It was just that coincidental—a few days before graduation, she met a man named Wu Mingkang.
Wu Mingkang bore a striking resemblance to Uncle Qin’s son, Qin Yue.
When she first saw this man, a sense of familiarity and closeness welled up in her heart.
Perhaps it was because of that face, or perhaps it was to ease her parents’ worries—after all, the situation at the time was such that if she didn’t marry, she would have to go to the countryside. Defying her parents’ objections, she married Wu Mingkang within a few days.
Although her parents didn’t think highly of Wu Mingkang, they still allowed Nan Mo to bring a generous dowry with her.
After marriage, because Nan Mo’s father was a factory director, her in-laws were happy to pamper her, and Nan Mo enjoyed a few days of stable life.
At that time, people emphasized simplicity and frugality; one had to be cautious in everything they did.
Wearing a necklace could easily be spotted by someone with ill intentions, potentially leading to accusations of being “capitalist.” So, she hid the pendant away.
The original female lead, Wu Mingyue—Nan Mo’s sister-in-law—had disliked her from the moment they married.
If it weren’t for this woman marrying her brother after knowing him for only a few days, it would have been her brother who went to the countryside, not her, a young girl.
When she asked her brother to talk to their father about arranging a job for her, he refused—clearly looking down on their family.
Seeing how dearly this wretched woman treasured the pendant, Wu Mingyue decided to destroy it.
On the night before she left for the countryside, she stole the pendant. But after taking it, she inexplicably couldn’t bring herself to destroy it and instead secretly kept it and took it with her.
By the time young Nan Mo discovered the pendant was missing, Wu Mingyue had long since left for the countryside.
Although the whole family knew Wu Mingyue had stolen the pendant, everyone felt that sending her to the countryside was already unfair to her.
If it weren’t for Nan Mo’s family refusing to arrange a job for Wu Mingyue, she wouldn’t have had to go to the countryside. Thus, no one was willing to stand up for Nan Mo.
Wu Mingkang even felt his wife was being overly sensitive, holding a grudge over a mere pendant.
He thought she was putting on airs at home because she was the factory director’s daughter, showing no respect for her elders and embarrassing him.
The entire family concealed Wu Mingyue’s countryside address to prevent Nan Mo from contacting her privately, fearing it would upset Wu Mingyue.
Only Nan Mo knew how important that pendant was to her.
There was no emotional connection to begin with, and the pendant incident made Nan Mo see the selfish nature of this family clearly.
But afraid of worrying her parents, she never dared to tell them about her hardships.
Nan Mo refused to have a child with Wu Mingkang. She was waiting—waiting until after 1977 when educated youths would gradually return to the city, so she could ask Wu Mingyue for the pendant back and then get a divorce.
Having a child would only complicate things.
Because she had been childless for years after marriage and because of her aloof demeanor at home, her in-laws were full of grievances toward her.
Wu Mingyue, meanwhile, frequently sent money and goods back from the countryside, while the factory director’s daughter, their daughter-in-law, brought no benefits to the family. Thus, the entire family sided with Wu Mingyue.
After years of being neglected by Nan Mo, Wu Mingkang became involved with Accountant Zhang from the factory.
Nan Mo didn’t care; she only wanted her pendant back so she could return to her parents.
When she finally waited for Wu Mingyue to return to the city, Nan Mo learned that Wu Mingyue had married another educated youth two years earlier in the countryside.
This time, she returned to the city because she had been admitted to a university in Jingdu. After visiting her parents, she would follow her husband to Jingdu to study and settle there permanently.
As soon as Nan Mo saw Wu Mingyue, she demanded the pendant back. But the pendant had already been activated by Wu Mingyue’s blood and had unlocked the Dimension space.
Wu Mingyue had been glowing with health these past few years, having made a fortune from the Dimension space. How could she possibly return such a treasure?
Seeing her refusal, Nan Mo went mad trying to snatch her luggage, desperate to reclaim the pendant.
Family members who had always known Nan Mo as unshaken even by catastrophe watched in shock as she confronted Wu Mingyue over a pendant, rushing to restrain her.
Wu Mingkang responded by slapping her hard across the face.
He reasoned coldly: since Nan Mo refused to live peacefully with him, and now that Xiao Zhang was carrying his child, he might as well vent years of resentment over her disregard for him.
Having been cherished since childhood, Nan Mo—whether in her past life or present—had never endured such humiliation.
Without a word, she stormed into the kitchen, grabbed a cleaver, and lunged at the family.
