Chapter 1: Starting Off with a Dead Family—What a Thrill

“Mom…”

A timid little voice rang in her ears, soft enough to melt anyone’s heart.

“Wait, wait, wait! Hold on a second!”

Jiang Dai raised her hand in confusion, pointing at her own nose as she asked the child, “Me? Your mom?”

Four-year-old Juanjuan didn’t quite understand why her mother would ask such a thing, but she nodded firmly anyway.

“Mm-hmm. Mom.”

Jiang Dai was completely dumbfounded.

She, Jiang Dai, a third-tier actress in the 21st century—great at action scenes, decent acting chops, but maddeningly stuck in obscurity. She’d just pulled three all-nighters on set and finally managed to fall asleep.

Only to wake up to a pitiful little kid calling her “Mom”?

“This has to be a dream. Definitely a dream!”

“Wait, just wait a second!”

Four-year-old Juanjuan: ?

She didn’t know what her mother was up to but obediently stood still.

The next second, she watched her mother lift her hand and mercilessly pinch the inside of her own thigh.

Juanjuan: !!!

Jiang Dai: “Holy crap! That hurts!”

The pain brought tears to her eyes, but at least it cleared her head.

[This isn’t a dream!]

She stared blankly ahead, then looked around.

The house was dilapidated—really dilapidated. It looked like the old farmhouse back in her village that hadn’t been lived in for five years.

Next to the bed stood a little girl, about three or four years old. Unlike the chubby, soft-skinned kids of the modern era, this child was thin, her hair messy, clothes loose and ill-fitting, the cuffs frayed, and patches sewn on crookedly. She was watching Jiang Dai carefully, clearly afraid.

On the bed beside her lay four males—one adult and three children—dressed in clothes that were clearly not from the modern era.

A wild, terrifying thought popped into Jiang Dai’s head.

[Wait a minute… Did I transmigrate?]

[No way. Other people transmigrate in dramatic fashion. Me? I just fell asleep and poof—here I am?]

As Jiang Dai tried to wrap her head around it, she didn’t notice Juanjuan suddenly take a step back, staring at her in shock.

Mom hadn’t moved her lips just now, but Juanjuan had clearly heard her speak.

Juanjuan stared, wondering if she was seeing things.

Jiang Dai’s throat felt dry. She looked at the little girl and asked the classic, must-ask question for any transmigrator:

“Where is this? What year is it?”

Juanjuan didn’t know why her mom would ask something like that, but she answered obediently, “Niantao Village. This is our home.”

“What year is it…” The little one frowned, clearly struggling to understand. “I don’t know.”

Jiang Dai kept a calm facade, but inside, she was already screaming.

[Damn it! I really transmigrated.]

[Anyone else can have this! I don’t want it!]

[I just paid off my mortgage, bought a new car, was about to wrap up filming and go home to chill with snacks and my phone—and now you’re telling me I transmigrated?]

[No memories, no system—]

[Wait! System!]

A glimmer of hope sparked in Jiang Dai’s heart.

Following the usual transmigration novel script, she began calling out in her mind.

[System! System!]

Juanjuan’s eyes widened. She was sure of it now—Mom’s lips hadn’t moved, but she was definitely speaking.

The child was so frightened she froze, not knowing how to react.

Meanwhile, her mother kept shouting something that sounded like “wash bucket.”

She didn’t understand. Why was Mom yelling about washing a bucket?

[It’s fine. Maybe I transmigrated into a novel. I’ve been reading a lot lately—I should remember the titles.]

“Sweetie, what’s your name?” Jiang Dai asked gently, trying to build rapport. She even softened her tone, as warm and tender as a spring breeze.

It was the first time Juanjuan had seen her mother look at her like that. But instead of feeling happy, she was scared.

Something about all this felt too strange.

Still, she answered nervously, “Juanjuan.”

“Juanjuan—what a lovely name!” Jiang Dai pointed to herself. “Then Juanjuan, what’s my name?”

Under Jiang Dai’s expectant gaze, Juanjuan trembled and said a single word.

“Mom.”

Jiang Dai: …

Well, technically not wrong.

Okay, new approach.

“Mommy doesn’t seem to remember anything from before. What happened? Can you tell me?” Jiang Dai asked gently.

“Dad, Mom, and Big Brother went to the city market. The ox cart flipped. They were brought back, but I didn’t have money to get a doctor.”

Juanjuan was only four, but she was sharp. She didn’t talk much, but her logic was clear, and she learned fast.

