4.75/5!!! [Historical (Stone Age), Humor, Poor-to-Rich, Weak-to-Strong, Clan Building] Historical novel set in the stone age! A transmigrator with strong plant and spiritual abilities (the... more>> MC, Zhou Ji) ends up travelling from a zombie-infested Earth to a world still overrun with ancient tribal communities. In this world, he meets a young but strong Bear!Beastman (the ML, Xiong Ye) who is already set to marry someone else. But, because of a twist of fate, the future mate of the ML ends up being a reborn person. In the original version of this world, the ML and that reborn person would have stayed mated for life until the ML died. In this version of things, the reborn person decides that being with just one person was too boring LOL, and so breaks up with the ML. This inevitably pushes the ML into the Lazy!MC's orbit and changes the progression of things from then on.This is very much a poor-to-rich/weak-to-strong story with lots of farming and clan building elements. I was resistant to read this story for the longest time, but it ended up being my type of story! The pacing was perfect, the characters lovely and memorable, the setting fresh and unique, and the romance sweet! You might question your moral views a bit, cause the MC of this story doesn't have the most rounded 3 views (As a result of being from a zombie apocalypse), but don't take things too seriously! It's a fun and exciting work that I'm already looking forward to rereading in the future!(REREAD NOTE: 01/21/2023) I've just finished rereading, and my opinion of the novel is pretty much the same. I like it a lot and gave it a high rating because it has all the elements I like. It's a little silly, but there's lots of cooking, farming, clan-building, infrastructure building, etc., which are all things I enjoy in stories. If one were to compare this novel with a more serious work, you'll probably find that there are lots of things that are lacking. For example, the characters are a bit overly comical. But well, I really enjoyed the simplicity of ancient people. I think it was done pretty well, even if it was a bit exaggerated. The writing was also a little rough in some areas making certain parts look awkward. But it didn't harm the experience any, so I didn't mind it. Anyway, all I can say is that, in terms of personal enjoyment, this is definitely worth 5 stars! As for whether you might find it enjoyable, it all depends on what you like~ <<less

4.69/5!!! [Transmigration, Historical: Ancient China, Romance, Royal Intrigue] I now fully understand why this deserves its rating — and then some! When it comes to... more>> complex characters, this novel has definitely got it. Even the plot is so unique OML despite the common historical setting. Ack. IDK what to say outside of its very worth reading.Summary: As stated in the summary, the MC (Gong, first introduced as Lu Wancheng) transmigrates into a novel as a sickly cannon fodder that didn't have much to do with the plot. He drops into the role on the night of his marriage with the ML (Shou, Lin Qingyu), who really despises the fact that he was forced to marry him. The two start off as adversaries, of a sort. The ML refused to like him, while the MC is just so likeable it's almost painful T_T.Ahhh this novel is hard to describe. It's filled with ups and downs. Even though you're told of the ending of each version of the MC early, after getting to know the characters, you still can't help but care about everything. It's just … really really good at making you care. And well, that's what novels are supposed to do! (BTW, the translation was still unfinished when I read this, but the MTL was 80% readable, so I wasn’t left hanging!) <<less

4.5/5!!! [Transmigration, Poor-to-Rich, Historical: Ancient China, Slice of Life, Drama] I avoided this novel for the longest time because the MC in the summary sounded very pretentious. Don't be misled though! That's far from the truth. It's true that the MC did care that he had transmigrated into the second wife of a disfigured man with two children. However, that doesn't change the fact that he treated them more kindly than the ML's original family from the very beginning. So, yeah!... more>>

SUMMARY:

The MC of this novel is called Shao Yunan. He transmigrated into a young man who had the same name, and who had just been recently married to the ML (Wang Shijing) -- who had just gotten back from the army with a big scar on his face, a loss of vision of in one eye, and two children behind him as little tails. Of course, the MC is unhappy with the situation. He had been living a happy and contented life in modern times as a wine and tea seller. Now that he was sent to ancient times, and was forced to deal with the ML's unreasonable family, his mood couldn't be worse. Fortunately, he has a magical space to help improve the lives of him and his new family. So, it's impossible for him to lose.

THOUGHTS:

The story is definitely a poor-to-rich kind of story. However, because the author enjoys their worldbuilding, it goes a lot more in-depth than other stories I've read. Here, from the very beginning, the MC's ascension to great heights had been obvious. There was signs pointing to him being unable to stay only as a simple, wealthy farmer, as he wished. One of the reasons I've disliked other similar stories is because the ascension of those protagonists always seemed so unrealistic. Here, the author did a good job of setting things up so that there wouldn't be issues later.

