1972, Winter.
November.
Even in a small mountain village in the south, this season brought a biting chill and a landscape of desolation.
In a dilapidated courtyard next to the Qin family’s house, belonging to the Second Squad of the Advance Brigade.
Inside Xiao Yuan’s room, a series of stifled coughs rang out, followed by the dull thud of a heavy object falling to the floor.
Su Yun woke up at that exact moment.
A sharp, splitting headache forced her eyes open, and she couldn’t help but gasp in pain.
“It hurts so much…”
She reached up to touch her forehead, only to feel the stickiness of blood.
Was this an injury from when she was swept away by the flood?
No, that wasn’t right.
Besides the throbbing in her forehead, her neck was also in excruciating pain.
She gently touched her neck, and even the slightest graze of her fingertips sent a jolt of agony through her.
What was going on?
Su Yun forced herself to sit up, struggling against the weakness in her limbs.
She realized she was in a room that was old and falling apart.
The walls were made of earthen bricks, and the thatched roof was covered in spiderwebs…
The room, practically bare of any furniture, was filled with an unpleasant, musty odor.
Su Yun withdrew her gaze and looked down at the tattered, stiff quilt covering her.
This…
Was she really still alive? Was she still in the land of the living?
Just as the thought crossed her mind, a sudden, sharp pain pierced her brain.
Countless memories flooded into her head.
The pain was so intense that she clutched her head tightly with both hands.
Harsh, insulting voices echoed in her ears.
“Su Yun, you wretched woman, how could a miserable wretch like you compare to Zhenzhen?”
“So what if I married you? I’m telling you, I’m going to marry Zhenzhen, and no one can stop me.”
“Look at you, nothing but skin and bones. Do you really think you’re worthy of me?”
“Get out!”
Along with these voices were images of a frail woman being dragged by her hair against a wall and being strangled by a man.
The piercing voices and memories surged forward together.
Her head spun so violently that she nearly blacked out from the strain.
She gripped the stiff quilt tightly, her face pale as cold sweat poured down her forehead.
She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to stay conscious.
Once the dizziness subsided, she finally understood the situation.
She had transmigrated into a book.
While on her way to a rural medical mission, she had been caught in a flood and had transmigrated into a bitter, short-lived woman in an era-based novel.
The original owner of this body was also from the Advance Brigade.
However, she belonged to the Fifth Squad.
The Su family of the Fifth Squad had two daughters and one son.
Su Yun was the elder of the two daughters, and she had a younger sister, Su Zhen.
Yesterday, Su Yun had just married into the Qin family, marrying Qin Xiao.
But what awaited the original owner was not a wedding night of marital bliss, but heartless beatings and curses.
That beast, Qin Xiao, had regretted the marriage on the very day of the wedding and decided he wanted to marry Su Zhen instead.
Beating Su Yun wasn’t enough for him; he maliciously carried the dying Su Yun to the room of his disabled older half-brother next door. Then, he shouted to everyone that Su Yun was shameless and had climbed into her disabled brother-in-law’s bed on her wedding night.
He claimed she had betrayed him, which was why he had turned around to be with Su Zhen…
Su Yun cross-referenced the current situation with the plot of the book.
According to the story’s progression, Su Zhen and Qin Xiao should be at the commune right now, getting their marriage certificate.
“Qin Xiao, Su Zhen…”
A cold smile touched Su Yun’s lips.
A wife-beater and a reincarnated woman had teamed up to kill the original Su Yun!
She would make sure to settle this score with them properly.
Before she could finish her thought, the low door to the room was pushed open from the outside.
Xiao Yuan walked in from outside, leaning on a pair of crutches and carrying a bowl of medicine.
Seeing Su Yun sitting up, a look of shock appeared on his deep-set, gaunt face.
“You… you… you’re awake…”
The man’s low, raspy voice was laced with tension.
It was obvious he was very uncomfortable.
His originally tall frame had become hunched after his leg injury.
The resolute look in his eyes and the strength in his face were gone.
Su Yun recalled the description of Xiao Yuan in the book.
He was originally a high-spirited battalion commander. However, during a mission, he was injured by an explosion while saving his comrades and superiors, leading to a medical discharge.
His stepfather and half-brothers, who had treated him decently before, immediately turned their backs on him once they realized he could no longer stay in the army to earn money and support them.
They kicked him out of the Qin family’s spacious brick house and into this old, dilapidated shack.
Even his biological mother, Xu Dongmei, had been “forced” to take the side of her husband and other children at that time, no longer lifting a finger for Xiao Yuan.
Even last night, when Qin Xiao carried the nearly dead Su Yun to Xiao Yuan’s place, Xu Dongmei hadn’t uttered a single word of protest.
She hadn’t said a single word for Xiao Yuan, who was also her own flesh and blood…
While Su Yun was lost in thought, Xiao Yuan had already hobbled over to the bedside, leaning heavily on his crutches to bring the medicine to her.
“Comrade… Comrade Su… drink… drink the medicine…”
Su Yun snapped back to reality, her gaze falling on the skeletal back of Xiao Yuan’s hand.
He had been sick for too long, and his body was terribly emaciated.
If he were properly cared for and regained his physical health, he would actually be quite a fine man.
Thinking about Xiao Yuan’s ultimate fate in the book—dying alone of illness in this derelict courtyard—she felt a pang of sadness.
A hero shouldn’t end up like that.
However, now was not the time to worry about Xiao Yuan.
Su Yun looked up, gave Xiao Yuan a small smile, and reached out to take the bowl from him.
“Thank you.”
She brought the bowl to her nose and sniffed; it had a strong scent of Szechuan lovage.
The medicine wouldn’t do much for her injuries.
But it wouldn’t do any harm either.
Su Yun raised the bowl and downed the medicine in one go.
After finishing, she set the bowl aside.
She pulled back the quilt, intending to get out of bed.
“Comrade… Comrade Su… you… your injuries… haven’t… haven’t healed yet…”
Xiao Yuan hurriedly reached out, trying to stop her.
In his haste, his crutch slipped. His body tilted, and he nearly fell.
Su Yun was quick and caught him by the arm.
But although the man was thin, he still weighed over a hundred pounds.
Su Yun couldn’t hold him up and was pinned back onto the bed by Xiao Yuan, his body pressing down on top of hers.
Their heads collided.
Su Yun, who already had a head injury, now felt like things had gone from bad to worse.
Her head rang painfully.
Physiological tears welled up in her eyes.
It hurt—it really hurt so much.
It wasn’t just her head; the bones of his body were also digging into her, causing sharp pain.
“Comrade… Su… Su… Su… Su…”
Xiao Yuan panicked as well.
He was both flustered and anxious.
He hurriedly braced his arms to lift himself off Su Yun.
“Sister! Sister!”
At that moment, the old wooden door was flung open from the outside.
A glamorous-looking Su Zhen stood at the door, leading a crowd of people.
She glanced into the room, her eyes filled with both triumph and disgust.
“Sister, you… you actually, you really did… did such a thing with Big Brother Xiao.”
“Sister, you… you’re so foolish!”
“Even if you didn’t want to marry Brother Qin Xiao, you shouldn’t have snuck out on your wedding night to be with Xiao Yuan!”
“This is adultery/promiscuity, Sister! You’ll be taken away and paraded through the streets!”
“Waaaah, Sister, what are we supposed to do now?”