As the sun rose, the crows cawed one after another like a competition.
This unfamiliar scenario from big modern cities had now become the basis of Miao He to judge the time.
Even if no one was there to wake him up, he doesn’t have to check the time from 9 pm to 5 am to get up for work and squeeze himself on a crowded subway. It should be because his body’s biological clock had already adjusted. Miao He rolled over on the bed and rubbed his eyes before deciding to get up.
It was a chilly morning.
In the early spring, the air is so cold that one would lose his drowsiness. Even hiding and burrowing under the covers of a thick blanket, it wouldn’t be able to resist the freezing breeze from creeping into the house.
Miao He got out of the bed and shook his body, trying to warm himself. As he slowly went to the earthen stove in the backroom to kindle fire and wash his face.
He would never be able to get used to washing his face with ice-freezing well water. He would rather spend more time moving the firewood to warm the water and get a pot of hot water to scrub himself clean.
With such a particular habit, it was apparent that Miao He was definitely not a child who grew up in the countryside. However, the mud hut he currently resided in was the standard housing material of a rural farmhouse- it was rudimentary and crude.
Mio He doesn’t know how to fix a house. The hay roof could barely shelter him from the wind and rain, and there would always be a smell of soil lingering in the air. At the east side of his house was a window that had to be open with wooden slats. It was also the main source of light in the house. The interior design was also quite simple, in addition to the main room, there are only two rooms available.
The main hall doubled as a dining room and a receiving area, with only a set of tables and seats for dining, and a few low cabinets for storing sundries by the window. The room on the east side was for sleeping – there was a wooden bed, and a wooden box used as a wardrobe. While in the backroom to the north there was a stove and cabinetry that stored the ingredients and spices. The earthen stove was also made of mud, no bricks are seen. The level of technology in the room was as if it were hundreds of years ago.
The clothes Miao He wore after getting up were thick cotton-made Hanfu clothes, with a belt tied around his waist and a long hair bunched upon his head. He had learned from others how to tie a hair bun with a cloth belt. It was the perfect replica of an ancient style.
But that’s all for the ancients. Miao He, who came here inexplicably due to a car accident, was horrified to discover that his gender had changed…
“Brother He, are you up!? If so, hurry and open the door for your second aunt!”
Everyone here called him brother because of his strange gender.
In this weird world, there was a third human gender- ‘Ger.’ Mio He had never heard of it and couldn’t understand it in common sense. A ger has the body of a man, but slimmer like a female, moreover, like a woman, he can conceive!
Unfortunately, a ger was not as strong as that of a man’s, and not as fertile as a woman’s. Even as a man, ger’s ability to make a woman pregnant was relatively low. Due to this, it had become the most unanticipated gender in this strange time and space.
Fortunately, it had quite the advantage; and the sex life of gers still has some way to live. Those who were born brothers are generally more handsome than the average men, and even more beautiful than some women. Even some men with bad conditions are willing to invite them home as a companion because of this.
“Knock, knock, knock! Are you still there? Give a reply ah!”
The door was slammed repeatedly and his second aunt screamed loudly, Miao He wiped his face, sighed in frustration, as he turned to the yard to open the door.
As soon as he opened the door, he saw the round and fat figure of his aunt who was waiting with a basket droopily hanging on her hand, her face expressing annoyance.
Seeing Miao He answered the door, she opened her mouth, then began spatting her rampant complaints.
“Are people dumb? Takes a lot of effort to respond first? It’s been a long time since I have heard anything back. Who knows if you had already run away again. Auntie is telling you, don’t think about those who have nothing, and talk to Da Lang. Live in peace! Otherwise, our old Yang family that is not easy to bully will never spare you!!
Miao He pursed his lips without refuting.
“Just think about it, who in the village has such a lucky life like you? When you were injured, he gave you money to treat yourself, and he did not even ask you to go to the field! Meanwhile, even if Da Lang went into the mountains, he still asked me to give him additional food. How bitter days are! How can you have any discomforts? Be a man with the right conscience, and then when you do what bastard things people are doing while the heavens are watching, one day you will not die peacefully!! Aunty is afraid for you!”
