Wang Yan's life is smooth sailing: a nine-to-five job and a decent salary. Still, he always feels that life is like a cup of lukewarm water.
One ordinary late night after working overtime, he stared at the pop-up on his computer that read, “You have worked 365 consecutive days,” and smiled bitterly. On a whim, he searched: “How did people in ancient times spend their lives?”
The moment he pressed Enter, a slowly spinning blue vortex appeared above his desk and gently “swallowed” him up.
When he opened his eyes again, he was in the Jiangnan region during the Hongzhi era of the Ming Dynasty, in a small waterside town. He had become a young shopkeeper whose parents had both died, and whose little teahouse was on the verge of closing. All he had left was three strings of copper coins, a room half full of old books, and a quiet canal outside his window.
