Bright and early the next morning, Su Nian’an got up and went straight to the kitchen.
She had no idea what was going on with this body—maybe she was still growing? Right now, she was absolutely famished.
Truth be told, Su Nian’an had been too hungry to sleep since the middle of last night. But thinking about her current situation, she’d endured the hunger and fallen asleep anyway.
This original body looked quite different from her own former self, though there was still a threefold resemblance between them. Su Nian’an in her old life had been passably pretty, but nowhere near as striking as this girl. This face she wore now was simply an upgraded version of her old one—every feature refined and perfected, all flaws smoothed away.
Even after years of farm work and household chores, the original girl’s skin was incredibly soft and flawless. Su Nian’an had looked in the mirror yesterday and couldn’t spot a single pore. Some people really were just born beautiful—no amount of skincare could compare to natural beauty.
When she’d first seen Su Nianxi earlier, Su Nian’an had thought her lovely too. But now, seeing her own reflection, she knew—once she tidied herself up, she’d be far more beautiful than Su Nianxi. The only thing lacking was color in her cheeks, thanks to long-term malnutrition. That would be easy enough to fix. All in all, Su Nian’an was quite pleased with how she looked.
Her only real complaint was these rough, scarred hands. A farm girl through and through—at just eighteen years old, her palms were already calloused and worn.
Su Nian’an sighed softly. Once in the kitchen, she set to lighting a fire and making breakfast. She’d grown up poor in the countryside herself; that was why, in her past life, she’d been so ready to just give up and let things be. So even though she’d traveled back to the 1970s—no electric stoves, no gas—cooking a meal was second nature to her.
Su Aiguo and his wife had left early. Su Nian’an guessed they’d gone to fetch money for her. While they were gone, she’d better eat well—otherwise, once they were back, they’d surely try to take her food, and it would be awkward to refuse. After all, if she was taking their money, she couldn’t very well grudge them a meal. Su Nian’an considered herself a generous person.
Pastries and sweets were her specialty, but she was an excellent cook too. Once, a friend who owned a restaurant had even offered her a high-paying job as head chef—she’d turned him down. Work for someone else? Not a chance, not in this lifetime. Su Nian’an valued her freedom and hated being tied down by rules; running her own business suited her far better.
There wasn’t much food in the kitchen. Even in a household like the Su family, no one kept extra supplies in these times. With a sigh, Su Nian’an settled on flour—she’d make steamed buns. There were no vegetables to be had, and the original girl had no money of her own to buy anything. So with what little she had, steamed buns would have to do.
Fortunately, making these was child’s play to her. Before long, she’d steamed a whole basket of plump, soft, fluffy buns. She picked one up and took a big bite.
Mmm. Not bad at all—delicious! She’d added sugar to the flour, so they had a lovely subtle sweetness. She couldn’t quite describe the flavor, or maybe it was just how starved she was—but these were easily the best buns she’d ever tasted.
Su Nian’an had never imagined she could devour food like a wolf. But she was so hungry… poor little original girl—she’d probably never had a full meal in her life. No wonder her body craved food so desperately; it was pure instinct.
After wolfing down two buns, she choked a little. She grabbed a bowl and poured herself warm water that had been boiled and left to cool. Most people in this era drank water straight from the source, but Su Nian’an always boiled hers first. Soon enough she’d be sent to the countryside—she doubted she could be so particular there. Still, rural water was mostly spring water, pure and clean; drinking it unboiled would be fine. But city water? Better safe than sorry.
She finished the water and let out a loud, contented burp. Ugh, her stomach had no manners. She could have eaten more, but she was full to bursting. Oh well. She wrapped the remaining three buns and set them aside for later. Who knew—Su Aiguo and his wife cared nothing for the original girl; they might very well refuse to cook her lunch.
She wrapped the buns in old newspaper. Just as she finished, she heard footsteps approaching. Moments later, Su Nianxi appeared in the doorway. Su Nianxi took a deep, exaggerated sniff, then fixed her gaze on Su Nian’an.
“What did you make? It smells so good! Did you sneak meat from the house?”
Her tone was accusatory—anyone would have thought Su Nian’an was a common thief.
“Tut-tut-tut,” Su Nian’an said with a look of disgust. “If your nose is broken, go see a doctor. There’s no meat within miles—what meat smell are you catching?”
Su Nianxi’s face flushed instantly. Su Nian’an was right—there was no scent of meat anywhere. But whatever it was, it smelled wonderful, and she couldn’t place it.
“Then what did you make? It smells delicious! Did you steal food from the house? Hand it over!”
She stood there posturing like mistress of the house, treating Su Nian’an like a criminal. It was so ridiculous Su Nian’an actually laughed out loud.
“What are you laughing at!” Su Nianxi cried. “Su Nian’an, don’t get complacent! Just because you’re marrying into the Gu family doesn’t mean you’ve done this family some great service. Truth be told—back when you were sent to the countryside, you lived worse than the family dog!”
That one sentence was the last straw. The original girl had suffered her whole life—and now this usurper, living in her place, had the nerve to stand there and speak so cruelly to her?
Enough was enough!
Su Nian’an strode up to Su Nianxi. Before the girl could even react—SLAP—she landed a stinging blow right across Su Nianxi’s face.
Su Nianxi jerked back, staring at her in shock. Then—SLAP—another hard crack across her other cheek.
“AAAAHHHH—SU NIAN’AN! I’LL KILL YOU!”
Su Nianxi lunged forward, but Su Nian’an was quick. She grabbed Su Nianxi’s braids, yanked her forward, and sent her stumbling hard to the side.
And wouldn’t you know it—this body, thin and malnourished as it was, had surprising strength from years of hard labor. Su Nianxi was tossed aside as easily as a chick.
Su Nian’an had gone to bed hungry last night, her mind fixed only on getting through the night and cooking something good come morning. But now she realized—she was surprisingly strong. And strength was a wonderful thing: if anyone tried to bully her, she’d be more than capable of fighting back.