“Third Sister, my life is just so miserable! The entire family’s food, clothing, and daily needs are all on my shoulders. The house is already chaotic enough as it is, and now the issue of sending someone to the countryside has turned everything upside down. I haven’t had a single peaceful day!”
“Your family isn’t the only one suffering. Which household in the city isn’t in chaos these days? Sigh… Just look at my family’s youngest brother-in-law. The matter of going to the countryside has practically turned the whole house upside down…”
In her half-conscious state, Shen Zhihe heard the noisy voices coming from outside.
She thought it was strange to have such a bizarre dream. What era was this, anyway? Why was she dreaming about being sent to the countryside? Her head was aching terribly, too.
Wait a minute. A headache?
Shen Zhihe abruptly sat up in bed, swaying slightly as she tried to steady her dizzy head. She opened her eyes wide and looked around.
An old, battered wooden chest. An old-fashioned bed with a wooden frame. Bedsheets and windows that looked as though they had come straight out of another era…
Had she transmigrated?
Her mind went blank for a moment before a flood of unfamiliar memories came rushing into her head.
The original owner of this body was also named Shen Zhihe. She was the third child in the family, with an older brother, an older sister, and a younger brother.
Her father, Shen Jingshan, was a longtime worker at the steel mill. He had spent half his life doing heavy labor and was a steady, honest man. He earned forty-five yuan a month.
Her mother, Xu Zhilan, worked at a textile factory and earned thirty-seven yuan and sixty cents monthly. Rotating shifts were a regular part of her life, but she was quick and capable, managing the entire family’s meals, clothing, and daily necessities.
Her eldest brother, Shen Zhiyuan, was nineteen. He worked alongside their father at the steel mill. The previous year, he had completed his probationary period and become a regular Grade One worker, earning thirty-two yuan and fifty cents a month.
Her second sister, Shen Zhining, had graduated from high school and used connections to secure a job as a saleswoman at the state-run supply and marketing cooperative. She earned twenty-seven yuan and fifty cents a month.
Their youngest brother, Shen Zhinian, was fourteen and still attending middle school.
As for the original Shen Zhihe, she had just graduated from high school and found herself in an awkward position.
It was now 1972, and the government was calling on educated young people to go to the countryside and settle in rural areas. Every household was expected to send someone.
Her eldest brother and second sister already had jobs, so they were naturally exempt. Her youngest brother was still too young and had to continue his studies.
After going around in circles, the responsibility of going to the countryside had ultimately fallen on Shen Zhihe.
The original owner understood her family’s predicament, but she still felt deeply resentful. Earlier that day, she had returned to her room for an afternoon nap, feeling restless and upset. She accidentally stepped on a drying rack lying on the floor and struck her head against the bed frame.
Despite the pain, she had managed to climb into bed before passing out.
And that was how Shen Zhihe, a woman from the modern era, had ended up in this body.
She had graduated from an art academy and worked herself to the bone in the fiercely competitive modern world. Yet somehow, she had transmigrated into the past just like that.
What a pity about the spacious apartment she had finally managed to purchase outright! She had not even had the chance to enjoy it properly before everything became nothing more than a distant dream.
“Forget it. There’s no point thinking about that now. I should check the wound on my forehead first.”
Shen Zhihe climbed out of bed and opened the door.
The space outside served as both the living room and the dining room.
Her mother was home for the day, sitting in the living room and making the soles of a pair of shoes. When she heard the door open, she looked up—and immediately spotted the large gash on her youngest daughter’s forehead.
She shot to her feet.
“Oh, heavens! What happened to your head?!”
As she spoke, she hurriedly told Shen Zhihe to sit on the sofa. Then she went into the bedroom, fetched some antiseptic medicine and gauze, and began tending to the wound.
“It’s nothing. I accidentally stepped on the drying rack…”
“Ow! Easy, easy! That hurts!”
“Maybe now you’ll learn your lesson. You’re always so careless and impatient.”
Although Shen Zhihe’s mother continued to scold her, her hands became noticeably gentler.
Once the wound had been properly bandaged, Shen Zhihe hurried over to the mirror hanging on the wall near the doorway.
It was a round mirror with a bright red plastic frame and backing. The plastic felt hard and sturdy, and its appearance was unmistakably characteristic of the 1970s.
