Chapter 1

n June of 1958, the scorching summer sun blazed overhead.

At 5:30 in the afternoon, in Yunshui County, the steel rolling factory signaled the end of the workday. As the factory gates opened, a throng of workers in dark blue uniforms pushed their bicycles out, heading home. In no time, the bustling noise of the large residential courtyard near the factory filled the air.

The residents of the courtyard returned home one after another. Some were taking baths while others were busy cooking. The sounds of rice being washed and water splashing mingled with the tantalizing aroma of lard and sugar pastries wafting through the alley.

It was payday at the factory, and smiles adorned the faces of the wives in the courtyard. At some homes, the rare sight of meat appeared on cutting boards during cooking.

The men gathered shirtless at the alley entrance, engaging in lively banter, while the women, taking advantage of the time spent lighting coal stoves, nibbled on roasted pumpkin seeds and animatedly shared the latest gossip.

“Hey, it’s been days already. Why hasn’t the daughter-in-law from the Gu family next door come out yet?”

“Come out for what? She’s a newlywed bride who just moved in. It’s only been a few days, and young girls can be shy.”

“Shy? She’s married now, not some young maiden. Once you move into this courtyard, no matter how fresh and delicate you are, it won’t take long before you end up just like us—plain and tired-looking.”

“That’s true, but I must admit, the Gu family’s daughter-in-law is really stunning. Her face, her figure—she’s as beautiful as a spring blossom.”

This comment came from Aunt Dafu, a resident of the courtyard. Hearing this, a sharp-faced woman with a braided hairstyle spat twice and chimed in with a sneer. “What’s the use of beauty? Her family’s all gone, leaving her the only one. She was practically sent to the courtyard by her own uncle to fill the gap!”

The sharp-faced woman’s words were clearly loaded, sparking curiosity among the other women.

“What do you mean by that, Shengcai’s wife?”

“Oh, you all don’t know?”

“Know what? Wasn’t this marriage arranged long ago as a childhood betrothal?”

“Exactly! I heard it was settled by Gu Mancang’s elders before liberation.”

Listening to their chatter, the sharp-faced woman pursed her thick lips and lowered her voice mysteriously. “It’s true that the marriage was arranged by the elders, but the bride isn’t the same one they originally agreed upon.”

“Ah, is that true?”

“You shouldn’t make baseless claims.”

Shengcai’s wife grew defensive at the skepticism. Raising her hand, she swore earnestly, “I’m not making this up! Originally, the bride was supposed to be Lin Hongna. But something happened—she fell into the river while washing clothes. After she woke up, she made a fuss and refused to get married no matter what. She even attempted suicide several times. Her parents were terrified, so they had no choice but to substitute her with their niece.”

“Goodness, how could her uncle be so heartless? Would the girl agree to that?”

“What choice did she have? Her parents are gone, and her only brother is a soldier stationed in Xinjiang. She’s just a girl alone in the world—like a lamb on the chopping block, waiting to be carved. This story has been the talk of Linjia Village for ages. And that Lin Hongna? She’s proud and ambitious, looks down on farmers, and wouldn’t even consider living in our courtyard. All she cares about is climbing the social ladder!”

“That girl…tsk, tsk.”

Shengcai’s wife spoke with confidence, claiming her husband had overheard this while working with a construction team in Linjia Village.

The crowd sighed, their hearts filled with pity and unease. Yet they couldn’t help but worry. The Gu family had five members, and apart from the honest Gu Mancang, the rest were not easy to deal with—especially Zhang Cuilan, the matriarch of the Gu family.

Zhang Cuilan worked at the state-run pig farm as a butcher. Her skills with a butcher’s knife were legendary, earning her the nickname “Zhang Sanniang,” the undefeated warrior of the courtyard.

Zhang Cuilan would definitely explode upon hearing about this.

I’m afraid there will be something exciting to watch in the old Gu family!

Of course, there were also thoughtful sisters-in-law who speculated that with Zhang Cuilan’s sharp nature, she had probably long been aware of the tricks involved.

Otherwise, on the wedding day, the whole courtyard would have been in an uproar.

