Quick Transmigration: Refusing to Be a Victim's Child

as predicted--

The final decision was that the three families would move into the main room, but the main room was not big to begin with, and it felt extremely crowded with the three families living there.

As for a place to eat, there was really no other way but to build a thatched shed in the yard.

The thatched hut was very simple, supported by a few crooked wooden beams, covered with some old thatch. When the wind blew, the thatch rustled as if it would be blown away at any moment.

Sanya and Siya could only move into the main house and squeeze in with the old couple.

The main room was already cluttered with all sorts of odds and ends, and now with the addition of two children, it felt even more cramped.

On weekdays, these two girls also had to take care of Zhao, who was paralyzed in bed, and were responsible for washing clothes, cooking, cleaning, and doing housework. They were moved wherever needed. Compared to when they were with the original owner, their situation was completely different.

-

Seeing that the harvest was poor, the whole family was worried that this winter would be hard to get through.

The family already had no surplus food, and with one misfortune after another, the old man's already aged face became even more haggard, looking like a person on the verge of death, which was truly frightening.

The old man originally planned to sell the tonics his eldest son had bought cheaply to get some money to supplement the family income.

But the third son and Zhao Shi, fearing that no one would care about them, secretly had San Ya apply the medicine to them before the old man could react.

As a result, before the mother and son had fully recovered from their illness, a bunch of boils suddenly appeared all over their bodies, densely covering their skin. Anyone who got close could smell a rotten, foul odor that made them dizzy.

Even the third brother's once handsome, pale-faced appearance has now been transformed into a hideous monster with a face full of pus and sores.

Even Sun, who was her husband, felt nauseous just thinking about it. If it weren't for the pressure of the times and the fact that she had two sons, she would have wanted to be like that widow Wu and leave even if it meant bearing the infamy.

Seeing that his family was now destitute and more than a dozen mouths were waiting for rice to cook, the old man had no choice but to consider selling his land.

The Shao family originally owned thirteen mu of land, including five mu of superior land, five mu of medium-grade land, and three mu of inferior land.

Previously, in order to pay off the debts of his third son, he had already sold one mu of prime land. Now, the old man had no choice but to harden his heart and sell the remaining two mu of prime land and one mu of medium-grade land to raise money.

In good years, top-quality land could sell for seven or eight taels of silver, but now it can only sell for four taels, and medium-quality land can only sell for two taels of silver.

The eight taels of silver did not bring the old man much joy; he even fell ill and lay in bed for two days before recovering.

Even so, the family lacked everything: pots and pans, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, grains, and cloth.

With autumn approaching, there is still no idea what to do about warm clothes and bedding for the winter.

Left with no other choice, the old man could only give each room three catties of cotton and half a bolt of cloth on the surface, and refused to give any more than that.

The cotton was leftover from last year; some of it had turned yellow and was mixed with impurities. The half-piece of cloth was also rough and dull in color.

On the very night they were dividing the belongings, Lao Shao's house was robbed again.

Not only were all the things that had been given to his three sons stolen, but even the small change that the old man had left over from selling his land was dug up and taken away by the thugs. The old man was so angry that he vomited blood and collapsed on the spot, unable to get out of bed for half a month.

Fortunately, the thief didn't steal the family's land deed, so the Shao family wouldn't really end up on the streets, and the whole family still had some hope.

After this incident, no one in the village dared to approach the Shao family's house. Even when passing by the door, they would run away as fast as they could, for fear of being tainted by bad luck or being targeted by the all-powerful "thief".

The second and third wives were restless and began to plan to separate from the family. However, they didn't have a single copper coin to their name and were now relying on the old man's few acres of land to make a living. They dared not show their faces at this time.

Because of this misfortune, the second and third wives could only take advantage of the off-season to collect reeds, dry grass, and withered leaves all over the mountains and fields to fill their bedding and clothes, hoping to at least keep them a little warmer in the winter and prevent them from freezing to death.

Nowadays, there are few clothes at home, so the adults have to wear them first when they go out to work. As a result, the children, who are only a few years old, either lie naked in the house so that they don't get hungry too quickly.

They would either weave grass leaves into mats to wrap themselves in, and barely manage to go out to find wild vegetables to eat.

At this point, even if the old man still desperately clung to the land deed, the most likely outcome would be that his whole family would starve to death.

Therefore, he had no choice but to sell another acre of fertile land with tears in his eyes, and use all the money to buy grain and clothes. This time, he didn't dare to keep everything at his own home. He had to beg and plead with relatives to hide most of the things at the homes of familiar people.

