*This story is set in a fictional time and is purely imaginary. Please do not compare it to history!*

"Sigh!"

This was the Nth time Hua Chengtian sighed since coming to this world.

Sitting under the eaves, she rested her chin in her hands, watching the clouds drift by with a trace of bewilderment occasionally crossing her eyes.

It's been more than half a month since she came to this world, and she still couldn't understand how she ended up in this strange place, inhabiting the body of a ten-year-old girl.

She never even dreamed... that she would encounter the now-popular trope of transmigration and reincarnation.

What kind of fate is this!!!

... How did she come to this inexplicable world?

They say... there usually is some kind of trigger.

Like an explosion, car accident, drowning, or saving someone, but how did she end up in this strange world so muddled?

It's not scientific!!

No matter how much Hua Chengtian thought about it, her mind remained blank.

And did anyone ask whether she wanted to come here? Did she want to?

How did she end up in this world she had never even heard of?

The Qingming, Yuan, Song, Tang of the Dragon Kingdom, but the country in this world clearly was none of those, not any country she recognized.

These days were enough for her to glean some information, both openly and secretly.

Maybe she was just ignorant, but overall, the country she found herself in was from a dynasty she had never heard of. Hua Chengtian leaned towards believing she had come to a parallel or fictitious age.

The country was called Guyan, and as for specifics, Hua Chengtian knew nothing at all, though, from what she had seen, it didn't seem too bad.

The current home, although not offering anything particularly good to eat, at least didn't leave her hungry. Life was tough but not as tough as she expected; they could still eat to 70 or 80 percent fullness, which was quite satisfactory for farmers reliant on the land.

Most importantly, her family was not one of those particularly troublesome ones; she had grandparents, parents, two older brothers, and a younger brother, making her the only girl in the family.

Even more crucially, there was no preference for boys over girls in the family. Although she was a girl, she was the most cherished in the family.

Especially her grandparents, who, for now, were very fond of her. Anyway, her brothers had to queue after her.

A bit of consolation was that her current body had the same name as her, Hua Chengtian, so aside from being a bit young and a little uncomfortable, there was at least no worry about being exposed as someone from another time.

After all, some habits are tough to change, no matter how quick your reactions.

The story goes that the little girl fell down a hill, and she woke up in the little girl's body.

Other than the initial shock, she felt no discomfort, as if this body is naturally hers.

Initially upon waking up, she was really, really confused. Fortunately, because she was injured, they were all too worried about her quietness to think much, believing she was too unwell, and this gave her time to adjust, preventing her from revealing her abnormality and being mistaken as a demon.

It also gave her time to gradually absorb the original host's memories. Though the little girl was no longer around, her memories hadn't completely faded. Despite being somewhat fragmented, they were enough to give her understanding.

She was a lively, cheerful, and sensible little girl who was occasionally quiet, on the whole, a lovely little girl.

Her home village is called Hua Village where the surname Hua is the most common.

Hua Village is located against a mountain, relatively elevated compared to surrounding villages, and because of this, with its rich resources, it is a bit more prosperous and sometimes earns extra income.

Her grandfather, Hua Man, is the village chief, and she is the only girl in the village chief's family, as well as the only girl in Hua Chengtian's branch of the family.

So it's not without reason that she is so treasured.

Being part of the village chief's family, their days were naturally better off in Hua Village, so coming to this family didn't make Hua Chengtian feel particularly miserable, at least spiritually quite abundant.

Of course, it was nothing compared to modern life.

But for some reason, Hua Chengtian always felt like she was forgetting something?

But what was it?

Retracting her thoughts, Hua Chengtian looked up at the sky and sighed again.

So many days had passed, it seemed she really couldn't go back.

What a pity, her house would be a bargain for the state, really, without her parents, there weren't any direct relatives left for her.

"Ah! The house and the leftover savings, really not reconciled!"

Hua Chengtian couldn't help but wail inside.

And the items stored in half of her storage room, thinking that she would never again taste delicacies like snail noodles, Hua Chengtian suddenly found life dreary.

"Sigh!" She sighed heavily again.

"If only there was some kind of traversal perk..." like returning to her house.

Even knowing her thoughts were ridiculous, Hua Chengtian couldn't help but hope.

After all, her coming to this world was absurd enough that a bit more absurdity wouldn't be surprising.

