Upon seeing this, Cheng Fangqiu gained a further understanding of this family’s way of interacting. Ding Ximei had studied and been exposed to new ideas, and she utterly despised the feudal remnants of valuing men over women. So, from the moment the original host was born, she cherished her like a precious treasure. Even after her younger brother, Cheng Xuejun, was born, she treated them both equally.
Cheng Baokuan followed Ding Ximei’s words in everything, and under her influence, he too believed that men and women were the same, without making any special distinctions.
In this era, where gender inequality was widespread, the environment in which the original host grew up was already quite good. But people are inherently selfish. After hearing many educated youths in the village talk about how wonderful the big cities were, she inevitably developed longing, which eventually led her to stray down the wrong path and make mistakes.
Yet, even though the original host later did so many foolish things, her parents never blamed her. Instead, they blamed themselves, shedding tears day after day, until they cried themselves into illness.
Truly, how pitiful is the heart of parents in this world…
Cheng Fangqiu watched as Father Cheng and Mother Cheng busied themselves, and blurted out, “Thank you, Father and Mother.”
I’m sorry.
The words spoken and the words left unsaid—both were hers and also spoken on behalf of the original host. From today onward, Cheng Fangqiu would be Cheng Fangqiu.
“What a strange thing to say, thanking your own parents.” Ding Ximei muttered, but she smiled as she urged her to wash up—once she was done, she could eat.
The bathroom door closed, and Cheng Fangqiu collected herself, briefly surveying the cramped space. There was no light, so the room was dim. There was no showerhead, only a damp towel to wipe herself clean. This method of bathing made her very uncomfortable, but she had no choice but to endure it and quickly finish washing.
In these times, there weren’t so many fancy toiletries. Soap was the most common and cheapest option—a large bar could last a long time if used sparingly. However, it required an industrial coupon, and for rural families, it wasn’t exactly cheap. So in households that were a bit tight on money and didn’t care much for hygiene, it was very common for an entire family to share a single bar of soap for washing both their hair and bodies. Some families didn’t even use soap at all.
Looking at the small bar of soap in her hand, Cheng Fangqiu felt immense gratitude toward Ding Ximei. With her around, this household paid special attention to hygiene. Within their means, everyone had their own toiletries—the soap was divided into four portions, and two towels were cut into four pieces…
By the time she returned to the kitchen, the food had already been placed on the table.
“Come eat. Leave your clothes there; you can wash them later.”
Cheng Fangqiu sat somewhat awkwardly at the “dining table.” Calling it a dining table was a bit of an overstatement—it was just a few wooden planks pieced together into a makeshift, rickety setup. The chairs wobbled when sat on.
The food was even plainer—there wasn’t a trace of meat. The main dish for the night was steamed cornmeal buns mixed with some unidentified wild vegetables, accompanied by stir-fried eggplant with chili and stir-fried cabbage. It looked quite meager.
Looking at the food, Cheng Fangqiu suddenly felt like crying. But before she could, her growling stomach overpowered her emotions. She shamefully licked her lips, eager to put the warm food into her mouth—but the family wasn’t all seated yet, so she couldn’t pick up her chopsticks.
Fortunately, it wasn’t long before a teenage boy came rushing in from outside. He bore a stronger resemblance to Cheng Baokuan, except for his beautifully shaped peach blossom eyes, which gave him a touch of handsomeness. He was tall and well-built, already a strong laborer in the fields despite his young age. However, he usually attended middle school in the county and could only help with farm work when he had free time.
“Father, Mother, Sis, I’m back!” Cheng Xuejun casually tossed his satchel onto a chair, went to wash his hands, and then returned to sit down.
Ding Ximei placed the bowls and chopsticks on the table while coldly huffing, “Where were you fooling around? Why are you back so late today?”
Cheng Xuejun scratched his forehead, knowing that Ding Ximei wasn’t truly scolding him. Grinning, he replied, “I just wandered around the back mountain with some classmates.”
After speaking, he opened his satchel and carefully took out a leaf-wrapped bundle. Looking closely—oh! It was a big pack of wild raspberries. The small, bright red fruits rested delicately on the green leaves, appearing as if they were glowing. Even Cheng Fangqiu couldn’t help but steal a few more glances.
