Fleeing Famine: I Rose to Godhood Through Farming and Breeding

Lin Zhaozhao, a survivor of a post-apocalyptic world, transmigrates into the body of a weak, timid widow in an ancient Chinese setting. She awakens in a shabby hut to find her mother-in-law, Xu Juanzi, and brother-in-law, Li Zhong, attempting to steal the jade pendant left by her deceased husband, Li Yu, and his fifteen taels of silver pension. When Zhaozhao refuses, they assault her, causing her to hit her head. Upon regaining consciousness, Zhaozhao realizes she has inherited the memories of the original owner and recognizes the situation from a novel she read in her previous life. She is no longer the submissive woman who was bullied into death; instead, she is a capable individual with a mutated wood-type ability that allows for healing and purification. She escapes the hut and returns to her natal family, the Lin household, where she is greeted by her fierce mother, Li Xiuyuan, and younger sister, Lin Yanyang. Zhaozhao reveals the abuse she suffered, and her mother violently defends her, beating Xu Juanzi and Li Zhong until the village head intervenes.

A confrontation ensues regarding Zhaozhao’s future and the unborn child she carries. Xu Juanzi attempts to claim the child as the heir to the Li family, but Zhaozhao and her mother refuse. Li Xiuyuan threatens to expose the Li family’s greed and abuse to the authorities, which would ruin Li Zhong’s scholarly ambitions. Under pressure, the Li family signs a severance document, cutting all ties with Zhaozhao. Zhaozhao then returns to the Lin family home, where she discovers she has brought her spiritual space with her. Inside the jade pendant’s inner world, she finds a spiritual spring, fertile land, and a mysterious mall app. She uses her abilities to purify food and accelerate crop growth, generating income to stockpile supplies. She learns that the world is facing severe drought, rising taxes, and an impending locust plague that will lead to famine.

As the locusts devastate the crops, the Lin family prepares to flee south to escape the starvation. Zhaozhao uses her spatial abilities to store vast amounts of food, clothing, and baby supplies, keeping her powers secret from most outsiders. During the journey, they encounter Lin Jinxiu, the novel’s protagonist and Zhaozhao’s cousin, who is also fleeing the disaster. Zhaozhao realizes that Lin Jinxiu deliberately withheld warnings about the locusts to ensure the Lin family’s downfall, mirroring the original plot where the main branch of the Lin family perished. Suspicious of Lin Jinxiu’s actions, Zhaozhao becomes determined to survive and protect her family. The group faces attacks from desperate bandits, including a nighttime ambush. Zhaozhao and her sister Yanyang defend themselves, with Yanyang making her first kill. Zhaozhao treats the wounded members of their traveling party, including Li Minghuang, using her healing abilities.

The journey grows increasingly perilous as resources dwindle and hostility from other refugees intensifies. Zhaozhao continues to use her space to grow food and raise animals, including pigs, chickens, and cattle, ensuring her family has a sustainable food source. She also crafts weapons and teaches her sister archery to prepare for further conflicts. The group encounters relatives from Shitou Village who are also fleeing, revealing more about the social dynamics and betrayals that have occurred. Zhaozhao maintains a cold distance from those who wronged her family in the past, including the Lin Village chief who facilitated the conscription that killed her husband. As they travel, Zhaozhao’s reputation for ruthlessness spreads, frightening those who might consider attacking them. She remains focused on reaching a safe destination, managing her debt from the spatial mall, and preparing for the birth of her child in a world on the brink of collapse.