Chapter 1

As the evening settled in, the farmers in Shuiyun Village had all returned home, and smoke curled up from every household’s kitchen. Laughter and joy filled the air, making it the most leisurely and relaxed time of the day.

However, Shen Cuixiao was not in a good mood.

Just a few days ago, Shen Cui was a modern office worker.

Approaching the age of thirty, she had climbed the corporate ladder to a mid-level management position in a medium-sized company. When the year-end arrived, her colleagues with families had all gone home for the holidays, leaving her alone to struggle for a three-month bonus.

At the stroke of midnight, Shen Cui suddenly felt a pain in her chest. Everything went black, and when she woke up, she found herself here, transformed into a rural woman named Shen Cuihua.

As a novel enthusiast who spent her leisure time reading online novels, Shen Cui had come across many stories involving time travel. The protagonists, even if not stunningly beautiful, were usually elegant and respectable, ranging from princesses to well-bred girls from scholarly families.

This time travel experience, however, turned out to be less than ideal. The good news was that she was a bit younger than her original age, now only twenty-six.

The bad news was that in this ancient era, the original owner of this body was already a mother.

In her past life, Shen Cui was a devoted fan of paper relationships, having no interest in real-life men. Strangely, she had a particular fondness for children.

If it weren’t for legal restrictions, she might have considered artificial insemination to become a single mother.

So, she didn’t mind having a child. The problem was that the child was already ten years old, an age where children in the modern world should be sensible, and in ancient times, they should be taking on responsibilities. However, her son was lazy and gluttonous, lying on the heated brick bed all day, neglecting his studies and chores. He was more like a lazy man than a child.

To raise such a son, the original mother was undoubtedly a masterpiece of laziness and cunning, already notorious for her craftiness in the surrounding areas when she was just a young girl.

So, although her family background was decent, and she possessed fair and beautiful features that were unmatched in the surrounding areas, there were not many well-off families willing to accept a girl like her.

Of course, the original owner had high standards. It wasn’t until she was fourteen, almost fifteen, that she noticed a newcomer in the village, a carpenter named Mu Cheng.

Mu Cheng, despite being a craftsman, created exquisite pieces and had a handsome and refined appearance, making him a talented and attractive individual.

Although he was a widower with a son, a bit older than Shen Cuihua, he was considered quite a catch in a rural place like Shuiyun Village. Several old maidens and widows in the village were interested in him.

Unable to compete with others, the original owner came up with a sly plan. During a family celebration, she went to the city and bought a bottle of aphrodisiac.

During the celebration, she and her equally cunning mother schemed to drug Mu Cheng. They took advantage of the situation, bringing him into the house to rest.

Later, during the customary “bedroom uproar” when guests playfully disturb the newlyweds, they discovered Mu Cheng and Shen Cuihua lying in disarray.

Shen Cuihua cried and pleaded, and Mu Cheng, upon waking up, endured the misunderstanding. Being an honest but somewhat rigid person, he had no choice but to marry Shen Cuihua. After their marriage, he did not hold a grudge against her for the pre-wedding incident and treated her well.

On the surface, everything seemed fine, but…

Thinking that Shen Cuihua was much younger than herself and having become a stepmother at such a young age, Mu Cheng became even more considerate towards her. He repeatedly reminded his eldest son to treat Shen Cuihua as a respectable elder.

Despite Mu Cheng’s kindness, the original owner was not satisfied. After marrying into the Mu family, she realized that although Mu Cheng earned a decent income, the family was not much wealthier than ordinary farmers. The family’s prosperity was just a little better, and they struggled to make ends meet.

Shortly after, Shen Cuihua gave birth to a chubby boy, and her attitude became even more demanding. Not only did she not treat Mu Cheng well, but she also bossed him around. The Mu family, known for their good nature, couldn’t match her tantrums, and gradually, Shen Cuihua took control of the household.

Her biological son, however, did not inherit any of his father’s virtues and became a useless individual, dependent on others for his basic needs.

Two years ago, Mu Cheng arranged a good marriage for his son, which required a significant amount of money, especially for renovating the house. Shen Cuihua clung tightly to the family’s savings, arguing that Mu Cheng’s annual expenses for education were already substantial, and with their second son about to get married soon, the family couldn’t afford such expenditures. She insisted that Mu Cheng should find another source of income.

Unable to withstand the pressure, Mu Cheng had to join a group of itinerant workers to earn extra money. While he was away, Shen Cuihua became uncontrollable at home, leaving all the household chores to her elder son, Mu Yunchuan.

This situation also affected Mu Yunchuan’s relationship with his future wife, Zhou Shi, who had not yet married into the family.

Zhou Shi was a good girl favored by both Mu Cheng and Mu Yunchuan. After her parents passed away, she took care of her younger brother until he settled down in the city before considering marriage. Without the support of elders from her maternal family and unwilling to burden her younger brother with her troubles, she became vulnerable to Shen Cuihua’s manipulations.

Before winter arrived, the scheduled wedding between Zhou Shi and Mu Yunchuan approached. In a letter sent in advance, Zhou Shi mentioned that Mu Cheng, who was on his way, had not been heard from for a long time.

On the day after the wedding, Mu Yunchuan went to the city to report the matter to the authorities. The young couple wore out numerous pairs of shoes searching for Mu Cheng but received no news.

At the same time, a distressed Shen Cuihua ran back to her maternal home seeking help. Her brothers explained that there was unrest outside the provincial capital, with bandits causing trouble on the roads. Given the important event of their eldest son’s marriage and Mu Cheng’s absence, it was likely that he had fallen victim to the bandits.

