“Mom, I don’t want to marry into the city. If you want someone to marry there, send Mu Jinyue instead.”  

“Are you stupid? This is such a good match! Du Yu is a permanent worker in the city—he has a state grain ration. If you marry him, you’ll become a city dweller…” Though most of the Mu family were out working in the fields and few were home, the speaker still lowered her voice, afraid of being overheard.  

This was Mu Jinyue’s fifteenth day since transmigrating, and also the tenth day since her elder cousin, the daughter of her uncle’s family, had started making a fuss about not wanting to marry. By now, she had heard everything—things she was supposed to hear and things she wasn’t.  

In the first few days after arriving, she had already figured out the family dynamics. The Mu household was undivided, with everyone living together. At the top was the eldest uncle, favored by her grandfather, and at the bottom was the fourth uncle, the apple of her grandmother’s eye. As for her own parents—the honest and obedient third branch of the family—they were naturally the ones who bore the brunt of the labor and the scolding.  

As for the marriage arrangements, the eldest granddaughter, Mu Jinhua, had a fiancé from the city. It was said that this match had been arranged by Grandpa Mu years ago. The two families had recently met and set the wedding date for October 16th—just a month away. The bride price alone was set at fifty yuan, the highest tier in the village.  

As for the second granddaughter—her—after raising her for so many years for nothing, Grandma Mu had long wanted to marry her off. Seizing the opportunity, she had found a man from the neighboring village, willing to take her for a bride price of just five yuan.  

The original host had actually been happy when she first heard she was to be married. Life at home was too hard—she had to work and cook every day, with no rest except for sleep. Yet, no matter how hard she worked, she was still beaten and scolded by the elders. She didn’t want to continue like this and thought marriage would be her escape.  

But her joy didn’t last long. By chance, she heard that the man she was to marry had no parents, was very poor, and had a violent temper. Terrified, she ran away, unable to understand why there was such a gap between her and her cousin. In a daze, she jumped into the river and drowned.  

After inheriting the original host’s memories, Mu Jinyue was also afraid. She didn’t want to marry—or at least, she didn’t want to be forced into a marriage arranged by her grandparents. But reality gave her no room for resistance.  

She had tried refusing, only to be slapped several times by her grandmother. Later, she attempted to run away, but it was 1968—travel required an introduction letter, which she couldn’t obtain. She couldn’t even escape the Mu family’s watchful eyes. Every time she stepped outside, her cousins would automatically follow her.  

After days of struggling with no results, her spirit had been worn down. And then, her cousin suddenly started making a scene about not wanting to marry. Though she didn’t know why, Mu Jinyue felt a little relieved. The Mu grandparents were traditional—they believed the elder should marry first. With her cousin causing trouble, her own marriage would likely be postponed.  

Life after transmigrating had been too hard. She often thought of her past life—she had been just an ordinary office worker, with a harmonious family, loving parents, and a sweet younger sister. Life had been simple and warm. But her current reality reminded her constantly that those modern days seemed like nothing but a dream. She had to adapt to this life. At least, back in the modern world, her younger sister was still there. Her parents would have some comfort and wouldn’t grieve too deeply.  

Beside her, Lin Guihua noticed her daughter zoning out again and nudged her, whispering, “Yueyue, add two more sticks of firewood.”  

Mu Jinyue snapped out of her thoughts and obediently added two sticks to the stove.  

…  

The weather in September was neither too hot nor too cold, so most families in the production brigade preferred eating in the yard—the Mu family was no exception. Mu Jinyue helped her mother, Lin Guihua, carry all the cooked dishes to the table before finding a seat for herself.  

Since there was enough food now, meals weren’t divided individually. At the table, the men talked about the work in the fields and brigade affairs, while the women ate quietly without interrupting.  

Having been here for a few days, Mu Jinyue had adapted well in most aspects—except for the food, which she still hadn’t gotten used to. So she ate sparingly, but since the original host had done the same, no one noticed. However, these past few days, she had felt someone staring at her. Every time she looked, the gaze would disappear. After several repetitions, she had a guess—it was probably her cousin watching her.  

The gaze carried envy, resentment, pity, and many other emotions—something that had never happened before. Her heart trembled slightly.  

Her mind couldn’t help but dwell on the recent changes—her cousin’s sudden shift, the elusive stares. Her cousin’s transformation was too abrupt, and the look in her eyes didn’t seem like that of a girl her age—at least, not like the one in the original host’s memories. So, was she like her—a transmigrator? Or had she been reborn? Or perhaps she had transmigrated into a novel?  

…  

Across the table, Mu Jinhua glanced at her cousin from time to time, unable to suppress her excitement.  

That’s right—she had been reborn, returning to one month before her wedding. When she first woke up on the family’s earthen bed, she couldn’t help but cry. It was wonderful—she had come back. The heavens must have taken pity on her to grant her this rebirth.  

In her past life, she had thought she was marrying into the city for a life of luxury. But on the wedding day, Du Yu had actually registered his marriage with someone else, turning her into a laughingstock in their compound. In the end, she was forced to marry Du Yu’s younger brother, Du Jie.  

She had thought it didn’t matter who she married—she would still live as a city dweller. But reality had slapped her hard. Married life was far from good—food and living conditions weren’t much better than in the brigade. She was constantly compared to her sister-in-law, the neighbors gossiped behind her back, her mother-in-law looked down on her, and her husband was childish, spending his days idling around without any ambition. She felt like she was going insane.  

