This is a story set in the Ming dynasty, in the village of Shuiqiao. A young man with a tall and thin build, but handsome looks, named Zhao Ce, sits under the eaves outside his room.
He sighs while looking at the corners covered with moss, realizing that he has traveled back in time.
Zhao Ce has just finished digesting the memories of the original owner of this body, who shares the same name as him. Unlike his previous life, where he has been protecting animals for nearly thirty years, in this body, he is just a 19-year-old poor scholar.
As a scholar, his age is not considered young, but the original owner of this body had only started learning a year or two. At the age of 14, his father earned some money and decided to send him to school in the city.
He arrived at the school wearing a plain cotton jacket that was better than what the villagers wore, looking excitedly at the city people.
However, he soon realized the huge wealth gap between him and the city people. His classmates, who were sons of wealthy families, could casually throw money at their servants, which was more than his pocket money for several days. He began to feel discontented and his mind became more narrow.
Although he had not learned many characters, his vision had become higher. He constantly thought about how he would become a high-ranking official in the future and enjoy a life of luxury.
When he returned to the village, he looked down on the farmers and wore a long robe, carrying himself with a pretentious air of superiority, often using words that he didn't even understand. If any of the village children came too close, he would scold them.
Over time, the villagers began to distance themselves from him, even though they knew he was a scholar. He was no longer welcome in the village.
However, his good fortune did not last long. When his parents were preparing to build a new house, they had an accident and both passed away. The original owner of this body, who had only learned a few characters and was daydreaming about becoming a high-ranking official through the imperial examination, was left in shock and confusion.
The original master's uncle pitied him for being a lonely person and helped him with the funeral arrangements.
For the past two years, he had been helping the original master. He urged him to strive for success and study hard to comfort his deceased parents' spirits. The original master was deeply moved and started to pull himself together.
As a scholar, he refused to accept any handouts and assistance from his uncle's family. He thought to himself that even if he was the only one left in his family, he must strive for success and not let the villagers ridicule him.
So he worked hard, but unfortunately, he squandered all the money set aside for building a house in just two years. Last night, the original master was probably drunk and angry, and he died of anger, which allowed Zhao Ce to cross over to this world.
Thinking about all of this, Zhao Ce felt a sense of desolation. "What kind of situation is this..." "A transmigration that started with a catastrophe."
Looking at the soil falling from the wall, Zhao Ce shook his still-dizzy head. "Well, since I'm here, I should live well." "I have already eaten two bowls of porridge, so I can definitely survive."
He looked down at the original master's bony body. "Although he is thin, he is still tall enough." "As long as he exercises more in the future, he can become a great leader again, and there shouldn't be any problems."
In the original master's memory, although this Ming dynasty was different from the one in Zhao Ce's original history, it was similar. Therefore, even though the original master had lost all of his family's wealth, Zhao Ce was not afraid.
He had a lot of knowledge in his mind, so it shouldn't be a problem for him to escape poverty in this ancient world. Feeling a little more relaxed, Zhao Ce stood up from the ground and dusted off his clothes.
"I always feel like I forgot something..."
Zhao Ce furrowed his brow. "Never mind, I'll go back to my room and take stock of what I still have."
As he was about to head back, he heard a knock on the door.
Zhao Ce walked over and opened it, revealing a middle-aged man with a weathered face standing outside.
When the man saw Zhao Ce, his kindly face broke into a smile.
The man was Zhao Youcai, the uncle of the original owner of the body Zhao Ce was currently inhabiting.
Zhao Youcai was the village chief of Shuiqiao Village, and he commanded respect among the villagers.
However, in front of his nephew, he couldn't maintain his stern demeanor.
He asked tentatively, "Ce'er, have you brought the person back?"
Person? What person?
Zhao Ce was momentarily confused.
Zhao Youcai clarified, "Yesterday, didn't you give the betrothal gifts to the matchmaker and say you were going to bring back a wife?"
"You said she came from a good family but lived far away."
He paused and asked, "I noticed you haven't put up any red paper in your house. Is it because you don't have enough money?"
"I've brought you some more money for the wedding. It's a big event, so you need to prepare properly."
After Zhao Youcai reminded him, Zhao Ce remembered.
He grimaced and thought to himself: I just said I forgot something, and it turns out to be this.
In the past two years, the original owner of the body had been brought to a brothel in the city by his classmates who looked down on him.
He became infatuated with a courtesan there, and all the family's money was spent on the brothel.
After the money his parents had saved up for building a house was gone, they had to sell off their land.
And yet, he hadn't even touched the hand of the courtesan...
Yesterday, he heard that the courtesan was going to take in another patron.
Since he was broke, he had to swallow his pride and ask his uncle for money.
He lied and said that the marriage had been arranged by the matchmaker, and the bride was from a neighboring county.
All he needed to do was pay the betrothal gifts, and he could bring her back.
In ancient times, the government encouraged population growth and imposed fines on men who were not married by the age of 20 and women who were not married by the age of 16.
And these fines were cumulative.
So, whether poor or ugly or born into a wealthy family, everyone had to do their part to procreate and contribute to society.
Zhao Ce was already 19 years old.
Because of his previous estrangement from Zhao Youcai's family, Zhao Youcai didn't feel comfortable suggesting a match for him.
As a result, when he suddenly asked for money to marry, Zhao Youcai was overjoyed.
Without a second thought, he gave Zhao Ce five taels of silver, ignoring the objections of his own family, so that he could bring the bride back and prepare for the wedding.
As expected, all the money was spent at the brothel...
"Um, Uncle..."
Zhao Ce hesitated. "About the person..."
Zhao Youcai smelled the lingering scent of alcohol on Zhao Ce and was initially unhappy.
But when he heard his nephew call him "Uncle," the wrinkles on his face softened into a smile.
Since Zhao Ce's parents had passed away, he refused the family's help after a year and even refused to call Zhao Youcai "Uncle" due to various issues.
Zhao Youcai felt his eyes moisten.
He swallowed the words he wanted to say and cleared his throat, "Ahem," wiping away the tears from his eyes.
"What happened to the person?"
"Is she not pretty enough? That's okay."
"As long as she's a reliable and capable person who can give birth, it's fine."
As they were talking, a young girl walked out of the room.
She timidly said, "Hus...husband..."
"We can eat now."
She walked out of the room and was momentarily stunned to see Zhao Youcai and Zhao Ce at the door.
The smile on Zhao Youcai's face gradually disappeared as he looked at the thin young girl.
Zhao Ce slapped his forehead.
He had forgotten about this.