I survived the famine by scavenging and supported my family.

Upon hearing this, Ning's father was overjoyed. Tears welled in his eyes, and he limped to help Granny Qian up, asking happily, "Mother! You agree not to separate the family?"

The moment his hand touched Granny Qian, she slapped it away in disgust.

"Dream on!" Granny Qian spat. "That's not what I meant!"

Her eyes darted around, her mind racing with calculations: the harvest was almost here, the sooner the distribution, the less trouble she'd have! But that Wuya… she had to keep it!

"Dividing the family is fine," she said slowly. "You, Zhou Shi, and the three boys, you three can move out. Wu Ya will stay with us."

As soon as she said it, she felt a little cheated. After all, her third son, Zhao Qi, was twelve years old, a half-grown boy, and could be considered half a laborer... But then she thought, this kid is quick-witted and has caused a lot of trouble at home. In a couple of years, she would have to spend money to find him a wife.

After thinking it over, Granny Qian decided against it; she didn't need another grandson. A heartless, ungrateful wretch—she was better off without him!

"Mother! This...this can't be!" Ning's father was stunned. He leaned forward in disbelief, trying to grab Granny Qian's sleeve. "Mother! You'd rather have a maid than your own son? Then...then keep me! Give the three of them away! Is that alright?"

"Go away, who wants you!" Granny Qian forcefully shook him off, as if shooing away an annoying fly.

The village headman frowned deeply. He'd lived half his life and never seen a family divide like this before. Other families kept their grandchildren around out of love and care, but the Zhao family was clearly keeping a lamb, waiting to skin it alive!

"Nonsense!" the village headman shouted in a deep voice. "Mrs. Qian, there's no such rule in Wangli Village! Children must stay with their parents!"

"If our village doesn't have it, don't other villages have it too? There's one in Da Ma Village!" Granny Qian stubbornly argued, then her eyes darted around and she changed her mind. "Fine! You can take Wu Ya with you—bring ten taels of silver in exchange!"

"Mother? You didn't love Wuya after all, you just wanted those ten taels of silver?! Do you want Wuya to marry into the Sun family, or... you have to give me ten taels?!" Ning's father's lips trembled, and he couldn't even finish his sentence.

Granny Qian, caught off guard, showed a flicker of panic on her face, but immediately straightened her expression and retorted, "Nonsense! I'm afraid that after you split up the family, you'll turn around and sell Wuya for money! This ten taels... consider it a deposit! Yes, a deposit! I'll feel at ease if it's with me!"

The more she spoke, the more convinced she became of her point. Hands on her hips, chest puffed out, her voice shrill: "Anyway, it's either pay the silver, or keep them here! Ten taels, not a penny less!"

"Ten taels..." Ning's father murmured in despair, "Even if I go to the city every day to carry heavy loads, I can't earn twenty copper coins a day... Ten taels of silver, you... you're trying to force your son to his death..."

Unless he immediately "sells" Wuya to the Sun family after receiving the family division documents, this is a dead end.

"I don't care!" Granny Qian turned her head away. "Give us the money, and we'll split up; if you can't, Wuya stays!"

"Mother—!" Ning's father dragged his injured leg forward a few steps, almost kneeling down. "Are you... are you trying to force your son to die?!"

Zhao Ningning also started crying at the right moment: "Dad! I don't want to stay! Grandma will sell me! Dad—!"

The village chief was so angry his beard stood on end. He was about to yell at them, but the village head stopped him with a look. The village head shook his head slightly and whispered something. Only then did the village chief give up and quietly watch the farce unfolding in the courtyard.

"Don't try to pin this on me! Who forced you?" Granny Qian impatiently reached out and abruptly pulled the weeping Zhao Ningning to her side, gripping her thin arm tightly. "Give me the money! Otherwise, this girl isn't leaving today!"

"Mother! Wuya is Zhou Shi's own flesh and blood! You can't forcibly separate them!" Ning's father rushed over to try to take his daughter back, but was pushed away forcefully by Granny Qian.

