In 1958, Yang Jun transmigrates into the world of the Siheyuan, awakening in a cramped room at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang in Sijiu City. He becomes an ordinary passerby living in the same courtyard as Yan Bugui, Xu Damao, Sha Zhu, Qin Huairu, Jia Zhangshi, and Yi Zhonghai. His family consists of five people: his father Yang Damin, mother He Xiufen, elder sister Yang Hui who has married into the countryside, and younger sister Yang Yi who is only five years old. His father works odd jobs carrying sacks at the train station, his mother folds paper boxes for the neighborhood committee due to poor health, and Yang Jun himself is twenty-one years old with no steady job, following his father to carry sacks when work is available. The family can barely afford cornmeal and steamed corn buns, and Yang Jun knows that by 1959 famine will kill many.Two days before his transmigration, Yang Damin was struck by heavy sacks and suffered a minor leg fracture, forcing him to rest at home. The burden of supporting the family falls entirely on Yang Jun. He goes to the train station freight yard every morning to compete for unloading jobs. One morning, before his shift begins, a ragged beggar faints from starvation in the yard. Everyone else refuses to help because they have no food to spare, but Yang Jun takes out the steamed corn bun his mother packed for his lunch and feeds it to the beggar, along with water from his flask. The beggar revives and looks at him with gratitude.The act of kindness triggers the activation of the Diligent Family Support System. The system explains that it rewards hard work and family support. For every day Yang Jun works and earns compensation through labor, the system provides an additional monetary reward coupled to a cumulative multiplier: the first day yields an equal reward, the second day double, the third day triple, up to thirty times on the thirtieth day. In addition, for every yuan earned, Yang Jun gains Physique Points and Knowledge Points proportional to the wage. Physique Points can enhance the physical fitness of himself and his family, treat illnesses, and improve health. Knowledge Points help improve intelligence, knowledge, and learning experience. When Knowledge Points first reach 10, the system grants a special skill; subsequent skill rewards require 100, 1000, and so on.Yang Jun suppresses his excitement and continues his workday. He and his father’s friend Zhao Desheng are chosen to unload a train car of eight tons of corn. Zhao Desheng’s foot was injured the day before, so Yang Jun takes on most of the heavy lifting, carrying sacks weighing around two hundred catties each. He completes the unloading of the first car by noon, earning one yuan. Because he did the work of almost two people, he receives two yuan and fifty cents from the total.At noon, a foreman named Longzi brings a job to unload ten more tons of cargo, but he insists on taking a cut. Yang Jun negotiates to reduce the commission from one yuan and fifty cents to one yuan. Longzi reluctantly agrees after Yang Jun threatens to call the director. The three-man team (Yang Jun, Zhao Desheng, and Uncle Jiang) unloads the second car, with Yang Jun doing the transport and stacking work that Longzi would have done. By late afternoon, all eighteen tons are unloaded. Director Li pays nine yuan total, with one yuan given to Longzi. The remaining eight yuan are distributed: three yuan for the first car (one each), and five yuan for the second car split with Yang Jun and Uncle Jiang receiving one yuan and seventy cents each, Zhao Desheng taking one yuan and sixty cents. Zhao Desheng also gives an extra yuan to Yang Jun as thanks for covering his share of the work. Yang Jun accepts after some persuasion.Walking home, Yang Jun reflects on his day’s earnings totaling three yuan and fifty cents, plus the system’s first-day equal reward of another three yuan and fifty cents, giving him seven yuan in total for the day. He buys a pound of pork from the supply cooperative and buys three large bowls of noodles from a street stall, but gives most of the pork-bone noodles to his sister and parents at home. At the courtyard, he encounters Jia Zhangshi who asks for a share of the meat, but he refuses. He also meets Qin Huairu, Yan Bugui, and Sha Zhu, exchanging brief greetings. When his younger sister Yang Yi asks about the lucky stone she gave him, he shows it, but the stone disappears upon his return home. His mother notices it is gone, and Yang Jun feels a strange loss.That evening, his father Yang Damin thanks him for taking over the family’s burdens. Yang Jun reassures his parents and gives them the leftover money, but they insist he keep most for himself. He agrees, and goes to sleep exhausted but hopeful, knowing the system will continue to multiply his earnings each consecutive day of labor. He resolves to work without breaks to maximize the multiplier, even though it means enduring physical hardship.The next morning, Yang Jun leaves early again for the station. He meets Yan Jiecheng and Yan Jiefang outside, and Yan Bugui tries to scout for job opportunities. Xu Damao passes by and exchanges playful banter. Yang Jun also notices the little beggar from the day before still lingering near the station, and feels a pang of sympathy.At the freight yard, he reunites with Zhao Desheng and others, waiting for the day’s assignments. Director Li arrives and assigns a three-ton car of rice. Yang Jun works efficiently, and the system records his earnings. Over the following days, he continues to work, skipping no day, so that his multiplier climbs steadily. Each day he earns more money from the system’s bonus. His physique gradually improves with Physique Points, making the heavy labor easier. Knowledge Points slowly accumulate, nearing the 10-point threshold for the first skill reward.Along the way, Yang Jun navigates the complex relationships of the courtyard. He deflects Yi Zhonghai’s attempts to manipulate the residents and avoids being drawn into the schemes of Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi. He maintains a friendly but distant relationship with Sha Zhu and Xu Damao, and continues to help Zhao Desheng whenever possible. The system’s rewards allow him to buy more food for his family, gradually improving their living conditions. His father’s leg begins to heal, and his mother’s health stabilizes.Despite the poverty and hardship, Yang Jun holds onto his goal of supporting his family and building a stable life. The system’s daily multiplier and point accumulation provide a clear path forward. He knows that as long as he keeps working diligently, the rewards will grow, and he can eventually save his family from the coming famine. His transmigration, initially a source of despair, becomes a chance to rewrite his fate through sheer effort and the system’s backing.
