Chapter One: Family Ties

The Great Zhou Dynasty.

Hexi Village, fifteen miles east of Pinggu County.

At noon, the spring sunshine was pleasant.

Cheng An squatted under the old elm tree in the courtyard, idly shaping clods of earth. Before long, he had piled up a small mound the size of a bowl. He then took three small wooden sticks and stuck them into the ground.

In his heart, he muttered...

*Rest in peace.*

*May you be reborn into a better life next time.*

Just then, his mother, Lady Liu, poked her head out of the kitchen. She waved at him stealthily, like a thief.

"Little Six, come here quickly."

Cheng An stood up, brushed the dirt off his clothes, and walked to the doorway.

"What is it, Mother?"

"Keep your voice down, don't let your grandmother hear..."

Lady Liu fished a piece of fatty pork, still bristling with a few hairs, out of the pot. After blowing on it quickly a few times, she pinched his chin with one hand and shoved it into his mouth.

"Go on, find a quiet spot where no one can see you."

"Mmh!"

Cheng An nodded indistinctly. He seemed long accustomed to this method of feeding. With practiced ease, he slipped into the haystack behind the house, spat the fatty meat out with some effort, and then began to chew it, bite by tiny bite...

The pork fat was greasy and cloying. Yet Cheng An savored it with endless relish. Even when it reached his throat, he could not bear to swallow it, squeezing it back up to chew it some more.

In an era of such extreme deprivation, fatty meat was the ultimate delicacy in the eyes of country folk. They rarely tasted it more than a few times a year. It was only because today marked the first day of spring sowing that his grandmother, Lady Han, had brought out a small, treasured piece of pork fat, claiming she wanted to reward the whole family. However, this "whole family" certainly did not include him or his mother.

Even his father, Cheng Dashan, who did the most grueling work in the family, was not guaranteed more than a bite or two.

Cheng An did not know if all grandmothers in the world were this biased. In his previous life, he had been heartlessly abandoned at the gates of an orphanage right after birth. To him, family affection was like Sun Wukong meeting Ultraman—completely unrelated, belonging to entirely different worlds.

Thus, from a very young age, he had learned a simple truth: there was no one in this world to rely on, and if one wanted to live well, one had to strive with all one's might.

By the age of twenty-five, through years of working part-time to fund his education, he finally completed his postgraduate studies. He had thought his good days were about to begin, that he could be like many others—finding a decent job, marrying a gentle, ordinary wife, and living out his life without any major storms.

Unfortunately, fate always loved to play cruel tricks on the unfortunate. On his way home from work, he crossed paths with a speeding, drunk female driver. Before he could even utter a final word, he bid this world a permanent farewell.

When he opened his eyes again, he not only had a new identity but also a pair of parents who cared for him deeply, with whom he had now lived for eight years.

***

At the dining table, the family sat in neat order.

The grandmother, Lady Han, gave a slight nod, signaling that they could begin eating. Only then did anyone dare reach out for their share.

The men worked hard and could not be allowed to go hungry, so each received two millet cakes and a large bowl of thin millet porridge. The women and children were not entitled to the cakes; they could only drink the liquid—a bowl of rice water so clear one could see the bottom, with two leaves of some wild vegetable floating on top.

Meanwhile, the plate of wild mushrooms stir-fried with fatty pork sat directly in front of the grandmother.

She picked up the largest piece of fat and placed it into the bowl of her eldest son, who sat beside her. "Eldest," she said warmly, "you study hard. Eat more."

The eldest uncle, Cheng Dahai, bowed respectfully and smiled. "Thank you, Mother. You manage such a large household every day; you work hard too. Please, eat more yourself."

"My eldest is always sensible, knowing to show concern for an old hag like me." Lady Han beamed with gratification. She cast a deliberate glance at her other two sons before picking up another small piece of fatty meat.