Ning's father, who already had a limp, couldn't withstand the push and immediately fell to the ground in the mud, clutching his injured leg and crying out in pain.

"Mother...you don't acknowledge your son, but I do...but you can't...you can't forcibly take your granddaughter away..."

"Enough nonsense! We need money and people!" Upon hearing the name "Zhou Shi," Granny Qian gripped Zhao Ningning's hand even tighter, glancing warily at Ning's mother, fearing that her unusually aggressive daughter-in-law might suddenly lash out and beat someone again.

Today, she's made up her mind; she won't let go until she gets the money.

"Fine...fine..." Ning's father slumped to the ground. "Since Mother only wants the money and not me, her son...that's fine too! Ten taels of silver, I'll give it to you! But you have to sign a letter of severance! From this day forward, my Zhao Tieniu family of four will have no further connection with your Zhao family!"

"A letter severing ties!?"

These three words struck like a thunderbolt, causing Granny Qian's face to change drastically. "You unfilial brat! I'm your own mother! I carried you for ten months and gave birth to you, and you want to sever ties with me over this?! You ungrateful wretch, may you be struck by lightning!"

"Grandma," Zhao Ningning interjected timidly, taking advantage of her agitation, "I...I was also born after my mother carried me for ten months. You took me away from my mother...do you also want to be...an 'ungrateful wretch'?"

"You little slut! I'll tear your mouth off!" Granny Qian was hit where it hurt, and enraged, she raised her hand and slapped Zhao Ningning hard across the face!

"Qian! Stop!" The village head was quick-witted and agile, and he stopped her, taking Zhao Ningning back and escorting her to Zhou's side.

The village chief finally lost his temper and demanded, "Qian! How dare you throw a tantrum and hit your child in front of us?! Are you going to divide the family property or not?! If not, we're leaving. We don't have time to watch your family make a scene here!"

As the sun rose higher, more and more people gathered outside the courtyard, their pointing and whispering voices carrying faintly. Old Zhao, embarrassed, coughed twice and muttered, "Old woman! Don't embarrass yourself!"

Granny Qian looked around and saw that the second son's family was in various predicaments, with some lame and others injured. She made up her mind: "Let's break it off then!" The second son was the most soft-hearted and nostalgic. If she coaxed him with some sweet treats in a few days, she was afraid he wouldn't tear up the letter of severance on his own.

"Fine, then!" Granny Qian relented. "Ten taels of silver! You have one month to gather it all! Otherwise, I'll take Wuya back right now!"

Upon hearing this, Ning's father stopped crying on the ground. He slowly helped his son up, still looking heartbroken. "Whatever Mother says... goes!"

Seeing that the argument between the two sides had reached a conclusion, the village chief immediately ordered someone to fetch pen and ink. Old Zhao brought out the old square table and benches from the main room, and the village chief sat in the courtyard and began writing the family division document.

The Zhao family has a shallow lineage and no clan elders, so the village chief invited several respected clan elders from the village to witness the event.

The result of the division of the family property was astonishing: of the Zhao family's forty mu of land, Zhao Tieniu only received the two most barren mu; the house he was given was just the dilapidated thatched hut he was currently living in; five hundred cash; two chickens; a set of bowls and chopsticks for each person; and a clay stove and a chipped earthenware pot.

This method of distribution was so stingy it chilled the heart. Several elders who arrived later shook their heads upon hearing it, and tried to persuade Granny Qian to consider the bond between family members.

Granny Qian was determined and wouldn't listen to anyone's persuasion.

After the family division document and the severance of kinship document were written, Ning's father listened to the village head read them aloud, and without the slightest hesitation, pressed his bright red handprint onto the paper.

Three copies were made. The village head kept one copy and instructed Ning's father to go to the city with him in the afternoon to handle the household registration change.

After a morning of commotion, things finally settled down. The family of four locked the door and finally had time to sit inside and talk.

