Old Madam Sun trembled with rage.
“You… you unwanted, secondhand woman! You should be grateful my son was willing to marry you! So what if he beats you a little? It’s not like he’s killed you! As long as you’re alive, your duty is to bear children for our family!”
“Give birth to another fool like Zhang Tiezhu?” Lin Wanqiu retorted, her eyes burning red.
The old woman’s expression turned vicious.
“Fine… Very well! How dare you curse my future grandson! You refuse to give us a child, is that it? There are plenty of other women who will!”
She stumbled backward, then rushed outside and shouted at the top of her lungs.
“Tiezhu! Bring the kerosene! Burn this wretched woman alive! I’ll buy you a better wife!”
From outside came Zhang Tiezhu’s delighted cheering.
“Light it! Light the fire!”
The sharp, suffocating smell of kerosene grew stronger.
Lin Wanqiu struggled desperately against her restraints. The rusty iron chain dug into her wrists, tearing through her skin until blood streamed down her hands.
Yet she barely felt the pain.
All she could feel was hatred, a hatred so overwhelming it threatened to tear her heart apart.
Why?
She had spent her entire life treating others with kindness. She had worked tirelessly, endured hardship without complaint, and never deliberately harmed anyone.
So why had everyone she trusted turned against her?
Her parents, her younger sister, her brother, her husband, her mother-in-law…
Every single one of them had taken something from her.
They had exploited her kindness, drained her of everything she possessed, and crushed what little remained of her dignity.
And now, they intended to destroy her completely.
Flames suddenly burst through the doorway.
Within moments, the fire spread across the room.
Thick smoke filled her lungs, sending her into a violent coughing fit.
Her vision began to blur.
Through the haze, she caught sight of the pale red birthmark on her wrist, a small mark shaped like a flower petal that she had carried since childhood.
But something was different.
The birthmark was glowing.
A faint golden light flickered beneath her skin, growing brighter against the surrounding flames.
“If there’s another life…”
Summoning the last of her strength, Lin Wanqiu screamed her final curse.
“I’LL MAKE EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU’VE DONE!”
The raging flames swallowed everything before her.
Agonizing pain swept through her body as her consciousness slowly faded.
Her final sensation was an intense heat radiating from the birthmark on her wrist.
It felt as though something hidden deep within it was finally awakening.
…
When Lin Wanqiu opened her eyes again, she found herself staring at a room she recognized but hadn’t seen in years.
Above her was a yellowed ceiling decorated with red revolutionary slogans typical of the 1970s.
She was lying on a hard wooden bed covered with a coarse cotton sheet that had faded from countless washings.
On the nearby table sat an enamel mug bearing the words “Outstanding Textile Factory Worker.”
Outside the window, a radio broadcast echoed through the morning air.
“…Long live the victory of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution…”
Lin Wanqiu abruptly sat upright.
The sudden movement made her dizzy, and her vision darkened for a moment.
She gripped the edge of the bed and looked around.
This was a women’s dormitory.
Four bunk beds stood against the walls, providing sleeping space for eight female factory workers.
Her own bed was on the lower bunk.
Beside it sat a small wooden chest, with a cracked mirror resting on top.
Her hands trembled as she picked up the mirror.
A young woman stared back at her.
She appeared to be around twenty years old.
Years of poor nutrition had left her complexion slightly sallow, but her features were delicate, with graceful eyebrows and clear, attractive eyes.
More importantly, those eyes had not yet acquired the lifeless exhaustion and bitterness that had haunted her final years.
This was what she had looked like before getting married!
Lin Wanqiu scrambled out of bed.
Her legs nearly gave way beneath her, and she had to steady herself against the wall.
Then she noticed the calendar hanging nearby.
It was an old-fashioned tear-off calendar.
The date printed on the top page read:
July 12, 1974. Friday.
Lin Wanqiu stared at those words.
Her breathing almost stopped.
She had been reborn.
She had returned to the past, exactly one week before the first major turning point in her life.
On July 19, 1974, her mother, Wang Guihua, would formally demand that she surrender her permanent position at the textile factory to her younger brother, Lin Baogen, who had just turned eighteen.
That single decision had marked the beginning of her downfall.
From that moment onward, her life had gradually slipped beyond her control, dragging her deeper and deeper into misery.
But now…
It was only July 12.
She still had seven days.
Seven days to change everything.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
A sudden knock interrupted her thoughts.
A familiar voice called from outside.
“Sis, are you in there? Mom wants you to come home.”
It was Lin Zhaodi.
At nineteen, her younger sister’s voice still carried the bright, cheerful innocence of youth.
In her previous life, Lin Wanqiu would have immediately answered the door and hurried home, afraid of keeping her mother waiting.
But now…
She turned toward the cracked mirror.
The confusion and terror in her eyes gradually disappeared.
In their place emerged a cold, unwavering clarity, hardened by ten years of suffering and resentment.
Slowly, she raised her right hand.
The flower-shaped birthmark that had glowed in the flames was still there.
