Chapter 1 Rebirth 80 Fake daughter, marrying as soon as she opens her eyes?

When Jiang Wan finally woke up in a room filled with the scent of old-fashioned floral face cream, her forehead throbbed in pain — but she couldn’t help bursting into tears of joy.

Thank the heavens! She must have done something truly good in her past life to deserve this second chance. But could someone please explain what was going on with the memories in her head? Sure, the name matched. But this wasn’t her restarting her own life — she had clearly woken up in someone else’s body! And in the 1980s, no less!!!

At the foot of the bed sat a well-dressed couple who exuded wealth and refinement. The woman sobbed, “Old Jiang, I’m begging you! Our Shanshan and Comrade Gao have such a good relationship… And they just made it official a few days ago.”

“Comrade Gao is an educated youth! He has a bright future ahead of him. And even though he’s stationed in the countryside, it’s not too far from us! Even if Shanshan marries him, she can still come visit often!”

“I don’t care what kind of favor you owe that man from the past — I will not let you marry Shanshan off to some desolate village in Beicheng!”

The woman wept bitterly. Meanwhile, Jiang Wan, lying in bed, silently sat up while clutching her aching forehead.

She was dead. The cause? Overworking herself during a late-night shift. And to make things worse, she had no family — she’d grown up in an orphanage. Even though her workplace might have offered compensation, there was no one to claim it.

But luck was on her side. She had been reborn.

Although… her new identity was a bit awkward. She was now the only daughter of a wealthy merchant family in Changlin City, Nancheng. Or at least… she had been.

Just two months ago, a quiet, elegant young woman had arrived from the countryside with nothing but a bag on her back. She claimed her parents had fallen ill and, before dying, revealed to her that she wasn’t their biological child — she’d been switched at birth. They urged her to find her real parents in the county town.

The girl was smart. She followed the limited clues and soon found the Jiang family.

The Jiang couple had already had their doubts about the daughter they’d raised for eighteen years. Both of them were tall, yet Jiang Wan was petite and delicate. Her features didn’t resemble either of them. On top of that, she was spoiled, willful, and frustratingly dense. No matter how they tried to teach her, she never measured up to their expectations — not at all like a proper Jiang daughter.

But the moment they saw Jiang Shanshan, their hearts trembled. Her face was the spitting image of Mother Jiang’s younger self.

A hospital test confirmed it — Jiang Shanshan was truly their biological daughter.

So, the already-disliked fake daughter, Jiang Wan, began to be neglected.

To make matters worse, the couple from the countryside — the ones who’d raised the original Jiang Wan — were both dead. Their remaining relatives were scattered and unreachable.

And even though the Jiang couple had some emotional attachment to Jiang Wan after raising her for so many years… the truth was, she wasn’t really theirs.

The original Jiang Wan didn’t take it well. She’d noticed the change in how she was treated after the real daughter returned. She began causing trouble daily, and even flirted shamelessly when Gao Luming — Jiang Shanshan’s educated youth boyfriend — came to visit, dressing herself up like a butterfly just to catch his attention.

Bit by bit, Jiang Shanshan began to resent her more and more.

Around this time, the Jiang family received a letter from a remote countryside area in Beicheng. Enclosed was a keepsake from Grandpa Jiang’s younger days.

An old retired military officer had written to remind them that, years ago, he had once saved Grandpa Jiang’s life and now wanted to call in that favor. His grandson, a thirty-year-old soldier, had been divorced three times. He was raising two children — but assured Grandpa Jiang they weren’t biologically his. They were left behind by a fallen comrade.

Now, he was asking if Grandpa Jiang would still honor his promise: to marry off one of his granddaughters to the soldier.

Grandpa Jiang, a man of loyalty and pride, had already given his word and promised to send his granddaughter over.

But when he mentioned it to the Jiang couple, he learned that Jiang Shanshan already had a boyfriend — a promising educated youth!

Still, Grandpa Jiang was stubborn and told them to figure it out themselves. A promise was a promise. Before he left, he glanced at Jiang Wan — a subtle hint to the couple.

And so the drama began: in order to protect their real daughter’s happiness and keep her close, they decided to marry off the fake daughter — Jiang Wan — to the countryside soldier instead.

Furious and heartbroken, the original Jiang Wan had ended her life by smashing her head against the wall.

What a narrow mindset! Truly too shortsighted!

Jiang Wan, now recollecting the original owner’s memories, couldn’t help but sigh.

Why couldn’t she think bigger?

Rather than staying in this household — unloved and unwanted — why not go to Beicheng and marry a soldier instead?

If the man was willing to raise his comrade’s children, he had to be loyal and kind. So what if he was older? Older men know how to care for their wives!

She had died once — and now that she was reborn, she wasn’t going to waste the opportunity. She was ready to let go.

In front of her, Mother Jiang raised her voice in anguish, “Ohhh! My poor Shanshan! Why must her fate be so bitter? And now Jiang Wan is threatening us with suicide! What do we do, dear? Wuuu…”

“Stop crying.”

Jiang Wan’s thick, curled lashes fluttered as she let out a long sigh.

The couple jolted and turned around in shock.

“I’ll marry him.”

Jiang Wan lifted her chin, giving a calm and charming smile. A sweet dimple appeared on her cheek.

Her expression was serene but unfamiliar to the Jiang couple.

“I’ll marry him,” she repeated, more seriously this time. “I’ll leave tomorrow.”

This place — she didn’t want to stay even one more second!

The Jiang couple was overjoyed, unsure of what to do with themselves.

Mother Jiang rushed over and hugged her, sobbing and calling her “dear child” — clearly overjoyed, not that Jiang Wan was willing to marry, but that their real daughter wouldn’t have to suffer.

Jiang Wan rolled her eyes silently. She knew exactly why the woman was crying. It was ridiculous.

Soon, the couple eagerly began packing her bags, as if they couldn’t wait to send her off. They even had the train ticket ready in advance!

Mother Jiang wiped her tears and shoved a slip of paper into Jiang Wan’s hand. It had a phone number written on it.

“Wanwan, if you ever need anything once you’re there, call us, okay? Don’t worry — if you’re missing anything, we’ll definitely help!”

Jiang Wan looked down at the number. With the original owner’s dull brain, she probably wouldn’t have noticed the digit was wrong. But it didn’t matter. Jiang Wan had no intention of ever contacting them again.

So she accepted the train ticket and said she was tired and needed to rest.

The next morning, she carried her suitcase and boarded the train to the remote countryside of Beicheng. Before leaving, she happily pocketed the 300 yuan Jiang Father had handed her.

What kind of fool would refuse money?

In this era, 300 yuan was a small fortune.