The firecracker that just exploded at her feet not only startled her but also left a strange memory in her mind.
Ever since she could remember, she had carried memories of her past life. All this time, she had believed she was reborn.
But just now, she discovered she had actually transmigrated into a book.
This world was originally a period novel, and the female lead of the novel was her aunt.
Yes, her aunt, not her, nor her mother…
In that novel, the female lead—her aunt—lived in a family that played favorites. Her father favored her brother, her mother favored her older sister, leaving her unloved by both parents.
At seventeen, after graduating from high school, she was sent down to the countryside. Among three children, she, the youngest, was the only one sent away. Resentful, she not only blamed her parents but also secretly hated her older siblings.
In the countryside, the female lead met the male lead of the novel, a high-ranking official’s son who was also sent down due to his family’s circumstances. After numerous trials, they finally got together and later returned to Beijing through the college entrance examination.
Not long after returning to the city, the male lead’s family was rehabilitated. Initially, his mother tried to separate them due to the disparity in their family backgrounds, but she was eventually moved by the female lead and accepted her.
After marriage, the female lead gave birth to a pair of adorable and well-behaved twins. Her husband ventured into business and became a tycoon. Her parents also began to care more for their youngest daughter.
A classic happy ending.
In the novel, her mother, Su Guiying, served as a foil to the female lead. Favored by their mother since childhood, she even took over her mother’s factory job, forcing the female lead to go to the countryside.
However, their fates soon reversed.
First, in marriage: the female lead married the high-ranking official’s son and moved into a large quadrangle courtyard in the West City. Her parents and relatives quickly changed their attitudes, fawning over her and flattering her. Every time she returned to her mother’s family, she held her head high.
In contrast, her older sister—the foil—married a man with a heavy family burden, offering no support to the couple. Not only did they live in a small unit allocated by her workplace, but they also relied on her mother’s family for financial assistance.
Second, in career: the female lead, through her own efforts, got into university and was assigned to a government institution after graduation. The foil, however, was caught in the wave of layoffs. Both she and her husband lost their jobs and could only barely make ends meet by doing odd jobs and manual labor.
While the female lead’s life kept getting better, the foil’s grew worse.
As for Jiang Qingning… well, by the time she appeared, it was already in the extra chapters after the novel’s ending…
She appeared as a foil to the female lead’s twins.
Great, two generations of foils in one family.
In the extra chapters, the female lead’s twins were sensible and well-behaved. Not only did they excel academically, but they were also talented in many areas. Later, one got into the best university in the country, while the other studied abroad. They were the typical “other people’s children.”
In contrast, the foil’s daughter was spoiled and willful from a young age. She performed poorly in school, hated studying, started dating a delinquent in middle school, failed to get into high school, and could only attend a technical school by paying her way.
Even then, she wasn’t content. She was vain, jealous of the twins’ wealthy family, constantly stole their things, and loved bragging about her own family’s wealth, trying to fit into the circle of second-generation rich kids.
Later, she even got pregnant as a minor, and the guy refused to take responsibility. Enraged, her parents dragged her to the hospital for an abortion.
Recalling the plot, Jiang Qingning shuddered. Why was her family’s life so miserable in this lifetime…?
“Qingning, are you cold?” Su Yuanjie asked, noticing her movement out of the corner of his eye.
Jiang Qingning looked at the boy beside her, feeling conflicted. In the original story, this cousin was also a failure. Poor grades were the standard for the children of supporting characters. After failing the college entrance exam, he spent his days hanging out in internet cafes and arcades.
Fortunately, he had parents who knew how to fawn over the female lead’s family. Ever since their aunt married into a wealthy family, her uncle and aunt completely changed their attitudes, showering the aunt’s family with flattery. Not only did they gain many benefits for themselves, but they later even borrowed money to help their useless son open a shop.
Thinking of this, Jiang Qingning felt a surge of anger. Why was it that both her mother and her uncle were the favored children, yet only her family ended up suffering in the end?
Author, you’re way too biased! Weren’t you supposed to hate people who play favorites?
“What’s wrong? Still spacing out?” Su Yuanjie asked, puzzled as she kept staring at him strangely. “Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?”
Jiang Qingning was annoyed. She hmphed, turned her head away, and stomped off angrily.
