Lin Xiaohan was a celebrated web novel author in the modern era, known for his willingness to kill off popular characters regardless of fan backlash. After being stabbed by an enraged reader at a book launch, his soul traveled through a space-time rift and reincarnated into the body of a boy with the same name in a historical world with three genders. In this society, males who can bear children, known as ge'er, occupy a low social status and are often married into poor families as laborers rather than primary spouses. The original Lin Xiaohan came from a wealthy family but was abandoned by his fiancé after his parents died, leaving him destitute. He was forced to marry Lu Qiucheng, a poor scholar, and threw himself into a well on their wedding day, only for Lin Xiaohan to awaken in his place.
Lin Xiaohan found himself in a dilapidated wooden shack belonging to the Lu family. The household was divided into three branches, with the second branch, to which Lu Qiucheng belonged, being the poorest. The Lu family had just fought off Lin Xiaohan’s relatives, who had come to reclaim his dowry under the assumption he was dead. Lu Qiucheng, despite his poverty, treated Lin Xiaohan with unexpected kindness, spending his limited savings on medicine, a new quilt, and expensive meat buns. He revealed that he had chosen to marry Lin Xiaohan out of gratitude, as the original owner of the body had saved his life years prior during an epidemic. Lin Xiaohan, initially resistant and planning to move out once he became self-sufficient, was surprised by Lu Qiucheng’s devotion.
Observing the Lu family’s internal dynamics, Lin Xiaohan discovered that the elder branches were exploitative. They forced Lu Qiucheng to pay for meals while secretly enjoying better food in the fields, and they resented Lu Qiucheng’s attentiveness to his husband. Lin Xiaohan realized that his husband’s modest income of four taels of silver a month was being drained by these relatives. Taking charge of the household finances, he negotiated with the village head to write wedding contracts and invitations, leveraging his modern design sensibilities and calligraphy skills to create unique, elegant documents that stood out in the market. This provided him with his first independent income.
Lin Xiaohan also formed a bond with Tian Ge'er, a neighboring ge'er whose husband had died in a mine collapse. When Tian Ge'er’s in-laws attempted to seize their land deed, Lin Xiaohan helped him secure legal protection. Deciding to stop eating with the exploitative elder branch, Lin Xiaohan hired Tian Ge'er to cook for him, further reducing household expenses. When Lu Qiucheng attempted to retrieve money owed by his relatives and was met with hostility, Lin Xiaohan reassured him, using his own earnings to support their new living arrangement. The story follows Lin Xiaohan’s transition from a displaced modern author to a capable manager of his new life, using his literary skills to improve his financial situation while navigating the complex social hierarchies and familial obligations of his new world.
