By the time Song Niannian finished preparing lunch, her mother, Ma Xiumei, had already returned home from the textile factory.  

Next to arrive was the eldest of their twin brothers, Song Bai.  

The second brother, Song Tong, was a truck driver currently on a long-distance haul, so he wasn’t home.  

The last to return was naturally the head of the Song household—the father, Song Jianjun.  

Song Jianjun had served in the military in his early years, where he earned commendations. After being discharged due to injuries, he joined the security department of the textile factory. Now, he had risen to the position of security chief.  

If you asked which family in the residential compound was the most envied, the Song family would undoubtedly be on the list.  

Apart from their two daughters, who had just graduated from high school, the family had four working adults.  

In this day and age, a household with four wage earners—how could people not envy them?  

Both Song Jianjun and Ma Xiumei were long-time employees of the city’s textile factory.  

The eldest son worked at a recycling station. Though some might consider the job less respectable, he was still a state-employed worker with a stable monthly salary—nothing to scoff at.  

The younger son was even more impressive—a truck driver.  

In this era, truck drivers were the object of widespread admiration.  

As a result, the Song brothers were quite sought after in the marriage market of the residential compound.  

As for Song Suisui and Song Niannian, though they had only just graduated from high school, their striking looks meant plenty of families had already taken an interest in them.  

However, thanks to Song Jianjun and his wife’s influence—and Suisui’s fierce reputation—no one had yet dared to broach the subject of marriage with the couple.  

At the dinner table, Song Jianjun turned to Suisui, seated on his left, and asked, “Suisui, I heard you got into another fight today.”  

“Yep. Yang Lao’er said that my sister and I look like fox spirits, the kind that would’ve been top courtesans in brothels back in the day, blah blah blah…” Suisui recounted slowly, dragging out her words.  

Hearing this, the entire Song family frowned. That Yang Lao’er was already known for petty theft, but now he had the audacity to harass girls with his filthy mouth.  

“Good job, little sis!”  

Song Bai had barely finished praising her when Ma Xiumei smacked him on the arm.  

Niannian, who had been silent until then, nearly muttered “Serves him right,” but after seeing her mother’s reaction, she wisely chose to keep quiet.  

“Good job? Have you heard what people are saying about Suisui outside?”  

“Oww, Ma! That hurt!” Song Bai yelped, rubbing his arm, but his expression remained indifferent. “So what? I think it’s good that Suisui’s tough. You don’t want her and Niannian to turn into pushovers, do you? Letting people walk all over them in the future?”  

Deep down, Song Jianjun nodded in agreement with his son’s words.  

Ma Xiumei was well aware of what her husband and son were thinking. But as a mother, she had to consider her daughter’s future marriage prospects.  

With Suisui’s reputation the way it was, if they didn’t clear things up soon, who would dare come to propose?  

This worry spilled out as she spoke: “With a reputation like hers, who would ever want to marry her?”

“What’s the big deal? Anyone who truly likes our Suisui won’t care about some silly rumors. And if they do care but still approach her—or our family—then they’re not worth it anyway.”  

Song Jianjun doted unconditionally on Suisui and Niannian.  

Knowing he was a hopeless “daughter-con”, Ma Xiumei rolled her eyes at his words.  

Suisui, quietly eating her rice, felt oddly at ease listening to them.  

Though Ma Xiumei said she worried Suisui’s fieriness would make her unmarriageable, her actions always supported Suisui’s choices.  

Typical tsundere behavior—complaining on the surface but fully supportive in reality!  

Glancing around the table at her family, Suisui thought, This home really is as warm and united as “Song Suisui’s” memories suggested.

After dinner, Suisui took the initiative to wash the dishes. Since she and Niannian were the only ones without jobs, household chores fell to them—Niannian cooked, and Suisui cleaned.  

Mainly because Suisui’s cooking skills paled in comparison. She could manage basic home-style dishes, but they were nothing special—just average.  

Meanwhile, Niannian, the protagonist of this world, could turn ordinary ingredients into five-star restaurant-level meals.  

Once done, Suisui retreated to her room for a nap. Pausing at the door, she took in the modest but cozy space—about ten square meters.  

The Song family didn’t favor sons over daughters. Every child, boy or girl, had their own room once they grew up.  

Suisui appreciated that. Though she planned to “cling to her sister’s golden thigh”, she didn’t need to be glued to Niannian 24/7.  

Her room wasn’t huge, but for this era, it was more than decent.  

Some families in the compound squeeze a dozen people into less than fifty square meters, after all.

Lying on her single bed, Suisui closed her eyes. The blow she’d taken earlier still ached.  

Soon, she drifted into a hazy sleep.  

Somewhere in her dreams, a cold, mechanical voice echoed:  

[Beep… Detecting foreign soul. Lazy Blind Box System has auto-bound. Loading: 10%… 20%… 100%…]  

Half-asleep, Suisui tch’ed, dismissing it as a weird dream, and rolled over.  

…

Meanwhile, inside the master bedroom, Ma Xiumei sat on the edge of the bed, her face lined with worry as she fretted to Song Jianjun. “Suisui and Niannian may have graduated high school, but they’re not even sixteen yet. Sending them to the countryside? Even if you can bear it, I can’t.”  

Song Jianjun sighed. “Do you think I want to? But policies are tightening. Jobs are impossible to find—I’ve asked friends at multiple factories, and none are hiring, not even through internal referrals.” 

“Then reach out to your old army comrades,” Ma Xiumei pressed. “Even if it’s in another city, it’s better than rural labor.”  

As a mother, the thought of her two delicate daughters toiling in some remote village left her sleepless.  

…

In another room, Song Bai had already made up his mind: If my sisters really must go, I’ll give my job to one of them and accompany the other to the countryside.  

…

At this moment, Song Suisui had no idea that the Song family had already made so many plans for her and Song Niannian.  

After the noon break, the Song family members went about their day—some headed to work, others went out.  

By the time Song Suisui woke up, she was the only one left at home.   

When she entered the hall, she saw a piece of paper pressed under an enamel mug.  

Song Niannian had left her a note, saying she had gone out and would return later. She asked Song Suisui to prepare the ingredients for dinner in advance—she would do the cooking when she got back.  

After reading it, Song Suisui tucked the note away. Then, glancing at the water in the enamel mug and deeming it fine, she picked it up and gulped it down in a few swigs.  

Midway through, it suddenly struck her—wasn’t today the very day Song Niannian was supposed to be reborn in the novel?!