Chapter 1: The Crossing

Chapter 1: The Crossing

A dilapidated thatched cottage.

The walls were plastered with mud, the floor was uneven, and half of the window was broken.

A young man of seventeen or eighteen lay on the kang, his face pale. He had a delicate appearance, with a small red mole between his eyebrows, and his eyes were tightly shut, barely breathing.

By the kang, a boy and a girl were sobbing.

"Brother Hua, I was wrong, I won't eat candy anymore, please wake up."

"Brother Hua, Eldest Brother will be back in half a month, you must hold on!"

...

Qiu Huannian was awakened by the cries beside him. Opening his eyes, he saw the desolate scene of a home stripped bare.

What happened? Wasn't he supposed to have fallen off a cliff while collecting material in the mountains during the rain? His last memory was of the world spinning and the feeling of falling into death...

Qiu Huannian tried to move, but a piercing pain shot through the back of his head. At the same time, streams of unfamiliar memories flooded his mind, as if billions of pieces of information had suddenly been added to his brain.

Bearing the pain, Qiu Huannian struggled to sort through the memories and finally understood the situation.

After falling off the cliff, his soul had traveled to another world, reincarnating in the body of a seventeen-year-old youth who also bore the name Qiu Huannian, with a face that resembled his own by about eighty percent.

This world was currently under the rule of the Yu Dynasty, an era he had never heard of. However, from the memories of his host, Qiu Huannian deduced that the social and technological development of the Yu Dynasty was similar to that of the late Ming Dynasty, though with more abundant resources and a more open social climate.

His host lived in a small village in the northeast, where his mother had died and his father had neglected him. During a famine years ago, he was traded for two dou of millet and became a child bridegroom in the Du family village.

Yes, a child bridegroom. Upon receiving this memory, Qiu Huannian almost couldn't keep his composure, his face contorting.

In this world, besides males and females, there was a third gender known colloquially as "ge'er." They looked much like men but could bear children like women, with a small red mole on their forehead indicating pregnancy.

While the number of ge'er was not large, they existed and had long been integrated into society. It was common in rural areas to marry a ge'er as a husband.

Qiu Huannian had now become one of these ge'er.

The family that traded two dou of millet for him was also struggling. In earlier years, they had some surplus and sent their eldest son to school. However, after the head of the household, Du Baoyan, died while serving in the corvée, the family's fortunes took a turn for the worse.

Du Baoyan had three children. The eldest son, who was Qiu Huannian's nominal husband, was said to be a prodigy and had been taken away nine years ago by a renowned scholar from the capital to study. The original host had never met him.

The youngest daughter was nine years old, and the posthumous son was six, both still too young to support themselves. They were the ones crying by Qiu Huannian's side.

Their mother, Widow Li, though capable, had fallen ill after her husband's death and her health had steadily declined. She passed away two months ago.

The original host had suffered from hunger and cold in his birth family, never experiencing a day of comfort. After coming to the Du family, he felt the warmth of a real home, truly regarding Widow Li as his mother and the two children as his younger siblings. Despite the hardships, he never complained, but alas...

Qiu Huannian quickly reviewed the key points of the memories he had received and tried to sit up. Seeing him awake, the two children showed expressions of surprise and joy.

"Brother Hua! You're awake!"

"Brother Hua!"

Qiu Huannian tried to smile at them but accidentally pulled at the wound on the back of his head, resulting in a distorted expression. The commotion inside the room grew louder, and those outside noticed, immediately causing discordant voices to rise.

"I told you it wasn't serious; look, he's awake! The clan leader called so many people for nothing. I say, can a grown man really die from just one fall?"

"Baquan's wife, keep your mouth shut!"

"Hmph—it was clearly their Jiujiu who snatched my Fubao's candy. An adult helping to bully Fubao, and then got pushed down by Fubao. Clan leader, no matter how biased you are, you can't turn black into white!"

"Exactly! We all know, clan leader, you're hoping their Big Brother will pass the imperial exams and become an official. But the messenger already said, Big Brother's teacher has been imprisoned, he can't stay in the capital and has to come back. He probably can't even sit for the exams anymore. What future does he have?"

"I don't think Brother Hua is that kind of person..."

"Who knows what desperate people will do? Their Big Brother has never come back, and Brother Hua is young, inexperienced with men—who knows if he can hold out?"

...

