Chapter 6

“Third Girl, get up!”

“Third Girl! Third Girl!”

Jiang Henián was jolted awake by someone prying open her eyelids.

As soon as she opened her eyes, two identical dirty faces smudged like calico cats were squeezed right in front of her.

“Third Girl! Mom says you need to go cut pigweed and feed the pigs!”

“And chop all the firewood! Empty the chamber pot into the compost pit! Make lunch too!”

Jiang Henián swatted away the grimy little hands still tugging at her eyelids, frowning in a daze. “Who’s ‘Third Girl’?”

The short-haired kid’s eyes widened and he yelled toward the door:

“Mom—! Third Girl hit her head and turned stupid!”

The one with pigtails joined in: “She’s gone dumb!!”

Jiang Henián jolted upright, reacting faster than her brain could catch up, and grabbed one of the little radish-heads who was about to run off.

The brat’s voice was sharp and shrill, noisier than a thousand cicadas buzzing in her ears.

“Shut up!”

She clutched her aching head and snapped irritably.

The two kids immediately stopped struggling and stared at her in shock.

So loud!

Could stinky Fei have been right? Did their third sister hit her head and get possessed or something?

Jiang Henián took a long moment to recover before opening her eyes again.

And froze.

In front of her was a dim, dusty mud-brick room. The walls were covered with yellowed newspaper clippings, a small wooden grid window sat in one corner, and beside the wall were two large wooden chests, with two red-rimmed enamel washbasins placed on top. At the foot of the bed stood an old wooden cabinet stacked with faded, colorful quilts.

She looked down at her faded navy blue shirt, then at the outfits on the two radish-heads.

She really had transmigrated…

Stunned, Jiang Henián let go of the kid, touching her own face, then her body, patting herself down from head to toe.

Jiang Xiaobao nudged Jiang Xiaomiao and made faces.

“She really went stupid! Being dumb is contagious!”

“What do we do!” Jiang Xiaomiao covered her face in fear.

Jiang Henián confirmed nothing seemed broken and turned to glare at the two whispering brats loudly talking right in front of her.

…

Sitting cross-legged on the bed like a warlord, Jiang Henián tossed two brightly wrapped hard candies in her palm, her eyes sharp and calculating as she prepared to outwit some children.

“Let’s play a quiz. Whoever answers well gets a candy.”

Jiang Xiaobao pointed a chubby finger at her and cried out in outrage, “How do you have candy?! Did you steal the ones Mom gave me—”

He quickly clapped his hands over his mouth and glanced nervously at the dazed Jiang Xiaomiao.

Jiang Henián unwrapped the candies, revealing two shiny, ruby-red sweets, and waved them around.

Jiang Xiaobao immediately shut up, drooling at the sight—such pretty candy, where had they ever seen anything like that?

The two kids eagerly answered every question she asked.

“Open up,” Jiang Henián said after getting all the information she wanted, tossing the candies into their wide-open mouths.

“Don’t tell anyone, or there won’t be a next time.”

To them, candy was as good as being Mom. Jiang Xiaobao no longer cared why their usually dull and silent third sister was suddenly so different—he clutched his sweet tightly in his mouth and nodded with all his might.

Cheeks bulging, the pair ran off like wind with their prizes.

Jiang Henián let out a sigh of relief and leaned back against the headboard, the sound of old newspaper crinkling behind her.

She had transmigrated.

Not to ancient times, not into an apocalypse, but into the 1970s.

This place was called Huagou Village.

The original owner of this body was also named Jiang Henián. The two brats just now were her twin younger brother and sister—fourth and fifth siblings. She also had an older brother and second sister above her.

The rest of the family was out working, and the original had stayed behind only because she’d passed out from a fall.

Even with a head injury, her mother still assigned her a full day’s work—clearly she wasn’t treated well in the family.

And their living conditions…

The crooked, paper-covered wooden window had a missing corner, squeaking as the wind blew through.

They were dirt poor.

Jiang Henián sighed deeply and rubbed the two pieces of red candy wrappers between her fingers.

This kind of candy clearly didn’t exist in this era—she absolutely couldn’t let it slip.

