The timeline system has gone awry; they insist that steamed buns are a magic pill.

[System binding successful... Check-in successful... Received two Agar-agar Nutmeg Pills]

....................................

In the empty wilderness, a few snowflakes drifted down from the gray sky. A somewhat old oxcart slowly rolled over the damp dirt road. Lying on the hay in the middle of the oxcart was a young man in his early twenties, his eyes closed and a towel tied around his head, with a trace of blood seeping out.

Pain, a tearing pain in his head, caused the young man's body to contort, his brows furrowed as if he were experiencing some indescribable agony. Darkness, without a single ray of light, yet Li Qingqiu's consciousness was perfectly clear. A flood of memories rushed in. He was a post-2000s kid, and all he did was stay up all night playing a fantasy game to celebrate his university graduation. How did he end up waking up sixty years in the past?

Li Qingqiu's head was throbbing with pain, a wry smile on his face. Could this be a side effect of the memory transfer? Thinking back to the images that had just flashed through his mind, he still felt a lingering fear. At least it was a little better now, but his head still throbbed slightly.

Unfortunately, his consciousness seemed to be trapped in a dark cage, unable to move or even raise his hand. So he simply gave up and listened to the conversation between his original fourth brother and the coachman, which became clearer and clearer.

Good heavens, this headache comes from fighting with someone at the commune's steamed bun shop over the last meat bun. They got into a fight, and somehow the other person cracked open his head. No wonder it hurts so much.

According to Lao Si, he hit someone and ran away. Fortunately, people are different in this era than in later generations. A kind person took him to the clinic to stop the bleeding. Coincidentally, a nurse at the clinic was Li Qingshi's girlfriend. After learning about the situation, she notified Li Qingshi immediately.

Li Qingqiu thought to himself that it was good that he was dizzy at the moment. It was really embarrassing that this guy had done something. Although he didn't do it himself, it was still this body that did it.

Li Qingqiu decided to remain unconscious. Otherwise, if he really woke up, he wouldn't know how to face his younger brother and the driver. It would be too embarrassing and awkward.

"Uncle Guai Zi, have a smoke." Li Qingshi sighed, glanced at his third brother lying on the oxcart, lit a cigarette and handed it to Li Guai Zi. He sighed helplessly, thankfully it was getting dark and no one saw them, otherwise his third brother's reputation would probably be even more infamous.

"Good cigarette."

The driver, Li Guaizi, chuckled as he took the cigarettes and put them in his pocket. These cigarettes cost only a few cents each, and he couldn't bear to part with them. He glanced at his own pipe, thinking he was saving the good tobacco to serve relatives during the New Year.

"This awful weather! It started snowing so suddenly. It was already getting dark, and now the snow is making the roads even harder to walk on."

"It's time to log off..."

It's snowing. No wonder. His face felt a little cold from time to time. Why didn't his fourth brother get an umbrella? After all, he was the injured one. Li Qingqiu wondered to himself. His fourth brother, Li Qingshi, was the most successful in the family.

After graduating from high school and joining the commune, he was destined for great things. But Li Qingqiu, who didn't finish junior high school, never liked studying and was quite adept at playing tricks. In addition, he was lazy and a master at shirking his duties.

In addition, it was delicious, so its reputation in Lijia'ao and the surrounding production brigades was already notorious. Li Qingqiu muttered that the original owner of this body was similar to him. He was a college student who also didn't know anything. As for being lazy, who in his right mind would want to be diligent? It's too tiring.

Ouch! The oxcart wheel rolled over a pothole, and the wooden wheels bounced so badly that Li Qingqiu almost cried out. If it weren't so embarrassing to be awake now, Li Qingqiu really wouldn't want to lie down. This wooden-wheeled oxcart had no shock absorption at all, and the shaking was making his old back almost break.

Why isn't it here yet? Li Qingqiu wondered to himself. He wanted to get there soon so he could go back to his room and lie down. Li Qingqiu was completely useless now. He had played a game that took him to more than sixty years ago, and now he was in an era where everything was pitch black. What could he possibly do?