The people outside were shouting loudly, not afraid of being heard inside. Their words pierced the thatched house like knives, mingling with the faint sunlight, falling on the three who relied on each other.

"Brother Hua..." Jiujiu's lips moved, her eyes filled with tears.

Qiu Huanian patted the little girl's head and whispered, "Don't be afraid."

After speaking, he moved his body again. Perhaps because of a completely new soul, as he gradually took control of his body, the pain lessened considerably, at least he wouldn't be so dizzy and in pain that he couldn't walk.

Good, Qiu Huanian thought.

He grabbed an eighteen-inch chopping knife from the corner of the room, kicked open the door, and rushed out.

With both hands gripping the knife, he slammed it down on a wooden stake in the yard with a loud crack.

The impact stung his palms, but Qiu Huanian stifled the urge to shake his hand, his icy gaze sweeping over the startled villagers.

"Brother Hua, what are you doing?" Qiu Huanian had always been silent and gentle, no one had ever seen him so fierce.

The now soul-changed Qiu Huanian laughed, his voice calm and icy, "Some people bully the weak, scheming for wealth and endangering lives. If I don't let them know I'm not to be trifled with, I might die unnoticed."

The woman who spoke first hurriedly said, "Nonsense! You—"

Qiu Huanian looked at the nearly fifty-year-old woman. She was the wife of Du Baoquan from the same village, her maiden name was Zhao, and she had always been at odds with Qiu Huanian's mother-in-law, Widow Li.

"Aunt Zhao, your Fubao cornered my Jiujiu at the village entrance, and while I was fixing her hair, he shoved me into a ditch from behind. Instead of apologizing, you're here twisting the truth, isn't that inappropriate?"

The exact same words, Qiu Huanian immediately returned.

The villagers in the yard exchanged uneasy glances. Compared to the always honest and reserved Qiu Huanian and Jiujiu, the spoiled and unruly Fubao from Baoquan's family was more likely to do such a thing.

Earlier, when Qiu Huanian fainted, Jiujiu cried uncontrollably beside her brother, and everyone only heard Fubao's side of the story, so they believed it somewhat.

Zhao was somewhat flustered. At the time, she was sleeping on the kang at home, and Fubao ran back crying to her. She immediately believed her youngest son's words and came to Widow Li's house, with whom she had always been at odds, to demand an explanation.

Now, on second thought, Fubao's story didn't quite add up.

But so what? Widow Li was already dead, could these three half-grown kids of hers cause any trouble?

Thinking this, Zhao became even more brazen, "Brother Hua, you're young and don't know better, spouting such nonsense. Bow your head, apologize, and cook a few eggs to soothe Fubao. Then Auntie might forgive you."

Qiu Huanian sneered, "I call you Auntie, and you really think you're something?"

"You—"

"Brother Hua, you must not speak to elders like this." The clan leader, leaning on a cane, frowned and spoke.

Qiu Huanian turned his gaze to the clan leader, his expression slightly restrained, and said sincerely, "Clan leader, it's not that I disrespect elders, but if elders are not upright and honorable, and we keep yielding, it will only lead to greater trouble."

Seeing the clan leader's expression change slightly, he added meaningfully, "Our Du village has dozens of families. If everyone starts harming others and falsely accusing them for profit, it won't be long before the whole village descends into chaos."

The clan leader looked deeply at Qiu Huanian. Due to the influence of the eldest son of the Du family, who was studying abroad, he had always shown some care for this family, but it was mainly because of the eldest son.

Now it seemed he had been mistaken. The young man who had been raised in the family since childhood was no simple character either.

"Go get Fubao."

"Elder—" Zhao Shi was anxious. Fubao was her treasure, a child born late in life and doted on. After being scared, he had already gone to bed.

The clan leader tapped his cane, ignoring her. Two villagers went to fetch Fubao from the Baoquan household. In the rural clan society, the authority of the clan leader was immense.

Compared to the thin and pale Jiujiu, Fubao, who was about the same age, was a whole size larger, with arms like sections of lotus root and a chubby face drooling with saliva.

Zhao Shi called out "my dear" and hugged Fubao.

Qiu Huanian looked at the child who had caused the original owner's death, a faint smile on his face. "Fubao, why did you push me into the ditch from behind?"

Fubao, nine years old this year, was no longer an age where he understood nothing. His eyes rolled as he said, "It was because you and Jiujiu took my candy! I just gave you a little push, and you fell in yourself!"