As everyone mulled over their own thoughts, the evening meal time arrived. Children from each household started crying and screaming about being hungry, prompting their mothers to hurriedly get up and head back to their homes.

*

At the east end of the shared courtyard stood the Gu family’s house.

As the evening heat dissipated, the enticing aroma of food wafted through the alley.

In the backyard, cicadas perched on the parasol tree continued their relentless chirping, loud and incessant.

Beneath the parasol tree, a row of northern and southern side rooms with front and back verandas stood. One room had its window open. Inside, Lin Yao frowned as she had just been woken up. The buzzing sound of the cicadas outside made her restless.

In this unbearable heat, why wasn’t the air conditioning cooling anymore?

Yawning, Lin Yao rubbed her tired eyes. Her body felt sticky, and her face was covered in sweat. Instinctively, she wiped her face, accidentally touching a wound on her forehead. The sharp pain brought tears to her eyes.

Rubbing her head, she intended to get up and turn on the air conditioner to cool off.

But as soon as her feet touched the ground, she was stunned.

What met her eyes was a wooden bed draped with a coarse cloth mosquito net. Against the wall was a wooden table holding a red lacquered thermos adorned with peonies. Beside it were an old-fashioned wardrobe and a cupboard. The freshly whitewashed wall bore a large red “Double Happiness” character.

The headboard featured red celebratory pillowcases, a festive bedsheet, and a thin quilt with mandarin ducks playing in the water.

The quilt was now a mess, resembling a bird’s nest. That’s where she had just crawled out from.

Lin Yao: ?!

What was going on? Was she still dreaming?

Wait a minute, the calendar on the wall…1958?

Just as Lin Yao sat there, bewildered, the side room door was pushed open forcefully. A middle-aged woman in her fifties, with rough, tanned skin and a round face, burst in.

Zhang Cuilan, just returning from work, spotted Lin Yao awake and exclaimed with delight, “Child, you’re finally awake! Oh my, you’ve been unconscious for days. It’s good you’re awake now. Are you hungry? I’ll go make you some egg custard. Just wait here!”

She slapped her thigh in joy and breezed out like the wind.

Lin Yao was left sitting there, even more confused.

As soon as Zhang Cuilan left, a boy around ten years old appeared in the doorway.

The boy had a sun-tanned face and a small shaved head. His bright, dark eyes were full of mischief. Seeing no one around, he skipped into the room.

“Sister-in-law, you’re awake?”

Lin Yao: Who are you calling sister-in-law?!

Before she could react, the boy grinned, revealing a row of white teeth. He scratched his shaved head and said, “Sister-in-law, you don’t remember me? I’m Dongzi. When Da Tou Brother and I went to Linjia Village before, you even gave me candy…What? Who’s my Da Tou Brother? My Da Tou Brother is Gu Shi’an. He’s 28 this year, 29 in nominal age! He’s gone back to his unit. When you married in, you hit your head on the pillar. It was my Da Tou Brother who carried you… Ow, ow! That hurts!”

Before the boy could finish his sentence, Zhang Cuilan rushed back in and twisted his ear. “Gu Shidong, you brat! What are you doing? Your sister-in-law just woke up, and you’re here bothering her? Are you looking for trouble? You’ve been running around the house since school ended like a wild dog. Get out of here!”

Gu Shidong howled as his mother dragged him off, begging for mercy. “Mom! Mom! I’m sorry, I was just trying to help!”

“Help, my foot!”

With the door slamming shut, the sounds of the mother and son arguing gradually faded away.

Married as a substitute? Gu Shi’an?

Sitting on the bed, Lin Yao stared at the festive decorations of the newlywed’s room, utterly dumbfounded.

She had only slipped on the stairs during her birthday celebration. How did she end up transmigrating into a book?

Just yesterday, she had been celebrating her birthday with her best friends in a villa. After one night’s sleep, she woke up in this inexplicable situation.

Wasn’t this just absurd?

As if transmigrating wasn’t enough, she had to land in a clichéd plot she had read before!