Who knew...

As soon as her muttering stopped, a sense of weightlessness hit suddenly, and Hua Chengtian disappeared from under the eaves.

"Jin'er..."

At that moment, in the backyard, Mrs. Qi was doing laundry, holding a basin in her arms as she entered the courtyard, instinctively glancing at where her daughter had been sitting, only seeing a lonely stone next to the threshold.

She looked at the tightly shut door and didn't think much of it, assuming her daughter had gone back inside, and went on to hang wet clothes on the drying rack.

Meanwhile, in a different place, Hua Chengtian was tearing up in the familiar space, hearing her mother's voice from the courtyard, feeling a moment of relief.

Thankfully, her mother hadn't seen the stunning scene of "Now you see her, now you don't" just now, or else... Well, better not imagine.

Thankfully, thankfully.

But what was going on?

Standing inside a very familiar living room, Hua Chengtian couldn't stay calm, her mouth agape in a silly daze looking at everything before her.

Though she had the thought, when actually finding herself inside it, Hua Chengtian still found it incredible.

She had... returned to the home she yearned for, heaven truly opened its eyes, or was it to send her back home?

But... Hua Chengtian looked down at her small body, and the thrill that had just risen was instantly doused by a cold splash.

Especially since she could still feel everything outside, even the sound of chickens foraging in the backyard was clear.

Hua Chengtian knew she was overthinking it.

Looking at the familiar living room, the next moment Hua Chengtian ran back to the bedroom. Seeing the soft, fluffy bed, her body automatically lay down on it, smelling the familiar scent and hugging the fluffy quilt, it was too real to be a dream.

"Nothing beats your own bed," Hua Chengtian couldn't help but sigh.

Thinking about her own hard bed, Hua Chengtian was reluctant to leave.

But only for a moment before her body hastily moved from the bed heading toward one direction, her storage room.

It was next to her bedroom, diagonally across, which had been converted into a storage room.

She opened the door to see shelves filled with snacks, various foods, vacuum-packed rice, flour, grains, and more; Hua Chengtian couldn't suppress her smile.

Ever since her parents passed away in a car accident, although she seemed strong on the surface, even giving off an impression of a tomboy, inside she truly was someone with no sense of security, leading to her habit of hoarding everything, buying things in bulk, which brought her great satisfaction, calming her.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have a dedicated storage room.

It housed all sorts of things, not just food, but also medicines, daily necessities, tools, knives, self-defense weapons, camping equipment, even mountain bikes, electric cars, and more.

Some larger items were kept in another room, of course.

Surveying the storage room, Hua Chengtian couldn't hold back any longer, tearing open a pack of meat floss bread and starting to eat.

Hmm... so delicious, Hua Chengtian was immediately moved to tears.

She thought she'd never taste it again in her lifetime, yet unexpectedly, she had another chance to savor it.

Thanks to heaven for not making things too harsh, otherwise, she really felt ready to curse the heavens.

After all, if anyone was living comfortably with a house, car, looks, and money, only to suddenly find themselves in another world, wouldn't they feel the urge?

After devouring a pork floss bread, Jin'er was instantly cured. She casually placed the pork floss packet on the shelf and then headed to the colossal refrigerator door in the room, where her coveted fruits awaited.

Open... and then froze again.

Jin'er's round eyes stared directly at where the light in the refrigerator emanated from.

At that moment, she suddenly realized that there was indeed electricity in the room.

Seeing the fridge crammed full of various items, as if she suddenly remembered something, the "snap" of the fridge door closed, she rushed towards the kitchen.

Electricity, could it mean there was water too?

She reached out for the faucet, turned it on in one swift motion, and as the "whooshing" sound of water flowed, Jin'er was at a loss for words to describe her feelings at the moment.

What kind of divine compensation is this! There's actually water and electricity; fate really did smile upon me.

Although Jin'er loves making money, she is, after all, a young person who likes to binge-watch dramas and movies during her free time. She would also read some novels when in a good mood.

She's somewhat familiar with the themes that young people are into these days.

And knows about those portable space systems and such.

Thus, almost instinctively, she thought about those portable spaces, but this space had turned into the house she longed for.

Surprise, such a delightful surprise!

But before she could think further, footsteps from the backyard reached her ears, prompting Jin'er to think about how to get out.