Oof, by the way, I was actually going to write a full review for this novel, since I liked it a lot. However, in the middle of writing it, the page suddenly refreshed and all the progress was lost @.@. Sooooo a normal review it is for now XD. I'll write a full review when I reread it next time. For now, all I can say is that I really like this novel. I'm glad I ended up reading it despite the summary. The characters were very unique, definitely not your typical shou and gong pairing (the shou is a spunky shou who knows that he's a bottom and is proud of it, while the gong is not your typical overbearing man. From the very beginning, he had always felt inferior to the MC, and while he was very jealous because of it, he wasn't unreasonable, and never stopped supporting his man.)

As for the writing, there's a lot of info-dumping in this novel, and the amount of information in the first few chapters almost made me give up tbh XD. But in the end, I persisted and was glad for it. The info-dumping just made the world richer later. Though, I admit that I was still very confused about who was who sometimes. Ah ... what else. TL quality is okay, there are some chapters that were pretty much the same as MTL though. I think because of the lack of editing. And, on the topic of the MTL! It's readable, like 75%, so not bad. At least, the names of the characters were clear, which is the most important.

RATING: 4.5/5

For now, I think this is the best rating. Later, when I reread it, I'll fine-tune it a bit, but I think it would only go a little higher or a little lower. Regardless, what's important is that, even if the story definitely has its flaws, I enjoyed it a lot. Poor-to-rich stories are the most satisfying for me, and this is one treasure that I definitely cannot believe took me so long to find. (Ah, warning for those unaware, this is a Mature Fic, and while the Smut is not the most explicit, it happens on-screen and there are metaphorical descriptions of the characters doing the deed. If I had to rate it, it would be 2.5/5 spicy XD. Oh, and this is not just for the main pair, but also the side pairs.) <<less

4.25/5!!! [Romance, Comedy, Historical (Ancient China-Imperial Palace, Palace intrigue] So great! I thought this would be a cultivation novel for the longest time… idk why!... more>> But I avoided it because of that T.T Only to find out that this is more of a imperial palace intrigue story + fantasy fish with a SYSTEM lolol. The story kicks off with the MC literally on the chopping block. His savior? The ML, Jung-Wang, the mute 5th Prince. Who he recognizes as the wife-pampering-tyrant from the novel he had just read. He manages to survive and thrive thanks to this initial connection and the SYSTEM in his head—which quickly initiated tasks to close the distance between them. The rest of the story involves a fish acting coquettish to bend conquer the tyrant and succeeding.Starts of primarily romance-centric. It's a slow burn since the MC starts off as a pure fish LOLOL. As the end nears, more and more intrigue is mixed in as the battle of the throne goes into full throttle. Oh, and of course, we mustn't forget the MPREG tag, which already heavily implies that this novel becomes more family oriented the further that you go.I ended up not finishing the novel, but I feel quite satisfied since it's pretty much a HE already. If you're hesitating on reading this like I did before, I suggest giving it a shot! At least 5-10 chapters~ I guarantee that it's worth the read. The tone of the novel is very light and humorous, so it's an easy novel to just sit back and enjoy. The characters are also pretty good, and the romance is cute! Translation is well done too, so there's really nothing to worry about! <<less

4.25/5!!! [Transmigration, Historical, Kingdom-building] This is Kingdom-building at its truest form lolol! In the early chapters, the TL-er makes a comment somewhere and says that this isn't really a dark work. But I disagree, it's quite dark -- at least, when compared to other Shounen Ai novels. In any case, it's set in the Yuan Dynasty, and follows history pretty closely (I imagine, I actually know nothing about Ancient Chinese History). The MC transmigrates into a young 14yo boy who had been sent away because the country was experiencing upheaval (the Emperor was inept and the people under him were all anxious to rebel). Taking advantage of this perilous time, the MC slowly makes a... more>> name for himself. Starting with establishing a farmstead and then taking cities under his own name.

This novel is quite fast-paced, and it doesn't focus only on one perspective. In order to show how the MC's choices affects the country, the author will constantly change POVs to show off the new lives of the affected people. In this way, it kind of makes for dry reading. As in, you're still technically reading a novel about a man rising up from being a poor transmigrator into the proud Son of Heavens -- the Emperor himself. However, you really only see glimpses of it since the lense of the narrative doesn't stick only on him.

Overall, I do recommend that you read it, but only if you're interested in history or kingdom-building novels. I learned quite a bit reading this, and I consider the time invested a worthwhile investment, but most people may not~ Especially since the characters, while great, don't have much screen time and the romance is non-existent. <<less

3.87/5!!! [Transmigration, Historical, Farming, Poor-to-Rich, Slice of Life, Magical Space] (Updated: 01/31/2023) The first time I read this, I didn't read it till completion. Mostly because I wasn't really interested in the 4th arc (which gave up on the poor-to-rich, business management, etc. aspect in favor of political intrigue.) This time around, I read till the end, but to put it bluntly, I still think the first 3 arcs are the best since the rest is pretty much just self-indulgent slice-of-life affairs.... more>>

SUMMARY:

Historical (Ancient China) Fantasy. The MC, Qin Mian, transmigrates into a newly married boy with the same name as himself. This boy was pitted by a fortune teller and forced to marry the ignored and abused eldest son of the Lei family (aka the ML, Lei Tie!). Not long after transmigrating, MC decides that the best thing to do is to separate from the ML's troublesome family. Fortunately, his new husband likes to pamper his wife, and so the progress is relatively smooth.

