Xiao Luo's eyes fluttered open hazily. To think he had survived such grievous injuries was impossible! As confusion clouded his mind, Xiao Luo slowly sat up, feeling dizzy and desperately thirsty. Where was the water? But the scene that greeted his eyes stole his breath away. Good heavens, where was he? Such poverty still existed? How had he ended up in such a place? Just then, a clear voice cut through the air.

"Cry! Always crying... Now that we finally have the matchmaker here, hurry and take Caiyun away..." a middle-aged man snarled viciously.

Following the sound, Xiao Luo moved toward the courtyard and saw a middle-aged woman kneeling before the man, tightly clutching a little girl of about four or five. The crying he’d heard must have come from them. An old woman stood in the yard; she must be the matchmaker the man mentioned. By the gate, several people pointed and whispered. Who could tell him what exactly was happening? What was even more horrifying was that the clothes these people wore certainly didn't look modern!

"Wuu... Husband, I beg you, don't sell Caiyun. She's my only daughter!" The middle-aged woman’s voice was laced with obvious fear and entreaty.

The little girl also wept timidly, her voice barely a whimper. "Daddy, please don't sell Caiyun. Caiyun will do so much work! Wuu..."

"Hmph! What use is a mere money-loser? When she grows up, I'll still have to prepare a dowry for her. The matchmaker just said she could find her a wealthy household. If she has good fortune and ends up becoming a concubine, she’ll never want for food or clothing, and we can benefit from it too."

"Indeed, old woman, I shall find her a good home where she'll never go hungry..." As the matchmaker finished speaking, the middle-aged woman and the little girl wept even harder.

Xiao Luo only then realized this looked exactly like the scenes of selling daughters he’d seen on television dramas. As he pondered this, the weeping woman spotted Xiao Luo, a flicker of light flashing in her eyes.

"Qingchen, you’re awake! Quickly, come and persuade your father. He’s heartlessly trying to sell your sister! She’s your own flesh and blood, my only daughter! Wuu..."

As soon as the woman finished speaking, Xiao Luo felt everyone in and outside the courtyard turn their gaze toward him. Qingchen... No way, could she mean him? What in the world was going on?

While Xiao Luo stood dumbfounded, an elder’s voice, punctuated by gasps, drifted in from outside the courtyard, indicating a hurried arrival. "Second son, how could you do something like selling your daughter? We aren't starving; you’ll anger me to death! Hah... Hah..." As the voice neared, the crowd outside automatically parted, revealing two teenagers, around fourteen or fifteen, supporting a white-haired elder who was walking quickly into the yard. Following them were another middle-aged man and woman.

Seeing the elder enter, the middle-aged man who had threatened to sell his daughter visibly tensed up and mumbled, "Father, don't interfere in this."

The weeping woman, however, felt a surge of hope, turning to kneel before the elder. "Father, please, quickly persuade the master of the house! Wuu..."

Hearing his second son’s words, and seeing his second daughter-in-law, Madam Yang, and his granddaughter, Caiyun, weeping, the elder felt a rush of anger surge to his head. "You beast! You can stoop to selling your daughter, what else are you capable of? You’ll make the villagers point fingers at our Wang family! The good name built up by our ancestors will be ruined by you, you animal! If you dare sell your daughter today, do not claim to be my son!"

The middle-aged man who had accompanied the elder interjected, "Second brother, stop this nonsense about selling your daughter immediately. You’ll kill Father with anger!"

The middle-aged woman beside him also chimed in, "Yes, Second Uncle. Forgive my bluntness, but you can bring yourself to sell your own daughter? If I had a daughter, I’d treasure her more than my own heart! Think about what might happen if you anger Father further!" In truth, she secretly resented not having borne a daughter, as that would have brought in a nice little bonus of ten or more taels of silver!

At this point, the matchmaker in the yard grew impatient. "That's not quite right. I am finding her a good path. With your family's current standing, what kind of family could you hope for? Come with me, and if she's lucky, she could become a concubine. I’m not lying; Lotus Flower from the next village, Ma Tian Village, was brought to the Shen family in town by me. She’s already borne a child and been elevated to concubine status, served by two maids whenever she goes out—the jewelry she wears, tsk, tsk... If I didn't see your husband’s sincerity, having invited me several times, I wouldn't have made this trip." She then turned back to the middle-aged man who wanted to sell his daughter. "Tell me, husband, are you selling or not? Give me a clear answer!"

"This... this..." Looking at the obvious anger etched on his father's face, the middle-aged man hesitated.

"What is there to 'this and that'?" the elder scoffed. He then turned to the matchmaker. "Sister, my apologies. You’ve made a wasted trip today." He pulled out a few copper coins and offered them to the matchmaker.