The girl reflected in the mirror had large, round eyes, a delicate nose with a slightly upturned tip, and an oval face. She was not breathtakingly beautiful, but she was certainly pretty.
With a bandage wrapped around her forehead, she looked rather delicate and pitiful.
Come to think of it, her parents really had excellent genes. Not a single person in the Shen family was bad-looking.
But there was something else that bothered her.
Since she had transmigrated into this body, where had the original Shen Zhihe gone?
Staring at her reflection, Shen Zhihe felt a flicker of confusion in her eyes.
An unfamiliar era. An unfamiliar body. A family full of strangers…
The only thing that gave her even the slightest sense of familiarity was this face, which bore a seventy- to eighty-percent resemblance to her own.
“Goodness, why are you still admiring yourself in the mirror? Hurry up and see what you need to pack. You’ll be sent to the countryside in a couple of days, yet you’re acting as though it has nothing to do with you!”
Her mother’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
Shen Zhihe steadied herself.
Since she was already here, she might as well make the best of it. For now, she could only take things one step at a time.
“Got it!”
Shen Zhihe answered before turning back to her room to pack her luggage.
By the time she had transmigrated, her departure for the countryside had already been decided. Naturally, she needed to prepare as many supplies as possible.
She rummaged through the bedside cabinet and found the money the original owner had saved.
There was not much—only twelve yuan and fifty cents in total.
Her family would surely help her prepare some necessities, but she doubted they could afford to give her very much.
Although four members of the Shen family were working, everything from firewood and rice to cooking oil and salt cost money.
Her second sister had obtained her job only after the family pooled together eight hundred yuan to secure the position. They had expected her to contribute most of her monthly salary toward household expenses so they could gradually recover their investment.
Even now, however, they had managed to recoup only half of the money.
And that was not all.
Her eldest brother, Shen Zhiyuan, was courting a young woman whose family had already demanded a sewing machine as part of the marriage gifts.
On top of that, the family had to give five yuan a month to each set of grandparents to help cover their living expenses.
Shen Zhihe rubbed her forehead and could not help sighing at how difficult life was.
Still, despite all these financial burdens, the Shen family was considered relatively well-off in their neighborhood. After all, they could still afford to eat meat once a month.
“Third Sister, I’m home! Hurry up and get that green bag from my room!”
A clear, lively voice came from outside.
Her second sister, Shen Zhining, had returned from work.
She was a saleswoman at the state-run supply and marketing cooperative—a respectable job that many people could only dream of getting.
She kept to a regular work schedule and always carried herself with a brisk, capable air. Compared with the other members of the family, she was also more outgoing and straightforward.
Hearing her voice, Shen Zhihe stood up and retrieved the green bag from her sister’s room.
It was a military-green canvas bag that had been washed until it was spotless, although the corners showed signs of wear.
She had barely handed it over when Shen Zhining deftly pulled out two boxes of fruit candies wrapped in red paper, along with a small handful of loose sunflower seeds, and placed them in Shen Zhihe’s hands.
“Here, take these. The supply cooperative just received a new shipment of candy today. I spent ages persuading the manager before I finally managed to get two boxes. Keep them for the journey to the countryside. At least you’ll have something to snack on when you get bored.”
As she spoke, she placed the bag on the table and casually smoothed the loose strands of hair across her forehead.
Then she reached into her pocket, took out several grain coupons, and carefully folded them before placing them in the corner of the table.
“These are the extra coupons I received this month. You’ll need them when you get to the countryside, so make sure you use them sparingly. Mom was just complaining that you still haven’t packed your things. Listen, there’s nothing scarier about going to the countryside than not having enough clothes or food. I’ll find you two more sets of old clothes that can withstand hard work. That way, you won’t feel bad about ruining them.”
“Got it. Thank you, Second Sister,” Shen Zhihe replied, imitating the original owner’s usual manner of speaking.
Shen Zhining’s gaze fell on the bandage wrapped around her forehead, and she frowned slightly.
“What happened to your head? Why are you wearing a bandage?”
“It’s nothing. I accidentally bumped my head.”
Shen Zhining sighed softly and reached out to pat her on the head. Her voice carried a hint of concern.
“You really need to be more careful from now on. As for the family sending you to the countryside, it’s not that we want to do this to you. We simply have no other choice.”
“Mm-hmm!”
Shen Zhihe obediently agreed.
As for what the future held, she still had no idea.
For now, she would just have to take things one step at a time.