“Wuwuwu, Daddy came back from the dead…”
Xia Ren heard a soft, childish cry from a little girl.
A few breaths later, he sat up from the bed, his hazy eyes slowly opening to reveal a dim mud-brick house.
“My head hurts so much, where is this?”
Xia Ren’s head felt heavy, as if he had just woken up from a hangover.
He looked down and saw that he wasn't wearing a suit, but rather a patched up coarse linen garment.
Just then, a flurry of footsteps came from outside.
He turned around and saw a woman leading three little girls inside. All of them had thin cheeks, clearly a result of long-term malnutrition.
But at this moment, Xia Ren was stunned.
The faces of these people were exactly like those of his deceased wife and daughters.
“Husband, you’re not dead, that’s wonderful!”
The woman excitedly rushed forward, embracing Xia Ren with open arms, tears streaming uncontrollably from her eyes.
“Daddy.”
“Daddy, Er Ya missed you so much.”
“San Ya also missed you so much, Daddy, it’s wonderful, Daddy is alive again.”
The three little girls surrounded Xia Ren, crying incoherently, their faces streaked with tears.
This action made Xia Ren’s heart skip a beat.
He could now confirm that he must have transmigrated into this body.
As for the people in front of him, they were the original owner’s family.
For some reason, they looked exactly like his family from his previous life.
However, being able to see the faces of his deceased family again, Xia Ren felt both excited and happy, and unconsciously, his eyes became a little moist.
At this moment, a mechanical voice sounded in Xia Ren’s mind—
“Ding, the Daily Check-in System has been activated.”
“The Host can receive a check-in supply at 12:00 PM every day by checking in.”
Upon hearing this, Xia Ren couldn’t help but show a look of joy.
It’s good to have a cheat, his future life will be better.
He just didn’t know why, but he hadn’t received any memories from the original owner of the body.
However, it wasn’t a big problem; he could just pretend to have amnesia and ask the original owner’s wife about himself and the situation of this world.
“I don’t remember anything from before, can you tell me about myself?”
Xia Ren looked at the woman in front of him and lied.
He needed to understand the situation first before making further arrangements.
“Husband, you really don’t remember anything?”
The woman got up from Xia Ren’s embrace, looking at him with a surprised expression.
The three little girls were also like this, their big eyes staring at Xia Ren, brimming with tears.
“Yes.”
Xia Ren nodded, lying without batting an eye.
Seeing that Xia Ren wasn’t joking, the four of them immediately became uneasy.
They were all afraid, afraid that Xia Ren would abandon them.
After all, Xia Ren didn’t remember anything from the past.
The woman lowered her head, being weak-willed, she didn’t know how to speak for a moment.
At this time, a six-year-old girl stepped forward, her eyes holding a precocious demeanor, looking quite shrewd, she looked up at Xia Ren and introduced in an orderly manner: “Daddy, your name is Xia Ren.”
Xia Ren’s heart immediately skipped a beat; he hadn’t expected the original owner’s name to also be Xia Ren.
Immediately, the six-year-old girl continued: “My name is Er Ya, A Niang’s name is Jiang Wan’er, my elder sister is Da Ya, and my younger sister is San Ya.”
The little girl named Er Ya tried to use names to awaken Xia Ren’s memory.
Seeing no reaction from Xia Ren, she continued to speak: “Yesterday evening, Daddy, you accidentally fell off a cliff, and it was Li Zheng who brought you back with the villagers. The strange thing is, you were already dead then, but now, Daddy, not only are you alive again, but all your injuries have also healed.”
Xia Ren’s mind became active, understanding that the “Li Zheng” Er Ya spoke of was likely the ancient term for village chief.
Jiang Wan’er and the three little girls all stared at Xia Ren, eagerly hoping he could recall his past memories.
But seeing the calm expression on Xia Ren’s face, they knew he hadn’t remembered, so they all sighed.
“What has happened recently then?”
Xia Ren looked at Er Ya and asked calmly and composedly.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
As a mercenary for ten years, he was confident in overcoming all sorts of difficulties.
Just as Er Ya was about to answer, four-year-old San Ya walked forward: “I know, San Ya will tell you.”
Her voice was soft and sweet, making Xia Ren realize immediately that San Ya was the little girl who had woken him up.
