Chapter 1: Transmigration

Upon waking up, Lin Wanqing found herself lying on a bed made of wooden planks.

The low, aged roof above her looked even more dilapidated than those seen in historical dramas on TV, and the air carried a faint scent of dust.

Before she could process anything, a sharp pain exploded in her head.

As a flood of memories surged into her mind, she finally understood—she had transmigrated into the body of a girl with the same name, Lin Wanqing.

In the modern world, Lin Wanqing was the heir to a century-old restaurant chain, in other words, a second-generation rich kid. She was born into luxury, spending her days indulging in fine dining, entertainment, and occasional business inspections at the family’s chain stores. Life was carefree.

Just yesterday, she had gone to Haishi to inspect one of their establishments. Afterward, she met up with friends at a bar, partied hard, and returned to the hotel drunk in the early hours of the morning. Who would have thought that after falling asleep, she would wake up in another world?

Dying young at 23, in a hotel room no less—Lin Wanqing found it humiliating. She wondered how her parents and grandparents were coping. The pain of losing a child must have been unbearable for them.

She wanted to cry.

Looking out through the window, she saw rolling mountains stretching into the distance. Recalling the memories of her new life’s family situation, Lin Wanqing sighed silently at the roof above her. If she had to transmigrate, couldn’t it have at least been into a wealthy family?

Other people who transmigrate end up as nobles or royalty. Why did she have to end up in a poor household?

This was an alternate dynasty—the Great Qian Dynasty. She was in a village called Xishan, located at the foot of Daxi Mountain. According to the original host’s memories, it was currently the eighth month of the lunar calendar, just a few days after the Mid-Autumn Festival.

“Second Sister.”

A voice came from the doorway. It was only then that Wanqing noticed the door had been opened at some point. Standing there was a young boy with tanned skin and an innocent face, looking incredibly excited to see her awake.

Searching through her new memories, Lin Wanqing recognized him—her younger brother in this life, Lin Zhiyuan.

“Sis, does your head still hurt?” The boy asked cautiously, afraid of startling her.

“My head?”

The moment he mentioned it, a dull pain surged through her skull. Her already pale face turned even whiter.

It hurt like hell.

“It hurts…” Wanqing’s voice was weak, barely audible.

“I’ll get Mother!”

Seeing his sister in pain, Zhiyuan panicked. Knowing he couldn’t help, he turned and dashed away on his short legs.

Moments later, the sound of hurried footsteps filled the air. A frail woman rushed in, followed by a delicate-looking young girl.

They were none other than the original host’s mother, Li Yulan, and her elder sister, Lin Wanru.

“Qing’er, how do you feel?”

Seeing her daughter’s bloodless face, Li Yulan was in tears.

“Mother, my head hurts a little,” Lin Wanqing murmured.

Perhaps because of the lingering consciousness of the original host, she didn’t find it strange to call this unfamiliar woman “Mother.” The words slipped out naturally, carrying a hint of grievance.

“It’s alright, don’t be scared. The pain will pass soon. Doctor Lin said that as long as you’ve woken up, there’s nothing serious. You just need to rest and recover.”

With teary eyes, Li Yulan gently embraced her frail daughter, comforting her with soft words. She blamed herself—she hadn’t even been able to protect her own child.

Looking at her mother in this life, Lin Wanqing noticed she wasn’t very old—only thirty, just a few years older than her modern self. In today’s world, life would just be beginning at that age. But in ancient times, she was already considered past her prime.

From the original host’s memories, Lin Wanqing recalled that her mother in this world was in poor health. A trace of worry surfaced in her heart as she carefully chose her words and asked Li Yulan, “Mother, are you feeling well?” She didn’t want her mother to fall ill from worrying about her.

Hearing her daughter’s warm words of concern the moment she woke up, Li Yulan was moved to tears and shook her head with relief. “Mother is fine. Seeing you safe is all that matters.”

Beside them, Lin Wanru hesitated as if she wanted to say something but ultimately lowered her eyes and remained silent.

At that moment, Lin Zhiyuan came rushing in, leading Doctor Lin. “Doctor, come quickly! My second sister has really woken up!”

“Doctor Lin, sorry to trouble you,” Li Yulan said, wiping away her tears as she made way.

Doctor Lin reached out and placed his fingers on Wanqing’s wrist to check her pulse. As he observed the girl on the bed, he couldn’t help but marvel at her fortune.

When he had first examined her, she had already been unconscious, her breathing weak, clinging to life by a thread. He had assumed she wouldn’t make it but had refrained from saying so outright to spare Li Yulan the grief of losing her child.

Who would have thought that she would survive and wake up?

His furrowed brows eased, and he cupped his hands toward Li Yulan in congratulations.

“Your daughter is out of danger now. She’s just weak and anemic. I’ll prescribe a remedy—have her take it on time, and she will recover soon.”

He then patiently advised Wanqing to rest well before instructing the Lin family to follow him to collect the medicine.

Seeing how frail Li Yulan looked, Wanqing also wanted the doctor to examine her mother.

But Li Yulan quickly waved off the suggestion. Hearing this, Doctor Lin sighed and turned to Wanqing. “Your mother is also suffering from blood deficiency. As long as she eats well and nourishes herself properly, she’ll gradually recover.”

His words brought an awkward silence to the room. Everyone in Xishan Village knew that the third branch of the Lin family was the least favored by the matriarch.

