A robust-looking man came in. Brown hair, muscular, and dark—so dark that you could see his sweat dripping with bits of soil sticking to his body here and there. He was the head of the family or Shad's father.
His name was Bast. In his hand, Bast carried a hoe and a basket. Behind him was a little girl with disheveled hair and mud here and there, carrying a small basket. This was the only daughter of Bast and Piana, Aran—basically Shad's older sister.
When Akeli and Zakel heard the familiar voice, their eyes lit up.
"Daddy is back!"
Being welcomed by his two sons made Bast happy. He crouched to their level and ruffled their heads. "Dad brought you eggs. I'll make egg soup for you tonight."
"Yay!"
Akeli and Zakel clapped in unison.
Everyone was noisy except Aran. She carefully put down her little basket before looking for her mother and Shad.
Before Shad was born, of the three children, only Aran was "mentally" normal. Because of that, the little girl always helped her father and mother.
Seeing her husband and especially her little daughter, Piana was distressed. She then went to the back to get a wet cloth before beckoning Aran.
"Ran, come here first."
The little girl didn't resist; she went over to her mother obediently and quietly. After that, her mother gently wiped the dirt off her face.
With guilt, she said, "Ran, soon mommy will be feeling better. After that, you take care of your little brother, okay?"
Aran was still very small, but she still had to work. It was definitely tough for her to carry such a basket on her back. The little girl did not respond however to her mother and instead looked toward Shad.
She smiled, "Mom, Shad is so cute."
Hearing this, Piana couldn't help but gently stroke Aran's little head. She said softly, "Yes, and he's very obedient. He hasn't made a fuss today, and he played nicely with your big brothers."
"Is that so?"
"Hmm," Piana nodded. "You must be tired today. Come and rest for a while. Mommy will cook first. We'll wake you up when it's ready, alright?"
"Hm, okay. I want to sleep with little brother first."
"Alright, come in then," Piana said gently. "Don't wander too far from your brother, alright?"
Aran soon climbed into bed and quickly fell asleep beside Shad, while baby Shad yawned and continues to sleep.
The food was soon ready. You could tell from the toasted aroma of cooked barley. Aran had also woken up, carrying Shad. He definitely knew his gentle big sister, so he didn't make a fuss being carried by her. He yawned before his eyes soon landed on the table.
Gruel again.
His mouth twitched. Their meals rarely strayed from barley gruel with peas, sometimes cabbage, and eggs on rare good days. Fortunately, he still lived on his mother's milk, sparing him from it. Still, the thought of their daily meal made Shad restless. He could not sleep on his sister's back, afraid that his frail sister might suffer from malnutrition and collapse. Fortunately, although she was skinny, her steps were steady.
"Akeli, Zakel, Aran, come eat your meal."
Akeli and Zakel ran over and surrounded Bast. "Father, Zack and I touched the egg. It's not broken."
Zakel licked the corner of his mouth and looked at Bast hopefully. "Father, the egg smells so good."
Bast was in a good mood. He smiled and patted the heads of the three children. "Good, then make sure you eat plenty today."
Aran swallowed. She wanted to eat the eggs too, but when she thought of her mother and brother, she said sensibly, "Father, I won't drink. Let Mother and Shad have more."
"..."
This sensible daughter always tugged at Bast and Piana's hearts. Bast, in particular, couldn't help but reach out and gently stroke her hair.
Aran was almost five, but she was already sensible and smart enough to understand many things. She knew, for example, that only when her mother needed to eat well to feed Shad. She loved her mother, but she also cared for Shad. He was fragile and clingy—she had never seen such a clingy little creature before.
Hearing their sister made Akeli and Zakel taken aback. Aran was basically like a second mother to them, always taking care of them beside their father and mother.
"Give it to our little brother, Father. I don't want it anymore."
"Me neither."
"..."
'Okay, who's going to eat this egg soup?!'
Bast's mouth twitched. He sighed. "You are really good children, but don't worry. Your daddy is already full, so you can take my portion."
He was gratified by their thoughtfulness, though. They might never understand how precious this was. His daughter was so sensible and mature, and even his two mentally "retarded" sons knew how to be modest.
"Hick…"
Bast couldn't help it. His tears wouldn't stop, so he went straight into the bedroom.
Piana had already sat up when she this scene. She had been waiting anxiously outside with Shad. When she saw Bast come out, the worry in her heart eased.
She said gently, "You've worked hard."
Bast nodded. Just as he was about to reply—
"Hoaaaammm~"
The noise woke Shad once again. Seeing this, Bast's eyes lit up. He reached out and said, "Let me hold Shad for a while."
And so, for the rest of the day, Shad spent the night with his wild-looking father.
Another six months passed—
Meaning Shad was now one.
A more luxurious meal than usual was prepared, thanks to Shad's birthday, so everyone got an egg and… meat!
It was boar. Though it wasn't an entire boar, their family received some of the meat from the village, so everyone attacked their food like starving wolves.
Shad had also started eating his own food, sometimes with boiled beans. Watching everyone eat with gusto made Shad hungry as well.
