“Yu Yin, are you sure you don’t want to swap marriages with me?!”
When Yu Yin opened her eyes again, she heard this baffling and threatening statement.
She was sitting on a small stool, washing dishes with a tattered dishcloth so worn its color was barely discernible.
The water was cold; her hands, covered in wounds, were soaked in the icy liquid, the chill piercing to the bone.
Yu Yin’s first thought was: These aren’t her hands.
This…
What on earth is going on?!
She looked up in confusion. As her gaze shifted, she saw a moss-covered water storage tank built of blue bricks.
She was sitting right in front of the water tank, which was piled high with bowls and chopsticks—several vintage chicken-patterned bowls and yellow-bottomed enamel plates printed with large red flowers, some chipped and covered in black rust, all jumbled together.
It was a complete mess.
There was also a red dishwashing basin that had faded and turned whitish. Did all of this mean she had arrived in an unknown place—one whose era she couldn’t even identify?
But how had she ended up in a place like this?
Wasn’t she on her way to mail a letter to her sponsor to share the good news after receiving her acceptance letter?
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her foggy mind, and a memory that wasn’t her own was forcefully shoved into her head.
She had been transported into a novel.
She had been transported into a “redemption and rebirth” period drama, where she was the timid female supporting character tricked by the reborn female lead into a marriage swap.
According to the story’s plot, the female supporting character, forced into the arranged marriage, would inexplicably be framed for stealing her cousin’s fiancé. In the days to come, she would be mocked and insulted, and under the pretext of repaying a debt of gratitude, she would be systematically abused and exploited by her cousin’s family until she died.
Yu Yin: …..???
Are you kidding me?!
“Yu Yin?”
Noticing that Yu Yin wasn’t responding again, Yu Xiaoqiu, standing behind her, looked extremely displeased.
Her tone grew harsher. “Are you even listening to me?!”
“I’m only doing this for your own good! Just look at you—you’re dragging your feet even when washing dishes. With a body like yours, if you stay in the countryside any longer, you’ll definitely die.”
The shrill voice snapped Yu Yin out of her daze. Although she didn’t know why she’d become the female supporting character in this book, she wasn’t that character—there was no reason for these people to bully her.
Her gaze turned cold, and she replied indifferently, “Then I might as well die.”
“What?” Yu Xiaoqiu hadn’t expected Yu Yin to suddenly speak up, much less say something like that.
What did “then let me die” even mean?
Her face contorted. “If you die, I’ll end up in prison.”
“Oh, wouldn’t that be just what you deserve? If you hadn’t pushed… me off the cliff, would I be in this state now?” Perhaps she wouldn’t have been transported into the book at all.
As she spoke, Yu Yin turned to face the reborn female lead, Yu Xiaoqiu.
Yu Xiaoqiu certainly lived up to her reputation as the reborn female lead—with her oval face, curvaceous figure, and plump features, she was exactly the type most favored by people of this era.
On top of that, she’d drawn her eyebrows today and was wearing a rose-red blouse, looking incredibly fashionable; anyone unaware might have mistaken her for a city dweller.
“I didn’t commit a crime!” Yu Xiaoqiu’s heart skipped several beats. Now, whenever she heard the word “crime,” she was reminded of the time she nearly got in trouble for pushing Yu Yin off the hillside. She emphasized, “I didn’t harm you.”
Yu Yin remained expressionless. “Oh!”
Her attitude was dismissive.
Yu Xiaoqiu was both shocked and furious at her attitude, but since she was the one begging Yu Yin to swap marriages to cover up the truth, she had no choice but to swallow her anger and explain, “I really didn’t mean to hurt you—it was an accident. Besides, aren’t I apologizing to you by giving you my marriage instead?”
“What more do you want?” By the end of her speech, she actually sounded aggrieved.
Yu Yin felt sickened: “I don’t want anything.”
That attitude again, always that attitude!
Yu Xiaoqiu’s face flushed red as she roared, “I’m marrying into the provincial capital! I swapped marriages with you so you could marry into the provincial capital and become a city dweller—and this is the attitude you give me?!”
Yu Yin gave a half-smile, half-sneer. “What’s wrong with my attitude? I have my own marriage plans—why should I swap with you?”
