Chapter 1: Transmigration to the Seventies

Inside the Su family compound:

“Momo, is what you said really true?”

“It is, Mom.” Momo’s voice was calm but resolute. “I’ve thought it through. If there’s no fate between us, then so be it. Everything you told me before was right, but I didn’t understand at the time. I’ve been spoiled since childhood; if someone doesn’t want me, I won’t run after them. And now that our family is in trouble, of course, I won’t abandon you. I’ll stay with everyone.”

This Su Momo was no longer the girl her family had always known. She had come from the twenty-first century.

In her previous life, she had been an orphan who fought her way forward with intelligence and grit. She skipped grades, studied medicine, and by the age of twenty-two, had become the youngest attending physician in her hospital.

But fate had other plans. One night, after receiving an urgent call from the hospital, she was rushing in for emergency surgery when a motorcycle hit her. She had chosen her home close to the hospital so she could always respond quickly, yet she hadn’t expected her life to end before she even arrived. Her last thought before darkness closed in wasn’t for herself but for the patient waiting for her: *What if there aren’t enough doctors?*

When she opened her eyes again, she was in another body, another life. A girl also called Su Momo.

This Momo had been born into privilege, though at the wrong time. Her grandfather was one of the nation’s founding elders. Her father was a commanding officer. Her second uncle was the mayor of Beijing. Her mother, a military doctor; her second aunt, the Minister of Education. She had two brothers: Su Tingjie, three years older and already a battalion commander, and Su Tinghao, one year younger and freshly enlisted.

The brothers were technically her cousins, but she was her parents’ only child. At her birth, her mother had nearly died from hemorrhage. Though she recovered, the fright convinced her father never to risk another child. One daughter was enough. Her mother later regained her health and continued her medical career, supported by the family’s status and resources.

But in the 1970s, with the Gang of Four tearing down the old order, such a pedigree was a dangerous thing. Grandpa Su had already received word: the family had been reported. For now, the higher authorities were holding back, but it was only a matter of time. He had prepared for everyone—everyone but Momo.

She had always been their darling. The thought of sending her to the countryside was unbearable. They knew the storm would pass someday, but until then, life would be bitter. They had hoped to marry her to Liang Donghui, a boy from the compound she had liked since childhood. But as soon as the Liang family heard of the Sus’ predicament, they withdrew without hesitation.

Just yesterday, Momo had gone to confront Liang. Instead of facing her, he hid. He didn’t even have the courage to reject her directly, leaving her standing in the blazing sun for half an hour until she collapsed from heatstroke.

That was when the modern Su Momo opened her eyes in this body. She didn’t know where the original soul had gone, but she silently promised to cherish this family and honor them in her place. In her past life, she had been utterly alone. In this one, she had parents, grandparents, uncles, and brothers who adored her. She would treasure them.

The first thing she needed to do was sever ties with Liang Donghui.

He was unworthy. Handsome perhaps, by shallow standards, but useless, no ability, no courage, no backbone. Worse, his features seemed effeminate, not manly at all. The Su men were strong, upright soldiers. That was her idea of a real man.

“At first, because you two grew up together, we thought he could be trusted,” someone in the family sighed. “But now, even before we’re sent down, his family avoids us like the plague. There’s no point forcing it.”

“Our Momo is the best girl,” Grandpa Su declared, his voice firm and proud. “Their family doesn’t deserve her. If we can’t find someone suitable, then so be it—we’ll all stay together. Don’t tell me we once drove invaders out of this country but can’t protect our granddaughter.”

The family had once considered marriage to the Liangs only because Momo liked the boy. Now that she didn’t, there was no reason to lower themselves. Even within the compound, families had ranks. The Su family stood at the top. The Liangs were, at best, second-rate.

And despite their looming danger, the Sus were not without power. Mother Su alone had treated countless officials and generals over the years, building ties across both political and military circles. Protecting her daughter was not impossible. A dying camel was still bigger than a horse. The Liangs, who had risen through opportunism, would never catch up.

“Grandpa,” Momo said softly, “I can go to the countryside with you. I can take care of you. With my brothers away, if I leave too, who will look after you?”

She carried the original girl’s memories and knew how much her family cherished her. The original Su Momo had just graduated from high school at eighteen with excellent grades, but in those times, grades meant little.

Her family was determined she would not be sent down. Life in the countryside was too hard. At worst, she could enter the art troupe; she had a beautiful singing voice. And with her language skills, nurtured by her accomplished mother and second aunt, she could easily have worked as a translator. Under normal circumstances, a career for her would have been guaranteed.

But now, all of that was gone. What mattered was staying safe as a family. And as for herself, she had one guiding principle: *if others respected her, she would return it tenfold; if anyone dared to bully her, she would repay it a thousand times over, even if it took years.*

“Don’t worry,” the family reassured her. “Worst comes to worst, we’ll all go down together. Your second aunt is also making inquiries. If we find a good match for you, you can marry. If not, then we won’t force it.”

Since the Liang family had backed away, marriage between the two families was finished. Now it was up to her brother and second aunt to look elsewhere.

Her eldest brother, Tingjie, had already begun searching. The safest option was within the army. If Momo married a soldier, she could follow the troops. With her brothers nearby, the family would feel reassured, knowing she wouldn’t be bullied.

The world outside was chaotic, but in the more remote military regions, stability still held. Both her brothers were stationed in the far north, where the people were simple and honest. Life there might be cold, but it was steady.

“A letter has come!” someone called excitedly. “Tingjie says he’s found someone suitable, his superior, a deputy regiment commander. His name is Lin Xingchen, twenty-four years old, a man straight from the battlefield. Someone worthy of trust. The reason he hasn’t married yet is that he was injured. A piece of shrapnel cut open his temple, leaving a scar.”

No matter the era, appearances mattered. A scar across the face, no matter how brave the man, was enough to make people hesitate.