Later.

Young Sang followed Luna and Adolf. He wore a set of shabby clothes and a pair of filthy straw sandals, with his hands clasped behind his head. Whistling as he went, he strolled along without a care in the world, looking every bit as lazy and carefree as could be.

The orphanage had only three sources of income. First, funding from the local government—which was negligible. Second, donations from wealthy families—which were hit or miss. Third, the orphanage director taking everyone out to work—which was their main source of income.

Like today.

Lillian, the orphanage’s young director, had brought everyone along to weed the estate of Baron Loren, the lord of Kahn Town. The entire orphanage—more than thirty people—had shown up, yet their wages for the whole day amounted to just three copper coins and sixty small coins.

Oh.

Right.

A quick note about this world’s currency: 100 small coins = 1 copper coin; 100 copper coins = 1 silver coin; 10 silver coins = 1 gold coin.

The currency’s purchasing power is a little hard to explain. I’ll get to that later.

When young Sang returned to Baron Loren’s estate, he found children of all ages working there. As soon as they saw him, they started complaining.

“Sang, why are you always slacking off?”

“Sang, you’re the worst!”

“Sang, you’re in trouble! Big Sis Director’s mad, and she won’t let you have dinner tonight!”

Sang had lived eighteen years in his original world and received some modern education. Deep down, he was already a crafty adult. There was no way he’d let a bunch of little kids’ complaints get to him. He sauntered over to Lillian, the director, then bent down and pretended to work.

He didn’t actually want to miss dinner.

Going hungry really was miserable.

This world was truly cruel.

Luna and Adolf were Sang’s best friends at the orphanage. They’d long since figured out his tricks: first he’d slack off, then he’d pretend to work hard. They exchanged a look and shook their heads helplessly.

Though Lillian was the director, she was only in her early twenties. She was a gentle woman with rather pretty features, though a few freckles marred her overall beauty.

She was always threatening the children with no dinner, but hardly ever followed through. She only punished them that way when they’d really messed up and pushed her too far.

Just then, Lillian spotted Sang, who had appeared from who knew where. She put her hands on her hips and complained, “Sang, did you go slack off again?”

Without so much as a blush, Sang replied, “Not at all. I just went to the bathroom.”

“Honestly, I can’t do anything with you.”

“Hehe, Big Sis Lillian is just too nice to me.”

“You really only look like a slacker. Deep down, you’re probably the most mature one here… It’s a shame you use all that maturity and cleverness to get out of work.”

“Mm… I’m just a kid who graduated from kindergarten over ten years ago!”

“What’s kindergarten…? Oh, there you go again, saying strange things that make no sense… Fine, I’ll let you off this time. It’s still early, so hurry up and finish your work.”

“Okaaay!”

Lillian had once been an orphan herself, raised by the previous director. When the old director passed away a few years ago, she took over the difficult job.

Don’t think being an orphanage director was an easy job.

This was a world ruled by the Blood Clan, and it wasn’t at all kind to humans to begin with—let alone to a bunch of parentless orphans. Lillian practically wore herself out just trying to keep food on the table every day.

The plots in web novels were all lies.

There was nothing a person transported to another world could do.

Your modern values would only make you seem like an outsider. You’d be stuck living in a world without human rights while believing in them—and that would only make life more painful.

What, take up the pen like Lu Xun and slash through the darkness of the night? He’d probably be lying dead in the street by the next day. Or maybe he could try inventing something—but what could an eighteen-year-old college-bound kid possibly invent?

Just like that popular saying: “I tell them the Earth is round, and they want to burn me at the stake.”

So…

An Xiguang… no… young Sang sometimes had this strange feeling of déjà vu. He was like an ant, tiny and helpless by the side of a thorn-covered road, watching a wheel powerful enough to crush everything roll past in triumph. Forget changing the course of history—even keeping up and not getting left behind took everything he had.

Well…

But if he couldn’t keep up, then he’d stop trying.

Even if history’s wheel left him behind in some forgotten corner of time, young Sang didn’t really care. His last life had been exhausting enough. This time, he might as well hide away forever in this run-down little town.

The sun sank toward the horizon.

It was another beautiful dusk. The sun slipped between the distant mountain peaks, turning the whole sky orange-red, as if it were burning. Flocks of birds crossed overhead, their calls echoing now and then. A cool breeze swept away the stifling heat that had lingered all day. So refreshing.

The day’s work was over.

Lillian led the other children back to the orphanage. Young Sang loved this lazy, unhurried feeling, so he didn’t bother hurrying back. Instead, he returned to the tree where he’d been earlier, leaned against its trunk, and rested for a while.

This was the secret hideout of Sang, Luna, and Adolf.

Sure enough.

It didn’t take long for Luna and Adolf to show up. The three of them sat on the ground around the tree trunk. Sang pulled two bright red apples from his pocket and handed one to each of them.

“Here! Have these!”

Luna’s first reaction was, “Watermelon, did you steal these again?”

“What do you mean, steal? A scholar doesn’t steal things! Baron Loren’s so stingy. More than thirty people worked all day, and we only got a few copper coins and sixty small coins. It’s not unreasonable for me to take a little hazard pay, is it?” Sang said, unconcerned.

“Stealing is wrong!” Luna was a stubborn, headstrong child.

Sang couldn’t be bothered to argue. He held out his hand and said, “Exactly. Stealing is wrong, so don’t eat it. Give it back to me!”

“I’m not giving it to you! I’ll eat it for you and lessen your sins~!” Luna said with a little hum, licking her lips.

“Luna, you really have no shame.”

“Bleh~”

Adolf was an honest kid, but he had no qualms about getting one over on the Blood Clan.

Oh, right. Baron Loren was a member of the Blood Clan. Adolf hadn’t been an orphan when he first came to the orphanage. His parents were killed by the Blood Clan when he was eight, and that was how he became an orphan. He hated the Blood Clan. Now he took a fierce bite out of the apple, as if he were chewing on Baron Loren’s flesh.

“What about you, Sang?” Adolf had eaten half his apple when he noticed something: there were only two apples, and Sang had given them both away. He didn’t have one for himself.

Sang waved him off with a smug grin. “Dummy. Someone as clever as me would’ve eaten so much while stealing that I’d be sick of apples by now.”

He even pretended to throw up.

Luna looked disgusted. “Adolf, don’t worry about that rotten Watermelon. He’s always full of tricks!”

Adolf seemed to realize something, but he didn’t say a word.

The truth was…

Young Sang had lied. When the weeding was done, someone from the estate came to check how much they’d picked. Stealing two apples was already pushing it. If they got caught, everyone would lose the day’s wages, and all their work would’ve been for nothing.

A man in another world, fresh off the plane. His goal: apple freedom.