Chapter 1

The village of Chaoyang, located to the north, bordered a wide and long river.

When the farmers were idle and entertainment was scarce, the young boys and grown men would often enjoy splashing around in the water.

They would compete to see who had the best swimming skills, who could hold their breath the longest, and who could float the furthest.

… If luck was on their side, they might even catch some fish or shrimp to spice up their meals.

Having eaten greens for half a month, Tian Mi, whose face was almost turning green, took the opportunity to go down to the water as well.

“Splash!”

In a secluded spot, the crystal-clear blue waves broke the silence, sending up glittering droplets.

Tian Mi emerged from the water, wiped her face with a hand, and with her body still dripping wet, she climbed the mottled stone steps, leaving a trail of damp footprints as she stepped ashore.

She tossed the struggling black fish in her hand into a basket, shook the water off her clothes, and sat down on a stone to rest.

The sky was a clear, deep blue, without a trace of cloud—so pure that there wasn’t even a wisp of floating cotton-like fluff.

This was Province S, a fish-and-rice village located between the north and the south. Though it was late October, the midday sun was still scorching and intense.

After squeezing and drying her clothes in the sun for about ten minutes, most of the water had evaporated.

She removed the large unknown leaf that had been shading her head, and with nimble fingers, she braided her long, thick black hair into two pigtails that hung down in front of her.

Glancing down at herself, she made sure nothing was out of place, picked up her basket, and began walking along the winding dirt road back to the village.

After about ten minutes of walking, she could see, from a distance, the familiar yet somewhat foreign sight of her home.

The Tian family’s conditions were not bad; they were one of the few in the village with a brick-and-tile house. At the moment, however, standing in front of the south-facing house with a gable roof was a thin, frail-looking girl, glancing around anxiously.

From afar, Tian Mi could only tell it was her third sister, Tian Laidi, though she couldn’t make out her expression.

But that wasn’t important because the girl had already seen her and was running over.

Realizing something, Tian Mi stopped and waited.

It was quite remarkable—due to a plane crash and sharing the same name, the well-off Tian Mi from the prosperous future had been transported to the impoverished countryside of 1971.

In just half a month, she had gone from feeling completely out of place to being quite adept at adapting to this life.

One can only say, human adaptability is truly powerful.

“Er Jie ^[1]Second sister, Aunty ^[2]老姑 – Old paternal aunt is here again!” Tian Laidi, who was 16 years old, had a sallow complexion, delicate features, and thin arms and legs. She looked no older than thirteen.

According to Tian Mi’s memories, this girl had been born prematurely. With the difficult times, it was hard enough to get enough to eat, let alone the luxury of any nourishing meat or supplements to improve her health.

“When did she arrive?” Tian Mi handed the basket to the little girl, brushing aside the top layer of wild vegetables to reveal the black fish beneath, which weighed about three catties ^[3]Roughly 1.5 kilograms.

“Fish?” Tian Laidi’s thin face lit up with delight. Her second sister had caught fish for three days in a row now.

“Shh… keep your voice down… hide it first.” Tian Mi shot a glance at the little girl.

“Mm-hmm, I get it, I get it! Oh, Er Jie, should I go to Aunt Lian’s house and trade for a block of tofu? How about we make fish soup for dinner?” Tian Laidi quickly covered the wild vegetables back over the fish, swallowing her saliva, and eagerly asked the person in charge of cooking.

“Alright!” Fish soup would be good. With so many people in the family, drinking fish soup would help fill their stomachs with something nutritious.

As soon as she finished speaking, Tian Mi glanced at the sky and reminded her, “Go a bit later, Aunt Lian is probably napping right now.”

The busy farming season had just ended, and after half a month of hard work, the villagers were finally able to rest.

The little girl nodded, then wrinkled her nose in distaste and jerked her chin toward the main room, before running off to the kitchen with the basket in her arms.

Tian Mi chuckled, her lips curving into a smile. As she untied her still half-damp long hair, she made her way toward the main room.

“…Dage^[4]Eldest brother, I’m telling you, you’re spoiling Mi Yatou^[5]丫头[ya tou] – girl. Can be used as either deprecating or as a term of endearment too much. How can a little girl decide on such a major thing as marriage? Besides, what’s wrong with Liu Xiangdong? He’s not bad looking, comes from one of the most respectable families in town, and his father is the head of the Grain Management office. Even without that, he himself has already secured a purchasing job at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative at such a young age. If he wasn’t interested in Mi Yatou for her face, I would’ve already tried to set him up with Chun Xiu.” As she spoke, the woman clicked her tongue in envy, her feelings of jealousy quite genuine.

