Chapter 1

1968, Hongqi Commune, Forward Brigade

It was the height of summer. The sun was slowly climbing the horizon, casting a golden glow over the wheat fields where the Forward Brigade members were busy harvesting while the weather held.

After working for a long time in the fields, some of the team chose to take a short break before continuing. They gathered in small groups scattered around the edges of the fields, but no matter where they were, their eyes kept drifting toward the young woman standing in the middle of the wheat — her skin fair and pale, her cheeks flushed red from the heat.

In their hearts, some felt a bit smug: “What good is reading all those books? Look at her now—just like us, stuck digging in the dirt every day.”

“The money the Jiang family spent over the years was wasted!” they muttered. “If that Jiang girl had chosen to go to a vocational school back then, she would’ve been guaranteed a stable job by now.”

“But the Jiang family can’t see their own limits. They insisted their daughter aim for university to bring glory to the family.”

“And now, the order has come down—universities have stopped admitting students. The dream is shattered.”

“To high school graduates, a diploma sounds good, but nothing beats vocational school—finish your studies, and you get a job immediately.”

Outwardly, the other members of the brigade treated the Jiang family the same as before, but behind their backs, they whispered about how Jiang had placed their bets wrong this time, quietly enjoying the spectacle.

After all, the eldest Jiang daughter had been restless lately, constantly running to the county town with recommendation letters trying to find a job, completely ignoring her true social status.

“Is it really that easy to find a job?” they scoffed. “If it were, city folks wouldn’t have to come down here and compete with us poor peasants.”

The neighboring brigade had already received several young urban sent-down youth—officially to help build and modernize rural production, but in reality, they couldn’t help much at all.

They needed to be hand-held through everything, like teaching toddlers, dragging down the neighboring brigade’s production schedule.

Rumor had it the Forward Brigade would soon receive a batch of sent-down educated youth too, and everyone hoped they wouldn’t be as pampered as the ones next door who couldn’t even carry a bucket of water.

Suddenly, a woman’s voice drew everyone’s attention.

“Jiang San’s auntie, your eldest granddaughter has been lying around at home for so long—it’s about time to find her a good match!”

Li Guli, known in the Forward Brigade for matchmaking antics, approached Jiang Grandma, smiling warmly as she spoke, her eyes glancing sideways toward Jiang Yao.

The Jiang family doted on Jiang Yao, not only supporting her all the way through high school but also pampering her during these school suspension days, rarely letting her work in the fields.

She had grown up with skin so fair it didn’t look like a country girl’s at all; compared to the female sent-down youth who had just arrived a few days ago, she was no different.

No wonder Liu family’s promising youngest son, now a respected city worker, ignored all the city girls and hurriedly asked Li Guli to come and arrange a match with Jiang Yao.

But Jiang Yao herself felt completely out of place, working slowly with a disheartened look, as if life had lost all meaning.

Originally a wealthy heiress from the 21st century, Jiang Yao had been born with a heart condition and spent most of her life in hospital rooms.

Waking up to find herself in the golden wheat fields of a parallel 1960s world was a shock.

She had overestimated herself.

She thought having a healthy body now, doing farm work wouldn’t be so bad, even good exercise.

But cutting just a little grass left her exhausted!

The thought of spending her days toiling in the fields made her dizzy.

She had to find a legitimate job to avoid field labor.

This era was full of limitations, nothing like the time she came from, where a good future could be fought for by personal effort alone.

This 1960s parallel was much like the one before she transmigrated—big events were nearly the same, only minor details like the names of leaders differed, but history’s flow remained.

It was the late 1960s. The original girl, supported by her family, had become the first girl from the Forward Brigade to attend high school in the county three years ago.

But recent policy changes had suspended classes and stopped university admissions. Girls who aimed for college now had nothing but diplomas to pack up and head home with.

The original girl had been spoiled all her life, her family letting her focus solely on school instead of working alongside other girls in the brigade or helping at home.

She barely did any chores; if she had any tasks, her mother or brothers would take over, treating her like a fragile child, coaxing her back to study.

Now, without her long-cherished goal, she felt lost.

Ignoring her family’s advice, she insisted on joining them in the fields.

Not long after she began working, a mechanical voice echoed in her mind.

Visions flooded her thoughts—her tragic end: marrying a man who seemed desirable on the outside, bearing three children in three years, then dying of hemorrhage.

All she would get was the man’s cold words: “She wasn’t meant to live. Thankfully, she didn’t take the son with her.”

The memories of the agonizing hemorrhage pierced her mind.

Without hesitation, she agreed to the mysterious voice’s request and left with it.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yao was pulled in as an unlucky replacement; the original girl had already gone on her otherworldly journey.

It seemed the body Jiang Yao had in the 21st century was the original girl’s first stop.

Jiang Yao felt a strange, subtle feeling inside.

Nearby, two women gathered and caught Jiang Yao’s attention.

She mimicked the original girl’s movements, awkwardly cutting wheat with her unfamiliar motions, while glancing toward her grandmother’s side.

“Jiang San’s auntie, I have a fine young man waiting for a virtuous and capable bride!”

“Who is he?” Jiang San’s aunt, Li Guihua, looked at Li Guli with interest and eagerly grabbed her hand.

Li Guli was also a daughter-in-law from a neighboring brigade and a relative, and their relationship was good.

Without beating around the bush, Li Guli said:

“Your eldest granddaughter’s future grandson-in-law is a young man who settled in the county a year ago and is doing well. He’s gone from temp work to a formal position.”

“This young man asked me to come and arrange the match.”

“Jiang San’s auntie, this is a rare opportunity!”

Li Guli coaxed: “If you agree, your eldest granddaughter will officially become a city resident.”

Hearing this, Li Guihua recalled the promising young man—Deng Hongda—who had found a temporary job in the county through connections.

He even worked at the state-run hotel, a coveted job!

Li Guihua thought he was a good match; the young man had quickly turned formal employee, so he must be capable.

If her eldest granddaughter married him, she might even get a worker’s job, transfer her household registration, and become a city dweller eating rationed grain.