Big Family

Shen Yuan's vision swirled with flickers of memories, not his own, but those of the body he now inhabited. The system had wasted no time dumping the flood of information into his mind. Faces, names, and fragments of experiences flashed before his eyes—memories of a large family that stretched across generations.

He groaned, pressing his fingers to his temples as the overload of information settled.

"Processing complete," the system announced matter-of-factly in his head.

Shen Yuan took a deep breath and let the memories arrange themselves. He now knew everything about this new world and the life he had been thrust into. The body he occupied belonged to the same Shen Yuan, but in a parallel existence, far from the zombie apocalypse he had left behind.

This Shen Yuan was the middle child in a family of fifteen. Fifteen children from one set of parents. He had six older siblings and eight younger ones. It was a massive family by any standard. And as if that weren't enough, there were also his four unmarried uncles, each with their own backstories.

"What a mess…" Shen Yuan muttered, shaking his head.

"You are now part of this family," the system chimed in. "Your task is to help build an empire, starting with—"

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you," Shen Yuan interrupted, rubbing his temples. He couldn't even begin to process the whole "build-an-empire" nonsense while dealing with this new family dynamic. "Let me just figure out what's going on first."

With a sigh, Shen Yuan pushed aside the tent flap and stepped outside. The world beyond was quiet, almost unnervingly so. It was a stark contrast to the chaotic, crumbling world of his past life. No zombies, no gunfire, no constant hunger gnawing at his stomach. Here, the air was clean, and the landscape stretched out before him like an untouched canvas of wilderness.

As his eyes adjusted to the sunlight, he spotted a familiar figure near a makeshift fire pit—a young woman hunched over an earthen pot, stirring its contents with care. Her long black hair was tied back, and her movements were slow, deliberate. There was a softness to her demeanor, a quiet grace, but as Shen Yuan observed her, he noticed a certain sadness in her eyes.

Shen Mingxiu, his eldest sister, though still young, already carried the weight of responsibility like a second skin.

"Mingxiu…" Shen Yuan murmured, the memories of this new life rushing back again. She had practically raised many of the younger siblings since their parents died.

As if sensing his presence, Shen Mingxiu turned her head and gave a small, gentle smile. "Yuan, you're awake. Are you hungry?"

Her voice was soft but tired, her eyes betraying a depth of exhaustion that her smile couldn't hide.

Shen Yuan nodded slowly, his stomach tightening at the thought of food. Even though the apocalypse was behind him, the habits of survival were still ingrained in his bones. Eat whatever you can, whenever you can. That was the rule. He took a step closer to the fire and looked into the pot.

The scent of the thin broth drifted up toward him, and his heart sank. It was little more than watery soup, with small chunks of meat barely floating in the mixture. His stomach clenched with disappointment.

Without showing any emotion, he asked the system silently, "What's going on with this food? Why are they eating like this?"

The system answered in his head, its tone clinical. "Your family is in exile. Your father married a barbarian woman, and the Yun Dynasty refused to accept her. As a result, your family was chased from your village and forced to take refuge in this wilderness. Their supplies are limited."

Shen Yuan's eyes flickered with understanding, but he kept his expression neutral as Shen Mingxiu glanced at him again.

"Are you feeling alright?" she asked, her voice full of quiet concern. "You've been a little out of sorts since this morning."

"I'm fine," Shen Yuan said, shaking off the lingering headache from the system's information dump. "Just… hungry."

Shen Mingxiu gave a sad smile, her fingers tightening around the wooden spoon she used to stir the pot. "There's not much, but you can have some. It's almost ready."

She scooped some of the watery broth into a rough-hewn bowl and handed it to Shen Yuan. He accepted it wordlessly, sitting on a low stool beside the fire. He could feel her watching him, no doubt wondering what was going through his mind. The memories told him that Shen Mingxiu had always been the gentle caretaker of the family. Even after their mother died giving birth to the quadriplets, it was Shen Mingxiu who had stepped in to take on the role of the mother.

As Shen Yuan lifted the bowl to his lips, he sipped the watery broth slowly, forcing himself to appear calm. But inside, frustration gnawed at him. He was used to surviving on scraps in his old world, but now, with no zombies to fight, no constant threats lurking around every corner, he wasn't about to accept this meager lifestyle.

This world was different. And if the system was right, then this was his chance to change things—not just for himself but for his family. He wouldn't let them live like this any longer.

While Shen Yuan continued to eat, Shen Mingxiu quietly watched him. She was always so calm, so gentle, but her weariness was palpable. After all, with so many mouths to feed and so little food, it was a struggle every day to keep the younger siblings nourished.

"Is it alright?" she asked hesitantly.

Shen Yuan nodded, finishing the last of the watery soup. He placed the bowl down gently and met her eyes. "It's fine."

But it wasn't. It wasn't fine at all. The small bits of meat in the broth were so scarce that he was sure it wouldn't fill any of the other siblings either.

Shen Mingxiu noticed his glance toward the pot and gave a sigh. "We're running low on supplies again. The hunting parties haven't been bringing much back recently. But don't worry, Yuan, I'll make sure everyone gets something."

Shen Yuan felt a sudden wave of admiration for her. She wasn't bitter about their situation, even though life had been unfair. Their father had died from overwork when Shen Yuan was just a boy, their mother had passed away after giving birth to the quadriplets, and now they were all stranded in this no man's land, rejected by their own people.

But Shen Yuan wasn't willing to let this continue.

He stood up suddenly, surprising Shen Mingxiu. "I'm going to go find something more edible."

"What?" she blinked, confused. "Yuan, you can't—"

"I'll be fine," he cut her off, already turning away from the fire. "Just wait here."

"Yuan—!" Shen Mingxiu's voice trailed off, her words caught between concern and exhaustion. She didn't have the strength to argue.

Shen Yuan strode away from the camp, his thoughts racing. He wasn't sure what he could find in this wilderness, but anything had to be better than the thin soup they had to live on. The landscape around their camp was rough, a mix of dense forests and jagged rocks. If nothing else, he was sure he could scrounge up some wild plants or maybe even small game.

"System, guide me," he muttered in his head as he scanned the area for any signs of food.

The system responded immediately. "There are edible herbs in the forest ahead. Wild tubers are also available, but you'll need to dig."