My Father, Monsieur Jules [19th Century]

[First rescue the father who shucks oysters, then put the snobbish relatives in their place]

The day before, Li Anna had been celebrating with her family after getting into Wudaokou Technical School. When she opened her eyes, she found herself lying in a dark, cramped cabin, covered by a damp blanket.

An elderly sailor in ragged clothes sat beside the bed, happily counting the coins in his hand.

“Little Anna, look! A kind gentleman gave me ten copper coins as a tip today. Once I sell some more oysters, you’ll be able to afford your medicine again.”

Li Anna opened her eyes, then immediately closed them again. She had no desire to look at this miserable world.

With her remarkable store of knowledge, if she had guessed right, this sailor must be the famous Jules.

And she was... Jules’s daughter?

*

The thing the Philippe family loved most was showing people their “book of blessings.” That was because their wealthiest relative, the pure and upright Anna de Vautrin, owned a shop that everyone coveted, from princes and nobles to commoners.

It was the most famous and largest landmark in France for centuries.

*The setting is based on nineteenth-century France. Any differences are fictional.

*A slow-paced farming and business story.

*Some characters from O. Henry’s works will also appear. I want to rewrite their fates, too.

*Saved on June 2, 2026.

Premise: Keep striving to live.