"Third Brother Lu, what brings you here?"
"Sister-in-law Han, I've come to borrow some grain."
"Again... borrow grain? You haven't even paid back what you borrowed before."
"...I have no choice. There's nothing left to eat. My couple at home are about to starve. Sister-in-law Han, please have pity and lend me a little more. Next time... next time I'll return it all together."
"But last time... you said the same thing."
"Then I'll go find Brother Mo. He'll definitely lend it to me. Brother Mo, Brother Mo..."
"Third Brother Lu, don't shout. Brother Mo is still unconscious from his injuries."
"Brother Mo, Brother Mo..."
"You... Ah, I'll lend it to you. But this is the last time. We don't have enough to eat at home either."
"Alright."
"Hmm, why is there so little?"
...
"Ugh..."
A faint moan echoed in the bright room.
Tran Mac wearily opened his eyes. Dazed, he felt a pleasant warmth surrounding him, but the place he was lying was quite hard, and his whole body ached with an indescribable discomfort.
"Where is this?"
Suddenly, he saw a figure approach.
It was a woman with a cloth headscarf, beautiful in appearance, wearing a short skirt. She looked to be only around twenty, her figure just reaching its full bloom, revealing a mature charm.
Seeing Tran Mac wake up, the woman, whose brows had been furrowed, immediately said with joy, "Ah, Uncle, you're awake."
"Sis... Sister-in-law," Tran Mac blurted out unconsciously.
...
A day later, Tran Mac stood in the courtyard, looking at the earthen room before him, and couldn't help but accept this reality.
He had transmigrated.
The country he was in was called the Great Song Dynasty.
His precise location was Qing Prefecture, Nanyang County, Pingding County, in a small mountain village named Fuze Village of the Great Song Dynasty.
But this Great Song was not that Great Song. Based on the original body's memories, it was very different from the Song Dynasty in his history, as it had "martial artists" who could cultivate.
The original owner of the body was also called Tran Mac, the second son in the family, sixteen years old, and still a student who had passed the county and prefectural examinations.
Above him, he had an older brother who was a soldier.
However, the older brother had been severely wounded on the battlefield. When he returned to Fuze Village, he was already on his last breath. The old mother, who was still alive at the time, spent more than half of the family's savings to marry a wife for the older brother as a way to ward off bad luck. As a result, not long after marrying, the older brother passed away, leaving behind a widowed sister-in-law.
"Uncle, the meal is ready." At this time, his sister-in-law, Han Anniang, came out of the woodshed carrying an earthenware bowl.
The simple meal consisted of mixed grain rice and a few corn buns.
Mixed grain rice was a staple food of the common people in the north, made from various grains such as corn, wheat, and mixed wild vegetables, steamed together.
Strictly speaking, Pingding County was not considered part of the north, but it was close to the north, so its cuisine was similar.
He had tasted this mixed grain rice yesterday, and for him, who was used to refined grains, his first reaction was to spit it out directly.
It wasn't just unappetizing; it was practically impossible to swallow.
To roughly describe it, it was coarse grains – and the kind that hadn't been finely processed.
According to the standards he had before transmigrating, even pigs wouldn't eat this stuff.
"Uncle, are you perhaps not hungry?"
Seeing Tran Mac staring blankly at the mixed grain rice, Han Anniang thought he didn't find it appetizing.
"Ah, I'll slowly get used to it."
Tran Mac shook his head and picked up a corn bun to eat.
He read novels, and logically speaking, someone like him didn't fit the requirements for transmigrating.
He had inherited his father's business, taking over the sand and gravel pit after graduating from university, and then opened a tavern there. Although the economy had been sluggish recently, he had no worries about food and clothing, was surrounded by beautiful women, and was living a prosperous life.
As a result, after drinking a few sips of watered-down wine, he woke up to find himself as this sixteen-year-old boy.
And still a frail weakling.
The most crucial thing was that, based on the original body's memories, the world was not peaceful.
Last year, there was a severe drought in the north, with thousands of miles of barren land.
This year, the south was flooded, with no harvest, and grain prices soared.
In May, a rebellion broke out in the north and was becoming increasingly serious.
Last month, the imperial court was defeated and increased taxes...
Going from a well-fed young master to a commoner who couldn't even guarantee his own life – who could bear such a change?
