Chapter 1

The road conditions in the early 1980s were far from good. It wasn’t until they neared the city that the dirt road finally turned into asphalt.

Lin Qiao swayed with the bumps of the long-distance bus, the air around her filled with the unpleasant smell of gasoline, and the occasional clucking of poultry brought on board by fellow passengers. Despite this, she, like the other passengers crammed into the seats and aisles, was drowsy. She was utterly exhausted, having barely slept the previous night in her bid to escape. Early this morning, before dawn, she had walked over an hour of mountain roads to the town and then endured nearly eight hours on the bus, leaving her feeling completely worn out. However, no matter how tired she was, when she felt someone touching the backpack she held in front of her, she grabbed the person’s fingers and twisted them without even opening her eyes.

“Ah—” The person clearly didn’t expect this and let out a cry of pain.

The people around, who had been dozing off, woke up and looked over in confusion, “What’s going on? What happened?”

“Nothing, just someone trying to steal something.” Lin Qiao’s voice wasn’t loud, but it instantly woke everyone up, and they began checking their belongings.

In the 1980s and 1990s, thieves were rampant, especially on buses. During crowded times, there were even instances of blatant robbery, and the culprits often got away.

Seeing everyone on high alert, the small, thin man Lin Qiao had caught panicked, “Watch your mouth, little girl! Who the hell stole your stuff?” His words carried a threat, but Lin Qiao showed no fear. She looked at the hand she had grabbed and raised an eyebrow, “If you weren’t stealing, were you trying to be a pervert?”

Being a pervert wasn’t out of the question. After all, although Lin Qiao was dressed plainly and looked like she came from the countryside, she was very pretty. Not in the traditional sense, but especially when she looked up, there was a captivating red mole at the corner of her long, narrow eyes.

In this era, being accused of being a pervert was much more serious than theft. If someone reported it, a few years in prison was inevitable, and in severe cases, it could even lead to execution. The small man fell silent, as if someone had grabbed his throat. He had targeted Lin Qiao because she looked young, around eighteen or nineteen, and didn’t seem to know anyone around her, making her an easy target. He didn’t expect her to be so sharp and unafraid to accuse him of being a pervert.

Suddenly, someone exclaimed, “My money! My money and tickets are gone!”

There was no need for Lin Qiao to say anything more. The person had already grabbed the small man, demanding he return the money or be taken to the police. Those who hadn’t lost anything also joined in, forcing the man to return the money and get off the bus several stops early.

“Good thing you reacted quickly, or he would have gotten away.”

The aunt sitting next to Lin Qiao was still shaken and checked the two old hens tied at her feet, “These are for my daughter to eat during her confinement. If they were lost, where would I find replacements?”

Even without checking, no thief would steal such large live animals, right?

Lin Qiao found it amusing, but the aunt, because of the recent incident, felt more favorable towards her and started chatting, “I see you’re traveling alone. Are you going to Yandu for school?”

Since the resumption of the college entrance exam in 1977, more and more people from other places were coming to Yandu for school, so it wasn’t unusual anymore.

Moreover, with the recent opening up, people still needed introduction letters to travel. Compared to business trips, Lin Qiao’s age made her look more like a student.

Lin Qiao didn’t deny it, but in fact, she was there to find the person her body was betrothed to and demand he fulfill the marriage contract.

Three days ago, she had stayed up late revising a paper and accidentally fell down the stairs. When she opened her eyes, she was in this strange world. It wasn’t the 1980s of history but a period novel her friend had told her about. In the book, she was a cannon fodder female supporting character with a low background, the male lead’s troublesome ex-wife destined to be written off. She married the male lead for a very old-fashioned reason: her family had saved his family’s life. To repay the debt, his family arranged a marriage, promising to take care of her for life and ensure her future. By the 1980s, the male lead naturally didn’t want to accept this arranged marriage. However, with the recent opening up, he wanted to quit his job and go into business, which his family opposed. After many conflicts, they reached a compromise: he agreed to marry her, and his family agreed not to interfere with his career. Then the male lead became busy with his career, rarely coming home; she felt neglected and acted out in various ways. When the male lead’s career succeeded, and he was no longer afraid of his family’s control, she had successfully made herself universally disliked. She not only drugged the male lead but also frequently caused trouble at his company, accusing him of having an affair. The inevitable result was that the male lead, unable to tolerate it any longer, divorced her and married the gentle and kind female lead with a better background. They lived happily ever after, becoming a model couple, while she…

Lin Qiao hadn’t read the original book and wasn’t very clear about it. She only knew that in her current situation, the only solution was to marry the male lead. She wanted personal freedom, and he wanted career freedom. They could each get what they needed and cooperate for mutual benefit, pretending to be a couple for a while. In the book, even after all her antics, the male lead still gave her a large alimony, so he didn’t seem unreasonable. As she thought about it, the bus wobbled into the city.

Through the dusty window, Lin Qiao saw rows of low houses, quite different from the towering buildings she remembered in Yandu. It wasn’t until the bus stopped near Nanlou that she found some familiar sights among the green-tiled courtyards. Her friend hadn’t told her many details, but the original body had some memories.

