Chapter Summaries

After Rong Zheng transmigrated into the body of a failed scholar who had attempted suicide, he woke at his parents’ graves and met Ye Yun and Ye Chen. Ye Yun helped him with food and medicine, and Rong Zheng left with a strong impression of the kindhearted youth.

• Rong Zheng awoke at his parents’ graves and absorbed the memories of the original Rong Zheng, whose parents had died and whose third failed examination had driven him to despair.
• Rong Zheng recognized Ye Yun and Ye Chen, asked them for food, and learned from his memories that Ye Yun was a ger.
• Ye Yun gave Rong Zheng a steamed bun, water, and herbs for his forehead wound, while Ye Chen offered him a water flask.
• Ye Yun gave Rong Zheng wild fruit and greens before leaving with Ye Chen.
• Rong Zheng recalled how Ye Yun had been adopted after being found near death and reflected that the youth’s looks and kindness had made a special impression on him.

After finding his home and realizing his money was nearly gone, Rong Zheng resolved to rebuild his life by hunting and eventually try the examinations again. He caught a pheasant on his first hunt, and Wang Zhang-shi reminded him to inspect the family’s neglected fields, giving him another possible source of income.

• Rong Zheng returned to his house, assessed his dwindling savings, and decided to hunt for a living while keeping the original owner’s wish to pass the examinations in mind.
• Rong Zheng exercised at dawn, then told Wang Zhang-shi he intended to hunt; she encouraged him and was moved when he thanked her for looking after him.
• Rong Zheng struggled up the mountain and spent the day hunting, but managed to catch one pheasant.
• Wang Zhang-shi told Rong Zheng that the rice seedlings in his three mu of fields had withered and suggested he plant something else; he promised to inspect them the next day.
• Rong Zheng offered Wang Zhang-shi a bowl of pheasant meat in thanks, and she accepted after asking him to seek help from her son Wang Ze if needed.

Rong Zheng found his family’s rice fields ruined and decided to replace the crop with vegetables while practicing hunting to earn money for the land tax. After a month without seeing Ye Yun, he resolved to find an excuse to visit him and repay his kindness.

• Rong Zheng found that weeds and neglect had ruined his three mu of rice and began hoeing the plants up to make room for vegetables.
• Uncle Liu warned Rong Zheng about the land tax, recommended a vegetable seed shop, and gave him advice on growing crops.
• Rong Zheng worked the fields in the mornings and practiced hunting on the mountain in the afternoons for a month, hoping to earn enough to pay the tax.
• Rong Zheng thought often about Ye Yun and, in June, decided to visit him soon to repay the food Ye Yun had given him.

Ye Yun endured memories of the abuse he and his younger brother Ye Chen suffered under Eldest Uncle Ye’s family while washing their laundry. He continued saving money by gathering medicinal herbs so he could take Ye Chen away, while Ming-ge'er quietly admired Ye Yun’s resolve and wondered why he wanted to stay close to him.

• Villagers discussed Rong Zheng’s sudden efforts to work the fields and hunt as Ye Yun washed his eldest uncle’s family’s clothes.
• Ye Yun remembered how Chen Guihua had beaten Ye Chen after Ye Yun came home late, and how Ye Yun had protected and comforted his injured brother.
• Ye Yun recalled how Eldest Uncle Ye’s family had taken the brothers’ savings and fields, forced them into exhausting labor, and mistreated them for years.
• Ming-ge'er asked Ye Yun what Rong Zheng would do after digging up his rice seedlings, and Ye Yun said working was a good start.
• Ming-ge'er watched Ye Yun leave and thought about his efforts to learn herbal medicine and save enough to escape with Ye Chen.

Rong Zheng reunited with Ye Yun and Ye Chen in the wild woods and shared a roasted pheasant with them after learning they had ventured deep into the woods to gather medicinal herbs. Seeing how thin and exhausted the brothers were, he resolved to ask Auntie Zhang about their situation and help them if he could.

• Rong Zheng found a pheasant in his trap and encountered Ye Yun and Ye Chen gathering medicinal herbs deep in the woods.
• Rong Zheng warned the brothers about wild beasts and offered to help if they returned to gather herbs, then gave them the pheasant and sparrows.
• When Ye Yun worried that carrying the game home would invite gossip, Rong Zheng took the pheasant to a nearby cave and roasted it for them.
• Ye Chen eagerly ate his drumstick, while Ye Yun became emotional as he remembered how long it had been since he had eaten one.
• Rong Zheng noticed the brothers' poor health and resolved to ask Auntie Zhang about their circumstances and find a way to help.
• After the three ate, Rong Zheng asked Ye Yun and Ye Chen to leave the dangerous woods with him.

