Chapter 1

1963, Heping Commune, Songyang County, Hongyuan City.

It was the autumn harvest season. The vibrant flowers had withered, the dense forests had turned golden, and row after row of golden rice stalks fell beneath the sharp blades of sickles.

The commune members worked tirelessly, beating the grain against half-filled buckets. The rice grains were spread out to dry on the threshing ground, then fed into hand-operated winnowing machines. Clouds of rice husks swirled through the air, but the workers paid no mind, their eyes fixed on the plump, glistening grains as they swallowed hard.

The Three Years of Hardship had ended not long ago, and life remained difficult for the Liberation Production Team. Fortunately, this year’s harvest was promising.

Everyone hoped that after delivering the Public Grain to the Brigade, each household would receive a larger share to fill their empty bellies.

Hand-operating the winnowing machine was traditionally the easiest job during the autumn harvest rush. While other commune members sweated in the fields, the winnower only had to endure aching arms. As a result, this position was fiercely contested.

Yet even this relatively light task proved unbearable for Wen Ning.

She glanced up at the bright autumn sun, contemplating the feasibility of feigning a fainting spell to escape home for a rest.

This job would have been perfect for her original body, but Wen Ning was a princess, raised in luxury and pampered since birth. Having never endured hardship, she could barely last ten minutes before her body began to protest.

That’s right, the Wen Family’s youngest daughter, currently winnowing grain at the Liberation Production Brigade’s threshing ground, was a transmigrator.

She had gone from being a princess of the Great Liang Dynasty to a peasant girl with the same name in a historical romance novel.

The novel told the story of the original female lead marrying into the military and becoming a virtuous wife and loving mother, living a harmonious life.

Early in the story, two important foils appeared in the military family compound, the original Wen Ning and Jiang Rong, a neighbor from the same village. Both followed their husbands into the military—one hypocritical, the other overbearing—highlighting the original female lead’s purity and kindness.

The original Wen Ning, having forced her way into marriage with the novel’s powerful male supporting character by exploiting a debt of gratitude, had been lazy, spoiled, and constantly caused trouble. Unsatisfied with her comfortable life, she planned to elope, but died in an accident before reaching thirty.

However, the novel’s plot had barely begun when the original Wen Ning, overwhelmed by gossip, fell ill and died. Now, Wen Ning from the Great Liang Dynasty had transmigrated into her body.

A voracious reader of storybooks since childhood, Wen Ning had encountered countless tales of ghosts, demons, and strange phenomena. She had even read stories of painted monsters emerging from scrolls to fall in love with mortals. Thus, she readily accepted her bizarre situation of transmigrating into a storybook.

Wen Ning was just turning eighteen, the beloved daughter of Duke Zhenguo’s Estate. Her maternal aunt was the current Empress Dowager, and her cousin was the reigning Emperor.

Renowned throughout the Capital for her exquisite beauty and noble status, she was the most sought-after maiden in the land. Yet Wen Ning turned down every suitor, determined to choose her own husband—the most formidable man in the world.

Her high standards kept her unmarried until General Lu Cheng, a valiant military commander, returned to the Capital victorious. During an assassination attempt by enemy spies targeting imperial relatives, Wen Ning found herself in mortal danger. The general rescued her, taking an arrow to his left shoulder. Even wounded, he shielded her completely.

From that moment on, Wen Ning’s heart belonged to the general.

But Lu Cheng was aloof and showed no interest in the delicate princess. For half a year, Wen Ning pursued him relentlessly, finally managing to warm his icy heart. Before departing for battle, the general gazed intently at her, urging her to wait for his return…

Overjoyed, Wen Ning never got to see the general’s safe return. Instead, she accidentally fell into the water, developed a persistent fever, and found herself transported into the very romance novel she had been reading…

Wen Ning wondered how worried her family must be. She also wondered if the Great General would feel even a flicker of sadness upon returning to court and learning of her demise.

Especially since the original owner of this body had already been married, Wen Ning had unwittingly buried a colossal landmine. She would never casually be with a strange man.

……

After a busy morning, a fine sheen of sweat glistened on her forehead.

