Chapter One
In 1987, Hongshan Village.
Down by the river at the edge of the village, a group of women had gathered while washing clothes. Their hands kept scrubbing in the water, but their mouths never stoppedâchattering, gossiping, trading rumors from one household to another until it felt like every family in the village had been picked apart.
Todayâs topic was the young couple who had only just gotten married not long ago.
âDid you hear? The Zhou family boy beat his wife so badly last night she ended up in the hospital! Oh heavens, what a sin⌠theyâve only just married, how is she supposed to live like this? That boyâs good-for-nothing through and through. Poor Wen YueâŚâ
âWhatâs there to pity? She was the one who insisted on marrying him. If you ask me, she had it coming. That girl never looked like anything decent anywayâlast time she was even flirting with my son.â
âOh please, it was clearly your son who couldnât stop staring at Wen Yue. I saw it with my own eyes.â
âYouâre asking for a slap, arenât you?!â
âSo what if I am? Iâm telling the truthâcome hit me if you dare!â
The argument flared hotter and hotter until the others hurriedly stepped in to break it up.
From where they stood by the river, the village road was clearly visible. One sharp-eyed woman suddenly pointed toward the entrance.
âLook! Isnât that Zhou Yao and Wen Yue? Theyâre coming back from the hospital?â
Everyone immediately turned.
âHey, it really is them!â
âWen Yue doesnât look too badly hurtâshe can still walk. Unlike Old Guihuaâs daughter-in-law, who gets beaten so badly she canât even get out of bed.â
âThat Zhou boy looks furious though⌠donât tell me heâs going to hit her again once they get home?â
ââŚHard to say. Someone should really go and stop them.â
They said that, but no one moved.
Not a single woman dared to step forward.
Zhou Yao was over 180cm tall, broad-shouldered and dark-faced, his gaze cold enough to make people swallow their words. Just a glance was enough to shut people up.
He was notorious in Hongshan Villageâlazy, unruly, spending his days idling around with a group of similarly useless troublemakers. If he got angry, he didnât care who you were. Blood relation or not, heâd swing first and talk later.
And with their small frames, who could possibly take a punch from him?
â
The moment Wen Yue stepped into the village, she could feel the gazes landing on her from all directions. She turned slightly and saw the women from earlier still staring and whispering.
If this were the future, she thought dryly, this would be the kind of village where even a passing dog would be discussed three rounds over.
She withdrew her gaze and looked toward the fields instead.
The early summer sun wasnât too harsh yet, spilling golden light across the farmland.
A breeze swept through, making the crops sway gently in waves of green life.
A scene like this⌠she had only ever seen on a phone screen before.
Wen Yueâs eyes curved slightly as she breathed in deeply, almost greedily, the fresh air filling her lungs.
Getting a second chance at life⌠didnât feel bad at all.
Her gaze drifted to the tall man walking ahead of her. Slowing her steps, she tried to sort through the chaotic memories in her mind.
By all logic, she should already be dead.
She had been out eating when a gas explosion happened nearby. The blast zone was hugeâone entire street turned into chaos and fire.
While running, she saw a little girl, maybe four or five years old, crying her eyes out alone. There were no adults around. Above the child, a billboard was shaking violently, about to fall.
Without thinking too much, Wen Yue rushed forward and shoved the girl out of the way.
And the next second, it came crashing down on her.
Everything went black instantly.
There was no regret, exactly⌠just a little pity.
If she had known she was going to die so suddenly, she wouldâve bought that 50,000-yuan coat sheâd been eyeing two days ago.
When she opened her eyes again, she was lying in a hospital bed with a flood of strange memories forcing their way into her mind.
Only after absorbing them did she realizeâ
She had entered a period novel.
And she was now the cannon-fodder supporting female character used to highlight the heroine.
The original owner had the same background as the heroineâboth were orphaned and raised by relatives, living under someone elseâs roof.
But those relatives were equally vile. Since she wasnât their real blood, they exploited her without mercy.
The heroine had a rebellious spiritârefusing to bow, refusing to give in. Though life was chaotic, she fought back, protected what was hers, went to university, left the village, and eventually made a name for herself in the city.
The original owner, however, was timid, weak, and without backbone.
After her grandparents died, she obeyed everything her aunt-in-law said, even dropping out of school to become a full-time houseworkerâessentially a free maid in her own home.
Later, she was even forced to marry her cousinâs arranged fiancĂŠ.
That fiancĂŠ was none other than the villageâs infamous delinquentâlazy, idle, always running around with his useless friends.
The original owner didnât want to marry him, but she didnât dare resist either.
So she was simply handed over.
After marriage, she cried every day, trapped in resentment and misery, and died of depression before even reaching twenty-five.
A hard life to judge.
And what made it worse was that just after Wen Yue opened her eyesâ
that very âdelinquent husbandâ walked in holding a water bottle, looking impatient and irritated.
âYou and I didnât register the marriage,â he said coldly. âIf you donât want this, you can go back. No oneâs stopping you.â
Honestly, the first time Wen Yue saw him, she was surprised.
He was unexpectedly⌠handsome.
Sharp brows, bright eyes, tall and straightâabout 185cm. Broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs.
Even the outdated dark-blue shirt with patches on it couldnât hide it.
Even the way he frowned while looking at her, cold and impatient, was⌠still good-looking.
One second ago, she had been seriously considering divorce.
