Chapter 1, Section 001: Salted Fish and Vegetables

The pleasant clanging of a tram could be heard outside the window.

Before she even opened her eyes, Ye Baoling could smell the rich aroma of stewed pig's feet with ginger.

The rich, mellow aroma of meat lingered in her nostrils, completely banishing her sleepiness.

She, who usually sleeps until 9 o'clock, jumped out of bed in a flash.

Who would have thought that one day, Ye Baoling would be overjoyed over a meal of braised pig's feet with ginger?

A week ago, Ye Baoling was a high-earning executive at a well-known investment company. As the champion of office politics, she received the appointment letter as the director of the marketing department at a young age. However, she drank a little too much at the promotion celebration party and found that everything had changed when she sobered up.

She returned to the port city in 1987.

It wasn't a reversal of time, nor was it time travel; she simply stepped into the script.

A month ago, the boss forwarded Ye Baoling a script for a horizontal short drama called "Treasure Appraisal Genius" that the company was preparing to invest in.

Ye Baoling knew that this was a short drama tailor-made for a certain young and handsome man by her wealthy boss.

So when the boss asked for her opinion, she smiled broadly and joined her colleagues in praising it: "It's an absolutely brilliant notebook!"

Out of professional ethics to be responsible to her boss, Ye Baoling still offered a few reasonably constructive suggestions for the script.

Turning around, she couldn't help but complain to her friend: "These are all mindless and idiotic plots from elementary school kids."

What's even more infuriating is that there's a supporting character in the show who looks wealthy but is actually a pathetic and miserable person, and she shares the same name. I wonder if the colleague in charge of handling the script did it on purpose.

Perhaps she was punished for being too harsh in her criticisms; when she woke up from a drunken stupor, she found herself transmigrated into a ridiculous script that she had previously looked down upon.

She became that pathetic and pitiful, insignificant cannon fodder cousin next to the female lead.

At this moment, her cousin, the female lead Gu Man'er, like a pretty rag doll, was standing in front of the washbasin, brushing her teeth with a toothbrush in her mouth, still half asleep.

Man'er looked at Ye Baoling in the mirror with surprise, "Cousin, why are you up so early?"

Ye Baoling was too embarrassed to say that it was to go downstairs to eat meat.

"I was woken up by the trams outside."

The original owner was born into the Ye family, a prestigious old-style wealthy family in Hong Kong. Her mother could not have any more children after giving birth to only one daughter. Her father used this as an excuse to have an affair with his secretary, and the two parents eventually divorced.

My maternal grandmother's family was originally a wealthy family that owned several fabric shops in Hong Kong. At the height of their business, three out of ten people in Hong Kong wore fabrics from the Gu family.

Unfortunately, after my grandfather passed away, my uncle, who took over the family business, was young and impetuous but lacked experience. He blindly leveraged his business to expand, which coincided with the impact of ready-made clothing on the fabric business, and ultimately the business went bankrupt.

The Gu family mansion and other properties were used to pay off debts, and Ye Baoling's mother used her own savings to buy this three-story villa for her family to live in.

Twelve years ago, ten-year-old Ye Baoling moved in with her divorced mother.

After going bankrupt, the uncle became despondent and spent his days either drinking to drown his sorrows or gambling in Macau. The original owner's mother almost spent all of her support money on this spendthrift younger brother.

Two years ago, his mother passed away from a serious illness. The uncle, who had lost his support, finally came to his senses amidst the crying and scolding of his daughter, Gu Man'er, who was originally the female lead.

He started over and found a job managing a garment factory, which finally brought stability to his family.

Ye Baoling in the mirror was thin and pale, but fortunately she had a good foundation, regular features, and clear eyes. With proper care, she would definitely be a beauty.

After washing up, Ye Baoling went downstairs and followed the aroma to the kitchen, where the maid, Sister Ping, was making fried rice with eggs.

"Young Miss is up?"

Pingjie looked at her with a smile. She was Ye Baoling's nanny, who treated her like her precious treasure. "I'll make you longevity noodles right away."

"Mary, you can make the fried rice. It's not salted yet." Sister Ping handed the spatula to the Filipino maid, then took out the noodles that had been prepared in advance from the refrigerator.

A large piece of pork knuckle, two pieces of four-pointed golden pig's feet, a half-cut braised egg, and chopped green onions and cilantro were added to the longevity noodles. A fragrant bowl of soup noodles was placed in front of Ye Baoling.

Today is Ye Baoling's 23rd birthday.

Yesterday, her grandma asked her what she wanted to eat for her birthday and asked Ping to make it for her.

In previous years, Ye Baoling would only say that eating a bowl of longevity noodles would be enough, and she would usually add an egg.

This year is different. Ye Baoling, who hasn't eaten even half an ounce of meat in the week since she transmigrated, unceremoniously demanded that she eat pig's feet with ginger.

The day before yesterday, my neighbor stewed pig's feet with ginger. The rich aroma made Ye Baoling and her cousins' mouths water.

She wanted to eat.

The Gu family is now an unusual extended family.

They're rich, with a large family of over ten people, but they often only eat three dishes a day.

