Chapter 1

"Crack, crack, crackle..."

The sound of firecrackers came faintly from a distance, mingled with laughter and chatter, a scene of bustling prosperity. Even without seeing it, one could imagine the lively atmosphere. However, in this secluded little house, the air was filled with indescribable sorrow.

A woman with a fair complexion, dressed in simple clothes and adorned with wooden hairpins, knelt on a mat, her face filled with sorrow. She murmured to the statue of Guanyin on the table, "Guanyin Bodhisattva, who saves all beings from suffering, I have devoted myself to Buddhism. I vow to eat vegetarian for the rest of my life, only to ask the Bodhisattva to save my poor child and help him wake up soon. If my son Huan can recover, I am willing to give up ten years of my life. If anything happens to Huan, I... I cannot go on living either, sob..."

The woman's originally alluring eyes were now red and swollen like walnuts, and her voice was hoarse, indicating that this was not the first time she had made such a prayer.

Outside, the noisy voices and laughter of people contrasted sharply with the desolate atmosphere inside the house. Hearing the sounds from outside, the woman's sorrowful face showed a hint of resentment.

Her son was so ill...

Yet, among the hundreds of people in the household, not a single one had come to visit him. The young master of the Jia family, whenever he had a slight headache or fever, it was as if the sky was about to fall. But her son Huan had been unconscious for several days, and no one had even inquired about him. Truly, human relationships were cold and the world was harsh.

What was most hateful was her eldest daughter. It was one thing that others did not come to visit, as they were used to being neglected. Her branch of the family was never favored. But the third daughter? Huan is your own flesh and blood brother...

The more she thought about it, the angrier and more indignant she became. The uneducated woman, who had never read much, looked at her son lying on the bed, pale as paper and unconscious, and could not help but burst into tears.

Her sobs were mournful and heart-wrenching.

"Ugh..."

Jia Huan felt a splitting headache. After the graduation party last night, he had been dragged by his roommates to sing karaoke and then to a barbecue. No matter what, alcohol was an essential part of the night.

With various excuses and reasons, they drank deeply, one after another. The man from Shanxi and the giant from Northeast China each carried a case of Russian vodka...

"Damn, you motherf**kers!"

Four years of college, thousands of days and nights spent together, naturally forged deep bonds. Tomorrow, they would all go their separate ways, and who knew when they would meet again. Therefore, regardless of their usual reserve, they were all a bit melancholic.

What can dispel sorrow? Only vodka.

The beer boxes were replaced one after another, and the 60-degree vodka bottles kept coming. It seemed as if they wouldn't stop until they were all drunk.

Jia Huan, an ordinary college student whose parents were farmers, could be sure that his father, who gave him this name, had never read "Dream of the Red Chamber." Otherwise, he would never have given him such an unlucky name. At the very least, he should have been named Jia Baoyu, right?

He faintly heard a woman crying. Jia Huan rubbed his aching head, mustered his strength, and opened his eyes.

He was curious who would cry by his bedside. Not that he was being arrogant, but as a farmer's son, he had no rich background, and his academic performance was not outstanding. Although he was in good physical condition, he was not particularly athletic. Apart from boasting about politics with his roommates, he could hardly speak to girls.

Although he loved the teaching videos of Muto Tsubasa and Aoi Sora, they had been of no practical use, except for wasting a few rolls of toilet paper.

So, a girl crying by his bedside was something that would only happen in a ghost story, not in his life.

But if it were a ghost story, he wouldn't be afraid. Coming from a rural area, he had once slept on a grave with a black dog, so he wasn't scared of anything!

His mind raced, but when he opened his eyes, Jia Huan was stunned.

This looked like the ancient-style building they stayed in during a trip to a resort outside the city with the professor.

The carved windows, and the spaces between them were not glass but... oiled paper?

The room was filled with the scent of incense. No wonder his head felt so heavy; it must have been the incense.

He looked at the quilt, which seemed to be made of brocade.

Too fancy!

Could he afford such a house?

Oh no, the crying woman must be the girl he hired last night, who found out he was a poor guy and was crying.

Damn, those bastards really tricked him.

A place like this, a night would cost thousands of dollars.

He couldn't afford it even if he sold his kidney!

Listen, the girl was crying so pitifully, she must have checked his wallet and found it emptier than her face.

But since it had come to this, he had to face it. He couldn't pretend to be dead.

As the old man back home told him when he left for school, a man must stand tall and face any adversity.

His tuition was paid by selling the family's water buffalo and by secretly selling blood a few times.

