Chapter 1: 101 Transmigration

Dilapidated, broken, and extremely, extremely dilapidated.

This was a wretchedly broken old house. Even though it was already late autumn, the windows were so dilapidated they didn't even have window paper; the north wind whistled through the window frames into the room, making the already chilly house even colder.

Faint sunlight shone in through the windows, allowing one to barely make out the appearance of the room; the room was small and low-ceilinged, and near the wall facing the opposite door sat a bed constructed from bricks and wooden planks. The entire room gave off a damp sensation, and a faint smell of mold permeated the air.

On top of that thing that could barely be called a bed, a young girl of about ten years old lay curled up; her eyes were tightly shut, and her thin, withered little face was a sickly yellow, though a strange flush touched her cheeks. Her forehead was covered in dense beads of sweat, and her dry, yellowish hair clung to her brow.

A quilt that had been washed so many times it had turned white, losing its original color, covered the little girl's body: "Mm... cold... so cold." The little girl murmured unconsciously, her upper and lower teeth chattering incessantly.

Despite being covered in sweat, she kept crying out that she was cold; it seemed her illness was quite serious!

With a 'creak,' the dilapidated door was slowly pushed open, followed by the sound of light footsteps; a blue figure walked in from outside: "Lan-ya-tou... Lan-ya-tou..." A gentle voice whispered softly by the little girl's ear.

The person who walked into the room was a middle-aged woman wearing a blue old robe covered in patches; on her lower half was a skirt of the same color, with a dark belt tied around her waist; her hair was gathered into a simple bun with a wooden hairpin—er, it was clearly the attire of an ancient woman.

The middle-aged woman walked to the bedside and sat down, her thin, dry, and slightly dark face still stained with tears; looking at the little girl lying on the bed, her nose tingled and tears couldn't help but pour down: "Lan-ya-tou... wuwu... it's all because your mother is useless, wuwu... I've let my Lan-ya-tou suffer." The middle-aged woman held the girl's small hand, which was so thin it was almost all bone, and cried a messy, heartbroken sob.

"Ugh... so... so noisy." Perhaps because the middle-aged woman was crying too loudly, she accidentally woke the little girl lying on the bed; the girl spoke in a daze, unconsciously, while struggling to open her eyes.

"Lan-ya-tou, you're awake!" The middle-aged woman said with a face full of joy, while pulling a clean, white-washed handkerchief from her bosom; she gently wiped the sweat from the little girl's forehead: "Lan-ya-tou, just lie there obediently; Mother will go make you something delicious right now, be good!" As soon as she finished speaking, the middle-aged woman left like a gust of wind.

The middle-aged woman who had just departed did not know that the little girl lying on the bed was no longer her Lan-ya-tou; the soul residing in this body now was one from a thousand years in the future—Li Menglan, a person with the exact same name as her Lan-ya-tou.

My head hurts so much... where is this place? Li Menglan, who had just opened her eyes, was not yet lucid. She... she had only had a few extra drinks at her company's anniversary celebration; how could it be? How could opening her eyes reveal such a ghostly place? Li Menglan was stunned... Dammit? Can someone tell me exactly what happened?

Li Menglan tried to lift her hand with great effort, only to find her whole body felt as if it had been run over by a car; there was only one feeling—it hurt so much... Her head felt like it was going to explode, and not only that—her mouth was parched and her throat was both sore and itchy.

And... and this hand... looking closely, it was a small, slender child's arm. Suddenly, Li Menglan's body began to tremble uncontrollably; this must be a dream... yes... she must be dreaming. She just needs to sleep... she'll be fine once she wakes up from a nap; Li Menglan thought like an ostrich.

She immediately decided to pull the covers over her head and sleep again, but... once Li Menglan closed her eyes, many new memories flooded into her mind. Although they were only fragmented, intermittent pieces of memory, Li Menglan was certain that these must be the original memories of this body; the memories of the little girl with the same name as her.

Whether Li Menglan wanted to or not, whether she admitted it or not, everything clearly explained one fact: she had transmigrated—transmigrated into the body of this little girl with the same name.

It turned out the owner of this body originally had a decent enough family situation, but unfortunately, the original owner's father was a "great filial son"...

Li Menglan's father, Li Dazhu, was an honest and simple-minded man, but he also happened to be a great filial son; two years ago, Li Dazhu's father, who was also Li Menglan's grandfather, Li Fujin, had inexplicably contracted a strange illness; no one knew how much money had been spent on doctors and medicine. People say there are no filial children by a long-term patient's bedside; but in Li Dazhu's case, the opposite was true.

Li Dazhu had no siblings; he was the only son of his parents; and Li Dazhu himself was a filial person, and the wife he married was also very filial just like him. To treat Li Fujin's illness, the couple pawned everything they could pawn and sold everything they could sell; they even sold the blue-tiled house they had finished repairing less than a year ago to a fellow villager, and Li Fujin's old life was finally saved.

But the family had completely fallen into ruin, and to make matters worse, misfortune came in waves; just as Li Fujin's health improved, Li Dazhu's daughter, Li Menglan, fell ill. With this illness... she had unconsciously swapped her core; a soul from a thousand years later had moved into the body of this ten-year-old girl, Li Menglan.

Li Menglan lay weakly on the bed, looking at the desolate, empty, and broken room; a bitter smile that did not suit her age couldn't help but appear on her face. Heh... how truly funny; when others transmigrate, they transmigrate into some Miss or Princess, or at the very least, they have a spatial dimension or something... but what about her?

Sigh... it turns out it's true—comparing oneself to others is enough to make one die of anger. Why did a perfectly good "rich, fair, and beautiful" girl like me turn into such a tragic kid? I wonder how my parents are doing now? At the very least, even if I'm gone, there's still a little brother in the family; I only hope my dad and mom won't be too heartbroken by my departure, Li Menglan comforted herself.

However... taking one look at the room she lived in and connecting it to the original owner's memories, Li Menglan decided she had to recover her health as quickly as possible; she had to find a way to earn some money; otherwise... in a broken house like this, people would freeze to death in the winter. As for other matters, she would make plans for them slowly later.

"Lan-ya-tou, I heard from your mother that you've finally woken up." An elderly-sounding voice drifted in from outside the room.

"Little sister, once you're better, Second Brother will take you to play on the mountain." Immediately following was the loud, youthful voice of a teenage boy, accompanied by a series of hurried footsteps.

It's nice, isn't it? At least the owner of this body was the most pampered one in this impoverished home. A smile appeared on Li Menglan's pale, withered face.