Bloodline Genealogy

Dongxi Village.

At the path at the head of the village, Xu Chuan wore a straw hat and a coarse hemp vest with his trouser legs rolled up, carrying a hoe on his shoulder and walking toward the village while holding two large black carp tied with straw in his hand.

The afterglow of the evening sun stretched his shadow long, and his bronze-colored skin shimmered with a radiant glow.

"San Shu, heading home?"

Beneath the large locust tree ahead, an old man with slightly graying temples gently fanned himself with a cattail-leaf fan.

Seeing Xu Chuan, he greeted him affectionately.

Seeing the large black carp in his hand, the old man smiled slightly. "You've got a fine harvest today."

"Uncle Chen, out here catching the breeze again?"

"It's just that damned weather playing tricks on us. On a day as hot as this, only a physique like yours could hold out under the scorching sun for so long."

Xu Chuan flashed a grin.

He stood over one meter and eighty centimeters tall with a well-proportioned build, not particularly brawny among the men of Dongxi Village, and in the eyes of others, he could even be considered somewhat slender.

Yet Xu Chuan had never fallen ill from childhood to adulthood.

People in the village all said that Xu Chuan was a blessed individual deeply favored by the heavens.

In truth, that was not the case.

Xu Chuan was a transmigrator.

He did possess a certain innate talent.

He was born into an ordinary commoner household, and his father, Xu Ping, was a long-term farmhand for the powerful Xu Household of Dongxi Village.

When he was three and still ignorant of the world, his mother passed away.

When he was fifteen, Xu Ping also departed due to overwork.

Possessing the retained wisdom of a past life, Xu Chuan learned things very quickly and was quite adept at farming.

The Xu Household also valued him greatly, and after his father passed away, they raised his wages twofold to keep him.

Yet Xu Chuan resolutely resigned from his work at the Xu Household.

He used nearly all his savings to purchase ten mu of paddy fields.

The villagers all said Xu Chuan was short-sighted, as the Xu Household was a renowned and influential family for tens of li around, and becoming a farmhand for them was no easy task.

Xu Ping had toiled for the Xu Household his entire life, and initially, it was only because of his old man that Xu Chuan had been able to become a farmhand there.

Yet now he had thrown it away for nothing, making room for someone else.

However, Xu Chuan did not see it that way at all.

How could working for someone else possibly compare to the drive and vigor of working for oneself?

Of course, he also felt that after keeping a low profile and developing for fifteen years, the time had come to stand on his own two feet.

As a transmigrator, Xu Chuan was accompanied from birth by a [Bloodline Genealogy], though at present the genealogy had only a single page, and that first page bore only Xu Chuan's name.

To be recorded on the genealogy, one had to drip blood upon it, and only then would the name appear.

It was also when he was six years old that Xu Chuan had figured this out through trial and error, revealing himself to be nothing more than a [three-nothing youth].

[Xu Chuan: First Generation of the Xu Household] [Spiritual Roots: Incomplete Five Elements, Lacking Cultivation Aptitude] [Talent: None] [Bloodline: None]

Following that, the [Bloodline Genealogy] gave birth to three talents, which were [Dragon Vitality], [Daily Divination], and [Heaven Rewards Diligence].

He applied all of them to himself.

[Dragon Vitality] left him full of energy day after day, with exuberant vitality and robust blood.

Naturally, he remained free of illness and disaster.

[Daily Divination] allowed him to divine auspiciousness and misfortune once per day.

The vast majority were mediocre divinations, neither auspicious nor inauspicious.

This was also related to the fact that Xu Chuan kept a low profile and never stirred up trouble.

[Heaven Rewards Diligence] meant that as long as one persevered in any endeavor, there would inevitably be rewards.

Even though the reinforcement was modest, through the passage of cold winters and scorching summers one after another, it still far surpassed ordinary people.

Take farming, for example; today he was a master in that field, and many commoners of Dongxi Village had sought guidance from him.

Farmland was the lifeblood of the commoners, and because of this, his popularity was quite good.

Aside from that, Xu Chuan was also skilled in carpentry, the cultivation of fruit trees and medicinal herbs, and knew a thing or two about archery.

Relying on his own hard work, Xu Chuan got married in his twentieth year. The other party was also the eldest daughter of an ordinary commoner household, named Bai Jing.

Three years younger than him, she possessed a delicate and pretty appearance, and was hardworking and kind.

It could be considered a well-matched match in terms of social standing.

Not long after they were married, Xu Chuan purchased another ten mu of mountain forest and planted rare Jade Pear trees.

The villagers all said that Jade Pear trees were delicate and not ordinary varieties, that they could not be grown successfully, and told Xu Chuan not to waste his effort.

Xu Chuan merely smiled at this.

Six years passed, and Bai Jing gave birth to two sons for him, currently having a third child on the way, which would also reach full term in another two months.

"Uncle Chen, I won't chat idly with you anymore; I still have to go home to see my wife."

"Go on, go on. Just remember to invite me for a drink when the child is born and reaches the full-month milestone."

"Then you must remember to bring a gift."

"Not willing to suffer a loss at all, haha."

Xu Chuan then walked toward his household, arriving home shortly after.

