Early the next morning, Song Suisui arrived at the machinery factory. After reporting her work over the past few days to Director Zhang and reimbursing her travel and accommodation expenses, she returned to her office.  

She slacked off all morning, and as soon as lunch break began, Song Suisui grabbed the items she had brought for Yu Fengyuan and headed to the cafeteria.  

“Sister Fengyuan, these are the things you asked me to bring, plus some local specialties I got for you,” Song Suisui said as she handed the items to Yu Fengyuan after finding her.  

“Thank you, Suisui! You’ve worked hard,” Yu Fengyuan replied with a bright smile as she took the items.  

After lunch, when Song Suisui returned to the office, she noticed a letter on her desk.  

The colleague sitting across from her looked up and said, “The security guard dropped it off earlier.”  

“Got it,” Song Suisui nodded, then sat down and opened the envelope.  

The letter was from Zhou Xiuna. It was brief, just letting Song Suisui know she had arrived safely in the countryside and that everything was going well so far.  

Relieved to hear that Zhou Xiuna had settled in smoothly, Song Suisui couldn’t help but smile as she recalled the news about the Zhou family that Yu Fengyuan had shared with her at lunch.  

Before leaving, Zhou Xiuna had made sure the Zhou family was thoroughly dealt with.  

For instance, when her stepsister was about to be sent to the countryside, the Zhou family immediately rushed to the machinery factory to demand her job.  

Unsurprisingly, they were driven out by the factory. But when they learned that Zhou Xiuna had already given the job to Song Suisui, they tried to cause trouble for her.  

However, before they could even start, Zhong Zhengmin and Director Zhang stepped in and resolved the issue.  

It was then that Song Suisui realized Zhong Zhengmin and Director Zhang were part of Zhou Xiuna’s network.  

This business trip had not only been a test from Director Zhang but also a way to keep her away from the Zhou family’s harassment.  

Song Suisui knew a little about Zhou Xiuna’s plans, though not the full picture.  

Originally, she had been rubbing her hands together, ready to take on the antagonists, but to her surprise, the Zhou family turned out to be utterly useless.  

Of course, Zhou Xiuna had backup plans because she had her own agenda.  

Initially, she hadn’t planned to ask Director Zhang and Zhong Zhengmin to look out for Song Suisui. But after seeing how the Song family had acted, she adjusted part of her plan.  

No matter how it changed, the Zhou family was doomed to fall.  

Realizing she owed Zhou Xiuna a favor, Song Suisui decided to send her some extra nice things next time.

Even if she wasn’t afraid of dealing with troublemakers, constantly fighting with them would still be a hassle.  

As for the Zhou family’s current miserable state, she wouldn’t bother adding to the drama, but she could always write to Zhou Xiuna and share the news to cheer her up.  

So, with nothing else to do, Song Suisui took out paper and pen and started writing a letter to Zhou Xiuna.  

After a day of slacking off at the factory, Song Suisui returned home in high spirits.  

As soon as she stepped into the alley after getting off the bus, a neighbor, Aunt Guihua, approached her with a smile and asked, “Suisui, just got off work?”  

“Yes, Aunt Guihua.”  

“Oh, your family is really something—all six of you have jobs! You’re the only household in the textile factory area like that.”  

She sighed and added, “Not like my family. Your Brother Jianping and Sister Qiuying both went to the countryside. As a mother, my heart aches…”  

Song Suisui listened to her ramble, then said, “Auntie, Brother Jianping and Sister Qiuying going to the countryside is following national policy—it’s admirable. I’m sure with their abilities, they’ll work hard to contribute to the country’s development there…”  

Who didn’t know how to spout nice words?  

Aunt Guihua choked on her words after hearing Song Suisui’s response.  

Ever since news spread that Song Suisui and her sister Song Niannian had secured jobs, no family in the textile factory’s residential area wasn’t envious.  

Some suspected the Song family had pulled some strings, but the Songs had always been on good terms with everyone and hadn’t made enemies.  

So even if people were green with envy, no one actually thought of reporting them.  

In these times, reporting someone might work—but if it didn’t, it would create a lifelong grudge.  

“Auntie, it’s getting late—shouldn’t you hurry home to cook?”  

Song Suisui knew Aunt Guihua didn’t have any real ill intentions—she was just jealous that she and Song Niannian had jobs and wanted to vent a little.  

Plus, Aunt Guihua had a weak spot: she was afraid of her husband.  

Her husband’s surname was Zhao, and Song Suisui called him Uncle Dajun.  

Uncle Dajun was decent in every way—except he was notoriously stingy.  

He was the neighborhood’s most famous penny-pincher.  

Aunt Guihua’s fear of her husband wasn’t due to domestic violence or anything—it was just that he controlled the household finances, and she didn’t dare cross him.  

So after hearing Song Suisui’s words, Aunt Guihua quickly scurried off.  

Seeing more people gathering, Song Suisui also hurried home.  

She pushed open the courtyard gate, stepped inside, and closed it behind her—all in one smooth motion.  

Once shielded from those envious stares, Song Suisui thought to herself: I really need to move out soon.

Not long after she got home, Song Niannian also rushed back in a flurry.  

She got off work a little later than Song Suisui and happened to run into the textile factory’s female workers on their way home. Naturally, she got surrounded and questioned by a bunch of aunties for a while.  

Seeing her sister’s hurried movements mirror her own earlier, Song Suisui couldn’t help but snicker. “Sis, don’t tell me you also got an earful of envy from those aunties?”  