The matchmaker snatched the coins and counted them—only six. Her face immediately soured. "Oh, are you trying to dismiss a beggar?" She glanced at the silent family, realizing she wouldn't gain anything more by staying. She tucked the six coins away tightly. "Hmph, for today, this old woman will be generous and let the wasted trip pass without fuss. But next time, there won't be such good fortune!" Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked away with a swaying gait.

Seeing the matchmaker leave, the middle-aged woman wiped her tears and stood up from the ground. "Father, Elder Brother, Sister-in-law, please come inside and rest. Come have some water." She then led her tearful daughter toward a room, pausing when she saw Xiao Luo, before walking toward him.

"Qingchen, has your fever broken?" She reached out to touch Xiao Luo’s forehead.

"Fever?"

"It's not hot anymore. But since you just recovered, you should rest more. Mother will call you when it's time to eat."

"Mother?"

"What is it? Are you feeling unwell again?"

"Uh, no. I just feel much better."

"That's good. Let Caiyun stay with you." She said, leaving Caiyun behind and walking toward another room, leaving Xiao Luo and Caiyun staring wide-eyed at each other.

"Second Brother..." Caiyun whispered timidly.

Xiao Luo could only bring a hand to his forehead. What was this all about? How had he woken up in another world?

"Everyone disperse!" Wang Shoufa called out to the onlookers in the yard. Once most of the crowd had dispersed, he turned to the middle-aged couple who had accompanied him. "Eldest brother, you two go back first." He then walked into the main hall. One of the teenagers who had helped him walked back with the couple, but the other approached Xiao Luo.

"Father, have some hot water," Madam Yang said, bringing several bowls of water into the hall. "Oh? Where are Eldest Brother and Sister-in-law?"

"I told them to go back first." Looking at his second son following him in, Wang Shoufa’s anger had clearly not subsided. "Second son, kneel down for me!"

"Father, there are so many people selling their daughters these days; I'm not the only one." Wang Youfu was unconcerned, lamenting only that he hadn't managed to sell his daughter today.

The elder, Wang Shoufa, roared, "Why don't you look at whose family is selling their daughters? And what are the villagers saying about them? Why did Wang Tieshan sell his daughter? Because his mother was sick and he had no money; people couldn't fault him. Zhang Yunzhu’s family was doing well enough, yet they still sold three daughters, and their life has only gotten better—but have you seen what the villagers say about them? Do you want to be like them, talked about behind your back? You only see the money! It infuriates me!"

"Alright, Father, stop being angry. Your son is kneeling." The second son knelt before Wang Shoufa.

Seeing Wang Youfu’s clearly perfunctory attitude, Wang Shoufa felt a profound sense of helplessness. "You... I don't know who you take after. Neither your mother nor I are this heartless. How did you turn out this way? Sigh... As long as you still recognize me as your father, you are forbidden from selling your daughter!" Saying this, he stormed off angrily.

Meanwhile, Xiao Luo watched the approaching teenager and suddenly felt something was off. He felt shorter. He had to look up at the youth; only then did he realize he seemed to have shrunk considerably—no, more accurately, he had become a child again. The approaching youth was honest-faced, dark-skinned, and sturdy, likely from hard manual labor. He picked up Caiyun. "Caiyun, be good. With Grandpa here, Father won’t sell you again!" He then turned to Xiao Luo. "Qingchen, are you better?"

"Eldest Brother, you promise you will never sell Caiyun again?" Caiyun asked timidly.

"Yes, Eldest Brother will never let you be sold off," the youth promised. Caiyun looked overjoyed and snuggled onto the youth’s shoulder.

From the previous events, Xiao Luo guessed these were likely the original host’s brother and sister. He must have occupied the body of the original host, Qingchen. That explained why his original body, so heavily injured, couldn't possibly have recovered. Thinking of this, Xiao Luo’s face clouded with sorrow. But this was misunderstood by the youth as Xiao Luo still not being fully recovered. It wasn't until Xiao Luo repeatedly explained he was completely well that the youth relented.

That evening, after eating, Xiao Luo lay in bed, still feeling a touch of unreality. He had actually experienced something as bizarre as transmigration. Thinking of his glorious past life, now finding himself in such a humble family, he mused that perhaps a simple life wasn't so bad. Xiao Luo didn't want to live like he did before, constantly on guard against attracting disaster with a single misstep. Although he had accumulated vast wealth in his previous life, considering the energy expended, it felt entirely worthless. In this life, he wouldn't live like that anymore... He decided to think about the rest tomorrow. Hearing the long, even breaths of the youth beside him, Xiao Luo slowly drifted into a dream.