The Lin family and the male lead’s family had connections from the previous generation, being both comrades and fellow townsmen. However, one was honest and unassuming, illiterate, and returned to farming after liberation, while the other remained in a high position. Such vastly different families wouldn’t have formed a marriage alliance without that life-saving debt.

The Lin family knew this and rarely mentioned it. It wasn’t until the original body’s grandmother fell seriously ill, leaving her with no one to rely on, that the old lady took out a few letters on her deathbed, telling her to go to Yandu and find the Ji family if she was in trouble.

Lin Qiao followed the address and found that the Ji family’s status was indeed high—a two-entry courtyard in the city center with well-preserved gates and matching doorways. The grandeur alone could intimidate many, especially rural people like the Lin family. No wonder, despite the short distance, the two families had little contact.

Lin Qiao didn’t rush forward. Instead, she first took out a photo from her yellow canvas military bag.

This was a photo taken after the two families arranged the marriage, featuring the original male lead. The boy in the photo was about seven or eight years old, wearing a shirt and vest with a bow tie around his neck. He didn’t look very happy, with his brows tightly furrowed.

Of course, that wasn’t the main point. The main point was the background behind the boy.

This photo was taken at the entrance of the Ji family home. Lin Qiao repeatedly compared the details and confirmed she hadn’t found the wrong place before stepping forward to knock on the door.

A middle-aged woman with her sleeves rolled up, hands still wet from washing, opened the door. She was likely a maid.

Upon hearing that Lin Qiao wanted to visit Mr. Ji, the woman cautiously sized her up without saying a word.

Lin Qiao wasn’t surprised. Firstly, she was very young and still looked like a student. Secondly, her clothes were old-fashioned, with the only unpatched item being her shoes, which were the type of liberation shoes typically worn by boys. She didn’t look like someone who would have connections with the Ji family.

The woman didn’t directly chase her away, which was already polite.

Lin Qiao took out a letter from her bag. “Could you please go inside and ask? Just say I’m the granddaughter of Lin Chang, Mr. Ji Chunming’s comrade. If you don’t believe me, you can look at this.”

The middle-aged maid was skeptical but still wiped her hands and took the letter, asking Lin Qiao to wait outside while she went in.

After a while, the maid returned and handed the letter back to her, her attitude suddenly becoming somewhat stiff. “You’ve got the wrong place.”

“The wrong place?” Lin Qiao was stunned, holding the letter.

The maid seemed unwilling to say more, hurriedly nodded, and was about to close the door.

Lin Qiao squinted her eyes. “It’s not that I found the wrong place; it’s that someone doesn’t want to see me, right?”

Although the address on the letter matched, and the gate’s style was the same as in the photo, the two families hadn’t had much contact, and the last letter was from over ten years ago. If the Ji family had moved during that time, she might have had the wrong place. But if she had really found the wrong place, the maid could have just said so. Why take the letter inside?

Moreover, if this was the only address, how did the original character in the book marry the male lead?

Sure enough, the maid’s eyes flickered with guilt.

Someone had indeed instructed her to say that…

Lin Qiao felt it was expected but still couldn’t understand.

In the book, the male lead married the original character under pressure, so the Ji family—at least the head of the Ji family — must have been in favor of fulfilling the marriage contract. Since she had shown the letter, they shouldn’t have denied it.

“Did Mr. Ji Chunming tell you to say this, or…” Lin Qiao wanted to probe further, but the tightly closed door suddenly opened, revealing a face that was still fair and delicate despite the traces of time. The slender woman wore a silk blouse with a delicate lady’s watch peeking out from the cuff. She stood gracefully at the threshold. “Didn’t I say you found the wrong place? Why are you still making a fuss at the door? If this happens again, just send them away.” Her voice was pleasant, even gentle, but her demeanor and tone were condescending. She even instructed the maid, “Don’t make it hard for her. She probably came to seek connections because her family is struggling.”

Compared to outright disdain, this seemingly gentle condescension was even more hurtful. If it were an ordinary girl, she would either feel ashamed and leave or become angry and storm off.

Lin Qiao, however, just smiled. “Since you mentioned seeking connections, it seems I didn’t find the wrong place.”

The woman didn’t expect this response and her expression stiffened. She turned to the maid, “Hurry up. You know who lives around here. Don’t let this drag on and affect others.”

The woman spoke as she was about to close the door, and the maid looked at Lin Qiao with difficulty. “Comrade, you see…”

They were all just workers, and Lin Qiao didn’t want to make it too hard for her. She smiled, “It’s okay. I won’t disturb you anymore.”

The woman was clearly from the Ji family. With her blocking the way, it wouldn’t be easy for Lin Qiao to see Mr. Ji Chunming. She even suspected that Mr. Ji might not be home. Otherwise, after all this time, why had only this woman come out?

Rather than entangle with them, risking being caught for some unknown scheme, it was better to think of another way, like waiting at the alley entrance.

After all, whether Mr. Ji was home or not, he would eventually pass by there. The only question was how long she would have to wait. If it took too long, she might starve before seeing him…

Lin Qiao had spent most of her money on the bus ticket, leaving her with very little. Just as she was about to leave and think of her next move, a Jeep with a special license plate drove up the alley and slowly stopped at the Ji family gate.