Auntie kept her mouth working, and while cursing, she took out two hard cakes from the basket in her hand and stuffed them to Miao He, which she brought for him to eat. Miao He accepted it reluctantly, moving his lips to say a few words, but decided to not say anything in the end.
Seeing Maio He passively acting like this, the aunt grunted to herself, thought that this person was hopeless, and her tone became even harsher.
“Why, do you want to talk back? Am I wrong? Well, since you don’t listen, aunt will tell you again! I have said to everyone in the village to watch you on my behalf, and if you want to run away again or do something bad again, remember that these things will be impossible to hide from human eyes! Next time Dalang wants to protect you, your aunt will definitely not let your leg be left unspared, you understand?!
After speaking, Auntie glared again, and then turned and rushed away angrily.
Miao He touched his nose, closed the door, and expressed a look of helplessness. Having this kind of battle for three days in a row, he got used to it. He doesn’t know when this body’s previous pot can be shaken off.
According to the memories he received after waking up, Miao He’s predecessor, the original owner, also named Miao He, did a few things that earned him a bad reputation in the village.
To put it simply, Miao He was innocent with a man before marrying. After being compelled to marry into the Yang family, he got along with the man. It was to the extent of fleeing to the next town to search for the scholar he loved, and he even stole the money offered to the newlyweds, but because he stumbled and fell into a ditch, he had hurt his foot and cannot run. He was drenched by the freezing rain all night and fell seriously ill. As he woke up, the ‘current’ Miao He had already fused his soul to the ‘old’ Miao He’s body.
After Miao He completely understood his own situation, he was simply embarrassed.
In this time and space that does not conform to any dynasty’s setting, the Three views and the environment were still similar to the ancient times that Maio He recognized. Although wealthy and noble people could take concubines, most people only get into monogamous relationships. After marriage, it is definitely a heinous crime for both men and women to be unfaithful.
If an unruly ger entangled with the man in the village, it would definitely make people outside the village belittle the common practice of Miaojia Village and influence other gers to matchmake as well. The villagers can be justified when they criticize the two people, not to mention the family that Miao He married over, the old Yang family.
The old Yang family was one of the few foreigners in the Miaojia Village. After fleeing over decades ago, they took root here and had been hunting for a living for several generations. The aunt who had just cursed was the second aunt of Miao He’s husband. After the attempted escape of Miao He, as long as Yang Dalang was not at home, Aunt Yang would come to watch and tail him by her people.
Therefore, Miao He was really embarrassed to yell back at her. He was a soft-tempered young man in modern times, who looked optimistic. He had friends with venomous tongues that would occasionally say that he had a coarse nerve. Only that, his parents left him when he was still a child, and he was raised by his grandma. He grew surrounded by the elders’ fair and reasonable teaching and did not encourage bad deeds. Thus, he was somewhat trapped by his current situation after managing to handle the past few days.
It was very simple, he seemed to have a husband named Yang Dalang. It was said that after the original owner was seriously ill, Yang Dalang had gone hunting in the mountains to scrape off money for the medicine. He had been away for several days now. For Miao He who had changed the original core, Yang Dalang was a stranger.
‘Can I run away again?’ Miao He pondered over what the second aunt Yang said.
The original owner had once run, making his reputation severely foul that he wished to run away again. Thinking about it, he felt sorry for the old Yang family if he really did flee.
Yang Dalang was willing to marry the original Miao He when his fame was stinking at that moment, and he didn’t treat him as a coolie after he had married. Yang Dalang would only eat and drink, then go to the mountains to hunt. Even so, the former owner restlessly ran away. After being brought back, Yang Dalang would still work hard to earn money to treat the original owner’s illness. Regardless of their different temperaments and personalities, this body that was fused by Miao He’s soul owed Yang Dalang.
But more realistically, Miao He’s small body condition doesn’t allow him to go far. This body had child-like characteristics; thin and small, cannot carry a load on a shoulder, and can’t even lift with his hands. Not to mention, his previous foot injury hasn’t healed yet, thus, him limping as he walked. So how far can he run? Where can he go?
