Chapter 1: Transmigrated into a Toad

Chapter 1: Transmigrated into a Toad

As noon approached, in the Lower Water Village, the Song household.

In a dilapidated thatched cottage, a woman lying motionless on the ground like a small hill suddenly stirred.

Qin Xiaoyao's brows knitted together as she struggled, her sharp eyes abruptly opening.

Then, she realized she was actually in a rundown thatched house.

Surprisingly, she could hear the lively chirping of birds in her ears.

Just as she was astonished, wondering how there could be bird songs in the desolate and quiet post-apocalyptic world, her head spun.

And then, a flood of memories that didn't belong to her rushed into her mind.

She had transmigrated...

Yes, unbelievable as it was, she had truly transmigrated! Escaping from that damned apocalyptic world, she found herself in an unknown dynasty.

She, Qin Xiaoyao, was originally the leader of a six-member mercenary team in the safe zone of City A after the apocalypse.

Little did she expect to encounter a horde of zombies during a mission.

In the end, her squad perished, and she, too, pulled the pin on a grenade, choosing to meet her end alongside the encroaching undead.

To her astonishment, upon opening her eyes again - ha! She had escaped the apocalypse!

At that moment, Qin Xiaoyao yearned to laugh out loud, to let it all out.

But as she lowered her gaze, she saw an incredibly plump form.

The smile on her face froze instantly.

She was now, unbelievably—

A toad!

Yes, despite her helplessness, it was undeniably true... she was a toad.

Her current body was named Qin San Ya, the youngest daughter of the town's butcher, Qin Dazhuang.

This ample flesh on her body was a result of her upbringing in the Qin family.

As for why she was called a toad, well, that story could wait.

Suppressing her disgust, Qin Xiaoyao composed herself and decided to first climb back up from the ground.

The moment she moved, she felt a sharp pain at the back of her head.

She reached out to touch it and found, thankfully, that it was just a bump and not bleeding.

Qin Xiaoyao sighed in relief as she pulled herself up from the floor.

Damn, this body was too plump, making it difficult to maneuver!

Just as Qin Xiaoyao was struggling to get up, someone lying on a bed nearby caught a glimpse of her.

A hint of surprise flashed in their eyes, which quickly turned into disdain.

Qin Xiaoyao followed the line of sight and looked over as well.

Then, her eyes were glued to the scene before her.

Indeed... even in anger, he was captivating...

Yes, the man lying on the bed across from her was none other than her current husband, that swan among men.

Why did she call him a swan? Simply because he was truly beautiful! More so than any movie or TV star she had seen before the apocalypse!

Putting aside other matters, she had to acknowledge the predecessor's taste.

Well, since the swan had made an appearance, it was time for her to recount the tale of the toad and the swan.

Six months ago, by chance, the predecessor caught a fleeting glimpse of the Song family's scholarly son, Song Que.

From then on, she couldn't get him out of her mind, vowing to marry him no matter what.

In her relentless pursuit, which bore no fruit, the predecessor coincidentally learned that Song Que's father was gravely ill.

She had even colluded with quacks to deceive the Song family, claiming that administering ginseng to Father Song might save him.

Of course, the Song family was financially strained. The previous owner of this body had played the role of a good Samaritan, lending eighty taels of silver to Madam Liu, Song Que's mother.

In the end, the man's condition did not improve, and he passed away after a month of suffering.

Barely ten days after Father Song's burial, Qin San Ya, accompanied by her own father and two elder brothers, showed up at the Song residence, demanding repayment of the debt.

The Song family had exhausted their savings for Father Song's treatment. Song Que couldn't even afford to continue attending the academy, let alone repay the loan.

Thus, the toad, three years older than the swan, Qin Xiaoyao, had married into the Song family, enjoying the spoils of her deception.

Tsk tsk... Pity, they've been married for over a month, yet the toad hasn't succeeded in her endeavors.

Wait, isn't that perfect?!

Now that she's taken over, she can reap the benefits!

At this thought, Qin Xiaoyao's heart burned with anticipation.

Her heart pounded wildly in her chest.

Not only had she escaped the apocalypse, but she had also gained such a handsome husband, ending her 23 years of single life.

Could her luck be any better?

Suddenly—

"Who—" Qin Xiaoyao turned abruptly toward the entrance.

Years of caution in the apocalypse warned her that someone was there, hiding just outside the door.

"Come out!" Qin Xiaoyao commanded sternly when no movement came from the entrance.

Her authoritative tone made Song Que, lying on the bed, tremble involuntarily.

"Big—Big Sister-in-law."

A scrawny girl stepped forward.

She glanced at Qin Xiaoyao unsteadily before quickly lowering her head.

Qin Xiaoyao was taken aback.

"Yun'er," she called out.

Indeed, yes, this girl was the younger sister of her husband Song Que, her sister-in-law Song Yun.

She was ten years old, but due to malnutrition, she appeared only as big as a seven or eight-year-old.

"Big—big sister-in-law," Song Yun stammered again, trembling even more violently.

Qin Xiaoyao felt a pang of sympathy.

It was natural to love someone and extend that affection to their family, right? How could she not feel for her?

After her predecessor married into the Song family, her life had been far from pleasant due to the family's poverty.

Adding to that, the eighty taels of silver she had used to scheme against the Song family were eventually swindled away by a wandering doctor, fueling her frustration with the family even more.

She even held the Song family responsible for her miserable state, believing that it was all because of them.

Consequently, she treated her mother-in-law, Liu Shi, her sister-in-law Song Yun, and her brother-in-law Song Ye with contemptuous disregard.

Yesterday, she even went as far as to suggest selling the children for money.

This was what had made the children so fearful of her.

It was also due to this incident that her handsome husband had fallen out with the previous owner of the body and gone into the mountains in search of food.

It resulted in him encountering a wild beast and injuring his leg.

If not for the chance encounter with villager Huang, a hunter, who saved his life, he might not have survived till now.

Of course, his condition was far from ideal.

The Song family didn't even have the means to afford medicine, let alone the funds to treat Song Que's leg.

All they could do was ask Hunter Huang to gather some herbal remedies to tend to his injury.

This, of course, was not a sustainable solution.

Thus, it led to another matter.

It concerned the fact that her original body had perished, and she had taken over its existence.

To tell the story, although the original owner had treated the Song family poorly, she had genuinely cared for her handsome husband.

After the handsome husband injured his leg, the original owner returned to her natal home, hoping to solicit help and borrow money to treat his injury.

Little did anyone know that Qin's family had suffered too many setbacks due to the actions of Qin Dazhuang's previous life. Coupled with the unresolved issue of being swindled by a quack doctor, the Qin family refused to let her in when she came knocking again.

Qin Dazhuang's second wife even goaded him into declaring that they would pretend she didn't exist as a daughter and to never darken their doorstep again.

Heartbroken and disgraced, the predecessor returned to the Song family. She had initially hoped for her handsome husband's concern, but he was already angry with her and now injured; how could he possibly show her any care?

And thus ensued the quarrels and suicidal attempts...

Of course, it wasn't an actual suicide attempt; it was merely a ploy to provoke her handsome husband and elicit his sympathy.

But he didn't take her threat seriously at all.

In the end, she didn't hang herself.

In fact, she broke the not-so-sturdy beam, nearly collapsing the already fragile thatched cottage.