Chapter One: Awakening

Page 1 of 3

In mid-July, the fervor of the double harvest season swept through the village, with every production team working at a frantic pace.

As the golden sun dipped behind the western hills, its brilliant afterglow illuminating half the mountainside, the members of the Bountiful Harvest Brigade finished their work and began to head home, the sunset at their backs.

Along the way, a group of villagers chattered animatedly about all the latest gossip, and no topic was discussed more than the third daughter-in-law of the Gu family, Lin Zhao.

"Hey, that third daughter-in-law from the old Gu family didn't show up for work again. She's the only one in the whole brigade living in comfort!" This comment came from a burly aunt, her skin sun-darkened and rough, short frizzy hair plastered to her forehead with sweat, her clothes reeking from a hard day's labor.

Another woman, equally sweaty, snorted coldly, her tone brimming with resentment toward the third daughter-in-law, as though Lin Zhao was her own daughter-in-law: "The mother of the eldest is such a seductive thing, you can tell she's no good. Lazy, too—I saw through her from the start."

"Oh? You saw through it again, did you?"

Someone caught up from behind, glanced sideways at them, and remarked with a sigh, "Say what you will, but at least she knows how to bear children."

The women fell silent.

Fertility, in the rural China of the 1960s, was a tremendous asset!

After the crowd dispersed, a thin, dull-looking woman stepped out, standing in place for a long while. At last, she murmured wistfully, "If only I could bear children like that..."

All around the village, stray dogs barked as children chattered noisily, and every so often a woman's shrill scolding would cut through the chaos.

Wang Chunhua carried a basin of dirty water outside and dumped it into the small vegetable patch by her door. As she turned to go back inside, she saw a girl of about fifteen or sixteen dash out of the neighboring mud-brick house.

The girl's expression was frantic. When she saw someone at the door, her face stiffened, her gaze darted away, and she quickly ducked her head and ran off.

Wang Chunhua frowned in confusion. "What's her problem..."

She had barely turned away when she heard a child's voice from next door, tinged with tears: "Mother!"

"Somebody help! Please help! My mother fainted!!"

Gu Da Zai's voice was loud and piercing, alarming even his younger brother, who was pulling cabbages in the backyard garden.

Gu Er Zai's thin legs scrambled swiftly toward the house. He saw his mother lying on the ground, a huge swelling on her forehead. He and his brother hurried to help her up with their skinny arms, but they were too small and weak. His voice now urgent and trembling, he asked, "Brother, what's wrong with Mother?"

"She was knocked over by Aunt," Da Zai choked out, his small body shaking.

Seeing that Lin Zhao wasn't waking up, the five-year-old Da Zai calmed himself and told his brother, "Er Zai, quick, go find Grandma."

At the door, Wang Chunhua heard the commotion, hastily set down her basin, wiped her hands on her patched trousers, and rushed next door.

As she entered, she heard Da Zai's words and couldn't help but marvel. What a clever child!

With an adult present, Da Zai immediately felt more secure and pleaded, "Auntie, please help my mother! My aunt pushed her!"

Wang Chunhua glanced at the large swelling on Lin Zhao's head and gasped, "How did it get so big? She can't just lie on the ground—let's get her onto the bed first."

"I'll help you, Auntie," Da Zai said, moving to support his mother from the other side.

Seeing there was nothing he could do, Er Zai noticed the broken bowl and spilled egg custard on the floor. His eyes darted, and he ran out of the house, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt knocked out my mother..."

It was the end of the workday, and the road was crowded. Gu Er Zai's wail was loud and mournful, catching the attention of everyone passing by.

Oh dear, trouble at the Chenghuai's place again, and with the little aunt this time? Sounds like it turned physical!

The Gu family, a bustling dozen or more, were also returning from the fields. Exhausted from a long day's work, they just wanted to go home for dinner—but then they heard that familiar wailing...

At the front of the group, Grandmother Gu's face changed instantly. Fearing someone had bullied her precious second grandson, she hefted her hoe and hurried forward.

