I started reading this and the whole “Seeking a Son with a Large Sum of Money” ad had me rolling my eyes. I mean, who falls for that? But then the MC actually calls it, and I was like “dude, seriously?” Yet the way he just brushes off the warnings and dives in is so on brand for an innocent country boy. When he knocked out those scammers and took their money, I couldn't help but laugh. It's stupid but satisfying at the same time.
I found the part about Jiang Fei's uncle Jiang Zhengkang really touching, actually. He's weak and cowardly, can't stand up to his wife, but in her past life, he was the one who let her escape when Li Yanping wanted to eat her flesh. That's such a dark but meaningful detail. He's not a hero, but he's not completely evil either. It makes the whole family dynamic more complex than just "evil aunt vs. innocent niece." When Jiang Fei warns him about the nuclear leaks and tells him to hoard food, you can see she still cares for him despite everything. That's good character writing.
Some might say the original Song Chu was infatuated with Gu Yue, but after transmigration, she's completely different. Why would the villagers not notice? But the author mentions she keeps the bully persona, so maybe it works. Also Gu Yue notices her eyes change. So it's somewhat explained. I'm willing to go with it for the story's sake.
I like that the story doesn't over-explain the Taoist concepts. It just presents them as part of daily life.
1 The dialogue feels pretty natural for the most part. Lin Wang's internal monologue is sarcastic and relatable (the "Captain's view" line made me snort), and Tian Taozi's chatter sounds like an actual excitable person talking. The only thing that felt a bit off was some of the Public Security Bureau dialogue—"Don't move this flower yet" sounded a bit stilted. But overall, the characters talk like real people, which is refreshing in a genre where everyone can get overly dramatic.