A small flickering candle on the windowsill lit up the cramped, rundown mud-brick house.

A man with black cloth wrapped over his eyes silently held a woman's hand, tears falling from his face.

The woman was lying on a clay bed, her belly large and round. Her face was pale, and she had no breath left in her.

A bolt of lightning flashed, lighting up the room for a moment.

It was just a simple mud-brick house. After entering through the yard, the main room was in ruins. On the left side was the room where the man and woman lived. On the right side was a firewood room. As thunder rumbled overhead, rain began to fall heavily, each drop big as a bean.

From the small path outside, a woman in her forties ran over, holding a wooden basin.

“Liam! Liam!” she shouted.

Liam heard her and felt his way out in the dark. As he passed the main room’s threshold, he tripped and fell hard into the muddy ground.

The older woman didn’t have time to help him up. She rushed to the front of the house.

“Liam, there’s no one else at your place. Can you boil some hot water?”

Liam looked troubled. “Midwife Li, do you have a fire striker? I can’t find ours.”

Midwife Li pulled one from her clothes and pushed it into his hand. Then she handed him a bamboo stick from the doorway.

“Liam, hurry up. Giving birth is a life-or-death matter. All the doctors in town have closed for the night. I told Kana to hurry over. Make sure the water boils.”

Liam sniffled and nodded quickly. “Thank you, Auntie.”

Midwife Li didn’t answer. She walked into the inner room and saw the thick blanket covering the raised belly on the clay bed.

Her heart tightened. Liam was the only one left in his family. He’d gone blind serving in the army a few years ago.

After all that, he finally got married, but now there was no one else in his household. He didn’t even have anyone to fetch the midwife.

“Miss Aria? Miss Aria? How are you feeling?”

She called several times, but there was no answer.

Midwife Li pulled the blanket back and gently patted the woman’s arm.

The moment her hand touched Aria’s skin, she froze. The body was cold, even a little stiff.

She turned Aria over just as a loud thunderclap rang out and lightning flashed again.

Aria’s face was dark blue, her lips pale. She looked like she had already passed away.

Midwife Li screamed in fear.

“Ah! She’s dead! She’s dead!”

She ran outside and bumped into Kana, who had just arrived. Shaking, she pointed inside.

“Kana, Aria is dead!”

Kana’s face went pale. She gripped her mother’s hand tightly. “Mom... how could she die?”

Kana gathered her courage and pulled aside the curtain to the inner room, slowly stepping toward the bed.

She stared hard at the woman lying there. Another crack of thunder shook the room.

Suddenly, the woman on the bed opened her eyes and began breathing heavily.

Aria clutched her throat, gasping desperately for air.

Midwife Li, who had followed her in, screamed again. “She came back from the dead!”

Outside in the kitchen, Liam heard the scream and panicked, knocking over a chair as he fumbled his way inside.

“Midwife Li, how’s my wife?”

Midwife Li, still terrified, waved her hands. “Liam, your wife came back from the dead!”

Aria opened her eyes and saw the broken mud-brick ceiling above. Noises around her made her uncomfortable.

She felt irritated, but the next moment, a sharp pain stabbed her belly, cutting off her words. She let out a piercing scream.

Kana finally came to her senses. Aria was going into labor.

“Mom! Don’t talk nonsense. Aria is alive! Help her give birth!”

Midwife Li slowly moved closer and touched Aria’s hand.

Strangely, the hand that had felt ice-cold before now had a bit of warmth.

She didn’t have time to think the woman’s sharp cries and Liam’s anxious voice nearby pushed her to start preparing the birthing tools.

Kana grabbed Liam, who was panicking beside her, and pulled him outside.

“Brother Liam, there’s too much blood in the room! Come help me boil water outside!”

Liam couldn’t see, so he let her pull him away.

Aria watched as he was led out of the room. Midwife Li’s commands echoed in her ears again and again.

Only then did Aria realize she had entered a book, right into the body of a side character, the male lead’s doomed first love.

This woman had a name that sounded similar to hers. She barely appeared in the story. After marrying the second male lead, she got pregnant and died from a difficult labor not long after.

And now, she had somehow taken her place.

If she didn’t deliver the child today, she would die again.

