Exiled, I Became a Landlord in Northeast China

Gu You'an has had the same dream over and over since she was nine. In it, she is the daughter of an official, with loving parents and a harmonious family. The only catch is that she is a muddleheaded fool. She never thought much of it, assuming it was her subconscious trying to compensate for losing her parents at a young age. Then, after graduating from university, she fainted in an accident. When she opened her eyes again, she had transmigrated to the scene of a household being confiscated in the Great Zhou Dynasty. "My An'an! How can I go on without you, my child?" A beautifully dressed woman clutched her and wept as if her heart would break. She was exactly like the mother from Gu You'an's dreams. Gu You'an's lips trembled as she whispered, "Mother." The woman froze for a moment, then suddenly laughed and cried at once, shouting, "My An'an's soul has returned! This is the greatest blessing!" Gu You'an really had come back to herself! Though it wasn't entirely a good thing, since disaster had already struck, and the whole family was about to set off together into exile on the road to the northern frontier. The Great Zhou Dynasty's northern frontier was in the northeast! If they didn't get there before the snow fell, they were as good as dead! Notes: 1. The story opens with exile, moves on to farming, and has a bit of court politics at the end. 2. The heroine's personal space is her family's old home, and only she can enter it. The food stored there will help them get through exile. Please add my upcoming novel, A Maid's Everyday Struggle, to your reading list! Synopsis: Wen Mingxi transmigrates into the body of a live-in maid with a fixed-term contract in a wealthy household. Even as a transmigrator, Wen Mingxi is keenly aware of her status as a vulnerable person. Her plan is simple: stay out of conflicts and look after herself. Her first year in the household. When the two young ladies of the family choose their personal maids, the other maids scramble to get noticed. Wen Mingxi quietly slips away and takes a job tending the kitchen stove. Though she doesn't become a young lady's personal maid, she's won over the old madam with her skill at making sweet soups and becomes a second-class maid in her quarters. Wen Mingxi thinks she's chosen the right path. Four years later. As the maids grow older, the old madam considers assigning her to the master. Wen Mingxi wants nothing to do with that, and the old madam praises her for knowing her place and minding her manners, promoting her to first-class maid. Wen Mingxi takes charge of the old madam's jewelry and clothes. The job opens her eyes, and she develops a keen eye for quality. When her ten-year contract ends, she can leave the household and work as a manager in a jewelry or silk shop. Wen Mingxi is delighted. Another four years pass. Wen Mingxi is clever and knows how to conduct herself. The old madam says the family has raised her so well that it would be a shame to let her go, and that she should go to the young master's quarters to help manage the household affairs, so all she has learned won't go to waste. They want her to sell herself into servitude and become the young master's concubine! For the first time since transmigrating, Wen Mingxi is too frightened to speak. As Wen Mingxi frets like an ant on a hot pan, the young master of the Wang family, whom she has met a few times, sees right through her. He says gently, "No matter how nimble you are, you're still a little bird in other people's hands. If you truly want to look after yourself, you need a status that lets you do so. Otherwise, even a thousand talents won't help you." He tempts her: "Say yes. Become my wife, and they won't be able to treat you so lightly anymore." Wen Mingxi glares at him. Don't think I don't know what you're like. Are you any better? "Will you agree or not?" In the end, she nods. If she can't survive by threading her way through the cracks, then she'll find another path and fight for herself. She refuses to believe she can't do it! As Wen Mingxi clenches her fists and swears to herself, the man beside her smiles with a sly look. * Theme: Even in hardship, keep pushing forward against the current!