Wen Ning seized the lull between the gusts of grain-laden wind to slip inside for a drink and a brief rest. Moments later, she heard the voices of several older women returning their farm tools outside.

“Haiyan, your daughter is truly accomplished! Her husband is a battalion commander, and he treats Rongrong so well.”

“You’re living the good life! Your daughter and son-in-law will surely take care of you in your old age.”

Zhang Haiyan, basking in the compliments, grinned so wide her eyes nearly disappeared.

After a hearty laugh, she replied, “Rongrong just got lucky. She and Xiao Qin hit it off the moment they met in town. By the way, Xiao Qin is in the same unit as Yufen’s son-in-law. Poor Yufen’s daughter, though—marrying a military officer is practically like not being married at all. Who knows if he’ll even want her back…”

“Wen Ning? That lazy good-for-nothing? She can’t hold a candle to your Rongrong.”

“It’s not that simple,” Zhang Haiyan said. “Wen Ning was just unlucky. Her husband’s surname is Lu, right? He left on their wedding day—you could tell he wasn’t committed. Who does that? We haven’t seen him in a year. Even though Wen Ning used tricks to marry him and that Lu officer didn’t want to, he shouldn’t—”

Zhang Haiyan’s words were cut short by a furious roar.

Mother Wen, Li Huafen, stormed over, her eyes blazing. “Zhang Haiyan! What did you just say? Are you jealous that our Ningning married a good man and outshone your daughter? Is that why you’re ruining her reputation? Say another word and I’ll tear your tongue out!”

Zhang Haiyan paled under Li Huafen’s blistering tirade. “Li Huafen, what’s wrong with you? We’re neighbors! How can you speak so cruelly? What did I ever do to you?”

Li Huafen snorted coldly. Noticing the growing crowd of villagers, she raised her voice. “Bullshit! I caught you badmouthing my daughter behind her back, and now you dare act innocent? You’re a black-hearted, rotten-gutted liar!”

An hour ago, Mother Wen had finished her work in the fields and returned the farm tools, taking the opportunity to bring her youngest daughter, Wen Ning, home with her. Wen Ning had been unwell recently, unable to keep anything down, which worried her mother deeply.

But as they reached the threshing ground, they encountered their neighbor, Zhang Haiyan, gossiping with others.

Mother Wen had always been fiercely protective of her own, especially after enduring the hardships of gender inequality herself. She doted on her only daughter and couldn’t bear anyone tarnishing her reputation.

Even in her youth, Mother Wen had been known for her fiery temper and never backed down from a fight. Now, at forty-three, she still radiated formidable energy, outshining even the older women in the village.

The onlookers offered half-hearted advice, but doubts lingered in their minds. Everyone suspected Wen Ning had truly been abandoned, yet Mother Wen’s intimidating presence kept them from voicing their concerns.

Zhang Haiyan was no pushover either. With her successful son-in-law, she feared nothing. She spat venomously, “You’re ready to fight over a casual remark? This is terrible for village unity!”

As the argument escalated, a clear, crisp voice rang out from the crowd: “Mother.”

Mother Wen whirled around at the sound of her daughter’s voice. Wen Ning was slowly emerging from the tool shed, carrying herself with a newfound poise.

Wen Ning’s original self had been raised with a pampered disposition, her nose perpetually in the air as she strode about with fiery energy.

Though Wen Ning, born into a refined family, deliberately restrained her gait, the villagers still found the Wen Family’s youngest daughter strikingly different.

Beautiful and delicate, she moved like a gust of wind, captivating all eyes.

Even dressed in drab, coarse linen, her youthful charm couldn’t be concealed. She was renowned as the most beautiful woman in the surrounding villages, with a palm-sized, fair face, delicate skin, and a slender frame that somehow accentuated her hourglass figure—a true beauty.

“Ningning, don’t worry about this. Your mother can handle this shrew!” Mother Wen said affectionately, smoothing her daughter’s forehead.

“You, Li Yufen! Watch your filthy mouth!” Zhang Haiyan’s face flushed crimson with anger. She refused to believe the Wen Family could possibly compare to her own now!

