Chapter 1: 1

Once I’ll finish translating this, a Google Doc will be available for anyone who wants to read this offline! Thank you! (Also pls excuse my attempt at translating this novel QAQ)

*using the mtl translations and double checking them, if there are any mistakes don’t hesitate to tell me!

***

The wind stirred up a rainstorm, its whistling sound being heard through mountains and forests. Rainwater washed the soil and gathered in holes trampled by the livestock, flowing down and making the mountain roads more slippery.

Yun Yanhui hugged the camera wrapped in a raincoat and shouted loudly, “Xiao Qin, what are you doing?”

A guide and a local official next to him also spoke anxiously, “Get that girl over here!”

This was the southwest mountainous region of A City. Yun Yanhui, a television reporter, brought his intern here for a report. Unfortunately, they had no knowledge of the severe weather which brought sudden torrential rains, and were forced to pack up their equipment.

The local officials and guides, who were in charge of the reception, grew up in the village and urged them to go down the mountain immediately.

However, Xiao Qin, the intern, lingered behind them, causing Yun Yanhui to hurry back.

Xiao Qin said dejectedly, “Brother Yun, my spare battery fell there.”

Afraid of getting caught in the rain, Xiao Qin was rushing to pack her things. When her hand slipped, the spare battery rolled out of her grasp and at the edge of a pit. The mountain path was steep, covered with thick straw – Xiao Qin could barely touch it when she reached for it.

All of their equipment was registered and owned by the company, meaning in the case of an accident, they had to pay for it. The battery was originally set at over 1000 yuan. Xiao Qin, an intern, was not particularly well off. Obviously, she couldn’t abandon it.

With this in mind, Yun Yanhui had no choice but to leave his camera to the local cadre and help the intern.

“You go ahead and I’ll pick this up for you,” Yun Yanhui told Xiao Qin. He knelt and pulled at the tree roots for stability, then stretched his arm out for the battery.

The rain poured heavily down his face, blurring his vision. Yun Yanhui extended his arm even further and barely grazed the battery with his fingertips.

His heart burst with joy and he drew out his hand once more. Unexpectedly, his foot slid and, with his arm grabbing for the air desperately, he fell over. The last thing he could hear was Xiao Qin’s shrill scream before he lost his consciousness.

His final thought was, my life is worth more than 1000 yuan, please don’t let me die…

***

The gentle singing awakened Yun Yanhui from a deep slumber, his body and mind gradually recovering.

When Yun Yanhui’s brain registered what was happening, he felt arms holding him in a warm embrace. His eyelids parted with some difficulty. Everything he could see was a gentle and bewitching face, red lips opening and closing to let out a flow of pleasant sounds.

There was a look of concern adorning that face. “Yan’er, are you awake? Do you still have a headache?”

The strange surroundings and unfamiliar woman made Yun Yanhui’s heart flutter with apprehension. When he raised his hand before his eyes, he discovered that it was small and short, resembling one of a baby’s.

The young woman’s palm gently fell on Yun Yanhui’s head. She spoke distressed, “if it rains next time, don’t go up the mountain. A little man like you can’t walk steadily… Fortunately, you didn’t fall this time.”

Listening to the young woman’s chatter, Yun Yanhui heart thrashed anxiously and he stared closely at her narrow-sleeved ancient clothing, which were hand-sewn and distinctly different from dresses he’d seen before. The furnishings were by no means modern.

This real sensation, this shrunk body, this other-wordly environment…

Yun Yanhui came to the chilling conclusion that he died.

Strangely enough, the first thought that crossed his mind was that he didn’t have to work overtime anymore.

***

Yun Yanhui remained in a dazed state as the young woman picked him up, garbed him, fed him some hot water and carried him out of the chamber they were previously in.

The large room outside resembled a hall, with bamboo mats on the floor, on which about eight or nine children played games, ranging from a few months old to about eight years old, the youngest being held in the arms of a five-year-old girl.