She came from a family of traditional medicine experts. Was she really going to die from childbirth?

Gritting her teeth, Aria used all her strength to push the baby out.

Time passed, and Aria was drenched in sweat. Still, the baby hadn’t come out.

In the original novel, the child couldn’t be delivered because he was too large. She suddenly thought of the man she had glimpsed earlier.

Her brows furrowed deeply. “Liam! You damn bastard!”

Outside the room, Liam heard her shout and stumbled back in.

“Wife, don’t die! I’m a bastard, alright? Just hang in there, the baby’s almost here!”

Aria took a deep breath. If this child didn’t come out soon, he might end up brain-damaged.

Another sharp wave of pain struck. Aria gritted her teeth and shouted, “To hell with your grandma’s leg!”

A moment later, a loud cry rang out. Midwife Li lifted the baby and carefully examined him.

“It’s a big, healthy boy!”

Hearing that, Aria’s eyes rolled back, and she passed out.

Liam didn’t hear her voice anymore and asked quickly, “Midwife, where’s my wife?”

Midwife Li cut the umbilical cord and wrapped the baby up. Smiling, she said, “She just fell asleep. She’s fine!”

Only then did Liam relax.

Aria woke up around noon the next day. The first thing she saw was a tall, handsome man gently cradling a baby in gray swaddling clothes, softly coaxing him.

“Avi, be good. Once your mom wakes up, she’ll feed you.”

Aria interrupted, “Hey… you got any water?”

Hearing her voice, Liam turned around in excitement and leaned closer with a bright smile.

“Wife, you’re awake?”

“Uhh… do you have water?”

“Oh oh… I’ll go get some right now.”

He gently placed the baby near Aria’s feet and fumbled his way to the window, pouring a cup of warm water. He then carefully walked back.

Aria took the cup and waved her hand in front of his eyes. He didn’t react. She looked down and drank the water.

“Liam, right? I’m hungry now. I’d like to eat…”

Her eyes scanned the run-down mudbrick house cautiously.

This man would become a villain later in the story. She definitely didn’t want to anger him.

Liam’s face fell immediately. He had been beaming with joy, but now his expression turned gloomy.

“Wife, why don’t you call me your husband anymore?”

Husband your head! She was never his wife to begin with!

That’s what she thought in her heart, but her belly and mouth betrayed her quickly.

“Hu… husband… I’m hungry…”

MAIN CHARACTERS:

Female lead

Aria

She is the female lead who transmigrates into a tragic cannon fodder character, the white moonlight of the male second lead. Intelligent and determined, Aria fights to survive childbirth and begins adapting to her new reality

Male Lead

Liam

Aria's blind husband, who deeply cares for her and their unborn child. Though visually impaired, he is gentle and loving, but has a tragic aura tied to the original storyline.

Female Lead's Child

Avi

The newborn baby boy, large and healthy, whose difficult birth nearly costs Aria her life. He symbolizes a turning point in Aria’s new life within the novel world.

Chapter 2

Liam heard her words, and a satisfied smile returned to his face.

“Alright, wait here a moment. I’ll go get you some chicken soup.”

As he spoke, he fumbled around again. After touching the swaddled bundle, he handed the baby to Aria.

“Wife, you hold Avi. I’ll go get the soup for you now.”

Aria looked at the baby he was holding upside down and felt a chill in her heart.

Is this really the biological dad? Holding a baby like that? What if he drops him?

Thankfully, she’d gone with her cousin to a few parenting classes. Holding a baby was no problem for her.

But…

She watched him take forever just to find the door and couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.

“Honey, just come back. I’ll go get it myself!”

A flicker of sadness crossed Liam’s face, but he quickly steadied himself.

“I can do it…”

As he said that, he tripped over the doorstep and fell, and the black cloth over his eyes came loose.

A pair of helpless and lost eyes were suddenly exposed to the air. Aria gasped.

Oh my god, he’s so handsome! What kind of boring life did I live in my past life to miss out on someone like this?

Thinking this, her body moved faster than her mind. Still holding the baby, she rushed over in quick steps.

“Hey... honey, are you alright?”

Aria’s heart nearly broke. That stunning face had dirt on it!