How frustrating! She’d finally convinced herself to live well in this ‘hardship-filled’ era, to experience the ‘poor life’ her parents from her past life always talked about—only to find out now that things would get even worse later on…
Su Yuanjie scratched his head. “It wasn’t me who threw the firecracker at your feet. Why are you mad at me?” he muttered, then jogged to catch up with Jiang Qingning, tugging playfully at her little braid from behind.
Furious, Jiang Qingning tried to kick him, but Su Yuanjie nimbly dodged. The siblings play-fought their way back home.
Before they even reached the entrance of their compound, they saw a crowd gathered in the distance, chattering excitedly. As they got closer, they realized everyone was admiring a car—a brand-new black Santana parked right at the compound’s entrance.
Over the past decade of reform and opening up, living standards had skyrocketed. The earliest batch of people who’d engaged in “speculation” had already made a fortune. In daily life, it wasn’t uncommon to hear about so-and-so’s family being a “ten-thousand-yuan household.”
In Beijing, where the average salary was just over 200 yuan, a ten-thousand-yuan household was considered genuinely wealthy.
But at most, that meant they ate and drank better than others, or maybe improved their living conditions. Private cars were still extremely rare.
Especially this Santana parked at the compound entrance—it cost 200,000 yuan. Two hundred thousand in 1990!
Tsk tsk. The male and female leads really were the winners in life.
Standing proudly in front of the car was Granny Su, smiling warmly as she chatted with the onlookers.
“No, the car isn’t borrowed—it’s my daughter’s own car!”
“Oh my, I only found out today that they bought it.”
“How much? I have no idea. I never ask about prices when they buy things.”
“Alright, alright, everyone, let’s disperse now. I’ll treat you all to tea another day, okay?”
Su Guilin walked over with a look of surprise, his eyes fixed on the car. “Mom, is this car really from Xiaomei’s family?” he asked.
Granny Su nodded. “Yes, I was shocked when your younger sister said they drove here today.”
“Where are Tingchen and Xiaomei?” Su Guilin asked, his gaze still drifting toward the car—it was such a rarity.
“They’re inside.”
“Then I’ll bring the cake in first,” Su Guilin said, holding up the cake box as he hurried into the compound with a smile.
Meanwhile, the siblings had stopped their playful scuffle. Su Yuanjie ran up to the car and couldn’t resist touching it. Turning to Granny Su, he asked, “Grandma, is this car really from Auntie’s family? Can I sit inside?”
Granny Su chuckled. “No rush. Let’s go eat first. We can talk about it after dinner.”
Su Yuanjie jumped with joy. “Awesome! I’m going to ride in a car!” he exclaimed excitedly, dashing into the house.
Granny Su motioned for Jiang Qingning to come over. “Qingning, after dinner, ask your uncle to take you all for a drive. I heard this car is even more expensive than a taxi.”
Jiang Qingning slowly pulled her gaze away from the car. What’s so special about it? she thought. In my previous life, the cheapest car in our garage was ten times more expensive than this!
Even before stepping inside the Su family home, they could hear Auntie’s voice from the doorway: “I always say Brother-in-law is so capable! It’s only been two years since he ventured into business, and he’s already driving a Santana. Even our factory director’s car isn’t as nice as this!”
“Oh, Xiaomei, you’re really living the good life. I wonder if I’ll ever get to ride in a car like this in my lifetime.”
Granny Su lifted the door curtain and entered. “If you want to ride in a car, just ask Tingchen to take you for a spin—drive around the entire capital until you’ve had enough!”
Ye Yunxia laughed. “That would be wonderful! I’ve never ridden in such a fancy car before.”
Granny Su choked on her words, ignoring her daughter-in-law. She turned to her younger daughter instead. “You two are so careless, leaving your brand-new car parked right outside. What if someone accidentally scratches it? Luckily, I went out earlier and spoke with the neighbors.”
Su Guihua waved it off with a smile. “You worry too much.”
Granny Su sighed. “Young people just don’t take care of things.”
Lu Tingchen, who had been sitting on the sofa drinking tea with Grandpa Su, smiled and chimed in, “Mom is always thoughtful. We appreciate it.”
