“You damned fool! I told you not to force our daughter into marriage, but you wouldn’t listen. Look what happened now, our Lili almost lost her life! My poor daughter…”
Jiang Qingli’s head felt as though it were splitting apart. The moment she regained consciousness, a loud wail rang in her ears.
“Qiuyue, Lili’s awake!”
The middle-aged man, who had just stumbled backward after being shoved, suddenly widened his bloodshot eyes in delight.
The instant she heard that, Wang Qiuyue’s crying stopped. She hurried to the bedside, sat down, and pulled Jiang Qingli into her arms.
“Lili, Mommy’s precious girl. We won’t stay married anymore. We’ll go divorce Shen Li right now…”
Still somewhat dazed, Jiang Qingli looked around in confusion.
A faded 1976 calendar hung on the mottled earthen wall. A weary-looking middle-aged woman was clutching her and crying her heart out, dressed in a patched, faded blue jacket.
Then a flood of unfamiliar memories poured into her mind.
The original Jiang Qingli, who shared her exact name, had been a Capitalist Heiress.
When her parents were about to be sent away for re-education, they hastily married her off to a poor soldier named Shen Li. But the original owner despised the Shen Family’s poverty and resented her parents for “abandoning” her. Less than three months after the wedding, she had smashed her head against a wall and died.
Jiang Qingli: …
Wang Qiuyue doted on her daughter. Since childhood, Jiang Qingli had been considered frail and sickly, and now she had even injured herself by hitting a wall. Seeing her staring blankly, Wang Qiuyue assumed she was still suffering and quickly eased her back onto the bed.
“Lili, lie down and rest. Mom’s going to make you an egg to help you recover.”
After speaking, she turned and glared at the man standing awkwardly nearby.
“What are you standing there for? Go light the stove!”
“Oh.”
The man rubbed his reddened eyes and gently patted Jiang Qingli’s hair.
“Be good, Lili. Dad’s going to boil an egg for you. Get some rest.”
When Wang Qiuyue saw him still lingering, she urged impatiently,
“Changjiang, hurry up already!”
“Alright, alright, I’m going!”
Jiang Changjiang hurried toward the door, but not before turning back to add,
“Lili, call Dad if you need anything!”
Once they had both left, Jiang Qingli finally had a chance to sort through her situation.
If nothing unexpected had happened, she had transmigrated into a novel.
More specifically, she had become Jiang Qingli, the Male Lead’s ex-wife from a period novel she had been reading before she lost consciousness.
Because they shared the exact same name, the character had left a strong impression on her.
In the original story, Jiang Qingli was nothing more than a cannon fodder side character. The author had wrapped up her entire existence in just a few brief lines.
Born into a capitalist family, frail and sickly, dead from crashing into a wall only days after getting married.
She looked around the room.
Mud-brick walls, an old wooden cabinet, a chipped enamel mug… every detail reflected the simplicity of the 1970s.
Then she glanced at the delicate red leather shoes on the floor and recalled the conversation she’d just overheard between her parents.
Unable to help herself, Jiang Qingli sighed.
She had grown up an orphan, rough and energetic. Since she was always lively and active, the orphanage director had practically raised her like a boy.
As for the original owner, she was clearly a delicate young lady who couldn’t take care of herself. Otherwise, why would her parents treat her with such overwhelming care?
With that thought, Jiang Qingli picked up the small mirror from the table, intending to see what she looked like now.
Then—
“Holy crap?!”
Her hand jerked, and she nearly dropped the mirror.
The face reflected back at her was round and plump, with a noticeable double chin. Her arms were thick, and her waist…
Layer after layer.
This was what they called… frail and sickly???
The corner of Jiang Qingli’s mouth twitched.
Compared to her former fair-skinned beauty and long legs, this was practically the difference between heaven and earth.
Her parents’ filter was terrifying.
The original owner had truly been blessed. With parents who loved her this much, she had still failed to appreciate it and spent her days causing trouble.
In the novel, Jiang Qingli had been spoiled rotten from childhood. Not only did she lack basic life skills, but she was also arrogant and unreasonable.
Otherwise, she never would have been unable to endure hardship and chosen suicide only three months after marrying the Male Lead.
