Chapter 1: The Whole Family Has Crossed Over

Everyone said that Fengtian Village had two plagues: one was the tiger on the mountain, and the other was the Fang family’s main branch.

Even the Fang family themselves gritted their teeth when mentioning the main branch’s trio, cursing them as shameless scoundrels. Whenever someone cooked something delicious, they would show up to freeload; whenever they saw something nice, they’d borrow and never return it. They were slick and cunning, resorting to every trick in the book—cheating, swindling, stealing, you name it. Everyone avoided them, lest they become entangled and unable to shake them off.

Fang Ning never expected that, after dying in a catastrophe, she would come back to life as one of this infamous trio—the “son” of the Fang family’s main branch, Fang Ning.

Yes, the main branch’s “son” was actually a girl.

That bizarre couple, unwilling to let others look down on them, had fooled everyone and raised their daughter as a boy. With such a crooked foundation, the original Fang Ning had grown into a wild child—if she hadn’t been beaten to death, it was only because the villagers were genuinely kind-hearted.

Her death, in fact, could be traced back to her peculiar parents. Seeing that the villagers had caught plenty of fish in the river, they tried to snatch some for themselves. In the scuffle, they accidentally pushed Fang Ning into the river. The current was swift; by the time the villagers rescued her, she was already gone. Her soul had been replaced by someone from a later era.

After digesting all these memories, Fang Ning sat there in a daze, her mind filled with terrifying scenes from the disaster. To die and be reborn, to become someone else’s child—she would never see the parents who had given her life and raised her again…

That despair washed over her. If only she hadn’t taken her parents on that trip, there wouldn’t have been an earthquake; they would still be a happy family…

Creak.

The sound of the door opening snapped Fang Ning out of her chaotic thoughts.

She turned her head.

A strange woman entered.

Their gazes met.

Fang Ning caught the hope in the woman’s eyes.

Her heart began to race.

This mother from the original body seemed different from her memories!

Her demeanor was not the same.

The woman stopped five steps from the bed, watching Fang Ning.

A brief silence passed, and hope was replaced by disappointment in her eyes. She spoke, unfamiliar and hesitant, “You’re awake? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?”

Something was wrong!

Even Fang Ning’s breathing tightened.

The original mother should have rushed over to hug her, wailing and cursing everyone’s ancestors.

So, could she really be her mother?

Fang Ning stared at her and tentatively called out, “Mom?”

Liang Anrong’s pupils trembled violently, her whole body tense. She stammered in disbelief, “Are you Ningning?”

She was indeed her real mother!

Fang Ning trembled with excitement. “It’s me!”

Liang Anrong rushed forward and wrapped Fang Ning tightly in her arms, tears streaming down her face. “Oh, you scared me so much, I thought I’d never see my Ningning again…”

Fang Ning couldn’t help but cry as well. She had just returned home for a rare visit and suggested a road trip, only for a massive earthquake to wipe them out.

She thought she would never see her parents again, but fate had arranged their survival in this unexpected way.

Mother and daughter sobbed in each other’s arms for a while before Fang Ning thought of her father, Fang Zhinian.

“Have you seen him? Is he really my dad?”

“I don’t know… I just woke up myself, and the first thing I did was come to check on you.” Liang Anrong’s mind was still muddled; she hadn’t seen the original husband.

“If he’s not your dad, I’ll divorce him. The two of us will manage just fine wherever we go.” Liang Anrong was at a loss. “This whole family… How could they raise a perfectly good daughter as a boy?”

“It’s okay, Mom. As long as we’re alive, that’s all that matters. I’m really happy.” Fang Ning hugged Liang Anrong tightly. “We must live well!”

The earthquake was terrifying; people were as insignificant as dust before such disasters.

“Ningning, you lie down first. I’ll go outside and see if I can find someone, see if he’s your dad.” Liang Anrong steadied herself and helped Fang Ning lie down.

“I won’t lie down. I’ll go with you.” Fang Ning didn’t feel safe letting Liang Anrong go alone; in this unfamiliar world, she could only rest easy by staying close.

“Are you sure you’re up to it?” Liang Anrong worried.

“I’ll be fine.”

Fang Ning supported Liang Anrong as they stepped outside, only to be met by a strange man in coarse clothing, his face taut and mood sour.

Fang Ning immediately stopped, pulling Liang Anrong with her, and watched the man warily.

They faced each other tensely.

Perhaps realizing their reaction was not what he expected, the man suddenly grew visibly nervous.

Fang Ning exchanged a glance with Liang Anrong; together they looked at the man and spoke in unison, “Dad (Old Fang)?”

Fang Zhinian was so excited he stumbled over his own feet, rushing over to embrace Fang Ning and Liang Anrong tightly.

“It’s really you?”

“It’s us!”

After surviving disaster, the three of them lost control of their emotions.

It was a long while before they calmed down.

“Dad, Mom, how did you get here?” Fang Ning asked.

Fang Zhinian shook his head, speechless. “After the child fell in the water, they went mad trying to fight with the villagers and ended up falling in themselves. When I woke up, I was lying in this house. Before I could figure out what had happened, the original’s brother dragged me to the old house and gave me a good scolding. If I hadn’t reacted quickly, I would have gotten a beating too.”

Fang Ning was at a loss for words.

Fang Zhinian continued, “It seems we can’t go back now. We have to think about how to get by from here on. This is a feudal agrarian society, completely different from the world we knew.”

But with her parents by her side, Fang Ning felt fully revived and her tone grew playful: “Dad is a traditional medicine doctor, Mom is a master chef, and I, a former special forces soldier, will just focus on being a rice worm!”

Fang Zhinian chuckled, “Alright, alright, Dad will take care of you.”

Fang Ning hugged his arm, her face radiant with happiness. “Only Dad really means it when he says he’ll take care of me in this world!”

Liang Anrong had no objection; after all, her daughter was now ten years old—what could she do?

Back in their previous life, she’d still be in elementary school!

“But right now, we have nothing—our home is bare, we’re dirt poor!” Liang Anrong stated the harsh reality.

Fang Ning and Fang Zhinian fell silent.

Not only were they penniless, but they also faced a terrible reputation and strained relationships.

In Fengtian Village, they were treated like plague-bearers; even the dogs would tuck their tails and run from them, as if they were cursed.

Yet, worse than all that was—

“I… have a fiancée named Si Xingyun!”

Fang Ning felt a headache coming on.

In modern times, marriage and divorce were common, but in this ancient, feudal society, a woman brainwashed by tradition would suffer terribly if she tried to divorce or break off an engagement—she could be drowned by gossip, and those of weaker character might even take their own lives.

Fang Ning had no idea where the original father had found this match for her. Unless the other party came to break it off, she dared not act rashly without understanding Si Xingyun’s character—after all, a life was at stake.

[This is a fictional dynasty, with settings entirely made up. Please do not fact-check or compare prices or objects to other novels; everything is as described in this book!]