At first, the rest of the Shao family had considered having the eldest son borrow money from his new wife's family.

Unfortunately, the couple agreed readily, but they would disappear for ten days or half a month without returning, and the old man and others couldn't find them no matter how hard they tried.

Just as the grain was bought back into the house, the eldest son and his wife, who had disappeared before, suddenly reappeared from some corner. No matter how much everyone mocked them, they pretended not to understand. When the second son and others tried to teach them a lesson, they ended up getting beaten black and blue.

For a time, no one could do anything about these two tough guys.

But they were also afraid that the eldest son's wife would eat too much and take advantage of the other two sons' wives, especially the eldest son's new wife, who in their eyes was like a wild boar reincarnated, she could eat too much.

Every time they ate, they couldn't help but secretly peek at her, feeling incredibly dissatisfied.

After being urged several times by his second and third sons, the old man had no choice but to divide the family property among his three sons.

However, he stipulated that the family would not divide the property when they separated, and they would still be one family even when they were outside.

If the imperial court assigns hard labor, each family takes turns sending someone.

After all, according to the household register, an ordinary household only needs to send one male member each time, so that the family can be more relaxed and not be overwhelmed by heavy labor.

Without Zhao Shi, the formidable mother-in-law, to keep them in check, the two sisters-in-law from the second and third branches of the family immediately "got it" and knew to run back to their parents' homes and shamelessly beg for grain and money.

As for how much they actually borrowed, Shao Linshen was still unclear.

However, Sun was quite capable, and she even asked her brothers to help build a thatched hut.

The room was small, just big enough for two beds. It was low and dark, with a faint musty smell.

But at least it provided shelter for a family of four during these difficult times, offering some protection from the wind and rain.

however--

Before the Shao family could even catch their breath, the taxes were unexpectedly increased again this year.

The harvest was already poor, and everyone worked themselves to the bone carrying water from the river to irrigate the fields. Their shoulders were blistered and bleeding. In the end, the harvest was barely enough to pay the taxes, with nothing left over.

Before the villagers could even lament that many of them might not survive this year, a sudden heavy snowfall occurred at the end of September.

The heavy snow fell like goose feathers, instantly covering the entire village in a silvery white, as if adding a thick layer of frost to this already suffering village.

……

The heavy snow, like a runaway white beast, swept in and covered the sky for three days, accumulating to a depth of more than one meter.

The whole world seemed to be covered by a cold white curtain, and its usual vitality was nowhere to be seen.

In this icy and snowy landscape, apart from the mansions of wealthy families with their blue bricks and gray tiles, where servants are busy clearing snow and maintaining order, ordinary people are suffering endless hardship under the ravages of this blizzard.

During this period, many people froze to death, and houses collapsed under the weight of the accumulated snow, a tragic scene that was heartbreaking.

Shanghe Village, Shao Family.

The sudden heavy snowfall made things even more difficult for the family.

Warm clothes were scarce, and firewood was almost gone; it seemed as if they could be swallowed up by the cold "winter" at any moment.

The old man sat in the room, his brows furrowed tightly together like two tangled ropes, his eyes filled with worry.

He worried that the snow might never stop, and that unknown fear weighed heavily on his heart like a dark cloud.

Left with no other choice, they ordered all the family members, young and old, to huddle together in the main room, trying to use their body heat and the only source of fire to ward off the biting cold.

"Crack-"

The firewood crackled in the flames, as if struggling to utter a final cry in the deathly cold.

The Shao family members huddled together around the fire, wrapped in thin, pitifully thin blankets, trying to draw warmth from each other's body heat and the faint flames.

At this moment, the cold wind outside howled like a hungry wolf, rattling the doors and windows, as if trying to break through this last line of defense and devour the remaining warmth inside.

"Whoosh—"

A cold wind occasionally slipped in through the cracks in the doors and windows, slicing across everyone's faces like ice blades, making them shiver involuntarily.

The old man raised his head, his gaze piercing through the dimness of the room to the roof, as if he could hear the heavy, oppressive sound of the snow piled up above, making him increasingly uneasy.

Two days have passed since he gathered his entire family in the main room the day before yesterday, but the eldest son and his wife, using the excuse that it was too crowded and there was nowhere to put their feet, insisted on staying in the east side room with their dog and refused to come over no matter what.

