1 Month Since Birth
Well, my routine is the same every day: wake up, drink milk, close my eyes, and solve math problems in my head until I slowly fall asleep again.
Repeat.
This routine continued for a whole month.
Eventually, I started to move my arms and legs more, mostly because I spent this entire first month tightly swaddled in cloth like a baby burrito and couldn’t move much at all.
I actually tried doing baby push ups once to maintain some semblance of my past life’s physical fitness.
I immediately realized my infant head weighed more than my entire torso, face planted into the mattress, and gave up, accepting my temporary fate as a helpless, squirmy potato.
Whenever my mom and dad came near me, I smiled.
‘Yes, I accepted them as my parents right from birth.
I don’t need a whole angsty character arc to develop feelings for someone.
After being completely lonely for the last five years of my previous life, I accepted them wholeheartedly.
No hard feelings whatsoever.’
During this time, I also accepted my new name, “Zhang Xiaohou,” since that’s what they always called me when they hovered over my crib.
I also started understanding some of the basic words they were saying, like “cute,” “my angel,” and “honey.”
2 Months Since Birth
My grandmother just visited me.
I think every grandmother in the world loves to spoil their grandchildren.
I made sure to smile and make little “Bubba Bubby” baby noises, which she absolutely loved hearing.
It is honestly a small price to pay to see her face light up with such genuine joy.
I also noticed I have an eidetic memory because I can remember everything from birth until now.
When I close my eyes, I can recall past days as clearly as watching a 4K resolution video.
I don’t know whether this is because a child’s brain is still developing, or if having an eidetic memory is like a cheat code.
3 Months Since Birth
Finally, I can sit up without falling over.
I also started moving random toys around inside my crib.
It’s not that I’m actually interested in kids’ toys or want to play I just want to improve my hand eye coordination and motor skills.
Having a twenty six year old brain trapped in a body that hasn’t even mastered object permanence yet is an absolute test of my patience.
I’ve also started understanding the language better, which I officially identified as Chinese.
I never thought I would be reincarnated into a Chinese world one day.
Occasionally, I have bad dreams about having to dissect humans or modify my body to advance in cultivation rank, just like in some of those dark web novels.
Whenever I think about that, I get the urge to puke.
‘Sometimes I actually do.’
At least by the three month mark, I can cry before my bladder is completely full.
Before this, I didn’t even know I was peeing until my clothes were already wet.
What can I say?
Being a baby again has its humiliating difficulties.
In these three months, I haven’t seen my parents use any magic.
I briefly panicked, thinking maybe I was born to commoners who couldn’t control magic.
I figured I would need to use my adult brain to make them believe I was some kind of genius so they would enroll me in a magical school.
But since my system says my magic is currently “Unawakened,” it means I must have at least some talent waiting to be unlocked.
Honestly, I don’t have any grand plans to dominate the world or anything.
I just want to live a peaceful life, find a girl I love, have kids, and watch my grandchildren grow.
4 Months Since Birth
After an agonizing three months confined to one room, I was finally taken out to see the rest of the house.
It has two bedrooms with an attached bathroom, a living room, and a kitchen, all on the ground floor with no extra floors.
It isn’t huge, but it is very comfortable, smelling faintly of warm spices and clean laundry.
After the grand tour, I was placed on the sofa beside my dad to watch television.
The TV was placed on a wooden table that was positioned at the edge of the living room.
I haven’t mentioned it yet, but it looks like I reincarnated into a place with modern technology.
However, instead of using electricity, everything seems to be powered by magic crystals distributed by some Magic Association.
The TV itself had a faint, pulsing glow coming from its power source.
The news was on, broadcasting the trials for the National College Tournament.
My jaw practically hit the floor.
On the screen, two teenagers were standing in a massive arena.
Suddenly, one of them threw a literal, roaring fireball out of his bare hands, while the other summoned a swirling tornado to deflect it.
I stared at the screen, drool leaking out of the corner of my mouth.
There was no CGI.
No wirework.
It was real, raw magic.
‘I want to do that.’ That’s the only thought in my mind.
The year of my birth is 2000, the exact same year and date as my previous life.
