Chapter 1: The Shrunken Traveler and the 1961 Exchange

Xiang Chen was jolted awake by the cold.

A biting morning wind swept over him, kicking up dust that coated Xiang Chen’s face. He instinctively reached for his phone on the bedside table, eyes still closed.

However, beneath a thin layer of fabric, his palm met a rough, uneven surface. This was nothing like the smooth, expensive solid wood nightstand he had at home.

His mind still hazy from sleep, Xiang Chen slowly opened his blurry eyes, only to be instantly stunned by the sight before him.

Everywhere, there were muddy roads dotted with clumps of earth. Unidentifiable wild grasses, tall enough to reach a man’s thigh, lined the roadside. Further in the distance, the faint outlines of mountains were visible.

‘What the hell?!’ Xiang Chen’s expletive almost escaped his lips. ‘Who the hell threw me out into the wilderness?!’

As he slowly regained his senses, Xiang Chen’s mind was instantly flooded with conspiracy theories. Was it his sweet-tongued, vicious stepmother? Or her son, who only knew how to feign obedience? He had known it; those two had long been eyeing his house. They must have been the ones who had tricked him.

The thought of them filled Xiang Chen with a surge of renewed strength. He braced a hand on the ground, intending to stand, and silently vowed, ‘Just you wait. When I get back…’

Before he could finish his silent threats, his foot caught on something. Xiang Chen stumbled, falling hard.

Struggling to sit up, Xiang Chen spat out a mouthful of dirt. He stared blankly at the trousers that had tripped him. ‘Why are my pants so long?’

A bubbling unease, like boiling water, began to churn within him. Xiang Chen raised his right hand. His clothes had also become too large; his entire arm was swallowed by the sleeve. He swung his hand twice, shaking the sleeve down, to reveal a small, plump, pale hand with dimples.

Xiang Chen stared blankly at his tiny, fleshy hand. It wasn’t that his clothes had grown larger; he had shrunk.

After a prolonged moment of panic, Xiang Chen finally calmed himself. He forced himself to be rational, to consider his current predicament.

First, from the small red mole above the web of his right thumb and some basic physical characteristics, he could tell this was indeed his body—just shrunken.

His exact age was unclear, but he was certainly under eight, as the scar on his head from a fight with his stepmother’s son that year was gone.

Second, Xiang Chen suspected that not only had he shrunk, but he had also transmigrated.

S City, where he lived, was an international metropolis. The few mountains surrounding it had long become popular tourist destinations, bustling with visitors.

He had never heard of such a desolate place. The distant mountains, stretching endlessly into the horizon, told him he was definitely no longer within S City’s jurisdiction.

Coupled with the peculiar state of his body, Xiang Chen felt that transmigration was the more likely possibility.

Having mentally prepared himself for transmigration, Xiang Chen looked around. Holding up his trousers with both hands, he stumbled towards the roadside bushes.

Although he hadn’t seen anyone yet, it would be too strange if someone passed by and saw him in this state.

Huddled in the roadside bushes, Xiang Chen felt a sliver of security. He frowned, brushing off the small pebbles clinging to his chubby feet. He sighed, looking at the red marks on his soles. He had no shoes.

Xiang Chen’s last memory was of his childhood friend, Huo Kai, taking off his shoes and jacket and throwing his drunken self onto the bed. After that, he had passed out.

He had woken up in this place. The clothes he wore were still the same ones from yesterday: a shirt, long trousers, and a thin tie still hanging around his neck, almost dragging on the ground.

Normally, he would never dress so formally, but yesterday had been a long-anticipated day. He had prepared for a long time, finally mustering the courage to confess to his male god.

Thus, not only had he specifically bought a ridiculously expensive outfit, but he had also asked his elderly neighbor for advice on what gift to give. Following her suggestion, he bought a set of pure gold jewelry—the chains and rings were all chosen for their thickness, incredibly expensive!

Although spending so much money pained him a little, the thought of his male god wearing his gifted jewelry instantly filled Xiang Chen with satisfaction. It was just money; he had plenty of it!

As a third-generation inheritor of demolition compensation, Xiang Chen possessed such confidence.

However, even with all his preparations, it was useless. He was rejected by his male god. Not only rejected, but the male god had also told him to get lost.

When Xiang Chen heard that word, he couldn’t believe his ears. He stared foolishly at his male god, still holding the meticulously chosen gold jewelry, and asked, “What did you say?”