Tian Mi’s lips curled into a mocking smile, and she wasn’t in any rush to enter the house. Instead, she leaned against the eaves, leisurely tending to her waist-length hair.

“It’s a good match. Don’t worry, when the second girl ^[6]Er Yatou gets back, I’ll have a good talk with her.”

“What’s there to talk about? I think Mi Yaotu’s just read too many books and now her standards are too high. What good is it to be a high school graduate if you can’t even find a job? Isn’t she still destined to farm? The Liu family’s situation? If they’re interested in Mi Yatou, that’s her good fortune. As long as you, her father, approve, I can have someone go to their house tomorrow.” Tian Xiaoyan’s heart was aflame, thinking about the ten yuan Liu Xiangdong had promised, and her tone became more eager. That was ten whole yuan!

Of course, it wasn’t just the money. The most important thing was connecting with the Liu family, which would help secure a government job for her precious son in the future. She wasn’t one of those short-sighted village women.

“Is that how things are done? You might not care about your reputation, but I do. There’s no need to rush, and watch what you’re saying! If you’re not careful, you’ll get branded and paraded through the streets. What’s wrong with farming? Labor is the most honorable thing!” Tian Hongxing slapped the table with a loud bang, glaring at his wayward younger sister. He’d been a policeman for nearly twenty years, and even though the Public Security Bureau wasn’t as highly regarded as the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, he still ate government rations and carried a lot of authority.

In this generation, the old man and woman had eight children, but only one son—Tian Hongxing. All the sisters in the family were afraid of him. Now, under his sharp glare, Tian Xiaoyan immediately lowered her head and fell silent.

Seeing his younger sister wilt under his scolding, Tian Hongxing was satisfied. He pulled out half a cigarette from the pack, struck a match, and took a leisurely puff, enjoying the moment.

“I’m just doing this for your sake, Dage. If this marriage works out, Xiangyang won’t have to worry about a respectable job in the future, right?” Tian Xiaoyan sulked for only a few seconds but remained persistent, her eyes darting around as she came up with yet another idea.

As for Xiangyang, who was only 10 years old and didn’t need a job just yet—wasn’t that what she, his old aunt, was here for?

Her own son, Youfu, was 18 this year, just the right age. Since they were all family, it wouldn’t hurt to have someone fill in for ten years or so.

Amidst the swirling smoke, Tian Hongxing squinted his eyes. He didn’t know what his sister was plotting, but… he had to admit, her suggestion stirred something in him.

In his life, his offspring weren’t much better than his father’s—just two boys in total, and of course, he couldn’t bear the thought of them scratching the dirt like the girls.

But jobs were hard to come by these days…

Even when he retired, there would only be one position for one of his sons.

Favoritism was inevitable, and Tian Hongxing liked his clever younger son the most. He was set on letting Xiangyang take over when he retired in another ten years or so.

However, his old wife favored the eldest, constantly bickering with him, hoping he would retire immediately so the eldest son could have a decent job.

Naturally, Tian Hongxing was unwilling. It wasn’t just for his younger son, after all. He was only fifty; he could easily work another ten years.

Earning his own salary was different from having to rely on his sons.

If Mi Yatou married into the Liu family, it would indeed be a good match.

Even if she could only secure a temporary job in the future, it would still give the eldest son some respectability.

Understanding the connections, Tian Hongxing kept his expression neutral. This matter still needed to be discussed with his daughter. While he was biased towards his sons, he wasn’t the type to sell his daughter for personal gain.

With this thought, he looked at his sister’s eager expression and coldly snorted, “I’ve said it before, there’s no rush. If it works out, you won’t miss out on your share. Don’t think I don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours. Now, hurry on home.”

Tian Xiaoyan forced a smile, feeling a bit embarrassed but not daring to challenge her brother’s authority. She huffed, turned on her heel, and left the house.

The moment she stepped outside, she bumped into her niece, Tian Mi.

Speaking of this girl, no one knew how she turned out this way. Among her brother’s six children, she was the one who grew the most stunningly.

Her brother had been a renowned handsome man in his youth, and even now, at his age, shameless women still threw themselves at him.

But none were as striking as Mi Yatou—her beauty was dazzling, almost to the point of being blinding.

The way the operas described it—features as delicate as a painting, skin as fair as snow, like a jade sculpture brought to life—this was exactly how Mi Yatou looked. Especially when she smiled; it could melt hearts. She didn’t seem like a rural girl at all.