Waiting for over a month without any sign of Mu Cheng, Shen Cuihua started to believe the explanation. In her first act of belief, she kicked Mu Yunchuan and Zhou Shi out of the house, forcing them to live in Mu’s old residence.

She justified her actions, claiming it was for the newlyweds to enjoy their honeymoon on their own. In reality, everyone knew she wanted to seize the Mu family’s assets—two recently renovated houses made of blue bricks and big tiles, plus a box of silver coins.

Her scheme was clear: even if Mu Cheng returned unharmed later, she hadn’t done anything morally objectionable. She could then resume her usual tantrums and manipulations, and this matter would be easily brushed aside.

Perhaps because the original owner was truly a master at being unreasonable, not long ago, when the weather suddenly turned cold, she caught a cold. Instead of spending money to see a doctor, she stubbornly refused, leading to her falling sick twice in a row.

Top of Form

The weather was hot, and with only a lazy son who didn’t understand anything around, things went on confusingly.

Shen Cui came over.

After receiving the memories of the original owner, Shen Cui’s first action was to make her lazy son spend money to see a doctor. She wasn’t willing to lose her life so easily after this second chance!

Yet, that lazy son grumbled, saying, “Mother always said doctors are just there to swindle money, prescribing some random medicine for a high price. Our bodies are strong; sleeping off the sickness will be enough!”

Watching him take his sweet time to put on his shoes and get out of bed for over a moment, Shen Cui got so angry that she raised her hand, as if to hit him, finally getting him to move.

The doctor, once brought to the house, brought along some common herbs for colds and fever, immediately prescribing a few doses of medicinal soup.

After taking a few doses and resting until today, Shen Cui finally felt the illness receding, her mind clear, and she had the strength to get up.

With a clear mind, Shen Cui sorted through the relationships of the people around the original owner. The more she thought, the more something felt off. Then, a moment of inspiration struck her. She remembered a novel she had read called “The Path to Success in the Imperial Examinations.”

The protagonist of this examination-themed novel was none other than Mu Yunchuan, wasn’t it?

Mu Yunchuan was a naturally gifted talent. Although not outstanding in his youth, he began taking the provincial examinations at the age of sixteen, consistently scoring top places. His career flourished, eventually becoming the youngest successful candidate in the imperial examinations.

His stepmother, Shen Cuihua, was a vividly despicable character in his life. She mistreated Mu Yunchuan but attached herself like a leech once he became successful, along with her biological son.

A person’s reputation was crucial, especially in a society that valued filial piety. For the sake of being a filial son, Mu Yunchuan endured countless disgusting things.

When Shen Cui was a reader, she didn’t know how many times she cursed the stepmother Shen Cuihua.

It wasn’t until the latter part of the novel that Shen Cuihua and her son went too far. They accepted hefty bribes, intending to persuade Mu Yunchuan, a close official to the emperor, to engage in treason.

Mu Yunchuan finally put justice over family, presenting Shen Cuihua and her son to the emperor. At the same time, he voluntarily resigned from his position.

The emperor, aware that Shen Cuihua was not Mu Yunchuan’s biological mother, sentenced Shen Cuihua and her son to be executed and the entire Shen family to exile. However, Mu Yunchuan was not implicated; instead, the emperor valued him even more for his just actions.

By this point, the stepmother Shen Cuihua, who had been jumping up and down, finally exited the stage, becoming an eternal sinner with countless curses left behind.

Reflecting on this, Shen Cui felt a chilling sensation in her heart.

She couldn’t possibly commit such extreme actions as the original owner did. However, in the original book, Mu Yunchuan was depicted as both white and black. The original owner, being an ignorant woman, dared to go to such lengths, probably because Mu Yunchuan had tolerated and overlooked her behavior.

When reading the book, Shen Cui found Mu Yunchuan’s actions relieving.

Now that she had become a character in the story, Shen Cui was left terrified.

The current actions of the original owner would likely make Mu Yunchuan resentful. When he rose to prominence, who knows how he would seek revenge.

Shen Cui forced herself to calm down, realizing that the timeline she was in now was still early. Mu Yunchuan was just a fifteen or sixteen-year-old youth. As he progressed through the examinations, there was still time to change the course of events.

Shen Cui came to consciousness.

Even if he didn’t forget, with the vast distance and the difference in status—him a court official, and her just a village woman—they were unlikely to cross paths, and she wouldn’t meet a gruesome end.

As Shen Cui began to pack her belongings, a nasal voice called out, “Mom.”

The one who spoke was, of course, the original owner’s lazy son, the ten-year-old Mu Hanshan, who Shen Cui almost beat up the other day.

True to his name, Mu Hanshan was truly as solid as a little mountain. However, the original owner rarely called him by his full name, afraid that the name was too big and the child too small to carry it. She usually called him Er Pang, meaning “Second Fatty.”

Seeing Shen Cui packing a large bundle, Mu Er Pang sat up, rubbing his chubby cheeks, and asked, “Mom, what are you hiding? Give me a bite!”

Shen Cui:…

Anyone with common sense would know she was anxiously preparing to escape, not hiding food!

Seeing Shen Cui twitching at the corners of her mouth as she looked at him, Mu Er Pang decided to take advantage of the situation. Rubbing his eyes with one hand, he reached for her bundle with the other.

“The other day, I braved the heavy snow to help Mom call the doctor. Mom can’t eat alone.”

Shen Cui, holding her freshly packed belongings, naturally wouldn’t let him open and mess up everything again. As they tussled, there was a clear “ding” sound in her mind.

“Host’s memories have merged with body memories. The [Imperial Examination Tutoring System] is connecting to the host’s consciousness!”