Chapter 03
She recalled her final memory.
Inside her rented apartment, the pressure cooker had exploded, and everything went black.
That tiny fifty-square-meter apartment, the mortgage she could never finish paying, the readers who hounded her for updates every day, and her cheating ex-boyfriend.
Why would she go back?
Go back just to keep paying the mortgage?
Go back to be scolded by her readers?
Go back and watch her ex-boyfriend flaunt his romance with his mistress?
“I’m not going back,” she said.
[Host, are you sure? Your original body still shows vital signs, and the success rate of resuscitation is approximately…]
“I don’t care what the success rate is,” Su Wanqing interrupted. “There’s nothing worth missing in that world. My parents have been gone for years. I only have a few friends, and my job isn’t anything special. Since I’ve transmigrated into a novel, I’ll just treat it as being reborn. Besides, Lu Shiyan is pretty handsome.”
The system fell silent.
[(āoā)… Very well. This system respects the Host’s choice. Please select one Mystery Box to open.]
Ten glowing orbs suddenly appeared before Su Wanqing, lined up in a row. Each one was marked with a number from one to ten.
She thought for a moment.
“I’ll pick Number Nine. Nine is my lucky number.”
[Ding! Opening Mystery Box No. 9.]
[Congratulations, Host! You have obtained: Infinite Storage Space (Upgradeable).]
[Description: This is an independent storage space with unlimited capacity. Its initial size is 100 square meters and can be expanded by completing missions. Time inside the space is frozen, and all stored supplies remain permanently fresh. The space currently comes equipped with basic supplies…]
[Basic Food Supplies: 100 jin of rice, 100 jin of flour, 100 jin of cornmeal, 200 jin of sweet potatoes.]
[Basic Medicine: 10 boxes each of fever medicine, antibiotics, anti-diarrheal medicine, and wound medicine.]
[Daily Necessities: 20 towels, 10 bars of soap, 100 boxes of matches, 2 kerosene lamps, and 2 cotton quilts.]
Su Wanqing’s eyes lit up.
This was incredible.
What was most scarce in the 1970s?
Food and daily necessities.
With this storage space, she would at least never starve or freeze.
Looking at the pile of supplies filling the space, Su Wanqing couldn’t stop smiling.
[Ding! Since the Host instantly completed the initial mission, you have also received a bonus reward: Beauty and Health Pill Ć1.]
[Description: After consumption, it will improve the original host’s complexion, repair all current injuries, including the injury to the back of the head, blisters on the hands, malnutrition, and more. It will also strengthen the body. Long-term use can slow the aging process.]
Without hesitation, Su Wanqing popped the pill into her mouth.
The pill melted instantly.
A warm current spread from her stomach throughout every part of her body.
The dull pain at the back of her head disappeared immediately.
The blisters on her hands visibly shrank and vanished, along with the red marks on her palms. Her skin became even fairer and softer than before.
Her whole body felt light and refreshed, as though she had slept soundly for three straight days.
Su Wanqing rolled her neck and let out a long breath.
“All right. Now it’s time to figure out what to do next.”
Leaning against the old locust tree, she closed her eyes and began sorting through the original Su Wanqing’s memories and her current situation.
The original Su Wanqing was nineteen years old, an educated youth from the city.
A year ago, her parents had used their connections to send her to the countryside to avoid political trouble, promising to bring her back once things settled down.
However, only two months after she arrived, her parents were sent into exile, and there had been no news of them ever since.
Overnight, she had gone from being a pampered young lady from a wealthy family to an orphan with no one to rely on.
But she hadn’t accepted reality.
She still behaved like a spoiled rich girl.
She complained whenever she worked in the fields, grumbled that everything was too hard, and remained just as picky about food and daily necessities as before.
She couldn’t stomach the coarse grain served at the educated youth dormitory and secretly traded away her belongings for refined grain.
From time to time, she also went to the supply cooperative to buy gifts for Lin Wenxuan. The money her parents had left her had already been nearly exhausted by her spending.
While everyone else earned eight work points a day, she was lucky if she managed to earn three.
The village women disliked her, calling her lazy, greedy, incapable of living an honest life, and a spoiled young lady.
