Chapter 1 - Transmigration: The Farm Life of a “Fool”

Translator's Note:

Hello, I hope you've all been doing well. I decided to pick up this novel since I'm reading it myself.

Here you go, and I wish you a good read.

And, as I said before, if you wish to read ahead, you can head over to my Patreon to get early access to all the translated chapters.

Transmigration

In a drowsy haze, Xu Ran vaguely heard some voices. Though the words were unclear, a deep, urgent need burned within him to understand what was being said. Struggling to wake, Xu Ran fought to rise from his state of unconsciousness.

 

"Tangtang, Guoguo, the fields aren't busy right now. I'm heading up the mountain in a bit. You two need to take good care of your father, alright? Don't let anyone bully him, understand? I'll be back soon."

 

A gentle male voice floated to his ears.

 

"Mm, be careful, Ah-mo*."

 

[T/N: Here, I decided to keep the chinese pinyin, which literally translates to "Mother".

The term "阿麽" (ā mò) consists of two parts: 阿 (ā), which is a common prefix in Chinese, often used before names or titles to indicate affection or familiarity. It softens the tone of the word that follows and adds a sense of closeness. The second character, in this story, is used to address the ger as a mother figure, since they can give birth, as opposed to Ah-pa, the father figure.

In this story, since this is a world populated solely by men, aside from calling one's ger parent "Ah-mo", other ger will be called "[insert surname] Ah-mo" or, for the male men, "[insert surname] Ah-pa".]

 

"Don't worry, Ah-mo! We won't let anyone bully Daddy."

 

Following that, the sweet, innocent voices of two children echoed—so alike, so melodious.

 

"Good boys!" the man replied warmly.

 

Afterward, the sound of footsteps and soft rustling gradually faded. Xu Ran guessed the soft-spoken man had left.

 

"Guoguo, let's practice our calligraphy. That way, we won't disturb Daddy."

 

"Okay, let's be quiet."

 

The children's soft whispers touched Xu Ran deeply, though he couldn't explain why. All he wanted at that moment was to wake up, feeling that once he did, everything would finally make sense.

 

...

 

After what felt like an eternity, Xu Ran finally opened his eyes, greeted by the harsh glare of sunlight and the sight of an impoverished room. He tried to rise but was struck by a splitting headache and a profound weakness that left him paralyzed.

 

Before he could fully grasp his situation, a flood of unfamiliar memories surged through his mind.

 

Resigned, Xu Ran closed his eyes and let the images take shape, piecing together the life of this body he now inhabited.

 

The original owner of this body was also named Xu Ran, aged twenty-four, in a world where only men existed. He was considered a simple-minded fool, with a husband and two sons. His husband was a strapping ger, and their children were twins.

 

This body's original family included his father, Ah-mo, younger brother, and sister-in-law—all his blood relatives.

 

The original Xu Ran hadn't always been a fool. His younger brother, Xu Cheng, had coveted the ger Xu Ran was betrothed to. The day before Xu Ran was to take the imperial scholar's exam, Xu Cheng lured him into the mountains, drugged him, and pushed him off a cliff.

 

Xu Cheng had meant to kill him, but fate spared Xu Ran, and he was rescued. However, the trauma had left him mentally impaired.

 

His father and Ah-mo had never cared for him, and now that he was a fool, they disliked him even more.

 

Upon hearing that Xu Ran had become an imbecile, the Zhang family immediately sought to annul the engagement. Xu Cheng, seizing the opportunity, proposed marrying the ger himself, claiming that since the betrothal had already been made, the ger was still part of the Xu family. With his elder brother incapacitated, Xu Cheng vowed to care for Zhang Yue in his brother's stead, earning him a good reputation. The Zhang family agreed, and the marriage was set for the following year.

 

However, after Xu Cheng and Zhang Yue became engaged, he frequently visited the Zhang household. Zhang Yue, on his part, was also lacking in propriety, so before long, not only did Xu Cheng take Zhang Yue's virginity before marriage, but he also left him pregnant.

 

The Zhang family, concerned about their son's reputation, demanded the wedding be expedited. But since Xu Cheng had an older brother who hadn't yet married, it would be unseemly for him to wed first, even if Xu Ran was no longer in his right mind.