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When she saw the young woman coming out, she ran to her lap with the infant in her arms right away, tilted her head back and asked, “How’s my brother?”

Yun Yanhui glanced around and determined that the family was not doing well financially. Apart from the bed, the house had a shelf with only a few clothes hanging from it, and the furniture outside consisted of a table and some bamboo mats.

They’re all impoverished and still bore a good deal of children? How can a delicate and gentle young woman give birth to so many?

“Good boy. Your brother’s alright.” Right after she uttered those words, the child in the girl’s arms slumped against her arms and began to mewl.  The young woman bent over, let Yun Yanhui down and instructed him to stand on his own, then hugged the infant to her chest and fed him.

Yun Yanhui almost lost his footing at first. He grabbed her by the hem of her dress. When the little girl noticed this, she took his hand.

“Brother Yan, come sit here,” the little girl led Yun Yanhui back to a bamboo mat.

Sitting on the mat, Yun Yanhui could hear babies whining, clapping, giggling, and the distant cries of cows.

When his sight travelled to the house, the lack of light inside was compensated by the sun pouring through the windows.

Oh, dear God, where did he travel to?

“Are you alright, Brother Yan?” Several children who had been playing around spotted ‘Brother Yan’, who seemed to be taciturn, and, finally, unable to bear it, they said, “it’s all our fault. We won’t do anything in the future. We’ll never play with you again…”

What was that supposed to mean? This ‘Brother Yan’ quarrelled with his brothers, so he ran up the mountain and fell?

Although he had yet to fully comprehend the current situation, he replied quietly, “it’s fine.”

When the children heard, they cuddled next to Yun Yanhui and laughed happily.

Perhaps because of the number of offspring in the family, including one who hasn’t been weaned, the young woman was occupied constantly. That gave Yun Yanhui the chance to query the children.

But, the children were not mature enough to give proper answers, so all Yun Yanhui could do was to inquire about their names, their age and how close they were to each other.

His body was now two or three years old, and his name remained unchanged, Yun Yanhui – his appearance was a perfect match to the one he had while growing up.

This made Yun Yanhui wonder wherever he was in a parallel world, transmigrating with his actual body. He was not aware if the original soul of this little body had perished or returned to his modern world, which would be understandably nonsensical.

As for the relationship between the boy and the young woman, she was his mother, however he’s her only child, the others being orphans.

This abode was a place destined for adopting children. As for the woman, she was a mere worker, probably hired to look after the orphans, yet had no spare money left to clothe in glamorous dresses.

After Yun Yanhui took part in their games, the lady called everyone to have a meal, moving the tables and chairs under the shade of a tree and bringing the steaming food.

Yun Yanhui caught the sight of broken bran shells in the rice, which was expected, given the fact that ancient processing was time-consuming and the poor could not afford it. As for the dishes, they were served with bamboo shoots and bracken. The plates were devoid of meat.

Despite this, the young woman kindly urged the children to eat, including Yun Yanhui.

He picked up the bowl, tasted the food, then furrowed his brows. Even if the edibles were intentionally cooked until the texture was softer than usual, the bran shells still scratched the inside of his mouth and throat. Peeking at the other children, they were devouring the meals without taking a breather between bites; that’s when he understood.

That’s it. Yun Yanhui couldn’t help but stop midway through his eating, glancing at the weak children, the penniless young woman, the empty house. His heart trembled at the thought of working for his newly found goal.

Since he’s already here and not particularly well off yet, he would try to grow up nicely and improve his living conditions in order to eat authentic, delicious meals, prepared in ancient times!

Yun Yanhui, having already made up his mind, firmly grasped the bowl and ate another mouthful of the unpleasant brown rice.

Suddenly, a plump woman hurried into the courtyard and told the young woman, “Madame Zheng, it’s not good, it’s not good, it’s bad. The proprietor’s lost a lot of money. He’s going to fire us. He’s going to close this place and sell it for money.”

Yun Yanhui: “……”

…Damn, his mother lost her job before he could reach his goal.

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