Transmigrating into the Famine Years with a System: I Carried My Family of Villains to Success - Chapter 1

On a narrow dirt road, a youth dressed in coarse cloth lay sprawled face-down on the ground. A small pool of blood seeped from his forehead, staining the surrounding soil a dark crimson.

The surrounding villagers whispered among themselves, yet not a single soul stepped forward to help.

“Goudan is truly unlucky. When others step in dog shit, they get lucky. When he steps in it, he faceplants and cracks his skull open. Look at all that blood; let us hope he does not kick the bucket!”

“Any of you going to help him up?”

“Who dares? What if he frames us for it?”

“The Shen family acts like they own the place just because they have a relative who is a bailiff at the yamen. Goudan is the most notorious bully for miles; messing with him is asking for calamity!”

“If you ask me, this is karma. Heaven is finally punishing him!”

Shen Qingyue climbed to her feet dizzily. Blood from her forehead seeped into her eyes, making her vision blurry.

Where is this place? Why is everyone dressed in ancient costumes? Are they all roleplaying?

Just as the thought crossed her mind, a sharp pain shot through her head as a flood of memories surged into her brain.

The original owner of this body went by the childhood nickname Goudan, but her formal name was Shen Qingyue, the exact same as her own.

On the surface, the original owner was a loathed male bully. In reality, she was a girl. The reason for her cross-dressing was utterly bizarre.

Years ago, her parents struggled with fertility and only managed to conceive after five years of marriage. At the time, a doctor claimed they would likely only have one child in their lifetime. To save face and avoid being looked down upon, or having their estate seized by greedy relatives, the couple made a rash decision.

When she was born, they announced to the world that they had a son.

Once the lie was out, there was no taking it back. The original owner was raised as a boy and eventually grew used to it.

In truth, she was not the only child. Her mother, Liu Cuihua, fell pregnant again the very next year. The couple was thrilled until the second child turned out to be another girl. To make matters worse, she had a red birthmark on her forehead that marred her beauty. Disappointed, the couple named her Shen Er’ya and ignored her.

After those two births, no matter how hard they tried, they never conceived again. Thus, Shen Qingyue was cemented in her role as the son.

Already suffering from blood loss, the mental strain of the memory dump made Qingyue’s head spin. Her legs buckled, and she stumbled to the ground again.

Instead of helping, the bystanders collectively took a step back. It was clear just how much the original owner was despised.

Unsure if she could ever return to her world, Shen Qingyue knew she could not afford to die here. Pressing a hand against her bleeding forehead, she forced her heavy eyelids open and spoke to the crowd: “Stop staring and go fetch my family.”

The villagers did not dare touch her, but they were willing enough to run a message.

Before long, the Shen family hauled her back home. A doctor was summoned to bandage her wound, and Shen Qingyue drifted into a hazy sleep.

By the time she woke up, it was nearly dusk.

Liu Cuihua entered the room carrying a bowl of wild vegetable gruel and set it on the square wooden table by the bed. She signaled for Shen Qingyue to eat: “Er’ya dug up some shepherd’s purse on the mountain. I mixed it with some coarse rice to make this gruel. Eat it while it is hot.”

Looking at the brownish-green sludge, Shen Qingyue felt a sting in her nose.

In her past life, she lived in luxury with fine food and wine. Billions in assets were waiting for her to inherit them. Heaven must have thought her life was too easy, so it dropped her into the body of a penniless bully.

She wanted to go home!

Seeing her hesitation, Liu Cuihua said heart-wrenchingly: “We spent some silver on the doctor for your head today, and there is no money left. Just make do with this for now. Once Er’ya sells her embroidery, I will buy you some meat to nourish your body.”

Shen Er’ya caught the scent of the food and could not help but swallow her saliva, yet she still urged: “Brother, hurry and eat before it gets cold.”

The father, Shen Dabiao, rubbed his hollow stomach and muttered: “If you are not going to eat it, give it to me.”

Liu Cuihua whipped her head around, glaring at him. “You have the nerve to ask for food? If you had not gambled away every penny we had, would we be this poor?”

Feeling guilty, Shen Dabiao huffed: “What are you shouting for? Worst case, I will go to my elder sister’s house tomorrow and borrow some grain.”

This made Liu Cuihua even angrier. “Do not go! Sister has been subsidizing us for years and is already fighting with Bailiff Zhang because of it. If she gets divorced, not only will we lose face, but our only backing will be gone too!”

Shen Qingyue knew exactly what kind of people this family consisted of. Her father, Shen Dabiao, was a degenerate gambler. Her mother, Liu Cuihua, was a sharp-tongued shrew. Even the sister, Shen Er’ya, was obsessed with marrying Scholar Wang.

A gambling father, a shrewish mother, a love-struck sister, and a bully protagonist: this was a catastrophic starting hand.

A loud growl from her stomach snapped her back to reality. Looking at the solitary bowl of gruel, she suggested: “Everyone is hungry. Let us share it.”

Liu Cuihua refused vehemently. “No! You have a head injury. You cannot go hungry.”

Helpless, Shen Qingyue picked up the ceramic bowl, took a few sips, and put it back. “I am full.”

No matter how much her mother pleaded, she refused to eat another bite. Eventually, Liu Cuihua carried the bowl out, leaving Qingyue alone.

She pulled a bronze mirror from the cabinet and checked her reflection. Her forehead was wrapped in gauze, her face was thin, but her features were delicate. From a cross-dressing perspective, she looked like a handsome, clean-cut youth.

Whatever happens, I must survive. First, I need food.

Just then, a crisp electronic voice rang in her head.

[Ding! Target host meets the requirements. Would you like to bind with the Dimension Trading System?]

A System? Shen Qingyue’s eyes lit up. Finally!

“Bind! Definitely bind!” she agreed without a second thought.

[Binding in progress. Please wait. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. System bound successfully.]

[This system connects the Myriad Realms. The Host can collect resources from this world to sell to the System Mall, or use Star Credits to purchase needed supplies. For private trades, the platform charges a 5 percent service fee.]

A semi-transparent virtual screen appeared before her, displaying everything from food and medicine to weapons and cultivation techniques.

She swiped her finger across the screen. Her eyes widened at a cultivation manual called the Touch of Midas Technique, but her heart sank when she saw the price: 10 million Star Credits.

She did not have a single cent. She shifted her focus to the daily necessities tab.

• Coarse Rice: 3 Credits per pound
• Polished Rice: 4 Credits per pound
• Millet: 4 Credits per pound
• Flour: 4 Credits per pound
• Eggs: 1 Credit each
• Pork Belly: 15 Credits per pound
• Lean Meat: 18 Credits per pound

The prices for basic food were reasonable. Now, Shen Qingyue had only one mission: find a way to earn Star Credits!