Chapter 1

Forced Marriage

In the dimly lit house, a woman lay on the bed, rubbing her temples in pain. Outside the door, someone was banging on it while spewing crude insults...

"Lin Nannan, don’t think staying silent will make me let you off the hook! If you dare refuse to marry, I’ll marry you off to that old loner. Don’t come crying to me later!"

The spiteful words only worsened Lin Nannan’s headache.

She was completely disoriented. Facing the rough dirt walls and the cluttered, junk-filled room, this environment was hell for someone used to high-tech living.

Ignoring the curses outside, she tried to figure out what had gone wrong.

The time machine was supposed to take her to an unpolluted ancient era, but for some reason, she had ended up in this barren, destitute time instead.

Moreover, instead of arriving in her own body, she had taken over someone else’s.

The original owner had died of a heart attack. Lin Nannan had arrived during her final moments and absorbed her memories.

The original owner had been found abandoned in the snow by the Lin family’s elderly matriarch, who claimed to have picked her up outside.

She struggled through life in the Lin household. From the moment she was old enough to understand, she was forced to wash clothes, cook, and handle every chore imaginable—and then some more. The Lin children took pleasure in bullying her. At the age of ten, Lin Qingqing pushed her into the river, causing her to develop a high fever. The Lins ignored her, and the fever fried her brain, turning her stubborn and reckless and defiant...

This change wasn’t entirely bad—at least she learned to fight back against the Lins. After realizing she had been "fried stupid," she stopped caring about consequences, and the family no longer dared to bully her too much, though they also ignored her even more.

Her survival depended entirely on the big mountain behind Zhu Village and the big river flowing through it...

The reason the Lins, who had long ignored her, suddenly focused on her again was because their eldest daughter, Lin Qingqing, had been engaged to the eldest son of the Lu family in the same village. However, the Lu family’s son had gotten badly wounded in the military and was discharged. Everyone who had seen him knew he would be bedridden for life.

Had nothing gone wrong, this marriage would have been the best in the village—Lu Hang was a capable man, rumored to have even become a regiment commander with a bright future ahead.

But now, gravely injured and unable to even leave his bed, no one dared to marry him.

The Lu family understood the situation and didn’t force Lin Qingqing to go through with the marriage.

The engagement could be called off, but only if all the betrothal gifts were returned.

The Lins were more than happy to cancel the marriage, but the gifts had already been used up or consumed. Gathering them back would be like pulling teeth. The matter dragged on unresolved, leaving Lin Qingqing in tears for days. Eventually, the Lins came up with the idea of marrying off their "foundling" Lin Nannan instead.

The Lu family’s matriarch agreed—after all, they needed someone to take care of Lu Hang—but only if Lin Nannan consented.

The simple-minded Lin Nannan refused. Anything Lin Qingqing rejected usually meant beatings and abuse for her, so she stubbornly held her ground, holding out even when they starved her...

Starved and severely ill, the original owner died.

That was how Lin Nannan wound up like this—simple-minded.

After learning that Lu Hang was paralyzed and unable to care for himself, Lin Nannan’s eyes lit up with an idea. Marrying him might not be so bad after all—she disliked being controlled...

Besides, staying with the Lins risked them noticing her sudden change, which would be troublesome to explain. So, she made up her mind right then and there.