The first few arcs of the novel is slice of life with strong "Get Rich" vibes. The MC takes advantage of modern knowledge and his golden finger (a magical space) to get rich ASAP. There's some family drama interspersed along the way, of course. After a while, there's the subject of raising a family, cultivation, life in the capital city, and a short trip to modern times.

RATING: 3.87/5

Definitely has its flaws, but if you're interested in a Poor-to-Rich novel set in Ancient China (one that doesn't hesitate to give the MC some pretty OP golden fingers), then this is not a bad read for you. I suggest at least reading it once! <<less

3.87/5!!! [Transmigration, Angst, System Administrator] This was a lot more angsty than I expected XD. I think I knew this before, which is why I held back on reading it for so long. But this time, I had no idea what to read, so I decided to pick randomly from my reading lists and start reading without looking at the summary and the reviews. AS SUCH, I was completely turned over, again and again, by the sheer amount of angst lolol. It's not a bad thing though, the characters of the novel are interesting, even if this is not necessarily a character-driven work, the plot development was meaningful. Overall, even though I personally dislike tragic... more>> stories (even those with happy endings like this one), I ended up reading this to the end, which speaks volumes I think?

_______________________________

SUMMARY:

The MC, Su Jingyang is just a normal man. He's a bit foolish and naive, but he means well most of the time. Unfortunately, his ignorance about pregnancy ends up causing him to be dragged into a tragic experience by a corrupted SYSTEM. Not only is he forced to have children endlessly, but he experiences constant humiliation on a regular basis to make it happen. There's nothing that can be done about it. At least, he got to choose the man who would be the father of his children, but it's pretty much the same as not choosing at all, since he was in so much of a rush that he didn't even take in his appearance. And so, the story proceeds, with the MC struggling to live in ancient times while being tormented by the corrupted system. In the process, he connects with a kindred spirit that will turn into a lifelong friend. And, of course, he'll end up meeting the ML, Ah-Yi/Rong Ci.

_______________________________

RATING: 3.87/5

Although this novel is really not my kind of novel, I can't deny that it's pretty good. Worth reading, especially if you like angst and stuff. Saying this, it's almost like I'm saying the story is all tragedy xD. But it's actually pretty good about balancing the good and the bad. The theme of this story should be relationships. Specifically, how true love can result in disaster -- and how sometimes, things work out, and sometimes, they don't. The MC and the ML's struggle is just part of the story (the MC wants to go back to Modern Times and continues to resolutely pursue this goal till the end). There are also some subplots with other pairs, where the theme is explored. Anyway, what's important is that the main characters do come out of it happy in the end. <<less

3.75/5!!! [Transmigration, Poor-to-Rich, Childcare] (Updated: 2nd Reread - 02/26/2023) Childcare and Poor-to-Rich Slice of Life novel! This is my second time reading it and I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first time I read it. Back then, I read it till the end and gave it a 3.6/5 rating. My impression is still the same now (though I raised the rating to 3.75/5. I think this novel is a very good, short and fluffy novel. It's quite simple and some parts are handled kind of clumsily, but it hit all the important points and delivers some pretty good feels.... more>>

___________

SUMMARY: MC (Xu Zhao) transmigrates into the 1980s as a young single father with a 2yo son. He finds himself in pretty dire straights: having recently dropped out of school, a too-thin baby, unsupportive older brothers, and no money in sight. But, soon enough, he finds some use of his modern sensibilities in order to make a name for himself and improve his and his son's livelihoods. The ML (Cui Dingchen) comes into the picture pretty early as the mysterious youngest uncle of the schoolmate that first helps MC off of his feet.

___________

THOUGHTS: The main focus of the novel is the poor-to-rich and childcare aspect. MC has to raise his new 2yo son while striving to make some money. Fortunately, the 80s is rich with opportunities! The novel is pretty chill and down-to-earth. Perhaps not the most exciting nor the most realistic. The author admits to some questionable choices as well in terms of character development and set-up. But, if you're looking for a fun, casual read with not to many ups and downs, then this is a good one to consider! [NOTE: The TL is not finished but the MTL is readable. The author writes very simply, and it shows in the MTL, which is more coherent than most. I'd say that it is about... 75% readable, whereas most MTL is around the 60% range.] <<less

3.75/5!!! [Second Chance, Historical: Ancient Times, Poor-to-Rich, Business Management, Slice-of-Life] Although it is definitely not as exciting as other farming/slice-of-life novels set in Ancient times, this novel is still quite good! In fact, I think it's a nice read for when you're getting a bit tired from the usual 'golden finger = quick success' and 'unrealistic cannon fodder = face-slapping.' This novel does indeed have both of these things, but it's done in a relatively mild manner. So things feel a lot more chill, and there's less of a reason for suspension of disbelief.... more>>

SUMMARY:

The MC (Gong, Zhang Fangyuan) had lived his first life as a waste that died old and alone inside of a home long-abandoned in the village. After dying, he woke up to find out that he had gone back several decades in time. Specifically, when he was young and hearty still, his reputation was a little ruined, but if he worked hard, the world was his oyster. Of course, as someone who had died alone previously, his first move is to get a wife/husband for himself. It's just that he ran into some bumps in the road.

