After arriving home, Xu Ning casually ate two steamed buns and began cleaning the jars she had bought. Once they were cleaned, she took out the lard from her space and started rendering it.

She had bought five pigs, each weighing over 300 pounds. The butcher had already cut the meat into one- and two-pound portions. Xu Ning spent the entire afternoon rendering the fat from the 10 pigs into three large jars of lard, roughly over 100 pounds, along with two large bowls of crispy pork bits. Once everything was done, she stored the lard and pork bits in her space.

For three days straight, Xu Ning had been busy preparing, making sure she had everything she needed. By now, most of the supplies were ready, and her money was nearly gone—she only had a little over 10,000 yuan left in her bank account.

Too tired to cook dinner, Xu Ning grabbed some fruit from her space and drank a bottle of milk before going to bed.

Once again, the dream returned—the same scene, with the little boy crying out, “Sister!” Xu Ning woke up, her heart pounding. She grabbed her phone to check the time: 4:55 a.m. She wanted to go back to sleep, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t. So, she got up, washed up, and had breakfast. By the time she was ready, the sky had brightened. Grabbing her keys, she decided to head out and take a walk to the nearby market.

The morning market was bustling with people. Xu Ning spotted an elderly man selling fresh leeks. His tricycle was loaded with about a dozen bunches, all vibrant and fresh. Curious, Xu Ning approached him and asked about the price, thinking she could buy them all and store them in her space, taking out a bunch whenever she wanted to cook. The old man, hearing that she wanted to buy all of them, said it was 3 yuan per pound. He had 30 pounds in total.

After paying, Xu Ning took the 30 pounds of leeks and continued walking. She saw some fresh shiitake mushrooms that looked great and, thinking about the pork and beef she had in her space, she decided to make some mushroom meat sauce. She bought 20 pounds of fresh mushrooms, even though she had dried mushrooms in her space, as she believed fresh ones would make the sauce taste better.

Realizing she was buying more than she could carry, Xu Ning turned and saw the old man with the leeks packing up his tricycle. She quickly called out to him and asked if he could help her take her groceries back home. Though she could carry them herself since her place was only a few minutes’ walk away, she still wanted to buy more. She figured she’d give the old man a few dozen yuan to make the trip. The old man happily agreed.

Xu Ning placed the leeks and mushrooms on the old man’s tricycle and asked him to wait while she continued shopping. She bought 30 pounds of ginger, 50 pounds of vermicelli, and 30 pounds of rice noodles. Then, she noticed a vendor selling dried noodles across the way. Remembering that she hadn’t yet bought any, she hurried over and purchased 200 pounds of noodles, asking the vendor to help her load them onto the tricycle.

She also bought 20 pounds of dried green beans from a dried goods store nearby, 20 pounds of cucumbers, and 30 pounds of tomatoes. Finally, she had the old man help her transport everything back home.

After unloading the groceries at her place, Xu Ning went downstairs to a nearby breakfast shop and bought the old man ten meat buns, giving him 100 yuan as a thank-you. The old man left with a big smile on his face.

After seeing him off, Xu Ning stopped by a convenience store to pick up two large bags of her favorite snacks before heading back home.

Once home, Xu Ning prepared the ingredients and started making the meat sauces. She cooked one jar of shiitake mushroom pork sauce and one jar of shiitake mushroom beef sauce, then stored them both in her space.

As soon as she finished, a sense of unease crept into her heart. She looked around her small rental room, making sure everything that needed to be stored in her space was safely inside. The items she left outside were just the ones she used frequently.

Xu Ning didn’t feel like cooking lunch, so she grabbed two steamed buns, dipped them in some meat sauce, and ate a few quick bites. Then, she picked up her tablet to continue reading a novel she hadn’t finished earlier, The Delicate Wife from the 70s. Perhaps she had been too tired lately, because as soon as she read about the female protagonist passing her college entrance exams, she drifted off to sleep.

Xu Ning’s sleep was far from peaceful. The dream felt more and more real, with the sound of a crying child growing closer, as if the child were right next to her, shouting in her ear. The noise from the people around her made her head buzz with pain. She struggled to open her eyes.

The first thing she saw was a ceiling that looked like it came from a bygone era. When she looked down, she saw earthen walls. Just as she was about to continue examining her surroundings, a young boy beside her started crying, “Sister… sister… you’re awake, sister!” Someone else followed, saying, “Xu Zhiqing, ^[1]Zhiqing – “educated” youth. So, they were calling her in a more formal way. you’re finally awake!”

Xu Ning turned her head and looked at the person speaking. The boy calling her “sister” looked about seven or eight years old, exactly like the skinny boy from her dream. The person calling her “Xu Zhiqing” was a middle-aged man around forty or fifty years old. Next to him stood a tall, thin man in his thirties, and around them were several young people, about eighteen or nineteen years old.

Xu Ning froze. Where was she? Suddenly, a flood of unfamiliar memories poured into her mind, making her head throb with pain. She shut her eyes tightly, clutching her head as the pain felt like it was about to explode. The young boy beside her was terrified and cried out, “Sister, what’s wrong?”

