Chapter 1: Reincarnated as a Little Cannon Fodder

1976, Tongxiang Brigade.

Ye Tao groggily woke up from her sleep, feeling something covering her face, itching sharply against her skin. She ripped it off and found it was a red bridal veil. Confused, she looked around.

The mud walls were made of yellow clay, the furnishings inside seemed fairly new, and the bed was covered in bright red sheets and blankets, clearly arranged for a wedding. Where was she? She remembered taking a bath at home before bed—how did she suddenly end up somewhere else?

Her mind was full of questions. Hearing laughter from outside, she stood up to take a look, only to feel dizzy and collapse to the floor.

“Hiss.”

A memory flashed in her mind.

As an ultimate fan of period novels, she loved everything about them. Last night before bed, she had come across a newly completed book and immediately added it to her bookshelf, reading it eagerly while soaking in the bath.

The book was titled “Daily Life of a 1970s Big Shot Pampering His Wife”, set in the 1970s. It told the story of the heroine Ye Xuan, who did not want to marry her prearranged fiancé in a blind marriage. On the night before the wedding, she ran away from home, went to a distant city, and met the male lead Hu Xiangming by accident.

Hu Xiangming came from a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners. He was rebellious since childhood, loved business, and did not want to become a doctor. To escape his family’s control, he left for the big city to make his own way.

The two kindred spirits met in a strange land, their young hearts gradually leaning on each other. Over time, they supported and encouraged one another, and ultimately, through their knowledge and abilities, succeeded in creating their own world.

The original story’s Ye Tao, however, was a minor character: a substitute bride. After Ye Xuan ran away to avoid the wrath of the Huo family, her parents knocked Ye Tao unconscious and sent her to marry the Huo family in Ye Xuan’s place.

Ye Tao was Ye Xuan’s fraternal twin sister. Though their appearances were different, their height and build were identical. With the bridal veil on, no one could tell them apart. This was why Ye Tao’s parents dared to carry out the plan.

Once in the bridal chamber, it didn’t matter whether it was Ye Xuan or Ye Tao—whoever married in would be the Huo family’s daughter-in-law. Even if the Huo family regretted it, it would be too late.

Seeing this, Ye Tao wanted to scream: MMP. Thinking of the original character’s tragic ending in the book, she felt indignant.

After marrying her childhood fiancé, Ye Tao’s original self became a widow when he—a soldier—died unexpectedly on a mission. The Huo family already disliked her, and now they couldn’t tolerate her at all. Helpless, she had to take odd jobs in the county town. One dark night, she was robbed. Struggling to keep her meals for the coming week, she fought desperately, but the thief had a knife and killed her in the darkness. By the time someone found her, her body was already stiff.

The poor girl should have had a bright future, yet she died in a dim alley.

Absurdly, her husband hadn’t actually died; he faked his death for an undercover mission. No one knew except the commander. When he returned home and discovered his wife had been killed, he used all his connections to find the thief and exact vengeance. The thief was thoroughly evil, so society benefited from his death. Unfortunately, his wife would never return. He never remarried, no matter how high his position rose, only adopting two orphaned children and instructing that he be buried with his wife. Perhaps he had once loved her.

After reading this, Ye Tao ran to the author’s comment section, begging to rewrite her sister’s ending, only to be told that was the fate of a cannon fodder. Furious, she left a one-star review, never having seen such shamelessness.

Coming out of the bathtub, she slipped, hitting her head on the tub. Her gaze fell on her phone screen—apparently, it was the author’s latest reply:

“Since you like Ye Tao so much, why not become her? Her fate is yours to rewrite.”

The sharp stones on the floor hurt her hands, pulling her back from her memories. What kind of place was this, with so many stones?

A pair of shoes appeared before her. Following them upward, she saw a screen full of long legs. She was shocked—how tall must this person be?

“You okay?”

Huo Tingwu had just finished toasting and returned to find his young bride sitting on the floor, eyes red, staring at her hands in a daze. Approaching, he noticed her palms were red from the stones.

Frowning slightly, he thought, So delicate—can she really live with me in the family quarters?

This was probably the original bridegroom, Huo Tingwu. Unsure of his temperament, Ye Tao tentatively asked,

“Can you help me up?”

The man before her looked a little fierce, and her heart raced.

He stood there, motionless, staring for a long moment. Noticing her reddened eyes, he pretended not to see, gritting his teeth and saying,

“Get up yourself.”

She had only bumped herself—was it necessary to be so tough?

Tears welled up in Ye Tao’s eyes, glistening and rolling down her cheeks. She looked pitiful.

“Why are you so harsh?”

Alone in a strange world, scolded by him, she vented all her grievances.

Huo Tingwu: ???

Wait, what? She cried just because of that? He mentally kicked himself for speaking.

As the old saying goes: Women and petty men are hard to raise. Quite true.

Ye Tao sat on the floor, sobbing, her long lashes dripping with tears, feeling more wronged with each thought. Her cries grew louder.

Worried she might attract attention, Huo Tingwu hurriedly covered her mouth.

“Little ancestor, I beg you, stop crying. Isn’t helping you up enough?”

Too late to think of helping me now!

Ye Tao bit the man’s hand, angry, You bullied me.

“Hiss, you’re a dog, let go!”

There were still guests outside. Huo Tingwu, cautious, lowered his voice, urging her to release him.

“No, unless you admit your mistake,” Ye Tao mumbled stubbornly, impossible to coax.

Huo Tingwu facepalmed, sometimes he really wanted to hit someone.

“Alright, I admit it. Can you let go now?”

Ye Tao finally released him, spitting to the side, unsure if his hands were clean.

Huo Tingwu twitched at her action. Am I really that dirty?

He helped her to the bed. Ye Tao felt awkward—she just wanted a man to pour water and bring medicine. Her hands were already bruised red.

Spitting earlier didn’t help; she needed to rinse her mouth. And what was this lousy place? Not even tiled floors—she worried she’d fall again.

Gently blowing on her hands, her fair cheeks puffed slightly, her pink lips careful to avoid the wound.

The man before her didn’t move. Frowning, she asked,

“Why haven’t you gone yet?”

Huo Tingwu snapped back to reality. Damn, he had just been staring at her, thinking she was cute.

“Wait,” he said, tossing the words and leaving in a hurry. The warmth in his ears reminded him of his own unusual reaction.

Ye Tao, confused, muttered, Weirdo.