Chapter 1

In the early morning, Wen Nuan was woken up.

The houses from the seventies had no soundproofing whatsoever; she could hear any noise coming from next door.

Moreover, the person speaking at that moment had deliberately raised their voice, clearly intending for her to hear their words—

“All you do is sleep every day, doing nothing at all! Why don’t you get up early and make breakfast? How can you have the face to be like this?”

“Mommy, can you keep it down? Sister-in-law is taking care of her baby, isn’t she?”

“Come on, if I didn’t know better, I’d think she gave birth to a gold bar! Besides, which woman doesn’t have children? Back in our day, we worked in the fields during the day and then just gave birth at night without a fuss.

But she just waits for others to take care of her! She really thought she was some sort of young lady! Second son, let me tell you, you can’t marry a wife who’s lazy and just eats all day like your older brother’s wife, or your mother will lose years of her life!”

“Don’t worry, Mommy. Meizhi is very diligent and virtuous.”

“Then hurry up and bring her home, so that your mother can enjoy some blessings!”

—o—o—o—

Suddenly, there was silence on the other end, and before long, the sounds of a door opening and closing echoed.

The people who had just spoken were her mother-in-law, Zhao Wuzhu, and her younger brother-in-law, Gu Qingsong.

They were simply saying she was lazy and didn’t do any work, something Wen Nuan had grown accustomed to, feeling completely at peace within herself.

After all, no one expected her to do any work!

Wen Nuan raised her arm to rub her eyes and let out a soft yawn.

In late October in the south, the heat was still stifling; her back was slick with sweat.

She instinctively wiped the thin layer of sweat from her forehead, and after just a couple of wipes, she felt someone beside her stir, followed by a very faint cooing sound.

Wen Nuan took a moment to process what was happening, then stretched out her arm to gently pat the back of the baby beside her.

Soon, the delicate little baby, who looks like a porcelain doll, fell back asleep.

Using the faint light from outside, Wen Nuan looked at the baby next to her. She was sleeping with her tiny fists raised—Wen Nuan let out a troubled sigh.

A month had passed, and Wen Nuan had come to a clear realization—

She had transmigrated.

Moreover, she ended up in a family-oriented novel as an antagonistic character; she was not the heroine but rather the vicious female supporting character in the story.

Unfortunately, the heroine still lived under the same roof as the original “Wen Nuan”, making it impossible for her to escape.

The heroine was hardworking and resilient, while she was lazy and spoiled.

The heroine remained devoted to the male lead, supporting him and raising their children, while she abandoned her husband and children, constantly longing for something else.

In the story, both the heroine and the original “Wen Nuan” had married the brothers from the Gu family.

The original “Wen Nuan” had married the eldest son of the Gu family, Gu Qinghan—he is a soldier.

It was considered an honor to marry a military man, but the original “Wen Nuan” had initially schemed to cling to Gu Qinghan to avoid going to the countryside as a sent-down educated youth.

This decision attracted considerable gossip, and even her mother-in-law strongly opposed the marriage. However, Gu Qinghan was a man of sentiment and loyalty; despite the objections, he married the original “Wen Nuan”.

Yet, the two spent little time together after the marriage. The original “Wen Nuan” felt no real affection for him, and each time they met, their conversations were either awkward or turned into arguments where she would berate Gu Qinghan.

Their relationship was as fragile as walking on thin ice.

The heroine of the story was named Lin Meizhi, who worked as a sales clerk at a supply and marketing cooperative.

She married the younger son of the Gu family, Gu Qingsong, who worked at a soy sauce factory in the city.

After marrying into the Gu family, Lin Meizhi was greatly favored by her mother-in-law.

In contrast, the original “Wen Nuan” was portrayed as a foolish supporting character—she was lazy, greedy, and overbearing. Not only was she despised by her mother-in-law, but she also faced constant humiliation at the hands of the heroine.

She served as a foil to highlight the diligence, virtue, and capability of the heroine.