The other female educated youths also ostracized her. They thought she was delicate, dramatic, shameless, and that all she ever did was chase after Lin Wenxuan, embarrassing all the female educated youths.
The original Su Wanqing had low emotional intelligence and couldn’t read the room.
The more people criticized her, the harder she pushed back, eventually making herself hated by practically everyone.
And what about Lin Wenxuan?
The original Su Wanqing regarded him as her only hope and her only way out.
Yet he considered her a burden.
He despised her family background while happily accepting her gifts, all the while secretly carrying on an affair with Li Xiulian, the village chief’s daughter.
Li Xiulian…
Su Wanqing narrowed her eyes.
The original novel’s heroine.
On the surface, she was kind, hardworking, thoughtful, and considerate. She often appeared to be bullied by the original Su Wanqing, earning the sympathy of the entire village and Lin Wenxuan.
But in reality?
Many of those so-called bullying incidents were staged by Li Xiulian herself.
She knew perfectly well that the original Su Wanqing was beautiful but foolish.
She deliberately approached her, intentionally provoked her into losing her temper, then ran away with tears in her eyes so everyone would assume the original Su Wanqing was at fault.
That foolish original Su Wanqing had been manipulated without ever realizing it, and even thought she was clever.
Su Wanqing let out a cold laugh.
Fine.
Li Xiulian, is it?
You like playing the innocent white lotus?
Then let’s see who puts on the better performance.
She opened her eyes, stood up, and brushed the dirt from her clothes.
She also hadn’t forgotten that Lin Wenxuan had shoved her today.
Since she now occupied the original Su Wanqing’s body, she would avenge her.
Confronting Lin Wenxuan directly now would accomplish nothing.
He would simply turn the tables, accuse her of shamelessly throwing herself at him, and ruin her reputation.
Su Wanqing curled her lips into a smile.
No rush.
She had plenty of time.
Revenge was a dish best served slowly.
The sky was completely dark.
The moon had climbed above the treetops, and faint lights glowed from the educated youth dormitory.
When she reached the entrance, the courtyard was unusually quiet.
Su Wanqing pushed open the door.
Everyone inside looked toward her at once.
“Well, look who’s backāthe young lady herself,” Zhang Hongying sneered as she sat by the bed making shoe soles. “It’s already pitch dark. Where have you been fooling around this time?”
Su Wanqing ignored her and walked over to her own bed before sitting down.
Zhang Hongying was stunned.
Normally, Su Wanqing would argue with anyone who provoked her.
Why wasn’t she saying anything today?
“I’m talking to you. Are you deaf?” Zhang Hongying raised her voice.
Su Wanqing looked up at her and replied calmly,
“I heard you. My mother taught me not to waste words on people with bad brains.”
“Who are you calling brainless?” Zhang Hongying’s face turned bright red with anger.
The other female educated youths exchanged surprised glances.
Had Su Wanqing taken the wrong medicine today?
Too lazy to care what they thought, Su Wanqing took off her shoes, climbed into bed, and pulled the blanket over herself.
The back of her head no longer hurt, but after everything that had happened, she was exhausted.
Before drifting off to sleep, she had only one thought.
Tomorrow she would go see Lu Shiyan.
She had to bring him two eggs.
After all, he had helped her secure the job of work-point recorder.
Besides, with how deeply Lu Shiyan loved her, if she called him “Brother,” he would probably give her his life.
The original Su Wanqing hadn’t known how to treasure him.
She certainly would.
Su Wanqing enjoyed an unusually good night’s sleep.
When she opened her eyes, daylight had already filled the room.
She sat up, stretched lazily, and felt completely refreshed.
That Beauty and Health Pill she had taken yesterday really was amazing.
When she looked into the mirror, even she was stunned.
The young woman reflected there had fair skin with a rosy glow, bright watery eyes, long curled eyelashes, and naturally rosy lips.
She was an absolute beauty.
The original Su Wanqing had always been naturally beautiful.
Otherwise, Lu Shiyan would never have fallen for her at first sight.
But her spoiled attitude, combined with long-term malnutrition, had always left her looking somewhat unhealthy.
Now she looked completely different.
She resembled a peach freshly washed by morning dew, so delicate and fresh that it seemed a single pinch would bring out sweet juice.