Song Niannian raised her hand and poked Song Suisui’s forehead with her index finger.  

“You’re laughing at me!”  

“Would I dare? You’re Mom’s favorite—I should be buttering you up!”  

“Pfft—” Song Niannian burst out laughing at her playful antics.  

“Like you’re not Mom’s favorite too.”  

“Heh~ Fine, we both are, happy?”  

After teasing each other for a bit, the sisters went inside to drop off their bags and started cooking in the kitchen.  

Before long, Ma Xiumei joined them to help with dinner.  

After the meal, Song Niannian pulled Song Suisui into her room for a private chat.  

“Sis, what’d you wanna talk about?”  

Once inside, Song Suisui flopped onto Song Niannian’s bed and sprawled out lazily.  

Song Niannian sat on the edge of the bed and said, “Suisui, I’m thinking of renting a place near the supply and marketing co-op. The eastern part of the city is too far from home, and commuting every day is just too inconvenient.”  

“Now that you mention it, the machinery factory is also pretty far from our textile factory!”  

Song Suisui followed her lead in the conversation.  

She also wanted to move out, but she hadn’t approached Old Tan yet.  

Mostly because the nail that sticks out gets hammered down—better to let Song Niannian take the lead while she cheered from the sidelines.  

Song Niannian: Wow, thanks a lot.

“So, what’s your plan?” Song Niannian asked.  

This Song Suisui in front of her wasn’t the little sister she once knew.  

At first, she thought it might be a butterfly effect caused by her own rebirth.  

But after observing for a while, she realized that this “Suisui” wasn’t the sister she remembered—just a soul from elsewhere inhabiting her sister’s body.  

It must be what people online called transmigration, she figured.  

At first, Song Niannian had been a little unsettled. But as time passed, she found herself growing fond of this “new” sister.  

At least she was clever, knew how to handle situations tactfully, and treated the family well.  

Since she’s here now, she’s family. Once she made peace with it, she stopped overthinking and tucked the matter away in her heart.  

And so, she accepted the Song Suisui before her.

Actually, Song Suisui had long known that Song Niannian had guessed something was off about her.  

But so what? This body of hers was undeniably Song Niannian’s biological younger sister.  

Besides, both of them had their own secrets, and Song Niannian wouldn’t harm her.  

As the protagonist of this period novel, Song Niannian had strong morals—she cherished her family and friends deeply.  

Otherwise, Song Suisui wouldn’t have remembered this book in the first place.  

Most novels slipped from her mind as soon as she finished them, but this one had left a deep impression.  

Mainly because the female lead was so well-written—not some white lotus or green tea b*tch, but a genuinely resilient, independent, and optimistic girl.  

The only downside was the early melodrama—the author had to torture the protagonist a bit, leading to the Song family’s tragic downfall.  

Song Suisui absolutely hated that trope. Did period novel heroines really have to be orphaned or left with broken families? Couldn’t they just have a happy home life?

Her thoughts began to drift.  

Seeing her spaced-out expression, Song Niannian couldn’t help but laugh.  

This little sister of hers still shared some similarities with the original—both were daydreamers.  

“Oh, right, take these snacks to the factory with you.”  

After their heart-to-heart, Song Niannian handed Song Suisui some homemade snacks from her space.  

Song Suisui didn’t hesitate, grinning as she accepted them. “Thanks, sis!”  

“Try them out and let me know if they’re good. You can always come back for more when you finish.”  

“Got it. I’ll head back to my room now.”  

“Go ahead. Oh—do you want to shower first, or should I?”  

Noticing that Ma Xiumei had already finished bathing, Song Niannian asked.  

Song Suisui didn’t mind either way. “You go first.”  

“Alright.”  

Back in her room, Song Suisui placed the snacks Song Niannian had given her on the table.  

She peeked inside the bag—there were pastries, dried meat, preserved plums, and other fruit snacks.  

Looking at the treats, Song Suisui broke into a bright smile.  

Heh~  

…

Song Suisui spent another day slacking off at the machinery factory.  

Working in procurement meant being busy only during business trips—the rest of the time, there really wasn’t much to do.  

That’s why the procurement department was so small.  

Song Suisui had once dreamed of living the carefree life of a salted fish, just like the system.  

But maybe because she’d been stuck in the 996 grind in her past life, being idle now actually made her restless.  

“Tsk~ Guess I wasn’t born to be a salted fish after all! In that case, I might as well work a little harder to become a landlady in the future.”

Though she talked about “working harder,” in reality, she hadn’t taken any concrete steps yet.  

Speaking of which, two nights ago, Song Niannian had brought up moving out to the family.  

As the first to voice the idea, she ended up getting lectured into submission by the rest of the Song family. These days, she looked utterly deflated.  

Seeing her like that, Song Suisui couldn’t help but feel relieved she hadn’t been the one to speak up first.  

Otherwise, she’d be the one moping around now.  

Truthfully, she’d considered bringing up moving out many times, but she always assumed their parents would never agree.  

So she’d waited for Song Niannian to test the waters—if her sister succeeded, her own chances would improve.  

But who knew Song Niannian would get talked down by their parents and two brothers until she shrank like a quail?  

Lately, she’d been nagged nonstop by the family.  

Several times, she’d turned to Song Suisui for help, only to be met with an apologetic shrug.  

Deep down, Song Suisui whispered an apology: “Sis, it’s not that I don’t want to help—I just can’t!”