Rong Zheng saw bruises on Ye Yun and Ye Chen, learned that their uncle’s household regularly abused and neglected them, and resolved to help. He left with Auntie Zhang’s account of the brothers’ situation and prepared to act on what he had learned.

• Rong Zheng noticed the bruises on Ye Yun and Ye Chen, apologized for startling them, and asked whether their uncle had beaten them; Ye Yun thanked him and hurried home with Ye Chen.
• Ye Chen asked Ye Yun whether Rong Zheng was a good person, and Ye Yun said he was.
• Rong Zheng brought a wild rabbit to Wang Zhang-shi, arranged for Wang Ze and his wife to plant his fields, and asked about the Ye brothers.
• Wang Zhang-shi told Rong Zheng that the brothers’ uncle had taken their savings and farmland and allowed Chen Guihua to starve, beat, and mistreat them.
• Rong Zheng decided he could not leave Ye Yun and Ye Chen to suffer, then accepted wild greens and cured pork from Wang Zhang-shi before heading home.

Rong Zheng sold his game in Laiyuan Town and spent his earnings on food, household supplies, seeds, and clothes. Seeing a fine robe for Ye Yun made him recognize his feelings and resolve to court him and get him away from his abusive family.

• Rong Zheng rode an ox cart to town and told the passengers he was only a novice hunter, concealing how much game he had caught.
• Rong Zheng sold two rabbits, two pheasants, and a goat to Shopkeeper Li at the Delighted Phoenix Pavilion for eight taels and agreed to bring more game in the future.
• Rong Zheng ate wonton noodles, bought buns, white rice, seasonings, pastries, vegetable seeds for three mu of land, and sturdy clothes for hunting.
• Rong Zheng saw a fine ger's robe and imagined Ye Yun wearing it, realizing he had developed feelings for him.
• Rong Zheng thought of Ye Yun's abuse at Eldest Uncle Ye's home and resolved to court him openly, then bought himself a dark blue robe.

Rong Zheng visited Azure Cloud Academy and secured Teacher Zhao’s approval to resume his studies in September, while planning to prepare for the preliminary examinations and settle his affairs. At a bookshop, he bought study supplies and considered writing a novel for male readers, but doubted his ability to create a story.

• Rong Zheng met Teacher Zhao and asked to return to Azure Cloud Academy in three months.
• Rong Zheng told Teacher Zhao that he had kept studying at home and hoped to sit the preliminary examinations next year.
• Teacher Zhao agreed to accept Rong Zheng, advised him to study diligently, and offered to answer questions from his books.
• Rong Zheng paid the academy fees and bought paper, calligraphy supplies, and copybooks at Distant View Bookshop.
• Rong Zheng browsed popular storybooks and considered writing a novel aimed at male readers, but worried he could not develop the idea into a story.

Rong Zheng recruited Feng Xuanwen to write a supernatural story based on his ideas and funded the project. Feng Xuanwen promised to finish the first part within a month, leaving their partnership ready to begin.

• Rong Zheng heard Shopkeeper Sun reject Feng Xuanwen’s manuscript and offered to share an original story idea with him.
• Rong Zheng told Feng Xuanwen the first part of a tale about ancient supernatural beings, and Feng Xuanwen became eager to hear more.
• Rong Zheng read Feng Xuanwen’s manuscript and proposed a partnership, offering to provide the story ideas while Feng Xuanwen wrote them.
• Feng Xuanwen explained his family’s hardship and asked Rong Zheng to cover the writing costs.
• Rong Zheng gave Feng Xuanwen one tael of silver, and Feng Xuanwen promised to finish the first part within a month.

Rong Zheng hired Wang Ze to care for his vegetable plot while he went into the mountains, then brought food to Ye Yun and Ye Chen and confessed that he liked Ye Yun. He promised to help the brothers leave Ye Yun’s eldest uncle’s household after he returned, while Ye Yun was left overwhelmed by the confession and Rong Zheng’s kindness.

• Rong Zheng paid Wang Ze two hundred wen to plant and water his vegetable seeds while he was away in the mountains.
• Rong Zheng brought meat buns and pastries to Ye Yun and Ye Chen, then told Ye Yun he planned to explore the dangerous forest for several days.
• Ye Yun warned Rong Zheng about the danger and asked whether he really had to go, revealing his worry for him.
• Rong Zheng asked whether Ye Yun trusted him and promised to help him leave his eldest uncle’s household and recover his family’s land.
• Rong Zheng confessed that he liked Ye Yun and told him to take his time thinking about it until he returned.
• Rong Zheng helped the brothers gather wild greens and firewood, escorted them to the main mountain path, and resolved to get Ye Yun out of his situation soon.

