Chapter 1

Nineteen seventy-six.

March is the beginning of the warm season, but in Linjia Village, a remote village in Yongxing County in the northwest, a heavy snow suddenly fell last night.

From afar, the winding path was carved out into a yellow mud trail by the melted snow. The yellow mud houses were scattered around, revealing the eaves after the snow melted.

On the outer wall where the paint had fallen off, there were a few large words written in red paint.

Unity is strength!

Smoke from cooking fires rose in the village, and the occasional chirping of birds could be heard from the paulownia trees that had not yet sprouted, making the entire village seem unusually quiet after the snow.

Not far away, a woman walked hurriedly, pushed open a tattered wooden door with a creaky sound, and walked straight towards the house to the west.

As soon as he came in, he reached out and pushed the girl who was lying under the red and green peony quilt.

“You money-loser, wake up! Something terrible has happened.”

“That brat from the Jiang family got together with some educated youth from the village, and now they have been tied up under the big locust tree.”

Amid the scuffle, Su Ying opened her eyes in a daze.

The woman in front of him was wearing a worn navy blue jacket, her hair was short and reached her ears, her skin was red and rough from dehydration, and her face looked solemn.

Su Ying felt groggy and confused.

“Where is this?”

Why do the clothes this middle-aged woman wear look so vintage?

Seeing that she didn’t respond, the woman frowned, raised her hand angrily, and poked her hard on the forehead.

“You good-for-nothing, don’t act crazy and stupid at this critical moment. The Jiang family is a big family in our village. Even if that boy is having an affair with the educated youth, you have to put up with it. Your mother died early, and your father is a good-for-nothing. Although I married your father later, I gave birth to a son for your father and raised you for several years. I have already taken the 300 yuan betrothal money, and I will use that money to buy a dowry for my daughter Xiuxiu. If you are ungrateful and want to go back on your word, even if your good-for-nothing father agrees, I will not agree.”

“You eat my food, wear my clothes, and use my things, so you have to listen to me. The Jiang family kid’s father is the village party secretary, and several uncles have jobs in the city. When you marry there, you can help your brother in the future. Remember?”

Seeing that Su Ying was still in a daze, the woman pushed her impatiently. It was really infuriating. Her fiancé was sleeping with someone else, but she still had a dead look on her face.

Su Ying felt dizzy and glanced around. She saw a bamboo-wrapped kettle on the shabby wooden table next to her. Then she looked at the red and green peony quilt covering herself, and her head suddenly buzzed.

“I’m talking to you, did you hear me? Come with me to the big locust tree right now. Once there, tell him that you believe in Jiang Xiaofei. Your marriage can still be saved. It doesn’t matter who you marry. It’s better to marry a rich man than a poor one. At least you won’t starve, and your brother can benefit from you in the future.”

“Also, this matter has caused quite a stir in the village today. I think that Song Zhiqing is not an easy person to deal with. You should be smarter when the time comes. Don’t agree to cancel the engagement in a fit of rage. Our family has received a betrothal gift of 300 yuan from him. There are not many people who can afford a betrothal gift of 300 yuan these days.

Let me remind you here, if they really plan to cancel the engagement, your father and I will not return the three hundred yuan. You are not the one who is cheating on her, do you remember?

These three hundred dollars will be used to find a wife for your brother in the future.”

Before Su Ying could react, the woman pulled her clothes off the bed, and without waiting for her to put on her shoes, she dragged her towards the big locust tree in the village.

The two had just come out of the door. Su Ying was like a sleepwalker, and before she could come back to her senses, she bumped into a wall of flesh. The man’s chest was hard, like a solid wall of iron and steel, and it hurt her face so much, especially her nose. The sour feeling made her tears well up in her eyes.

Covering her nose and looking up, she met the man’s resolute and handsome face. He had sword-like eyes, a high nose bridge, lips of moderate thickness, and healthy wheat-colored skin. Taking another look, she saw that he was about 180cm tall, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs. He was holding two oil-paper bags in his hands and wearing a clean and neat navy blue Zhongshan suit, which made the snow behind him look even whiter.

The man also looked at her. She was about 1.6 meters tall, with two pigtails, and was wearing a tattered short cotton-padded jacket with many patches that didn’t fit her height. It was unclear whether she was frozen or sick. Her small face, which was the size of a palm, looked pale and weak. She looked sick without a single piece of flesh on her body, and she had no luck at all. She felt as if she was going to break when he bumped into her so lightly, and tears even came out. If he were a man, he would never marry such a skinny girl.

Su Ying’s cheeks turned slightly red, and before she could even say “I’m sorry” in her hoarse voice, she was pulled away by Tian Cuifen.

The entrance of Linjia Village.

Jiang Xiaofei and Song Min were tied to a big locust tree in their dishevelled clothes, surrounded by villagers watching.

Compared to Jiang Xiaofei, Song Min’s situation was worse. There was a heavy snow last night and the temperature dropped again. She had two pigtails that were messy like a chicken coop with straw hanging on them. She was only wearing a white vest and there were slap marks on her face.

The cold wind blew and she shivered.

Jiang Xiaofei saw Su Ying and thought of this weak woman who couldn’t even fart. He then turned his head to look at Song Min who was being humiliated because she was tied to a tree. Jiang Xiaofei glared at Su Ying and shouted, “Su Ying, you were the one who informed the villagers, weren’t you? You bitch, I don’t want to marry you so you hurt me. I’m telling you, you have no chance of marrying me.”

“You want me to marry you? Bah, I won’t, you vicious woman. I’m breaking off the engagement with you in front of the whole village today. I slept with Song Zhiqing. I like her and want to marry her. What can you do to me?”

Song Min pursed her lips, her eyes filled with hatred, and glared at Su Ying fiercely.

Jiang Xiaofei’s eyes were wide open with anger, and the villagers beside him were pointing and talking.

“Song Min is really shameless. I saw her hooking up with a male educated youth before, and now she’s hooking up with the village party secretary’s son in just a few days. She’s really a vixen.”

“Who says it’s not?”

Song Min?

Su Ying’s head buzzed, and she finally realized what was happening.

Oh my god, she actually traveled through the book.

The big locust tree, Su Xiuxiu, Jiang Xiaofei, Song Min, stepmother Tian Cuifen…

She almost forgot that she is a travel blogger.

I stayed up late last night to read the recently popular novel “I was Spoiled by a Big Boss in the 1970s”.

Staying up late for a long time caused her to lack sleep. She stayed up until the early morning last night and took a nap in front of the computer. Who knew that when she opened her eyes, she was transported into the body of the mild-mannered female supporting role in the book, who was suppressed by her stepmother but still worked hard without complaint.

In the story, the author arranged a miserable life for Su Ying. I don’t know if it was because I cursed her too harshly, but when I opened my eyes, I was reborn into Su Ying’s body.

What terrified her was that Su Ying had been squeezed dry of her last value by her father and stepmother. Not only did she not live a good life after marrying Jiang Xiaofei, she was also beaten to death by her own family.

Thinking of what Tian Cuifen said before she left, Su Ying’s mind quickly cleared up.

No, this marriage cannot happen. If it does, there is only one way to go, and that is death.