Then she reappeared on the stones under the eaves.

The timing was just right. As she sat down, her mother, Madam Qi, came out from the backyard with a basin of laundry, and upon seeing her daughter under the eaves, her face broke into a smile.

"Jin'er, it's windy outside, don't sit too long, be careful of your head wound." Madam Qi called out to her daughter gently.

"Yes, mother, I know. Mother, I'll help you with the laundry." Unconsciously rubbing the scabbed wound on the back of her head, Jin'er nodded.

Over these days, feeling Madam Qi's genuine affection for her, Jin'er had gotten used to calling her mother effortlessly.

Having lacked parental love during her youth, she deeply longed for familial affection. When she encountered this family that loved her so much, even though it was for the original owner's sake, now that the original owner was her, she felt this intense love, which is why Jin'er accepted them wholeheartedly so quickly.

"No need," Madam Qi promptly refused, "There aren't many left for you to do, take a rest and go inside, alright?"

"Mm-hmm," Jin'er nodded, seeing the concern in her mother's eyes, she sat down again, resting her chin on her hands, watching her mother hang clothes. As for the matter of the space house, she would explore it more in the evening.

On the other side, Madam Qi, while hanging clothes, saw her obedient daughter and smiled tenderly, simultaneously speeding up her actions.

Her in-laws, husband, and Xiao Si had gone to the fields early in the morning and were likely returning soon. Breakfast hadn't been cleared yet.

"Jin'er, I'm going to cook, it's cold in the morning, head inside."

Upon hearing her mother was going to cook, Jin'er hurriedly stood up from the rock, "Mother, I'm alright now; I will help you with the fire." Saying this, she followed her mother's footsteps to the kitchen.

This time, Madam Qi didn't refuse, mainly because making a fire didn't exhaust much energy. It was already early autumn, and the mornings were chilly, so sitting by the stove could keep them warm for a bit, she nodded.

Farmers are always quick at their work. Madam Qi swiftly scooped a ladle of coarse flour from the jar and quickly kneaded it into a dough, simultaneously grabbing a handful of coarse rice, washing it, and putting it in the pot to make porridge.

Then she brought out a small earthenware pot, placing it on the smaller stove of the kitchen, carefully scooping a small half bowl of fine rice mixed with millet, adding water for slow cooking, not forgetting to throw two washed eggs into the porridge, considering her daughter needed proper nourishment after her ordeal.

Watching her daughter sitting by the stove, though she couldn't help but be haunted by the scene of that day whenever she thought of it.

Luckily, the child had a big life and blessings, otherwise, as said by the doctor, she might have not pulled through. However, losing that much blood meant it would take a long time to replenish it.

The thought of how her fine daughter would fall from the hill always bothered Madam Qi like a thorn in her heart.

The child's condition had been too frail before, so she dared not ask. But seeing how spirited the child looked today, Madam Qi couldn't hold it back any longer.

Meanwhile, Jin'er had already lit the fire in the stove. Although a bit rusty, she still had some memories of this young girl to keep things running smoothly.

The red firelight cast a slight flush on Jin'er's small face, even though the slight baby fat she once had was completely gone, leaving her with a pointed face, making her eyes look larger and rounder.

Seeing this brought tears to Madam Qi's eyes again. This child really suffered greatly.

"Jin'er, Mother asks, how did you fall down the hill that day, was it an accident?"

It wasn't that she thought too ill of people, but her awareness of some village girls being jealous of Jin'er's familial favor.

She hoped she was overthinking it, for if not, she absolutely would not let it go.

Madam Qi's inquiry stunned Jin'er. She had never thought much of the young girl's injury, assuming it was just an accident. But her mother's implication made her start seriously searching through the few scarce memories she had, her brow furrowing unconsciously.

"What's wrong? Is your head hurting again?" Seeing her daughter frown, Madam Qi couldn't help worrying as she moved closer to carefully observe the back of Jin'er's head.

"No, Mother, it doesn't hurt; my mind's just a bit foggy. I don't really remember how I fell. I need to think carefully."

Jin'er quickly gave her mother a soft smile, holding her mother's rough hand tightly. Indeed, it was a bit confounding, likely requiring a trigger to recall properly.

Feeling the marks of time in her mother's hands, although not yet thirty, they were much rougher than those of women of the same age in modern times. However, due to her good looks and happy life, she didn't appear old.