At the mention of Yu Yin’s marriage, Yu Xiaoqiu’s angry, contorted face froze for a moment, betraying a hint of guilt.
Of course it’s because I slept with your man!
But she couldn’t say that. Swallowing her anger, Yu Xiaoqiu mumbled, “I’m doing this for your own good!”
“Oh?” Yu Yin said coldly. “Then do you want me to find someone to settle this—to see whether you’re really doing this for my sake, or for your own?”
In her past life, Yu Yin had been an orphan and had seen more than her share of shameless people claiming to act “for your own good.” She knew exactly how to deal with this sort of person.
To deal with someone like this, she had to make her face the world’s so-called “goodness.”
With that, Yu Yin, too tired to argue with Yu Xiaoqiu, turned and walked out.
Yu Xiaoqiu hadn’t expected Yu Yin to react this way at all; she panicked instantly and rushed over to grab Yu Yin by the arm: “Are you crazy? How can you tell others about something like this?”
Yu Yin shook off her grip: “Why can’t I tell others? Aren’t you just trying to look out for me?”
“I was just—”
“Yin Yin, Yin Yin, are you awake?” The commotion from the Yu household had drawn the neighbors.
Following the shouts, an elderly woman wearing a headscarf walked in through the doorway. She was in her fifties and had a kind face.
The first thing she looked at upon entering was Yu Yin; only after seeing that Yu Yin was unharmed did she glance over at Yu Xiaoqiu.
When she saw Yu Xiaoqiu’s hand, which hadn’t yet been withdrawn, she knew immediately what she was doing.
Her kind expression vanished instantly. “Yu Xiaoqiu, what are you trying to do? Do you really want to kill Yin Yin? Aren’t you afraid of being thrown in jail and beaten?”
Of course Yu Xiaoqiu was afraid. Feeling guilty, she pulled her hand back and stammered, “I didn’t do it. Don’t say such nonsense. I, I…”
Yu Xiaoqiu scrambled for an excuse, her eyes darting around. Spotting a pile of unwashed dishes by the sink, she raised her voice even louder in her defense: “I was washing the dishes! Just now, Yu Yin wanted to wash them, but she… she wasn’t feeling well, so I wouldn’t let her. We just had a little argument.”
The story sounded so obviously false that no one believed it, but the old woman still turned to ask Yu Yin, “Yin Yin, is what Yu Xiaoqiu said true?”
The old woman was Aunt Ye from the house across from Yu Yin’s current home. In the memories Yu Yin had inherited, she had often looked after the female supporting character who was being bullied by the Yu family; if it weren’t for her, the female supporting character might have been gone long ago.
Yu Yin was grateful to her.
Moreover, Yu Yin knew why Aunt Ye had asked that—she was trying to give the Yu family a way out. After all, Yu Yin was a member of the Yu family; she hadn’t married yet and still relied on them for her livelihood. If she really provoked the Yu family, they might bully her even more behind closed doors, where outsiders couldn’t see.
Based on her past experiences, the Yu family had indeed done this before.
Yu Yin didn’t answer right away. Under Yu Xiaoqiu’s anxious gaze—her eyes red-rimmed with worry—she asked her cousin in return, “Cousin, do you really want to help me wash the dishes?”
“Of course! You’re still injured. You—you—the doctor said you need to rest properly and, and, you need to build up your strength. Right, I’ll make you some brown sugar tea in a minute. You rest first; I’ll make it for you as soon as I finish washing the dishes.” Yu Xiaoqiu frantically gave Yu Yin a meaningful look.
Yu Yin snorted derisively to herself, then turned to Aunt Ye. “Auntie, I suppose what my cousin said must be true. I just didn’t expect she’d even want to make me some brown sugar water with malted milk.”
Aunt Ye’s eyes widened in surprise, and she stifled a laugh. “That’s only fair. Who told her to be so vicious as to push you off the hillside? Never mind brown sugar water with malted milk—even if she had to cut off her own flesh, she’d deserve it.”
Their back-and-forth exchange left Yu Xiaoqiu so furious her chest ached.
