Following the voice, Jiang Wanyue saw a small snake about a foot long, its entire body shimmering with a golden glow. It was loosely coiled around her wrist like a golden bracelet.
Its tiny head rested lazily on the back of her hand, two golden eyes curiously surveying the surroundings while its forked tongue flicked in and out every now and then.
Jiang Wanyue sighed helplessly.
“Xiao Jin, I think we’ve transmigrated into a novel.”
“What? Into a novel?”
The little golden snake lifted its head, rubbed affectionately against her little finger, and let out a very human-like sigh.
“Sigh. Serves you right. That’s what you get for reading novels every single day.”
“Hey, that’s not my fault.”
Keeping her voice low, Jiang Wanyue whispered,
“Someone’s coming. Hide first.”
“Hmph!”
Xiao Jin gave an indignant snort but obediently wriggled into her sleeve. It coiled around her arm and immediately became still.
Meanwhile, Shen Qingru ran into trouble while trying to get food for Jiang Wanyue.
An angry voice rang out from the other side.
“Meat? A butcher’s daughter thinks she deserves meat? What a lowly wretch!”
“But, Mother… Our entire household turned over everything we had to you. You said if we needed food, we could come to you.”
Members of the second and third branches immediately chimed in with resentment.
“Is this even mealtime? A bastard child still thinks she’s some noble young lady?”
“Exactly! Ever since this jinx showed up, our whole family has been exiled!”
“She’d be better off dead. That’d be one less mouth to feed.”
“It’s all the eldest branch’s fault! If it weren’t for you, the second and third branches would never have been exiled!”
Turning her head, Jiang Wanyue saw Shen Qingru standing respectfully before an elderly woman, hands folded neatly in front of her as she endured the scolding. She looked nervous, carefully trying to please the old woman while wiping away her tears.
“Mother… Wanyue… Wanyue is my biological daughter. We’ve already wronged her enough. She hasn’t eaten for three days. Half a steamed bun isn’t enough.”
Lin Jingyuan added,
“Mother, please give her a little more.”
Only after her eldest son spoke did the old woman reluctantly toss Shen Qingru another half of a steamed bun.
The second branch’s wife, Liu Shuying, sneered.
“So she’s really just a little country slut. She arrives and immediately throws the whole family into chaos.”
“Begging for food the moment she gets here? Is she some filthy beggar?”
“Besides, it isn’t even time to eat!”
“Mother, you’re far too soft-hearted.”
The moment Jiang Wanyue saw the old woman, memories of the family’s structure surfaced.
The elderly woman was the original owner’s grandmother, the Old Madam of the Lin family—the highest authority in the Marquis’s household.
Yet despite Lin Jingyuan having risen to become the Minister of Revenue and supporting the entire family, she had never liked him.
Using filial piety as a weapon, she kept both Lin Jingyuan and Shen Qingru firmly under her control.
Lin Jingyuan himself was an exceptionally dutiful son. He constantly humbled himself, desperately hoping to earn his mother’s approval.
As for the old woman’s reasons for disliking him…
They were utterly absurd.
She despised the fact that Lin Jingyuan had only one wife—Shen Qingru.
Even worse in her eyes, Shen Qingru was the daughter of a merchant, someone of “low birth.”
The old woman had tried countless times to force Lin Jingyuan to divorce her, yet she couldn’t bear to lose Shen Qingru’s substantial dowry.
So instead, she constantly bullied Shen Qingru, siphoning benefits from the eldest branch to support the other two branches.
The Old Madam had three sons and one daughter, who had already married into another family.
The eldest branch belonged to Lin Jingyuan, the Minister of Revenue.
He had three sons:
The second branch belonged to Lin Jingxing.
He was mediocre, held no official position, yet constantly competed with the eldest branch. Sweet-talking and flattering the Old Madam had earned him her favor.
His wife was Liu Shuying. They had a son, Lin Xingci, and a daughter, Lin Shutong.
He also kept numerous concubines, his favorite being Concubine Jiang, who had given birth to a daughter, Lin Xingmian.
The third branch belonged to Lin Jingzhou.
He had never taken an official wife but maintained a household full of concubines. Though childless, he was the Old Madam’s favorite son.
The family’s exile had been caused by Lin Jingzhou.
Relying on Lin Jingyuan’s influence, he had accepted bribes. Foreign spies had exploited the corruption, leading directly to the confiscation of the Lin family’s property and their exile.
Judging from the current situation, the Old Madam still controlled the Lin family, keeping every bit of their remaining food and supplies firmly in her own hands.
Before long, Shen Qingru returned, carrying two steamed buns broken into halves and a water pouch.
Beside her walked Lin Jingyuan.
Heavy shackles were locked around his ankles, while a wooden cangue hung around his neck.
He wasn’t the only one.
Every male in the family over fifteen years old wore the same restraints, making each step painfully slow as chains clinked loudly against the ground.
Walking over to Jiang Wanyue, Shen Qingru forced a smile.
“Eat something first.”