Fortunately, there's the ML (Shou, Xu He), a promising Ger who was unappreciated in his family. The two of them begin their slow but steady development; having children, developing businesses, making connections, etc. They're not the most ambitious people, but wanting to make sure that their family remains prosperous, they continue to work hard until the very end -- all the while, making sure that they do not forget their roots.

THOUGHTS:

Because what I read was mostly in MTL (readable MTL, mind! It was at least 75-80% comprehensible), I won't be doing a full review. But, I can still share some of my thoughts. For example, I thought that the characters of this novel are really interesting. There are lots of layers to them. The person you think would remain cannon fodder till the very end manages to climb up out of the pit through hard work (rather than being buried there forever because of the MC and ML's aura lol). In this way, the novel can be seen as a lot higher in quality when compared to other novels of the same kind.

The romance development was also quite good. And the setting was very realistic (at least, based on what I've read from other CN novels, and researched along the way) and well-established. I guess, if there's anything to complain about, it is honestly a bit dull sometimes. There were several points were I was tempted to stop reading, but I continued because I figured it was close enough to finishing XD. And this is me, who loves these kinds of slow, poor-to-rich, slice-of-life novels. So, IDK how it might be for those who lack the same interest.

RATING: 3.75/5

If I were to rate this novel based on my usual criteria it would be ... Characters - 9.5/10; Romance - 7.5/10; Setting - 8/10; Plot = 5/10. Hence, why I gave the following rating! It really is pretty good, and I think it deserves a read. I will definitely come back to it when the TL is completed one day, else, IDK what I might have missed with the MTL. <<less

3.65/5!!! [Poor-to-Rich, Drama, Ancient Times] Slice of Life in Ancient Times! MC is a soldier who transmigrated into the body of the abused eldest son... more>> of the Jiang Family. After transmigrating, his most important goals were improving his livelihood and getting a wife! The novel focuses a lot on worldbuilding. The pacing starts off very slow, while the author introduces various aspects of country living at the time (interspersed with family drama and a bit of awkward country romance). This is definitely best described as a slice of life, get-rich story! Highly recommended if you’re looking for that kind of vibe. I personally didn’t finish it, and started skimming/skipping after the ch. 90s. I preferred slow-paced character-driven country living in the first half over the high-paced plot-driven content in the second half. <<less

3.65/5!!! [Transmigration, Tragedy/Drama, Romance, Historical Fantasy] Summary: This is a story about a man (the MC, Xiao YuAn) who ended up transmigrating into the body... more>> of a fatuous emperor from the novel he has just read. In the original novel, the original owner of the body had been a cannon fodder who tried to get the protagonist (who is also the ML, Yan Heqing) to join his harem. He wasn't a good emperor, and his ending was a bad one. The MC kind of acts arbitrarily after transmigration. Basically, he thinks it's all a play and constantly involves himself, both accidentally and purposefully, to change the plot. He didn't really have a goal outside of surviving at first, and the story proceeds to be easy going and care free for a while. However, in the end, reality comes knocking, making him realize that he was walking to an even more tragic journey than the original owner.ANYWAY … If you like abusive romance, then this is not a bad read? XD It sounds horrible when put that way, but it's true. It's the kind of story that's both frustrating and heartbreaking. Making you want to tear down the script (and the author while you're at it) at the pure abuse, all while reading obsessively to find out how it ends. Like this, I guess you can say that the story is quite good at keeping the reader's engaged, even if the content may not necessarily be the best. In my old review, I gave it a 3/5 rating. I've decided to adjust it to a 3.65/5. Just enough to round up to four stars. I think it's worth it. Even if it's not my kind of read (I don't usually like abusive stories).  <<less

3.6/5!!! [Transmigration, Primitive Times, Fantasy, Infrastructure, Slice of Life] This is another one of those novels that I inexplicably found enjoyable~ Despite the fact that it embodies quite a few of my pet peeves for story writing lmao. As a book focused on infrastructure, the characters that are introduced (including the MC and ML) are not as important as the progression of the community as a whole. It all starts with the MC being sent into a primitive environment where people still group together as tribes -- focusing on hunting and gathering rather than farming and breeding. He was given a mission by a God to create infrastructure and was given the ability to do... more>> so via a magical space filled with items from his time period.