The middle-aged man anxiously turned to the younger man and said, “Doctor Han, quickly, check on Xu Zhiqing! See what’s wrong with her!”

Doctor Han was already holding Xu Ning’s hand, preventing her from touching her head. As he pulled her hands away, he said, “Xu Zhiqing, your head has just been bandaged. You mustn’t touch it.”

Xu Ning absorbed the memories of the body’s original owner and remained dazed. She had truly transmigrated! She had traveled back to 1969 and entered the body of someone named Xu Ning, who shared her name.

The original owner of this body was also called Xu Ning and was only 13 years old. Why only 13? Because she had lied about her age, claiming to be two years older so she could join the rural educated youth movement. The young boy beside her was the original Xu Ning’s younger brother, Xu An, who was said to be 13 but was actually only 10 years old.

The two siblings had already been in the countryside for over half a year. This place was Yushu Village, Sanhe Township, Chengnan County, in the northeastern province of Huaguo.

The original Xu Ning’s parents were university professors. At the end of last year, seeing the worsening political climate, they quickly severed ties with their three children. They arranged for their 16-year-old eldest son, Xu Yang, to join the army. At the start of the year, they sent 13-year-old Xu Ning and 10-year-old Xu An to the countryside as educated youth. Their youngest child, Xu Mo, wasn’t even two yet and had to stay with their parents.

Since the original Xu Ning and Xu An were too young to go, their parents had falsified their ages—changing Xu Ning’s age from 13 to 15 and Xu An’s from 10 to 13.

The original Xu Ning had always been stronger and more mature than other children her age, which is why her parents trusted her to take care of her younger brother. This was the only solution they could think of at the time.

Another reason for sending them to Chengnan County was that the original Xu Ning’s father had a student whose hometown was there. The student’s older brother worked as an officer in the county public security bureau.

Before they left, the father had told the original Xu Ning not to seek out the student’s brother unless it was absolutely necessary. “Using a favor weakens a relationship, and you should only use it when absolutely critical,” he had advised her.

The original Xu Ning remembered her father’s words. Over the past six months, she and her brother had kept a low profile and stayed out of trouble. Every day, they worked hard to earn labor points. With her strength, Xu Ning earned eight points, the same as an adult woman. Xu An, being frail, was assigned to collect pigweed, earning two points a day. Together, they barely managed to eat enough to keep themselves six or seven-tenths full.

But the two of them weren’t the only educated youths in the village. Three boys and two girls had arrived before them, and they were older. Where there are people, there are always power dynamics. Since Xu Ning and Xu An were younger, and Xu Ning was quiet, some of the others picked on them. They often made Xu Ning fetch water and chop wood, treating her as an easy target.

The original Xu Ning, worried that her family’s situation might get exposed, feared she wouldn’t be able to protect her brother if people found out. She thought befriending the others might be a good idea—maybe they’d help in times of need. However, she didn’t realize that some people only take advantage of kindness without showing any gratitude.

This time, the original Xu Ning had just returned from work, hadn’t even had a chance to drink water, and was helping one of the female educated youths fetch water. She accidentally hit her head on the well’s edge and passed out. When she woke up, it was the Xu Ning from the 21st century.

After receiving all the original owner’s memories, the current Xu Ning was furious. She immediately got out of bed, put on her shoes, and stormed outside. She found a stick as thick as a child’s arm and returned to beat the two female educated youths who had been bullying her. The others stood there, stunned, unable to react. The two girls screamed in pain as Xu Ning hit them with precision, targeting their behinds. It hurt, but wouldn’t cause any internal injuries.

After the beating, before anyone could respond, Xu Ning quickly sat on the ground and began wailing, “Village chief! You must stand up for my brother and me! We came here to the countryside in response to Chairman Mao’s call to support rural development. Since we arrived, you, village chief, and the villagers have treated us with warmth, like a spring breeze. But Lin Qiuhua and Li Fengjiao are acting like capitalist daughters! They’ve been bullying my brother and me because we’re young, making me fetch water and chop wood for them. I thought we were all revolutionary comrades and part of one big family, so I helped them. But they didn’t stop there—they’ve even been taking food away from us! We all earn the same labor points, but my brother and I are given less to eat. Village chief, I want to report these two rotten apples!”

The village chief was left speechless, unable to respond. Xu An seized the moment, threw himself on the ground, and cried, “Village chief! Not only did they make my sister chop wood and fetch water, but they also made me heat their bathwater!”

Li Fengjiao, now panicked, shouted, “But you didn’t even heat the water!”

Xu Ning quickly responded, “Why should I fetch your bath water? Because I didn’t, you cut our food rations when it was your turn to cook.”

Li Fengjiao, feeling guilty, said, “You’re young, and I was afraid you would waste food if you couldn’t eat it all. With the autumn harvest approaching, we don’t have much food left.”

Xu Ning retorted, “If there isn’t much food left, why don’t you eat less? I earn more work points than you. Why should we eat less?”

 “You’re making me work for you. Isn’t this the behavior of a capitalist daughter? I’m going to the Revolutionary Committee to report you for oppressing revolutionary comrades.”