"I'm so thirsty..." Zhao Ningning licked her chapped lips and wandered around the empty house. She couldn't even find a broken water ladle. Apart from what was already in the house, the family had only divided up what she had just read out, and there was nothing extra.

"Thanks to Ningning's quick thinking and speed today." Ningning's mother pulled her daughter over and tenderly touched the area around the scabbed wound on the back of her head. "Does it still hurt?"

Zhao Ningning shook her head and asked in a low voice, "Dad, Mom, Brother... what's going on? Weren't we sleeping at home? How come when we opened our eyes, the whole family had time-traveled?"

"We only woke up a little earlier than you." Ning's father leaned against the bed, his face pale from leg pain. "I woke up in pain, and your mother woke up when she heard the noise."

"I was woken up by Mom," Zhao Qi interjected. "We were all awake, but we couldn't wake you no matter what we did. Mom saw the blood blister on the back of your head and was terrified. There was a commotion outside telling us to go out and do chores, so Mom let me stay in the room to watch over you... You know what happened after that."

"Then why did we travel through time?" Zhao Ningning's eyes widened. "We were perfectly fine before we went to sleep, could it be... the end of the world?"

"Don't talk nonsense!" Ning's mother gently patted her. "The reason isn't important. What's important is that the four of us are together. In this unfamiliar ancient world, that's our greatest confidence."

Zhao Ningning nodded, feeling slightly relieved. Indeed, it was better for the whole family to travel through time than for one person to fight alone. Before the time travel, she was a soon-to-be college student who had just finished the college entrance examination, her brother was a junior engineering student, and her parents were ordinary workers who enjoyed hiking and fishing in their spare time. From time to time, the whole family would also go hiking and camping.

"Hey, speaking of which," Ning's father scratched his head, a little embarrassed, "when I first became conscious, I thought I was dreaming. Only after merging the memories did I realize that maybe this is our past life? Look, the age, appearance, and family relationships all match up."

"Possibly," Ning's mother pondered. "However, which Zhou dynasty in history is this Great Zhou? Ningning, you just finished your college entrance exams, do you still remember history?"

"Mom! The knowledge I learned after the exam just flew out of my head." Zhao Ningning sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Besides, everyone in our family studied science; none of us are good at history."

Although she had learned about it during compulsory education, Zhao Ningning thought back and realized she really had no impression of the Great Zhou Dynasty. It was probably because she hadn't been paying attention in class and had missed it.

Zhao Qi, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "This Great Zhou Dynasty is not any dynasty we know."

Three pairs of eyes all turned to look at him.

"Although the dynasty name is the same, the founding emperor, historical events... none of them match up. This is a completely unfamiliar parallel universe," Zhao Qi calmly stated his conclusion.

"Forget about parallelism, we're already here." Zhao Ningning shook her head, bringing her attention back to reality. "The problem now is, how are we going to survive? Dad's leg..."

All three pairs of eyes turned to Ning's father.

He sat on the edge of the bed, a ten-centimeter-long scab on his left leg still red, clearly indicating a slight inflammation.

"Your father's leg should be curable!" Ning's mother said firmly, encouraging her family. "Fortunately, we've separated the family now, and we're free! Let's work together to get the money as soon as possible and send him to the city to find a good doctor!"

"Yes! Listen to your mother!" Ning's father gave his wife a trusting smile.

"Okay!" Zhao Ningning nodded emphatically, but couldn't help but fantasize: If only I could go back to modern times, this kind of injury would just require an X-ray at the hospital and a cast...

Zhao Ningning had just started thinking about going home.

The next second, everything spun around. The dim thatched hut vanished abruptly, replaced by bright and familiar light.

Smooth, clean tiles, snow-white walls, a familiar front door…

Zhao Ningning stumbled and stood on the tiled floor, stunned for two seconds, then looked around with wild joy—it was the elevator lobby of her modern apartment!

"I...I'm back?!"

She was so excited she was almost incoherent. After calming down, she took a few steps forward and eagerly pressed the fingerprint lock on the door.

"Beep! Fingerprint unlock failed!"

