「Early spring, 1977.」
In the Sun family home, in the Ninth Team of Dazhuang Village, Qin Mei leaned lazily against the doorframe, her strange gaze fixed on the two people in the kitchen.
"Mom, what in the world did the second son's wife bring back? A living Bodhisattva? You're serving her good food and drinks day in and day out. You're already old, yet you're still waiting on her hand and foot, cooking three meals a day. Isn't she afraid of shortening her lifespan by accepting all this?" the eldest son's wife complained, unable to hold it in any longer.
Sun's mother was cooking. She shot a sidelong glance at her eldest daughter-in-law. While she was busy with the meal, her daughter-in-law was idly complaining beside her, not even offering a hand. Her tone was very unfriendly. "The second son's wife said that Qin Mei is Jie Jingchen's wife, her fourth brother's wife. She's injured, so she brought her to our home to recover. Jie Jingchen gives us ten yuan a month for living expenses."
Ten yuan! That was enough to cover the entire family's living expenses. The person their second daughter-in-law brought back wasn't a burden at all; she was their family's God of Wealth. How could she not serve her the best food and drink?
"Mom, this isn't about the money. Jie Jingchen's wife is injured, but she's been recovering for half a year now. Any injury should have healed by now. Mom, you have to go to work for work-points every day, and when you get home, not only do you have to cook for this huge family, but you also have to wait on her. And what about her? She just idles around the house all day, not even helping with the cooking. She's so inconsiderate," the eldest son's wife said indignantly.
Sun's mother paused her cooking and frowned. "You're so considerate, yet I don't see you helping with the cooking when you get home from work either."
The eldest son's wife was choked by the retort. She rubbed her nose and mumbled, "I was just afraid I'd get in your way, wasn't I?"
Qin Mei raised an eyebrow slightly, the corner of her mouth curling into a faint, mocking smile.
'The Sun family's eldest daughter-in-law is consumed by envy, jealousy, and hate for me.'
Qin Mei turned and walked away.
Under a crooked-neck tree, Qin Mei lay with a foxtail grass stem dangling from her mouth, one arm pillowed behind her head. She had one leg crossed over the other, her posture languid.
She had transmigrated to 1977, into the body of someone also named Qin Mei. As for the original owner's memories, she didn't have a single one.
No one knew anything about the original owner either. All they knew was that she had married Jie Jingchen. He had to go on a mission, and she fell into a coma, so his eldest sister was notified to pick her up from the hospital and bring her to the Sun family for temporary care.
They said it was temporary, but it ended up being half a year.
'My last life was miserable. I was an only child, and my whole family pinned all their hopes on me alone. My parents had high expectations, and my grandparents placed great hopes in me. As a result, I was still studying hard at the age of twenty-eight. My mother was a translator, my father a doctor, my grandfather a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, and my grandmother a forensic pathologist. They all wanted me to follow in their footsteps.'
'Due to the excessive burden, immense mental stress, and being in a constant state of overload, I died from overwork.'
'Now I've transmigrated to the seventies—an era where you need ration tickets to buy things, introduction letters to travel, supplies are scarce, and even getting a full meal is a problem.'
'At first, I couldn't adapt. But after six months, I had to get used to it whether I liked it or not.'
Qin Mei had been listless for half a year. It was time to start planning what to do next.
"Amie," Jie Jingling's gentle voice called out.
Qin Mei quickly pulled herself from her thoughts and sat up, smiling at Jie Jingling. "Sis."
Jie Jingling sat down beside Qin Mei, a hint of worry coloring her gaze.
"Amie, there's something I can't hide from you any longer."
Qin Mei frowned and asked, "What is it?"
Qin Mei felt a sense of dependence on Jie Jingling, her sister-in-law. The Sun family treated her well for the sake of Jie Jingchen's ten yuan a month, but Jie Jingling was kind simply because she was Jie Jingchen's wife.
Jie Jingling hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath. "Xiao Si has been discharged from the military."
"Discharged?" Qin Mei was very calm. She had no strong reaction to Jie Jingchen's discharge. Jie Jingchen was the husband the original owner had chosen; she had never even seen his face. Seeing Jie Jingling's solemn expression, she asked perfunctorily, "When?"