Ye Yun and Ye Chen worked in the fields and returned to find Chen Guihua’s family had eaten without saving them food. As Ye Yun overheard Ye Bao wanting to marry Rong Zheng, he realized others might desire Rong Zheng too and grew jealous.

• Ye Yun and Ye Chen rested from fieldwork and worried about Rong Zheng’s journey into the deep mountains.
• Chen Guihua ordered the brothers to clear the kitchen and warned them not to touch the pork belly.
• Ye Bao asked Chen Guihua to arrange a match with Rong Zheng, but Chen Guihua argued that his poverty and dangerous hunting made him unsuitable.
• Chen Guihua suggested Ye Bao marry Ye Hou or someone from a landlord’s family, while Ye Bao rejected Ye Hou.
• Ye Yun recalled Rong Zheng’s kindness and his confession of affection, then grew resentful when he heard Ye Bao wanted to marry him.
• Ye Chen noticed Ye Yun scrubbing the dishes too hard, and Ye Yun stopped before he could break a bowl.

Rong Zheng returned from a dangerous hunting trip with a red fox, two softshell turtles, and a snake, earning forty-four taels from their sale. As the village began considering him an eligible marriage prospect, he remained unaware that something had happened to Ye Yun.

• Rong Zheng hunted in a remote forest for several days, killing a snake, shooting a red fox, and catching two softshell turtles.
• Rong Zheng met Uncle Wang on his way home, and Uncle Wang spread news of the red fox around Anhe Village.
• Village women began considering Rong Zheng as a match for their daughters and gers because of his hunting success and ability to read and write.
• Rong Zheng sold the snake and turtles to Shopkeeper Li at the Delighted Phoenix Pavilion for eighteen taels.
• Rong Zheng sold the red fox to Shopkeeper Zhou at the Autumn Charm Pavilion for twenty-five taels, bringing his savings to fifty taels.
• Rong Zheng decided to make more hunting trips, unaware that something had happened to Ye Yun.

Ye Yun recalled the abuse he and Ye Chen had suffered under Chen Guihua and her children, and why he had endured it while secretly planning to earn money and escape. Back in the present, Chen Guihua ordered him to buy pork for Ye Yao, and Ye Yun went without arguing.

• Ye Yun saw Ye Yao return after two months away and recalled that he had been lying about working as a porter while gambling and stealing in town.
• Chen Guihua berated Ye Yun and twisted his arm before ordering him to cook and buy pork for Ye Yao.
• Ye Yun remembered Ye Yao and Ye Bao beating Ye Chen over his longevity lock, and Chen Guihua whipping the child after believing their false accusations.
• Ye Yun told Ye Chen that their parents were dead, gave Ye Yao the longevity lock, and promised to take Ye Chen away once they were older and had money.
• Ye Yun secretly studied an herbal medicine book and gathered herbs to earn money for an eventual escape.
• Ye Yun picked up Chen Guihua's money and went to buy pork without arguing with her.

Ye Yun and Ye Chen marked Ye Yun’s birthday in their cold storage shed while Eldest Uncle Ye’s family argued over Ye Yao’s gambling debt. The family decided to arrange Ye Yun’s marriage to an old widower for the betrothal money, while Ye Yun fell asleep believing he would leave with Ye Chen the following year.

• Ye Chen gave Ye Yun a grasshopper for his birthday, and Ye Yun thought about how much he missed Rong Zheng.
• Eldest Uncle Ye and Chen Guihua learned that Ye Yao owed a gambling house eighty taels and decided to find the money to repay it.
• Ye Bao proposed marrying off Ye Yun to collect betrothal money, and Chen Guihua agreed to force the match.
• Ye Yun, unaware of their plan, hoped to save enough money to leave with Ye Chen next year and fell asleep.

Chen Guihua arranged for Ye Yun to marry Gu Tie and beat him and Ye Chen when they resisted. As the villagers learned the truth, Ming-ge'er fetched Rong Zheng, who hurried to help Ye Yun.

• Chen Guihua arranged Ye Yun's same-day marriage to Gu Tie for twenty taels, but Ye Yun refused because he feared Gu Tie and needed to care for Ye Chen.
• Chen Guihua slapped Ye Yun, and Ye Chen bit her arm while defending his brother.
• Ye Yao dragged Ye Chen away and kicked him, while Chen Guihua beat Ye Yun and threatened him into accepting the marriage.
• Villagers intervened, and Ye Yun revealed that Gu Tie had driven away his previous husbands through beatings.
• Ming-ge'er told Rong Zheng that Ye Yun was in trouble, and Rong Zheng rushed toward the scene.

