And my mother, The Clark Family, has a rather weak temperament, always giving in, which only made the illegitimate Andrew Grant and Henry Grant even more arrogant and domineering. As for my upright and forthright uncle, Edward Clark, when he heard this news, he originally intended to report the matter to the emperor. However, The Clark Family pitied these two, as they were her husband’s own flesh and blood, and did not want to make a fuss—perhaps she simply didn’t want to let down her late husband.

My uncle didn’t want the three of us—my mother, my siblings, and me—to suffer grievances, so he simply brought us back to his residence to live. This way, at least he didn’t have to worry about his sister and his nephew and niece being bullied by those two unfilial brats. We ended up living there for three years.

When I heard this news, my heart was full of resentment and anger. Mother was just too kind-hearted. As for those two bastards, if they ever fell into my hands, I’d be surprised if I didn’t skin them alive. Besides, that family estate was originally mine as the legitimate son—why should those two get to squander it on wine, women, and song?

Because of this, I, a transmigrator brimming with ambition and ready to show the world my extraordinary talents, could only sulk at my uncle’s house, freeloading meals.

Hmm, if this were a xuanhuan (fantasy) world or a wuxia world, the protagonist would definitely, because of his tragic background or bleak circumstances, suddenly be noticed by some ancient monster or old grandpa who’d lived for countless years. Then, in the shortest time, he’d master qigong—uh, well, qigong is a bit too low-grade for that kind of setting.

At the very least, he’d get some miraculous internal energy technique or magic even more awesome than the Muscle/Tendon Changing Classic, and then the protagonist would start breaking through his microcosm, unlocking his genetic lock, forming an innate body, and becoming invulnerable.

Then the protagonist would embark on a journey of revenge, monster-slaying, leveling up, treasure-hunting, and annihilating entire groups. Whether he could cut down fifty people with a single slash or chop up all the civil and military officials of a nation, the protagonist would always manage to escape from the most dangerous situations, then keep fighting monsters, keep leveling up, and eventually become a peerless legend, a supreme master who kills gods when he meets them and Buddhas when he encounters them.

Then he’d start stirring up clouds with a flip of his hand, summoning rain with a turn of his palm, overturning fate, twisting the universe, and snatching people’s chastity from a thousand miles away? Uh, I mean their heads… (Here, 38,746 words are omitted, otherwise the editor will award me the Watered-Down Pork Prize)… Hmm, in the end, I’d become someone who lives as long as heaven and earth, returning home with beauties in tow as the XX (I have no idea what adjective or title to use for that level).

Unfortunately, the world I transmigrated into is a purely historical, purely human world where no cheat skills are allowed. Forget about killing people—even getting into a fight would get you a serious beating from the city guards or police of this era, and then thrown into jail to practice staring contests with rats.

Hmm, as someone from the future, as an outstanding township official who has spent years working deep in the fields, among the people, in rural life, and in township enterprises and factories, I can’t say I’m a master of physics and chemistry, but I do have a pretty deep and thorough understanding of the essential skills for time-traveling through history (uh… with zero practical experience).

Hmm, now that my rice bowl, my house, my clothes, my… anyway, those two shameless, brazen bastards have taken everything from me, and trying to deal with them and take back my inheritance is actually quite a challenge.

First of all, my mother is a problem. She doesn’t want me to fight those two for what’s rightfully mine, causing a huge scene and making her feel deeply guilty, as if she’s let down my late father, Samuel Grant.

Then there’s my uncle, who has always been a man of integrity, with a forthright character, the type who hates evil as much as he loves justice. He’d probably be on my side, but the problem is, if I just suddenly go to him and say all this, what am I supposed to do next?

After all, there’s no way to get around my mother, so the main thing is to take a long-term approach and persuade her first, get her to agree to let me do it.

Hmm, but how should I do it? That’s a question worth pondering. After all, the Sui Dynasty was also a society governed by law, not some fantasy world where the more people you kill, the more the world fears you.

Although I do have some killer moves and tricks up my sleeve—like, if I really got desperate, I could whip up a couple of barrels of gunpowder—but the problem is, even if I made them, where would I send them? I don’t even know where those two live, or which part of Luoyang my father’s residence is in. If I accidentally sent those two barrels of dangerous goods to the office of the city guards, wouldn’t I be immediately arrested as a counterrevolutionary dissatisfied with the current social order, and thrown into jail to practice catching and being bitten by fleas? Worse yet, I might be dragged straight to the execution ground and beheaded, and then have to transmigrate again in anger and grief.

As much as I want the domineering aura of a fantasy protagonist, in a historical world, such over-the-top bravado and wild methods just won’t do.

Alas, as William Grant, I have to admit that in the future I’ll become incredibly awesome, but the problem is, my current situation is really not so great—in fact, it’s downright terrible.