In this era, capitalists were among the notorious “Black Five Categories,” targets of criticism and re-education at the slightest excuse.
Yet her parents had willingly chosen hardship for themselves and married their daughter to a soldier, all so she could avoid being sent away with them.
And what had she done in return?
Not only had she failed to appreciate their sacrifice, she had tried to kill herself.
After carefully analyzing her current circumstances, Jiang Qingli concluded that staying married to her military husband was unquestionably the best option available.
Besides, although the Male Lead was currently only an assistant in the production department, he would eventually earn military honors and rise through the ranks to become an influential figure.
So she absolutely had to hold tightly onto this golden thigh.
Just as she was thinking that, Wang Qiuyue returned carrying a bowl of brown sugar egg soup. Her eyes were still red, clearly from crying.
“Lili, how are you feeling? Does your head still hurt?”
Jiang Qingli looked up at the woman whose face was filled with concern, and her emotions became complicated.
So this was what it felt like to be loved.
Her nose stung with emotion. Quickly taking the bowl, she replied obediently,
“Mom, I’m fine now.”
She had grown up an orphan and had never known a father’s love or a mother’s love. Since fate had allowed her to replace Jiang Qingli, she would cherish the original owner’s parents and treat them well.
In the novel, after Jiang Qingli’s death, her parents had eventually wasted away in grief.
The moment her daughter spoke so obediently, Wang Qiuyue froze.
Trembling, she reached out and touched Jiang Qingli’s face. Tears immediately streamed down her cheeks.
“Those damned people from the Shen Family! Have they been starving you? Lili’s face has gotten a whole circle smaller!”
Wang Qiuyue’s heart ached terribly. It had taken years of food and care to put that weight on her daughter. Yet after only a short time in the Shen Family, nearly half of it seemed to have disappeared.
Jiang Qingli: ?
She instinctively touched her chubby cheeks, then glanced down at her still-rounded waist.
This body had to weigh at least one hundred and sixty pounds.
How exactly had Wang Qiuyue decided she had lost weight?
Did her parents have some kind of misunderstanding about the word “thin”???
Bang!
Beside the stove, Jiang Changjiang slammed his fist onto the kang table in anger. The impact shook the enamel mug hard enough to send water splashing everywhere.
“I’ll go settle accounts with Shen Li right now! How dare he let my daughter go hungry? If it weren’t for me back then…”
Before he could finish, Wang Qiuyue suddenly stomped hard on his foot.
An awkward silence immediately filled the room.
Jiang Qingli instantly sensed something was wrong.
The novel had only mentioned that her parents married her to a soldier in order to protect her, but from the looks of it, there seemed to be more hidden behind this marriage.
“Dad, what happened back then?” she deliberately asked.
“Nothing!”
Jiang Changjiang’s eyes darted around nervously. Then he suddenly slapped his thigh.
“Right! Your Aunt Zhang was saying yesterday that a plump wife brings prosperity. Look at Old Liu’s family at the village entrance. His wife weighs two hundred pounds, and last year he became the production team leader!”
Wang Qiuyue nodded vigorously.
“Exactly! Girls like you are blessed! If Shen Li doesn’t know how to treasure you, we’ll find someone else!”
Jiang Qingli: …
She lowered her gaze to her soft hand, where four adorable dimples sat above her knuckles.
Well, in an era where food was scarce, being plump did equal good fortune.
That wasn’t wrong.
Seeing her lower her head again, Wang Qiuyue hurried to comfort her.
“Don’t be afraid, Lili. Later, your father and I will accompany you back to pack your things. We’re ending this marriage. Even if your father and I starve to death, we’ll never let you suffer another grievance…”
Looking at her parents, both visibly more haggard than before, Jiang Qingli felt a painful tightness in her chest.
In such turbulent times, aside from Shen Li, who else could truly protect a Capitalist Heiress?
With that thought, she abruptly sat upright and declared firmly,
“I won’t get divorced. I was immature before, but now I think Shen Li is actually pretty good!”
Seeing that their daughter seemed to have matured overnight, Jiang Changjiang wiped away his tears with relief.
As long as his daughter could come to her senses, that was naturally a good thing.
And if things truly didn’t work out, even if it cost him his life, he would still seek justice for her.