“It’s alright,” Wen Ning reassured her mother, then cast a cold glance at Aunt Zhang, their neighbor. Her voice softened as she spoke, “My mother is disrupting unity? I think you’re the one disrupting unity! I, Wen Ning, am married to a soldier who defends our country. As a military spouse, I work tirelessly to support our troops. And you dare spread rumors behind my back, claiming no one wants me?”

At the mention of being unwanted, Wen Ning scoffed disdainfully. Her eyes flashed with brilliance, captivating the onlookers who thought anyone who claimed she was unwanted must be blind.

The princess’s aura now radiated unmistakably as Wen Ning confronted her neighbor. “What’s your motive? Slandering soldiers and their families! I think we should call the Brigade Commander to settle this and see who’s undermining unity!”

Though her voice remained soft and her words deliberate, Wen Ning’s tone carried an unexpected cadence, each syllable dripping with intimidating authority.

Zhang Haiyan froze, unable to believe this was the same foolish, pretentious girl from next door. Hearing herself accused of slandering soldiers and their families, and threatened with the Brigade Commander, she panicked.

All she’d done was boast about her daughter’s upcoming marriage to a promising company commander—a match made in heaven—while Wen Ning’s daughter had been abandoned on her wedding day and left unclaimed for a year.

A few casual digs at Wen Ning to elevate her own daughter’s prospects hardly warranted this Wen Family uproar.

“Hua Fen, Ningning, let it go. Haiyan didn’t mean to say it that way.”

The villagers chimed in with their own words of comfort, creating a lively chorus of voices.

The Wen brothers, returning from their work in the fields, hurried to the scene. By the time they arrived, their mother had already forced Aunt Zhang to apologize.

Mother Wen stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at the crowd and declaring, “Did you all hear me? If I ever hear anyone badmouthing my daughter or son-in-law again, I’ll report them to the Brigade Commander and the Commune Leader!”

Mother Wen’s fierce demeanor, combined with Wen Ning’s strategic use of political rhetoric, had a powerful effect.

In those times, who would dare openly criticize military personnel or their families? Who would risk antagonizing the Brigade Commander or the Commune Leader?

Aunt Zhang, urged by the others, lowered her head in apology, finally appeasing the Wen family’s anger.

The family urged Mother Wen to return home. Wen Ning followed reluctantly, enduring the discomfort of her ill-fitting cloth shoes, her mind still troubled.

The speech she had delivered earlier had been learned from the transmigration novels she had been reading. She knew that in this era, military personnel were held in extraordinary esteem, and their families enjoyed elevated social status. Otherwise, the original Wen Ning would never have secured a leisurely position like operating the winnowing fan.

The family returned home. After dinner, everyone else went out for a stroll, but Mother Wen, concerned for her daughter, pulled her aside to prepare a special steamed egg custard. Remembering the recent rumors she’d heard, she knew Wen Ning’s illness stemmed from the same source. “Don’t pay any mind to those idle gossips,” she advised.

If I catch anyone spreading those lies again, I’ll tear their tongue out!

“I know,” Wen Ning replied. She wasn’t upset by the rumors themselves, but she understood that suppressing such gossip was essential for maintaining stability in her life.

“Still…” Mother Wen said, her worry lingering, “Your husband has been gone for so long. I can’t help but worry, Ningning. Why don’t we have Xiao Peng escort you to the military district to see him?”

If this continued, Mother Wen feared the rumors might become reality. How could a woman abandoned by her husband survive? The weight of public scorn could drown a person.

Wen Ning stiffened at the suggestion. That so-called husband had never been her choice.

As a princess, she had meticulously selected her consort. Now, she had no reason to accept just any husband.

She was already planning to divorce him. Why would she seek him out?

“I won’t go,” Wen Ning stated firmly.

“Hey, you child…” Mother Wen, concerned that her young daughter didn’t understand these matters, was about to press further when their younger son, Wen Peng, burst into the room, shouting.

“Mom! Sis!” Wen Peng, clutching a yellow envelope, ran in. “Brother-in-law is back! He’s here to take Sis to join him at his post!”