She helped him up, then stuffed the baby back into his arms.

“I’ll go get it!”

“You just stay put!” Aria said, pretending to scold him.

Liam stood there helplessly, holding the black cloth in one hand and the quiet, obedient baby in the other.

After Aria left the room, he gently patted the swaddle.

“Avi, grow up quickly and help your mom out…”

The baby, who had been resting with eyes closed, suddenly rolled his eyes.

When Aria stepped outside, she saw the mud house that had been blackened by smoke and slowly walked over.

The thatched roof was completely charred, and there was a big hole in the corner of the wall. Rain from yesterday had flowed in, soaking a lot of the firewood.

No wonder there was a pile of dry wood in the yard. From inside, she had only noticed the house was old, but it had been cleaned up very neatly.

In the inner room, besides the earthen bed, there was also a desk and a wardrobe. That meant the man must’ve had some money in the past.

Most people didn’t own things like that.

When she got to the stove, she saw a pot of golden, oily chicken soup and froze.

This was more like chicken oil soup, wasn’t it?

Thinking of the little dumpling she just held, she gritted her teeth, scooped out two bowls, blew off the layer of oil, and drank it with her eyes closed.

After a while, she smacked her lips.

“Pretty tasty. One more!”

After two bowls, Aria tore off the chicken leg from the old hen, scooped some rice soup that was almost like plain water, and brought it to the main room.

“Honey, come eat something. Don’t go hungry.”

Liam smiled gently. “Alright.”

After setting the bowl down, Aria helped him out of the room.

Then she handed him the bowl with the chicken leg and urged him, “Eat, honey!”

“Okay. Where’s Avi?”

He froze slightly as he lifted the bowl.

"This is chicken soup… wifey, it’s for you. I can’t eat it!"

The blind man really cared about his wife. He even gave the good stuff to her.

Aria took the chicken leg from his bowl and pushed it to Liam’s lips.

"If you don’t eat it, I’ll be mad. I’m eating too. We’ll share it together!"

Liam shook his head. "Where’s Avi?"

Only then did Aria look down at her own little baby. White, soft, and incredibly cute.

"I’m holding him. Let’s eat first."

Liam was afraid she’d get mad, so he lowered his head and took small sips of the chicken soup. Aria drank the rice water from the morning, basically porridge.

This man drank plain rice water himself, but made old hen soup for her.

He really did love this "white moonlight" like in the original book. But that porridge was unexpectedly refreshing.

Thinking that, Aria lifted the chipped bowl and drank it all in one go.

After the meal, Aria put the baby back in the room and helped Liam over to the well.

"Husband, I’m still in my recovery month. You’re doing the dishes."

Liam suddenly remembered and quickly pushed her aside. "You should go back in. I shouldn’t have let you come out at all. Go, now!"

Aria thought, she really was supposed to be resting. She shouldn't have come out. Her head was already pounding.

With a splitting headache, she left him with a, "Call me when you’re done."

Back in the room, memories that didn’t belong to her surged into her mind.

A moment later, she heard the sound of a bamboo cane tapping the ground outside. Aria took clothes out of the wardrobe and wrapped herself up before helping the man, who had found his way into the kitchen, over to the bed.

She was already here. Her real self was dead in the other world. Since she was here, she’d make it work.

From the memories, this little mountain village was called White River Village. As the name suggests, it was a small village downstream from a river.

It should be August or September now. This was still the northern part of the country. Based on her memory, snow would fall by late October. And their home was dirt poor.

Thankfully, the inner rooms weren’t falling apart and could block out the winter snowstorms.

She found the hidden stash of money in her memory. Looking at the handful of copper coins, Aria’s face darkened.

Was this equal to a few bucks in modern times?

"Wifey… I’ll start weaving bamboo baskets soon. Don’t worry about money. Brother Niu will be back tomorrow. I’ll give you all the basket money then."

Liam seemed to have heard her rummaging for money and spoke softly while holding Avi, saying he’d work hard to provide.

Looking at the bamboo strips leaning by the wall and the bamboo forest outside, she realized their living came from weaving.

Aria looked at the father and son seriously. "Liam, stay home. I’ll handle things outside. Also, you need to memorize how the furniture is arranged. You’ll be carrying Avi around the house. If you trip, it’s dangerous."