Later, she gave birth to a daughter, and her husband finally matured, finding a steady job. For a few years, life was decent. Then, when the economy opened up, her husband made money with his brothers, and their circumstances gradually improved. But because she had only given birth to a daughter, her husband had an affair and even wanted a divorce! Furious, she went to confront the other woman—only to be pushed down the stairs. When she woke up again, she was back here.  

Every time she thought of this, she gritted her teeth in hatred. In this life, she wouldn’t marry into the city. She would marry Zhou Shi from the neighboring brigade. In her past life, Zhou Shi had married her cousin, Mu Jinyue—but her cousin had been short-lived, dying just three months after marriage. After that, the family had drifted apart from Zhou Shi.  

Yet who could have guessed that this poor man would later become a wealthy entrepreneur? What infuriated her most was that even after Mu Jinyue’s death, he had remained devoted to her, refusing to remarry.

Why? That short-lived wretch wasn’t pretty, wasn’t healthy—what did she have that could compare to herself? She refused to accept it! In this life, she had to marry that man. She would bear him sons and take her rightful place as the wife of a wealthy entrepreneur. She was far more blessed than Mu Jinyue!  

Lost in these thoughts, she couldn’t help but glare at that doomed girl a few more times during dinner. After the meal, she retreated to her room—she needed to figure out how to convince her parents to switch the marriage arrangements!  

The Mu family finished dinner before nightfall. After eating, only the third branch’s mother and daughter were left to clean up while everyone else returned to their rooms.  

Mu Jinyue helped her mother, Lin Guihua, clear the table, wash the dishes, and tidy the kitchen before finally returning to their room.  

The house was laid out with three main rooms: one for Grandpa and Grandma, one as a central living room for guests, and another for storing the family’s grain. The left wing had two rooms—one for the eldest uncle’s family and another for his two sons. The right wing also had two rooms, the larger one for the fourth uncle’s family and the smaller one for her own.  

The room was pitifully small, with just one earthen bed that barely fit three people. There wasn’t much entertainment in the countryside, so once night fell, everyone went to sleep.  

But Mu Jinyue couldn’t sleep. Her mind was still churning over the marriage issue as she stared into the darkness of the ceiling, her thoughts a tangled mess.  

Lin Guihua, lying beside her, noticed she was still awake and assumed her daughter was exhausted. She patted her soothingly. “Go to sleep. Things will get better once you’re married.”  

Mu Jinyue hummed in response but said nothing else, slowly closing her eyes.  

While the rest of the Mu household settled in for the night, the eldest uncle’s room was still lively. Though no one was speaking, the atmosphere was tense. Mu Yong, the eldest uncle, grabbed a stick from the corner, ready to strike his daughter.  

His wife, Zhou Feng, quickly intervened. “Talk it out properly! What’s the point of hitting her? She’s a grown girl now—you can’t keep beating her like this.”  

Mu Yong, the eldest uncle, was furious, but mindful of the other families in the courtyard, he kept his voice low. “How can I not hit her? Did you hear the nonsense she’s spouting? The Du family are city people! If our girl marries into their household, she’ll become a city dweller. Who knows—she might even help her brothers get city jobs later! Those are iron rice bowls!”  

Having lived a second life, Mu Jinhua couldn’t care less about those so-called “iron rice bowls.” She knew they’d be worthless in the future!  

Unable to hold back, she retorted, “That’s only for now. Later, there won’t be any ‘iron rice bowls’ at all!”  

“What kind of nonsense are you spouting?” Mu Yong glared at her.  

Even Zhou Feng looked at her with disapproval.  

Seeing how stubborn her parents were, Mu Jinhua decided to cut to the chase.  

“Ugh, Mom, Dad, listen—I’ve been having dreams lately, dreams about the future. Du Yu **never** wanted to marry me. On the wedding day, he even registered his marriage with someone else! Our whole family became a laughingstock! And as for the man you picked for Mu Jinyue—Zhou Shi—he’s going to become incredibly successful later, making tons of money. He even got featured in the newspapers! I’m so much prettier than her—once I marry Zhou Shi and give him sons, I’ll make sure he moves our whole family to the city!”  

Mu Yong was stunned into silence for a long moment before asking skeptically, “Really? He’ll be that successful?”  

“Of course! He was even on TV—interviewed by reporters! His house was huge, five times the size of our courtyard! And he drove a car—one of those four-wheeled ones!”  

“That is impressive…”  

Mu Yong nodded along, but his age had granted him some caution. He quickly snapped back to reality, his tone serious. “No matter what, these are just dreams. What if they’re not real?”  

Mu Jinhua panicked and scrambled to explain. “They are real! I dreamed of other things too—like how Liu Lanzhi from our village will be arrested by the police in a few days. And other stuff too!”  

Seeing the conviction in his daughter’s eyes, he was half-convinced. But he still needed to wait and see if these predictions came true. After a few more words, he sent her to bed.  

The couple stepped out into the yard, whispering near the outhouse.  

Excitement was written all over their faces, especially Mu Yong’s. The thought of the whole family becoming city dwellers made him grin uncontrollably. “If this is true, our whole family could move to the city! We’d live in luxury, and our sons wouldn’t have to worry about jobs!”  

Zhou Feng was happy too, but the stakes were high, and she couldn’t shake her unease. “But… what if it’s not real? What if it really was just a dream?”  

Mu Yong frowned at his wife’s words, his smile fading slightly. “Then we’ll wait. In a few days, we’ll see if what she said comes true. If it does, we’ll immediately switch the marriages!”  

With heavy hearts, the couple returned to their room.  

And at last, the small courtyard fell into complete silence.