Due to jealousy towards the heroine, the original “Wen Nuan” caused her to have a miscarriage during an argument. This incident drove a wedge between them and led to countless dramatic scenes of humiliation for the original “Wen Nuan”, resulting in her becoming estranged from her family and friends.

The more ridiculous part is when the original “Wen Nuan” took her daughter out to play, she failed to watch her properly, and her daughter was hit by a car, resulting in a disability in her lower limbs.

Unable to accept this, the original “Wen Nuan” decided to heartlessly abandon her daughter.

Not wanting to care for her now-disabled daughter any longer, the original “Wen Nuan” cried, made a scene, and even threatened to hang herself, forcing Gu Qinghan, who had already become the captain at that time, to return from the Northern City military unit.

She falsely accused him multiple times of having an improper relationship with other women, all in an effort to get him to divorce her from their military marriage.

After the original “Wen Nuan” divorced Gu Qinghan, she began an affair with a truck driver and ran away with him.

However, she ultimately fell victim to his deception, working in the underworld to earn money for his food, drinks, and gambling, even helping him pay off his gambling debts.

In the end, that man abandoned her to marry a younger and more beautiful girl.

Meanwhile, the heroine’s family had fully immersed themselves in the tide of economic reform, and their lives were getting better and better.

As for the original “Wen Nuan”, she died on the street in a foreign land during a heavy snowstorm—in the most tragic circumstances.

Such an ending was practically a standard fate for the vicious female supporting character.

What made Wen Nuan feel the most heartbroken was not the original “Wen Nuan”, but the original “Wen Nuan’s” daughter.

After a month of interaction, she had developed an indescribable affection for the soft little baby doll.

Although she was a lovely and well-behaved girl, her disability subjected her to countless odd stares and cruel words throughout her growth.

The book described her as being exceptionally beautiful, with a gentle and kind personality, outstanding academic performance, and remarkable talent in vocal music.

Yet, due to her physical disability, she faced all sorts of unwarranted criticism and was bullied and ostracized by her classmates.

In order to help his daughter vent her frustrations, Gu Qinghan severely injured the two boys who had bullied her.

As a result, he went from being a glorious and upright soldier to a labor reform criminal, and his dream of becoming a pilot was completely shattered.

In the end, he lost his life while trying to be a good Samaritan.

After Gu Qinghan’s death, their daughter faced even more retaliation and bullying.

The little girl’s fragile heart could not withstand the overwhelming malice from the world, and her life almost came to an abrupt end at the age of 9.

Fortunately, the original heroine intervened in time to save her, offering encouragement and even finding her a psychologist. In the end, she helped her develop into an outstanding musician.

The book also described that at the moment of her death, the original “Wen Nuan” looked through a crystal-clear window and saw the glowing little girl on the television screen.

During an interview, the girl specifically thanked her aunt, who was the original heroine.

But that was her daughter, and the original “Wen Nuan” died with her eyes wide open, unable to let go.

Wen Nuan understood that the traumas experienced in childhood would leave a lasting imprint, requiring a lifetime of healing.

If she could, Wen Nuan hoped that the baby in front of her would suffer no harm at all.

Lost in her thoughts, Wen Nuan suddenly noticed that the baby had kicked off the blanket that had been resting on her belly.

Seeing the soft little one made her heart feel warm.

Wen Nuan smiled gently as she pulled the blanket back over her.

Since it was still early, the baby showed no signs of waking up.

The fragrance and sweetness in the air confirmed that angelic babies truly existed.

Wen Nuan was an orphan, having no father or mother, and she had always yearned for a family.

Although she had become a mother only after her arrival in this world, through their month of living together, she felt a wonderful connection of heart and mind between mother and daughter.

After all, the version of her that existed in that world was already dead, so she could not return—she could only accept the arrangements made by fate.

Wen Nuan comforted herself in this way.

However, she had no intention of sitting idly like an NPC and becoming a mere tool for others to ridicule.

She knew that Gu Qinghan would soon be transferred from the provincial military unit to the Northern City military district, and when that time came, he would return home for a visit.

