The piercing cry of an infant shattered through her eardrums, disturbing her slumber. Mu Simiao furrowed her brows and opened her eyes, only to find the wailing growing even more shrill.
Before her stood ancient decor, alongside a delicate, water-like man. His slender frame was tightly wrapped in inner garments, his features refined. He gently patted the child’s back while softly soothing her, his peach-blossom eyes occasionally glancing toward the woman sleeping on the inner side of the bed.
Mu Simiao was utterly bewildered, unable to make sense of the scene before her. She had just finished an intense shooting game and had only gotten up to use the bathroom—how had she ended up in a different place in the blink of an eye?
Could it be that she had traveled through time?
At this thought, she stared wide-eyed at the man before her.
The man exuded a gentle, jade-like aura. If this truly was a case of time travel, gaining a husband as beautiful as a flower and a child without the pains of childbirth was something she could reluctantly accept.
“You…”
She frowned, about to speak, when the man suddenly froze and knelt on the bed, his body trembling slightly. “Mu Niang, I was wrong. I’ll take Yue’er and leave right away.”
Though it was late at night, and the ambient temperature suggested it was summer, Mu Simiao couldn’t bear the thought of sending such a beauty out into the dark. She sat up, grabbing his sleeve to stop him from rising, and patted the swaddled child. “Let me try soothing her.”
The beauty looked at her in surprise, uncertain. Seeing the earnest expression in Mu Simiao’s eyes, he carefully handed over the swaddled baby girl, though his tense expression did not ease in the slightest.
As a young woman and an only child, Mu Simiao’s experience with children was limited to observing neighbors and relatives, along with theoretical knowledge from TV dramas. She gently cradled the baby girl, watching the wailing infant in the swaddling clothes. After a moment’s pause, just as the beauty reached out to take her back, Mu Simiao finally recalled a method to soothe a child.
She patted the baby’s back with her right hand while gently rocking her with her left. Before long, the crying subsided. The baby’s eyelashes were stuck together with tears, and her cheeks were flushed pink from crying—a sight that struck Mu Simiao as novel.
She couldn’t help but lean down, pressing her cheek against the baby’s, creating a harmonious picture.
To see this inherently violent person now cradling and soothing the baby girl she had once despised left Qi Yuze utterly astonished.
He spoke softly, his voice gentle: “Mu Niang…”
“Hmm?” Mu Simiao looked up at him, and the beauty immediately shrank back, not daring to utter another word.
Realizing her tone had affected him, Mu Simiao offered a kind smile. “May I ask, what is your name?”
Qi Yuze trembled at her smile. If he were to be divorced, his parents would surely sell him off at the market. His fingers quivered as he clutched Mu Simiao’s sleeve.
“Mu Niang, please hit me, but don’t divorce me…”
Seeing his tear-filled, red-rimmed eyes and hearing his choked voice, Mu Simiao had no idea what he was thinking and decided to drop the question about his name.
“I never said I would divorce you. It’s late—let’s rest for now.” Mu Simiao placed the baby girl on the inner side of the bed, yawned, and lay down, glancing at Qi Yuze.
Having stayed up all night gaming, Mu Simiao soon fell into a deep sleep, paying no mind to Qi Yuze’s anxious and uneasy expression.
As dusk fell that day, Mu Simiao slowly awakened to find the space beside her already empty. She stretched lazily, got out of bed, and put on coarse linen clothing.
Ancient hairstyles proved too difficult to manage. After pondering for a while, Mu Simiao quickly gave up and picked up a chopstick from the table to tie up her waist-length hair.
From the sparsely furnished interior, she could tell the original owner’s family wasn’t particularly wealthy. But when she stepped outside, she realized the home couldn’t simply be described as poor—it was utterly dilapidated.
Though the walls of her dwelling were made of blue bricks and green tiles, the roof was merely thatched with straw. The small courtyard was overgrown with weeds, and the wooden door hung precariously, as if it would fall with the slightest breeze.
The beautiful man sat on a pile of straw holding a baby girl, feeding her some unknown substance from a chipped bowl with a spoon.
