Jiang Yue woke up sprawled on the ground.
To be precise, she was in the courtyard of a rustic, ancient farmhouse. As her muddled thoughts began to settle, a sharp realization hit her: she had transmigrated. And, apparently, she had arrived just in time for a show.
The courtyard was teeming with people dressed in ancient garb, huddled together in a heated argument. They were so preoccupied with their own clamor that not a single soul spared her a glance. At the heart of the crowd sat an elderly couple, the clear patriarch and matriarch of the brood.
Kneeling before them were a man, a woman, and three children. The woman kept her head low, sobbing with a rhythmic, hollow sound; from a distance, her trembling frame looked like withered grass shivering in an autumn gale—utterly pitiful.
Lacking any of her predecessor’s memories, Jiang Yue decided the safest course of action was to play it cool. She would stay quiet, watch the drama unfold, and gather intelligence. Settling into her spot on the dirt, she watched the scene with a detached, observant eye.
The kneeling man was the first to break the silence.
“Mother, Yue’er didn’t do it on purpose,” he pleaded. “She was just so hungry she lost her senses. Please, just forgive her this once.”
The woman beside him began to wail, her forehead hitting the ground in a frantic kowtow.
“Mother, I beg you to show mercy! It was my fault for not disciplining her, it’s my own incompetence… She knows she was wrong now, she’ll never dare do it again. Please, just let her go…”
Within moments, a thin trail of blood appeared on the woman’s forehead from the force of her desperation.
The old matriarch’s face remained a mask of cold stone.
“The Jiang family may be humble farmers, but we are a family of rules,” she declared sharply. “Show me another child who eats like a gluttonous animal with no sense of propriety. Not only does she snatch food, but she actually has the audacity to steal!”
The man, Jiang Youshan, sounded broken. “Yue’er is still young…”
A shrill female voice cut him off from the sidelines.
“Young? She’s already twelve years old!”
Another woman quickly chimed in, her tone dripping with mock concern.
“She is twelve, yes, but isn’t her head… a bit dim? Sister-in-law, I know you’re busy with your other sons and daughters, but you can’t neglect teaching this one. This isn’t just a mistake; it’s a disgrace to the family name.”
A third voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper.
“We have to make sure word of this doesn’t get out… it would ruin our youngest sister’s marriage prospects.”
At this, the old woman’s expression darkened even further.
“Eldest son,” she said, her voice freezing over, “I haven’t mistreated you all these years. I raised you and found you a wife. I didn’t expect you to be the most filial son, but you cannot allow this fool of yours to destroy the future of your younger brother and sister.”
Jiang Youshan remained on his knees, but he turned his gaze toward his father in a final, desperate appeal.
“Father, Yue’er is your granddaughter too. Father, please, say something…”
Old Man Jiang furrowed his weathered brow, looking conflicted. He stole a glance at his wife, but seeing her stony, unmoved expression, he quickly looked away. His eyes wandered toward the edge of the crowd, landing abruptly on Jiang Yue, who was sitting calmly on the dirt.
The old man bolted upright, his simmering frustration finally finding a target. He pointed a trembling finger at her.
“Youshan, look at her! Look at the state of her! Who is supposed to look after a creature like that for the rest of her life?”
The crowd followed his finger, their eyes landing on her all at once.
“Jiang Yue is awake?”
“When did the idiot wake up?”
“What a shame… why didn’t she just die?”
Jiang Yue was genuinely surprised. How did one sentence from an old man turn her into the sudden center of attention?
And more importantly—these people were incredibly vicious.
Perhaps her brain was still lagging from the transition, as she had spent the last few minutes pitying the kneeling couple. Only now did it click: she was the Jiang Yue they were talking about. They shared the same name.
And if she hadn’t misheard… the Jiang Yue of this world was a “fool.”
Feeling the weight of several malicious glares, Jiang Yue stood up. She casually brushed the dirt from her crumpled sleeves, her eyes flashing with displeasure as she glared right back at them, one by one.
What was that supposed to mean?
What state am I in? I haven’t even complained about myself yet…
Her eyes, sharp with irritation, swept over the crowd until they locked onto the original instigator. Just as Jiang Yue was preparing to snap back at the old man, three small figures came bolting toward her.
