Chapter 1: Just Arrived

The scorching summer sun pierced through the dilapidated wooden window, drilling into the room.

Su Tai opened her eyes, her head throbbing with a splitting pain. She looked around, taking in the strange and crude environment, and as her gaze fell upon those thin, bony, and dirt-stained little hands, her brows furrowed slightly.

She had transmigrated!

As this realization dawned on her, the memories of this body rushed in like a surging tide.

The original owner shared her name, Su Tai. She had been mentally disabled since childhood. As the eldest daughter of the family, her parents carried her on their backs while working before her younger brother was born. After he was born, the brother was tasked with watching her. Because she had been betrothed since childhood, her parents had kept her condition strictly hidden to prevent her fiancé’s family from looking down on her, never letting her leave the house. Only the families well-acquainted with them in the village knew the truth.

This time, due to a three-year-long drought and a severe water shortage, the neighboring Ximen Village had cut off the water from the Little Pebble River. The situation escalated, and a dispute broke out between the villages over water rights. Her father, mother, and older brother, Su Zhan, had all rushed off to help, leaving her in the care of her six-year-old younger brother, Su Ming.

The six-year-old, full of curiosity and having never seen such a massive confrontation, gave the original owner some haphazard instructions to stay home and wait for them. Unexpectedly, the original owner couldn't comprehend this and followed behind her little brother to join the commotion.

In the chaotic village brawl, the innocent were caught in the crossfire. It was under these circumstances that the original owner’s head was broken, and the news of her mental disability spread.

Su Tai sighed, feeling a mix of relief and helplessness.

She was relieved that the original owner had been mentally disabled and had never done anything of significance, making her easy to fool. However, she felt helpless about having to take over the mess the original owner had left behind and having to struggle for survival in this world plagued by constant natural disasters.

Yet, perhaps transmigration wasn't a bad thing for her. In her previous life, she was an ordinary female college student from the new era who had returned to her hometown in a poverty-stricken mountainous region. After giving birth to her, her biological mother couldn't bear the hardship and ran off with someone else. Her father was patriarchal, and her stepmother didn't care for her either, making life difficult.

After finally making it to college, she had just graduated when her father and stepmother tricked her into returning home to get married, claiming that as a college student, she was "valuable" and the other party was willing to pay a dowry of 100,000 yuan. She fought back and tried to escape, only to have an accident and fall into a mountain ravine over ten meters deep.

Life in the Su family was indeed difficult, but the couple was protective and loved their children—far better than her original family.

The biggest problem right now was surviving the drought.

Thinking of this, Su Tai slowly closed her eyes, recalling the dream she had just had.

In the blink of an eye, she found herself in a strange, circular space. She was standing in the center of the circle, where a raised platform stood. In the middle was a screen resembling a monitor, displaying the words: "Welcome to the Space-Time Gate Transit Station. Accumulate fifty virtual coins to open any space-time gate."

To the left was a machine resembling a vending machine, displaying various goods and their prices, while to the right was a cabinet labeled "Automatic Trading Cabinet."

Indeed, there was always a way out. She hurriedly turned to look at the circular wall. The entire ring had five doors, corresponding to Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. The five doors were tightly shut, silent and still.

It was all real!

Su Tai was ecstatic. She closed her eyes, thinking of the Su family, and when she opened them again, she found herself back on that broken bed.

Just as she wanted to enter the Space-Time Gate Transit Station again to study it properly, a woman’s anxious voice came from outside—it must be the original owner’s mother, Madam Han.

"Xiao Tai, Xiao Tai, how are you?"

Before Su Tai could react, Madam Han had already rushed into the room and pounced on her, patting and checking her body incessantly. Her rough hands finally stopped at the bandage wrapped around her head, and she burst into loud, wailing sobs. "Why is my child so ill-fated! Wuwuwu, I only took my eyes off you for a moment, how did you end up like this?"

Today, during the fight between the two villages, most of the women from Dongmen Village had run back to their maiden homes to fetch reinforcements. Madam Han had also returned to Zhongmen Village to gather people and had only rushed back upon receiving the news.

Su Chunlin followed her in, constantly comforting Madam Han.

After crying for a while, Madam Han turned and roared fiercely toward the door: "You brat, get in here right now!"

After Su Tai was injured in Ximen Village today, the Han family, worried that Su Ming would be beaten to death by Su Chunlin, had taken advantage of the chaos to have Su Zhan bring Su Ming back to Zhongmen Village to be handed over to Madam Han.

Six-year-old Su Ming trembled as he stepped into the room, standing by the door frame, afraid to move forward. Looking at the tear tracks on his dirty little face, it was clear he had just been crying.

"Big Sister... I'm sorry, I will never leave you alone at home again!"

The more Madam Han heard, the angrier she became. "You don't know what your big sister's condition is? I think your skin is just itching for a beating! Second son, bring me my wooden stick!"

As soon as Madam Han finished speaking, Su Tai clearly saw the little figure at the door tremble. Feeling an inexplicable heartache, she instinctively spoke up: "Mother, don't hit Little Brother."

As soon as these words left her lips, Madam Han’s body stiffened, and Su Chunlin was dumbfounded.

Su Ming, who was stuck at the door, looked shocked. He immediately rushed to Su Tai’s side and asked in surprise: "Big Sister, you... you... what did you just say?"

The three of them stared at Su Tai in unison.

Su Ming suddenly reached out his claw-like hands and felt Su Tai’s body, then nodded solemnly to Madam Han. "Mother, it’s definitely my big sister."

Madam Han snapped out of it, gave Su Ming a sharp slap, and said with a voice trembling with excitement, "Do you think I don't know it's your big sister? Girl, you... you... you can understand what we're saying?"

Under the expectant gazes of everyone, Su Tai nodded heavily.

Su Chunlin and his wife hugged each other and wept with joy.

In the eyes of Su Chunlin and his wife, as long as she could understand human speech and take care of herself, she was a normal person and had nothing to do with being a fool.

Su Zhan, who had just finished putting things away and entered, was startled by the scene. Upon hearing that his big sister could respond normally, he also wept with joy.

A blessing in disguise, but unfortunately, they didn't have long to rejoice before a group of uninvited guests arrived at the Su household.

The leader, Madam Ding, walked in with her head held high, leading a group of burly men. They rudely pushed open the Su family’s fence gate and stood in the courtyard to demand an explanation.

"Su Chunlin, don't be a coward! If you have the guts, get out here! Your family is truly capable, keeping a foolish daughter hidden so tightly that not a single whisper leaked out! If our second son had known your daughter was a fool, he certainly wouldn't have let A-Kai enter into a betrothal with her. Now that the news of your daughter’s disability has spread, our Xiong Kai has become the laughingstock of the entire Ximen Village. If you don't give us an explanation today, we won't let this go!"

Su Chunlin’s expression changed. He exchanged a glance with Madam Han and hurried out to open the door. Before leaving, he carefully instructed Su Ming to look after Su Tai and forbade her from going out.

Su Ming nodded heavily, his expression serious.

Seeing them like this, Su Tai felt anxious as well. Rest was out of the question. Since she couldn't go out, she got off the bed and hid behind the door to eavesdrop.