In just a few sentences, she explained everything.

Only then did Jiang Dai remember the unconscious people beside her.

She quickly turned to check if they were still alive.

One look and she nearly jumped out of her skin.

All four were burning with fever—their skin scalding to the touch.

Their heads and limbs were bruised and swollen, likely from hitting something hard.

[This is the classic “start off with a dead family” scenario!]

[Fevers like this in ancient times? That’s a death sentence.]

“Juanjuan, go get some cold water and a cloth. I’ll try to bring their fevers down. If not, they’ll die.”

As soon as Jiang Dai finished speaking, little Juanjuan ran off. Not long after, she returned with a chipped bowl of cold water and a ragged piece of cloth.

Jiang Dai: [Well, this family is dirt poor, alright.]

She quickly began cooling the patients down. The more she worked, the more her head throbbed.

She reached up to touch her forehead and winced in pain the moment her fingers brushed a huge bump.

“Juanjuan, do you know where the family keeps the money?”

Juanjuan shook her head. Of course they wouldn’t let a child know where the money was kept.

Jiang Dai’s headache worsened. She wanted to pass out and start over.

“Juanjuan, do we have any relatives? Grandparents? Uncles? Aunts?”

She didn’t want to rely on such a young child, but she had no memories, no golden finger, no money. All she had was a broken-down house and a bunch of sick and injured people.

She had no choice but to ask.

Juanjuan twisted her fingers in her shirt and said, “Grandpa and Grandma split from us. Mom doesn’t have a family.”

Jiang Dai rubbed her forehead. “Then if Mommy needs to borrow money, who can she ask?”

Juanjuan looked troubled. “I don’t think anyone would lend us any…”

Jiang Dai: ? What?

…

In the village, nothing sparked more conversation than juicy gossip over a meal.

Next door, in Old Lady Wang’s home—

“Say, do you think that Bai Tian and his lot are gonna make it? They might die.”

Old Lady Wang, though a bit sharp-tongued, still had some concern for the Bai family next door.

Her five-year-old grandson, Wang Dachui, jabbed his chopsticks into his bowl and said, “Good! That whole family’s lazy. They make Juanjuan do everything by herself.”

Then his eyes lit up. “Grandma! If they all die, can we bring Juanjuan to live with us?”

He really liked little Juanjuan.

“Eat your food. Bai Family’s Sixth Branch may be done for, but don’t forget—Juanjuan still has uncles and aunts. It’s not our turn.”

Wang Dachui lowered his head and muttered, “Those two from the Bai family aren’t much better anyway.”

Old Lady Wang glanced at Old Man Wang. “Should I go check on the Bai family later? Juanjuan’s just a four-year-old kid, after all.”

Old Man Wang gave her a look and set his chopsticks down. “Did you forget what that Bai family pulled last time?”

Last time, Old Lady Wang had gone to check on a sick Juanjuan and ended up being accused by the Bai family of stealing a few copper coins. They claimed only she and Dachui had visited that day, so if something went missing, it had to be them.

The irony? That day, Dachui had seen Juanjuan wasn’t feeling well and gave her one of his treasured malt candies.

But the Bai family’s latched onto them like a rabid dog.

When they refused to pay, he threatened to beat Juanjuan, saying if Dachui didn’t take the coins, then Juanjuan must have.

The Wang family, being decent folks, couldn’t bear to see a sweet child like Juanjuan suffer.

It was ridiculous—Bai family beating their own kid and still expecting the Wang family to pay for it.

Old Lady Wang said nothing. She liked and pitied Juanjuan, but the Bai family was like a leech that wouldn’t let go.

As she sat in silence, a knock came at the door—surprisingly polite.

“Hey! Door’s not locked, come on in!”

They were all villagers, and it was mealtime—no need for formalities.

The door was slightly ajar, so the visitor just pushed it open.

Old Lady Wang turned to look—and the entire Wang family fell silent, suddenly on high alert.

Standing in the doorway was none other than Bai Tian’s wife—the very woman they had just been talking about!

Old Lady Wang and Old Man Wang exchanged glances.

Had Bai Tian’s wife been knocked stupid?

What kind of trouble was she stirring up now?

The couple, both in their forties, immediately tensed.

———

Translator’s Note:

In Chinese, “system” (系统 xìtǒng) sounds very similar to “wash bucket” (洗桶 xǐtǒng), which is why Juanjuan misunderstands.