The theme of being a "guest" in your own home is really strong here. Chi An feels like a visitor at the dinner table. He's in the guest room. His mom serves dishes for Fu Jiamu without asking what he likes. Even the butler calls him "Young Master An An" which sounds formal and distant. He's being systematically un-homed and it's devastating.
The axe-wielding original host sounds like a whole other character. I kind of want to know what she was like before Yu Tang took over. Was she desperate? Crazy? In love with Mo Yao? The way she broke into the chamber suggests she was obsessed. But current Yu Tang is clearly not that person. That might confuse the husbands.
I wish the author had explained more about why the parents didn’t contact the army when they heard the rumor of desertion. Wouldn’t the army have official records? The fact that they believed the courtyard gossip so easily makes them look a bit naive. But it also shows how isolated they were after the son left. That sadness makes the MC’s return more meaningful.
Wu Qiuqiu's reincarnation story is actually relatable in a weird way. She was a salaryman who worked herself to death, got exploited by her boss and family, and now she wakes up as a beaten tiger cub in a snake pit. That's just adding insult to injury. I love how her first instinct upon realizing she's a tiger is to try and kill herself to restart. That dark humor really works for me, especially with the whole "let's restart!" mental attitude.
I do have a minor complaint though: Shen Muyan's internal voice sometimes sounds a bit too similar to the narration. Like, when he realizes the driver is nervous, it's described in a way that feels like the narrator telling us something rather than the character thinking it. But honestly? It's such a minor nitpick. The story moves so fast and is so enjoyable that I barely noticed. The strengths far outweigh any small issues.
The pacing in the study scene where Mark searches through books is a bit slow, but it serves to show his earnest attempt to understand his situation. His frustration at not being able to use any skills is palpable. I also appreciate that the author didn't give him immediate mastery of his new class. There's a learning curve, and he has to work for it. This respects the world's internal logic. The fact that he needs an Identification Book or an Appraiser for hidden class skills sets up a future goal. It's not just handed to him.