A grown man staying home and still not remembering the layout, always tripping. Couldn’t he memorize it already?

"Alright, I’ll listen to you. But our Avi doesn’t have a real name yet. Wifey, can you pick one?"

The original owner could read and write, which is why there was candlelight and a desk in the inner room.

In ancient times, both candles and desks were rare. Not many families had the luxury to keep a candle burning after dark.

Now Aria was stumped. She was good at naming dogs, but giving a name to her own son…

"Um… you pick?"

Liam smiled gently. "I can’t see what Avi looks like, but I imagine he looks like you. I can’t read, so it’s better if you do it."

Aria looked down at the baby wrapped in cloth. "Let’s call him Avi. Avi means the sun—bright and full of hope."

"Avi… what a good name. You really are the best letter writer for miles around."

Was that true? She used to write letters? Aria quickly searched her new memories. Yes, it was true.

When the elders or young people in the village needed help writing letters, they came to her. She charged five copper coins per letter and even helped them send it out.

After paying for ink and paper, there was almost no profit. When they got a letter back, she’d patiently read it out loud for them.

So the whole village liked coming to her for help with writing.

Aria's father was still a teacher in the neighboring village.

She had given birth a day ago, but he still hadn’t come to visit, which made her think their relationship must not be good.

"Avi... Father’s little Avi..."

Aria noticed the sky turning gloomy. She thought of the firewood in the yard and quickly got up to move it into the woodshed.

Seeing how little wood was left inside the shed, she felt bitter inside.

Before she could finish feeling sad, it started raining lightly. Aria had no choice but to run back outside and continue moving the wood.

She was really pushing herself too hard. She had just given birth yesterday, and today she was already out in the rain.

But she had no other option. If they wanted to survive the winter, she had to do it.

Liam heard the sound of rain, placed Avi on the heated brick bed, and carefully felt his way outside.

"Dear, it's raining. Don’t stay out there, come back inside. I’ll handle it."

He followed the sound, reached Aria, and pulled her into the house. He gently wiped her face with his sleeve, heart aching for her.

Then, from outside came the sound of someone gathering firewood. Aria looked up and saw a young man dressed like a scholar and a boy around ten years old picking up wood quickly in the yard.

Soon, the two of them carried the wood inside. The boy rushed back out into the rain to bring in the chickens and some gifts.

The boy looked at the drenched Aria with worry. "Sister! Are you okay?"

Sister? Right. The original Aria had a 15-year-old younger brother, and her father was a teacher.

"Nick, why are you here?"

From her memory, her brother's name was Nick, and her father was Mr. Lin.

"Is that my little brother-in-law? I could tell it was him from the sound of his steps!"

Liam wiped the rain from his face and called out, "Father-in-law came too? Please sit down. I’ll make some ginger tea."

"Brother-in-law, no need, I’ll do it. You stay and talk with Father." Then he ran to the kitchen, bringing the soaked chickens with him.

After Nick left, Aria saw her father still standing silently in the main room. She had to mimic the original Aria and softly called out,

"Father."

Mr. Lin lifted his red-rimmed eyes. "Child, giving birth is such a big deal. Why didn’t you send someone to tell me? If Kana hadn’t picked up Sheron after school, I still wouldn’t have known what you went through!"

Looking at the man in his thirties in front of her, Aria couldn’t stop a tear from falling.

"Father, I only just woke up. There’s no one nearby to send a message, and Liam can’t see well. That’s why we didn’t inform you. I’m sorry for making you worry."

"Father-in-law, this is my fault. If not for my eyes..."

Mr. Lin took both of their hands and placed them together.

He choked up, "When I married Aria to you, I only asked you to treat her well. I never expected your eyesight to go so quickly in just a year... You're a good man. Move in and live with me."

"The baby just came, and Aria needs care. You need help too. How can the two of you manage on your own? I kept Aria’s room just as it was. You can move in within the next couple of days."

Liam's peach blossom-shaped eyes widened with gratitude. "Father-in-law, thank you. I’ll pack things up and bring both of them over soon."