After this semi-slow introduction, the story starts to speed up incrementally to show how the originally small group of people create an entire city for themselves. This is the main focus of the story~ I like such stories, but others may not find it as enjoyable, especially since the romance and other plot is pretty negligible. It's pretty much grinding and farming 100% of the time.

EXTRA NOTES: On the matter of the TL and MTL, the TL is readable and the MTL semi-readable (I would say... 75-80%?) The issue is mainly on names and pronouns, so pretty basic stuff. <<less

3.55/5!!! [Transmigration, Poor-to-Rich, Farming, Magical Space] Not a bad read for someone who enjoys farming stories! I originally hesitated to read this because the TL was unfinished, and it was only now that I remembered to get back to it. Have to say, I really shouldn't have hesitated XD Although some of the terms are confusing in MTL (e.g., mother = grandma, get = little brother, etc. etc.) once you get a handle of it, the MTL is at least 75% readable (better than most, at least. So, if you're hesitating because of the same reason as me, I say give it a shot!... more>>

SUMMARY:

This novel plays out very much like your typical 'transmigrating to ancient times to farm and make money' CN novels. But it's also unique in some areas. For example, whilst the transmigrating MC, Tang Chunming, comes back with a space golden finger on his person, the original owner of the body had not only been previously married, but also had a young child and an unborn baby in his stomach. XD I mean, one can say that doesn't matter, but in those times, it mattered quite a bit! In most other novels, the story starts with the MC being forced into marriage. Here, the MC is just recently widowed, which changes things a bit. Thankfully, the MC is not your typical 'soft-shou-MC'. He's very strong-willed and he knows how to fight for a peaceful life. And so, not only does he manage to protect the original owner's children, but he also finds himself a second husband -- the ML, who is a general that just came back from the war.

THOUGHTS:

Because most of what I read was in MTL, I don't dare to write my usual in-depth review. However, when it comes to the usual criteria, I can still share a bit. For example, I thought that the characters of this novel were pretty good. You still had your typical cannon fodders that were completely unrealistic to provide good face-slapping segments. But, aside from them, the side characters were very simple and easy to like. The main characters also were not your usual MC and ML, which was interesting.

As for the setting, this novel is set in a world where there is no such thing as women, only Gers. Gers, that can give birth to children but had the same body (externally) as a man. The main characters don't touch the more complicated matters in the capital all that much, so the focus is on the simple rural life. The MC doesn't hesitate to improve his family's living conditions by making money, but he's not ambitious or greedy, so he shares blessings with everyone. ALL in all, if you enjoy poor-to-rich developments and farming novels (which I happen to do), this is definitely not a bad one to invest some time in.

RATING: 3.55/5

Although you can't say that this novel is top-quality goods, I think it's a lot better than some of the other similar novels out there. Mostly because it's a lot more chill (though there's still lots of irrelevant drama that you can skip if you want.) It's a very simple kind of read, great if you're looking for something casual on the side. <<less

3.5/5!!! [Infrastructure, Transmigration, System Administrator, Historical: Middle Ages] If you're the type to enjoy stories focused on infrastructure-building, then this is definitely a good novel to check out! I was initially hesitant about it because the reviews looked like they were half-positive and half-negative. But I guess that worked out in my favor too? Anyway, let me explain... The MC of this novel transmigrates in a novel as the 6yo Little Earl of a small territory in the Western Kingdom (the novel is historically set in the Middle Ages). He's equipped with a SYSTEM that gives him access to modern and futuristic technology so that he can deviate from the intended plot of the novel.... more>> If he doesn't, he runs the risk of getting the same bad end as the original Earl, who died as canon fodder because he dared to chase after the heroine's main lead.

Ironically, while this novel satirizes the fact that the original protagonist of the novel was a Mary Sue, the MC of this novel ends up being a bit of a Gary Sue himself. Because of the SYSTEM, he is able to accomplish practically anything, and with his beauty and skills, he manages to wrangle a number of male leads who inexplicably fall in love with him along the way. Anyway, because I was pre-warned about this OP-ness and the poor romantic development, I didn't mind it so much and just focused on the way the MC slowly advanced the development of his territory with modern technology and practices. I enjoy that kind of thing~ Though I understand some people may not people the same LOL.