Granny Su waved her hand dismissively. “It’s nothing, really.” She then pulled Jiang Qingning, who had been trailing behind her, to the front. “Qingning, your aunt and uncle are here. Say hello.”
Su Qingning obediently greeted them. “Auntie, Uncle, happy new year.”
Lu Tingchen gave her a slight smile and nod in return. Su Guihua walked over and gently patted her head. “Qingning, you’ve grown taller again.”
Granny Su beamed. “Absolutely! She’s shot up so much in the last six months—her pant legs are a whole hand’s length shorter now. The clothes I make for her only last about three months before I have to let them out.”
Su Guihua’s smile faded slightly. “Kids grow fast at this age. My two are the same; they sprout up in the blink of an eye. Their grandmother takes them shopping for new clothes every other week.”
Ye Yunxia chimed in from the side, “It’s so generous of your mother-in-law, Xiaomei. You’re truly blessed. Families like ours can only afford to buy clothes for the kids during the New Year.”
Granny Su shot her daughter-in-law a glare. “If you think the clothes I make aren’t good enough, you can take Xiao Jie to the store next time. It’ll save me the trouble—I’ll just make clothes for Qingning.”
Ye Yunxia forced an awkward laugh. “Hehe, Mom, I was just saying…”
Inwardly, she grumbled, This old hag has such a temper, holding a grudge over the smallest things. Even during the New Year, she’s making things difficult for me.
Su Guihua gave a knowing smile. “Mom is a master tailor at the factory. Her skills are no worse than the stores outside. Qingning and Xiao Jie are lucky—they’ve worn clothes made by Grandma’s hands since they were little.”
The implication was clear: her own two children had never worn clothes made by their grandmother.
Granny Su felt a pang of displeasure. It wasn’t that her younger daughter’s children rarely visited—they hardly came home all year. Back when the twins were born, she had painstakingly made them small quilts and clothes, only to have her daughter’s mother-in-law look down on them openly and subtly.
“The things our children wear and use, even the lowest quality, are bought from Hong Kong. I even instructed the housekeeper to wash them several times before letting the children wear them.”
“We dare not let the children use things of unknown origin.”
“Hehe, children have delicate skin. Silk quilts are the best for them, don’t you agree, in-law?”
Since then, Granny Su had never made clothes for the twins again. If their own grandmother looked down on her efforts, why should she humiliate herself by pushing them?
Sensing the tension between mother and daughter, Ye Yunxia quickly called out to her husband on the sofa, “Guilin, set up the round table. I’ll bring the dishes from the kitchen. It’s time to eat.”
“Right away,” Su Guilin replied, standing up promptly.
Suddenly, the room came alive—people moved tables, carried chairs, fetched bowls and chopsticks, and brought out dishes. The atmosphere buzzed with lively activity.
Su Yuanjie dashed over to switch the TV to the cartoon channel. Shuke and Beita was playing, and he gathered his younger cousins on the sofa. In previous years, the four kids would sit around the coffee table for their meal.
“Here, I got this chocolate from A Yuan.” Su Yuanjie handed half a bar of chocolate to Jiang Qingning.
Jiang Qingning looked down at the half-piece of chocolate, then glanced over at Jiang Lifeng, who was bringing out dishes. In the kitchen, Su Guiying was still stir-frying the last vegetable. Meanwhile, Su Guihua and Lu Tingchen had already been ushered to the table by her uncle and aunt.
“Since you’re wearing new clothes, don’t go into the kitchen. You might get them dirty.”
“Yes, yes. Xiaomei, that coat you’re wearing is mink, isn’t it? That must’ve cost a fortune.”
Grandpa Su cheerfully opened a bottle of Moutai liquor—it went without saying who had brought it.
After a polite refusal or two, Lu Tingchen took his seat to Grandpa Su’s left, while Su Guilin sat to his right. This was how they always sat during family gatherings, as the three of them were the only ones who drank.
“Why aren’t you eating?” Su Yuanjie nudged her. “Still spacing out? Don’t worry—this afternoon, I’ll go teach that damned Er Mao a lesson for bullying my sister…”
Jiang Qingning lowered her head, her eyes downcast. Unconsciously, her hands clenched into tight fists. She felt so utterly frustrated!