San Ya puffed out her cheeks, a little imp with a mischievous glint in her eyes, and said in a playful manner: “Because the north of the Da Ji Dynasty has been in a great drought for five years, a lot of fields have yielded no harvest, so this morning Li Zheng Grandpa and the villagers decided that the whole village would flee south, and we’re setting off tomorrow morning.”
After saying this, San Ya had a proud look on her face, as if to say, come praise me.
Xia Ren really liked this child.
He raised his right hand and gently rubbed San Ya’s little head.
This made San Ya extremely happy, her lips curving into an uncontrollable smile.
It was only then that Xia Ren realized this was a dynasty that had never appeared in the history of Blue Star, and his heart was filled with mixed emotions.
He wondered if his arrival here was a blessing or a curse.
As for the drought, since the disaster had reached such a severe point.
To survive, they must flee tomorrow!
Otherwise, they would definitely die!
“Husband, do you remember now?”
Jiang Wan’er asked Xia Ren with hopeful anticipation.
Xia Ren shook his head and replied kindly, “No.”
“There’s no more food at home, and even tree bark, grass roots, and wild vegetables around the village can’t be dug up anymore. The whole village is fleeing tomorrow, Husband, you take Da Ya, Er Ya, and San Ya with you.”
Jiang Wan’er looked at Xia Ren.
“What about you?”
Xia Ren looked at Jiang Wan’er and asked in confusion.
“I’ll stay behind to save rations for the children.”
Jiang Wan’er said to Xia Ren, willingly.
On the escape route, food was scarce, and saving one portion of food could mean one more person surviving.
As her words fell, Da Ya, Er Ya, and San Ya all tightly hugged Jiang Wan’er.
The three little girls understood that Jiang Wan’er was sacrificing herself to protect them.
“A Niang, let’s go together.”
“I’ll give half of my rations to you, A Niang, as long as our family stays united, we can definitely survive the escape to the south.”
“San Ya is also willing to give half of her rations, A Niang, San Ya can’t bear to leave you.”
The three little girls cried with tear-filled eyes, speaking one after another to try and make her stay.
Xia Ren watched the scene before him and couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
“We are a family, and not one of us will be left behind.”
Xia Ren grasped Jiang Wan’er’s hand, speaking gently yet firmly.
He looked at Jiang Wan’er and his three daughters before him, and once again thought of his family from his previous life.
In his opinion, this might be a chance for redemption given to him by heaven.
And it was precisely because of this that he secretly vowed in his heart at this moment that in this life, no matter how great the difficulties and obstacles, he would protect them and make them the happiest people in the world.
If he couldn’t do it, his name, Xia Ren, could be read backward.
“Daddy is the best, San Ya loves Daddy the most.”
San Ya hugged Xia Ren’s leg, and as Xia Ren picked her up, San Ya gave Xia Ren a big kiss on his cheek.
And Jiang Wan’er, hearing Xia Ren’s words, immediately got red eyes, her heart moved beyond words.
At this moment, San Ya’s stomach rumbled.
“Grumble grumble—”
San Ya lowered her head, a little embarrassed.
Hunger seemed to be contagious.
Jiang Wan’er, Da Ya, Er Ya, and even Xia Ren, their stomachs all rumbled.
“You’re all hungry, aren’t you? I’ll go out and find some food, wait for me to come back.”
Xia Ren put San Ya down and stroked her head.
Eight-year-old Da Ya stepped forward, lowering her head and saying, “Daddy, I’ll go with you.”
Xia Ren looked at Da Ya in front of him; she was a beautiful girl, inheriting Jiang Wan’er’s beauty, but her personality was a bit too shy.
“No need, you all stay at home.”
Xia Ren smiled faintly and rubbed Da Ya’s head.
“Okay, Daddy, be careful on your way.”
Da Ya smiled and nodded, feeling the strong paternal love.
Under the gaze of his family, Xia Ren took a woodcutting knife and a wicker basket and left the house.
There was a mountain north of the village; perhaps he could catch some wild game.
Two hours later.
The scorching sun was high, and visible heat waves shimmered in the air.
Xia Ren was sweating profusely, but thankfully he finally reached the depths of the mountain.
Along the way, he saw countless trees, their bark stripped by villagers for food, leaving them bare.
And the river flowing through the village had completely dried up, with countless fields cracked due to the drought.
Drought, indeed one of the most terrifying natural disasters.
At this moment, a mechanical voice sounded in Xia Ren’s mind—
“Ding! It’s 12:00 PM, please check in as soon as possible to claim today’s check-in supplies!”