"Five months ago," Jie Jingling replied.
Qin Mei raised an eyebrow. She had no reaction to Jie Jingchen's discharge, but the fact that Jie Jingling had hidden it from her for five months was genuinely surprising.
"And?" Qin Mei asked. 'They hid it from me at first, and now they're suddenly telling me. There's definitely a catch.'
'Don't tell me they're going to stop paying my living expenses?'
"After Xiao Si was discharged, he was assigned a job at the state-owned machinery factory. He was injured during a business trip to Shanghai," Jie Jingling said concisely.
"…" Qin Mei was speechless.
Qin Mei had a sudden realization. 'So that's the point. Jie Jingchen is injured, and now, as his wife, I'm needed to fulfill my marital duties and go take care of my injured husband.'
'They hid it for five months, and now they're suddenly not hiding it anymore.'
She suddenly felt as if she had been kept in reserve, only to be deployed at this one critical moment.
As Jie Jingchen's wife, Qin Mei was forced into a situation she wasn't ready for. Jie Jingling saw her off at the train station.
After a full day and night on the train, Qin Mei felt awful. Dizzy and disoriented, she walked with unsteady steps, carrying her luggage and merging into the crowd.
Qin Mei saw a young man in a blue worker's uniform holding a sign with her name on it. She breathed a sigh of relief. 'Good, they arranged for someone to pick me up.' She carried her luggage and moved with the crowd toward the young man.
"Hello, I'm Qin Mei," she said, walking up to the young man.
The young man was taken aback. A flash of admiration appeared in his eyes when he saw her. He gave a simple, honest smile and took her luggage. "Sister-in-law."
"And you are?" Qin Mei asked.
"Just call me Xiao Li. Sister-in-law, the car is parked outside." Xiao Li carried the luggage and walked off quickly. Qin Mei's steps were still unsteady, and she had some trouble keeping up.
This husband of hers, Jie Jingchen, was a complete stranger. To put it bluntly, she had never even met him. She truly felt nothing about his injury; she was just being forced to come and take care of him.
Qin Mei was dumbfounded. The "car" Xiao Li had mentioned was actually a bicycle.
'Well, in this era, having a bicycle for transportation is already quite impressive.'
The ride from the train station to the hospital took about half an hour.
"Sister-in-law, we're here." Xiao Li waited for Qin Mei to shakily get off the bike before saying urgently, "Sister-in-law, I have something else to do, so I can't go in with you. As for Technician Jie's bed, you can just ask a nurse."
"Okay." Qin Mei picked up her luggage, her legs trembling slightly. She looked at the hospital before her and sighed with emotion. 'It's a world apart from modern times.'
Walking into the hospital, she once again sighed at the state of its interior…
"Doctor Li, Xie Jingchen in bed seven is awake!" a young nurse called out excitedly.
A moment later, Doctor Li ran into the hospital room. Hearing the name Xie Jingchen, Qin Mei stopped in her tracks. She stood outside the doorway, watching the doctor examine the patient.
"Doctor Li, is he okay?" asked Jie Jingchen, who was lying in the adjacent bed.
"He's awake now, so there shouldn't be any major problems," Doctor Li said, relieved.
As Doctor Li and the nurse walked out of the room, Jie Jingchen noticed Qin Mei standing outside. His eyes flickered. 'She got here pretty fast.'
"Excuse me, are you…?" The nurse stopped and looked at Qin Mei. When she saw Qin Mei point toward bed seven, the nurse had a moment of realization. "You must be Xie Jingchen's wife."
Jie Jingchen's pupils contracted. Qin Mei's next words made his face fill with horror.
"Yes, I'm his wife," Qin Mei nodded.
"You've come at just the right time. He just woke up. Go on in and take care of him," the nurse said before leaving.
Qin Mei stepped forward and stood by the hospital bed. She looked at the person lying there, wrapped in so many bandages he resembled a mummy. She felt no heartache, only pity.
Qin Mei saw that his head was also wrapped in several layers of gauze. 'Did he injure his eyes?'
"Xie Jingchen," Qin Mei called out tentatively.