The book was a melodramatic story divided into two parts. The first part followed Lin Yao, the original heroine blessed with extraordinary luck. She was known for her good looks and gentle, refined temperament. Lin Yao not only married into a good family, but her husband later became a successful entrepreneur. They lived a life of luxury, with Lin Yao becoming a wealthy matron in a Hong Kong villa, surrounded by maids and drivers, enjoying a lifetime of comfort.

The second part, however, was filled with drama. The new protagonist was Lin Hongna, the original heroine’s ambitious cousin. Lin Yao, meanwhile, lost her golden luck and became a tragic side character.

Lin Hongna, reborn with memories of her past life, used her cunning and experience to steal Lin Yao’s husband. She helped him rise to become the wealthiest man, and they ascended to the peak of society together.

Lin Yao, now the unfortunate sister-in-law, was tricked into marrying into a poor shared courtyard. She lived in misery and ultimately met a tragic end.

This was the premise of the book.

The detailed backstory began with the grandfathers of Lin Yao and Gu Shi’an.

Grandfather Lin, an orphan, started working as a shepherd for a landlord at the age of seven or eight. At fifteen, he joined the Red Army, where he befriended Gu Shi’an’s grandfather. The two young men became as close as brothers.

During a battle, Grandpa Lin saved Grandpa Gu, losing a leg in the process.

In gratitude, Grandpa Gu tearfully arranged a marriage agreement between their families, vowing to unite their families forever.

However, both families ended up having only sons in the next generation. Grandpa Lin had two sons: Lin Daguo and Lin Weiguo. Grandpa Gu had only one son, Gu Mancang.

Since there were no daughters in their generation, the marriage agreement was postponed until the next.

Eventually, Lin Daguo had a daughter named Lin Hongna, while Lin Weiguo had Lin Yao.

By the time of Gu Mancang’s generation, the Gu family was prosperous. There were two sons and one daughter, the eldest son Gu Shi’an, the second daughter Gu Chunmei, and the youngest son Gu Shidong.

According to an agreement between the two families, Lin Hongna had been betrothed to Gu Shi’an since they were children.

Compared to the Lin family, the Gu family was much better off.

The Gu family lived in a large courtyard in the city, while the Lin family lived in the countryside and farmed.

Gu Manchang was a grade-five blacksmith earning 65 yuan a month. His wife, Zhang Cuilan, worked at a state-run pig farm slaughtering pigs and was a yearly award-winning model worker. Their daughter, Gu Chunmei, worked as a sales assistant at the supply and marketing cooperative, and their son Gu Shi’an enlisted in the military at eighteen, serving as a deputy battalion commander.

In the family of five, three had stable jobs, and one was a military officer.

This was considered quite a good situation in the entire Yunshui County.

When Lin Hongna married into the family, she had a bicycle and a house, and since her husband, Gu Shi’an, was not at home because he was in the military, she thought it was the perfect life.

However, Lin Hongna looked down on the bustling courtyard and only dreamed of marrying up and becoming a wealthy wife.

There was nothing wrong with aspiring to be a wealthy wife. She boldly made her intentions clear to the Gu family.

The Gu family didn’t necessarily mind.

But Lin Hongna, after being reborn, wanted to be a rich wife and maintain a good reputation. After thinking it over, she decided to focus on her cousin—Lin Yao.

After all, Lin Yao was still from the Lin family.

Lin Yao’s parents had died in a flood the previous year. She had no family left, and her eldest brother was stationed far away in Xinjiang. She was left living under the roof of her uncle, Lin Daguo.

Lin Daguo, for the sake of his own daughter, worked together with his wife, Li Aifeng, one playing the “bad cop” and the other the “good cop,” pressuring the original owner to marry Gu Shi’an in place of Lin Yao.

The original owner was weak and indecisive, so she could only agree with tears in her eyes.

On the day of the wedding, the Gu family discovered the truth about the substitution. Faced with the accusations of everyone, Lin Daguo shamelessly shifted the blame onto the original owner. The original owner, filled with shame and guilt, became overwhelmed, and in a moment of despair, she ran into a pillar in the Gu family’s courtyard.

Unfortunately, Lin Yao, too, had stumbled, and in that moment, she was unexpectedly transmigrated into the original owner’s body.