Because of her, her mother had to stay home to care for her, though she wasn't going to the fields with her father and grandparents, household chores were still many.

The family was small, with two brothers attending school in town, leaving early and returning late each day, so aside from busy farming seasons, the family couldn't rely on them.

After all, it came down to poverty; if the landlord had surplus grain, how could the master have to work in the fields?

But such is the way with farming families, with no other solutions available to Jin'er at present. Her injuries were still not fully healed, making even stepping outside her own yard a luxury. Take it slow.

Her daughter's gaze softened Madam Qi's heart, putting her mind at ease somewhat, relieved there wasn't any pain.

"Take your time remembering, it doesn't matter if you can't recall, don't rush, okay?"

How could a mother not notice the small differences in her daughter since her injury?

The doctor did say that head injuries might result in some aftereffects, such as memory confusion or forgetfulness.

"Mm," Jin'er nodded lightly.

"Good girl," with the porridge boiling, Madam Qi focused back on it, quickly shaping the kneaded dough into pancakes and sticking them around the pot's edge. One large pot was just enough for the family to eat for two meals.

She then took some vegetables picked earlier from her family garden, washing and preparing them to be stir-fried. Well, 'stir-fried' was more like wiping the pot with an oil-dipped cloth for some grease, tossing in some salt and quickly flipping it.

That's how their family fared better than others in the village; otherwise, Madam Qi wouldn't have had the heart to use oil.

With the addition of their homemade pickled vegetables, these meals for a farming family were actually quite decent.

At least the porridge was semi-thick, they could still eat coarse bread, and occasionally fry an egg. During the busy farming seasons or festivals, they could even have meat and fine grains.

That's why their household's days could be considered among the better ones in the village.

Some farming families couldn't even bear to eat meat during busy farming times, after all, the money spent on those expensive items could buy ten or more jin of coarse grains, enough for the family to eat for a few days.

In order not to go hungry, every country person was meticulous with calculations, trying to break even a copper coin into halves to use.

That's why they say the days of country people who rely on the whims of nature are the hardest.

Hua Jinjiao watched her mother wiping the pot repeatedly with an oil-dipped cloth, and sighed heavily in her heart.

No wonder the dishes these days didn't taste oily, it turns out no oil was used at all. It's no wonder they didn't taste good; what was called "stir-frying" was actually just boiling dishes with a few scattered oil spots floating on top.

Upon seeing the large grains of salt still present after pounding, Hua Jinjiao's expression changed. The yellow-black salt grains clearly hadn't been purified thoroughly and were visibly laden with excessive minerals. Eating this long term would surely burden the body, causing discomfort in the intestines or even elsewhere, potentially life-threatening in severe cases.

... No wonder ancient people on average didn't live long, maybe salt had a part to play in it.

"Mom," Hua Jinjiao couldn't help but speak up.

Mrs. Qi paused in her salting motion and looked at her daughter, confusedly asking, "What's wrong?"

"Mom, don't we have any other salt?"

Mrs. Qi smiled, knowing her daughter was again complaining about the dirty color of the salt. It was a mystery which family's young lady this child was in her past life. Clearly born in a farmer's family, yet so particularly clean.

"We don't, Jin'er. Refining salt is too expensive. Once mom saves enough, I'll buy some for you to try, but bear with it for now!" Mrs. Qi lovingly looked at her daughter.

"Mom, is refined salt really expensive?" Hua Jinjiao's eyes showed a sparkle of interest, her big eyes glistening brightly as she looked at her mom.

"Very expensive." Looking at the coarse salt in her hand, Mrs. Qi thought it was about time to educate her daughter a bit; after all, the child was no longer so little.

"Let's put it this way: a jin of this coarse salt costs thirty copper coins. I've heard that even ten jin of coarse salt might not yield a jin of refined salt. Jin'er, would you say it's expensive?"

Hua Jinjiao opened her mouth wide, exclaiming internally, "Goodness gracious."

If so, wouldn't a jin of refined salt here cost three hundred copper coins?

Hua Jinjiao calculated that a single copper coin here was at least equivalent to a dollar in her original world, meaning even coarse salt here was akin to thirty dollars.

If it were in her world, such prices for salt would likely incite a riot.

Expensive doesn't begin to cover it, it's outrageously expensive.