And now, it felt strangely warm.
A thought suddenly crossed her mind.
The scene before her changed.
The cramped dormitory vanished.
In its place appeared a mysterious realm veiled in mist.
Nearly half an acre of fertile black soil stretched before her. The earth was dark, fertile, and faintly glossy.
At the center lay a small pool of crystal-clear spring water, with tiny bubbles continuously rising to the surface.
Beside the spring stood a simple thatched cottage.
What was this place?
Lin Wanqiu stood frozen in astonishment.
Then a voice sounded.
It did not come from anywhere around her.
Instead, the words appeared directly in her mind.
Spiritual Spring Space successfully activated.
Intense emotional resentment detected. Rebirth mechanism activated.
Current Space Level: 1
Available Functions:
Basic Storage: Capacity of 100 cubic meters. Items placed inside will remain in their original condition until retrieved.
Spiritual Spring: Drinking the spring water can strengthen the body and improve physical health.
Black Soil: Suitable for cultivation. Plants grown here mature faster than normal.
Upgrade Requirements: Complete designated milestones or accumulate sufficient emotional energy.
Lin Wanqiu stared at the information in disbelief.
A spiritual spring space?
Was such a thing really possible?
She approached the spring and crouched beside it.
Carefully, she scooped up a handful of water.
The water was clear and refreshingly cool, carrying a faint, sweet fragrance.
After hesitating for a moment, she raised her hands to her lips and drank.
The instant the water slid down her throat, a gentle warmth spread through her stomach.
It quickly traveled throughout her body, reaching every limb and muscle.
The exhaustion accumulated from several consecutive days of overtime disappeared almost immediately.
Her body felt lighter.
Her mind became clearer.
Even the lingering weakness she had felt upon waking was gone.
Lin Wanqiu stared at her hands.
This wasn’t a dream.
She really had returned to 1974.
And somehow, she had brought an extraordinary spiritual spring space with her.
“Sis! What are you doing there?”
Lin Zhaodi’s impatient voice rang out again, accompanied by louder knocking.
“Mom said she has something important to discuss with you! It’s about your job!”
Her job.
At those words, Lin Wanqiu’s eyes turned cold.
So it was already beginning.
She straightened up and concentrated.
In an instant, the mysterious landscape vanished, and she found herself back on her bed in the dormitory.
“Coming.”
Her voice was so calm that even she was surprised.
She walked to the door and opened it.
Standing outside was Lin Zhaodi, dressed in a floral blouse with her hair neatly arranged into two braids.
At nineteen, her younger sister still had slightly rounded cheeks and bright, sparkling eyes.
With her innocent expression, she looked like a sweet, harmless girl who wouldn’t hurt a fly.
Who would have imagined that just a few years later, this very same “innocent” sister would personally drug her and deliver her into the bed of that village fool?
“Sis, why do you look so pale?” Lin Zhaodi asked with apparent concern. “Did you work overtime again last night?”
Lin Wanqiu studied her face.
Then, slowly, she smiled.
“It’s nothing. I just had a nightmare.”
“A nightmare?”
Lin Zhaodi blinked curiously.
“What kind of nightmare?”
“I dreamed…”
Lin Wanqiu’s voice softened.
“I dreamed that we all got exactly what we deserved.”
Lin Zhaodi frowned.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
Lin Wanqiu stepped past her.
“Come on. We shouldn’t keep Mom waiting.”
The corridor stretched ahead of them, lined on both sides with the same worn dormitory doors.
Female factory workers moved in and out carrying enamel washbasins.
Some were washing their faces, while others were hanging freshly washed clothes out to dry.
The air carried a familiar mixture of cheap face cream and coal smoke.
Everything was exactly as she remembered.
This was 1974.
The national college entrance examination had not yet been restored.
Educated urban youths were still being sent to the countryside.
Even everyday necessities required ration coupons.
It was an era of restrictions, shortages, and uncertainty.
But for Lin Wanqiu, it was also the beginning of something else.
Her revenge.
She gently touched the warm birthmark on her wrist.
Her gaze was calm and unreadable.
The suffering she had endured in her previous life…
The blood she had shed…
The tears she had swallowed…
She remembered every single one of them.
And this time, she intended to collect every debt.
With interest.
Her parents.
Her younger brother and sister.
Chen Zhigang.
Old Madam Sun.
Zhang Tiezhu.
Every person who had pushed her into that living hell would eventually face the consequences.
Not one of them would escape.
Lin Wanqiu stepped out of the dormitory building.
The bright July sunlight made her narrow her eyes.
From the loudspeakers came the stirring melody of a revolutionary song.
In the distance, thick black smoke billowed from the textile factory’s towering chimneys.
The world looked exactly as it had in her previous life.
The same streets.
The same people.
The same familiar surroundings.
But Lin Wanqiu knew that from this day forward, nothing would ever be the same again.
She had returned from hell to begin a new life.
And for those who had destroyed her…
Their nightmare was only just beginning.