Chapter 1: Time Travel

The train station platform was crowded with people.

Li Luo carried her luggage and stepped off the train, almost getting stuck in the doorway, which drew a round of laughter from the people around her.

She was so embarrassed she wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole.

Here’s the situation: three days ago, she had traveled back in time to the 1980s. From a slender girl weighing less than a hundred pounds, she had become a woman weighing over two hundred, already married to a man who worked as a coroner in a small county in the northwest.

The original owner of this body was lazy, greedy, and quarrelsome. Her in-laws despised her, and even Li Luo, newly arrived, was looked down on by everyone. With nowhere else to go, she had no choice but to seek out her husband.

Li Luo let out a soft sigh as she left the station. Holding a black-and-white photo, she scanned her surroundings until her eyes met with a young man of about twenty-five.

He was tall and upright, at least 1.88 meters by her guess.

His thick black hair was sleek and neat, his facial features sharp and well-defined—handsome brows, a high nose bridge, and perfectly shaped thin lips.

Dressed in dark clothes, he gave off a clean and composed air.

She compared him with the photo—yes, it was him!

My goodness, he’s so handsome.

Paired with her current looks, it felt like a crime against heaven.

But since he had come to pick her up, didn’t that mean he had already accepted her?

Truly, his mental endurance was extraordinary.

She walked forward and, unconsciously pitching her voice higher, asked:
“Excuse me, are you Qin Mian?”

“You really dare to come!” Qin Mian’s expression was blank, his tone cold and mocking, though his voice was clear and pleasant to the ear.

Li Luo felt humiliated for throwing herself at him like this. Her lashes lowered slightly, making her look like a bullied child.
“Well… why wouldn’t I come?”

Qin Mian: “…” He choked on his words, turned his head, and walked away.

Li Luo hurried after him with her luggage, her heavy body making her pant after just a few steps.

She called softly, “Ah Mian, wait for me!”

The moment Qin Mian heard her call him “Ah Mian,” goosebumps spread across his arms.
“Can’t you talk normally?”

That deliberately pinched voice—downright creepy.

Li Luo pouted in protest. At that moment, they passed by a large window. The glass reflected her figure clearly.

She nearly stumbled.

Terrifying!

Her features, already crowded together by her weight, looked even worse when she pouted. It was hideous—like an injustice carved into her face.

She immediately restored her expression to normal.

Glancing sideways, she was relieved to see Qin Mian hadn’t noticed.

Otherwise, she might have scared him to death.

They kept about two meters apart as they walked west for some two hundred meters to catch a ride.

Half an hour later, they got off and soon arrived at the gate of an old courtyard house.

Li Luo quietly observed the surroundings. There were eight rooms in total, with pots, pans, racks, and various clutter stacked at the entrance. Clothes hung under the eaves to dry, and a grapevine trellis stood in the yard.

Qin Mian’s room was the second side room to the east of the entrance.

The walls were peeling, the furnishings simple.

A bunk bed, a desk, a makeshift open wardrobe in the corner, and some daily necessities.

Everything was arranged neatly.

Qin Mian said flatly, “I heard you were lazy back home. Let me be clear: if you don’t change your ways here, divorce is inevitable.” Without another glance, he strode off.

Li Luo: “…” Divorce? Hah! Who even wants to marry you? Just wait—when I lose weight and become beautiful, you’ll be head over heels for me!

Don’t come crying and begging me not to leave then!

After he left, Li Luo closed the door and began unpacking.

She didn’t have much—only two sets of clothes and some toiletries. She hung her clothes in his wardrobe.

Her oversized clothes made his neat little space look ridiculous.

Sigh!

The humiliation of being fat.

She arranged her toiletries on the desk.

On the stove, a pot of hot water was simmering, and the thermos was full. She poured some to wipe herself down, then washed her hair by the window.

As she sat there drying her hair, she suddenly noticed a face pressed against the window glass. Startled, she let out a cry.

The person knocked on the door.

Li Luo hurried to open it. Standing outside was a young woman in her early twenties, dressed in gray work clothes, her neat features framed by two braids.

Her name was Han Qiuyu. She looked Li Luo up and down and asked, “Who are you to Brother Qin? Why are you in his house?”

Li Luo cheerfully introduced herself:
“Hello, miss. My name is Li Luo. I’m his wife. Please, have a seat.” She pulled over a stool.

Han Qiuyu was stunned. “His wife? You? He would marry someone like you?”

Fat, dark, and looking like a bear. Ugly and old-looking, too. Brother Qin was so handsome, admired by everyone!

