(I've written several Qing Dynasty time-travel stories, but I've completely run out of inspiration. I'm thinking of writing a historical novel instead, something like a side story to the previous one! It'll give me a break. Constantly focusing on palace intrigue isn't a sustainable approach.)

Jia Yue had been the Empress Dowager for half her life. Seeing the Qing Dynasty, under Hongzhao's rule, no longer in its former decadence, she closed her eyes in peace. After all, she had done everything she could, hoping that the future of this world would not have to suffer from those countless wounds.

When Jia Yue opened her eyes again, she felt an intense headache.

Then I heard a commotion, followed by a memory.

She realized that she had time-traveled again, this time to the 1970s, becoming an unlucky girl in a Beijing courtyard.

Well, to put it simply: a violent biological father, a hypocritical stepmother, a half-brother who does nothing but bully her, and a stepsister who always steals her things.

Everything in sight is exquisite.

She hadn't expected things to start this way.

The original owner died because he was beaten to death by his drunken father.

The family saw that she had lost so much blood, but they didn't take her to the hospital. They just put her on the bed and did nothing else.

"Has that brat Jia Yue woken up yet?"

"Not yet! I think she's faking it, Mom. Should I go and splash her with water to wake her up?"

It's about the stepmother and that heartless younger brother.

"Forget it, she lost a lot of blood. If she really dies, it will be hard to explain."

They told others that Jia Yue had accidentally bumped into something, but living in the same compound, everyone knows that her husband is prone to beating people.

If no one died, that's fine. But if someone did die, it's okay if no one investigates, but if someone does, it'll be a mess.

"She got off too easily."

The conversation between the mother and son reached Jia Yue's ears, but quickly disappeared, and the room became quiet again. The two of them went out.

To avoid being sent to the countryside, the original owner's stepsister married off to a worker's family in the same compound right after graduation. Like her mother, she married a divorced man with a child, except he had a son.

The stepmother didn't work. Although her stepfather was a bad person, he did have a decent job. However, from the original owner's memories, it was clear that he got that job through his maternal grandfather's family.

The original owner's mother was an only child, which means that the original owner's father was a freeloader.

It's yet another messy, unresolved issue.

The original owner was sixteen years old and still in high school. The reason she was allowed to go to school was not because her parents were kind-hearted. They couldn't let their stepdaughter go to school while making their own child drop out.

Furthermore, everyone knows how he got his job. If he really goes too far, a single report could lead to him losing his job, or even being demoted or having his salary reduced—something many people would be happy to see.

If you're living off a woman, you can't just do whatever you want without any scruples.

It was precisely because of these concerns that the original owner was able to survive until now, though life has been a bit difficult.

Jia Yue got up, took out a cup from her spatial storage, and drank a cup of spiritual spring water. Her headache finally subsided, but a feeling of hunger welled up inside her, so she quickly took out some snacks from her spatial storage to eat.

In one part of the space, time seemed to stand still, and she had placed a lot of food there.

After eating some snacks and drinking some water, I felt alive again.

Only then did she begin to consider how she should live her life from now on.

The original owner's grades were average, neither good nor bad. She was willing to study, but with this family atmosphere, when she returned home, she was faced with endless housework, insults, verbal abuse, and occasional physical violence. Her body was covered in bruises and scars.

Environment influences people; the little girl always kept her head down, was quiet and reserved, and had no presence whatsoever.

There are still a few years until the resumption of the college entrance examination. The original owner is now in the second year of high school. It is a two-year high school, which means she will graduate this year. If she doesn't have a job or get married after graduation, given the original owner's father and stepmother, they could really force her to enroll and send her to the countryside as an educated youth.

In this day and age, parents still have a lot of rights.

She didn't want to go to the countryside. She couldn't do farm work, and as an educated youth, it would be better if she was assigned to a better place. But if the place she was assigned to was rife with factions, she wouldn't be afraid of encountering someone who would cause trouble. She wasn't afraid, but she would inevitably have to deal with it, which was unnecessary.

The original owner's revenge must be taken, but the most important thing right now is work.

After thinking about all this, she got up and went straight out.

As soon as I stepped outside, I ran into an old lady from the compound. She was a big mouth, but of course, these days, with so little entertainment, many people are big mouths.

There are no secrets in the compound.

Upon seeing Jia Yue, she said with sympathy, "I heard from your mother that you fell and hit your head. How could you be so careless?"

Jia Yue feigned surprise: "Aunt Chen, my mom said I fell and hit my head, but it was clearly..."

Jia Yue stopped mid-sentence, her face grim.

The elderly woman, surnamed Chen, looked at her with curiosity: "What do you mean by 'Mingming'? Tell me! Didn't you fall by yourself?"

Jia Yue remained silent, lowering her head. Anyone who saw her would have many thoughts: "Aunt Chen, it's nothing, don't ask anymore. I have a terrible headache, I need to find a doctor to take a look."

Seeing her like this, Aunt Chen became even more convinced that she hadn't fallen on her own. She grew increasingly curious and coaxed, "My child, if you have any grievances, don't keep them to yourself. Tell Aunt Chen."

Jia Yue shook her head vigorously: "It's nothing, Auntie, I'm leaving now."

After saying that, Jia Yue ran away, but her face was very pale and she looked disappointed and despondent. It was as if she had a story to tell and a grievance to share, but she just wouldn't say it.

As Jia Yue left the courtyard, she thought to herself that, given Aunt Chen's personality, it wouldn't be long before many versions of the story about her fall would emerge.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!