The second uncle, Cheng Dahe, offered a sly grin and was about to hold out his bowl to catch it, only to be met with a fierce glare from Lady Han. She then looked toward her grandchildren and placed the meat into the bowl of Cheng Xiaoyuan, the eldest uncle's son.

"Xiaoyuan studies and writes with your father every day. You've worked hard too..."

"Thank you, Grandmother."

Twelve-year-old Cheng Xiaoyuan beamed with joy. He cast a smug look at Cheng An and his other cousins. Just as he reached out with his bowl, his second uncle, Cheng Dahe, suddenly lunged forward, snatched the meat away, and stuffed it into his own mouth.

"Grandmother..." Cheng Xiaoyuan's face fell instantly, looking utterly aggrieved.

Lady Han was furious. She smacked Cheng Dahe on the head with her chopsticks and scolded, "Are you a starving ghost? Have you never tasted meat before? We've all been working ourselves to the bone in the fields these past two days, while you slip away the moment you open your eyes and don't return until it's time to eat! How dare you steal meat from a child? You debt-collector! The whole lot of you are debt-collectors!"

"Mother, that's not fair!" The second aunt, Yao Chunhua, grumbled in displeasure, retorting, "What do you mean, debt-collectors? We work from dawn till dusk too. What's wrong with having a piece of meat?"

"What's wrong? You dare ask what's wrong?" Lady Han was seething. She bellowed without restraint, "Is that meat for you to eat? It's to nourish the brains of your eldest brother and Xiaoyuan! It wasn't easy for our family to produce a scholar like your eldest brother. Won't this household have to rely on him in the future?"

At this, Lady Yao dared not speak further, fearing that if Cheng Dahai really passed the imperial examinations and became a scholar, he might seek retribution against her later.

The room fell silent. Everyone went back to eating with their heads down.

Cheng Dahai smiled smugly. He glanced at Lady Han and said with feigned casualness, "By the way, Mother, I must go to town tomorrow to network and prepare for this year's provincial examinations. I'm afraid I won't be able to work in the fields."

"Go on, do what you must," Lady Han said without the slightest hesitation. "There are plenty of people in this house; we aren't short of one hand. If needed, we'll just make the second and third brothers work more. Your scholar's exam is what matters."

"Why should we?" the second uncle, Cheng Dahe, protested in discontent. "I have things to do tomorrow too!"

"What things do you have to do? What could you possibly have to do? Every day you're either chasing cats, teasing dogs, or gambling with those good-for-nothings. You still have the nerve to speak?" Lady Han's voice was filled with utter disgust.

Unyielding, Cheng Dahe argued, "But Eldest Brother doesn't do anything either! He doesn't go to the fields!"

"Can you even compare yourself to him?" Furious, Lady Han slammed her chopsticks down and spat, "Your eldest brother is going to be an official in the future! And you? You don't even know the simplest character. If you don't tend to the crops, what else can you do?"

"Anyway, if Eldest Brother isn't going, I'm not going either!" Cheng Dahe began to play the rogue, a tactic he often used. He continued, "Or, if you really think I'm useless, then let's divide the family property and live separately! You like Eldest Brother so much, wouldn't it be perfect for you to live with him?"

"You beast! I'll beat you to death, you beast!" Lady Han roared, lunging to strike him.

Cheng Dahai quickly stood up to hold her back, advising, "Forget it, Mother. Second Brother was never cut out for farming anyway. It might be better to let him wander around; perhaps he can find some odd jobs. As for the work in the fields, Third Brother, you will have to..."

Seeing his eldest uncle turn his gaze toward his father, Cheng An did not wait for him to finish. With a loud thud, he collapsed to the ground, crying out in agony, "Ouch! My stomach hurts! It hurts so much, Father! It's killing me!"

"What is it? What happened?" His mother, Lady Liu, gasped in fright.

His father, Cheng Dashan, was also thoroughly startled. He scooped up his son in his arms and rushed out.

"Wait, Third Brother..." Cheng Dahai's words caught in his throat, a look of displeasure flashing in his eyes.