Mu Simiao quickly approached him, glanced at the pale paste-like substance in the bowl, and snatched it away: “What are you feeding her?”
“J-just dried biscuit soaked in water. Mu Niang’s meal is keeping warm in the pot.” Qi Yuze’s eyes were filled with terror, which Mu Simiao could clearly see having just woken up. Carrying the broken bowl, she walked to the kitchen and lifted the lid off the pot.
Inside were a bowl of unidentified greens and half a blackened dried biscuit, along with half a bowl of steaming plain water.
Accustomed to takeout food, Mu Simiao couldn’t tolerate such conditions. She placed the broken bowl on the stove with a loud clatter.
Qi Yuze was frightened by her actions. His face instantly turned pale, and after trembling lips, he stammered: “Mu Niang… you…”
“How can we just eat these things?” The baby girl smacked her lips, making cooing sounds that tugged at Mu Simiao’s heart. “There’s no nutrition at all.”
It seemed this beautiful man wasn’t skilled with food. Mu Simiao shook her head helplessly and decided to demonstrate her natural talent for cooking.
Not exactly natural talent—having grown up in a family that ran food businesses, she had developed an understanding of cuisine. Having glanced at a recipe just once, she could recreate the dish with near perfection.
Rolling up her sleeves, she lifted the lid off the grain storage barrel beside the stove. She found herself staring at two yellowed dried biscuits. After a moment of shock, she refused to believe this was all.
She reached into the storage barrel, desperately feeling the bottom while dreaming of scooping out rice, but reality didn’t match her hopes.
Resigned, she pulled out the two dried biscuits, contemplating how to prepare them in a more nutritious way.
But besides these items, there were no other ingredients in the kitchen. Mu Simiao turned her attention to the unidentified greens.
“Where did these greens come from?”
The beautiful man pointed toward the doorway with one hand. Though unsure of her intentions, he felt compelled to answer Mu Niang’s question: “There’s a patch of land in the corner of the courtyard. These vegetables were picked from there.”
Mu Simiao looked at him in surprise. From his words, it seemed he didn’t know the proper name for these plants.
The vegetable was scientifically called lambsquarters, commonly found in fields and roadside. Though slightly bitter, it was indeed edible—but required blanching, and the purple parts shouldn’t be consumed.
Mu Simiao looked at the conspicuous purplish-red stems and clustered fruits in the bowl, immediately recognizing they were overripe.
This beautiful man lacked even the most basic knowledge. If not for his obvious fear of her, Mu Simiao might have suspected he was trying to harm her.
Looking at the baby girl in his arms, Mu Simiao breathed a heavy sigh of relief—thankfully he hadn’t fed any to the child.
“This vegetable should be harvested in late spring, but now it’s already early summer, so it can no longer be eaten.” Mu Simiao reminded him, setting down the vegetable bowl in her hand and strolling toward the corner of the yard she had mentioned.
It was indeed goosefoot grass, and it had already gone to seed.
Given the current situation, since she couldn’t return for the time being, she decided to help this beauty clear some wasteland—at least to ensure the father and daughter wouldn’t go hungry.
Her silence seemed to Qi Yuze like a precursor to anger. He tightened his embrace around the little girl in his arms, mentally preparing to be struck, but after a long wait, nothing happened.
Unaware of his thoughts, Mu Simiao bent down and picked the young shoots from the corner—these should be just enough for one meal.
There was a well in the yard. Though not very deep, the water was relatively clean. Mu Simiao used the wooden bucket nearby to draw a pail of water.
She poured the water into the pot, placed some dried grass into the stove hole, and examined the flint and steel left on the stove. It was surprising that, despite having no food, they still had a fire starter.
After successfully igniting the dried grass and boiling the well water, Mu Simiao blanched half a bowl of tender goosefoot shoots in the pot. Once the water evaporated, she scooped the vegetables out and placed them in a bowl.
She found the only seasoning available—crude salt—beside the stove. This type of salt, extracted from saline-alkali land, wasn’t good for health if consumed in excess, but there was no alternative, as salt is essential for the body.
