The typhoon had wreaked havoc on Zhangping County, including You's Village, for an entire month before it finally cleared up.
However, the family of six, the You family, couldn't muster any joy. Their thatched house had collapsed with a loud crash last night.
The already impoverished family had been left without a roof over their heads.
Looking at the ruins, You Ni regretted running out to buy a cake on her birthday. If not for that, she wouldn't have been drenched by the sudden downpour, wouldn't have caught a cold and fever, and wouldn't have ended up in this world.
Even more strangely, the original host of You Ni's body had almost drowned, and had fallen into a feverish unconsciousness after being rescued.
Eventually, the human revived, but the soul now belonged to You Ni, who was from the modern world.
While everyone wore a glum expression, a noisy commotion gradually approached.
“Don't worry, Mr.Yan. Being the eldest, what I say, goes!”
Upon hearing this, You Ni frowned, a sense of foreboding arose within her.
Outside the fence, five or six men were approaching. Among the crowd, was the man who had just spoken.
“Uncle Er, what kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into now?” the youngest child in the family, seven-year-old You Xiaocheng asked with grim seriousness.
“What a brat, talking back to your elder? Are you looking for a beating?” You Tiezhu glared at You Xiaocheng and then turned back to appease middle-aged man dressed in magnificent clothes amidst the crowd with a sycophantic smile.
The man glanced at him disdainfully, shifting his gaze to rest on the two sisters of the You family, You Yuqing and You Ni.
He strode over to the sisters with interest, circled around them, checking them out thoroughly from head to toe.
Both girls were similar in age, their youthful faces without a touch of makeup, blooming with innocence. Their features still developing, but were all delicate, sharing a striking resemblance. For girls of their delicate age, with a bit of dressing up, they would certainly make two pretty beauties, and in a few more years, they'd definitely become irresistible.
However, she was a bit malnourished. If she put on a bit more weight, it would undoubtedly enhance her charm.
One wore her hair in symmetric twin buns often seen on young girls, while the other wore a simple ponytail. Both were wearing old clothes patched in many places; yet, these outward appearances couldn't conceal their beauty from the man who had seen all kinds of flowers in the garden.
The two daughters of this household, as well as their two sons, had all inherited their parents’ good genes, developing into beautiful individuals.
His gaze lingered longer on You Ni, the girl with the ponytail. What truly captivated one about this young girl were her vivid and expressive eyes — they sparkled with a luster that held less of her older sister's timid innocence and more sharpness, acuity and vigilance, seemingly reflecting a life experience incongruous with her age. This added a unique charm to her presence.
You Tiezhu asked with a sycophantic grin, "So, Uncle Yan, what do you think?"
Uncle Yan nodded satisfied, rubbing his newly grown beard, his gaze lingering on the young girl – he seemed reluctant to look away.
"So... which one do you choose?" asked You Tiezhu, who was hanging about nonchalantly, wearing a large coarse blue shirt. Misshapen yet tall, he had also inherited the good genes of the You family with a handsome countenance.
"Decisions are for children, I want both!" Uncle Yan chuckled with a naughty grin.
"Uncle, what do you want?" You Xiaocheng, foggy about what was happening, felt the whole family was baffled by the riddle presented by these men.
However, You Ni seemed to have caught onto these people's intentions — she was afraid that she or her sister might be sold off by this so-called uncle.
You Tiezhu pulled You Sangu aside, the Zhao family and the four children quickly followed.
"Third Brother, take a look at the state of our family. Do you really want our kids to endure hardship with us? Uncle Yan's interest in Yuqing and Ni is their fortune. In the future, we will certainly live better than we do now," You Tiezhu said, patting You Sangu's shoulder, filled with anticipation for the future.
"Are you planning to sell my two elder sisters?" Though You Xiaocheng was only seven years old, he was quick-witted and immediately understood his implication.
"Why does it sound so terrible when you say it? Your uncle is playing matchmaker, finding husbands for your sisters! Look at our home, we don't even have a house anymore, where are we going to live in the future? Don't we need money to build a house? Your uncle is also doing this for your sake! You and your elder brother have to make something of yourselves in the future. Given our current financial situation, we can't even afford books. What are you going to study for exams with? We need to think of a way. Are you expecting your mom and dad to chop wood and farm the land?"
"I'm afraid even if we sold all six members of our family, it still wouldn't be enough to pay off your gambling debts, could it?" You Ni sarcastically retorted.