At first, the second and third wives were secretly relieved, thinking that out of sight, out of mind, and happy that the eyesore was no longer around.

But before long, doubts began to creep into his mind again, and he suspected that the eldest couple might be hiding some supplies, afraid that they would be divided up by everyone else.

So they would go to the east room every now and then to knock on the door and investigate, but each time they found nothing and were only filled with suspicion.

Then, the people from both sides began to mind that the couple were burning firewood for warmth by themselves, feeling that they were simply wasting precious firewood.

In a fit of anger, they locked the woodshed with iron chains.

But who could have imagined that no sooner had they finished doing this than the roof of the woodshed collapsed with a loud "boom" under the weight of the accumulated snow, making even fetching firewood extremely difficult.

Because of this, starting yesterday, the old man forced everyone to take turns shoveling snow on the roof, hoping to reduce the burden on the roof and avoid more trouble.

This morning, just as dawn broke, it was the second child's turn to go out and shovel snow.

The second son reluctantly wrapped himself in the tattered quilt, shivering as he opened the door, only to be surprised to find the east room door wide open, and the eldest son and his wife nowhere to be seen.

It was almost noon, and they still hadn't returned.

Immediately, various speculations spread in everyone's minds.

***

Just then, a series of knocks suddenly sounded at the door.

The sound seemed particularly abrupt in the quiet, slightly chilly atmosphere, like a heavy hammer blow, instantly startling everyone in the main room.

"Who would be knocking on the door in this freezing weather?"

The old man frowned, his eyes filled with doubt, and his voice trembled slightly from the cold, as if his thoughts were also shivering in the cold wind.

"Could it be... Boss... they... are back?"

Zhao spoke haltingly, her teeth chattering from the cold, and her gaze unconsciously drifted toward the door, her eyes filled with a mixture of expectation and trepidation.

In an instant, the old man's gaze sharpened like a hawk's, and with a "whoosh," it landed directly on the second son, Shao Changgui.

Shao Changgui's heart skipped a beat, as if someone had seen through his thoughts. His eyes instinctively darted away, his face full of displeasure, and he muttered under his breath:

"I, I'm not going. I just went out to shovel snow today. It's about time it was Lao San's turn."

Their roofs were all thatched, and if a little snow accumulated, they risked collapsing under the weight.

Left with no other choice, the old man had to arrange for one of his family members to brave the freezing cold and climb the rickety ladder every one or two hours to clear the snow from the roof.

But now the family is in dire straits, and their clothes are extremely thin. Every time someone goes out to shovel snow, they have to wrap the family's few outer garments around themselves before daring to step out of the house.

Even so, by the time they finally made it into the house, their faces were already blue and purple from the cold, their lips were dark purple, and they looked as if they had just been pulled out of an ice cellar, shivering uncontrollably.

Shao Changgui was terrified. The thought that if he went out to shovel snow a few more times, in this freezing, windy season, he might catch a cold, and with no medicine or medical supplies at home, he might lose his life.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but shiver, as if the chill had already shot up his spine.

Sun, standing to the side, also ignored the old man's gaze and Shao Changgui's words.

At this moment, she held her two sons tightly in her arms, protecting them like a mother hen protecting her chicks. Her only concern was that her children should not be cold or hungry. She couldn't even take care of her husband beside her, let alone care about who was responsible for shoveling snow outside.

If it weren't for Siya trying to curry favor with her and hoping to find someone in the Shao family to protect her, she wouldn't have benefited.

Given her husband's current state of partial paralysis in bed, by the time it's the third wife's turn to shovel snow, Sun Shi would probably have already caught a cold and fallen ill in bed.

Seeing that no one had gotten up to answer the door and sweep the snow for a long time, the old man's face grew increasingly gloomy, like dark clouds before a storm. He looked truly frightening and sent chills down one's spine.

Siya, who had been squeezed to the edge of the house and whose lips were blue from the cold, rubbed her itchy and painful ears, which felt like they were about to freeze off. Suddenly, an idea struck her. She gritted her teeth, stood up, and offered to go out and take a look.

After thinking it over for a long time, she decided that rather than sitting in this cold house waiting to die of hunger and cold, she should go out and try her luck. Maybe she could find a glimmer of hope in this desperate situation.

"Grandpa, I'll go shovel the snow."

As she spoke, her gaze timidly fell on Madam Sun, and she pleaded softly:

"Mother... Third Aunt, could you lend me your outer garment? It's so cold outside."