His mother didn't say much, because as a father, he had to take care of his children's education.

In the future, if his grandson needed money for school, his son would do the same. It was a natural duty.

With such family values, even if he had no money, he had courage.

After giving himself a pep talk, Jia Huan, despite his splitting headache, tried to sit up.

But when he rolled up his sleeves and was about to exert himself, he froze.

Was this his hand?

It was as thin as a stick, with a layer of white skin covering the bones, and there was hardly any meat on it.

That wasn't right. He had worked in the fields since he was young, and at eighteen, he had pushed a millstone, stronger than the family's old donkey.

He could run a mile with a 200-pound sack on his back.

He could carry cement bags on construction sites all day without getting tired.

That was how he earned his tuition.

But now, his body looked like a drug addict's. What was going on?

Jia Huan, as if seeing a ghost, shivered and sat up, looking down at his body. It was pale and thin like a chick.

He touched his hair, and to his shock, it was long.

He clearly didn't have breasts, right?

He pulled down his underwear, and thankfully, his "bird" was still there, though a bit smaller...

Even if he was ignorant, he couldn't have missed the topic of "穿越" (time travel) that had been discussed everywhere for years.

Time travel!

Is this time travel? Is this time travel?

Just as Jia Huan's mind was in chaos, he heard a cry.

"Ah, Huan, you're awake? Sob, thank the Bodhisattva, thank the Bodhisattva, sob, my Huan, you scared me to death!"

The woman hugged Jia Huan tightly, as if afraid he would disappear.

Jia Huan was about to enjoy the warmth of her embrace when he heard the last sentence, and he was completely stunned.

What? Mother?!

He wasn't some pervert from a certain island nation with a twisted sense of ethics.

Jia Huan was full of confusion but quickly realized that if he had indeed traveled through time, he would have new parents.

But what about his parents from his previous life?

Although they were from a rural area and had another son, his parents had worked hard to raise and educate him. He hadn't even had the chance to repay them, and now he had traveled through time.

Thinking of his strict father and kind mother, whom he might never see again, he couldn't help but cry.

"My son, are you feeling unwell? Huan, don't scare your mother again. I don't wish for anything in this life except for you to grow up. If anything happens to you, what's the point of me living? I might as well go with you. Sob!"

Jia Huan's mother was terrified by his crying, thinking something was wrong with him again.

But even if her son was unwell, she, an uneducated woman, couldn't do much to help. It would be better for her to go with him, so they wouldn't be alone.

Despite his confusion, Jia Huan couldn't continue crying. After all, this body belonged to the woman's son.

Since he had taken over this body, he had to take responsibility and stop his mother from grieving.

As for his parents from his previous life, Jia Huan hoped that someone else would take over his body and take care of them...

"Mother, don't worry, I'm fine now. I don't hurt anywhere. It's just that..."

Jia Huan looked puzzled and hesitated to speak.

"What's wrong, Huan? Where are you feeling unwell? I'll go get a doctor for you tomorrow. I'll even beg the master to send for a royal physician. The outside doctors are all quacks, and they've harmed my son... sob!"

The woman's words drifted off, and she cried, her beautiful face now a mess.

But Jia Huan felt warmth in his heart. No matter which life, his family, though uneducated, had always treated him with the purest and most sincere love.

Jia Huan smiled, "Mother, I'm really fine. It's just that my mind is a bit confused, and I can't remember anything except that you are my mother."

"Ah! What should we do? You... you have soul loss? Sob, it's all those heartless people's fault. I told Little Xiang to tell them not to set off firecrackers in the house, as it would scare you. They didn't listen and even laughed at me. Sob, my poor Huan, how can I live without you? I might as well die. Sob!"

Jia Huan, feeling a mix of amusement and sorrow, looked at his weeping mother and smiled, "Mother, it's not a big deal. If I have soul loss, so be it. As long as I remember you, you can tell me everything else. It doesn't hurt or itch, so what's the big deal? Please stop crying."

The woman was taken aback, stared at Jia Huan for a moment, and then smiled through her tears, "Huan, you've become smarter. You're right, as long as you remember me, I can tell you everything else!"

This is best. Just remember me; remembering others is useless. They have no conscience, especially the third daughter, who wishes she had been born to the lady of the house. Being born to me, a concubine, has made her miserable.

You've been unconscious for three days, and she hasn't even come to see you. The money she secretly saved, she doesn't spend on you or me, but gives it all to that monster. I'm so angry...

Hearing the woman's words, Jia Huan felt a sense of familiarity and unease. These things sounded so familiar, as if he had read about them somewhere...