“Sister!”
“Big Sister!”
The three children were small but quick, squeezing through the crowd to form a protective shield around her. Unlike the hostile adults, Jiang Yue could sense the genuine kindness radiating from them, so she allowed them to take her by the arms.
The stark contrast in treatment was enough for her to draw a line between friend and foe. These three were likely her siblings, and the couple kneeling on the ground were her parents.
Apparently, her predecessor had been caught stealing food, and the rest of the family was currently begging for mercy on her behalf.
Gurgle…
At the mere thought of food, Jiang Yue’s stomach let out a long protest. She glanced at the house—a solid building of blue bricks and sturdy tiles. This wasn’t a family of paupers. The adults standing around looked well-fed, their faces glowing with health.
Well, everyone except for her kneeling parents and the three “monkeys” clinging to her, who were all skin and bones.
In an instant, Jiang Yue understood why her predecessor was never full. It wasn’t just her; this entire branch of the family was being starved.
If the enemy doesn’t move, I won’t move, she thought. Let’s see where this goes.
The old matriarch kept her face stiff, casting a disdainful glance at Jiang Yue before turning back to the kneeling Jiang Youshan.
“The Jiang family does not harbor thieves,” she said coldly. “Since Jiang Yue has stooped so low as to steal from her own elders, we can no longer keep her. You can either kick her out and we’ll pretend this never happened, or you can keep her—I won’t force you. However, mistakes must be punished. Don’t you agree?”
The mother, Lady Cai, gripped her husband’s sleeve tightly. She desperately wanted to get up and check on her daughter, but she was paralyzed by her mother-in-law’s threat. She could only swallow her tears, which tasted as bitter as gall.
Jiang Youshan looked up, his eyes searching for help from his father. Old Man Jiang simply turned his face away, remaining silent.
The light died out in Jiang Youshan’s eyes. He looked back at his children; Jiang Yue stood there expressionless, while the other three watched him with bated breath.
“Father, Mother… Yue’er is my child,” he said. “The scholars say that to raise a child without teaching them is the father’s fault. If she did wrong, I will take the punishment for her. But please, you cannot cast her out. You cannot abandon her.”
To throw a child with the mind of a toddler out into the world to fend for herself? There was no way she would survive.
The old woman let out a chilly laugh.
“If you want to keep her, your father and I won’t object. But since she stole from her elders, there must be a price. She’s always crying about being hungry, making it look like I, her grandmother, am mistreating her. Since you feel so strongly, then from now on, the Eldest Branch will be responsible for their own meals. If you eat well, we won’t ask for a share; if you starve, don’t come begging us.”
The message was clear: they were to provide their own food, yet they were still expected to do all the household chores.
The other three daughters-in-law standing by understood the scheme immediately. They exchanged triumphant looks and smirked. With the Eldest Branch’s family of six off the communal pot, there would be a lot more food left for the rest of them.
Despair washed over Jiang Youshan and Lady Cai. For years, every penny they earned had been handed over to the family accounts. They didn’t have a copper to their names. How were they supposed to manage their own meals?
Standing beside Jiang Yue, the three children were fuming. Jiang Xue, the young girl, was the first to explode.
“You want my parents to work, but you won’t give them anything to eat?” she cried. “You’re trying to starve us to death! My mother sold straw sandals for sixty wen and gave it all to the house! My father’s wages from his manual labor went straight to Grandmother! Even the rabbits my brother trapped ended up as Third Uncle’s snacks! Why should the Eldest Branch do all the work if we don’t get to eat?”
Jiang Yue looked down at the girl, who was a head shorter than her. This sister of mine has some fire in her, she thought. She’s nothing like those two soft-spoken parents on the ground. So young, and yet she’s got a real mouth on her.
And honestly? She was hitting all the right points.
The eldest brother, Jiang Ming, followed up immediately.
“If that’s how Grandmother feels, then you might as well just split the family and let us go our own way!”
“Exactly!” Jiang Xue added, her temper like a lit firecracker. “Either that, or give us our fair share of the grain!”
The youngest, Jiang Lei, didn’t speak, but his face was a mask of pure resentment.