Chapter 1

Late at night, a frail man was stuffed inside a snakeskin sack, clinging to life. He struggled to pry it open, gazing at the moonlight, waiting for death to descend.

After a while, a pair—a tall and a small figure—walked over from not far away.

“Jie, didn’t we just throw him away an hour ago? Why are we suddenly bringing him back?”

Jiang Tian turned to her younger brother Jiang Er and said with a serious face: “No, this man brings me luck.”

“Look, I married him only an hour ago, and I’m already not stupid anymore. If I raise him for a while, maybe our family will get rich.”

That was it.

Just an hour ago, Jiang Tian had transmigrated into a book. The second male lead, Xie Chen, had been poisoned while still in his mother’s womb. He grew up sickly, and fortune-tellers claimed he wouldn’t live past twenty.

So the Xie family thought about selling him, but nobody wanted him. In the end, they set their eyes on her household.

In the novel, Jiang Tian was just a cannon-fodder extra. Born “simple-minded,” she lost her mother in childbirth, and her father went missing on the mountain when she was seven, leaving her all alone.

The villagers all said she had jinxed her parents to death, that she was a walking calamity.

But though they said she was stupid, she wasn’t completely. Once, when she went out to play, she even picked up a one-year-old child and brought him home—this was Jiang Er.

In the original story, Jiang Er was a hidden twist—actually a young master from the capital who had been swapped at birth. The author never explained the details, only mentioned that his real family was in the capital.

The female lead, Jiang Ying, was an educated youth sent down to the countryside. By chance, she picked up Xie Chen, cured him, and he grew feelings for her.

But Jiang Ying, drawn to the male lead Lin Muyu’s protagonist aura, ended up marrying him. Years later, schemed against by her younger sister Jiang Cheng, she died miserably, with Xie Chen being the one to collect her body.

But that wasn’t the end—Jiang Ying was reborn, returning to the day she first went down to the countryside, which also happened to be the day she married Xie Chen.

An hour ago, she had been frightened by Jiang Ying, who claimed the man was possessed by ghosts. So Jiang Tian had tossed him in the back mountain, which happened to be a mass grave.

When she crossed over, she guessed that since the story mentioned Jiang Ying’s rebirth, Jiang Ying would surely come to “pick him up.”

Jiang Tian lifted her chin. Why should rebirth mean she had to give way?

Her husband was her husband—no one could take him.

So the second male lead was hers. Who cared if you were the female lead? Who cared if you had been reborn? Rebirth couldn’t beat transmigration, and she wasn’t about to give him up.

So she hurriedly dragged her little brother to bring the man back.

“Jie, people don’t believe in superstition these days.”

Jiang Tian hummed as she walked: “Fine, then let’s call it a happy accident, how about that?”

Jiang Er wanted to argue, but in the end said nothing, obediently following behind her.

Relying on memory, step by step under the moonlight, Jiang Tian walked to that spot.

When she saw the man lying there with his eyes closed, looking lifeless, she jumped in fright.

With a thought, she secretly pried open his jaw and poured in a little spring water from her spatial dimension.

She had come from the 21st century, and just like this world’s Jiang Tian, her parents had died early. Fortunately, they had left her billions in assets. Three days ago, while idly tinkering at home, she discovered a spatial dimension.

Having read plenty of “era novels,” she suspected it might be a sign of transmigration.

So for three days straight, she went on a shopping spree, stuffing everything she could into the space.

When she transmigrated, she discovered the space was still there—and even had a new spiritual spring.

Sure enough, this was the standard cheat of a transmigrator.

“Little Ears, come give me a hand.”

“Coming.”

In the end, Jiang Tian carried him on her back while Jiang Er supported a leg, and together they managed to toss the man onto the heated kang bed.

“I’ll go boil some water, you go to the yard and grab some firewood.”

The little one pouted, but said nothing and went to the shed to fetch some.

“Alright, quit sulking. Who’s that face for? Give this water to your brother-in-law to drink. I’ll make you something tasty later.”

Jiang Er muttered, “There’s never anything tasty, you’re just tricking me.”

Even so, he obediently took the bowl of water and went to the next room.

Seeing the man already awake, he snapped: “You better bring us luck.”

He handed the bowl over. “Here, drink.”

Xie Chen, parched, took it without hesitation. The moment the water touched his lips, he felt its sweetness. Swallowing, his whole body felt soothed, his spirit slightly revived.

“Where did this water come from?”

Arms crossed, Jiang Er glared at him. “Where else? Of course it’s from my jie.”

A flicker of surprise passed through Xie Chen’s eyes. That water was clearly not ordinary.

Before he could think further, someone outside called Jiang Er.

“I’m coming.”

When he stepped into the kitchen, he saw a big wooden tub full of steaming water.

“Come on, let’s haul your brother-in-law over for a wash.”

Jiang Tian rolled up her sleeves as she spoke, but Jiang Er tugged at her hem to stop her.

“Jie, why do you want to bathe him?”

The man on the kang pricked up his ears.

The next second, he heard the girl’s voice: “Because he brings me luck. If we raise him healthy, we’ll have another laborer. Then we can both take it easy.”

The man destined to be “fattened up”: ……

Jiang Er protested: “Jie, I’m a laborer too. I can work.”

Jiang Tian shook her head. “You’re only six. How many work points can you earn? How many can an adult earn?”

Jiang Er let go, huffing, “Jie, he’s sickly, worse off than me. You’ll spend forever raising him, and he’s grown this big without ever getting better.

Besides, don’t forget—he’s a live-in son-in-law, and his family even paid money for him.”

(Though it was really him tugging his sister along to play the pity card to get that money.)

Jiang Tian grinned, showing her teeth. “Little Ears, isn’t a live-in son-in-law better? We got both the man and the money.”

Jiang Er furrowed his tiny brows. “Jie, aren’t you afraid that if you raise him up, he’ll just run off?”

She lifted her chin. “Not afraid. When he’s almost well, I’ll force myself on him, pop out two or three kids. Then will I still need to worry about him running?”

Jiang Er propped his chin in thought—seemed reasonable enough.

The man destined to be forced into fatherhood: ……

“Alright, let’s go.”

So the siblings went into the next room.

Jiang Tian didn’t realize Xie Chen was awake. Planting her hands on her hips, she looked at the frail man on the kang.

“Can you walk? Go wash up in the kitchen.”

“Mn.”

He put up a front, but after two steps, he nearly collapsed, and she had to catch him.

At the tub, Xie Chen frowned at her. “Go out.”

Jiang Tian had seen plenty in her life. As a modern woman, she knew all about relationships.

But this was 1974, when values were conservative—young couples couldn’t even hold hands in public.

Still, they were at home. Why so shy?

“Go out? Why? We’re newlyweds. What’s the big deal if I look? Little Ears, you go. I’ll help your brother-in-law wash.”

She didn’t believe it—Xie Chen could barely stand. How could he resist her?

Jiang Er disagreed. “Jie, why should you bathe him? Men and women shouldn’t touch.”

Jiang Tian laughed. “And where did you hear that from?”

The boy lifted his chin proudly. “I heard the adults say it. Men and women have strained relations these days—they can’t get too close.”

She smiled and ruffled his hair. “That’s for unmarried men and women. Your brother-in-law and I are married. No need to avoid each other.”

Jiang Er pursed his lips, silent.

Jiang Tian pinched his little face. “I hid some sweet potatoes under the stove. Take two and eat them back in your room.”

“Oh.”