Moreover, if he failed to escape, as Aunt Yang said, it would be the end of his already broken leg. And as previously mentioned, people in Miao Village would probably not protect the original body. It is also very likely that Miao He will be beaten to death by the Yang family as punishment.
Woke up thinking about it these past few days, Miao He had no choice but to cross out the option of escaping. If he didn’t run, and the problem rose back, what would Yang Dalang do? Even if Miao He had the same temperament as in his previous life, he would still not accept it if he came to him.
And he had to consider that the original body was so affectionate for Bai Yueguang in his heart that he will not hesitate to climb the wall.
Thus, he couldn’t give up now, or his position in the Yang family wouldn’t be better and it would be impossible to seek peace or forgiveness later. As they said, “ If you wished to serve as a good husband, you ought to not even see Xiao Wang or Xiao San, who yearned for her lover, and even asked for a divorce”. When ordinary people encounter this thing, it is absolutely necessary to block off this type of arrogant attitude.
So, I still have to drag this on for a while.’
To drag it out until he can put on an appearance that he has completely given up on his former lover, to eliminate the injustice in Yang Dalang’s heart, and then use his body to pay more, it may be possible to get away from it all. As for the days of coming success and departure, it seems that he can only act by chance.
Miao He couldn’t find Yang Dalang’s specific temperament in the memories. Obviously, the original person had hardly ever noticed that man in his heart. He only hoped that the responsible man, Yang Dalang, would not be violent when mad.
Alas, he obviously transmigrated into a peaceful and war-free time and space, but still as dangerous in all respects.
An anxious look flitted across his face, and Miao He returned to the stove.
At this moment, the water was hot. He fetched a scoop, added cold water, and continued his scrubbing. After scrubbing, he felt more comfortable, and when the remaining water in the pot boiled, he poured it into a bowl and placed it on the table in the main hall. The second aunt Yang had brought two hard bingzis, which couldn’t be bitten unless they were soaked first in hot water.
Only halfway through eating the pancakes, the courtyard door rang movement. It seems like someone had opened the door from outside.
Without asking at the door to be let in, Miao He’s body shook slightly. He thought, ‘Yang Dalang must have gone home.’
As the sun rose, the crows cawed one after another like a competition.
This unfamiliar scenario from big modern cities had now become the basis of Miao He to judge the time.
Even if no one was there to wake him up, he doesn’t have to check the time from 9 pm to 5 am to get up for work and squeeze himself on a crowded subway. It should be because his body’s biological clock had already adjusted. Miao He rolled over on the bed and rubbed his eyes before deciding to get up.
It was a chilly morning.
In the early spring, the air is so cold that one would lose his drowsiness. Even hiding and burrowing under the covers of a thick blanket, it wouldn’t be able to resist the freezing breeze from creeping into the house.
Miao He got out of the bed and shook his body, trying to warm himself. As he slowly went to the earthen stove in the backroom to kindle fire and wash his face.
He would never be able to get used to washing his face with ice-freezing well water. He would rather spend more time moving the firewood to warm the water and get a pot of hot water to scrub himself clean.
With such a particular habit, it was apparent that Miao He was definitely not a child who grew up in the countryside. However, the mud hut he currently resided in was the standard housing material of a rural farmhouse- it was rudimentary and crude.
Mio He doesn’t know how to fix a house. The hay roof could barely shelter him from the wind and rain, and there would always be a smell of soil lingering in the air. At the east side of his house was a window that had to be open with wooden slats. It was also the main source of light in the house. The interior design was also quite simple, in addition to the main room, there are only two rooms available.
The main hall doubled as a dining room and a receiving area, with only a set of tables and seats for dining, and a few low cabinets for storing sundries by the window. The room on the east side was for sleeping – there was a wooden bed, and a wooden box used as a wardrobe. While in the backroom to the north there was a stove and cabinetry that stored the ingredients and spices. The earthen stove was also made of mud, no bricks are seen. The level of technology in the room was as if it were hundreds of years ago.
The clothes Miao He wore after getting up were thick cotton-made Hanfu clothes, with a belt tied around his waist and a long hair bunched upon his head. He had learned from others how to tie a hair bun with a cloth belt. It was the perfect replica of an ancient style.
