Chapter 1 Entering the City
Summer mornings are a busy time. A group of women are washing and cleaning in front of a row of taps, while several children in open-crotch pants run around.
A middle-aged woman with triangular eyes was carrying a large basin of clothes. Ignoring the fact that someone was occupying the tap, she moved the other person's basin away and forcibly stuffed her own basin inside.
"Aunt Wang! Why did you move my basin? I was washing it!" The young woman whose basin had been moved was very angry.
Aunt Wang said matter-of-factly, "You've been washing for so long, you'll tear the clothes if you keep washing them. How can you be so greedy at such a young age? This is public water, you can't waste it."
The young woman was resentful, but she didn't dare to provoke Aunt Wang. Everyone in their furniture factory knew that Aunt Wang was not someone to be trifled with.
She had indeed finished washing, spat once, and left with her naked son.
Aunt Wang was quite pleased with herself, then put on a mysterious expression: "Do you know what I saw at the supply and marketing cooperative just now?"
"What?" everyone asked curiously.
“I saw that Li Mei bought a large piece of pork, which must have weighed at least two or three pounds, and also a chicken!”
Everyone gasped in shock. Although life has improved in recent years, no one can eat like that normally.
Especially in the last two years, the furniture factory has been doing poorly, and wages have been paid lately.
A few days ago, the factory was robbed while delivering goods and collecting payments. Not only were the money and goods gone, but the factory's only delivery truck was also stolen, resulting in huge losses and making the already precarious furniture factory even worse off.
Prices have risen outrageously in the last two years, making life difficult for everyone, and people are trying to save every penny.
"No way? Her husband just died, and she's already giving up on life?"
"I used to think that although she was gentle, she was hardworking and simple. Now I realize I was wrong."
"If someone else had just encountered something like this, they wouldn't be able to eat it, but she seems to have a good appetite. She cried so much before, but now it seems like it's nothing."
Aunt Wang was very satisfied with everyone's evaluation of Li Mei. "Who says otherwise? I told you long ago that she was good at pretending, but you just wouldn't believe me."
Some people who knew the inside story clarified:
"That was probably prepared for the daughter in front. A few days ago, Li Mei received a telegram that when Accountant Tong was a sent-down youth in the countryside, he asked for the daughter he had with a local villager."
Aunt Wang rolled her eyes: "Come on, what stepmother would treat her stepchildren so well? Accountant Tong is no longer here, who are you trying to impress?"
She didn't believe Li Mei was so kind.
Even Aunt Zhang, who never really got along with Aunt Wang, rarely chimed in: "Their family is all women now, how could they possibly deserve to eat so well? They must be plotting something."
Someone's eyes darted around and they whispered, "That girl is coming over. Doesn't that mean she gets a share of the compensation? Li Mei's in-laws are going to make a huge fuss. They're not happy that Li Mei and Tong Yunyun also got a share of the money. They haven't stopped arguing."
"What's the point of a country girl getting a share? She's not a son. If a girl gets a share of the money, it'll just benefit someone else!"
"But I heard that the daughter Tong had with her husband is quite formidable. Over the years, Tong has been sending money back home every month, and Li Mei hasn't dared to say a word about it."
Many of the educated youth who went to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution married and had children there. In recent years, when these educated youth returned to the cities, many of them abandoned their wives and children to return, cutting ties with their former lives and refusing to talk about it again or take responsibility.
Especially when a man has a child after a quick fling, and the woman is the one who raises the child, it's easier for the relationship to become distant.
Those with a conscience might remember to send money at first, but as time goes by, the relationship fades, or the children get a little older, and they stop caring.
A truly responsible and good man wouldn't have divorced his wife to return to the city. At the very least, he would have tried to bring his wife/husband and children from the countryside over. In recent years, it has become much easier to move to the city than before, and many people from the countryside have started to go to the city, especially southern cities, to work.
Accountant Tong insisted on sending money back. Rather than believing that Accountant Tong had a conscience, people thought that the other party had some tricks up their sleeve.
"No matter how capable she is, that was when she was in the countryside. How can things be the same when she comes to the city? A country girl with limited experience has a limited perspective, no matter how big it is. How can she possibly make a name for herself in the city?"
The country girl, Su Ruyi, sat on the edge of the lower bunk, her gaze unfocused, but that didn't stop her from stuffing food into her mouth and mechanically chewing and swallowing.
"Do you need lunch?"
Her gaze only began to focus when the train attendant pushed the dining cart past.
"Hello, I'd like one serving of rice, no, two servings."
