The next second after being dressed as a dowry

Meng Wan is a recent college graduate from modern China who struggles to find employment in a cutthroat job market. After accepting a low-paying accounting position at a hotel, he falls victim to a fire caused by smoke inhalation and wakes up in a different world. He discovers he has transmigrated into the body of a servant boy named Chou Nu’er, which translates to Ugly Slave. This new world operates under a social structure where men are divided into ordinary males and ge’er, a third gender capable of bearing children. Ge’er are often treated as property or concubines by wealthy families, while ordinary men hold higher social status. Meng Wan learns that he is a ge’er, identified by a distinctive pregnancy mole, and that his previous owner, a young lady, intended to have him killed for allegedly seducing her husband. To avoid death, the lady’s advisor arranges for him to be sold as a bride to a distant relative.

Transported north in a cramped carriage alongside other slaves, Meng Wan endures harsh conditions but maintains a pragmatic demeanor. He is eventually sold in a remote northern town to a widow named Chang Jinhua, who pays eight taels of silver for him. Chang Jinhua is a stern but capable woman who raised her son, Song Tingzhou, alone after her husband’s death. Her true motivation for buying Meng Wan is revenge; her son was previously engaged to a man named Yang Bao’er, who abandoned him for another suitor after Song Tingzhou failed the imperial examinations multiple times. Chang Jinhua seeks a literate and handsome replacement to secure her son’s future and spite the Yang family.

Upon arriving at the Song household in Sanquan Village, Meng Wan undergoes a transformation. After washing off the grime of his journey, his androgynous beauty is revealed, stunning even the pragmatic Chang Jinhua. He is introduced to Song Tingzhou, a tall, scholarly young man who initially rejects the idea of marrying a bought servant. However, upon seeing Meng Wan, Tingzhou’s attitude shifts dramatically. Despite his cold exterior and initial refusal to support a stranger, he secretly becomes possessive and insists that Meng Wan stay. The mother-son dynamic is complex; while Chang Jinhua appears to be the matriarch, Tingzhou holds significant authority in the household.

Meng Wan adapts to his new life, performing domestic duties and navigating the social intricacies of village life. He accompanies Chang Jinhua to the local market, where he demonstrates his sharp wit by helping her friend, Sixth Aunt Liu, clear her name when she is falsely accused of theft. Meng Wan uses his knowledge of the aunt’s family habits to prove that her money could not have been stolen from the tofu vendors, as it carried a distinct fishy scent from her husband’s fishing business. This incident highlights his intelligence and ability to survive in this unfamiliar world.

The central conflict revolves around Meng Wan’ precarious status as a slave and his impending marriage to Song Tingzhou. While the marriage offers him a path to freedom and legitimate household registration, it also binds him to a man who is emotionally reserved and potentially dangerous. Tingzhou’s obsession with Meng Wan grows, masking his scholarly ambitions with a dark possessiveness. Meanwhile, Meng Wan must contend with the rigid class structures and gender norms of this ancient society, where his value is tied to his beauty and fertility. As he settles into the Song family, the tension between his desire for autonomy and his need for survival drives the narrative forward, setting the stage for a complex relationship built on necessity, revenge, and unexpected attraction.