The next second, looking at his face, she calmly concluded:
This marriage⌠might actually be manageable.
The main issue was simpleâif she went back to her uncleâs house, she would probably die much worse.
She had no experience dealing with toxic relatives, and she hated trouble.
So Wen Yue smiled.
âI donât want to leave you,â she said.
Zhou Yao gave a short, cold laugh, clearly not believing her.
But that was normal.
She remembered why she had ended up in the hospital.
The original owner had been unwilling to marry, and combined with Zhou Yaoâs bad reputation, she had convinced herself she was doomed. She hated him, refused to speak to him, and cried in her room all day.
Eventually, Zhou Yao snapped at her onceâhis tone a bit harsh.
And she fainted from fear.
Yes. She fainted.
Now Wen Yue, replacing her, decided she should at least fix things properly.
She propped herself up on the bedâ
but her strength gave out halfway.
Before she could fall back, Zhou Yao stepped forward, grabbed her waist, and effortlessly lifted her upright.
His movements werenât gentle, but they didnât hurt.
He even casually stuffed a pillow behind her back.
Wen Yue stiffened for a second, then relaxed.
âThanks,â she said lightly, smiling as she leaned back.
âIâm not unwilling to stay with you,â she said seriously, meeting his eyes. âMy uncle and the others told me you hit people. Youâre so tall and strong⌠if you hit someone, it must really hurt. I was scared.â
Zhou Yao: ââŚâŚâ
He clicked his tongue. âI donât hit women.â
Wen Yue nodded. âI know. Iâm not scared anymore.â
He gave another short, indifferent huff, still unreadable.
She didnât care whether he believed her or not. Instead, she started thinking about what to do next.
Before she could finish her thoughts, something warm was shoved into her handâa cup of hot waterâand in the other, two steaming meat buns.
She looked up at him.
âAre you staying in the hospital or going home?â Zhou Yao asked. âThe doctor said youâre malnourished. Told me not to mistreat you. Itâs a new society nowâmistreating people is illegal.â
As he spoke, he seemed amused by it, the corner of his lips lifting.
But the smile looked faintly dark.
Wen Yue said nothing and quietly bit into a bun.
Soft dough, rich meat fillingâwarmth spreading through her stomach and easing the hunger she hadnât realized was so sharp.
After swallowing, she mumbled that she wanted to go home.
Zhou Yao didnât respond. He simply turned and went to discharge her.
â
Wen Yue was thinking too deeply and didnât notice the uneven path ahead.
Her foot slipped.
Her body tilted toward the ditchâ
and before she fell, a hand yanked her back by the arm.
âDo you walk with your eyes on your forehead?â Zhou Yaoâs voice came from above, irritated.
Her heart pounded hard in shock. She steadied herself using his strength.
Already weak and unwell, the scare left her even paler, lips almost colorless, looking fragile and faintly pitiful.
âThank you,â she said softly, not minding his tone. She patted her chest lightly. âGood thing you were here, or I wouldâve fallen badly. Youâre really a good person.â
Zhou Yao pressed his lips together and let go.
âWatch where youâre going.â
âMm,â she nodded, eyes curved in a soft smile.
They continued along the rough path, though his pace slowed slightly.
It took them nearly ten minutes to reach the Zhou house at the edge of the village.
From afar, Wen Yue saw a courtyard made of mud bricks. One side had two rooms built of blue bricks, clearly newer and out of place. Pear trees, a peach tree, and a tall loquat tree stood around the yard.
The gate was half-closed. Zhou Yao pushed it open.
Wen Yue followed inside carefully, scanning everything.
The yard was largeâbut messy.
Animal waste dotted the ground. Clotheslines stood in the distance. Garlic and corn hung under the eaves. The pigsty and chicken coop sat nearby, and an unpleasant smell lingered in the air.
On the right was a low kitchen. On the left, the slightly better blue-brick rooms.
Even though she had prepared herself mentally, Wen Yue still froze at the sight.
This⌠really was rough.
âStanding there for what?â Zhou Yao glanced back.
Wen Yue took a deep breath and stepped forward like she was marching to her execution, carefully avoiding the mess as she crossed the yard.
Inside the room, she saw a messy bed with a mosquito net, an old wardrobe painted green, a desk cluttered with random items, and a small square wooden table for meals.
She stood at the doorway, quietly taking it all in.
This era⌠really was harsh.
For a moment, she wasnât sure whether getting a second life was luck⌠or misfortune.
At that moment, voices came from outside.
Two women entered the courtyard, chatting and laughingâthen froze when they saw her.
One in a white floral shirt reacted first, smiling as she walked toward the clothesline.
âOh, itâs Zhou Yaoâs wife! Back already? What did the doctor say? Honestly, Zhou Yaoâwhy canât you talk things out instead of using your hands?â
âYouâre his wife after all. Beaten right after marriageâthatâs just wrongâŚâ
âStanding at the door like a gatekeeper?â
Zhou Yao came out of the room and stood beside Wen Yue.
His tall figure instantly created pressure.
He glanced at the woman without saying a word.
And just like that, the womanâs voice cut off mid-sentenceâas if someone had strangled her words.
She smiled awkwardly, her confidence collapsing.
âOh⌠Zhou Yaoâs back too.â
She quickly turned away to hang clothes, hands slightly trembling.
The other woman didnât even dare breathe loudly.