I don’t know if it is a coincidence or what.
But I believe whatever god reincarnated me here won’t take away my peaceful life.
Even if they try, it’s not like I can punch a god, so I might as well go with the flow.
Back to the TV: the news anchor mentioned that the national team selection trials were happening in the Ancient Capital (Xi’an) for the World College Magic Tournament in two years, which would be 2002.
Apparently, it takes place every four years to determine international resource distribution.
I also noticed that the countries have the same names as they did in my previous life.
Still, I don’t know much about the actual history of this world yet.
5 Months Since Birth
I started talking to my parents.
Not full conversations, obviously, but basic words like “Mama” and “Dada.” They were so thrilled that they practically radiated happiness for the rest of the day.
Most of the time, I hung out in my grandmother’s room.
I recently learned that my grandfather passed away three years ago, so my grandmother used to live alone in a small village near the Ancient Capital of Xi’an.
After I was born, she changed her mind and moved in with us.
I’m really happy with her decision.
I know firsthand how lonely life gets without family around.
Sometimes she would tell me stories of old legends who used magic, and how there was a huge wall surrounding China to protect us from terrifying, bloodthirsty monsters.
These legends made my determination to awaken my magic even stronger.
I needed the power to protect this warm, happy home.
8 Months Since Birth
I can finally stand on my own two legs, even if I’m a bit wobbly.
Whenever I lose my balance, I cushion the fall with my butt.
I know babies have a thick layer of fat exactly for this reason, plus the extra padding of a diaper, so I don’t feel any pain.
I’ve been determined to walk ever since I mastered crawling at seven months.
9 Months Since Birth
I can proudly walk without falling!
I used my new mobility to roam every corner of the house looking for books or something to read, but I didn’t find any.
I don’t know how the reincarnated protagonists in novels are always so lucky.
They just casually “find” a complex book, open it in front of their parents, get labeled a peerless genius, and start their early learning without a hitch.
Not me.
10 Months Since Birth
I caught a cold due to the changing seasons, so my parents took me to a local clinic.
This trip completely changed my impression of this world, because it was the first time I witnessed actual magic in person.
Healing magic.
A doctor was treating a man with a deep gash on his shoulder.
My mom tried to cover my eyes with her hand, but I batted it away and watched the whole thing.
It was amazing.
A soft, gentle light emanated from the doctor’s palms, weaving over the gruesome injury.
The wound closed up completely, leaving no scar whatsoever, like it had never even happened.
I thought they were going to use the same cool magic on me, but reality is a bitch.
They don’t use magic to cure a common cold.
You still have to drink bitter medicine to recover.
It took a week to get over the cold.
I wanted to start learning to read and write, but I didn’t have well developed enough vocal cords or coordinated hand movements to ask them.
A few days later, my father bought a picture book for me, and my grandma explained the pictures so I could understand.
It was at this exact moment I finally got to put my eidetic memory to the test.
I actively tested it, closing my eyes and forcing myself to recall a specific page.
I didn’t just remember the story; I could recall the exact number of leaves on a cartoon tree, the specific shade of blue on a drawn river, and the precise location of every single ink smudge on the paper.
It was like my brain was taking 4K screenshots!
I was hoping to cash in on the novels from my previous life, but I can’t remember them perfectly.
I suppose this ‘cheat’ memory only records what has happened since I arrived in this new world.
One Year Since Birth
As the days passed, my first birthday finally arrived.
I wouldn’t say it was a grand celebration with fireworks or anything, but there was a nice cake which I loved, and I got to spend time with my family.
As always, some neighbors also joined in to eat my cake.
I honestly didn’t want to share it, but seeing my parents so happy made me feel a bit better about it.
After the celebration, I thought I could eat whatever remained of the cake.
But my parents decided it wasn’t good for a one year old child to eat so much sugar in one day.
So, picture this: I was sitting in my high chair, a bib strapped to my chest, eating some flavorless mashed pea concoction, while my parents and grandma literally devoured the rest of that rich, delicious masterpiece right in front of my face.
They even had the audacity to make satisfied “Mmm!” noises.
The absolute betrayal.
That’s how I spent my first year in this new magical world.