But this was an ancient world with lagging technology, where knowledge was solely in the hands of a very few elites, combined with the natural scarcity of salt. In her few memories, she vaguely recalled her grandmother's words: some families couldn't even afford coarse salt and used vinegar cloth as a substitute daily.

Hua Jinjiao closed her mouth, ultimately it boiled down to scarcity.

Though the girl with her mouth agape looked adorable, Mrs. Qi couldn't engage further. She quickly sprinkled a few grains of coarse salt and finished frying the dish.

As soon as she finished and before the dish left the pot, they heard a voice calling for mom, followed by a chubby little boy's head poking out at the kitchen door.

"Mom, is the meal ready? Xiaosi is hungry to the point of pain."

The boy then stood in the doorway but dared not enter, mainly because from working in the field his clothes were muddy. If he accidentally got it on the food, his mom wouldn't fail to scold him.

Then he saw his sister behind the stove, his eyes brightened instantly.

"Sis, you're here too?" Happily, he almost rushed into the kitchen, but fortunately halted just in time, remembering his sister's fussiness.

"Yes, sister's almost done, aren't you happy, Xiaosi?" Hua Jinjiao grinned at her brother, without stopping her hands, tucking kindling into the ashes beneath the stove.

"Happy," Xiaosi nodded heavily.

That day, seeing his sister brought home in a bloody state by their father frightened him to tears.

Now being able to see his sister smile at him and even tease him, Xiaosi felt willing to endure any scolding from her.

"Even if you're happy, you've got to wash your little face and hands, or no food for you." Hua Jinjiao mischievously raised an eyebrow at her brother, speaking naturally from her original body's instincts.

She felt no desire to resist the instincts of this body. After all, the Hua family truly were very good.

"Right, your sister's right. I sent you to the field, not to roll around in the dirt. Look at you, you're a mess!"

Mrs. Qi looked at her youngest son disapprovingly, yet considered sending him to school for enlightenment. His mischievous and active nature needed some constraints.

But once sent to school, the family's days might get tougher, as just the tuition for a few children each month wasn't a small sum, not to mention the costs of stationery.

She tried not to think about it, as it would only give her a headache.

But she couldn't be unfair to any of her three sons. As parents, they had to treat them equally. Regardless of their talents, the children should know a few words.

As for the family's eldest, and second son teaching the youngest, Mrs. Qi held no hope.

Primarily because Xiaosi was too mischievous and restless. If the eldest and second were willing to beat him harshly, they might be able to control him, but the three brothers had such strong bonds they couldn't bear to use harsh methods, and how could Xiaosi settle down to study?

Thinking about it, in the end, it would be best to hand him over to a teacher for proper guidance.

Xiaosi didn't even consider his sister and mother's threats, making a face and running off to the backyard.

He would certainly wash up. While playing, he didn't feel the dirt, but after stopping, he disliked his unkempt appearance himself.

Moreover, filthy hands meant spoiling the food, no?

This was something Hua Xiaosi wouldn't possibly do.

By the time he finished washing in the backyard, his father, grandfather, and grandmother had already washed up and left.

Upon reaching the main room, his father had already helped bring the meal from the kitchen, so he hurriedly went to the kitchen to help his grandmother bring the bowls and utensils, sitting next to his sister.

"Jin'er, does your head still hurt?"

With these words from Old Hua, the whole family couldn't help but look at Hua Jinjiao's injury, even Mrs. Qi, who knew the situation, couldn't help but glance over.

Their eyes were full of distress. Not only was Mrs. Liu — Hua Jinjiao's grandmother, also known as Old Lady Hua — hurting, but so was Hua Chengtian.

Especially Hua Chengtian, who doted on his only daughter even more. Seeing her suffer such an ordeal was akin to having his heart dug out, it was unbearable. Fortunately, she had mostly recovered; otherwise, it would have been an immense blow for him.

"Grandfather, it's nothing, it doesn't hurt." Hua Jinjiao smiled charmingly. This was a question they'd ask once or twice every day, yet the deep care in their words touched Hua Jinjiao profoundly each time.

"Good, good." Old Hua smiled, then turned to his daughter-in-law, "Yun Ao's mom, make sure to prepare Jin'er's food separately, can't be careless."

"Rest assured, father, I've got it covered," Mrs. Qi quickly stood up.