Chapter 3: Dad, Plot Armor, and the Inability to Die

Jiang Dai stood to the side, staring at the one big and three small figures lying on the bed, her heart utterly numb.

【I’m a single maiden who’s never even been in a relationship, and now I’ve got four kids?】

【Three sons and a little daughter—heaven really wants me dead!】

Jiang Dai sighed. “Aii…”

“Aii!” The old physician looked at her. “So, who do I save?”

The five hundred copper coins borrowed from the Wang family weren’t nearly enough to cover the medical expenses.

Especially since the eldest son, Goudan, was in critical condition. That amount wasn’t even enough to save just him.

【Why does this feel like one of those life-or-death choices in childbirth dramas? Save the mother or the child? I can’t breathe!】

Jiang Dai pointed at Bai Tian, who lay in the inner room. “Doctor, wake that one up first!”

Then she turned to little Juanjuan. “Your dad should know where the family money is, right?”

Why choose who to save? Isn’t it just because we’re broke?

If we had money, we could save them all!

She might’ve lost her memory, but that didn’t mean everyone else had. Just wake up one of the “locals” in the house, and they’d know where the money was stashed!

Juanjuan nodded. “Daddy knows! All the money’s with him.”

Jiang Dai gritted her teeth, speechless. “That damn man.”

Doctor: …

Soon, under the physician’s skilled hands, the dazed Bai Tian slowly woke up.

He opened his eyes to the sight of a crumbling ceiling, his gaze vacant, still caught in the bizarre dream he’d just had. Had he… transmigrated?

He’d dreamed of a pathetic man’s miserable life.

That man was also named Bai Tian, born into a farming family, unloved by his parents, constantly beaten and scolded. Over time, he’d grown timid and spineless.

They say: either you explode in silence, or perish in it.

At sixteen, Bai Tian exploded—and perished.

He fought back against his parents, even cracked his father’s skull open. But before he could even savor the thrill of rebellion, the Bai family’s men pinned him down and beat him senseless, then threw him out for good.

The next year, he saved a slightly slow-witted girl, and the two ended up together.

Turns out, the girl had a few taels of broken gold on her.

Bai Tian hit the jackpot. He got married in the neighboring Niantao Village, built a house, had three sons, and lived a relatively content life.

But six months before Juanjuan was born, everything went downhill.

A massive drought hit, the crops withered, and his simple-minded wife occasionally regained some clarity and tried to run away. Meanwhile, the spineless man gambled away their savings.

He took to drinking. After being humiliated outside, he came home and discovered he could exert power and control over his young children and wife.

And so, the spineless man spiraled—shamelessly beating his wife and kids, turning into a complete scoundrel.

After the birth of their youngest daughter, her world was nothing but:

A cowardly father, a depressed mother, wayward brothers, and a life shattered like garbage.

From the very beginning, the little girl was doomed. By age three, she was already shouldering the burden of caring for the whole family.

She carried a back basket taller than herself to forage for wild vegetables, stood on stools to reach the stove, cut her hands countless times, and bore scars from boiling water and wild grass on the backs of her hands.

Bai Tian couldn’t help but curse inwardly: 【What a garbage excuse for a man! Absolutely disgusting!】

Juanjuan flinched at the sound of her father’s angry voice—a conditioned reflex from years of beatings.

But a figure stepped in front of her, blocking her view.

Jiang Dai: “Where’s the money? Do you remember where you put it?”

Bai Tian looked at the woman who was now his wife and, relying on the host’s memories, blurted out, “Inside my underwear in the inner room, in the little pocket on the crotch.”

Silence fell over the room.

【Disgusting man! Who hides money in their underwear pocket? Gross!】 —Jiang Dai

【That’s actually a genius hiding spot. Doesn’t it chafe though?】 —Bai Tian

Juanjuan: …

The old physician hiding in the corner, watching the drama unfold: …

It was kind of gross, but also strangely compelling. This family was… something else.