Well, she was here now, and thankfully, her space came with her. At least she wouldn’t starve.

No more living in fear of debt collectors.

She closed her eyes and smiled briefly—until her eyes suddenly flew open and she sat bolt upright.

As if possessed.

Next moment, she pounded her fist on the bed and let out a silent wail of grief.

Aaaaaaahhhh my pigs——!!!!

My chickens!!!

My eggs!!!

My potatoes——!!!

The last batch of valuable goods had still been in the delivery van!

Jiang Henián flopped onto the kang bed sobbing.

“Comrade Jiang Henián.”

A young man’s voice came from outside the room.

“Jiang Henián—Henián—”

The voice was hushed, suspiciously secretive.

Frowning, she wiped her face and walked out, scanning the shabby mud-brick house that barely had anything useful in it.

In the messy little yard, firewood was piled up, and two large water vats stood to the side.

She opened the old wooden gate at the front.

No one?

She stepped outside in confusion, just starting to look around—when suddenly someone hugged her from behind.

Jiang Henián was instantly dragged back into the scene of that room filled with sex toys.

A pair of hot, clammy hands slid along her shoulders, arms, and neck—she opened her eyes and nearly came face-to-face with a red-faced, panting, naked middle-aged man.

Even though she’d screamed and struggled, smashed everything she could, and even jumped out the window in desperation and got her revenge—

That night still clung to her like maggots on rotting flesh.

Her skin felt like it had been stabbed with ice needles, goosebumps rose all over her.

“Don’t touch me!!” Jiang Henián shouted, panicking. She flung her elbow back with all her strength.

Crack! A sharp sound of bone hitting bone.

“Ahhh—!”

Clutching her aching elbow, she backed off quickly and turned around, eyes full of alarm, to face the stranger doubling over in pain, hands over his nose.

Gray shirt and black pants, dusty shoes and pant legs, even his groans were half-suppressed.

Sneaky. Handsy. Definitely not a good guy.

“Jiang Henián! Are you crazy?!”

The man—Song Wenqing—glared at her with disbelief, blood and tears streaming down his face.

Jiang Henián rubbed her arm and tried to calm down, expression cold and voice firm: “You scared me.”

She didn’t know this man. But judging from the situation, the original owner must have had something going on with him.

Maybe a secret romance?

Jiang Henián scrunched up her nose, looking him up and down critically.

What kind of taste was that…

Creepy, shady little chicken.

If Song Wenqing knew what she was thinking, he’d probably be so angry he’d vomit blood.

He was known for being handsome and refined—a pale and elegant scholar, a sensation when he first came to the countryside.

All the village girls had swooned over him at one point.

But Jiang Henián had gone to elite schools full of that type—guys like him once lined up to court her.

Now, with two streams of blood dripping down either side of his nose and suspicious behavior, he just seemed gross.

Like… Zhu Ganglie (Pigsy from Journey to the West).

Song Wenqing choked on her sudden coldness.

Still, he remembered why he came and forced himself to stay calm. He wiped his nose with a handkerchief, wincing.

This time of day, everyone was working in the fields—he’d gone out of his way to sneak over.

Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, he finally relaxed and put on a gentle smile.

“I’m sorry, it’s my fault. I was just so worried about you. Is your head okay?”

Jiang Henián avoided the hand he reached out with visible disgust.

“If you have something to say, say it.”

Song Wenqing assumed she was still sulking over what happened last night, so he softened his voice again.

“Henián, I know you’re angry. Last night, when you brought me my shoes, and looked at me like that, I just… lost control. And when someone came by, I panicked. I didn’t want to ruin your reputation, so I…”

“Henián Comrade, you don’t blame me, do you?”

Jiang Henián pressed her lips together, her brows twisting in frustration as she listened.

Damn it—just what indecent things had the original owner done with this guy?

No wonder her head had hurt like it had been bashed with a club when she woke up.

So he was the bastard who caused it.

She reached up to touch the swollen lump on the back of her skull.

Suddenly, a searing pain shot through her brain like an electric shock—straight into her brainstem.