But that’s all for the ancients. Miao He, who came here inexplicably due to a car accident, was horrified to discover that his gender had changed…
“Brother He, are you up!? If so, hurry and open the door for your second aunt!”
Everyone here called him brother because of his strange gender.
In this weird world, there was a third human gender- ‘Ger.’ Mio He had never heard of it and couldn’t understand it in common sense. A ger has the body of a man, but slimmer like a female, moreover, like a woman, he can conceive!
Unfortunately, a ger was not as strong as that of a man’s, and not as fertile as a woman’s. Even as a man, ger’s ability to make a woman pregnant was relatively low. Due to this, it had become the most unanticipated gender in this strange time and space.
Fortunately, it had quite the advantage; and the sex life of gers still has some way to live. Those who were born brothers are generally more handsome than the average men, and even more beautiful than some women. Even some men with bad conditions are willing to invite them home as a companion because of this.
“Knock, knock, knock! Are you still there? Give a reply ah!”
The door was slammed repeatedly and his second aunt screamed loudly, Miao He wiped his face, sighed in frustration, as he turned to the yard to open the door.
As soon as he opened the door, he saw the round and fat figure of his aunt who was waiting with a basket droopily hanging on her hand, her face expressing annoyance.
Seeing Miao He answered the door, she opened her mouth, then began spatting her rampant complaints.
“Are people dumb? Takes a lot of effort to respond first? It’s been a long time since I have heard anything back. Who knows if you had already run away again. Auntie is telling you, don’t think about those who have nothing, and talk to Da Lang. Live in peace! Otherwise, our old Yang family that is not easy to bully will never spare you!!
Miao He pursed his lips without refuting.
“Just think about it, who in the village has such a lucky life like you? When you were injured, he gave you money to treat yourself, and he did not even ask you to go to the field! Meanwhile, even if Da Lang went into the mountains, he still asked me to give him additional food. How bitter days are! How can you have any discomforts? Be a man with the right conscience, and then when you do what bastard things people are doing while the heavens are watching, one day you will not die peacefully!! Aunty is afraid for you!”
Auntie kept her mouth working, and while cursing, she took out two hard cakes from the basket in her hand and stuffed them to Miao He, which she brought for him to eat. Miao He accepted it reluctantly, moving his lips to say a few words, but decided to not say anything in the end.
Seeing Maio He passively acting like this, the aunt grunted to herself, thought that this person was hopeless, and her tone became even harsher.
“Why, do you want to talk back? Am I wrong? Well, since you don’t listen, aunt will tell you again! I have said to everyone in the village to watch you on my behalf, and if you want to run away again or do something bad again, remember that these things will be impossible to hide from human eyes! Next time Dalang wants to protect you, your aunt will definitely not let your leg be left unspared, you understand?!
After speaking, Auntie glared again, and then turned and rushed away angrily.
Miao He touched his nose, closed the door, and expressed a look of helplessness. Having this kind of battle for three days in a row, he got used to it. He doesn’t know when this body’s previous pot can be shaken off.
According to the memories he received after waking up, Miao He’s predecessor, the original owner, also named Miao He, did a few things that earned him a bad reputation in the village.
To put it simply, Miao He was innocent with a man before marrying. After being compelled to marry into the Yang family, he got along with the man. It was to the extent of fleeing to the next town to search for the scholar he loved, and he even stole the money offered to the newlyweds, but because he stumbled and fell into a ditch, he had hurt his foot and cannot run. He was drenched by the freezing rain all night and fell seriously ill. As he woke up, the ‘current’ Miao He had already fused his soul to the ‘old’ Miao He’s body.
After Miao He completely understood his own situation, he was simply embarrassed.
In this time and space that does not conform to any dynasty’s setting, the Three views and the environment were still similar to the ancient times that Maio He recognized. Although wealthy and noble people could take concubines, most people only get into monogamous relationships. After marriage, it is definitely a heinous crime for both men and women to be unfaithful.
If an unruly ger entangled with the man in the village, it would definitely make people outside the village belittle the common practice of Miaojia Village and influence other gers to matchmake as well. The villagers can be justified when they criticize the two people, not to mention the family that Miao He married over, the old Yang family.
