On a peaceful morning in early summer, at the foot of Fengshan Mountain, a quiet little village gradually came alive.

 

It had rained last night, not heavily, but a continuous drizzle that persisted until three or four in the morning. Now, as one looked at the sky, washed clean by the rain, a few white clouds floated leisurely, creating an exceptionally pleasant atmosphere.

 

Xiwang Village.

 

In the northeastern part of the village, at the foot of the mountain, was a simple rural courtyard belonging to the Jing family.

 

The smoke from the kitchen had already begun to rise as Liu Caiyue, the mother of the family, prepared breakfast. The meal was simple: a few steamed buns made of mixed grains, a pot of millet porridge, and a few pickled vegetables taken from the pickle jar. That was all it took to make a meal.

 

In the yard, there was a young jujube tree, still too young to bear fruit. Its green leaves flourished abundantly in the early summer. The birds on the tree chirped incessantly, but the tall figure lying in bed inside the house, covered in a quilt, remained undisturbed.

 

Suddenly, the door creaked open, and a small head with two little buns on top peered in. A rosy birthmark adorned their forehead, making their cute face even more lively.

 

They stared at the person sleeping on the bed for a while, but there was no movement—they were truly still asleep. The little head quietly withdrew, closed the door, and ran off into the distance. A clear and melodious voice soon rang out, “Mother, when will Big Brother wake up?”

 

In the kitchen, Jing Mother worked busily on breakfast, effortlessly and efficiently. Upon hearing her youngest son’s question, she smiled and replied, “Not yet. Don’t disturb your big brother. He must be tired from going to the mountains to gather medicinal herbs and selling them in town yesterday. Why don’t you go play for a while?”

 

“But Big Brother promised to take me hunting in the mountains today…” The young boy’s tone held a mixture of anticipation and disappointment.

 

As the mother and son chatted, a tall and skinny boy of about ten years old, holding a bundle of wild vegetables, pushed open the courtyard gate and entered. He patted his chest and said to his little brother, “Go to the small hill behind us? Come on, I’ll take you there! And while we’re at it, let’s find some horsehead orchids. The ones I gathered earlier aren’t enough for a dish.”

 

“What small hill? Big brother is taking me to Xiaofeng Mountain. Second brother, you can’t climb up there,” the little boy said, scanning his older brother’s frail figure up and down with big eyes, genuinely concerned.

 

“What? You’re looking down on your second brother?” As they spoke, the two brothers started playfully wrestling.

 

Jing Mother in the kitchen saw them but didn’t intervene. The two brothers had a strong bond, so she simply reminded them to eat quickly and be careful not to dirty their clothes.

 

Jing Yi slowly woke up from his slumber, smiling to himself upon hearing the voices of his two younger brothers in the yard.

 

It seemed like today he would have to take the two little rascals up the mountain to play. They couldn’t go to the Da Feng Mountain Range, and the small hill behind the village wouldn’t be enough to satisfy them. They would have to go to Xiaofeng Mountain instead. He also wanted to check the traps he had set.

 

With that in mind, he luxuriously lay in bed for another ten minutes before finally getting up. Coming to ancient times, he had finally fulfilled a small dream of his—freedom to sleep without the burden of working 996 hours.

 

Jing Yi was a modern man who had traveled through time. He couldn’t explain the specific details of how it happened, but he remembered that one night, after taking a shower and preparing to watch a movie, as soon as the projection device turned on, there was a burst of fire, and when he opened his eyes again, he was in the Da Yuan Dynasty, not the Da Yuan Dynasty that existed in history, but a completely unheard-of dynasty called Da Yuan.

 

Three months ago, he arrived at the “Jing Yi” family in the Da Yuan Dynasty. The family was simple, consisting of his father, Jing Rong, a modest and honest man who was well-liked in the village and doted on his wife and children; his mother, Liu Caiyue, who had a slightly hot temper but was kind-hearted. There were also two younger brothers, Jing An and Jing Shu, below him. The other relatives are not worth mentioning for now.

 

As for why Jing Yi was able to come to the “Jing Yi” family, from the fragmented memories he received, he could piece together a rough idea.

 

The original body had been weak since childhood, a condition he was born with. It seemed that someone had pushed his mother when she was about to give birth, but it wasn’t something they could openly discuss. It was a topic that the elders avoided mentioning.

 

So, he grew up stumbling and struggling. Despite his delicate health, he managed to reach the age of sixteen.

 

Due to his physical limitations, he couldn’t carry heavy loads or do much work in the fields.

 

Seeing his eldest son’s condition, Jing Father and Jing Mother sent him to school when he turned ten. He studied for three years, hoping that once he learned to read, he wouldn’t have to toil in the fields and could find work in town to support himself.

 

Therefore, it was evident that although the original body had a sensitive and fragile personality, his family was considerate and took care of him in every way, including his two younger brothers.

 

More than half a year ago, when the farming season was slow and winter had not yet arrived, Jing Father went to work in the town. Little did he know that something dirty happened while he was working. He was wrongly accused, beaten, had his wages deducted, and almost ended up being taken to the yamen for trial. The news was spread back to the village by people from another village, and it was like a bolt from the blue.

 

Jing Mother was a strong-willed person. Knowing that it was not the time to be confused, she quickly sought help from Jing Father’s brothers, the village chief, and the elders. They went to the town together to bring Jing Father back home for medical treatment and recuperation. They had to swallow the loss for the time being.