Jiang Dai numbly went into the inner room to retrieve the money.

Bai Tian had already come to terms with the fact that he’d transmigrated. He didn’t even glance at the three bratty sons, but instead looked straight at the most broken member of the family—his youngest daughter.

She wore a patched-up linen outfit, her hair messy and unevenly tied. Her features were delicate and adorable, but she was far too thin—only slightly better off than those kids who drank Ganges River water. At least she was still fair-skinned.

In his memories, the little girl had always been the most obedient… and the most pitiful. The kind that tugged at your heartstrings.

【Tsk tsk, look at this poor little thing. So scrawny and well-behaved. How the hell did that coward manage to lay a hand on her?】

“Juanjuan, come here.”

As soon as Bai Tian spoke, the little girl instinctively tried to step back, but forced herself to stop and obediently walked toward him.

“Daddy…”

She called out timidly, like a frightened kitten.

A child so used to being beaten, obedience had become second nature.

Bai Tian raised a hand, wanting to pat her head and create a heartwarming father-daughter moment.

But Juanjuan flinched the moment he lifted his hand, her body shrinking slightly as if to dodge. Yet she forced herself to stay still, though the fear radiating from her only grew stronger. She trembled visibly.

When Daddy hit, you weren’t allowed to dodge. Dodging only made it worse.

Bai Tian’s hand froze mid-air.

【Come on, I just wanted to pat her head! Was that so hard? Damn that cowardly bastard!】

【Waaah! I can’t even pat my sweet little girl! Such a good kid, and freshly graduated Little Boss Bai gets rejected… so sad!】

Juanjuan: ?

So… Daddy wasn’t going to hit her? He just wanted to… pat her?

Such a foreign concept.

Just as Juanjuan was hesitating—wondering if she should lean forward and let this not-so-bright but oddly endearing father pat her head—her mother stormed out, looking furious.

Juanjuan instantly gave up on the idea, stood straight, and froze, trying to minimize her presence.

In one hand, Jiang Dai held a pair of well-worn underpants. In the other, a few battered copper coins. The gentle expression on her face was barely holding together.

“Heh.” The actress couldn’t keep up the act anymore and let out a cold laugh. “This… is the money you were talking about?”

She was practically laughing from sheer rage.

Bai Tian: …

For some reason, just hearing that sneer from his “cheap wife” made him feel a little scared.

Maybe it was the residual habits of a 21st-century good man?

【Hey, how was I supposed to know? That was the Original Host’s doing, not mine! I just got here!!!】

Juanjuan tilted her head. Original Host… She’d heard her parents mention that term a lot.

So what exactly was an Original Host?

Bai Tian glanced at the old physician, who was practically blending into the corner, watching the drama unfold with a “pass the popcorn” expression.

Bai Tian: …

What are you gawking at, old man? You even know what’s going on?

“Wife, if there’s not enough money, don’t worry about me. Just treat the kids first.”

Bai Tian decided to embrace the values of a 21st-century model citizen. Women and children first. As for himself…

【I mean, I transmigrated here. I’ve got plot armor—I probably won’t die anyway!】

Juanjuan looked at her still-swollen-faced father, puzzled. Is he really that powerful? Can’t die?

Jiang Dai was still fuming, but seeing Bai Tian’s injuries and his surprisingly cooperative attitude, she couldn’t stay angry.

And so, the two “cheap” parents reached a consensus:

Save the most severely injured, nearly-dead eldest son first.

But just as the physician began the acupuncture treatment, something unexpected happened.

The seven-year-old Goudan, lying on the bed, suddenly grabbed the doctor’s hand with a grip so strong it made the old man’s face go pale.

【Whoa!】 —Jiang Dai

【Damn!】 —Bai Tian

The old doctor screamed, “Aaaah!”

The pain was unbearable. How could a child be this strong? It felt like his bones were about to snap.