He was just a recent college graduate who only knew a little about studying and nothing else. He had absolutely no recollection of the early 1970s, only that it was a very poor time. "Sigh, even if we were poor, there was no need to fight tooth and nail for a meat bun."

Thinking about this, Li Qingqiu felt depressed. He had to take responsibility for what the original owner had done, which made him depressed. How embarrassing! Fighting for a woman was one thing, but was it really worth it for a meat bun? Had he never eaten a meat bun before?

"Cough cough."

Li Qingqiu coughed a few times as a natural physical reaction. "Uncle, you can smoke, but don't spray everywhere. Can't you see there are still injured people here?"

"Third Brother?"

Li Qingqiu thought to himself that as long as he didn't make a sound, he was still unconscious. Thinking about the scene at the commune, he was afraid that the fourth brother was feeling very uneasy about his third brother. He had gotten into a fight over a meat bun and even cracked his head open, and the fourth brother's girlfriend found out.

Even worse, he went to the commune's revolutionary committee compound to find Li Qingshi. This guy not only embarrassed himself, but also made the fourth brother lose face. If it were him, he would want to strangle this troublemaker. With Li Qingqiu thinking like this, how could he have the nerve to open his eyes?

First of all, it's normal to be a little dizzy after your head has been broken. Li Qingshi didn't say anything. Li Qingqiu breathed a sigh of relief, closed his eyes, moved his body a little, and curled up a bit so that the bumpy ride would be more comfortable.

Fortunately, the driver said they would arrive at Lijia'ao in just a few minutes. Li Qingqiu thought to himself, "Finally, we've arrived. Lying on this oxcart is really suffering, but I can't get up, or it will be too embarrassing." The oxcart slowed down and turned into the village entrance.

"Oh my god, what's going on?" At the crossroads, two women were drawing water to wash clothes. They glanced at Li Qingqiu lying on the oxcart and exchanged a look, as if to say, "I wasn't wrong, was I?" Li Qingshi, sitting on the handlebars of the oxcart, was somewhat surprised. Why were there people washing clothes by the well?

"What else could it be? He got into a fight. I heard from Qingjing's wife that these three boys got into a fight with someone in the commune over a meat bun. They lost and got their heads slit, and then they took the bun. Tell me, what kind of thing is this? Aren't they ashamed...?"

"That gloating voice sounds so familiar. Isn't that Aunt Liu? How did she know? Besides, it's almost dark. Why is she still washing clothes by the well? Is she waiting for me?" Li Qingqiu lay on the oxcart, his memory churning. He finally confirmed that the speaker was Aunt Liu, the loudmouth. He thought to himself, "Fourth brother, what's wrong with you? You just went back to the team to borrow a cart, and you made such a fuss. Now, just by listening to Aunt Liu's voice, the whole brigade will probably know about this in no time."

Li Qingqiu felt a sense of utter despair. Why should he have to suffer the embarrassment caused by the original owner's mess? Oh well, I'm dizzy, out of sight, out of mind, it doesn't matter anymore.

"Sixth Aunt, don't talk nonsense. Third Brother fell..." Li Qingshi smiled bitterly. What should he do? Mom, didn't you say you were keeping an eye on things? Where did you go?

"Han Caihua, you blue-eyed rotten mouth, if you keep yelling, I'll tear your mouth apart..." Li Qingqiu recognized the voice even more; it was the original owner's mother, Shi Lanhua. Damn it, unbearable memories flooded Li Qingqiu's mind in an instant.

"Shilan Hua, why can't I say anything? Your son can do this, but I can't?"

Despite her tough words, Aunt Liu retreated at will, prioritizing safety above all else. Who was Shi Lanhua? She was the kind of person who would actually tear someone's mouth apart. Han Caihua wasn't stupid. As for the other woman, she had already run away with a wooden basin.

"Fine, I'll let you spout nonsense. I'll beat your cunt to a pulp with the sole of my shoe..."

Shi Lan Hua rolled up her sleeves, ready to tear open Aunt Liu's mouth, but Aunt Liu, seeing the danger, turned and ran with a wooden basin, shouting as she ran, "Shi Lan Hua, you wait, you wait, I, I'm not afraid of you..."

