Zhao Family Village, Wufang Town, Qingyang County, Lingnan Prefecture, Shenlong Kingdom.

The villagers are busy harvesting the crops in the fields. Although there has been little rain this year and the crops are not growing well, they still have to hurry up and harvest them.

Zhao Qian left home amidst a gloomy atmosphere, because his eldest daughter from his third wife had fallen and broken her head, and was unconscious.

They found a local doctor in the village, who did some basic bandaging, but couldn't do anything else. They told them to go see a doctor in the town.

When they arrived at the town's clinic, the doctor diagnosed them and told them to go home and prepare for their funeral, without even charging them a consultation fee.

So, they brought the child back from town, and the whole family is in deep grief.

The men all looked gloomy, the women were in tears, and even the youngest children dared not make a fuss as usual.

The third wife, Ma Wan'er, cried her heart out, recounting how she had wronged her daughter over the years.

"My dear daughter, please wake up soon. If you can wake up, I will never be lazy again. I will listen to you in everything and won't let you worry about me anymore."

"Mom won't fight you for food, and won't argue with you over a few pieces of candy..."

Blah blah blah, basically all sorts of promises, as long as the daughter wakes up, that's all that matters.

After muttering to herself for so long, it was all for nothing, Ma Wan'er said indignantly.

"If you brat don't wake up soon, don't blame me for being ruthless."

When the time comes, I'll go and steal your two younger brothers' food rations, so don't feel bad about it.

Hmph, no, it's no use feeling sorry for you now, you're already in such a terrible state.

You, a silly little girl, do nothing but work all day long.

Why are you so favored? Your whole family loves you.

"I just don't see a single part of you that's fleshy! Humph."

Lying in bed, a person on the verge of death has eyelids trembling constantly, as if they might wake up at any moment.

But Ma, the mother, was only focused on crying and didn't even think that her daughter might wake up.

Perhaps Ma Wan'er was too talkative, because she woke up the person in bed, who suddenly opened her eyes.

His eyes were clear and bright; he didn't look like someone terminally ill and nearing the end of his life.

The one who woke up at this moment was a soul from the modern world with a different body, fortunately sharing the same name as the original owner, Zhao Qingyan.

Through memory, he recognized that the person sitting on the edge of the bed with her eyes closed, rambling on, was the original owner's unreliable mother.

The original owner of this body had bumped her head, and Zhao Qingyan, who had just woken up, still felt dizzy.

His throat was so dry it felt like it was about to burst into flames. He tried his best to imitate the original owner's tone and awkwardly called out "Mother".

Ma Wan'er is only 30 years old this year, just 6 years older than Zhao Qingyan in later generations. It seems that overcoming this psychological barrier will still take some time.

Because of her discomfort, Zhao Qingyan's cries were not very loud.

Ma was still engrossed in her own rambling; one shouldn't expect anything ivory from her. Therefore, she didn't hear Zhao Qingyan's call.

Zhao Qingyan really didn't want to call another older sister "mother" anymore. She closed her eyes to calm herself down, feeling less dizzy.

Having regained some strength, I threw off the thin blanket, put on my shoes, and went out without saying goodbye.

It's ridiculous that Madam Ma was still sitting by the bed, rambling on and on, trying her best to act like a loving mother.

Zhao Qingyan sighed, feeling sorry for the original owner of this body.

Even after standing up, I was still dizzy and had to lean against the wall to get out the door. If I had come any later, my own coffin would have been ready.

Judging from the commotion outside, the wood used to make the coffin was originally the coffin of the original owner's grandfather. He was heartbroken that his granddaughter was going to die at such a young age, so he felt she needed a decent coffin.

Now that I'm here, there's no need to make a coffin; let's leave it for the old man's funeral.

Based on her memory, Zhao Qingyan learned that this was a harmonious family.

Grandpa Zhao Qianci married Huang Xiuhua. The couple were loving and affectionate throughout their lives, and it is said that no one had ever seen them quarrel.

She had three sons, all of whom were tall and strong, and looked very fierce.

My eldest uncle, Zhao Changgeng, and my eldest aunt, Wang Caixia, had two sons and one daughter.

My eldest cousin, Zhao Qingshan, married Liu Xiaohua, and they had a son and a daughter, Da Bao and Da Ya.

My second cousin, Zhao Qingling, married Zhang Cuicui, but they have no children yet.

My eldest cousin, Zhao Qingyi, is 16 years old this year and is not yet engaged.

My second uncle, Zhao Yonggeng, married Tian Xiaolan, and they had two sons and two daughters.

They are Zhao Qingfeng, the third cousin who is 16 years old; Zhao Qingluan, the fourth cousin who is 15 years old; Zhao Qinglin, the second cousin who is 13 years old; and Zhao Qinghe, the fourth sister who is 10 years old.

Her biological father, Zhao Minggeng, had two sons and one daughter: Zhao Qingyan, 12 years old; Zhao Qingyang, 10 years old; and Zhao Qingyi, 6 years old.

The Zhao family has not yet divided its property, not because the old couple are old-fashioned, but because the corvée labor in these days is too heavy.

The border region is relatively peaceful, and military service is not conscripted every year, but manual labor is generally required every year or every one or two years.

Of course, compared to more than a decade ago, people's lives are much better now.

Once corvée labor is imposed, one adult male in the household must contribute.

Therefore, most families in the Divine Dragon Kingdom do not separate; the whole family lives together, which is very "lively".

The Zhao family was also lively, with more than twenty people of all ages, but it wasn't a chaotic scene.

Although each household had its own agenda, the overall direction was good, and the old lady, Madam Huang, was in charge.

The sons and daughters-in-law all obeyed, and not one of them voiced any objection. They believed that listening to their mother was always the right thing to do, and that following their mother meant they would have meat to eat.

The Zhao family didn't have any preference for sons over daughters; on the contrary, they raised their daughters with more care and attention.

According to Huang, girls are destined to marry out of the family, and the only time they can enjoy happiness is during the ten or so years they spend at their parents' home.

All the men in the Zhao family, regardless of age, treat their wives well. There is no precedent in the Zhao family for beating a wife.

From the original owner's memories,

My aunt was a daughter-in-law personally chosen by Madam Huang, and she was a very steady and reliable person.

My second uncle and his wife were in a free-love relationship, so their affection for each other has always remained strong.

As for her biological mother, Ma Wan'er, it was her biological father, Zhao Minggeng, who took a liking to her.

The reason is nothing more than lust at first sight, and being blinded by lust.

In life, being pretty isn't enough; you also need to use your brain. But it's too late to regret it now; you can't just return it.

Ma was a fertile woman; she gave birth to Zhao Qingyan a year after marriage, and then went on to have two more sons.

Fortunately, his children are all quite sensible, which makes Zhao Minggeng feel very gratified.

Of course, the original owner of this body would never understand these inner monologues.

Zhao Qingyan, who came from a thousand years in the future, went through the daily life of this couple in her mind and learned about their way of getting along.

Upon exiting the door, he saw the original owner's biological father, who was reluctantly gesturing with a piece of wood on the ground.

It's unclear whether he's reluctant to part with the timber or with his soon-to-be-lost daughter.

Old Master Zhao squatted on the threshold of the main room, smoking his pipe and watching his sons work.

Huang came out of the house with a bowl of water, seemingly to hand it to the old man.

As soon as the bowl of water was handed to the old man, he looked up and glanced at the west wing. His eyes widened in shock, and he was speechless.