Chapter 1: Starting with a Hand Grenade?

“Ning Ye, why are you still standing there dazed?”
“If you don’t bring a wife home today, you’ll be punished with thirty lashes again.”
“With your current physique, I’m afraid you wouldn’t survive even ten lashes. Don’t delay any longer!”

At the entrance of Qingyuan village, a group of well-meaning villagers were chattering, urging him on.

In the center of the crowd, the young man they had forcibly brought along was not only ragged and sallow-faced but now looked dazed and vacant-eyed, as if starved to the point of madness.

Ning Ye stared blankly at the scene before him, a splitting headache overwhelming him.

Strange memories surged like a tide.

In the ninth year of the Tianbao era of Great Qian, disasters struck one after another, battlefields ran rampant, and the villages were left nearly deserted, with nine out of ten households emptied.

“So, I’ve traveled through time?”

Ning Ye never imagined that, a proud modern-day soldier, he would be transported to such a ridiculous era—one unrecorded in any history books and far more chaotic than any other period of calamity in history.

“Ning Ye, just consider it your fourth uncle’s plea. Everyone’s starving, not just you. Although taking a wife means more mouths to feed, it’s still better than being exiled. Don’t you agree?”

A voice gently coaxed him again.

It belonged to a short, honest-looking middle-aged man—Ning Ye’s fourth uncle, the only other male left in the old Ning family besides himself.

Take a wife?

Ning Ye was momentarily stunned, then it dawned on him.

The ongoing wars in Great Qian had resulted in a shortage of men.

The imperial court had thus decreed that all men aged thirteen or older must marry at least one woman each year. The more wives taken, the greater the rewards; bearing a son would bring even higher honors.

Those who refused to marry would be punished with thirty lashes and face increased taxes and forced labor!

Now, at seventeen, Ning Ye, according to Great Qian’s laws, if unmarried this year, would be exiled to the borderlands as a conscript.

“Fourth uncle, I understand.”

Ning Ye nodded, his emotions a complex blend.

He glanced not far off, where a line of women of various appearances stood under the watch of several clerks, awaiting selection by men to take home.

These women showed no trace of discomfort; they were accustomed to this treatment.

Some bolder ones even called out to Ning Ye, “Choose me!”

Ning Ye’s mouth twitched involuntarily.

Though most of these women had rough skin and unremarkable looks, in the modern era of widespread female empowerment, they would be considered charming, even treasured, regardless of the exorbitant bride price.

But now, they were treated like livestock in a market, picked over at will.

In his previous life, Ning Ye would rather remain single forever than marry.

Now, having been given a second chance at life, how could he stray down the wrong path?

“Fourth uncle! It’s not that I don’t want to marry, but with things as they are, I can barely afford to eat, let alone pay a bride price?”

His voice was low, yet the crowd fell silent in an instant.

Not only Ning Fourth, but everyone around stared at Ning Ye as if he were a fool.

“Ye boy, are you really starved to the point of madness?”

“Yeah! What bride price? Our Great Qian abolished that ugly custom long ago! Look at them—who’d dare ask for even half a copper coin? Marry one home and if she disobeys, just beat her to death!”

No bride price?

Ning Ye was stunned, then looked at the group of women again. Almost every one of them carried a tattered bundle on their back, filled with grain, some even stuffed with valuables.

These were dowries carefully prepared by their families, worried they wouldn’t find a match.

That’s right!

With the severe gender imbalance in Great Qian, if a girl of marriageable age didn’t wed promptly, her entire family’s tax burden would double every year!

Some families were so ruthless that once their daughters came of age, they were kicked out of the house—better to die on the streets than to keep them and face the consequences.

Ning Ye was utterly dumbfounded.

No bride price, and yet they brought dowries?

Wasn’t this like manna from heaven?

“Alright, then! I’ll give it a try!”

Ning Ye finally chose to embrace the situation.

Ning Fourth’s face lit up immediately, a broad smile breaking across his face. “Ye boy, let me tell you—there’s a real art to choosing a wife.”

“Though having a wife means more taxes, if you choose well, it’s a guaranteed profit!”

“For example, look at that one—broad-shouldered, sturdy frame… that’s the kind you want. Not only can she bear sons in the future but can also handle heavy labor. She’s a real catch!”

Hearing Ning Fourth’s words, the villagers around nodded in agreement.

In fact, many had come precisely for that woman today, as no one wanted to take home someone who would only eat without working.

Among the other women, a few caught Ning Ye’s attention.

Unlike the rough-looking majority, these few were slender, with somewhat fairer skin. Though thin and frail in appearance, their innate beauty was unmistakable—a true maiden’s grace.

“Don’t even look at those, especially the one named Liu Qinshu… She’s the daughter of a convicted traitor; her entire family was executed. A fragile broomstick like her only brings bad luck—taking her home would only invite misfortune, maybe even kill her husband.”

Before Ning Ye could ask, Ning Fourth spoke up.

Seeing the villagers’ disdainful expressions, Ning Ye was speechless.

Such beauties, who would be goddesses in the modern world, were despised in this era.

Amid the villagers’ chatter, a weary official stepped forward and said, “The prefecture office has ordered that anyone who chooses from these women will be rewarded twenty coins!”

Twenty coins!

The number startled many villagers.

Twenty coins were nearly a month’s living expenses for an ordinary household.

Yet even so, they remained indifferent.

At that moment,

[Beep! Host compatibility detected. The Mall Exchange System has been activated!]

A cold, mechanical voice suddenly rang in Ning Ye’s ears.

Startled, Ning Ye barely had time to react before a transparent interface flashed before his eyes.

[This week’s mall items have been randomly refreshed.]
[The host may exchange items at will.]
[Ibuprofen Rapid Capsules—Exchange requires five copper coins.]
[Top-grade Wuchang rice, 100 jin—Exchange requires ten copper coins.]
[Premium Feitian Maotai Collector’s Edition—Exchange requires twenty copper coins.]
[Military Composite Crossbow (with five bolts)—Exchange requires fifty copper coins.]
[82-2 Model Steel Ball Grenades, two units—Exchange requires one hundred copper coins.]
…