Rather than engaging in a battle of wits and intelligence with her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law here, she would prefer to follow Gu Qinghan to the cold, frigid Northern City.

Even if they couldn’t stand each other, at least she would be in charge of her own life, without having to endure beatings just for something as simple as eating an egg.

Wen Nuan guessed that the baby wouldn’t wake up so soon, so she carefully rolled out of bed.

The house was a single-story brick and tile structure with poor lighting. A portrait of a great leader hung on the wall, and next to it, on a dilapidated wooden table, sat a vintage enamel cup, covered in rust, with a faded red slogan printed on the side: “Serve the People.”

Next to the cup lay a small, cracked mirror, which Wen Nuan picked up to take a look at herself.

Since there weren’t many forms of entertainment in this era and people went to bed early, after a month of care, she no longer appeared as haggard and weak as when she first arrived.

Her brows and eyes were beginning to resemble her former self more and more.

However, the original “Wen Nuan” was still a bit younger than her, only 20 years old.

Unfortunately, this body was not very healthy, likely due to the limitations of the era; every family struggled to meet their basic needs.

Because her mother-in-law had never agreed to the marriage between the original “Wen Nuan” and Gu Qinghan, and she had given birth to a daughter, whom she considered a financial burden, she did not help during the confinement period.

Not only that but there had also been a fight because the original “Wen Nuan” had eaten a few more eggs.

After that, the original “Wen Nuan” was left with the ailments from her confinement.

She often broke out in cold sweat, and when she was tired, she felt an intense soreness in her waist and back.

Sometimes, the pain in her pelvis made it difficult to turn over.

Fortunately, during this month, her “lazy and spoiled” behavior had allowed her body to recover.

However, the original “Wen Nuan’s” appearance was quite similar to hers; both had standard oval faces, thick eyebrows, and slightly upturned phoenix eyes, with delicate and beautiful features and fair skin. But the original “Wen Nuan’s” body was weak and thin, making her look like a delicate little white flower that needed protection.

This was somewhat different from her.

In the past, when she ate well, so, she did not go hungry, and with the convenience of takeout, she had kept herself in good spirits and health. She exercised daily by running and rarely fell ill.

Now, looking at herself in the mirror, it seemed she had regained her former spirit. Her gaze was firm, devoid of that fragile feeling that could be blown away by the wind.

Wen Nuan didn’t think much of it; taking advantage of the fact that the child hadn’t woken up yet, she went to the kitchen.

However, Zhao Wuzhu had only left a few wilted vegetable leaves in the kitchen to prevent her from emptying the pantry. There was no flour, eggs, or rice to speak of.

Fortunately, Gu Qinghan’s monthly allowance was often split, and sometimes he would send her an additional portion. She still had some food stamps and money on hand, so she wouldn’t starve at home.

“Waaaa waaa…”

A familiar crying sound brought Wen Nuan back to her senses. She quickly walked back to the room and picked up the wailing baby from the wooden bed, which was draped with a dusty gray mosquito net.

The baby was only six months old, with a chubby little face and round fingers, exuding a sweet scent of milk.

It was enough to melt anyone’s heart.

As soon as the baby felt Wen Nuan’s embrace, the crying stopped immediately.

Wen Nuan held the child and softly whispered in her ear, “Be good, don’t cry, Mommy is here.”

After Wen Nuan finished speaking, the baby really stopped crying.

With tear-filled big eyes, the baby looked up at Wen Nuan and suddenly smiled.

Seeing the baby’s adorable expression, Wen Nuan chuckled, “Baby, you woke up just in time. Come on, Mommy will take you out for some delicious food.”

The baby didn’t seem to understand, but upon hearing Wen Nuan’s familiar voice, she suddenly giggled and let out a couple of “Ah-Ah” sounds.

Wen Nuan quickly tidied up the child and then took a strap from the table, laying it flat on the wooden bed.

She placed her baby in the middle of the strap and skillfully secured her wiggling daughter onto her back.

Once the baby was secured, she bounced up excitedly a couple of times, letting out gleeful giggles.