Chapter 1

The setting sun painted the horizon with fiery crimson clouds. Wisps of cooking smoke curled from tall chimneys, mingling with the occasional bark of dogs and the joyful shouts of children to create a tranquil and heartwarming pastoral scene.

Normally, Li Hehua would have marveled at the beauty of this idyllic landscape. But now, she had no room for appreciation. All she could think was, Oh my god!

Staring at the fenced courtyard before her and the completely unfamiliar surroundings—so different from modern life—Li Hehua finally accepted the truth: she had hit the jackpot. She had transmigrated.

Transmigration—such a fantastical concept, something she’d only encountered in novels—had actually happened to her. No matter how unbelievable it seemed, after nearly half a day of frantic panic, she had to accept the reality: she had indeed transmigrated, and to ancient times, though she had no idea which dynasty this was.

She truly knew nothing. Apart from her own memories, her mind was a complete blank. She had racked her brain for hours, but nothing came to her.

Li Hehua rubbed her forehead and couldn’t help but sigh. “Why don’t I have any of this person’s memories? What about the original owner’s memories? Why haven’t I inherited a single one?”

The blankness in her mind frustrated her, and she tapped her head in defeat, lowering it in despair.

As she lowered her head, Li Hehua caught sight of her current appearance again and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Oh!”

No matter how many times she saw it, she couldn’t accept this body!

Who exactly had she transmigrated into? How could such an overweight woman exist in ancient times? Weren’t village women supposed to be underfed and malnourished? When did living conditions improve enough for someone to become this obese?

This body was barely five feet tall, yet weighed at least 160 pounds. Her face was covered in layers of fat, her neck had completely disappeared into rolls of flesh, and she counted no fewer than four layers of fat around her stomach. Her legs were classic “elephant legs,” with ankles thicker than most people’s calves. This appearance was beyond hopeless.

Oh God, she thought, transmigration is bad enough, but why did I have to end up in this body?

Back then, to maintain her slender figure, she would eat no more than one apple each evening and hit the gym whenever she had free time. Her weight never exceeded 95 pounds, and she took great pride in her physique. Now, in an instant, she’d gone from being slim to morbidly obese, and her heart ached with the change.

Who could tell her where she was? Who was this original body? What was her name? Did she have any family?

A torrent of questions swirled in her mind, desperate for answers. Sadly, no one was there to provide them.

More than half a day had passed since she woke up, yet she remained utterly alone in the room. Not a single person had appeared during that time—not one.

This forced her to speculate that the original body lived alone. But wasn’t it strange for a woman in ancient times to live independently? Could she be a widow? Or perhaps an orphan who had lost both parents?

She had no way of knowing which of her guesses might be correct.

Grumble… A loud noise erupted from her stomach, drawing Li Hehua’s gaze downward to her bloated belly.

Her stomach growled.

Since waking up, she had been so preoccupied with her thoughts that she hadn’t even remembered to eat. It was only now, as her stomach rumbled loudly, that she realized how desperately hungry she was. She longed for something to eat.

Never mind, she thought. I can figure out the questions later. First, I need to find something to eat.

Li Hehua clutched her stomach and struggled to her feet, shuffling toward the kitchen.

…….

The kitchen was a thatched-roof hut with a typical rural stove. A large chimney stood in the center, and two massive iron pots sat on the stove for cooking.

Although such earthen stoves were rare in modern times, Li Hehua, who worked with food all day, still knew how to use them. Building a fire and cooking a meal wouldn’t be a problem for her.

She searched the kitchen cabinets, but all she found was half a bag of coarse brown rice, its grains dark and unappetizing. There was no other grain to be found.

Great, she thought. Now there’s nothing to eat at all.

Just as she was wondering what to do, her stomach growled again, betraying her. Fine, she decided. Coarse rice it is. Dark grains it is. I’ll just cook something to fill my stomach first. Otherwise, I might starve to death.

First, she needed to rinse the rice. After searching for ages, she finally found a basin in the kitchen that could be used for this purpose. But the basin was filthy, coated with some unknown grime that looked so disgusting it almost made her gag.

It seemed she’d have to clean the kitchen before she could even start cooking. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to stand it.

Fortunately, there was a large water vat nearby. Li Hehua reached out to lift the lid, ready to scoop some water, only to discover, to her dismay, that the vat was completely empty.

“Sigh…” She was now absolutely certain the original owner of this body had been no diligent person. Otherwise, the kitchen wouldn’t be in such a state, and the water vat wouldn’t be bone-dry.

Great. Before she could clean the kitchen, she’d have to fetch some water first.

Li Hehua grabbed the bucket beside the vat and headed outside. Since there was no well in the courtyard, she’d have to go to the village’s communal well.

As she stepped outside, Li Hehua froze. Before her stretched a scene of quaint, ancient rural architecture. In the distance, children in traditional clothing played boisterously. Though she knew she’d traveled to ancient times, only now did the reality truly sink in. This was really the ancient world.

As Li Hehua stood there in a daze, a group of children playing nearby spotted her. They immediately ran closer, stopping at a distance that was neither too close nor too far, and began chanting in unison, “Big fat pig, tigress, the Zhang Family’s wicked shrew… Big fat pig, tigress, the Zhang Family’s wicked shrew…”

Li Hehua: “……” Were these children talking about her? A big fat pig? A tigress? And a wicked shrew? What was this Zhang Family they kept mentioning?