A pickled vegetable dish, two kinds of vegetables, and occasionally meat, but it's just a small amount of shredded meat stir-fried with a large plate of vegetables.

Once you've picked up the first piece of this shredded meat, it's very difficult to pick up a second one.

Perhaps because they eat a lot of staple foods and sugar, none of the Gu family members, except for Ye Baoling and Gu Man'er, are thin. So Auntie often says that they are not lacking in nutrition.

They didn't eat well, and they weren't dressed well either.

There are many children in the family, and they share clothes. The youngest girl doesn't get new clothes for years and can only wear her older sister's hand-me-downs. Sometimes, she's not even dressed as well as the nanny.

They were poor, but besides the nanny Ping, there were two Filipino maids and a driver. The house was brightly lit when it got dark, and the girls never skimped on water when taking baths. The water and electricity bills alone amounted to a lot each month.

They also often go to the movies as a family, each person having a bucket of popcorn and a large bottle of cola. If they can't finish eating or drinking, they just throw it away, and no one thinks it's wasteful.

After returning from the movie, we reduced the three dishes for dinner to two: salted fish and green vegetables.

Bizarre, strange, and contradictory.

Ultimately, it all comes down to poverty.

Poverty stemming from a lack of financial acumen.

In addition to the uncle's salary, the family's income also came from the living expenses given by Ye Baoling's father.

In addition, the grandmother also had to take money from the meager inheritance left by Ye Baoling's mother to supplement the family income.

I just hope the children will grow up soon and take care of this declining family.

Ye Baoling ate the braised pork knuckle noodles with gusto. The pork knuckle was tender and the longevity noodles were chewy. One bite was enough to satisfy her. She only wished for world peace and national prosperity...

No, I just wish I could eat meat every day.

This week, while familiarizing herself with her surroundings, Ye Baoling has been thinking about how to survive.

Being able to eat a pig's trotter only on her birthday is a life that people of her generation who have never suffered hardship can not accept.

The fried rice was ready, and a large plate was placed on the table. The Filipino maid came upstairs to urge everyone to eat breakfast.

Soon, a large round table was filled with people.

Seeing Ye Baoling eating pig's feet and ginger alone, Aunt Shen Yue'e half-jokingly said, "Baoling, eating pig's feet so early in the morning, isn't it greasy?"

"Hungry, but not greasy."

Ye Baoling, who usually has a gentle and mild temperament, would never argue with someone. Shen Yue'e was slightly taken aback and reached out to place her hand on Ye Baoling's forehead.

He doesn't have a fever.

Looking at the meager fried rice with hardly any egg left in the bowl, my second cousin muttered softly, "I want to eat pig's trotters too."

"I want to eat too."

"I want one too!" the children clamored.

"You don't celebrate your birthdays. This was specially made for Bao Ling. You're not allowed to eat any of it, look how fat you've become!" Shen Yue'e has a poor metabolism; she gains weight even from drinking water. At this moment, she particularly couldn't understand the children's "cravings," so she scolded them loudly. Anyone who didn't know better would think she was deliberately saying it to Ye Bao Ling.

Moreover, the money for the pig's feet was given by the old lady, so Shen Yue'e didn't dare to make the decision on her own to divide the pig's feet that should have been stewed for Ye Baoling.

Gu Man'er gently nudged the little sister, encouraging her to act coquettishly towards her older cousin.

"Little sister really wants to eat pig's feet, cousin!"

This is the port city in 1987!

Hong Kong, one of the Four Asian Dragons!

What kind of script did the original screenwriter write that made the female lead's grandmother's family live such a miserable life?

I'm speechless.

Ye Baoling, who had never intended to eat alone, couldn't stand her cousins' pitiful looks of wanting meat, so she instructed Sister Ping to take out the remaining pig's feet and eggs from the casserole and divide them among themselves.

Gu Man'er playfully led her younger siblings in a smiling bow: "Thank you, cousin. May you have boundless happiness and longevity, cousin."

"Cousin, can you celebrate your birthday every day?" Little Sister asked innocently, tilting her head up.

Ye Baoling couldn't help but laugh: "If I grow a year older every day, I'll grow 365 years older in a year! Then I'll become an immortal."

Everyone burst into laughter; it turned out that my usually taciturn cousin could actually crack a joke.

After finishing a whole bowl of longevity noodles, Ye Baoling sat comfortably at the dining table, listening to her cousins ​​chat.

It was the weekend before summer vacation, and since they didn't have to go to school, they decided to go out for iced drinks to celebrate Ye Baoling's birthday.

"Grandma said yesterday that she would give money."

Ye Baoling also wanted to go out for a walk, so she went back to her room to change her clothes first.

Unlike her cousins, the original owner had a lot of clothes, all of them brand new, seemingly never worn.

Unfortunately, the style is exaggerated and the colors are gaudy, making it unsuitable for everyday wear.

She learned from her cousin that these clothes were bought for her by the original owner's stepmother.

That's right. It shows concern for her, but it's not practical. It's full of scheming, which fits the character of a secretary climbing the social ladder through a bed.

Ye Baoling chose a relatively understated chiffon dress to change into.