The old Yang family was one of the few foreigners in the Miaojia Village. After fleeing over decades ago, they took root here and had been hunting for a living for several generations. The aunt who had just cursed was the second aunt of Miao He’s husband. After the attempted escape of Miao He, as long as Yang Dalang was not at home, Aunt Yang would come to watch and tail him by her people.
Therefore, Miao He was really embarrassed to yell back at her. He was a soft-tempered young man in modern times, who looked optimistic. He had friends with venomous tongues that would occasionally say that he had a coarse nerve. Only that, his parents left him when he was still a child, and he was raised by his grandma. He grew surrounded by the elders’ fair and reasonable teaching and did not encourage bad deeds. Thus, he was somewhat trapped by his current situation after managing to handle the past few days.
It was very simple, he seemed to have a husband named Yang Dalang. It was said that after the original owner was seriously ill, Yang Dalang had gone hunting in the mountains to scrape off money for the medicine. He had been away for several days now. For Miao He who had changed the original core, Yang Dalang was a stranger.
‘Can I run away again?’ Miao He pondered over what the second aunt Yang said.
The original owner had once run, making his reputation severely foul that he wished to run away again. Thinking about it, he felt sorry for the old Yang family if he really did flee.
Yang Dalang was willing to marry the original Miao He when his fame was stinking at that moment, and he didn’t treat him as a coolie after he had married. Yang Dalang would only eat and drink, then go to the mountains to hunt. Even so, the former owner restlessly ran away. After being brought back, Yang Dalang would still work hard to earn money to treat the original owner’s illness. Regardless of their different temperaments and personalities, this body that was fused by Miao He’s soul owed Yang Dalang.
But more realistically, Miao He’s small body condition doesn’t allow him to go far. This body had child-like characteristics; thin and small, cannot carry a load on a shoulder, and can’t even lift with his hands. Not to mention, his previous foot injury hasn’t healed yet, thus, him limping as he walked. So how far can he run? Where can he go?
Moreover, if he failed to escape, as Aunt Yang said, it would be the end of his already broken leg. And as previously mentioned, people in Miao Village would probably not protect the original body. It is also very likely that Miao He will be beaten to death by the Yang family as punishment.
Woke up thinking about it these past few days, Miao He had no choice but to cross out the option of escaping. If he didn’t run, and the problem rose back, what would Yang Dalang do? Even if Miao He had the same temperament as in his previous life, he would still not accept it if he came to him.
And he had to consider that the original body was so affectionate for Bai Yueguang in his heart that he will not hesitate to climb the wall.
Thus, he couldn’t give up now, or his position in the Yang family wouldn’t be better and it would be impossible to seek peace or forgiveness later. As they said, “ If you wished to serve as a good husband, you ought to not even see Xiao Wang or Xiao San, who yearned for her lover, and even asked for a divorce”. When ordinary people encounter this thing, it is absolutely necessary to block off this type of arrogant attitude.
So, I still have to drag this on for a while.’
To drag it out until he can put on an appearance that he has completely given up on his former lover, to eliminate the injustice in Yang Dalang’s heart, and then use his body to pay more, it may be possible to get away from it all. As for the days of coming success and departure, it seems that he can only act by chance.
Miao He couldn’t find Yang Dalang’s specific temperament in the memories. Obviously, the original person had hardly ever noticed that man in his heart. He only hoped that the responsible man, Yang Dalang, would not be violent when mad.
Alas, he obviously transmigrated into a peaceful and war-free time and space, but still as dangerous in all respects.
An anxious look flitted across his face, and Miao He returned to the stove.
At this moment, the water was hot. He fetched a scoop, added cold water, and continued his scrubbing. After scrubbing, he felt more comfortable, and when the remaining water in the pot boiled, he poured it into a bowl and placed it on the table in the main hall. The second aunt Yang had brought two hard bingzis, which couldn’t be bitten unless they were soaked first in hot water.
Only halfway through eating the pancakes, the courtyard door rang movement. It seems like someone had opened the door from outside.
Without asking at the door to be let in, Miao He’s body shook slightly. He thought, ‘Yang Dalang must have gone home.’