A mocking smile appeared on the male god’s beautiful face, a face that had once utterly captivated Xiang Chen. Thin lips parted, he uttered the word “scram” again.

Xiang Chen could no longer deceive himself. His male god, whom he had envisioned as kind, generous, handsome, dashing, shrewd, capable, and impossibly perfect, had spoken harshly to him. He was disliked.

Xiang Chen walked home in a daze, cried bitterly upon arriving, and called his childhood friend to drink. Huo Kai had long known about his secret crush and his plan to confess today. Seeing Xiang Chen in this state, he immediately understood the outcome.

The two sat in the living room, drinking. Xiang Chen cried as he drank, showing Huo Kai the gold jewelry he had bought.

He asked if he wasn’t good-looking enough, or if the jewelry wasn’t pretty, and why his male god not only disliked him but hated him!

Huo Kai’s expression twisted almost imperceptibly. His childhood friend was good in every way—handsome and kind—but his aesthetic… perhaps influenced by being raised by elders, his taste was truly indescribable.

A heartbroken person needed to vent. Huo Kai faithfully accompanied Xiang Chen, drinking until past midnight, then helped him to bed before finally returning home.

As a result, Xiang Chen woke up transmigrated.

‘No, don’t think about it anymore,’ Xiang Chen rubbed his face. If he had truly transmigrated, he wouldn’t even be able to see his male god again.

Now, he was actually relieved he had been rejected yesterday. Otherwise, if he had disappeared the day after they started dating, how miserable would his male god have been?

He had lost his mother at a young age and was raised by his maternal grandparents.

After they passed away, he lived alone. As for others, Huo Kai might worry about him, but he had his own family and friends; his sadness wouldn’t last forever.

His father… ha, he was too busy enjoying himself with his youngest son to remember his eldest son, whom he had driven out of the house.

His stepmother, however, always remembered him, though only for his house.

His maternal grandparents’ old house, an old-fashioned courtyard flat, had been demolished, resulting in five apartments for him, all in excellent locations. He could live a very luxurious life for the rest of his days just by collecting rent.

However, even if he had transmigrated, his stepmother shouldn’t expect to profit. Xiang Chen had long ago written his will and had it notarized.

In his rebellious phase, he always felt there were ‘villains’ out to get him—referring to his stepmother and her son.

So, as soon as he came of age, he had his will notarized: if he were no longer around, one apartment would go to Huo Kai for his marriage, and the rest would be sold, with the money donated to children who couldn’t afford school.

Xiang Chen imagined his stepmother’s furious face and felt a little smug. ‘Too bad I won’t get to see it.’

Squatting in the bushes, he began to inventory his current possessions.

He had one set of clothes, one wallet containing bank cards and some cash, though he didn’t know if they were still usable.

A set of keys, probably useless, but the mini multi-tool attached to it should be useful. He had always liked fiddling with such small gadgets, which was why he carried one.

It was about six centimeters long; it used to be less than half the size of his palm, but now it was longer than his entire hand.

Besides these, Xiang Chen also found an opened pack of chewing gum in his trousers pocket, and… a gold ring.

Xiang Chen recalled that he had bought the chewing gum before his confession and had already eaten two pieces, leaving only three.

There were also three candies—cheap, round milk candies the shop owner had given him as change for fifty cents when he bought the gum.

As for the gold ring, he must have casually slipped it into his pocket after showing it to Huo Kai last night. Xiang Chen deeply regretted it. ‘Why didn’t I tuck that big gold chain in too? That was worth even more.’

Regret was useless. After confirming his pockets were empty, Xiang Chen thought for a moment, then took off his trousers.

He couldn’t possibly walk in them. Fortunately, he still had a pair of boxer briefs underneath. They weren’t a snug fit to begin with, and now, worn on his body, they resembled knee-length shorts, albeit with a slightly large waistband.

Xiang Chen untied the thin tie from his neck and fastened it around his waist. Good, the shorts wouldn’t fall off. He then opened the multi-tool and used the small scissors to trim the excessively long sleeves and hem of his shirt.

This allowed his hands to move. Although the shirt was still big, at least it was wearable.

With his clothes sorted, Xiang Chen looked at the remaining items with a worried frown. ‘Seriously, I’ve transmigrated. Don’t I get a spatial artifact or something? Or a system, even? What am I supposed to do with all my belongings?’