“Okay.”
Jiang Wanyue didn’t refuse.
Taking the water pouch and steamed bun, she quickly ate more than half.
She was starving.
She wolfed it down so quickly that she nearly choked, her eyes rolling back from the effort.
Only after washing the dry bun down with several mouthfuls of water did it finally settle in her stomach.
The warmth spreading through her belly made her feel truly alive again.
Seeing that she had regained her strength, everyone from the eldest branch gathered around her.
Lin Jingyuan’s eyes were red with guilt as he looked at his long-lost daughter.
“I heard… your name is Jiang Wanyue, is that right?”
Jiang Wanyue nodded.
“Yes.”
“Then… would it be alright if we called you Yueyue from now on?”
“Of course.”
“I’m your father, Lin Jingyuan. This is your eldest brother, Lin Xiuran; your second brother, Lin Chengyu; your third brother, Lin Zhixu. These are your eldest and second sisters-in-law, and this little fellow is Lin Muyang.”
“And I’m your mother!”
“Muyang, hurry and greet your aunt!”
“Auntie!”
Watching everyone eagerly introduce themselves one after another, Jiang Wanyue found herself unable to say the words “Father” and “Mother.”
After all, she had never had a good relationship with her biological parents in her previous life.
Sensing her hesitation, Lin Jingyuan spoke gently,
“I’m sorry… You’ve suffered because of us.”
“I know we’re still strangers to you. You don’t have to call us anything until you’re comfortable…”
“Father. Mother.”
“Eldest Brother, Eldest Sister-in-law. Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law. Third Brother.”
Since she had already accepted this body and its new life, Jiang Wanyue decided not to dwell on it. Clenching her teeth, she addressed each of them without hesitation.
Instantly, everyone’s eyes turned red.
The child they had raised for over a decade wasn’t their biological daughter—and she had repaid them by stabbing them in the heart.
Meanwhile, their real daughter had only just returned, yet before she could enjoy a single day of happiness, she was already being dragged into exile alongside them.
The pain in each of their hearts felt like a knife twisting inside.
And yet…
Although this was their very first meeting with Jiang Wanyue, the bond of shared blood made every one of them instinctively want to be close to her.
Normally, a newly acknowledged daughter would receive gifts.
But at the moment…
Every one of them was dirt poor.
The eldest brother glanced around cautiously before secretly pulling a beautiful piece of jade from inside his sleeve and handing it to Jiang Wanyue.
“Little Sister, don’t mind that it’s not much. Please accept this.”
The others stared at him in shock.
“Big Brother! You actually hid something!”
After their surprise faded, each of them exchanged knowing glances before quietly taking out their own hidden valuables.
“Little Sister, this is mine.”
“And here’s mine.”
“Please don’t think too little of it.”
The second brother reached beneath the sole of his shoe and produced a silver banknote, stuffing it into Jiang Wanyue’s hands.
Without saying a word, the third brother reached into the waistband of his trousers and pulled out a pendant.
Lin Jingyuan followed suit, asking Shen Qingru to retrieve a thumb-sized gold nugget that had been hidden inside his hair knot.
Even both sisters-in-law took out the few pieces of jewelry they had secretly hidden and pressed them into Jiang Wanyue’s hands.
Jiang Wanyue was speechless.
Shen Qingru wiped away her tears, looking incredibly embarrassed as everyone else produced hidden valuables.
Hadn’t they all handed everything over to the Old Madam?
How did everyone still have something hidden?
She was the only fool who had honestly surrendered all of her belongings.
After thinking for a long moment, she finally reached beneath her collar and removed a simple wooden protective talisman, placing it gently into Jiang Wanyue’s palm.
“Yueyue… Mother doesn’t have anything valuable to give you.”
“I prayed for this protective charm.”
“I only wish for you to stay healthy and safe.”
Jiang Wanyue’s heart warmed.
“Thank you, Mother. Thank you, Father. Thank you, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, and Third Brother.”
“I love every gift you’ve given me.”
“I’ll treasure them all.”
Although she had transmigrated only to be immediately sentenced to exile, the fact that they were willing to hand over these precious hidden possessions under such desperate circumstances proved they truly cared about her.
These secret treasures were probably the most valuable things each of them still possessed.
Jiang Wanyue still hadn’t figured out how to get along with a real family.
But…
Being cherished by others…
It felt surprisingly wonderful.
Seeing how easily satisfied she was, the entire family felt even more heartbroken.
Back when they still lived in the Marquis’s Manor, she could have had anything she wanted.
Now…
They couldn’t even offer her a proper gift.
They could only sigh inwardly.
At that moment, however, Jiang Wanyue’s mind was anything but calm.
When Shen Qingru had placed the wooden talisman into her hand, its rough edge had accidentally nicked her palm.
A tiny drop of blood seeped out.
The instant it touched the talisman, a strange ripple spread through her consciousness.
Joy exploded inside her heart.
This…
This had to be her golden finger!
Her dimensional space had finally arrived!