The Malicious Husband Dominates The Family

Miao Ying, a lonely modern man who died saving a child, transmigrates into the body of a man with the same name who had just been pushed off a cliff by a thug. The original Miao Ying was a scoundrel who married into the Huo family for money, stole from them, and attempted to elope with another man. When the new Miao Ying wakes up, he finds himself in a dilapidated home with a family that despises him. Huo Xing, his taciturn husband, plans to divorce him immediately after his injuries heal.

Initially, Miao Ying attempts to feign amnesia to escape responsibility for the original owner's crimes, but the Huo family remains hostile. Grandmother Li scorns him, and father Huo San drunkenly attacks him. However, Huo Xing shows unexpected kindness, bringing him food and medicine. Miao Ying realizes he must change their perception to survive. He begins contributing to the household by cooking a pickled vegetable fish dish that delights everyone, including the previously disdainful Li Hongying.

As Miao Ying recovers, he identifies the family's poverty as the core problem. The Huo family relies on Huo Xing's hunting, but winter game is scarce. Miao Ying proposes a business venture: using his modern knowledge of design to create unique embroidered handkerchief patterns for Grandmother and Li Hongying to produce. He draws Q-version animal designs—cats, dogs, ducks—that are novel and appealing. The family produces over a dozen handkerchiefs, which they take to the county town to sell.

At the market, Miao Ying negotiates a better price than the standard five wen, securing fifteen wen per handkerchief. He then stages a street performance, pretending to be a sickly young man from a wealthy residence to generate demand among fashionable shoppers. The handkerchiefs sell out quickly, and the shopkeeper offers him a recurring contract for new designs. This marks Miao Ying's first successful integration into the family's economic life.

Throughout these events, the relationship between Miao Ying and Huo Xing evolves. Huo Xing, initially distant and focused on divorce, begins to show care—carrying Miao Ying when he is weak, buying him medicine, and working hard to support him. Miao Ying, in turn, grows attached to the family, finding warmth and purpose he never had in his previous life. He makes a shuttlecock for young Huo Xiaobao, earning the child's affection and the term "sister-in-law," which he awkwardly accepts.

The story establishes Miao Ying's determination to repay the Huo family for their kindness and to build a better life with them. Despite the original owner's betrayal and theft, the family's willingness to help him heal and support his business ideas suggests a path toward genuine reconciliation. Miao Ying's modern skills in cooking, design, and negotiation become tools for survival and family bonding in this ancient setting.