Ashen-white walls, dark-blue tiles, a square courtyard, and in the northeast corner of the courtyard stood a tall pear tree laden with large green pears that weighed down its branches.

Just as he reached the entrance, he saw two children sticking their bottoms out and peering around the corner of the courtyard wall, their dark, glossy eyes wondering what they were looking at.

Hearing footsteps, the two turned their heads.

Upon seeing Xu Chuan, they immediately broke into brilliant smiles, running and shouting as they came, "Daddy, you're back."

"Daddy, it's a big green fish. I want to eat big green fish."

"No problem, but the very first mouthful of fish soup must be left for your mommy, you know."

The slightly older child nodded sensibly and said, "Mommy is carrying a little younger brother and has it very hard, so naturally mommy should eat first."

"Shitou is such a good boy."

"Then what about me, Daddy?"

The slightly younger child looked up and asked, his eyes blinking rapidly, looking very expectant.

"You're a good boy too."

The older one was named Xu Mingwei, five years old this year, with the childhood nickname Shitou.

The younger one was Xu Mingyuan, three years old, with the childhood nickname A Yuan.

"Right, what were you guys lying on the ground looking at just now?"

Xu Mingwei pointed at the corner of the wall and said, "There are many little ants on the ground, crawling in a neat line."

"Ants moving house? It looks like it's going to rain tonight."

"Daddy, what is ants moving house? Will it rain tonight? How do you know?" Xu Mingwei tugged at the corner of Xu Chuan's clothing, asking endlessly.

Xu Chuan smiled and said, "Do you still want to eat fish soup tonight or not?"

"If you keep stopping Daddy, there won't be any left to eat."

Hearing this, the two wore expressions as if the sky were about to fall and hurriedly stepped aside.

Then they pushed Xu Chuan toward the kitchen, urging eagerly, "Daddy, hurry up, hurry up."

At this moment, Bai Jing walked out, supporting her large belly with her hand against the door frame, still bearing a red mark on her face from when she had just woken up. "Husband is back. I slept in, I'll go make dinner right now."

"No need, Wife, you rest. Husband will cook tonight's dinner."

Xu Chuan smiled gently and entered the kitchen.

First he washed the rice, lit the fire, and made the meal, then used a kitchen knife to scrape the fish scales and clean the internal organs.

After finishing, he made seven or eight cuts on both sides to help the fish absorb more flavor while boiling.

Xu Mingwei and Xu Mingyuan both stood to the side watching quietly, saliva at the corners of their mouths dripping onto the floor with a pat.

"Shitou, go look by the chicken coop and see if there are any eggs."

"Okay, Daddy."

Xu Mingwei trotted over happily, felt around in the chicken coop with his small hand, fished out two eggs, and then scurried excitedly to Xu Chuan's side.

"Daddy, here."

Xu Chuan took them, placed them to the side, and prepared to stir-fry scallions with eggs later.

"Also, go with A Yuan and herd all the chickens in the courtyard back into the chicken coop."

Xu Mingwei pulled A Yuan's little hand and went to herd the chickens again.

After a moment.

Xu Mingyuan's crying sounded out.

Xu Chuan stopped what he was doing and ran over to take a look. Bai Jing was holding Xu Mingyuan, gently patting his back and comforting him.

"What's wrong?" Xu Chuan asked.

Xu Mingwei said, "Daddy, A Yuan was swatted down by a rooster's wing, fell to the ground, and then cried."

"A Yuan, you're a real man, how can you cry? In a few days, Daddy will get revenge for you."

Xu Mingyuan sniffled twice and truly stopped crying. "Daddy, promises are promises."

"When has Daddy ever said something and not followed through?"

"Come on, let's pinky promise."

"Mhm."

Xu Chuan went back to finish cooking.

Over an hour later, the family happily gathered around the Eight Immortals table to eat.

Both little ones kept Xu Chuan's words in mind and offered the first bite of fish soup to their mother, leaving Bai Jing deeply moved.

Nighttime.

A torrential downpour began.

Inside the bedroom, Bai Jing suddenly spoke. "Husband, before long the third one will be born. You should add another tier to that bunk bed."

"No rush for now." Xu Chuan smiled faintly. "The third one can sleep in a crib first."

"As for later, I plan to expand the house in a few years, adding at least three more rooms. The courtyard is also a bit small; once the family grows, the children won't have enough space to move around."

"I'll listen to you, Husband." Bai Jing nodded, then thought of something. "Does that mean we should rent a few mu of farmland? After all, there'll be another mouth to feed, and Shitou and A Yuan are both eating more and more too."

"You've thought of everything, Wife." Xu Chuan looked at Bai Jing and smiled again. "There's no need to rent, though. Since last year, the Jade Pear trees across the ten mu of mountain forest have finally started bearing fruit after all these years of hard work, and this year's yield will only be even greater."

Bai Jing said no more.

A wife follows her husband's lead, and naturally Xu Chuan made all the decisions for the Xu Household.

Besides, she knew Xu Chuan was exceptionally capable. Ever since she married him, life in the Xu Household had visibly improved year after year.

Of course, more importantly, Xu Chuan cherished her dearly.

She had not married the wrong man.

"Husband, let this concubine help you tonight."

"Sorry for the trouble, Wife."