"Ah…"
Shad stretched out his hand and opened his mouth. He didn't feel embarrassed at all. It was perfectly normal for a one-year-old child to be fed.
Bast and Piana exchanged glances before smiling. At that moment, they felt that there was no other child in the world easier to take care of than Shad. He never complained! He even finished the whole bowl gruel!
After the meal, the brothers and their sister played while Shad was carried by Piana as she chatted with Bast. For the first time, Shad received a little bit of information about the world where he was reincarnated.
"Thanks to you defeating the boar, the food today is quite luxurious."
"Hmm, I did my best today."
Both of them then began talking mostly about how the boar hunt had gone.
"The winter will probably come earlier this year. Most villagers are already preparing to stop their farming and go hunting. I also plan to go hunting next week."
Hearing this, Piana looked anxious. "Can't you skip hunting this time? I've stocked enough barley, and it should last us through the winter."
"That won't work. If you don't eat properly, you won't have enough milk for Shad."
Bast then walked to the window. Outside, it was dark, bathed in the pale light of the moon. He then turned around and said, "I see a world where we can change our fate through Shad."
"…Should we go back to Father and Mother?"
Bast's face darkened for a moment, but he quickly recovered. He shook his head before continuing, "No, don't worry—they've reduced the village tax until next year, so everything will be fine."
Piana sighed. She knew Bast was right and stopped trying to persuade him. No one knew that while they were talking, little Shad was already processing their conversation.
First, they lived in a village. Second, the tax system here was a little more favorable. Third, they relied on farming and hunting to survive. Fourth, it seemed that his parents had either pulled a "runaway marriage" or had some epic argument, because they had ended up in this village after leaving home. Especially with Bast's reaction earlier.
Well, it wasn't the right time for him to think about that anyway.
"Hoaaammm…"
Without any answer, drowsiness came upon Shad. His body was completely that of an infant. He cried when hungry and wet his pants when he needed to pee. When he slept, he fell into a deep sleep.
Four years passed in the blink of an eye~
Shad was turning five.
With his physical body catching up, he could finally cope with the mental processes swirling in his mind.
First, a word about his reincarnation. Usually, reincarnation was a gentle process. Memories were wiped, or they trickled in as dreams. But Shad's memories of Eden had not been wiped.
Which meant...
"System…?"
"…"
"Grandpa?"
"…"
Wait, wait—shouldn't he at least get a cheat?!
What is this?
No glowing blue panel floating in front of him. No eccentric old Grandpa. No dimensional pocket. There was nothing.
Shad realized that his reincarnation was utterly, pathetically, depressingly normal.
The idea of the "Golden Ring" wasn't new to Shad. Legend said that every transcender who broke the boundaries of space and time would receive a gift from the world—commonly called the "system," or, if you like, the Golden Ring.
But now?
The five-year-old Shad gloomily looked out at the dark sky from the window. Other than his house and family, he had never left home or had contact with anyone outside. He didn't know what kind of world he had been reincarnated into.
Magic?
'But if this is a world of magic… as far as my memories go, I can't think of a single thing that seems magical. Or is it because I live in a small village? Trapped inside my house?'
"I suppose I'll have to figure it out myself," Shad gloomily muttered.
Unknowingly to him, behind him, his mother and father—Piana and Bast—were watching anxiously.
"What's wrong? How can a five-year-old be this depressed?" Bast whispered. "Did you starve him or something?"
"…"
Piana shot Bast a sharp side-eye that could cut steel. 'Really? Right now?' Her glare said it all.
Coughed, Bast quickly tried to steer the conversation elsewhere. "Uh… probably because he's not allowed to go outside," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head. "Stuck inside all day… probably bored out of his tiny little mind."
Piana couldn't help rolling her eyes, but she felt powerless too. What could she do? Magical beasts were flying all around, and she was certain that letting Shad out would be the same as saying, 'Please, enjoy your meal!'
"Or maybe he needs playmates? After all, Kel, Zack, and Aran are usually busy with chores and don't have time to play with him. What do you think?"
"Hmmm… that reminds me. Our neighbors have been worried because their daughter is a tomboy. Gelda was asking for a playmate."
...?
Now that she thought about it, after Shad was born, she had never seen Theresia again. Rumor said that after she helped with Shad's birth, she became pregnant shortly afterward and had already given birth.
"Don't worry," said Bast. "This reclaimed village still has plenty of empty fields, so it's only natural that it's still dangerous for you and the children. There aren't many opportunities to meet. Besides, children under five aren't usually allowed outside—but now Shad is already five."
"Hmmm… you're right," Piana replied. "She might become a future wife for little Shad, so we should make sure we get along with her."
Piana, now approaching thirty, seemed to enjoy these little chats. She joined in easily, laughing softly. After all, the world was a small place. Their parents had known each other for years and were about the same age. For serfs, it was normal to find marriage partners this way. With little chance to go outside, it wasn't like they had many other options.
-----
Father: Bast
Mother: Piana
1st: Akeli
2nd: Zakel
3rd: Aran
4th: Shad