Returning to Ancient Times to Deliver Babies

Lu Yuan, a twenty-eight-year-old chief physician of obstetrics and gynecology from the modern era, dies on an operating table after being diagnosed with a tumor. Upon regaining consciousness, he finds himself in the body of a malnourished, scar-covered boy in an ancient Chinese village called Shihe Town. The boy had been subjected to a brutal judicial punishment known as willow leaf cutting, a torture method involving blades inside a pig cage, likely for a crime of incest that Lu Yuan suspects was fabricated. He is discovered frozen in the snow by Su Huai, a reclusive and taciturn village doctor who initially believes the boy is a dangerous fugitive. Despite his suspicion, Su Huai takes the unconscious Lu Yuan into his home, strips him to treat his severe frostbite and wounds, and hides him from the authorities who are searching for the escaped criminal.

Lu Yuan struggles to accept his new reality, trapped in the body of a ten-year-old child with no memory of how he arrived in this time period. Su Huai imposes strict conditions on his stay, forbidding Lu Yuan from leaving the courtyard until his scars disappear and warning him not to implicate the doctor in harboring a criminal. Their relationship is fraught with tension; Su Huai is cold and sharp-tongued, often threatening to throw Lu Yuan out, yet he consistently provides food, medical care, and warmth. Lu Yuan, initially terrified, gradually realizes that Su Huai’s harsh exterior masks a compassionate nature, evidenced by his willingness to share his limited resources and his meticulous attention to Lu Yuan’s recovery.

As Lu Yuan recovers, he begins to uncover the bizarre social structure of Shihe Village. He notices a complete absence of women; instead, the village is populated by fertile men who can bear children. These men, referred to as "daddies" when married and "gers" when unmarried, possess physical traits such as wider hips and delicate features. Lu Yuan learns that men in this world marry other men, and childbirth is a male function. This revelation shocks Lu Yuan, whose medical expertise is rendered useless by the fundamental biological differences of this world. His professional identity as a gynecologist is upended, forcing him to adapt to a society where his gender and knowledge hold little conventional value.

The central conflict arises when Lu Yuan observes Daddy Wang, a pregnant man in his thirties who is suffering from abdominal pain. Using his medical instincts, Lu Yuan correctly diagnoses that the fetus is in a breech position, a dangerous condition that could lead to a fatal difficult birth. He urges Su Huai to intervene and manually correct the fetal position, but Su Huai refuses, dismissing Lu Yuan’s concerns and prioritizing his own safety and reputation over the patient’s life. Humiliated and frustrated, Lu Yuan confronts Su Huai, leading to a heated argument that ends with Lu Yuan storming out into the freezing night. He collapses from exhaustion and cold, only to be rescued by the Wang family, who take him in and nurse him back to health.

While recovering at the Wang residence, Lu Yuan learns more about the village customs and the concept of "gers." He forms a tentative bond with Ganzi, a lively young man, and Second Ger, a shy and handsome man who tends to chickens. Lu Yuan’s presence disrupts the quiet rhythm of the village, drawing curiosity and suspicion from the locals. Meanwhile, Su Huai, despite his initial rejection of Lu Yuan’s medical advice, reveals a deeper concern by ensuring Lu Yuan receives proper medicine and by lying to the Wang family about Lu Yuan’s allergy to hawthorns to protect him from further harm. The story concludes with Lu Yuan still confined to the Wang household, physically recovering but emotionally adrift, as he navigates a world where his past life is a distant memory and his future depends on the enigmatic doctor who saved him.