Lin Yu, a modern-day overworked office worker, dies suddenly from working overtime and is reborn in a parallel world, in a Chinese dynasty resembling ancient times, as a down-and-out scholar. To earn money for living expenses, he sells modern-day "couplets" on the street, using puns and internet catchphrases that draw crowds eager to buy them. He befriends Niu Dali, a kindhearted blacksmith, and helps improve his forging techniques with novel ideas. Lin Yu makes a name for himself in the small town and, by a twist of fate, saves Su Wan'er, the daughter of a wealthy family. People tease him as a "quirky genius." This volume ends with Lin Yu fitting into the life of the ancient town and establishing himself.