Li Luo’s face darkened. “If he doesn’t like me, would he like you instead?”

Han Qiuyu turned red with anger and frustration. “I—!”

“‘What do you mean “I—”? Get out! So rude!’ Li Luo gave her guest the boot and shut the door.

She just wanted to sleep. For the past three days, she hadn’t had a single good night’s rest—either dreaming of her frantic parents searching for her, or of the Qin family discovering she was an imposter and throwing her out.

Han Qiuyu returned to her room in a daze. Staring at the tightly shut door of the east wing, her expression darkened.

What right does a fat, ugly sow like that have to marry Qin Mian?

Seething with jealousy, she waited until no one was around in the courtyard, then quietly tampered with the vent on Li Luo’s stove.

…

Qin Mian didn’t get off work until nine-thirty that evening. He came home carrying two quilts.

The room was pitch-dark. Reaching for the light cord on the wall, his fingers caught only air. Looking closely, he realized the cord was missing. His face darkened.
“Where’s the light cord?”

The room stayed silent. No response.

He grabbed a broomstick, prodded the lump on the bed, and woke Li Luo.

Half-asleep, she rubbed her eyes. “What are you doing?”

That made him even angrier. She dared to ask him that? He tossed the broom aside, took a deep breath, and repeated, “I asked where the light cord went.”

Li Luo yawned carelessly. “I’m not used to it, and I must’ve pulled it off by accident. I’ll fix it tomorrow.”

Qin Mian: “…”

Grumbling under his breath, he felt his way to the stove, lifted the pot, and poured some water to wash up—only to find the coal had already gone out. His patience snapped.
“Why didn’t you change the coal?”

Li Luo wanted to scream. She was just trying to sleep—did he have to nitpick about everything? Irritated, she shot back:
“You’re so annoying. Did you tell me to change it?”

Qin Mian: “…”

This woman!

Fat and unreasonable.

The old man had really played him, saddling him with such a wife just to torment him.

Too late at night to start a fight, he swallowed his anger and went to borrow some coal from a neighbor. Adjusting the vent, he noticed it had been opened all the way.

Did she have no common sense?

This ancestor of trouble!

He was definitely getting a divorce.

Any random woman off the street would be better than her.

Still fuming, he deliberately made as much noise as possible while washing up, trying to disturb her. The huge lump under the quilt didn’t stir.

Already asleep again?

Climbing to the top bunk, he deliberately shook the bed hard.

Nothing.

This pig!

…

Li Luo slept soundly until she woke naturally. Stretching lazily, she sat up.

The room was empty, only her inside. A glance at the clock—it was just seven.

He gets up so early.

On the bedside table was a note: Breakfast is warming on the stove.

Oh! That was thoughtful.

What a good husband.

Not only handsome, but generous, dependable, and considerate!

She lifted the pot lid to find a bowl of soy milk and two large steamed buns.

The light cord had also been fixed.

Outside, voices were buzzing. She stepped out to wash up and saw that the neighbors had already heard the news from Han Qiuyu’s big mouth: Qin Mian was married.

And his wife was fat, ugly, and dark-skinned.

No one believed it at first. But seeing her with their own eyes, they realized even Han Qiuyu had downplayed it.

Her skin was rough like a black bear’s hide, her face full of flesh.

How could Qin Mian possibly fancy her?

How could he even bring himself to kiss her at night? And how on earth could she bear children?

One nosy neighbor asked about her weight. Li Luo openly admitted she was over two hundred pounds, then cheerfully greeted everyone: calling the younger ones “Auntie,” the older ones “Granny,” and those who looked about her age “Miss.”

By the time she finished washing up, she had learned everyone’s names.

The neighbors whispered among themselves about this marriage before leaving one after another for work.

She returned to her room, ate half a bun, drank a few sips of soy milk, and then started washing the dirty clothes on the bench by the bed.

Carrying them to the well, she squatted down to scrub.

Splash!

Water splattered onto her face and clothes.

Li Luo frowned and looked up. Han Qiuyu, covering her mouth in mock alarm, said:
“Sorry, Li Luo. I didn’t mean to. Yesterday was my fault too. I hope you can forgive me.”

As if you didn’t do it on purpose, Li Luo thought. But since she was new here, she didn’t want to make enemies. Magnanimously, she replied:
“It’s fine. Knowing your mistake and correcting it is what matters.”

Han Qiuyu: “…”

Back in her room after finishing the laundry, Li Luo picked up a copy of How the Steel Was Tempered from the desk and began to read.

A new book—perfect!