A Little Blessing at Home Brings a Bountiful Harvest in a Famine Year

During the thirteenth year of Danyang, the Xu family in Fu'an Village awaited the birth of the fourth son's child. Old Mrs. Xu and her husband shared a prophetic dream of a Golden Phoenix entering their family, leading them to believe the unborn child was a divine reincarnation. Li Shi, the fourth daughter-in-law, went into labor during a heavy snowstorm. The birth was complicated, and when Xu Erzhu attempted to fetch Doctor Ji, he and his wife were terrified by wild beasts with glowing green eyes surrounding the house. Xu Lao Nian'er, recalling the dream, respectfully asked the beasts to move. A tiger cleared a path and provided a wild horse for the doctor. Li Shi gave birth to a girl named Xu Tianbao. Unbeknownst to the family, Tianbao was the reincarnation of Jin Feng, the former King of the Beast Clan, who retained her ancient soul despite her infant body.

The village gossip labeled Tianbao a jinx, or "Broom Star," because her birth coincided with the leg injuries of her two uncles. However, miraculous events soon followed. A wild Black Mountain Goat and her lamb entered the Xu courtyard voluntarily to provide milk for the starving newborn. Later, when Tianbao went missing, a large tiger and two snow wolves appeared, carrying the baby safely back on the tiger's back. The tiger also left a tiger cub, named Hu Zai, as a bodyguard for the child. The family accepted these supernatural occurrences as signs of Tianbao's blessed nature, while Old Mrs. Xu fiercely protected her granddaughter from the villagers' scorn.

Family dynamics were strained by Liu Shi, the eldest daughter-in-law, who resented Tianbao for the attention she received. Liu Shi had a history of prioritizing her natal family over the Xu household, having stolen poultry during a time of crisis that contributed to the fourth son's death. Despite her past transgressions, she coveted the resources Tianbao brought, such as the goat milk and the meat provided by the tiger. Old Mrs. Xu kept a strict watch, punishing Liu Shi's son Xu Hu when he attempted to steal Tianbao, an act that resulted in Xu Hu's injury and further fueled the village rumors.

The external threats intensified as the empire announced new conscription orders due to war with Bei Qiang. Normally, the Xu family would have paid to exempt their sons, but they were financially exhausted. However, because Xu Dazhu and Xu Erzhu were still recovering from their broken legs, they were deemed unfit for service, sparing them from the draft. This outcome was directly attributed to the incident on the night of Tianbao's birth. Shortly after, the court imposed heavier grain taxes on households that did not contribute soldiers, pushing the already struggling village to the brink of starvation. The narrative concludes with the family facing the dual pressures of imperial taxation and the looming threat of war, while relying on the mysterious protection of the beast kin surrounding their precious granddaughter.