Finally, Xiang Chen frowned and cut off the two trousers pockets, along with the fabric attached to them. He then detached the multi-tool and put it in, followed by the candies and the ring.

Lastly, he added two red banknotes. He tested it: the thin strips of fabric he had deliberately cut from the pockets could be threaded through a buttonhole and tied inside his shirt. His shirt was large enough that the pouch was practically invisible.

For the remaining items, Xiang Chen wrapped his feet with the fabric he had just cut. Without shoes, this was his only option for now.

He then used the mostly intact trousers to wrap up the scraps of cloth, his wallet, and keys. He walked a little further, dug a shallow hole, buried them, and covered them with earth.

Having done all this, Xiang Chen let out a long breath. He chose a direction and began walking along the road. He hadn’t encountered anyone for so long; he needed to find a populated area first.

***

Seventy kilometers away, in the provincial capital, a handsome boy of eleven or twelve emerged from a narrow alley. He wore well-fitting clothes, devoid of any patches, clearly indicating he was from a good family.

The boy walked slowly down the street, observing everything he saw. Gaunt pedestrians, most wearing patched, dusty clothes.

High-rise buildings were scarce on the streets, and the names of the establishments were distinctly characteristic of the era.

Finally, the boy stopped in front of a store bearing the sign “Supply and Marketing Cooperative.”

He stepped inside. The simple glass counters displayed a pitifully small selection of goods, and the wooden shelves held only a handful of items.

A middle-aged woman behind the counter was chatting with a young girl nearby, paying no attention to the customer who had entered.

The boy observed for a moment, then walked forward, a docile smile on his face. “Hello, Big Sister, my mom sent me to buy some of this.”

He pointed to a yellowish, somewhat cornmeal-like, but noticeably coarser substance in the counter.

The middle-aged woman’s face involuntarily broke into a smile upon being called “Big Sister.” She stopped chatting and said with a grin,

“Oh, you shouldn’t call me that. I’m probably older than your mom. My surname is Liu, so just call me Aunt Liu. What do you need? Cornmeal? How much? Bring the money and grain coupons.”

“Aunt Liu, you look so young, I almost can’t bring myself to call you ‘Aunt’,” the boy said with a look of genuine sincerity, charming Aunt Liu so much that her eyes crinkled in a wide smile. The young girl beside her also chuckled.

Seeing the atmosphere was just right, the boy feigned reaching into his pocket, then exclaimed, “Oh no! My grain coupons are gone!”

Aunt Liu and the young girl both grew anxious, helping him search around and urging him to think hard about where he might have dropped them.

The boy put on a mournful face, claiming he couldn’t remember and that he would definitely be beaten at home for losing the grain coupons. Although Aunt Liu and the young girl sympathized with him, they couldn’t possibly offer their own rations. Grain was precious in those days.

The boy grieved for a while, then gritted his teeth. He pulled a fountain pen from his pocket and placed it before Aunt Liu, reluctantly saying, “Aunt Liu, my uncle brought this back for me from the big city. I haven’t even used it yet. Could… could I exchange it for some cornmeal?”

Aunt Liu and the young girl’s gazes were drawn to the pen he produced. It had a silver barrel, slightly slimmer than most fountain pens available at the time, making it undoubtedly more suitable for women and students.

“You want to exchange this for cornmeal?” Before Aunt Liu could answer, the young girl preemptively asked.

The boy glanced at it again, then nodded.

“Won’t your family come looking for it?” The young girl held the pen, reluctant to let go, and asked worriedly, “If they don’t come looking for me, then I can exchange grain coupons with you.”

The boy quickly replied, “No, they won’t. My family doesn’t know my uncle gave me this pen. My uncle went to work out of town, and when he comes back, I’ll just say I accidentally lost it.”

The young girl immediately felt relieved. She unscrewed the cap and looked inside, liking it even more. She then said to the boy, “I’ll exchange with you. How do you want to do it? Only grain coupons? I don’t have that many right now. Can I make up the difference with money?”

“Yes,” the boy nodded. “This pen looks better with you, Big Sister. Whatever is convenient for you to exchange.”

The young girl’s face immediately flushed. Aunt Liu beside them also laughed, saying what a sweet-tongued child he was.

In the end, the young girl took out all the grain coupons she had, a total of one jin and four liang, and added two yuan, completing the exchange for the fountain pen.

The boy took the grain coupons, his gaze lingering on the printed year. The distinct numbers ‘1961’ were etched into his eyes.