The train attendant handed two aluminum lunch boxes from the dining car to Su Ruyi. Su Ruyi moved the food on the table aside, opened one of the lunch boxes, and started eating.
Her movements looked very refined, but they were actually quite fast, making the rice look delicious.
The middle-aged man in the lower bunk opposite her watched her quickly finish her first boxed meal and prepare to open the second one, and couldn't help but sigh:
"You look so thin, but I didn't expect you to be such a big eater."
The man had been staring at her for a while. It wasn't that he insisted on staring at a young girl; although she was indeed beautiful, delicate, fair-skinned, and slender but not skinny, with an overall temperament somewhat like Lin Daiyu, what attracted him even more was her appetite.
This girl has been eating non-stop since she woke up this morning. She ate five pancakes the size of a human head, a whole bag of eggs (at least six or seven), as well as dried meat, sesame paste, mung bean cakes, and a watermelon weighing over ten kilograms. Now she's even bought two servings of rice.
Even with leeches in its belly, it can't eat that much!
Besides, who would bring such a big watermelon on a long-distance train journey? Doesn't it seem heavy?
She was perfectly normal when she got on the bus the day before yesterday. Although her appetite was larger than that of an average girl, it wasn't excessive. But as soon as she was about to get off the bus, she suddenly became like she was possessed, with a huge appetite.
Su Ruyi did not react, as if she could not hear the other person speaking to her.
In fact, she didn't hear it at all; she was completely absorbed in her own thoughts.
Su Ruyi is a time traveler who transmigrated into a book after taking a nap.
Strangely, Su Ruyi had never read this novel. Because the original owner of the body had the same name as her, Su Ruyi would never read a novel with the same name as herself or someone she knew; she would find it very jarring and unpleasant.
Yet the contents of this novel still appeared in her memory.
In the novel, the original character is the male protagonist's ex-wife. She schemed against the male protagonist, deliberately getting him drunk to create the illusion that the two of them slept together, and intentionally letting herself be discovered.
In addition, during a special period, the original owner's mother helped the original male protagonist's grandfather. With this favor in mind, and given her habit of putting on airs in front of elders, the male protagonist was ultimately forced to marry her.
After marrying the male lead, the original owner of the body revealed her true colors: she was vain, sarcastic, and completely out of sync with him. She was also often suspicious, and would curse any woman who appeared around the male lead as a vixen.
The male protagonist needs to socialize for business, and sometimes he inevitably comes home late, or he may have some fragrance on him. The original owner of this body will then start making a fuss, determined to turn the world upside down before he is satisfied.
She constantly holds the male lead back in his career and life, and is very disrespectful to his parents-in-law. She believes that she has more face in front of the male lead's grandfather, who is the head of the family, so she doesn't take them seriously.
The original owner became increasingly reckless and even cheated on the male protagonist later on.
In order to get more money to elope with her lover, she conspired with her lover to kidnap herself and extort money from the male protagonist. Unexpectedly, the lover took the charade seriously and killed her after getting the money.
When the original body was found, it was obvious that it had suffered inhuman torture before its death, making it a prime example of someone who brought about their own demise.
The original story begins after the original owner's death. She doesn't actually appear in the story, but her presence is incredibly strong. She serves as a contrasting character to highlight the female lead's excellence.
Whenever the female lead does something, she compares it to the original owner of the body. For example, the female lead is a master chef, feeding the male lead three meals a day, which are not only delicious but also nutritious, making him very touched. In contrast, the original owner of the body has never even stepped into the kitchen, leaving the male lead to return home to cold food and a cold stove. He angrily criticizes the original owner of the body as useless and of low character.
Su Ruyi's time travel occurred before the original story, so everything could be changed. This was Su Ruyi's greatest relief, as she didn't want to become part of the male and female protagonists' play.
When Su Ruyi transmigrated, she was already on a train, her stomach was so hungry it felt like she hadn't eaten for days.
Fortunately, her mother in this life prepared a lot of food for her; otherwise, she would have starved to death if she had missed mealtimes when she woke up.
Su Ruyi had finally recovered and accepted the fact that she had transmigrated. Since things were already like this, she could only accept it and try her best to live a good life.
For some reason, Su Ruyi always felt that she had countless connections with the original owner of the body, as if she was the original owner and the original owner was also her, and that she was not a cuckoo occupying another's nest.
"We are approaching Zhaoguang Station. Passengers who are preparing to disembark, please make your preparations in advance..."
The train's announcement system came on, and Su Ruyi began packing her things to get off the train.