Using wooden chopsticks, she mixed the vegetables evenly and set the bowl before Qi Yuze. Clapping her hands clean, she gestured with her eyes: “Try it.”
Holding the little girl, Qi Yuze took the chopsticks she offered and timidly picked up a shoot to taste.
Mu Simiao watched his expression closely. The beauty’s face shifted from fear to contentment, and soon he had finished the small half-bowl of vegetables.
Qi Yuze pursed his lips, as if he had never tasted anything so delicious. Squinting slightly, he looked up at Mu Simiao with satisfaction. “Mu Niang, I never knew this vegetable could be prepared like this. It’s truly exquisite.”
The beauty’s radiant smile left Mu Simiao momentarily dazed. It took her a moment to snap out of it.
“Where are the land deeds?” Logically, even if they only had the residence, there should be land deeds. But as soon as she asked, she noticed the beauty stealing a glance at her. “Mu Niang keeps all the land deeds. I don’t know where they are.”
So the original owner had stored them. Aside from the kitchen, there was only the room where the two of them slept. Mu Simiao went in and rummaged through everything until she finally found three land deeds tucked beneath the dressing table.
The three deeds were stacked together. Mu Simiao unfolded them: the first was for the residential property, clearly stating that the right to use the dwelling belonged to Mu Simiao.
The other two were for fertile farmland, each under a different name.
Studying the names, Mu Simiao pondered for a moment—Qi Yuze, quite fitting for his demeanor.
She tucked the two farmland deeds into her robe. Since it was still early, she decided to visit the fields to assess their suitability for farming.
Turning around, she met Qi Yuze’s surprised gaze and thought she ought to explain. “I’m going to check on the fields. You stay here and look after Yue’er.”
“Alright,” Qi Yuze replied meekly, hesitating before adding, “Mu Niang, yesterday you…”
“Hey! Simiao!”
The loud voice outside the door startled Mu Simiao. Could it be that the original owner had caused trouble for her before leaving?
She peeked outside and saw a woman wearing the same coarse linen clothes as her, glaring with raised eyebrows—someone who didn’t seem easy to deal with.
Beside her, Qi Yuze looked at Mu Simiao with an expression of wanting to speak but hesitating. After a long pause, he said nothing, though his face clearly showed discomfort.
“Don’t be afraid,” Mu Simiao patted Qi Yuze’s back reassuringly, then stepped forward to confront the person at the door.
Author’s Note:
Please read the following content warnings carefully. Proceed only if you’re comfortable with them. Thank you.
*Content Warnings: Strong female lead, weak male lead, male pregnancy (the child was forced upon the male lead and the original owner), no childbirth scenes in the main story.
*The female lead has a kind personality—some may see her as overly nice or saintly. Reader discretion advised.
*The story focuses on farming, food, business management, and raising children, with a 40-60 split between romance and plot.
Next upcoming story—”The Charming Husband Farms While I Lounge” (male pregnancy farming novel).
Tan Ling had just transmigrated when her mother forced her to take a husband, worsening their already impoverished family situation.
Her elder sister even urged their mother to divide the family property, leaving Tan Ling with only a small hut and a patch of barren land.
In this era where men serve their wives and raise daughters, Tan Ling had no choice but to farm and sell crops to earn money. After saving enough, she entrusted the land to her husband and opened a small stall selling snacks.
Popcorn chicken, fries, and burgers quickly became popular in Qingfeng Town. Even royalty sent people to purchase them, and business partners flocked in. With a wave of her hand, Tan Ling opened a small snack shop.
Within two years, “Tan’s Snacks” had spread throughout the imperial capital.
Tan Ling sat on the top floor of a restaurant, overlooking the capital’s scenery. Watching her nursemaid comforting the child beside her and He Yanqing managing affairs outside, she lounged at ease without a care.
Content Warnings:
*GB novel (female-male dynamic), male pregnancy.
*First half focuses on farming, second half on running a food shop (to be expanded).