As for Xia Baozhu’s talk about streamlining cadres, she wasn’t just blowing smoke.
The original host had graduated from the Guangming Zhongjichang affiliated high school the year before last. In her class, only one person got into university. Academically, she was average, so not getting into university wasn’t surprising—admission rates were just too low back then.
Teng Fei hadn’t made it either and ended up working as a clerk in the factory office. Even after starting work, he hadn’t given up on the university entrance exam, and this year, he actually got into the Provincial Institute of Technology.
Tsk, typical male lead setup.
The original host had originally wanted to join the factory office with Teng Fei or work in some other department where she could sit in an office. But back then, each department only had one cadre position, and there was no way it would go to her. In the end, she became a statistician in the production workshop, responsible for recording and analyzing production data.
This statistician role barely counted as half an office job—it was an office job set right in the workshop, accompanied by the constant rumble of the production line.
She’d only gotten this job after throwing a fit at home for days, with her parents pulling strings to secure it for her.
Even if she couldn’t make it to the factory office, she didn’t want to work on the production line as a laborer. As a statistician, there was still a slim hope of eventually transferring to a cadre position in the finance or planning department.
On this point, Xia Baozhu actually agreed with the original host—she didn’t want to work in the workshop either…
As for the statistics work, she wasn’t worried. It had been an elective course during her university days, and with the skills she’d honed on the job, she was more than capable of handling workshop statistics.
Xia Baozhu let her thoughts wander, wondering what opportunities might arise to transfer into a cadre position where she could sit in an office, sipping tea and reading newspapers.
On her way back to the Xia family home, she had rummaged through the original host’s memories for a while and concluded that there were three paths suitable for her.
First, stand out through her statistics work; second, excel in factory performances as a cultural talent; third, become a skilled writer.
Yes, she was exactly that type of top university science student who had mastered many skills unrelated to academics.
In her previous life at her workplace, she had been an active participant in cultural activities…
Most of her colleagues were quite resistant to workplace cultural events, which made her, as someone less resistant, stand out.
Xia Baozhu rubbed her head, her eyes glazed over. Well, at this point, she’d just take things one step at a time.
Seeing her dear granddaughter return from the countryside so exhausted that her eyes were glazed over, Grandmother Xia’s heart ached again.
“Dear granddaughter, don’t worry about me. I’m just relieved to see you safe and sound. Now I can finally sleep peacefully tonight.
Hurry up and get yourself settled back in your room to rest. Poor thing, you’re so tired your eyes aren’t even moving.”
Xia Chang’an chuckled softly, and Grandmother Xia glared at him. “What are you laughing at! My dear granddaughter is going to be the daughter-in-law of a factory director’s family. And you?
You’ve been bewitched by a little temptress, your head filled with nonsense, letting her suck your in-laws’ blood to feed her own family. What a fine ‘upright official’ you are!”
Xia Baozhu thought carefully. The plot Meng Shuting had told her didn’t mention the original host’s two sisters-in-law.
But in the original host’s memories, neither of these sisters-in-law was easy to deal with, especially the second sister-in-law, Wang Zengdi, who could burst into tears at any moment, weeping over the slightest disagreement.
Xia Chang’an wasn’t angry. He leisurely crossed his legs and swayed them. “What can I do? My wife has a soft heart. You’d better go now. Your dear granddaughter needs to sleep. Take care on your way back—don’t trip!”
As Grandmother Xia walked out, she put on a gentle, high-pitched voice to remind her: “Baozhu, don’t forget to visit your in-laws tomorrow—it’s Sunday! Be sweet and diligent!”
Xia Baozhu smiled and nodded.
This old lady was no pushover either—flexible when needed, tough when required, ready to put on a performance at the slightest disagreement, a true veteran actress of the Xia family.
In the original host's heart, her grandmother doted on her endlessly, understood her completely, and supported her unconditionally, standing as a steadfast advocate for her love.
She often heard her grandmother say that in the two years before she was born, the Japanese puppet forces had seized grain and soybeans from the common people at extremely low prices, leaving their family without even rations or seeds. Thus, the year she was born was especially difficult.
Her parents were busy earning money, so her grandmother stayed home to take care of her, preferring to gnaw on tree bark and grass roots herself just to save rations to feed her corn porridge. It was through this spoonful by spoonful that she was kept alive.
Her grandmother also frequently stood up for her and her four siblings.
She accused the original host's mother, Lin Chunlan, of not contributing enough to the family, scolded her two granddaughters-in-law—one for having a fiery temper and the other for being a puppet of her natal family—and complained that Xia Chang'an was a hopeless case.