“These are especially for Mom and Sis.”
In her past life, Cheng Fangqiu had no siblings. Now, facing the teenager’s sincere and enthusiastic gaze, her heart skipped a beat—she didn’t know how to react. Fortunately, Ding Ximei spoke up in time, “You and that sweet-talking mouth of yours—just wonder what your dad thinks.”
After saying that, she even covered her lips and laughed softly.
Everyone turned to look at Cheng Baokuan. As expected, he sat in his chair, his expression instantly turning sour. He pointed at Cheng Xuejun’s nose, putting on a deliberately heartbroken act, sighing heavily, “What can I think? My son remembers his mother and sister—how could I not be happy?”
“Dad, you don’t even like eating this stuff…” Cheng Xuejun mumbled, struggling for a long time but still unable to come up with a single line to placate him. His straightforward remark made Cheng Baokuan even more frustrated.
Cheng Fangqiu and Ding Ximei couldn’t help but burst into laughter. This relaxed family atmosphere made Cheng Fangqiu’s entire body loosen up. The corners of her lips lifted into a faint smile—aside from the hardships of life here, everything else seemed quite good.
Just as she thought of this, Ding Ximei’s next words froze her smile on her face.
“Put it aside. After dinner, we’ll wash it and eat together. After that, it’s time to sleep—we have to go to work tomorrow.”
Go to work?!
How could she have forgotten about going to work! The original host had good grades, but in this era, there was no way to take the university entrance exam. The only path was through recommendation, and as an ordinary civilian, university was something she never even dared to dream of. After graduating from high school, she was just like other rural girls—going down to the fields to earn work points and lighten the family’s burden.
Although the Cheng family didn’t require her to do heavy labor to earn full work points1“Work points” (工分): A system used in China’s rural collectives where laborers were awarded points based on the amount and quality of work done. These points were then converted into food and income at the end of the year., farm work was never easy.
Even if she had the original host’s memories, she herself was still a pampered young lady who had never done any labor. Once she got into the fields, she would be completely clueless—a burden rather than a help!
Cheng Fangqiu ate her meal absentmindedly. She barely touched the sweet and sour berries, using fatigue as an excuse to retreat to her room and lie down. Only once she was alone did she have the energy to carefully consider her future path.
Find a job? In this era, jobs were like “one radish, one hole2“One radish, one hole” (一个萝卜一个坑): A Chinese idiom meaning that every position is already filled, leaving no extra spots.“—a fixed slot for each person. Iron rice bowl jobs3“Iron rice bowl” (铁饭碗): A term for a stable, lifelong job, typically in government or state-owned enterprises. could even be passed down to the next generation. Unless absolutely necessary, who would be willing to give up their position to an outsider? Recruitment was scarce, and for a rural girl like her, finding a job in this era was as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
Get married? Marrying a rural man was out of the question—she was better off staying with the Cheng family. As for city men, she didn’t know their backgrounds, and there was a high chance she would be walking into a trap.
As she thought it over, a figure slowly surfaced in her mind.
Zhou Yinghuai?
A top-tier figure in the novel—exceptionally capable, born into privilege, with a strong sense of responsibility. After being forced to marry the original host, even though he looked down on her, he still provided her with material security. He never strayed, neither in spirit nor in body—truly a man who could be described as “upright and self-disciplined” in every sense.
The original host had sharp eyes—she had managed to climb such a high branch with such quality. If she hadn’t courted disaster, she could have lived a life of luxury without worries.
So, why not just follow the novel’s storyline and become a trophy wife by Zhou Yinghuai’s side? It didn’t seem like a bad idea—enduring some cold stares was far better than slaving away in the fields to earn work points.
Reputation and dignity—how much were they even worth?
But soon, Cheng Fangqiu dismissed this idea. If she was already determined to “sell herself for glory,” then why not make sure she lived even better? Instead of using underhanded means to force him to marry her, wouldn’t it be better to make him willingly fall for her?
Forced and willing—there was an immeasurable difference in how each would benefit her. Besides, if it didn’t work out, she could still follow the original host’s old path!
