Transmigrated into a Vicious Stepmother and Led the Whole Village to Escape Famine

Shen Qingwan, a hardened survivor of a zombie apocalypse, dies fighting a high-level zombie only to transmigrate into the body of a wicked stepmother in the Xia Kingdom. The original host, Shen Qingwan, was infamous in Dahe Village for her cruelty toward her two young stepchildren, Lu Xiaoyu and Lu Xiaochen, and for squandering her late husband’s death pension on her selfish maternal family. After accidentally killing herself by hitting her head, the protagonist awakens to find herself in a peaceful, pre-apocalyptic world with fresh air, clean water, and a portable spatial storage inherited from her previous life. This space contains a vast stockpile of gold, silver, canned food, water, and modern weapons, including a crossbow.

Initially intending to live a quiet retirement, Shen Qingwan is forced to confront the harsh reality of her new environment when a severe drought threatens the region with famine. The imperial court declares a once-in-a-century drought that may last for years and advises the people of Youzhou to migrate north to escape starvation. Upon learning of the impending disaster, Shen Qingwan decides to utilize her knowledge of survival and her spatial abilities to prepare for the coming crisis. She begins by hunting in the dangerous mountains, where she effortlessly kills a massive wild boar, a fox, and several rabbits using her modern crossbow. She shares the meat with her neighbors and family, gradually changing their perception of her from a vicious stepmother to a capable provider.

Shen Qingwan travels to Ping’an County to liquidate her assets. She exchanges fifteen gold bars for three hundred taels of silver and uses the capital to purchase grain in bulk from the Bai family warehouse. She buys out the entire stock of coarse flour, brown rice, mixed grains, millet, and refined flour, totaling over ten thousand stone. She also stocks up on clothing, shoes, liquor, and thousands of prepared meals, storing everything in her spatial dimension. Her actions attract the attention of local merchants and villagers, some of whom warn her of the chaos spreading from the neighboring Jizhou province, where refugee uprisings have already begun.

Back in the village, tensions rise as grain prices skyrocket. Villagers who refused to buy grain from Shen Qingwan the previous day now regret their decision and attempt to demand it back, accusing her of hoarding. Shen Qingwan firmly rejects their demands, asserting her ownership of the purchased supplies. She continues to stockpile essentials, buying a mule cart and additional fodder, while maintaining a facade of a prudent widow preparing for the journey north. Her relationship with her stepchildren improves significantly as she provides them with proper nutrition and kindness, contrasting sharply with the abuse they suffered under the original host.

As the situation in the kingdom deteriorates, with the emperor ill, princes vying for power, and border wars draining resources, Shen Qingwan prepares for the mass migration. She secures her family’s survival by ensuring they have ample food, money, and transportation. The story follows her strategic maneuvers to accumulate wealth and supplies while navigating the complex social dynamics of the village and the looming threat of societal collapse. Her ultimate goal is to protect her stepchildren and herself from the famine and chaos that will soon engulf the region, leveraging her apocalyptic experience and spatial storage to thrive where others will perish.