Wanqing’s grandmother, Tian Shi, had always treated their family coldly. Since she disliked Wanqing’s mother, Li Yulan, she extended the same attitude toward her grandchildren.

Fortunately, the children were understanding. The eldest daughter, Lin Wanru, never complained while helping her mother with chores.

Wanqing, along with her two younger brothers, was also well-behaved, never giving Li Yulan any extra worries.

The reason Wanqing had ended up in this state was that her mother had collapsed from exhaustion. Wanting to help her recover, Wanqing had gone to the chicken coop to take an egg. Unfortunately, she was caught red-handed by her grandmother, Tian Shi.

Enraged, Tian Shi slapped her, causing her to fall and hit her head on a sharp rock. Blood gushed out, and she lost consciousness on the spot.

After lying unconscious for two days, the person who woke up was no longer the original Lin Wanqing. Her soul had changed, though her body remained the same.

Wanqing felt helpless. In this household, was there even a place for the third branch? Just one egg had nearly cost this girl her life.

She urged Li Yulan to lie down and rest as well, but Li Yulan refused outright. “I still have work to do.”

Instead, she had Lin Zhiyuan stay with Wanqing and reminded her to drink the medicine that Wanru was preparing before sleeping.

But how could Wanqing sleep? Her stomach was growling—she hadn’t eaten in two days.

Lying weakly on the bed, she stared blankly at the ceiling for a while before turning her attention to her little brother. Looking for something to talk about, she asked, “Zhiyuan, while I was asleep these past two days, did Grandma scold Mother?”

“She did,” Zhiyuan replied, suddenly full of energy as he mimicked their grandmother’s voice. “Grandma said Mother was just pretending to be sick to avoid work. She also said you’re shameless for stealing eggs, and that it’s no wonder the eggs keep disappearing!”

Lin Wanqing couldn’t help but roll her eyes. The original host had only dared to take an egg because she had seen her second aunt doing the same without being caught by their grandmother. She had assumed she could get away with it too. Now, even past incidents were being pinned on her.

Sighing in frustration, she soon saw her older sister, Lin Wanru, enter the room, carrying a bowl of medicine. “Sister, it’s time to drink your medicine,” Wanru said as she helped Wanqing sit up and handed her the bowl.

Looking at the dark, murky liquid, Wanqing wanted nothing more than to refuse. But knowing her body needed it, she clenched her teeth and gulped it down in one go.

Once Wanqing finished the medicine, Wanru told her to rest and left the room, taking their little brother with her.

Now alone, Wanqing found herself unable to sleep. She took the opportunity to sort through the original host’s memories.

The original Lin Wanqing’s grandparents had three sons and one daughter, the latter already married and living elsewhere. While their grandmother, Tian Shi, was an overbearing and difficult woman, the rest of the family wasn’t outright evil—just lazy, entitled, and prone to taking advantage of others.

Her grandfather, Lin Guangbai, did show some favoritism toward their branch of the family. However, as a man, he largely stayed out of household matters. There were times when the original host had fallen ill, and it was only because of his insistence that their grandmother reluctantly handed over money for treatment. This, of course, made Tian Shi resent the third household even more.

Her eldest uncle, Lin Sheng, and his wife, Wang Shi, had two sons and a daughter. Both sons were already married, each with a child of their own.

Her second uncle, Lin Zhao, and his wife, Liu Shi, had three sons and a daughter. Their eldest son was also married, with one child.

While the children of the first and second branches had already grown up, the third branch’s children were still young. Apart from her father and her 15-year-old older brother, no one else could contribute much to labor. This gave their grandmother another excuse to berate them, often complaining that they “only knew how to eat but not how to work.”

Aware of the burden his family carried, her father, Lin Heng, would take on day labor jobs in town whenever there was no farm work.

Her mother and older sister worked tirelessly as well, feeding the pigs, gathering fodder, cleaning, and taking on any other chores that needed to be done.

Originally, the household chores had been evenly divided among the three daughters-in-law, with each one responsible for a different day.

However, upon noticing their mother-in-law’s disdain for Li Yulan, the first and second sisters-in-law gradually started slacking off. At first, they would casually ask Li Yulan to help with their share of the work. Over time, this became the norm, and many of the tasks that were once divided now fell entirely on Li Yulan’s shoulders.

Li Yulan was a naturally diligent and kind woman. She never minded taking on extra chores, thinking that housework was just part of daily life. More importantly, her husband was considerate and loving, and their relationship was strong. Her children were also obedient and caring, so she felt that all her hardships were worth enduring for their sake.

Thinking about Li Yulan, Wanqing felt a deep ache in her heart. Perhaps the original host had always harbored guilt toward her mother.

The original Lin Wanqing had been born prematurely, and she was weak and sickly from birth. She had required a great deal of medical care, which had drained the family’s savings.

Because of this, Tian Shi constantly blamed her, calling her a “curse” who had squandered the family’s money.

To make up for these expenses, her parents had to work even harder, often eating less and exhausting themselves. Li Yulan’s health deteriorated over time, and after giving birth to two more sons, her body never fully recovered, leaving her with lingering ailments.

As Wanqing processed all this information, she felt a wave of emotion rising within her—likely the remnants of the original host’s feelings.

In her heart, she reassured the girl who had once lived in this body: “Don’t worry. Since I am here now, I will take care of your family. I will live well in your place and ensure that your mother is looked after.”