Cheng Fangqiu rolled on the bed, the more she thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. The only problem was…
Flirting? She had never done that before. But even if she hadn’t eaten pork, she had at least seen pigs run4“Even if she hadn’t eaten pork, she had at least seen pigs run” (没吃过猪肉，还没见过猪跑吗?): A Chinese proverb meaning that even if someone hasn’t personally experienced something, they have at least seen or heard enough about it to understand., right?
But what kind of girl would a lofty man like him be interested in? Seductive? Innocent? Cute?
Regardless, she had to seize the moment and win him over as soon as possible. Otherwise, once he left, everything would turn into nothing but an illusion.
Thinking and thinking, she unknowingly drifted off to sleep.
By the time she woke again, dawn was breaking outside. Ding Ximei’s voice drifted in through the door.
“Qiuqiu, get up and eat breakfast, or you’ll be late for work.”
The words “go to work” successfully scared away all of Cheng Fangqiu’s sleepiness. She sat up abruptly with a sharp motion, causing the wooden bed to creak loudly. Her mind was still somewhat muddled, but she instinctively responded with an “Okay” upon hearing the call. Ding Ximei urged her a few more times before turning and leaving.
Cheng Fangqiu sat on the bed in a daze for a few seconds, clutching her head in silent frustration. But in the end, she could only get up quickly. Considering that she would be working under the scorching sun for long hours, even though it was hot, she still put on a slightly thinner long-sleeved shirt and pants.
Cheng Xuejun had already left for school before dawn. His school was in the county, and if he didn’t leave early, he wouldn’t make it in time for morning classes. Fortunately, the Xingguang Commune had a tractor that children could ride to school. Otherwise, in communes without such transportation, students had no choice but to walk for hours to reach their schools in the county.
While washing up in the courtyard, Cheng Fangqiu deeply experienced, for the first time, just how difficult it was for children in the mountains to pursue education. In her past life, when she went to school, she was always chauffeured around—she didn’t even have to walk. She had an endless allowance every month…
With a sigh full of emotion, she stepped into the kitchen.
On the dining table, there were three bowls of plain white porridge—more broth than rice—accompanied by a bowl of pickled sour long beans and a few boiled sweet potatoes. That was the family’s breakfast.
Since she would be working later, Cheng Fangqiu didn’t have much of an appetite, but she still forced herself to eat a little to have enough energy.
Cheng Baokuan found Cheng Fangqiu’s “fully armed” appearance rather strange. Taking a bite of half a sweet potato, he spoke with his mouth half-full, “Qiuqiu, aren’t you hot wearing long sleeves?”
“The sun looks strong outside, and I’m afraid of getting tanned.” If she didn’t take proper sun protection, issues like darkening and aging would come one after another. Since there were no chemical sunscreens available now, she could only rely on primitive physical sun protection.
Cheng Fangqiu was naturally beautiful, so she cared even more about her appearance. She would rather endure the heat than become ugly.
“You never used to…” Hearing this, Cheng Baokuan wanted to say more, but Ding Ximei interrupted him. “Qiuqiu has grown up and knows how to care about beauty now. Just let her be—she knows what she’s doing.”
With Ding Ximei stepping in to smooth things over, Cheng Fangqiu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. What she feared most now was someone noticing the differences between her and the original host. If she were exposed, she really wouldn’t know how to explain herself.
After finishing breakfast, the family hurried to the village entrance to gather. By the time they arrived, quite a few people were already there.
Cheng Fangqiu immediately noticed a group of men dressed in matching indigo-blue work uniforms. They all stood upright, maintaining strict silence in two neat rows, a stark contrast to the noisy and disorderly villagers around them.
Among them, the most eye-catching was the tall man at the front. Unlike when he wasn’t wearing a shirt, now dressed in the uniform, he exuded a unique kind of allure, as if wrapped in a layer of hazy, forbidden temptation. His handsome features carried an air of righteousness, drawing people in, making them unable to resist stealing glance after glance.
Just as Cheng Fangqiu was engrossed in looking, the man seemed to sense something and suddenly turned his gaze sharply in her direction.
Their eyes met across the crowd, colliding in midair with a sudden intensity.