Chapter 1: Jumping into the River

Chapter 1: Jumping into the River

"Su Taotao was the one who insisted on marrying Fu Zhengtu, no matter how much she begged. For three years of marriage, you treated her like a queen, giving her everything she needed. Now that the child is almost two, she says she can't take it anymore and wants a divorce so she can return to the city. Is she seriously just going to walk out on her husband and kid? If she leaves, what will happen to the child and Fu Zhengtu?"

"Yes, Second Aunt, it's because you've been too good to her that she's become so unruly. In my opinion, a good beating would set her straight. Even if it means breaking her legs, she shouldn't be allowed to go so easily."

"Exactly, even if we let her return to the city, it should be up to Fu Zhengtu to decide when he comes back. We can't just let her leave like this."

A weak voice from the corner asked, "What if Fu Zhengtu doesn't come back?"

Everyone turned their heads and spat towards the corner. "Spit! Spit! Spit! Don't even say that!"

……

As the crowd voiced their indignation, Fu Zhengtu's mother, Zhou Linglan, held her pitiful little grandson in one arm, wiping away tears as she sobbed, "What if she tries to jump into the river again? Nothing is more important than a person's life. This mountain nest can't keep a golden phoenix. If she wants to leave, let her go."

The eldest daughter-in-law, who had always looked down on this weak and soft sister-in-law, said, "Second Sister-in-law, it's because you're too soft that she dares to treat you like this. Aren't you afraid Fu Zhengtu will blame you when he comes back? And what about Chenchen? He's her flesh and blood too. Women from the city are truly heartless. Even animals know how to protect their young, but she doesn't even want Chenchen."

Fu Guoqiang tugged at his mother's sleeve, signaling her to stop talking. "Second Aunt, we can just tie her up and take turns watching her. She won't be able to run."

The eldest daughter-in-law slapped her thigh. "That's settled then. If she runs again, we'll break her legs and tie her to the beam. Does she think there's no one in the Fu family? She's acting like she's above us all!"

……

The production team leader, who was also the eldest brother Fu Dongliang, took a puff from his tobacco pipe and interrupted with a frown. "Don't worry, she won't be able to run. I won't issue the necessary papers, so even if she reaches the town, she won't be able to buy a train ticket. But we can only stop her once; we can't stop her ten times. If a person is determined to die, there's more than one way to do it."

As soon as he said this, everyone fell silent, looking at each other.

A few days ago, an educated youth from the neighboring brigade had drunk pesticide just to return to the city. People were willing to die for the chance to go back.

Zhou Linglan's tears fell even harder. After wiping them away, she picked up her thin grandson and bowed. "Thank you all for coming today. Please go back for now. I'll talk to Taotao properly when she wakes up. Whatever the outcome, it's Fu Zhengtu's fate, our family's fate. Please go back."

"But..." the eldest daughter-in-law started to say.

Fu Guoqiang pushed his mother out. "That's enough, Mother. Second Aunt knows what she's doing. Let's go back."

The eldest daughter-in-law said, "This time, don't let her push you around again. You need to stand your ground..."

In fact, the entire production team wished this troublemaker would return to the city. But as the saying goes, "It's better to break a hundred temples than to break up a marriage." Besides, the child was still so young. Although this mother was as good as nonexistent, she was still the child's mother.

……

Half-asleep, half-awake, Su Taotao couldn't tell if she was still dreaming or if this was real life. When she opened her eyes, the sight of the dark, dilapidated tile roof with its shaky beams made her realize just how old the house was. It was in such bad shape that it could barely be called a home.

Su Taotao quickly closed her eyes, hoping this was just a dream that would pass soon.

Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed at her temples, and memories not her own played back in her mind like a rewinding movie. In just a few minutes, she seemed to have watched the first half of an educated youth's life—or more accurately, the tragic life of an extraordinary educated youth.

She had been trapped in a book!

And not just any book, but one she had read not long ago. Unfortunately, she wasn't the protagonist with cheats and a space. Instead, she was a very unfortunate female supporting character! The ridiculous plot of this unlucky character didn't even give the similarly named Su Taotao the desire to comment.

After graduating from high school without a job, she had been forced to go to the countryside. To avoid labor, she had tricked the most handsome young man in the commune, Fu Zhengtu, and successfully married him.

After marrying, the original owner never worked a single day. It was only natural for her to slack off and live a life of idleness, like a parasitic bug. She didn’t do any housework and slept in until late every day. One day she snatched her nephew’s candy, the next day she took her brother-in-law’s eggs, and the day after that, she stole yams from someone else’s self-retained land. She even messed with the traps set by an old hunter, and went to steal pheasants and rabbits from others' traps every few days...

The reputation of the Fu family, who were once the most well-liked in the entire production team, plummeted because of her. The members of the Qinglian Commune all shook their heads when mentioning her, thinking even a dog would find her unbearable.

It became worse after she got pregnant. It was said that even her underwear was washed by her mother-in-law. After giving birth to her child, she didn’t take care of him for a single day except for breastfeeding. She only played with him when she felt like it, and handed him over to her mother-in-law or brother-in-law whenever he cried. The whole family practically treated her like an ancestor…

Living a life that the other commune members envied as “heavenly,” she still couldn’t stop provoking the female lead, getting tormented by her every few days. It was truly a mystery what was wrong with her.

The original owner’s husband, Fu Zhengtu, wasn’t described much by the author. Other than being called the “most handsome man in the commune,” he went missing on a secret mission shortly after marriage. By the time Su Taotao arrived, Fu Zhengtu had never returned, and his features remained vague in her memory. No matter how hard she tried to recall, she could only remember him as tall, with a muscular build and a sleek V-shaped torso...

The reason the original owner attempted to jump into the river was actually because her childhood sweetheart, who had lost contact before she went to the countryside, wrote her a vague letter after returning to the city, trying to stir her emotions. No matter how easy life in the countryside was, or how handsome and fit her husband was, she was living like a widow. Being young, the original owner couldn’t stand it and created a farce, threatening to kill herself to force her way back to the city, leaving her husband and child behind.

She died, and Su Taotao found herself in her body.

After understanding the general plot, Su Taotao wished she could bang her head against the mud wall to go back. Although she had no close relatives left, her parents had left her a large inheritance. She had just graduated from university, with fair skin, long legs, and a bank account full of money waiting to be spent. Who could understand the frustration of having money in the bank but being stuck in this backward 1970s countryside?

“Taotao? Are you awake?” Zhou Linglan’s voice was gentle and soft, with a hint of pleading, no wonder the original owner had her wrapped around her finger.

Su Taotao’s eyelids twitched, but she didn’t want to wake up.

Zhou Linglan knew she was awake and sighed, continuing, “Taotao, I’ve been a widow for over a decade, so I understand the bitterness in your heart. We agreed before, didn’t we? You’ll wait for Zhengtu for three years. If there’s still no news from him after three years, you can go back to the city or remarry. I won’t stop you. Can you pity our Chen Chen? He’s not even two years old and can’t live without his mother. Can you wait for just another six months?”

Wait for her estranged husband for three years? Su Taotao didn’t expect that.

Wait, Chen Chen? Her young son?

Su Taotao opened her eyes abruptly and looked over. An old woman and a young child came into view, leaving her stunned...