She wasn't there yet, but her voice rang out, equally booming: "Er Zai, what's wrong? Who bullied you? Tell Grandma!"

Er Zai, wiping his tears, looked at his grandmother with reddened eyes and complained, "It was Auntie! She bullied my mother, pushed her down, and now Mother has a bump on her head as big as a bowl—no, as big as a basin! She hasn't woken up yet. Grandma, I want my mother, I want my mother... wuuu..."

Spoiled children have no fear. Gu Er Zai knew his grandmother doted on them, so he wailed so pitifully that even the birds in the trees took flight to escape the drama.

Among the onlookers, someone couldn't help but snicker.

Meeting Er Zai's angry glare, a man rubbed his nose and teased, "Er Zai, do you even know how big a basin-sized bump is?"

"Mind your own business!" Grandmother Gu snapped at the speaker.

But thinking about Er Zai's words, her face darkened and her whole body tensed.

That wretched girl was at the third house again!?

What trouble did she have to stir up with the third daughter-in-law?

Grandmother Gu was too anxious to ask for details and hurried straight to the third household.

Grandfather Gu comforted his grandson, asking Er Zai what happened.

Er Zai was a sharp and observant child. Seeing the broken bowl where his mother had fallen, he pieced together most of the story.

He huffed, "That wicked Auntie snatched our egg custard and pushed my mother down."

The members of the Bountiful Harvest Brigade exchanged uneasy glances.

To push your own sister-in-law over a bowl of egg custard...?

Even their three-year-olds wouldn't do something like that.

"......"

Page 2 of 3

Grandfather Gu couldn't help but tremble.

Family scandals shouldn't be aired in public.

Seeing Er Zai's rabbit-like eyes, he didn't have the heart to scold him.

Forget it. This is the trouble An'er brought on herself—she'll have to deal with the consequences! He and her mother had tried to teach her, but the girl always had a comeback.

The two daughters-in-law of the Gu family exchanged glances and forced bitter smiles. With the third daughter-in-law's sharp tongue, this was bound to get messy.

Grandmother Gu rushed to Da Zai's house, her heart pounding as if about to leap from her chest. She clutched the doorframe as she entered, and breathed a huge sigh of relief when she saw the third daughter-in-law lying awake on the bed.

"Thank goodness, thank goodness," she murmured, rubbing her chest. The whole way there, she had been terrified.

"Grandma," Da Zai called. He had stopped crying, but his eyes were still red.

"Oh, Da Zai, you must be scared out of your wits." Grandmother Gu saw his tear-stained face and her heart ached. She stroked his head tenderly.

She then turned to Wang Chunhua and thanked her, "Thank you so much."

Wang Chunhua waved it off. "It's nothing. I checked—she's fine. That bump looks scary, but her head's alright."

Remembering her own cooking fire, she excused herself and left. Da Zai escorted her to the door.

Wang Chunhua sighed to herself. Such a good child—why couldn't Chenghuai's household learn to appreciate him?

Inside, Grandmother Gu sat on a stool by the bed, her tone much softer than usual. "Third daughter-in-law, are you alright? How do you feel? Does your head still hurt? Is there anything you'd like to eat? I'll make it for you."

Lin Zhao, lying in bed, blinked. No, she was not alright—not at all.

Just moments ago, her entire world had been turned upside down—

It turned out she was the ill-fated mother of the "dogged male side character" and the cannon fodder female character in a book titled "The Everyday Life of a Stepmother Raising Children." She died today—all over a bowl of egg custard... Just a bowl of egg custard!

What an aggrieved way to die.

Her heart felt as if it were thrown into a fire, swelling with rage. She wanted nothing more than to blow up the person who wrote that book!

To make matters worse, her existence in the story was summed up in a single sentence, and that was only to label her a troublemaker who squandered her own fortune.

"I'm so furious—ahhhhhh..." Lin Zhao pounded the bed in anger, her fair and delicate face flushed red, her eyes blazing.

In her anger, she suddenly noticed a giant spinning wheel floating in the air before her, translucent and shimmering with a mysterious, high-class luster—a riot of iridescent black.