Li Hehua wasn’t angry. After all, she knew the children were insulting the original owner of this body, not her. However, their words forced her to wonder: was the original owner truly as awful as these children claimed? If so, her character must have been atrocious.

Seeing Li Hehua standing motionless instead of chasing them as she usually did, the shouting children grew puzzled. They fell silent and exchanged bewildered glances.

“What’s wrong with her? Why isn’t she chasing us?” one child asked his companions.

Everyone was confused. Normally, the fat woman would have chased them down by now, even though her weight made it impossible for her to catch them. She always ran until she was out of breath before stopping to yell at them.

What was going on today?

One of the children couldn’t help but suggest, “Maybe we should go see what’s wrong with her?”

Another child immediately objected, “No way! If she catches us, we’re doomed! She hits hard. Just look at Wen Lin’s bruises!”

The children recalled Wen Lin’s battered appearance and shivered collectively, too frightened to approach. They stood rooted to the spot, staring.

Li Hehua: “…” Great. Another glimpse into the original owner’s character. And none of it good.

Still, the children’s arrival gave her an idea. She could use them as a way to gather information, asking questions they wouldn’t suspect.

With this in mind, Li Hehua adjusted her expression, forcing what she hoped was a warm, friendly smile as she approached the group. “Children, I wanted to ask…”

Before she could finish, the children scattered like they’d seen a monster, fleeing without stopping. Even as they ran, they shouted, “Run! The mean old woman’s coming!”

Li Hehua was speechless, daring not to take another step forward.

The children who had fled earlier had expected to see her chasing after them, panting and furious. But after running a considerable distance and realizing she wasn’t following, they were dumbfounded once more.

They exchanged glances, then cautiously crept back a little. When she remained motionless, they moved closer until they reached a safe distance—neither too far nor too near—and stopped.

Li Hehua didn’t budge either. She wanted to see how these little brats would handle this.

The standoff lasted for a tense moment. Finally, the children’s patience wore thin. A particularly sturdy-looking boy pointed at Li Hehua and demanded, “Why aren’t you coming to hit us, Fatty?”

Li Hehua acted as if she hadn’t heard, remaining still as a statue.

The boy grew agitated and repeated, “Fatty, are you deaf or something?!”

Sensing an opening, Li Hehua’s eyes flickered. She pursed her lips into a disdainful expression and retorted, “You’re the ones who are deaf! I wouldn’t waste my breath on a bunch of fools like you!”

The children bristled at her words, retorting indignantly, “Who are you calling stupid? You’re the real idiot!”

Li Hehua scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Aren’t you all fools? Fine, let me ask you this: do you even know my name?”

One of the boys immediately puffed out his chest. “Of course we do! You’re Li Hehua!”

Li Hehua was secretly startled. She hadn’t expected the original owner of this body to share such a similar name. Was it just a coincidence?

Suppressing her surprise, Li Hehua feigned frustration at having her question answered. “Then tell me, how many people are in my family?”

A child in the group shouted, “Two!”

Another protested, “No, three!”

Yet another chimed in, “Wrong! There are five!”

Li Hehua was utterly confused. Wasn’t the original owner supposed to be living alone? Why did it seem like she had so many family members? And where were they? She hadn’t seen a single relative all day.

Li Hehua was about to press for more information when a woman hurried over and interrupted. “Li Hehua! What are you doing? Are you bullying the children again?”

The woman, in her early thirties, held a child by the hand and glared at Li Hehua as if she were a heinous villain.

“I…” Li Hehua stammered, unsure how to explain.

Seeing her speechless, the woman assumed she was guilty. She snorted coldly and told the children, “Go home quickly and don’t bother with her, or she’ll beat you to death!” With that, she dragged her child away, leaving Li Hehua speechless and choked with frustration.

Never mind, Li Hehua thought. I’ll try to get more information next time. For now, I need to fetch water.

But then she froze. She hadn’t even asked where the well was! Where was she supposed to get water?

She looked around, but everyone had already gone home. It must be dinnertime. With no one to ask, she’d have to find the well herself.

Li Hehua carried her water bucket and walked along the village path in one direction until she reached the end without finding a well. She turned around and walked back the other way, and this time she was lucky. At the eastern edge of the village, she finally spotted a large tree with a well beneath it.

Li Hehua quickly grabbed the rope lying beside the well, tied it to the bucket, and lowered the bucket into the well. She tipped the bucket over and waited until it was nearly full before starting to pull it up.

But after struggling for a long time, she couldn’t lift it. It was simply too heavy.

Li Hehua glanced at the flabby flesh on her body, feeling ashamed. This fat is completely useless, she thought. I can’t even lift a bucket of water.

With no other choice, she poured out some of the water until only about two-thirds remained. Only then could she barely manage to pull the bucket up.

Setting the bucket down beside the well, Li Hehua gasped for breath. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve and rested briefly. After taking a deep breath, she heaved the bucket up again and trudged back the way she had come.

By the time she reached home, only half the water remained in the bucket.