Li Qingqiu thought to himself, "It's still my mother. Although my sixth aunt is good with words, she's ultimately too weak in action and lacks the physical strength to support her verbal battles." Thinking about it, Li Qingqiu was quite grateful to have such a shrewish old woman as his mother. Someone like my sixth aunt wouldn't be able to handle her with one hand.

Just as he was having a good time, a slap landed on his face. Li Qingqiu was stunned. Why did they hit him?

"Get up! Stop pretending to be dead. What, are you waiting for the whole team to come and laugh at you?"

Li Qingqiu shuddered. Well, his body reacted faster than his brain. He quickly got up, jumped off the oxcart, ignoring the headache, and instinctively ran first. Otherwise, the old woman carrying the tattered shoe soles wouldn't be polite to him. His body's memory was just too strong.

Before Li Qingqiu could even think about why his stepmother knew he was faking unconsciousness, he ran back to the front of a mud-brick courtyard. Only then did Li Qingqiu stop and look back. Shi Lanhua and Li Qingshi were talking about something. When Shi Lanhua saw Li Qingqiu looking over, she glared at him fiercely.

As for the others, his adoptive father, Li Fuhai, looked at him shaking his head and sighing, utterly disappointed. His eldest brother, Li Qingchun, and his sister-in-law, Wang Yun, lowered their heads slightly and remained silent. His second brother and sister-in-law had a hint of schadenfreude in their eyes, while his youngest sister, Li Qingmei, had a hint of disgust in her eyes.

As for his niece and nephews, they all had all sorts of looks on their faces. Li Qingqiu sighed. He was over twenty years old and still being chased and beaten by his mother was too embarrassing. But what could he do? He really didn't know what to say. Who would believe that he wasn't the one fighting over the steamed buns?

Well, since he'd already lost face, Li Qingqiu simply gave up and let things be. Shi Lanhua got angry again at her third son's nonchalant attitude and immediately took off his shoes after she had just put them on.

"Why can't you be more ambitious?"

"You got into a fight over a steamed bun and even got your head smashed. That steamed bun must be some kind of magic pill that can make you fly to heaven. Now look what's happened. Even your fourth brother's girlfriend knows about it and wants you to go to the commune's revolutionary committee. Instead of bringing honor to your fourth brother, you're making him look bad..."

"Slap slap slap..." Shi Lanhua's tattered shoe soles were merciless, slapping Li Qingqiu's back repeatedly; the attack was just as fast as her mouth.

"Don't hit me, Mom, I'm dizzy..." Li Qingqiu subconsciously called out "Mom." The memory had merged, and the sound was very smooth. His body was very honest, it hurt. Shi Lanhua was not lying when she hit him.

"Mom, that's enough, Third Brother. You've lost a lot of blood. Calm down and stop hitting her." Li Qingshi stepped forward helplessly to persuade her. He didn't really want to drag Shi Lanhua into this.

"Really, Mom? Third Brother just got a head injury and bled a lot. He's weak, so be gentle with your hitting. Don't hurt him. Besides, you're getting old. Don't hurt yourself. Third Brother, can't you just let your mother have some peace of mind?" Second Brother Li Qinghua also advised. Second Sister-in-law Lin Xiu pursed her lips. She should hit him longer and harder. This shameful thing is one thing in the team, but now he's a disgrace to the commune.

You know, her son Li Xianle is almost fifteen, and he'll be getting married in a couple of years. She doesn't want to be dragged down by this unreliable third uncle.

Not to mention Lin Xiu, the second sister-in-law who is usually a bit shrewd, even the honest and simple eldest brother and sister-in-law are thinking to themselves that their children are getting older and will have to find a spouse sooner or later. If people knew that there was such a person in their family who was lazy, good-for-nothing, and unreliable, they would probably start to think twice about whether they should marry into such a family.

"Alright, stop fighting. Let's go back inside and talk about this. Don't let people laugh at us."