"No need to thank me. Aria is my daughter, and you're my son-in-law. Come with them too. You said Aria gave birth to a boy?"

"Yes, Father, it's a boy."

"Great! Then the Zhou family finally has a successor. Have you picked a name?"

"He's called Avi. My wife chose it."

"Avi... Good name. I’ll give him a courtesy name. How about Bowen?"

"That’s perfect. A name from you is the best."

Liam looked truly pleased. His smile didn’t fade at all.

Just then, Avi started crying loudly in the inner room, making Aria’s heart tremble.

Since birth, the baby rarely cried. This was only the second time. The first was yesterday.

Hearing the sound, Nick rushed back into the room.

"Ari, did you have a baby boy or a girl?"

Liam smiled and said, "It's a boy! I'll go bring him out for you to see!"

He started to get up, but Mr. Lin pressed his hand down on the table.

"Nick can do it. You stay seated."

Hearing the order, Nick put down the tray with three bowls of ginger tea and walked into the inner room.

He looked at the gray swaddling cloth on the heated brick bed, wiped his hands, and gently picked up the baby. The baby's face was all wrinkled from crying.

"So ugly!"

"Ari, what's his name?"

When she heard "so ugly," Aria thought to herself, He's clearly adorable! Like a little doll!

"His name is Avi, courtesy name Bowen."

"Hey, that's a great name! Then Avi should grow up to be like his uncle and go to the capital for the imperial exam one day! Become a scholar!"

He said this while carrying the baby, who was still crying, over to Mr. Lin. Strangely enough, as soon as Mr. Lin held the baby, he stopped crying.

"Avi must be hungry. Aria, go feed him."

When Mr. Lin said that, Aria felt embarrassed. First, she had no milk. Second, it was just awkward.

Seeing his daughter’s awkward expression, Mr. Lin pulled some millet out of the gift pile.

"Nick, go cook some millet porridge. You all drink your ginger tea now so you don't catch a cold."

Aria held Liam’s hand and reached for a bowl of ginger tea.

But Liam’s first reaction was to offer it to her.

Helpless in front of her father and child, she picked up a different bowl and said, "I have one."

She raised her bowl and clinked it lightly against his.

Liam smiled again. "Drink up, my love."

Mr. Lin watched them being affectionate and didn’t say anything more.

After feeding the baby, they tidied up the room and called for an ox cart. They planned to move everything today.

It was Aria’s first time riding in an ox cart, and it felt new and exciting. She held her little dumpling-like baby in her arms.

Liam sat at the front of the cart. Her father and brother followed behind with large and small bags on their backs.

Just before sunset, they arrived at Aria’s childhood home.

It was a two-section courtyard with blue bricks and black tiles. A big ginkgo tree stood in the yard. It was autumn, around August or September, and golden ginkgo leaves had fallen all over the bricks.

As they walked further in, they saw a baby crib under the eaves, covered with a dark red cloth. A small knife and wood shavings lay underneath it.

It was clearly hand-carved by someone. Even the cloth used was new and of decent quality, but the sewing was crooked and messy. Aria instantly knew her little brother made it.

As soon as the cart stopped, Nick quickly moved the stuff inside, pulled out a handful of coins from his pocket, gave them to the ox cart driver, Brother Wang, then ran off to the kitchen to get to work.

Aria’s mother had died of tuberculosis when Aria was only four. At that time, Nick was around two, still very much in need of a mother.

Mr. Lin had raised them both by himself through thick and thin. He believed his wife died young at 21 from overwork.

So in this house, if there was any chore he could keep his daughter from doing, he would do it himself.

That’s why, when he saw her outside the Zhou home picking up firewood in the rain, his heart broke.

He had originally chosen Liam for his daughter because Liam had good looks, good character, and strong prospects. But just two years after the marriage, Liam had fallen off a cliff during a hunt and barely survived.

He made it back alive, but lost his eyesight.

The blow had been hard for Liam. Luckily, the baby growing in Aria’s belly gave him something to hope for, and he stopped sitting silently in the yard all day.

Now, Mr. Lin felt like life was starting to look up. He was even full of energy when helping his daughter pack things.

“Dad! Time to eat! Call Brother-in-law and Ari too!” Nick called from the kitchen.