Chapter 1: Transformed into the Unfortunate Original Wife in the Book

“Little vixen, why are you still saving her? It’s a waste of two copper coins; let her go to the underworld to accompany my son!

Wen Yunhe, you are a harbinger of death; you have caused my son’s demise. How dare you continue to live? My poor Ming Zhang…”

A woman’s strong voice of cursing echoed from outside. Wen Yunhe lay dazed in bed, her gaze landing on the dense spider webs surrounding her.

Her mind was a complete mess; the will of the original owner of this body had not entirely dissipated. She was engulfed by overwhelming despair and pain, realizing that a person could indeed be saddened to the point of lacking the courage to continue living.

Wen Yunhe was from the 21st century, a traditional craft and intangible cultural heritage blogger. She loved sharing videos that promoted traditional culture and cuisine, passing down crafts and raising awareness of intangible cultural heritage, amassing millions of fans.

Due to her background as an orphan, she yearned for a home of her own. After making some money, she built a small courtyard in the remote mountains, living a solitary life.

Aside from filming videos, her only hobby was reading novels to pass the time.

One night, absorbed in a novel, she was drawn to a strange vortex outside her window as she was about to get up to use the bathroom. Before she knew it, she was sucked into this other world.

After receiving the memories of the original owner, she realized she had transmigrated into the very book she had just read, *The General’s Little Wife*.

This book mainly tells the story of a handsome general from a grassroots background and a spoiled and lively princess. When she read it, she found it very enjoyable, the sparks between the two people from different social classes making it hard to put down.

But who would have thought that in the next moment, she would become the original wife, the damn unfortunate character in the story!

Yes, she had become the impoverished wife of the general, a woman also named Wen Yunhe.

Because they shared the same name, while reading, she expressed deep sympathy for her fate, thinking that this girl was truly unfortunate.

Wen Yunhe grew up with the male lead, He Mingzhang, as childhood friends and harbored feelings for him. After overcoming numerous difficulties, she finally married him.

But as fate would have it, on their wedding day, due to the family’s unwillingness to pay the military tax, the groom was drafted to the front lines, and they were unable to consummate their marriage.

This girl was very earnest; once she had decided on her husband, she devoted herself wholeheartedly to serving her in-laws and taking care of her younger siblings, waiting for her husband to return.

Her in-laws took advantage of the fact that her maternal family only had a blind widow and younger siblings to rely on, draining her dowry while often hurling cold remarks at her. Yet, she bore it all without complaint, even using the pottery skills taught to her by her father to support the family.

He Mingzhang was absent for two years, and ultimately, she received a notification of his presumed death, accompanied by a substantial pension.

Upon receiving this news, Wen Yunhe contemplated suicide that very night; however, she did not succeed and was rescued by the He family.

He’s mother used that pension to arrange a marriage for her younger son, He Mingjie, with a scholar’s daughter. This new daughter-in-law not only refused to share the household chores but also treated Wen Yunhe like a servant along with the rest of the He family.

Soon after, war broke out, and their village was affected, forcing the He family to flee and settle in another place.

Wen Yunhe managed to support the entire He family with her hard work, funding He Mingjie’s education and saving money for her sister-in-law, He Mingyu’s dowry. One could say she was loyal, filial, and virtuous.

However, after eight years of attempts, He Mingjie still could not pass the exams to become a scholar. It wasn’t until He Mingzhang fortuitously found them that he remained a mere student, shamelessly enjoying the fruits of his sister-in-law’s efforts.

In reality, He Mingzhang had not died on the battlefield; he infiltrated the enemy camp, enduring humiliation while eventually achieving great accomplishments. He rose to the rank of General, noted for his bravery in battle, earning the emperor’s favor.

The emperor even personally arranged a marriage between him and the princess, and they had a son and daughter together.

Due to the He family’s relocation, they had not received any news, and He Mingzhang thought his family had perished in the war, causing them to miss many years of each other’s lives.

Later, Wen Yunhe, the original wife, was forced to become a secondary wife. After all, the princess had a marriage granted by the emperor; who would dare let her be the secondary wife?

Wen Yunhe could only swallow this bitter fruit alone. Though she was referred to as the secondary wife, her treatment was even worse than that of a concubine.

Her later years were spent languishing in He Mingzhang’s back courtyard, having lost her vitality at a young age. She passed away early, childless and alone, living a life filled with melancholy.

Although the princess did not openly treat her harshly, He Mingzhang would not dare offend the princess.

To maintain the household, this once beautiful and lively original wife had become dark and unattractive. He could not bring himself to look at her, instead opting to avoid her altogether—he didn’t even bother to spare her a glance.

Young love inevitably turned to mutual resentment.

This summarized the life of Wen Yunhe in the book.

From the princess’s perspective, He Mingzhang was an exemplary husband, but from Wen Yunhe’s viewpoint, He Mingzhang was a heartless betrayer.

The original owner was a good person, strong and brave, yet her kindness lacked sharpness, ultimately becoming a noose around her own neck.

In any era, one mustn’t be too submissive; human nature cannot withstand scrutiny, and overly weak individuals will only be trampled upon.

Wen Yunhe sighed. This girl’s life was so tragic. Dear heavens, if only she had arrived before the original owner married, He Mingzhang—it would have been far better than the current predicament, which was truly difficult to remedy.

The moment she had transmigrated was exactly when the news of He Mingzhang’s death arrived. The original owner, unable to bear the grief, attempted suicide, and here she was.

She wondered where the soul of the original owner had gone. Perhaps it was for the best putting an end to this suffering life wasn’t such a bad idea.

When reading the book, it was easy to overlook the original owner’s plight since she wasn’t the main character; her experiences were merely glossed over with a few sentences, evoking only some sympathy.

Now, having absorbed the memories of the original owner, she genuinely felt the weight of her struggles, and her heart couldn’t help but curse.

What a dilapidated family she had married into!

He’s parents, He Father and He Mother, had two sons and a daughter: the eldest, He Mingzhang, was a soldier; the second son, He Mingjie, was a scholar who had just passed the initial examinations; the younger sister was only eight years old.

It’s challenging for a typical farming family to support educated individuals, so the He household had truly suffered, barely making ends meet—so poor they had to escape in the dead of night from the rats that came scavenging.

In the past two years, with He Mingzhang’s military salary, life became slightly more bearable, but it was still tough. With He Mingjie, the family’s money was drained quickly—no amount of funds could ever suffice.

All the family’s money was spent on He Mingjie’s education, leaving nothing, not even the ten taels of dowry that Wen Yunhe had brought.

Even the two new cotton blankets that her family had gifted as part of her dowry were taken by the He family.

When she had first entered the family, He Mother pretended to treat the original owner kindly for a while.

Partly out of guilt for her son and partly because she knew Wen Yunhe came from a good background and should have a substantial dowry.

After draining Wen Yunhe’s dowry, she began to speak harshly and frequently resorted to beatings.

Wen Yunhe’s character was simply too weak; she was easily manipulated. In this family, she was a slave, a servant who toiled without complaint for everyone but never received a single kind word.

The thought alone was distressing. No, she needed to think of a way out; she couldn’t just wait for death. Living a life as weak as the original owner’s was not worth it—she might as well just die.

Outside, He Mother continued to curse and wail. It was ridiculous; He Mingzhang’s deployment to the front was fraught with uncertainty, yet she attributed all misfortune to the woman being a husband-killer.

Wen Yunhe slowly sat up, feeling as if her head and body were about to split apart.

The original owner had hanged herself; now, her neck ached terribly, and while she wanted to let loose her frustration on the old witch, her throat hurt too much to do so, forcing her to momentarily set aside her annoyance.