When did she ever say she’d give that little bitch[1]i dislike translating these words but i also want to be as accurate as possible in translating jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2734641_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2734641_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); malted milk?
And cutting off her own flesh?
I’d say cutting off that little slut’s flesh would be more appropriate.
But Yu Yin didn’t say anything, and Auntie Ye didn’t either. Auntie Ye noticed that Yu Yin, after regaining consciousness from her injuries, seemed to have matured quite a bit—she’d learned to stand up for herself.
That’s good.
Aunt Ye smiled with satisfaction. “Then I’ll come by in a bit to see what that malted milk powder smells like.”
“Auntie, I’ve never even smelled malted milk powder in my whole life.”
Of course, that was a lie—she was just trying to keep Yu Xiaoqiu from changing her tune.
Yu Yin smiled gratefully. After Aunt Ye left, she turned to stare at Yu Xiaoqiu, who hadn’t lifted a finger to help. “Cousin, why aren’t you washing up yet? And what about the malted milk? When are you going to make me a bowl to help me recover?”
“You have to understand—I haven’t had any nourishment since I woke up after you pushed me off the hillside. I don’t even know how well my body has recovered. Do you think I should go see a doctor?”
After it came to light that Yu Yin had been pushed off the hillside by Yu Xiaoqiu, she remained unconscious for a long time. Because Yu Xiaoqiu was a family member, the charges of attempted murder against her were never formally established.
The village chief, the brigade leader, and the Party secretary decided to wait until Yu Yin woke up to question her thoroughly before determining Yu Xiaoqiu’s charges.
But after Yu Yin woke up, she was kept confined at home; even after she was able to get out of bed, she was forced to do housework.
Now, none of the village officials even knew that Yu Yin had woken up.
Yu Xiaoqiu’s face alternated between pale and ashen—she looked absolutely dreadful.
She never would have imagined that Yu Yin, whom she had bullied since childhood, would one day stand up to her.
Of course, Yu Xiaoqiu didn’t take this defiance seriously. After all, she was already involved with Chen Maocai, the Party Secretary’s son, and was carrying the Chen family’s child.
As long as she had this child, she was certain she wouldn’t go to prison.
But avoiding prison didn’t mean she could marry into the Chen family or marry Chen Maocai.
Because right now, it was Yu Yin who was betrothed to the Chen family. She had to make sure that Yu Yin died quietly, or ruin her reputation and get rid of her.
Killing her was out of the question now; the only option was to arrange a marriage swap to get rid of her.
Yu Xiaoqiu took a deep breath and made a deal: “I’ll make you some malted milk, and in exchange, you’ll marry into the provincial capital in my place.”
“I’m doing this for your own good. After all, you’ve always claimed I pushed you off the hillside and ruined your body. I can’t very well let your body stay ruined forever—or let you die!”
When the word “death” was uttered, Yu Yin sensed a thick wave of malice.
But Yu Yin wasn’t afraid of her. She knew exactly what Yu Xiaoqiu, the reborn female lead, wanted, so she deliberately dragged her feet and stalled, just to make her anxious.
After all, she wasn’t the female lead or even a supporting character—she had no reason to rush.
Yu Yin replied leisurely, “I don’t even know if my body will hold out until the marriage exchange. Let’s just forget about it.”
Yu Xiaoqiu gritted her teeth. “I’ll help you get stronger! I’ll give you malted milk every day—is that good enough?”
Yu Yin snorted inwardly. “It won’t do any good. My body’s in such bad shape; even with all that nourishment, it won’t be enough to keep up with the exhaustion.”
After saying that, she glanced at the dishes that hadn’t been washed yet.
Yu Xiaoqiu got the hint instantly. Veins bulged on her forehead as she immediately crouched down: “I’ll wash them! I’ll finish all your chores right now!”
Yu Yin raised an eyebrow, teasing her like she was playing with a monkey: “Well, I’ll think about it. If my health improves, I might agree.”
“Hmm, I wonder if malted milk powder can actually help me get better.”
Yu Xiaoqiu jumped back to her feet, gritting her teeth: “…I’ll make you some malted milk powder right now!”
Author’s Note:
I’ve finally started a new story—it’s a bit late, but please bear with me~
References[+]