Chapter 1

July 1985, Baihua Alley, Jiang City.

The residents of the alley, clutching sunflower seeds, rushed toward a house covered in green vines.

Sister Liu opened her door and grabbed a limping old man.
“What’s the rush?”

“Old Madam Zhang’s daughter-in-law is catching her husband cheating!”

“Wang Shihao didn’t even have time to pull up his underwear before Han Yue caught him in the act—they’re fighting now!”

Sister Liu’s gossip radar went off. She grabbed a handful of dried pumpkin seeds from her winnowing basket and ran straight to the green house at the corner, the one overgrown with climbing ivy.

Inside the tightly shut gate, chaos reigned.

“Elder sister, only the unloved woman ends up as the third wheel!”

“You’re just some country bumpkin—old, ugly. No wonder a man would leave you.”

In the courtyard, a handsome man held a delicately dressed young beauty in his arms. Beside her stood a little boy who looked strikingly similar to the man.

At first glance, they could have passed for a happy family of three.

Old Madam Zhang threw Han Yue’s luggage out the door.

“Since you’ve seen it, we won’t hide it anymore. Shihao and Huang Ya are meant to be together. If you really care about him, divorce him immediately. I’ll even give you a train ticket back to your hometown!”

Three thin little boys forced open the kitchen door.

“Don’t drive our mother away!”
“Mom, don’t go!”
“I don’t want Mommy to leave…”

They huddled around Han Yue, their rough little hands clutching her clothes, trembling.

In that moment, Han Yue’s fragmented memories finally pieced themselves together.

She could cry herself to death!

The first time she ever piloted a helicopter, it malfunctioned and crashed into the sea. The next moment she opened her eyes, she had transmigrated—into a novel she’d just finished reading, Breaking Through the Eighties: My Rise in Beijing Society.

And she’d become the country wife of the male lead’s older brother, Wang Shihao—a pitiful cannon-fodder character who dies early and gets barely a paragraph of description.

The original Han Yue was the daughter of the village chief in Yandong Village, Gorge City. Eleven years ago, she met Wang Shihao during a countryside re-education program. Spoiled and unable to endure hardship, Shihao tricked her into marriage, and she quickly became pregnant—with triplets at once.

When the boys were just over a year old, the country reopened its universities. Wang Shihao got admitted and returned to the city, dragging his wife and children along.

From then on, she became an unpaid servant to the Wang family—working tirelessly during the day like a beast of burden, and at night acting like a meek little maid.

Three days ago, she was unilaterally informed that Shihao wanted a divorce. Because she loved him desperately, she had even knelt down to beg. Disgusted, Shihao kicked her so hard she hit her head and bled out on the floor—right before Han Yue took over her body.

For three days, the pain and weakness kept her bedridden. If not for her three little sons feeding her rice soup, she might have died before she could even settle into this body.

Today, finally feeling strong enough to get out of bed, she stumbled right into this scene—her husband bringing home his mistress and illegitimate child.

Well, she was here now. Time to deal with it.

“Absolutely not!” Han Yue grabbed her sons’ hands and strode right up to Wang Shihao.

Old Madam Zhang froze.
Did that country bumpkin just talk back?

She planted her hands on her hips and roared, “This family isn’t yours to speak for! If I say you’re divorcing, you’re divorcing!”

She’d always been domineering, her word law in the household. If she wasn’t pleased, she’d beat or curse at the original Han Yue without restraint.

Han Yue’s eyes turned cold. “If my family hadn’t taken Wang Shihao in back then, he’d have died of heatstroke on Yandong Village’s threshing ground. He wouldn’t have lived long enough to come back to the city and sneak around with another woman.

“I bore and raised his children. I worked myself to the bone for this family. I earned both merit and hardship.

“Trying to throw me out now is sheer ingratitude. If I refuse divorce, I have every right to stay!”

Huang Ya tugged on Shihao’s sleeve, her delicate body pressed against his chest, tears glistening in her eyes.

Wang Shihao, blinded by lust, only wanted to end this quickly so he could bring his mistress home.
“We’ve supported you for over seven years—that’s kindness enough! I don’t want to make this ugly. If you leave voluntarily, I’ll allow you to visit the children once a year.”

Bringing home a mistress and illegitimate child wasn’t ugly already?
The ancients were right—never expect morality from shameless people.

Han Yue pulled her sons toward the main hall.
“No divorce. I’m not leaving. Let me make this clear: Wang Shihao, you begged me on your knees to marry you. If you want to leave, you’ll get down on your knees again!

“Women are not rags—you don’t get to love us when we’re new and toss us out when we’re old.

“This is a new era. Women can hold up half the sky. Even if I’m a country girl, you won’t trample me!”

The cheating pair clearly didn’t care about face or reputation. Why should she?

The neighbors, who had gathered outside, were stunned by the drama.

Among them were many wives who had also followed their husbands from the countryside to the city. They shouted through the courtyard walls:

“Shameless! And he calls himself an educated man!”
“I know this Han Yue girl—no one in the alley is more filial and gentle than her. If she’s angry today, it’s because the Wang family pushed her too far.”
Someone peeked through the gate. “That boy—he’s the illegitimate son, isn’t he?”
“Three sons not enough? He still wants more? Some go dry while others drown!”
“Bah! Filthy family.”

Old Madam Zhang stomped to the gate, hands on hips.
“Mind your own business! Get lost, all of you!”

Sister Liu spat through the crack in the door.
“If you’ve got the guts to do it, don’t be afraid of people talking about it!”

The crowd egged her on.

At the critical moment, Han Yue raised her voice:
“Today it’s Shihao. Tomorrow it’ll be your husbands. If this keeps up, Baihua Alley should just rename itself Mistress Street!”

That lit the fuse.

Old Madam Zhang, spoiled by years of unchecked temper, exploded.
The door flew open, and she unleashed a torrent of curses.

But no matter how fierce she was, she couldn’t win against a whole street.

Wang Shihao tried to step in and was rewarded by having his hair yanked out.
Huang Ya tried to run but got her face smeared with dog poop courtesy of Sister Liu.

The scene reeked in more ways than one.