Tian Xiaoyan couldn’t put it into fancy words, but she’d never seen anyone more beautiful, not even in town. And lately, within the past two weeks, the girl seemed to have shed her rustic demeanor. If you didn’t know better, you’d think she was a young lady from some well-off family. No wonder someone like Liu Xiangdong, with such good prospects, was captivated after just one meeting.

“Mi Yatou, did you go to the river? Now, don’t let your old aunt scold you, but you’re already twenty, and you’ll be married soon. A girl should be more mindful of her reputation…” Tian Xiaoyan showed no embarrassment for being caught gossiping. Her eyes scanned her niece, and the thought of her own daughter came to mind, making the comparison sting even more. Sourness welled up as she took on the tone of an elder lecturing her.

“Seventh Aunt, I seem to have seen Chun Xiu carrying a basket of vegetables, heading towards the educated youth point ^[7]知青(zhi qing) – sent-down, rusticated, or “educated” youth were the young people who—beginning in the 1950s until the end of the Cultural Revolution, willingly or under … Continue reading.” Tian Mi’s expression remained calm, her smile distant as she casually mentioned what she had just observed.

Chun Xiu was Seventh Aunt’s eldest daughter, the same age as Tian Mi. Though they were cousins, they never got along. Chunxiu had her heart set on marrying Sun Jun, an educated youth from Suzhou.

“What?! That wretched girl! I’ll break her legs!” Tian Xiaoyan jumped three feet high in anger, completely forgetting everything else as she charged towards the educated youth point. However, as she reached the intersection, she still didn’t forget to bend down and pull a few radishes from the roadside.

In the countryside, land was precious. Every little corner had to be put to use, and that small patch of radish field by the road belonged to the Tian family.

Even though Tian Mi was used to her Seventh Aunt’s opportunistic nature, she still couldn’t help but twitch the corners of her mouth at the sight before her.

=

“Mi Yatou, you’re back?” Tian Hongxing’s voice came from inside the house.

Tian Mi snapped out of her thoughts, stepped into the room, and pulled out a box of Da Yunhe cigarettes from her pocket, handing it to her father.

Tian Hongxing, who had just been about to speak, was silenced by the sight of the unopened pack of cigarettes on the table. “Where did this come from?” A pack of these cost 33 cents, while Mi Yatou probably only had a few pennies to her name.

“I caught two black fish. I traded the bigger one with Uncle Ergen for the cigarettes,” Tian Mi explained, sitting down at the table. She picked up the worn-out teapot, poured herself a cup of water, and only after gulping down a whole bowl did she feel her thirst quenched.

“Mi Yatou is the most considerate,” Tian Hongxing chuckled in satisfaction once he understood the situation. Of the six children he had raised, aside from his eldest who was already married, this was the first time one of his kids had bought him something.

No wonder of all his daughters, he doted on the second the most. However, he still warned her, “But try to catch fewer fish. That river is deep, and it’s easy to get into trouble.”

Tian Mi smiled lightly. “I know my limits.”

“You… fine, you’re all grown up now, so I won’t nag. But what do you think about the marriage? Your aunt’s been coming around every day for the past half month. I can see that the Liu family’s boy is sincere, and their conditions are good. How about you just say yes?” While speaking, Tian Hongxing pulled out a full cigarette from the pack.

Now that his daughter had bought him some cigarettes, he had more in stock, so for once, he was feeling generous. Unlike before, when he would only smoke half a cigarette every few days to satisfy his cravings.

He tapped the filter end on the table, then placed it in his mouth, puffing on the embers of the previous cigarette.

Indeed, with the tobacco packed more tightly, the taste was richer. Smoking the whole thing really made him feel like he was living in heaven…

TN:

This is my first attempt at this type of novel. I have been working on modern/danmei since my first project but someone recommended this and I decided to give it a shot. It hasn’t been picked up by anyone since May so why not me? I can’t guarantee the output will be 100% accurate and there will be quite a few mistakes as I am not familiar with the setting of this kind of Republican era story and the language used. I will do my best while editing to not deviate from the main plot and keep it as true to the OG as possible. As such I am open to constructive criticism and corrections on any mistakes spotted. 

PS. A lot of people on jjwxc were complaining about the accuracy of the setting. Saying it was written with a modern mindset on the 70s. There are also some plotholes and situations that just don’t make sense. So take note of that and don’t expect a line by line text-book accurate representation of rural life in that time. From what I’ve read so far of the story, there are a lot of “irrational?” points the author stuffs in for the plot but don’t make sense logically speaking. Don’t take it too seriously and just turn off your brain while reading haha.