"Yes, yes, Fubao is right," Zhao Shi wiped her son's mouth.

"Oh? Then where is the candy?"

"It got dirty and was lost on the way."

Qiu Huanian said half-truthfully, "What a shame. You can only get candy in town, right? Your mother wants me to compensate you, but even if I wanted to, I can't buy it now."

Hearing this, Fubao quickly called out Qiu Huanian's lie, "Your family still has some! There are more than a dozen pieces!"

Qiu Huanian's smile deepened. "Fubao, you said Jiujiu took your candy, so how do you know how much candy we have at home? Also, the candy sold in town is malt sugar wrapped around small sticks. Where did this 'several pieces of candy' come from?"

Fubao had wanted to show off his cleverness by picking apart Qiu Huanian's words, but he had fallen into a verbal trap and was now stammering, unable to speak.

At this moment, Jiujiu also came out of the house. Qiu Huanian gave her a gentle look, encouraging her not to be afraid. Jiujiu mustered her courage and walked to the center of the yard.

"It was... it was the person who delivered a letter for my brother who gave us the candy. It was block candy wrapped in paper. Fubao snatched my candy by the river and pulled my braid. Brother Hua chased him away and then crouched down to help me fix my hair. Suddenly, Fubao pushed Brother Hua from behind!"

Jiujiu, being shy and introverted, blushed under the gaze of the crowd. She almost couldn't continue several times, but Qiu Huanian's calm and composed smile gave her great courage, and she finally managed to clearly recount what had happened.

The youngest brother, Chun Sheng, took a few pieces of candy from a basket on top of the cabinet in the house, ran to the yard, and spread his palm open, glaring fiercely at Fubao.

"This is the kind of candy wrapped in oil paper with peanuts inside. We still have good candy left. Why would my sister want to steal your drool-covered malt sugar?"

Seeing the candy in Chun Sheng's hand and combining the accounts from Jiujiu, Qiu Huanian, and Fubao, the crowd finally understood what had really happened.

Zhao Shi still wanted to argue, but Qiu Huanian directly asked her, "I'm a seventeen-year-old adult. If I had really been on guard, how could Fubao have pushed me into the ditch?"

As he spoke, he pulled the chopping knife from the wooden stake and waved it in front of Zhao Shi and Fubao, scaring them into stillness.

The physical strength of a young man is weaker than that of a grown man, but it is still much stronger than that of a child or an elderly woman.

"This matter is clear," the clan leader said, tapping his cane heavily on the ground. "Baoquan's family, send nine eggs to Brother Hua later to make up for it. In the future, discipline Fubao properly. Raising a child without teaching will only lead to trouble!"

Zhao Shi looked unwilling but dared not oppose the clan leader's authority.

However, Qiu Huanian did not intend to let this end here. This incident had killed the original owner, and there had to be another explanation.

"Fubao, we have no enmity between us. Why did you sneak up on me and push me into the ditch? How can a child be so cruel and malicious?"

Fubao struggled in Zhao Shi's arms, "Stop faking it! I pushed you, you sly fox! If it weren't for you, my second brother..."

"Slap!" Zhao suddenly slapped her youngest son, covering his mouth. "Fu Bao is terrified, babbling nonsense. I’ll take him back to sleep first."

Qiu Huanian kept the clues he had extracted in mind, knowing it wasn’t the time to dig deeper, but he wasn’t going to let them leave so easily either.

He placed the hatchet in front of the anxious Zhao, who was eager to leave, and said leisurely, "The nine eggs can serve as an apology to Jiu Jiu, but I fell so hard that I won’t recover for at least ten days to half a month. Auntie, don’t you think you should at least kill a chicken to help me recover?"

Zhao wanted to scold Qiu Huanian, saying he was clearly fine and energetic, how dare he ask for a chicken to eat, but Fu Bao kept fussing in her arms, and she was in a hurry to leave. With the elder not supporting her, she had no choice but to agree, "Let me go back first, and I’ll send it to you when I return."

Qiu Huanian smiled, leaving no wiggle room, "Elder, could you send someone to accompany Auntie Baoquan back to get the items? I’m worried Auntie might get too caught up at home and forget to send me the things."

The elder looked at the mess in the yard and sighed, "Baoshan’s wife, go with Baoquan’s wife to fetch the items."