The TL is a little bit difficult to understand at times, but its quality is pretty stable. I would definitely have preferred to read it completed, but since it's not, I ended up going for the MTL -- which actually was not bad. The mix-up with the names (translation of Western Names written in Chinese back to English is... well >.< not good) kind of confuses things, but the general text is about 80% readable (definitely better than most novels.) <<less

3.5/5!!! [Historical, Poor-to-Rich, Slice of Life] Historical Drama (Ancient China). Slice of life novel about a transmigrating MC that ended up in the body of... more>> a Ger that was recently set up to marry the ‘Fool’ of the village (aka the ML). Wanting away from his own family, the MC accepts this unconventional marriage pretty quickly, intending to raise the ML as his son LOLOL. In any case, this is definitely a Get-Rich story, but it’s slower paced than similar novels and doesn’t involve OP golden fingers. I ended up not finishing it, since it was more Slice of Life than I was expecting, but I still liked it in the end! Recommended if you’re looking for a “local tyrant” type of Poor-to-Rich story. <<less

3.5/5!!! [Transmigration, Farming, Poor-to-Rich, Golden Finger] Ahh, this type of novel is really relaxing! The main characters are active, but not overly ambitious or greedy. So you can fully enjoy the chill farming/poor-to-rich development. Of course, if you're not the type to enjoy such stories, this novel may be a bit boring for you, but if you're interested in such novels, I guarantee that its worth the read. Just, be aware, it's a bit difficult to understand at times (IDK if it's because of the author's writing style or the translation), but yeah, some things are really a bit clumsy. I ended up just ignoring it, but the frustration still left an impression.... more>>

SUMMARY:

This is your typical case of someone from modern times transmigrating to the past with a golden finger in order to get rich XD. The MC, Miao He, awakens as a recently married Ger with a horrible reputation. He falls into the category of 'soft-kneed and soft-hearted shou', so unlike most MC's that you see falling into this kind of 'family drama' situation, his first instinct is to get along with people (rather than break relationships). This ends up working just right for him. After all, his current husband (the ML, Yang Dalang) is very responsible and hard-working. To spice things up, the MC transmigrated with a golden finger (living soil = a ball of soil that can nourish the land and increase rate of growth of plants by x100 times) and there is another transmigrator around (though he ends up not playing all that big a role, he just provides contrast to the MC.)

THOUGHTS:

Because most of what I read was in MTL, I won't be doing a full review this time. All I can say is, that while the novel is far from perfect, it just so happened to hit all the right spots for me. I love farming novels like this, I find it really satisfying and relaxing. The reason I didn't end up reading this before was because I was afraid of the MTL, but it turned out that the quality of the MTL is not all that different from the TL available. Seriously! IDK how the author did it, but the MTL is very good! Outside of a couple of terms not being translated (e.g., yuanshen = i think it's original owner, xiyang = the cheat) that I could only guess from context, the reading experience was not bad. At least, 80-85% comprehensible. SO, if you're hesitating to read it because of the TL matters, there's no reason to not try.

RATING: 3.5/5

Although the rating for this novel should have probably been lower if I based it on my usual criteria, I just happened to really enjoyed reading it for one reason or another (I can't be sure why rn XD). So, I've decided to give it a relatively higher rating than I would normally. <<less

3.5/5!! [Ancient China, Transmigration, Farming, Poor-to-Rich] Classic Modern-Day!MC transmigrates into Ancient China and makes a living with modern cuisine and technology. The role he plays... more>> is that of an orphaned scholar, and he follows that path as well as agriculture and culinary arts. This world a fantasy mix, with men called Shuang’er that are capable of giving birth. The ML is such a guy! Only, because of the backward logic of modern times, he’s thought off as ugly and monstrous for being too manly and handsome.Relatively simple! If you’re the type to enjoy farming/business-management stories, then this has that! Though, probably not in as much depth as others, since it also explores the journey of a scholar. Anyway! Altogether an enjoyable read in my opinion~ <<less

3.5/5!!! [Rebirth, Second Chance, Poor-to-Rich, Historical: China - 1990s] Not bad! Got kind of boring in the end, so I didn't complete it. But the... more>> overall premise was very inspiring and I liked the details. It's pretty easy to read in MTL too, so if you want to give it a try, there's no problem with the unfinished translation.__________SUMMARY: The MC, (Gong, Shi Zen), had lived a somewhat fulfilling life as a big boss during the economic boom during the 1990s. From a young man who knew nothing and came from a rural mountain village, he built himself up, going through countless ups and downs to reach the pinnacle of life. Unfortunately, he lost a lot of important things along the way. Including his true love, the ML (Shou, Guan Baiyu). When he gets a second chance at life, coming back to his 18yo self, just fresh out into the outside world, he decides to things differently. This time, he's very careful about what he does and builds his success little by little. Of course, in the meantime, he has to dote on his beloved, who picks up early._________THOUGHTS: You don't usually get a lot of novels of this time. Wait no, BL novels tend to be more popular during the 1980-2000, opposite to BG novels, which seemed to be mostly popular with the 1960-1970s era XD. So this novel falls in the expected range, and is similar to a lot of the same-era stories out there. That is, it's pretty serious! The Gong is the main character, and he drives most of the story as the reborn person, so things are very buttoned up in terms of development. In fact, it's pretty satisfying this way too, but it does mean that things are also a little less romantic (just some silly and cute side romance, you know, nothing too complicated). If you enjoy poor-to-rich development and business management novels, I don't think you can go wrong with this one. It's not the best, but it's still interesting to read. Mainly because most of the Gong rebirth novels usually start with the Gong having very big advantages. Whereas, here, the Gong starts off very very small at first. So small it's almost inconceivable how big he gets. In this way though, things are a lot more satisfying!ANYWAY, as for the rating, I'm giving the novel a 3.5/5!!! Not bad. Could be better. It's enough to round up to stars, but just barely. I was very tempted to give this a 3.45/5 LOL. But I decided to be nice this time, and adjust it as needed the second time I read it. <<less

