay” from this scoundrel was nothing short of a miracle!
The Song family’s two acres of land were worth at least a few taels of silver—who would refuse such an offer?
The joy of recovering what was lost was overwhelming! Sign the papers—do it now!
Half an hour later, the crowd dispersed.
Song Anning now held several loan slips filled with writing. After a careful look, she counted sixty-two households in total, amounting to four taels and seventy copper coins.
The most expensive item was Wang Mujang’s five laying hens. Though they were valuable, the family hadn’t overcharged—they were priced at three hundred fifty coins, the same as old, non-laying hens in town.
In the Nanyue Dynasty, one thousand copper coins equaled one tael of silver. The debts left by the original owner were enough to feed an ordinary farming family for over two years.
Tucking the loan slips away carefully, Song Anning surveyed the nearly collapsing thatched hut. Having never experienced true hardship before, she finally understood what it meant to be destitute.
Inside, only two large wooden chests were somewhat presentable, along with two rickety beds covered in patched quilts so filthy their original colors were unrecognizable.
Two small, tousled heads peeked out from a corner of the room, grinning at Song Anning.
“Big Sis, how’d you get caught this time? Next time, pick a different house to steal from.”
“Steal from Second Grandfather’s place. He and Second Grandma are kind—they never fuss because they pity us.”
Song Anning’s blood pressure spiked at these words. These two were the original owner’s younger siblings—Song Zeyuan and Song Anyue, five-year-old twins who had once been well-behaved and sensible. Yet in such a short time, the protagonist had corrupted them into this!
She shot them a frosty glare and scolded, “You can’t steal from anyone! Is that something to be proud of? If you’re caught stealing, they’ll chop off your hands or feet—or even beat you to death, and no one would care!”
The two little ones blinked at her, then giggled again.
“But Big Sis, you stole all the time! Hehe…”
“We didn’t steal, and we didn’t eat any of it either, so they can’t hit us…”
“…”
She was done. Absolutely done.
What kind of explosive start is this? Father and eldest brother gone, mother gone mad, the family so poor they can’t even afford a meal, her own reputation in tatters, and the two little ones left have been led astray.
“Mom, I want to go home, wuwuwu…”
Her mother back home wasn’t in the best health, and her father was getting on in years. Ever since she returned to the village to start her business, the elderly couple had been running around helping out, believing that the more they did, the less their precious daughter would have to suffer.
She had just started making a little money when she got transmigrated. She couldn’t even imagine how heartbroken her parents must be.
At the thought of this, Song Anning could no longer hold back. Tears streamed down her cheeks, plopping onto the ground one after another.
Suddenly, a cheerful mechanical voice rang out:
“Ding… Host successfully bound.
Don’t cry, don’t cry, Master! System is here!”