 

Once Jing Father’s situation was settled, the original body suddenly fainted. Everyone rushed to carry him back into the house and called for a doctor who said it was an urgent heart attack.

 

The original body already had a heavy heart, and now that the pillar of the family had been humiliated and slandered to this extent and fallen ill, he felt both anxious and angry. His already weak body deteriorated further, and he could only rest quietly and see how things progressed.

 

And so, two more months passed, and the original body quietly passed away one night. Jing Yi, from the modern world, arrived.

 

Jing Yi was a broad-minded person. In the modern world, he had achieved considerable success on his own, but he had no family, no loved ones.

 

The environment he grew up in since childhood had shaped him to be somewhat independent and aloof, but occasionally, he would feel lonely. The joy of success had no one to share it with, and the pain of failure had no one to confide in. Therefore, after coming here and interacting with the Jing family, he felt a sense of familiarity and trust from the depths of his soul.

 

Jing Yi felt that this was heaven’s reward for his continuous acts of charity. He secretly made a decision to treat his parents and younger brothers well.

 

After arriving here, his core had changed, but the shell remained the same. He still needed to slowly recover his body, as haste wouldn’t help.

 

After lying in bed for about a month, feeling that his physical functions were mostly fine, he immediately picked up his fitness routine. In the modern world, he had attended school and participated in military training from a young age. After graduating from university, he even served in the military for three years. So arranging a rehabilitation training regimen for himself now was a piece of cake.

 

Another two months passed, and Jing Yi’s body visibly improved. Although his physical fitness was still far behind compared to his previous life, at least he could now help his mother fetch water from the river, something the original body couldn’t do.

 

This made Jing Father and Jing Mother extremely happy and touched. They felt that their eldest son not only had recovered physically but also had become more cheerful and caring. They saw that he knew how to cherish his parents.

 

Speaking of the original body’s character and conduct, Jing Yi didn’t want to make too many judgments. After all, he occupied someone else’s body and enjoyed their family and love.

 

The original body’s sensitivity and irritability were also due to his lifelong insecurity caused by his physical condition. He was also pitiful in his own way.

 

But from another perspective, as a child, one shouldn’t cause too much worry for their parents and be careful in every aspect. One shouldn’t let younger brothers grow up always accommodating and deferring to their elder brother.

 

“Squeak—”

 

The door to the western room opened, and Jing Yi walked out. He saw his little brother squatting idly in the

 

corner of the front yard, poking an anthill with a small stick.

 

“The ants were staying at home peacefully, and you went and poked their anthill. Are you planning to build them a new house?” Jing Yi half-bent down and patted his little brother’s head, thinking that he should get some small toys for his second younger brother. The youngest one was already seven years old and spending every day poking anthills and catching grasshoppers was not going to be productive. When he earned money in the future, he would have to arrange their studies as well.

 

Jing’s family has two children. The second child is a boy, and the third child is a young boy.

 

In this world, besides women, there are young boys who can marry and have children. Young boys are slightly thinner and more delicate than ordinary men. Although most of them, like women, marry and have children, they indeed face fewer restrictions than women.

 

Among the high-ranking families, there are some noble families that train their young boys to study and participate in the imperial examinations, becoming officials in the court. Although they are rare, they do exist.

 

However, in farming families, everyone is busy working hard just to have enough to eat and drink, let alone sending young boys to study. There are very few children going to school. Taking Dawan Village as an example, there are around a hundred children of suitable age from six to fourteen, but Jing Yi knows that only a handful of them are attending school.

 

Everyone knows that education is beneficial, but either they lack awareness or simply don’t have the money. Ultimately, it all comes down to poverty.

 

“Mom and Dad, I’ll take them for a walk in the mountains. We’ll be back before lunch.” After having breakfast together, Jing Yi informed his parents and picked up a basket and tools, taking the two little tagalongs with him as they walked outside.

 

Jing An and Jing Shu eagerly ran out, happily shouting, “Mom, we’ll be back soon.” “Dad, wait for us for lunch!”

 

Hearing this, Jing’s mother quickly cautioned them, “Don’t run off right after eating. You two behave and listen to your big brother!”

 

Watching them leave, she smiled and went into the main room to tidy up the dishes, still talking to her husband, “Since Xiao Yi recovered, he has been getting better and better. He has been working hard both at home and outside, not letting us do any heavy or tiring work. He also cares a lot for his two younger brothers. You see, they used to avoid him, but now they always look for him.”

 

“He has become sensible and capable. Last time, he even brought back a mountain chicken from the mountain, and yesterday he sold medicinal herbs for over a hundred wen. Ah, it’s all because of my actions. In the past six months, our family has been struggling. You and the other wives have suffered because of me.”

 

Jing’s father, feeling somewhat guilty, replied, “Don’t say that. How can it be blamed on you? Blame those corrupt and immoral supervisors. Besides, since Xiao Yi recovered from his illness, he has been flourishing in every aspect. I even saw him teaching Xiao An to recite books the other day.”

 

Jing’s mother stopped her husband from offering help and told him to rest, quickly finished tidying up the dishes, and took them to the yard to wash.

 

With a piece of old cloth turned into a rag, Jing’s father swiftly wiped the table, then followed his wife to the yard to continue their conversation, saying, “Of course, you should also see whose son he is!”

 

Rolling her eyes, Jing’s mother replied, “Just be proud, but remember, he is also my son.”