Li Fuhai remained silent for a long time, glared at Li Qingqiu, and sighed. This child is hopeless. A good family can fight over a meat bun, get his brain broken, and even make a scene that the commune's revolutionary committee knows about. Sigh.

How did this thing end up in our house? Li Fuhai, an honest and simple man his whole life, couldn't understand it at all. He just couldn't understand how it could have mutated like this.

Shi Lanhua sighed and patted Li Qingqiu's back a few times before putting on her worn-out shoes. "Look at you, how old are you? Why don't you do something proper? You're twenty-five, other kids are already chopping haystacks, but you're still acting like a child."

"Look at your nephew and niece, how tall they are already! Can't you set a good example? If you don't learn from their mistakes, don't drag the kids down with you..."

Shi Lanhua got angrier and angrier as she spoke, and patted Li Qingqiu's back a few more times. Li Qingqiu was already numb. How could he be twenty-five? According to his memory, he would only be twenty-four in two months. Even in later years, that wouldn't be considered too old. He had only graduated from university for less than two years. Besides, what sins had he committed that he had to take such a big blame? But if he talked back, he would probably suffer even more. He should just bear it and wait until he understood the situation before thinking of a solution.

"Forget it, your Aunt Wang will bring someone over tomorrow to take a look. If it's going to work out, we'll get it done as soon as possible."

Shi Lanhua sighed. Maybe things would be better if he got married sooner. After all, if he had a wife and was still so unreliable, someone would keep an eye on him. "Other people get a matchmaker for three or five cents, but you're charging two dollars a time, and they're not even happy about it. Let's eat. After you finish, go back to your room and tidy up properly. Tomorrow, you better be on your best behavior. Fourth brother, you can borrow your cadre hat for your third brother to wear for a day."

"What matchmaker?"

Li Qingqiu was dumbfounded. "I just graduated from university, no, I just transmigrated here, how did I end up with a matchmaker? Judging from her tone, she's not from a respectable family. No way!" Unfortunately, Li Qingqiu's protests were ineffective, and he could only drag it out. He couldn't just run away from home, or he'd be caught and brought back after only a few miles. He really didn't know anything about the present, he only knew that at this time, saying the wrong thing could get him arrested. Without a letter of introduction, it would be difficult to even leave the commune, let alone go to the city.

Forget it, let's get familiar with the environment first. Let's just give up. As for what Shi Lanhua said, he ignored it. It wasn't until dinner that Li Qingqiu came back to his senses. So much had happened that day. Dinner was mixed grain porridge and steamed sweet potato chips. Li Qingqiu took a few bites. The chips were too crumbly and had a slightly bitter taste.

As for the mixed grain porridge, it was even worse, truly awful. Li Qingqiu had no choice but to force herself to eat it, fearing that Shi Lanhua would cause her trouble again. This mother was much more formidable than her own mother; she actually hit her, and quite severely at that.

After finally forcing himself to eat a bowl of mixed grain porridge and two bitter pieces of dried sweet potato, Li Qingqiu returned to his small apartment. He was stunned as soon as he entered; the place was an eyesore. "This living space is just too...filthy."

The adobe bed has a straw mattress on top, and a piece of cloth of indistinct color is probably the bed sheet. It looks like it has been worn for many years, probably accumulated over many years, and it's brittle.

The tattered, grayish-black quilt reeked of decay, and the entire room smelled of something like heather. Li Qingqiu's head was spinning. "Damn, this is worse than a doghouse, is this even a place for a human to live?"

Li Qingqiu really wanted to go back to the 21st century. He couldn't stand being here, let alone sleeping. He felt like throwing up after just a few minutes.

Helplessly, I called out to God for a long time, but there was no response. I could only sigh and pack up. Fortunately, I didn't have many things. I didn't have a change of sheets, and the quilt was gone. I didn't even change the coat I was wearing on the outside. But I still had a pair of boxer shorts.

"There are always two pairs of underwear."

Li Qingqiu planned to wash it and dry it over a fire before changing it, because the smell of the underwear he was wearing was too strong, and even his boxer shorts felt hard to the touch.