A cold, electronic notification sound rang out, and at the same time, a semi-transparent, pale blue screen abruptly appeared in front of her:

[System notification: The entryway area is temporarily locked. Insufficient permissions to enter.]

Zhao Ningning: "???"

Do I need access to go home?!

Undeterred, she looked around: elevator, fire hydrant, tightly closed emergency exit door... and another rarely used entrance door. Zhao Ningning went over to try it, but still didn't have the necessary permissions.

The joy of obtaining the cheat system faded, replaced by a profound sense of loss. With a thought, Zhao Ningning vanished from her spot once more.

"Ningning!"

As soon as Zhao Ningning returned to the thatched hut, she was grabbed by her anxiously waiting mother.

"Mom! I just got home!" Zhao Ningning composed herself and recounted what she had seen and heard: "I went back to our modern home! But I couldn't get in. It said I didn't have permission, the entryway wasn't unlocked..."

"Going home? Do you mean going back to our modern home?" Seeing her daughter was alright, Ning's mother relaxed and quickly asked, "How did you get back? Why are you back again?"

"I thought about it and went back, but I can only stand in the elevator lobby and can't get into my house. It says the entryway area is not unlocked?" Zhao Ningning took her arm back from her mother's hand and rubbed it.

Ning's father asked, "Is this some kind of superpower?!"

"What kind of superpower is this? This should be called a cheat code!" Zhao Qi said, "Did you trigger a spatial cheat code? I've read novels where characters travel through time with a supermarket or something, did you bring our whole family with you?"

"That should be it!" Zhao Ningning said, "But I can't get in. I can only stare blankly at the gate, and it says I don't have permission!"

"Since it says we have permission, there must be a way to unlock it. Why don't you go in and take another look?" Zhao Qi said. "Don't rush, a few of us will watch over this area for you, and you can explore at your own pace."

Surrounded by the encouraging and expectant gazes of her family, Zhao Ningning took a deep breath, concentrated, and silently repeated, "Go home."

In a flash, she was back in the familiar elevator lobby.

The cold security door remained tightly shut. She tried the doorknob reluctantly, but it wouldn't budge; a system message indicating she lacked the necessary permissions still popped up in front of her.

Zhao Ningning calmed down and carefully observed the area.

They bought two apartments and combined them together. Ning's father arranged for two sets of shoe cabinets to be built at the entrance, with a potted green plant on top. Everything was as usual.

Zhao Ningning looked around and saw a bag of trash at the elevator entrance.

—No! This isn't trash, it's treasure!

They throw their trash at a fixed spot near the elevator entrance, and the property manager arranges for cleaning staff to collect it every day.

However, Zhao Ningning's family would casually throw their kitchen waste into the trash can when they went for a walk downstairs after dinner. The bag of trash at the door was cleaned up by Ningning's mother last night to make room.

If I remember correctly...

She carefully picked it up, gently opened the black plastic bag, and inside was half a bag of red beans and a small packet of lilies, all of which were expired.

When we moved here, Ning's mom was going to throw it away, but Zhao Ningning saw that it still had two months left before its expiration date, so she clung to Ning's mom's leg and wouldn't let her throw it away. After we moved here, the whole family forgot about it, but it was only found again yesterday during a big cleaning.

There were only a few bugs inside. Throw away the bad ones, and the rest can be washed and eaten!

Besides red beans and lilies, the bag also contained five boxes of birthday candles and matches, as well as a broken vase wrapped in an undershirt.

This vase was accidentally knocked to the ground by a cardboard box while I was tidying up yesterday.

[System: Congratulations to host Zhao Ningning for activating the "Scrap Collection System"! We hope you will grow your system to become the King of Scraps in the Great Zhou Dynasty!]

[System: Congratulations, host Zhao Ningning, for finding a bag of trash! You've unlocked the achievement "I'll Support You by Collecting Trash" and the area "Xinyuan Community." Keep up the good work, host, and strive to become the King of Trash in the Great Zhou Dynasty!]