3.4/5!!! [Rebirth, Second Chance, Revenge] Rebirth novel where the MC travels back in time and beats down the people that betrayed and or hurt him... more>> and his family. Classic revenge plot, basically! The MC was the overweight and without spiritual energy for most of his life and was miserable as a result. Though a large chunk of his misery was caused by his ‘friends’ and ‘family’, who have taken advantage of him and his parents and siblings for all his life. As for the ML, he was the MC’s husband in the previous life but they didn’t have much to do with each other cause the MC disliked the fact that he was forced to marry a man as a man. In this life, they have another opportunity to grow closer~This was surprisingly good. Knoxt’s TL is great and the FL TL was not as bad as I thought it would be (o^-') b Characters had some life to them, though I wasn’t overly invested in them. Expect lots of dogblooded family drama and satisfying faceslapping! Setting is fantasy Ancient China, with some cultivation (but it’s all background stuff). The main focus is really on the MC’s revenge! <<less

3.43/5!!! [Transmigration, Poor-to-Rich, Business Management, Sm*t] Pure poor-to-rich kind of novel! The MC is a transmigrator with a mysterious background. He's pretty OP (has a lot of knowledge about very obscure stuff) and has a solid temperament. He takes the position of the 'stoic' party when it comes to his and the ML's relationship. His own goals aren't very clear, but after transmigration, he starts to protect the An family -- going as far as to go to the Capital to seek a marriage for his sister, only to end up being the bride lolol.... more>>

This is my kind of novel~ I find poor-to-rich novels very interesting, so this was just my cup of tea. In other aspects, the novel was a bit weak, so I ended up giving up on it after running out of the TL (the MTL is readable, at least... 70% readable, maybe? If you're used to reading MTL, it should be easier) But, anyway, readable or not, I wasn't really invested in future development. Mainly because the main characters lack drive. What are their aims??? I honestly don't know lmfao. The MC being stoic is fine, I've liked many stoic MCs. But, usually they have some kind of goal, even if its to be a 'salted fish'. This one is a little eh. The ML is a bit better, but he doesn't do much either -- outside of being amusingly shameless.

SO! All in all, while this is my kind of novel, and I would continue reading it if the TL is finished, I'm not interested enough to suffer through the MTL. For those that are interested in poor-to-rich novels like I am, I suggest giving it a shot~ I don't feel regretful even though I didn't finish the novel, so I don't think it would be a loss to try!

[For the smut aspect, it's pretty explicit, but it's not a focus of the story. Roughly one or two every 50-100 chapters I think.] <<less

3.3/5!!! [Historical, Drama, Political Intrigue] Historical drama with lots of political intrigues. The MC is a transmigrator that has been reborn. In his past life,... more>> he got the short end of the stick because the woman he was in love with ended up using him until she eventually killed him. In his second chance at life, his goal is revenge (by killing the offender), but he ends up getting more than he bargained for by taking away all that belonged to the OG!FemaleProtagonist had. Including the men that loved her. Lots of political intrigue. MC is a bit (a lot) annoying. But it's a short story, so if you're looking for something simple, it's not a bad read. Just take note of the tags, this is a "R*pe Victim Becomes Lover* kind of story. <<less

3.3/5!!! [Historical - Ancient China, Slice of Life, Farming] Not bad for a casual read! I didn’t end up finishing it, so I won’t do a full review, but it’s really not as bad as I was initially expecting. For this novel, the main theme is slice of life. It’s not poor-to-rich oriented like most Historical farming novels of the same kind, it focuses more on the drama between the people that are related to the main CP. As for the main couple themselves, their romance is pretty simple and straightforward. It’s also very traditional, so there’s not a lot of romantic development, just some fluff after the fact.... more>>

I recommend this novel for when you’re looking for something that’s not overly complicated. There is drama involve here, but it’s not the extreme kind, so the tone is pretty chill. Of course, vibe aside, it’s definitely not a perfect novel. The characters are a little too shallow and the plot a bit too dry (if you’re looking for something exciting, I mean). There are also a lot of elements that are not fully explored. Like the MC’s golden finger (a magical space with a spring), it’s just there for plot convenience, which is definitely a bit awkward.

