The green trains of the 1970s were simply no match for modern high-speed rail. Even though Jiang Hongtao had bought sleeper tickets, Jiang Wanxi still suffered terribly from motion sickness.
During the ride from the commune to the city, Jiang Wanxi had been too busy feeling sad and uncertain about her future. But the moment the train started moving, all the determination she had just mustered was shaken right out of her.
Shen Menglan’s heart ached as she watched her daughter’s eyes, so similar to her own, go from bright and determined to dull and listless. She brought her tea and water, wiped her face, and helped her wash her hands. Even when Jiang Wanxi rushed to the restroom and vomited violently, Shen Menglan followed her without showing the slightest hint of disgust.
Her daughter was so beautiful. What if she had been abducted by human traffickers?
Jiang Wanxi felt rather embarrassed. Seeing her biological parents fussing over her and taking such good care of her, her heart finally softened.
*Sigh. This is my biggest weakness. I’m too softhearted.*
“Dad, Mom, why don’t you tell me about our family? I’d like to know more about everyone first.”
“Oh, okay, of course… Wait, what?” Shen Menglan stared at her in surprise. “Wanwan, did you just call me Mom? Old Jiang, did you hear that? Wanwan called me Mom!”
Shen Menglan was so excited that she could barely speak coherently.
“I heard her, I heard her! Look at you. You’re a high school teacher, yet you can’t even maintain your composure in front of our daughter,” Jiang Hongtao said solemnly to his wife.
Then he turned to Jiang Wanxi, and his stern expression instantly melted into a warm smile.
“Wanwan, how about your mother and I call you that from now on? And, well… I didn’t hear you clearly just now. Could you call me Dad one more time?”
Jiang Wanxi was speechless.
*Where did the stern military commander father and the dignified, elegant teacher mother from the novel go?*
*Was this the butterfly effect caused by my transmigration into the book? Or had the original plot deliberately forced the original Jiang Wanxi into the role of the vicious supporting female character?*
“Dad! Mom!” Jiang Wanxi called out clearly.
“Yes!”
The couple answered simultaneously, perfectly in sync.
Seeing her daughter’s pale face, Shen Menglan thought it might be good to tell her about the family. It would distract her, and perhaps she would feel less sick.
As Shen Menglan patiently explained everything, Jiang Wanxi gradually gained a general understanding of her new family.
Her grandfather, Jiang Shicheng, had served in the military and risen to the rank of general before retiring. Her grandmother had once been a battlefield doctor and also held a military rank. She was now retired and living at home.
Jiang Wanxi’s father, Jiang Hongtao, was the eldest son of the family. He had joined the military and was now a senior commander in a military region. Her mother, Shen Menglan, was a Chinese-language teacher at a high school in the city.
Her eldest brother, Jiang Rui, had followed in their father’s footsteps and joined the military.
Her second brother, Jiang Jin, had entered politics and was currently serving as the head of a small county in the south.
Then there was Jiang Yu, the female protagonist of the novel, who had stayed at home ever since graduating from high school.
Her second uncle, Jiang Hongbin, had entered politics after retiring from the military and was now the deputy secretary of the municipal Party committee in the capital.
Her second aunt, Liu Na, was the director of surgery at the municipal hospital.
Her third brother, Jiang Heng, had no interest in joining the military or entering politics. The only thing he loved was money. In an era when being poor was practically considered glorious, someone like him was essentially a ticking time bomb. As a result, he had been sent down to the countryside.
Her fourth younger brother, Jiang Jue, was still in junior high school.
Well, whether it was Jiang Wanxi or the female protagonist, Jiang Yu, both had been the only daughter in their respective families.
And by some ridiculous coincidence, both of them were even surnamed Jiang.
What were the odds?
It was as if coincidence itself had come knocking on her door.
*Sigh. I’d better keep a low profile for now.*
Once the national college entrance examination was reinstated, she could return to her old profession and make use of what she was good at.
All she wanted was to stay out of the female protagonist’s way, and she hoped Jiang Yu would do the same.
As for that supposedly peerless, perfect male protagonist?
Whoever wanted him could have him.
She certainly wasn’t interested.
But if they insisted on jumping in front of her and causing trouble, then they couldn’t blame her for tearing the original plot apart and turning the whole story upside down.
She wasn’t the original Jiang Wanxi, who would silently endure being wronged without saying a word.
Lost in thought, Jiang Wanxi eventually drifted off to sleep.
When she woke up again, it was already the next morning. Shen Menglan had woken her because they were finally about to arrive at their destination.
*Finally! Thank goodness!*
Jiang Wanxi quickly got up, went to the restroom to wash up, and changed into a fresh set of clothes.
Outside the train station, the brothers Jiang Rui and Jiang Jin were waiting anxiously.
Ever since learning that their younger sister had been switched with another baby, the two brothers had immediately taken leave and rushed home overnight.
Neither of them knew what their newly reunited biological sister would be like.
Would she be like the younger sister they had grown up with, fond of acting spoiled and throwing little tantrums? Would she be proud and willful, like a peacock forever holding its head high?
They had heard that their biological sister had grown up in the countryside.
Would she feel bitter or resentful after learning that she had been switched at birth?
Would the enormous difference between the life she had lived and the life she should have had leave a knot in her heart?
And would she find herself unable to fit in with the rest of the family?