Just as she was about to stand up and go to the opposite shelf to get her luggage, a tall figure jumped down from the top bunk with a swift and decisive movement, startling Su Ruyi.
Upon closer inspection, wow, what a handsome guy!
A man who is over 1.85 meters tall, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, long legs, and well-defined facial features, can still be handsome even with a buzz cut, and even exude a sharp and heroic charm.
As expected of a novel world, the looks are impeccable. Su Ruyi had never encountered such a handsome passerby before.
She encountered her peak of handsome guys during junior and senior high school; after entering university, it seemed as if all the handsome guys around her had disappeared. She mostly saw beautiful women on the street, as if the handsome guys had been hidden away.
If even a random passerby can be this handsome, then what must the male lead, who must be at the peak of his looks, look like? Su Ruyi was still a little curious.
Su Ruyi was having a lot on her mind at that moment, but in reality, she only glanced at it before looking away.
"Let me help you."
Just as Su Ruyi was about to get her luggage, the handsome man spoke up.
She is good-looking, has a nice voice, and is also very kind-hearted.
The other person was clearly stunned, but only for a moment. They tightened their arms and pulled the luggage, which had been shoved in, out. The luggage felt heavier as they held it, but it was still within their tolerance and landed safely.
"Thank you, I appreciate your help."
Su Ruyi quickly thanked them. Knowing how heavy her luggage was, she didn't dare to trouble them any further. She then pulled out another large bag from the other side, and the two bags blocked the way when they were placed on the ground.
Lu Ting was wondering how this slender, frail girl would carry such heavy luggage when he was stunned by this scene.
Why does it seem like the other person carries their luggage more easily than I do?
It must be that one bag is lighter.
Just as he was pondering this, he saw Su Ruyi carrying a bag in each hand and starting to walk towards the train connection. Apart from the bags being too big and getting in the way, she carried the luggage very easily and didn't seem to be struggling at all.
"..."
Unaware of Lu Ting's inner turmoil, Su Ruyi was the first to get off the train as soon as the door opened and headed towards the exit.
Train stations are very crowded these days. There are many people and the station is small. People are everywhere.
"Would you like to stay at a hotel? Our hotel has hot water."
"Brother, would you like a ride?"
The area was already crowded, and then people stopped people to sell things, making the congestion even worse.
Su Ruyi charged ahead recklessly, carving a path through the crowd. Lu Ting followed behind, feeling an unprecedented sense of ease.
"Daughter, you've finally arrived! Your brothers and I have been waiting for ages."
Su Ruyi had just stepped to the outer edge and was just beginning to feel the fresher air when someone grabbed her arm.
A woman with gentle features greeted her familiarly, and her friendly manner made Su Ruyi's first thought that this woman was her stepmother, Li Mei.
"elder brother?"
Su Ruyi glanced at the three tall men nearby, who surrounded her and enthusiastically offered to help her with her luggage.
"Little sister, you mustn't run around like that again next time. Mom has been so worried these past few days that she's fallen ill."
Su Ruyi understood immediately and looked at her coldly: "You've mistaken me for someone else."
The woman's tears immediately streamed down her face as she earnestly advised:
"Daughter, I know you're upset that I stopped you from going south to make money, but you can't make that kind of dirty money. That brat Guo An was just fooling you! Look at what happened to the girls he took south before. It's better for us to be down-to-earth than anything else. Even if you don't want to study, you can't make that kind of money!"
'That kind of money'?
Passersby turned their heads to look at Su Ruyi, scrutinizing the word.
It's easy to make money in the South now, so many young people are going there to work. But this is a double-edged sword; the temptations outside are great, and some young people can't resist them and go astray.
Some girls who end up in prostitution are forced or deceived, but this one clearly doesn't seem to be like that. She looks fair-skinned and well-behaved, proving that appearances can be deceiving.
The passersby came and went in a hurry, glancing at them before leaving. The woman spoke with such sincerity that no one noticed anything amiss about these people.
Only Su Ruyi knew the truth. The middle-aged woman was crying bitterly, but her grip was incredibly strong, holding Su Ruyi tightly. One man was watching Su Ruyi closely, ready to strike at the slightest movement, while the other two men were pulling at her bag.
The four men brazenly robbed people and goods, completely unfazed by the crowds coming and going; they were clearly seasoned criminals.
Su Ruyi glanced at the two men who were trying to snatch her luggage, then deliberately pulled and pushed them away.
"Since you're so eager to help, then here you are."
A note from the author:
New story started!
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