Overall, I rate this novel as pretty average in terms of reading experience. Of course, if the vibe I described above is what you’re looking for, then it might just hit the spot! But in terms of overall quality, I can only give it a rating somewhere a little below 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Extra Notes: This novel has spicy scenes! They’re not the most explicit, but the main CP does the do on screen quite a few times. Also, the Translation, while not finished, is pretty good! Not sure about the MTL. <<less

3.3/5!!! [Transmigration, Historical: Ancient China, Face-slapping] A pretty solid plot-driven book. Of course, I'm not saying that it's good, but if you like fast-food-level entertainment, it certainly works out! jflskfjlafj i sound like I'm being sarcastic when I put it that way but I really mean it XD. I read this till the end, which proves that I liked it well enough (well, I skimmed the extras, so its technically not till the very end, BUT yeah). Just keep in mind that this novel is quite flawed. You'll have to suspend disbelief quite a bit, and tolerate a very OP MC with extremely convenient abilities (as in, abilities that are super powerful that only come... more>> up once before being forgotten about LMFAO) ... BUT, if you like face-slapping and royal family drama, it should be enough to spend your time on.

________

SUMMARY: The MC of this novel, Jiang Lin, is a modern transmigrator. He's not your typical one, however. He came from an apocalyptic time -- one with zombies and magical space abilities. After transmigration, he makes use of his cheat and his various skills to face-slap his opponents one by one. All while flirting with his new husband, the ML, Wei Yunzhao, who was poisoned by malicious people. The general plot is a bit hard to summarize in a few sentences. It's complicated xD. The development is all based on a book where the original owner of the MC's body and the ML are both cannon fodders that were meant to die and give the heroine and protagonist a chance to thrive and rule the country. The original heroine has a SYSTEM in her head driving her to become the empress, and she'll do everything she can to achieve this. Aside from her, various troublemakers will come knocking down the MC and ML's door again and again.

________

THOUGHTS: As mentioned, if you like face-slapping and drama, this is not bad. The story is primarily plot-driven, so the pacing is quite fast and the characters are there mostly for amus**ent and entertainment than anything else (that is, they serve whatever roles the author's set for them and don't do much else -- this is the case for the MC and ML as well). As someone who primarily enjoys character-driven works, it's natural that my impression of the novel is not the best. It's just fine. I thought it was fun. Nothing too impressive, but still entertaining. For this reason, I read till the end. AND, I think it's worth a 3.3/5 rating. I kept it to that amount because I don't think this novel deserves a 4 star rating. At most, it would be closer to 3.49. But never enough to round up to 4 stars. <<less

3.12/5!!! [Transmigration, Game Elements, Historical: Primitive Society, Clan-building] This novel isn’t bad, but I was expecting more Infrastructure-building. In the end, it was more about... more>> clan-building, which is not so different, but also means there’s a lot more drama involved. I ended up not finishing the novel cause I could tell that the ending would be rushed and didn’t want to be disappointed LOL. My current opinion is that the novel is a good read if you’re interested in novels with “game elements” and “primitive/tribal” environments.Theres is a focus in the romance here as well, though it’s admittedly a little clumsy (complete with the typical straight-guy!shou and the silent-and-stoic!gong.) I wish there was more details about the game elements and the infrastructure T.T as it is, I only got hints of that. Though that may also be the fault of the MTL. The TL quality is good but the MTL is only 65-70% readable. If I had to give this a rating now... I would give it somewhere between 3.12-3.3 out of 5 rating. Either way, it would be a 3-Star Novel for me. I’m not doing a full review because a large chunk of the story was read in MTL, and I can’t say for sure whether my impression is wrong based on misunderstandings T.T <<less

2.5/5!!! [Transmigration, Poor-to-Rich, Historical: Ancient China] Tried to read it. TL is readable but very messy (I read the Flying Lines TL at skynovel). I initially thought that the author would explore the magical space some more, since the title made it seem like a big deal… but it turns out to be pretty pointless in this story (T.T), according to commenters and reviewers. SO, I’ll come back and reread another time! It doesn’t seem to bad, but from what I can see it’s not all that good either.... more>>

UPDATE REVIEW: October 28, 2022

I made it further this time! After reading all sorts of messy MTLs, the quality of the TL was a bit more bearable for me. The reason I ended up quitting is because it got kind of boring. I think it's fine if you're looking for a chill novel with strong slice of life vibes, but anything outside of that?? Nah.

The initial premise of the story: The MC (Gong!) transmigrates back into Ancient Times with a magical space filled with the products of the convenience store he had owned in his previous world. He uses this and his modern knowledge in order to make a name for himself during such backward times. So that's how the story starts!! But, as the story goes further, it kind of loses focus. It becomes more about the drama of other people (face-slapping that is not so satisfying because the people in question are not so reprehensible in my opinion) as well as occassional poor-to-rich developments that don't leave much impact because of a lack of drive. I just didn't care that about the characters all that much, I guess. They're not bad characters, but they lack a little something something, and are pretty easily forgotten.

All in all? Not a bad read, I'm not doing a full review because I didn't make it halfway. But my rating for the novel is around 2/5 stars. Specifically, idk... maybe 2.5? <<less