Li Fengjiao, panicked, said, “Village Chief, I haven’t oppressed or bullied any revolutionary comrades.”

She was genuinely anxious; being labeled with such a serious accusation was devastating.

The Village Chief ignored her, walked forward, and pulled the siblings up. He glared at the educated youths and asked, “Is this true?”

The three male educated youths exchanged glances and did not speak. Seeing this, the Village Chief realized there was nothing more to understand.

On his way home from the village committee, he had met Doctor Han, who mentioned that Xu Ning had bumped her head. Concerned for the children, the Village Chief came to check on the situation and was surprised to find this issue.

The Village Chief sternly told Li Fengjiao and Lin Qiuhua, “Our Yushu Village does not tolerate any capitalist behaviors. If I hear that you’ve bullied other educated youths again, I will send you to the County Educated Youth Office.”

He continued, “Xu Ning got her head injured while helping Li Fengjiao fetch water. Li Fengjiao will pay for Xu Ning’s medical expenses and give her twenty eggs to help with recovery. As for the deduction of food rations, Li Fengjiao and Lin Qiuhua will each have fifty work points deducted to compensate Xu Ning and her brother.”

He then asked Xu Ning, “Xu Ning, is this arrangement acceptable to you?”

Xu Ning knew that while this punishment might not seem severe to the original Xu Ning, the others did not know that she was no longer in that role. Twenty eggs and one hundred work points were considerable compensation in that era. The Village Chief had handled it fairly, even showing a bit of favoritism towards the siblings. She could not appear ungrateful, so she nodded and said, “I agree with the Village Chief’s decision.”

Li Fengjiao and Lin Qiuhua were unhappy. They only earned six or seven work points a day, and having fifty deducted meant working several days without pay.

As the two women were about to protest, the Village Chief said, “If you agree, this matter is settled. If you wish to cause more trouble, I will not intervene. I’ll have people take you to the County Educated Youth Office, and they will arrange for you to be sent elsewhere.” The two women, defeated, lowered their heads and fell silent.

The Village Chief instructed Xu Ning to rest and return to work only after her head injury had healed. He also told Li Fengjiao to give Doctor Han’s medical fees and provide Xu Ning with twenty eggs for her recovery.

After everyone left, only the siblings remained. Xu An asked, “Sister, does your head still hurt?”

Xu Ning touched the bandage on her head and smiled, saying, “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“Big sister, you lie down and rest. I’ll go boil some water for you,” Xu An said as he ran out.

Only then did Xu Ning start to examine the room. It was a small space with a kang (a traditional heated bed) occupying half of it. At each end of the kang, there was a cabinet. She slept at the far left, and there were two more bedding sets nearby, which probably belonged to Li Fengjiao and Lin Qiuhua.

The original owner’s belongings were considerable. They had come from a family that was not poor, so she had brought clothes and bedding with her. Before going to the countryside, her parents had also given her 1,000 yuan, 100 jin of national food coupons, along with sugar coupons, fabric coupons, and industrial vouchers. She and her brother had hidden the money in the mountains.

Once in the countryside, there were not many places where money could be used. The most they did was go to a relative’s house in the village to buy some eggs for her brother’s health. Over the more than six months they had been there, they had only visited the city twice, and those trips had been with other educated youths during their days off.

Xu Ning wondered how her parents and younger brother were doing. They hadn’t been in contact since they came to the countryside. Her parents had instructed them not to write home and to wait for their contact. Xu Ning had been worried about her parents, which was why she had been so distracted that the accident happened. After all, she was just a girl not yet fourteen.

Xu Ning said, “Don’t worry. Since I’ve taken over your body, I will take good care of your family.” After saying this, she felt much lighter.

Not wanting to lie in bed any longer, Xu Ning put on her shoes and went outside. Her younger brother was boiling water in the kitchen, and when he saw her, he immediately came out. “Sister, why aren’t you lying down? Are you thirsty? The water will be boiling soon. I’ll bring it to you in a moment.” Xu Ning patted his head and said, “It’s okay. I just wanted to come out and walk around.”

In Northeast China, the yards were very large. The youth camp’s yard was also quite spacious. In the front were three adobe houses, and behind them was a plot of land over an acre in size where some beans, eggplants, and peppers were grown. Further back was the Daqing Mountain. Near the edge of Daqing Mountain was a small piece of land, about the width of two houses, with uneven, rocky terrain. About ten meters to the right was the cow shed. The camp had three rooms: one for male educated youths, one for female educated youths, and one for the kitchen and storage. With Xu Ning and her brother included, there were seven educated youths at the camp: Chen Xiangdong and Lin Qiuhua from Zhejiang Province, Sun Hao and Ge Hongbin from Haishi, Li Fengjiao from Sichuan Province, Xu Ning and Xu An from Beijing, and two female educated youths who had married into the village a few years earlier.

Among the seven, Sun Hao and Ge Hongbin had been there the longest, over two years. Chen Xiangdong and Li Fengjiao had also been there for two years. Lin Qiuhua had arrived last year, and Xu Ning and her brother had come after the New Year this year.

Xu Ning sighed and turned toward the kitchen.