Her family knew she was deeply troubled, and whenever they had free time, they would chat with her, try to prepare delicious meals to improve her life, and offer various comforts and consolations, but it was all in vain.
Those who worked went to work, those who studied went to school—no one could stay with her all the time. They could only hope she would come to terms with things on her own. They prepared some appropriate medicine for her, praying she would recover soon.
Little did they know, she avoided her family, not only refusing to take the medicine but also deliberately soaking in cold water and starving herself, hoping that severe illness would spare her from being sent to the countryside.
As the day to leave for the countryside approached, she pushed herself even harder today. Overwhelmed by anxiety and worsened by her illness, she passed away, giving Guo Youning, who had crossed over, a chance at life.
After absorbing the memories, she let out a long sigh, realizing she had traveled back to the impoverished and backward 1970s, during the massive "Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside" movement.
Thinking about this carefully chosen "good family"—ah, "both parents alive, a harmonious family, no worries about food or clothing, and good health"—it seemed to match, yet not entirely.
Since she was here, she might as well make the best of it. After all, she had a secret weapon!
Guo Youning struggled to sit up and surveyed the roughly ten-square-meter bedroom.
A bunk bed took up half the space. Opposite the bed was a desk piled with books, accompanied by a long bench. Two wooden trunks were stacked in the corner.
The room was tidy but cramped.
Enduring dizziness and a stomach aching from hunger, she moved to the door and bolted it. In her mind, she thought of the Farmhouse Paradise, and instantly, a faint illusion appeared before her. Silently thinking "enter," she found herself standing in the courtyard of the Farmhouse Paradise!
Just as she was about to find something to eat, a "knock, knock, knock" came from outside the door. Through the space, she could perceive everything outside—this function was truly remarkable.
While marveling at it, she quickly slipped out of the space, steadied herself, and with a nervous and weak expression, opened the door.
Before her stood a middle-aged woman dressed plainly, with neat ear-length hair and a dignified face.
She first examined Guo Youning's complexion, her brows furrowing with concern, then reached out to feel her forehead. Only when she confirmed there was no fever did she relax.
She then handed Guo Youning a paper bag and spoke with concern, "Ningning, are you feeling better? Look what I brought! Your favorite fried dough twists—I managed to snatch half a catty after much effort. Hide them and eat them slowly. Don’t let Ranran and Tingting see. Those two bottomless pits wouldn’t be satisfied even if we brought a truckload. Rest a bit more. I’ll go cook. Today, Aunt Shen shared a piece of pork skin with me. We’ll treat ourselves tonight."
Having merged with the original owner's memories, Guo Youning knew this was her mother, Tang Xin.
Perhaps due to the original owner's physical memories or lingering emotions, a feeling of familiarity mixed with a hint of dissatisfaction welled up inside her.
She took the paper bag and tried several times to speak, but the word "Mom" stuck in her throat, impossible to utter.
All she could manage was a faint, muffled reply, "I’m much better, thank you."
Having been an orphan for twenty-five years, suddenly having parents and siblings was something she couldn’t adjust to right away.
Moreover, her personality was entirely different from the original owner’s. Over the years of striving independently, she had become polished, worldly, resilient… she had it all.
She was truly afraid that one word would give her away. Fortunately, she only had to endure for three more days before leaving for the countryside. She just needed to muddle through these last few days.
A faint smile appeared on Tang Xin’s face. Her overthinking second daughter had barely spoken a word to her since learning she was being sent to Heilongjiang.
She knew her daughter was holding in resentment, blaming them for their inability to secure her a job.
Human hearts are made of flesh—what parent would willingly watch their child suffer? Yet there was truly no other way; finding a job in such a short time was simply impossible.
Moreover, for a family like theirs with five children, someone had to be sent to the countryside. Otherwise, the gossip and scorn from neighbors would drown them. Those with children already dispatched to rural areas were all watching their family closely, their envy and pettiness impossible to ignore.
Now that her daughter had finally spoken up, Tang Xin felt genuine relief.
Gently helping her onto the bed, a soft smile graced her lips. "That’s good. But you look pale—rest properly in bed. I’ll make you something delicious."
Guo Youning instinctively offered a practiced, professional smile and gave a slight nod.
Her first impression of this mother was rather favorable.
Seeing her daughter’s long-awaited smile, Tang Xin’s heart swelled with joy. As she headed to the kitchen, she decided to steam an egg specially for her that evening to help her regain strength.
Once the door was closed again, Guo Youning eagerly opened the paper bag, stuffing a fried dough twist into her mouth. The rich, oily aroma was irresistible—her starved soul couldn’t resist.
After crunching through two twists and downing a glass of water from the desk, she finally felt revived.
Checking the doors and windows to ensure they were securely shut, she focused her mind and re-entered the space.
This Farmhouse Paradise was a modern-style quadrangle courtyard. The main building was a three-story villa primarily used for guest rooms, the east wing housed the kitchen and dining area, the west wing served as Guo Youning’s private residence, and the opposite row functioned as storage and staff quarters.
The backyard spanned two acres, dotted with peach, apple, jujube, and fig trees, while the fields were lush with seasonal vegetables growing vigorously. Against the rear wall stood a chicken coop and pigpen, housing over fifty chickens and ten half-grown pigs.
After a cursory inspection to confirm that every part of the Farmhouse Paradise had come along intact, Guo Youning returned to the west wing, grinning foolishly.
Stepping into the small living room, she spotted the jade vial of Immortal Dew on the coffee table, accompanied by a rosewood chest.
She first stored the precious vial in her bedroom cabinet, then slowly opened the wooden chest.
Her eyes crinkled into delighted slits at its contents: five rolls of ten-yuan bills totaling five thousand yuan, along with substantial amounts of national grain, cloth, sugar, and industrial vouchers, plus ten 100-gram gold bars.
Beaming with satisfaction, Guo Youning carried the chest to her bedroom. With these resources, she could live comfortably without lifting a finger after moving to the countryside.
She mused: The Netherworld folks are truly trustworthy—I take back all my earlier complaints about filing a report.
In her uplifted mood, even her dizziness seemed to fade, though hunger still gnawed at her. Her gaze fell on the snack shelf, and she reached for a bag of cream bread and a bottle of pure milk.
As she ate and drank, she studied herself in the mirror: the girl staring back had messy hair but delicate features and fair skin; she was slender yet well-proportioned, standing at 162 cm tall. Though illness tinged her complexion, she remained a beauty—her faded yellow-and-blue checkered shirt unable to conceal her youthful vitality.
Honestly, this figure and face bore a seventy percent resemblance to her own teenage self—what an incredible coincidence!
After finishing her meal, she braided her hair into two plaits and made a couple of funny faces in the mirror. Not bad at all—gaining eight years of youth was quite the bargain.
Then, she remembered White Impermanence’s promise to prepare supplies for her.
Rising, she headed to the opposite row of rooms, opening each storage door one by one. The sight of them crammed full of goods made her burst into hearty laughter.
One warehouse of rice and flour, no less than fifty thousand catties; one warehouse of daily necessities like oil, salt, sugar, fabric, cigarettes, and alcohol; two warehouses of valuable items, with fifty units each of sewing machines, bicycles, radios, and Plum Blossom brand watches—even ten black-and-white televisions.
Can't use it all, simply can't use it all!
White Impermanence is such an honest and good kid—thumbs up for him! I really want to send him a letter of praise, but unfortunately, there's no way to deliver it.
Just as this thought crossed her mind, a voice leisurely echoed in her mind.