The only good news was that after he transmigrated, this body's injuries had healed.
Speaking of which, the reason he could accept this body was also because of Han Anniang.
He looked up at the woman in front of him. She wore a simple blue padded skirt and, although her appearance wasn't stunning, she was still considered above average.
Her face looked at most around twenty, and most importantly, she had a pair of gentle and beautiful almond-shaped eyes, and her slender, well-proportioned figure exuded a mature charm.
Her slightly upturned lips were full and moist.
Logically speaking, a commoner family wouldn't be able to marry such a beautiful girl.
Compared to the frail original body, the older brother had been as strong as an ox since childhood. He joined the army and within two years had made meritorious contributions, becoming a centurion and receiving rewards from above. He bought a few acres of barren land in Pingding County and replaced the original thatched hut with the current earthen house.
Unfortunately, he didn't have the good fortune to enjoy it. After returning home severely injured last year, he had a persistent high fever, and medicine didn't work. He soon passed away.
And as soon as the older brother left, the family instantly lost its pillar. The frail original body simply couldn't support the household.
Because the family was considered relatively wealthy in the village, during this year of great disaster, they were often harassed by local ruffians. Initially, due to the older brother's comrades, these people didn't dare to go too far.
But some time ago, with the rebellion in the north, the older brother's comrades were transferred to suppress the rebellion. In the end, the imperial court was defeated, and there was no news of the older brother's comrades. The Tran family completely lost its backing.
Two days ago, Wang Mazi, a hooligan from the east end of the village, used the excuse of borrowing grain to take liberties with Han Anniang.
The original body, being a man, rushed forward to stop him, but the frail original body, who had been sickly since childhood, was no match for Wang Mazi at all. Wang Mazi kicked him, causing severe injuries and making him faint. Afterwards, he was replaced by Tran Mac.
"Uncle, you... why are you looking at me like that? Is there something dirty on my face?" Seeing Tran Mac staring intently at her, Han Anniang bit her chopsticks, her face flushing red.
Tran Mac shook his head and explained, "Sister-in-law, it's the Tran family who wronged you. Elder brother didn't have the good fortune to let you marry into a family where you could have even a single day of happiness before becoming a widow. Sister-in-law, if there's someone you admire in your heart, then remarry."
"Clatter..." As soon as these words were spoken, the chopsticks in Han Anniang's hand fell to the ground with a thud. Her delicate body trembled, and her eyes turned red. "Does Uncle think I'm a burden to you?"
Han Anniang felt that it was because of her that her uncle had encountered this unexpected disaster.
Tran Mac quickly waved his hand. "It's just that I feel if Sister-in-law remarries, your days will be much better."
With Han Anniang's beauty, she wouldn't have to worry about not marrying a good man.
However, as soon as he finished speaking, he regretted it.
Because he suddenly remembered.
The original body's mother had sold family property for money to marry Han Anniang into the family. Besides being for the older brother to ward off bad luck, there was another intention: to find a wife for the original body.
After all, the original body's mother knew very well that the older brother wouldn't live much longer. Marrying for good luck was just a last-ditch effort. If it didn't work, then the money couldn't be wasted, and it would be just right to make her his daughter-in-law.
This kind of thing, where the younger brother marries the older brother's widow, was very common among the common people.
The original body's mother had also spoken to the original body about it.
But the original body was a scholar, and the books taught etiquette, integrity, and the proper order of relationships, which made it unacceptable for him to accept such a thing.
After the older brother died, the original body argued with his mother a lot about this matter. Whether it was because the second son was disobedient or because the older brother had died, not many days later, the old mother followed the older brother in death.
Tears welled up in Han Anniang's eyes. "Uncle, don't mention remarriage. I have no such intention. Mother-in-law had kindness towards me. Before she passed away, she instructed me to take good care of you. Now that her remains are not yet cold, if I were to remarry, wouldn't I be an ungrateful person?
Besides, who would dare to marry someone unlucky like me?"
The Tran family's eldest son married a wife to ward off bad luck, but as a result, less than a month after Han Anniang married into the family, her husband passed away, and soon after, her mother-in-law also followed. Although the villagers didn't say it openly, behind her back, who didn't wag their tongues saying that Han Anniang had a husband-killing fate?
Tran Mac opened his mouth but didn't continue speaking...