Rong Zheng proposed to Ye Yun publicly and used the threat of legal action to help Ye Yun and Ye Chen split from Eldest Uncle Ye’s household. They recovered fifteen taels of silver and ten mu of land, and Rong Zheng planned to take the brothers to an inn in town.

• Rong Zheng stopped Chen Guihua from striking Ye Yun, then kicked Ye Yao away when he attacked.
• Ye Yun and Ye Chen asked to leave Eldest Uncle Ye’s household, but Ye Yun worried they had nowhere to live.
• Rong Zheng proposed to Ye Yun, who accepted, and declared that he would marry and care for him.
• Rong Zheng warned Village Chief Ye and Eldest Uncle Ye that he would take the abuse to the authorities, and Village Chief Ye arranged the household split with Third Granduncle Ye as witness.
• Ming-ge'er showed the villagers the brothers’ bruises, and Eldest Uncle Ye agreed to return ten mu of land and half the silver, leaving Ye Yun and Ye Chen with fifteen taels.
• Rong Zheng said the brothers would stay at an inn in town, then helped Ye Yun pack their belongings from the woodshed.

After Rong Zheng helped Ye Yun and Ye Chen leave Eldest Uncle Ye’s home, he comforted Ye Yun and promised to marry him. Rong Zheng arranged a grand wedding for ten days later and began buying supplies, leaving the couple’s future preparations underway.

• Rong Zheng took Ye Yun and Ye Chen to Doctor Ye for treatment, then settled them at an inn and reassured Ye Yun that he would marry him.
• Ye Yun cried as he told Rong Zheng how afraid he had been, then admitted that he liked Rong Zheng too.
• Rong Zheng chose an auspicious date ten days away and asked Wang Zhang-shi to arrange a village-wide wedding banquet.
• Rong Zheng asked the village chief to witness the marriage, and the village chief recommended Auntie Zhong to oversee the ceremony.
• Rong Zheng consulted Auntie Zhong, bought wedding clothes and supplies, and prepared the household for Ye Yun and Ye Chen to join him.

Rong Zheng and Ye Yun celebrated their wedding, surrounded by family and villagers. After the feast, Rong Zheng reassured Ye Yun that they would wait to consummate their marriage, and the newlyweds shared a tender kiss before falling asleep together.

• Wang Zhang-shi's family and Auntie Zhong organized the wedding preparations, and Ye Yun got ready at Wang Zhang-shi's home.
• Rong Zheng welcomed Ye Yun from the bridal sedan, carried him inside, and completed the wedding bows with him.
• Ming-ge'er brought Ye Yun noodles in the bridal chamber, and the two friends chatted about staying close after the wedding.
• Rong Zheng toasted the villagers at the feast, shared the remaining food with the helpers, and arranged for Ye Chen to stay in a bedroom.
• Rong Zheng told Ye Yun they would wait to consummate their marriage until after he passed the tongsheng examination, then kissed him gently, and they fell asleep together.

Rong Zheng welcomed Ye Yun and Ye Chen into family life, prepared them a generous breakfast, and offered to teach Ye Chen martial arts. He then shared plans for a large new house, added Ye Yun’s requested bathing room, and gave him the household money to manage before leaving to hunt.

• Rong Zheng made thick white-rice porridge and fried eggs while Ye Yun and Ye Chen woke up, and he reassured Ye Chen that he was family and could relax.
• Rong Zheng promised to provide proper meals and proposed that Ye Chen train in martial arts with him each morning, easing Ye Yun’s fear that the boy would be treated like a servant.
• Rong Zheng showed Ye Yun and Ye Chen plans for a large house he intended to build before winter, and he revised the design to include Ye Yun’s requested bathing room.
• Rong Zheng told Ye Yun he would go hunting for several days and gave him twenty taels to manage as the household’s little housekeeper.

Rong Zheng arranged for the neighbors to tend the vegetable plot while he was away and reassured Ye Yun that he did not need to exhaust himself with work. He encouraged Ye Yun to study medicine and promised to support his choices, leaving Ye Yun feeling even more affection for him.

• Rong Zheng hired Wang Ze and his wife to water the vegetable plot and asked Wang Zhang-shi to check on Ye Yun and Ye Chen while he was away.
• Ye Yun offered to handle the watering and suggested gathering wild vegetables and medicinal herbs, but Rong Zheng refused to let him go into the mountains.
• Rong Zheng told Ye Yun he planned to send Ye Chen to school and teach both of them to read and write.
• Ye Yun worried that being a ger would prevent him from practicing medicine, and Rong Zheng promised to support his interests and choices.
• Ye Yun looked at Rong Zheng with growing affection, and Rong Zheng hoped they could build an equal relationship as husbands.