My little cousin's voice came from the doorway: "Big cousin, Grandma is calling you."

Ye Baoling went upstairs to find her grandmother.

Grandma Gu is old and spends almost all her time on the second floor, rarely going downstairs unless necessary.

She had been the mistress of a wealthy family her whole life, but unexpectedly, in her old age, her son was incompetent and led the family into a life of hardship.

The old lady had just finished eating milk and cereal when she saw Bao Ling come in. She asked her to offer incense first.

In the corner of the room stood a shrine, on which were enshrined photos of Ye Baoling's maternal grandfather and mother.

After Ye Baoling finished offering incense, Old Madam Gu asked her, "Have you eaten longevity noodles?"

Ye Baoling sat down on the sofa, grabbed a cushion, and leaned back. "I ate a whole bowl. I also had the braised pig's feet with ginger; it tasted amazing."

“I never knew you wanted to eat meat so much. I’m sorry you had to.” In the past few days, Grandma Gu could clearly feel that her child had grown up, was no longer as timid as before, and dared to express himself.

This is something to be happy about.

“I said I’d save a bowl for you, but Ping said you didn’t like it, so your younger siblings shared it all. Grandma, did you deliberately give it to us by saying you didn’t like meat?” Ye Baoling, a seasoned socialite, was very good at talking.

Grandma Gu was very happy to hear this. Whether she ate or not was not important. What mattered was that he cared about her and understood her.

“I loved to eat when I was young, but now my teeth aren’t good, and I can’t eat much anymore. Like I said about your aunt, we can’t eat too frugally; we need to prepare plenty of fish and meat. You know your aunt, all she does is play mahjong; she doesn’t know how to manage money. The whole family needs money for everything, and your uncle’s salary is low. It’s like an old woman counting money in the market—no matter how much she counts, it’s never enough.”

When it comes to money, Grandma Gu gets a headache.

Having so many children when you don't have money is truly a sin.

"Your uncle is here to collect a debt."

They ruined the entire Gu family.

Ye Baoling muttered under her breath, "It's all because of you, Mother-in-law, spoiling her."

Grandma Gu was stunned again; Ye Baoling had never spoken to her like this before.

But thinking back, the child was right; it was the truth, and they didn't treat her, their grandmother, like an outsider.

She couldn't help but sigh, "That's true. It would have been better if he hadn't been born."

Even if the Gu family falls into decline, they won't go bankrupt.

Ye Baoling suddenly joked, "I'll tell my uncle."

Grandma Gu: "Look at you!"

"How about two roast chickens tomorrow? Two roast chickens, I won't tell Uncle." Ye Baoling observed her grandmother's incredulous and shocked expression, and immediately smiled slyly and compromised: "One is fine too. Grandma, you're getting a good deal."

The old lady was being manipulated.

Strangely enough, she felt quite happy to be being manipulated.

"I'll buy you a roasted chicken leg tonight. Come to my room to eat it, but don't let your aunt know, or she'll accuse me of favoritism again."

Ten years ago, Ye Baoling would probably have been very happy, but with a mental age of 27, she might be willing to act suspiciously for a million or ten million, but for a chicken leg, that would be rather childish.

She shook her head: "How about we exchange one roast chicken for two pounds of pork, and then cook some vegetables for everyone to eat together tonight?"

Two pounds of meat can make two large plates of stir-fried vegetables.

It's better to share happiness than to enjoy it alone.

Grandma Gu patted her granddaughter's hand with great satisfaction: "Being too sensible makes you vulnerable to being taken advantage of."

Ye Baoling smiled without saying a word; it was not in her nature to suffer a loss.

It wasn't that Ye Baoling was particularly selfless, but rather that in her previous life, her cousins ​​had sacrificed a great deal to avenge the original owner, so it was only right that they share the good fortune.

"Oh, right, do you remember Granny Tan from the fortune-telling shop on the front street? She told your fortune before."

Ye Baoling had no idea who this person was, and simply gave a casual reply.

“Last night, Granny Tan called me and said that there was a rich young man whose age and birth date were a good match for you, and she wanted to act as a matchmaker for you. I thought that even if I agreed, your grandfather and father might not agree, so I politely declined her directly. But she called again this morning and said that the man's parents really wanted to meet you. I asked her which family the young man belonged to, and she was being mysterious again, only saying that the man's family was no worse than your eldest son’s.”

There aren't many families in Hong Kong that are no less powerful than the eldest branch of the Ye family, and Old Madam Gu didn't want to waste this good opportunity.

The old lady tentatively suggested, "How about we meet him?"

A note from the author:

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Long time no see, my darlings.

I originally planned to start with "She Killed," which is already fully written. It's not long, but I'm not entirely satisfied with some of the plot details, so I want to work on it some more.

So I'll start with this one, and there's a high probability that I'll start "She Kills" immediately after this one is finished.

The female protagonist of this story, Ye Baoling, is quick-witted, clever, cunning, and never suffers a loss. I hope you all enjoy her.

The book title will most likely be changed later, so please look for the author, Si Danpu. Also, please consider adding it to your favorites! [winking emoji][winking emoji][winking emoji][heart emoji][heart emoji][heart emoji]