Ironically, all of these remarks resonated deeply with the original host. Under her grandmother's sweet-talking persuasion, she had already agreed to keep an eye out for suitable jobs for her two cousins from her uncle's family once she married into the Tengjia.
Xia Baozhu sighed, rubbing her forehead. Once the engagement with the Tengjia was called off, this old lady would probably want to strangle her precious, obedient granddaughter.
The original host truly had it rough—deceived by her fiancé, deceived by her trusted grandmother. At just eighteen or nineteen years old, how could she withstand such sugar-coated bullets and sweet-talking flattery?
Moreover, the original host's collapse and near-death experience was also closely tied to her fiancé, Teng Fei.
The original host's grandfather had died saving Teng Fei's grandfather from being shot by the Japanese devils. As a result, after life stabilized in the early days of the nation's founding, Teng Fei's grandfather felt immense gratitude toward the Xia family.
Coincidentally, both the original host's parents and Teng Fei's parents were employees of the Guangming Zhongjichang.
Thus, the Teng family grew increasingly close to the original host's family. Later, Teng Fei's grandfather felt that since the two families were deeply connected and the Xia family had even saved his life, why not unite the two families through marriage?
It would be a beautiful story indeed.
The two families shared a meal, and the marriage was settled just like that.
At first, the original host was treated quite well in the Teng family. Her father, Xia Yongwu, was a chef in the canteen of a state-owned factory, and her mother, Lin Chunlan, was a sixth-grade fitter. In the 1950s and 1960s, this could be considered a high-status worker family.
However, in the following years, as Teng Fei's father's career soared, they began to view their future daughter-in-law less favorably.
They believed their son was a lucky star—smart and handsome, worthy of marrying the daughters of provincial governors or city mayors!
The thought of him marrying a chef's daughter made them increasingly uncomfortable, and the relationship between the two families gradually grew awkward.
As for Teng Fei himself, regardless of whether he was as much of a player as the male protagonist in the book, in reality, he was no paragon of male virtue.
Before the original host went to participate in the rural support program, she accidentally discovered Teng Fei entangled in an ambiguous relationship with a former female classmate. During a movie, their faces were practically pressed together, which truly shocked the secretly observing original host.
Once discovered, countless disappointments awaited her. After the cinema incident, the original host became vigilant, keeping a close eye on Teng Fei's activities.
When she overheard Teng Fei's parents trying to match him with the daughter of Deputy Factory Director Zhang from the Zhongjichang, the original host began to feel deeply insecure again.
The root cause was that both Zhang Minjun and Teng Fei had been admitted to university this year, making them genuine prospective college students.
The original host felt she had fallen far behind in terms of academic qualifications. Coupled with the Teng family's dissatisfaction with her, as someone who had rarely faced hardship since childhood, she simply couldn't bear it.
Moreover, in her eyes, Teng Fei was good-looking, came from a respectable family, and they were already engaged. Teng Fei himself wasn't exactly proper in private either—during their occasional solo meetings, holding hands and crossing verbal boundaries were commonplace. The original host had long regarded him as her fiancé.
Thus, during the two weeks of rural support labor, she could neither eat nor sleep well.
On top of that, overwhelmed by anxiety, she was torn between resentment toward Teng Fei for his reckless disregard of their relationship and the fear that breaking off the engagement would subject her to gossip. She also recalled how her parents had once suggested calling off the engagement with Teng Fei, only for her to reject the idea with righteous indignation.
The shattering of her pride, her dread of the future, and her deep regret left her in constant turmoil.
She vaguely sensed she was running a fever, but the female workers in the workshop had never been on speaking terms with her. So, she endured the low-grade fever for several days, never expecting it would cost her her life.
Xia Baozhu sighed, resting her forehead in her hand. This was just a somewhat proud, self-important, and highly sensitive young girl who had been blinded by illusions and trapped in love. What crime had she committed?
What a mess this was.
Her own peaceful life…
After four years of university and three years of graduation, she had worked hard for seven years to achieve a life where her main job was just to pass the time and her side hustle filled her pockets.
Her life had only just begun, and she hadn't even had much time to enjoy it before she kicked the bucket.
When people get too carried away, trouble follows; when dogs get too excited, they fight over scraps.
She didn't feel the slightest bit guilty for occupying the original host's body. After all, she hadn't caused the original host's death. She hadn't stolen or robbed anyone, yet here she was, thrown into an era of famine. She hadn't even started cursing up a storm yet!
Who was going to feel sorry for her?