The uproar drew neighbors, who panicked at the sight of the Wu family’s daughter-in-law brandishing a knife.
A meddlesome neighbor rushed to fetch the police.
By the time they arrived, Nan Mo was pinned down by the Wu family, unable to move, while Wu Mingkang nursed a deep gash on his hand.
Upon hearing the news, Nan’s Father and Nan’s Mother pulled strings trying to secure Nan Mo’s release, and her brother took leave to return to Hai Shi, hoping to settle privately with the Wu family.
But Wu Mingyue’s in-laws were influential. Despite the Nans’ efforts, Nan Mo was sentenced to six years in prison.
Along with the verdict came divorce papers from Wu Mingkang.
Unable to bear his sister’s suffering, her brother began gathering evidence of Wu Mingkang’s affair with Accountant Zhang, hoping to have them executed.
But before he could succeed, he was framed and had his leg broken, forcing him to leave the military.
Nan’s Father, too, was implicated for having a jailed daughter and lost his position as factory director.
From then on, the Nan family vanished from the narrative.
When she first read this book, Nan Mo had been furious.
Not only disgusted that a thief like Wu Mingyue could be the protagonist, but also stifled by the plot where Little Nan Mo crossed time and space only to deliver a golden finger to others.
Now, she was the stifled one in the flesh… Would the plot continue?
Since she had transmigrated, could she avoid time travel? After all, the crossing point had already passed, hadn’t it?
The meal had taken over an hour, leaving her not only stuffed but mentally overwhelmed.
The mere thought of possibly traveling to the 1970s made her scalp crawl.
Reading about that era was one thing, but experiencing that tumultuous period firsthand was daunting.
Nan Mo was someone who planned three steps ahead. Now, her mind swirled with the book’s plot—if she really time-traveled, what should she do?
Marry someone like in the original story? Go to the countryside? Hide in a hole and lie low until times improved?
Whatever path she took, stockpiling supplies was non-negotiable.
With that thought, Nan Mo poured a glass of hot water and returned to her room.
With a thought, she placed the water inside the wooden cabin, then retrieved apples from the Dimension space. Noticing no signs of oxidation, she confirmed the space preserved freshness.
Now, she only needed to check if it retained heat. Waiting, she drifted asleep.
“Mom, look, isn’t it pretty?” In her dream, Nan Mo saw a young girl twirling in a new dress for a woman.
Drawing closer, she realized the girl looked exactly like her, appearing no older than sixteen or seventeen.
The only difference lay in their aura—she herself was confident and radiant, while this girl appeared more delicate and adorable.
The two seemed completely unaware of Nan Mo’s approach, still chatting happily.
Noticing this, Nan Mo began surveying her surroundings.
It was a three-bedroom apartment with a living room, kitchen, and bathroom—a rare layout for its time. Most residential compounds had shared bathrooms, and families typically set up stoves in the stairwells for cooking.
The living room was compact, roughly ten square meters, almost entirely occupied by a three-seater wooden sofa and a dining set.
As her gaze swept the room, she noticed photographs hanging on the wall.
Moving closer, Nan Mo realized the middle-aged couple in the photos bore a striking resemblance to the parents in her memories. Next to the frames were several certificates of merit and an enlistment notice.
“Xiao Mo, Xiao Mo, come quick! See what delicious treat Dad brought you today.” A cheerful male voice called out to her.
She turned to look, only to find herself waking up.
This confirmed it—she had truly experienced Transmigration into a book, and likely faced an imminent crossing.
Fortunately, knowing the era she would enter meant she could prepare accordingly. The uncertainty of when it would happen, however, filled her with urgency.
Just as she was about to get up, a servant gently knocked on her door.
“Young Miss, Mr. Qin is here.”
????
“Alright, ask him to wait a moment. I’ll be right down.”
Checking the time, she realized she had napped for over an hour—equivalent to ten hours in the Dimension space.
Using her mind, she retrieved boiling water and found it exactly as hot as when stored, confirming that items remained unchanged in the Dimension space.
With this verified, Nan Mo prepared to meet this “Brother Qin” downstairs.
In the original book, Nan Mo harbored ambiguous feelings for Qin Yue, which explained why she instantly fixated on Wu Mingkang—who resembled Qin Yue—after transmigrating.
But now, with a different soul inside, her memories held no particular affection for Qin Yue, only a sense of trust at most.
After changing clothes, Nan Mo descended the stairs and saw Qin Yue standing in the living room.