"Wash the sheets when the weather is nice, and it would be best to take the blankets off and wash them too. It's a wonder how the original owner could sleep like this." Li Qingqiu shuddered a few times. These conditions were really unbearable. In the end, he pinched his nose and endured it by lying down.

"Oh, right."

Li Qingqiu suddenly remembered something; he seemed to have heard a voice while he was half asleep saying, "Sign-in successful."

"system?"

Although he doesn't read novels much, he has heard that Li Qingqiu was really at a loss after transmigrating to this unfamiliar era. If he had a system, survival would be much easier.

Yes, it is.

A transparent screen appeared in Li Qingqiu's mind, and he felt somewhat excited.

[Cultivation System successfully bound. Signed in at the Flesh Spirit Pill Hall and received two Agar Nutmeg Pills] The message alerted Li Qingqiu, and a line of text clearly appeared in his mind.

Li Qingqiu was stunned. A cultivation system! He's going to become an immortal! Hahaha, he's transmigrated! He's definitely a born protagonist! A cultivation system! This is great! Just thinking about flying through the sky and diving into the sea is so exciting!

Pills, just from the name, you know they're no ordinary things. But when Li Qingqiu saw the pills taken from the system's built-in storage shelf, he was momentarily stunned. They were white and steaming, and looked delicious. "These pills look like meat buns?"

"Cannot be extracted?"

But then the screen went black, leaving only a countdown-like number: "11:12:11".

"Has the system been updated?"

Staring at the screen, the number changed after a while. "11:11:10".

"Never mind, I'll go to sleep first, I feel a little dizzy."

Lying on the bed, Li Qingqiu sorted out the memories in his mind, intending to familiarize himself with them. He was now called Li Qingqiu, and his name hadn't changed, but everything else had changed. Before transmigrating, he was born in the city and had almost never been to the countryside.

From a young age, all he did was study. He attended training classes, talent classes, and learned swimming and basketball. Everything was planned out until he graduated and took the civil service exam. He followed the plan step by step and passed the exam, which can be considered excellent.

But now Li Qingqiu comes from a small mountain village. He has both parents, an older brother, a second older brother, and an older sister. His older brother and sister-in-law are honest and hardworking. Even though they don't like his unreliable third uncle, his sister-in-law doesn't say much.

Compared to his second brother and sister-in-law, the couple was a bit shrewd and calculating. In particular, his sister-in-law often spoke ill of him to his mother, so he generally looked down on her. His older sister was married, and because she had basically raised him and doted on him when he was young, she also had a good way of educating this unruly younger brother. Li Qingshi recalled that she was practically his stepmother.

The fourth son, Li Qingshi, was much younger than him. Back then, his mother, Shi Lanhua, thought she couldn't have any more children, so she spoiled her third son a bit. Unexpectedly, she became pregnant with the fourth son again after three or four years. The fourth son was quite promising; he was able to get into high school and is now a staff member in the commune's revolutionary committee. He's really accomplished. Not to mention his family, even if you look at the whole production brigade, everyone would say that the fourth son is successful.

As for the fourth brother's attitude towards his third brother, Li Qingqiu sighed. If it were him, he probably would have wanted to strangle this third brother who not only didn't help but also embarrassed him. As for his youngest sister, Li Qingmei, don't be ridiculous. She was rolling her eyes at him, probably wishing she didn't have a third brother.

As for his nephews and nieces, his sisters-in-law must have told them many times not to follow their unreliable third uncle around. Li Qingqiu sighed. Well, he was already a bit of a stinker, and now that they're fighting over steamed buns, he's become even more stinky.

Li Qingqiu recalled his sixth aunt's exploits, then thought, "Forget it, I'll just go to sleep; I have a headache." He continued, "Once the system updates and we extract the agar and nutmeg, we'll be immortals. What are a few rumors compared to that?"

"I'm going on a blind date tomorrow. Whatever. Only dogs go on blind dates. Are you kidding me?"

Thinking about it this way, Li Qingqiu pulled the blanket, which smelled quite strongly, and tried to sleep. To be honest, the smell was really pungent. Fortunately, he had lost a lot of blood, so even if he couldn't sleep, he could at least feel dizzy.