 

Xu Ran's parents, desperate to salvage the family's reputation, searched high and low for a suitable match for him. But who would want to marry their ger off to a fool? The Xu family wasn't wealthy, either—just scraping by—so no one showed interest.

 

Meanwhile, Zhang Yue's Ah-mo had been working tirelessly to find a match for Xu Ran and eventually succeeded.

 

In a nearby village, a ger named Liu Tong lived in the Liu family. Liu Tong, more brawny than many men*, was orphaned and lived with his uncle. His uncle and aunt couldn't stand him, so despite reaching marriageable age, no proposals had come. But then, Xu Ran's family appeared, offering two taels of silver, and without hesitation, Liu Tong was married off. Not only that, his family severed all ties with him.

 

[T/N: Here, the author is talking about the male men, who aren't capable of giving birth.]

 

"Marry a rooster, follow the rooster; marry a dog, follow the dog."* Once Liu Tong entered the Xu family, he accepted his fate. Though he hadn't been eager to marry, he still devoted himself to caring for Xu Ran with all his heart.

 

[T/N: The phrase "嫁雞隨雞，嫁狗隨狗" (jià jī suí jī, jià gǒu suí gǒu) is a Chinese proverb that emphasizes the idea of adapting to one's circumstances after marriage.

The proverb conveys a cultural expectation that women should embrace their roles within their husbands' families and adapt to their husbands' lives and values after marriage. It reflects traditional views on marriage, where a woman's identity becomes closely tied to her husband and his family.]

 

Only half a month after Liu Tong moved in, Xu Cheng married Zhang Yue.

 

Zhang Yue entered the household pregnant, and with Xu Cheng being pampered from childhood by the old couple, Zhang Yue was naturally treated with care as well. It wasn't long before Liu Tong found himself responsible for serving them too.

 

It was only after Zhang Yue's arrival that Liu Tong finally understood why the Xu family had been so willing to marry him. But before he could speak a word of protest, Xu Ran's parents issued him a stern warning.

 

All the household chores fell on Liu Tong's shoulders, and not just that—he was made to work in the fields as well.

 

Liu Tong, with his stoic expression and quiet nature, didn't endear himself to the old couple. Xu Cheng and Zhang Yue never treated him like family either, and the entire household took every chance to bully him, all the while despising Xu Ran for being a fool.

 

No matter the injustices Liu Tong suffered outside, he endured them all in silence. Only at night, when they were alone, did he quietly share his burdens with the fool. Though simple-minded, Xu Ran could still remember those who were kind to him, and over five years, Liu Tong had etched himself into the fool's heart. Even in death, Xu Ran could never forget him.

 

In the second winter after Liu Tong married in, he became pregnant and gave birth to twin boys the following year. What should have been a joyous event soon became a burden. With more mouths to feed, the demand for food increased. The elderly Xu couple were too old to do much work, Xu Cheng was lazy and gluttonous, and Zhang Yue was even worse. Xu Ran, being a fool, couldn't help at all. Every burden fell on Liu Tong's shoulders, and just a few days after the babies' one-month celebration, he was forced back into the fields.

 

Luckily, Liu Tong's sturdy body, hardened by years of labor since childhood, saved him from any lasting damage. But over the next four years, he bore no more children.

 

Through all these years, Liu Tong continued to care for Xu Ran and their children with tireless devotion. But no matter how hard he worked, there were times he simply couldn't be everywhere at once. Zhang Yue and his sons often bullied the twins and Xu Ran.

 

Despite this, the children were so thoughtful that they never told Liu Tong for fear of upsetting him.

 

Liu Tong truly believed his children were doing well—until their injuries became too severe to hide. When he found out, he erupted in anger, threatening to return any harm done to his children or Xu Ran tenfold. Only then did Zhang Yue begin to restrain himself somewhat.

 

Thus, their days dragged on, quiet and uneventful. Five years passed, and by then, Xu Ran's children were five years old. That was when a soul from another world finally awoke within Xu Ran's body.

 

After assimilating all of the body's memories, Xu Ran belatedly realized he had transmigrated, and the revelation left him utterly dumbfounded.

TOC | Next Chapter

 

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