As soon as her gaze landed on it, several words flashed across it:

[Mysterious Prize Wheel]

Within a few seconds, the basic rules appeared in her mind: complete tasks to earn points, and use points to spin the wheel.

Lin Zhao blinked. She really shouldn't have hit her head—the aftereffects were severe. Now she was hallucinating...

She waited, eyes open, but the wheel remained.

"!"

She couldn't help but reach out and poke it, discovering to her shock that she could actually touch it.

Grandmother Gu, worried by the silence, lowered her booming voice to a whisper. "Third daughter-in-law?"

Lin Zhao looked up in confusion.

She had a striking and lively face, with classic black phoenix eyes, perfectly shaped double lids, a high nose bridge, and soft, rosy lips. Her features were outstanding, and her skin was dazzlingly fair.

In terms of appearance, she was the most beautiful woman for miles around.

At this moment, her eyes were tinged red—not fierce, but missing her usual arrogance and icy indifference.

Even Grandmother Gu, who often found fault with her, couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She decided her youngest daughter needed a talking-to.

"Third daughter-in-law, it was all An'er's fault today. I'll give her a good scolding when I get home..." Grandmother Gu softened her tone.

Before she could finish, Lin Zhao pounded the bed again, making it thud. If Gu Chenghuai hadn't reinforced the bed several times, it would have collapsed under her blows!

"Of course it was her fault!" Lin Zhao interrupted angrily. "This is my home! She came into my house to steal food—how is it not her fault? Since when does a little sister-in-law raise a hand against her brother's wife? Gu An'er is so unreasonable, we ought to call the police—"

Before she could finish, Grandmother Gu grabbed her hand in a panic, "We can't involve the police, third daughter-in-law! For the sake of all the years I've treated you well, please don't call the police. How about this: An'er will pay you ten yuan as compensation, and we'll call it even, alright?"

"No!" Lin Zhao was still furious.

Grandmother Gu, expecting her to be difficult, gritted her teeth, "Then what do you want? Just tell me, as long as it's within our means, we'll do it."

Lin Zhao had been waiting for this. Gu An'er dared to push her, leaving her head pounding; she wouldn't let her off easily.

The bedridden beauty gave a delicate snort and raised her pale hand to lay out her demands:

Page 3 of 3

"First, from now on, the third household will not pay for Gu An'er's school or living expenses. Second, you and Father must keep her under control—she is not allowed in my house ever again. Third, she must gather firewood for me—two bundles a day, for a full month, and no one is allowed to help her."

After listing her terms, Lin Zhao stopped. Grandmother Gu was stunned. Was that it?

Had the third daughter-in-law suddenly changed her nature?

Grandmother Gu was astonished, even a little spooked. Was Da Zai's mother plotting something bigger?

She wasn't being malicious—it's just that ever since Lin Zhao married into the Gu family, she'd been nothing but trouble. Spoiled, lazy, always stirring up drama.

When she first arrived, she pretended for a while. Aside from being lazy and unwilling to work, she was tolerable. But as soon as she got pregnant, she made a scene about splitting the family—crying, making threats, throwing fits—until the third household was separated.

Afterward, she complained no one cared for her, and Grandmother Gu had to visit three times a day to cook and do laundry... Those days were a nightmare.

Now, for the third daughter-in-law to be so reasonable, Grandmother Gu felt like she'd seen a ghost!

Lin Zhao, seeing her mother-in-law's prolonged silence, assumed she wanted to haggle. Her face darkened, and she made to get out of bed.

"If you think I'm being unreasonable, maybe I should just call the police!"

Grandmother Gu snapped out of it, quickly replying, "No, not at all! Not at all."

"We'll do as you say. Your father-in-law and I will keep An'er in line!"

Lin Zhao pouted indifferently. "She'd better learn her lesson. If it happens again, I swear I'll call the police!"

Grandmother Gu: "......"

The third daughter-in-law's words were certainly sharp.

She was used to it, though, and didn't argue back.

She still had chores to do after a morning in the fields, so after a few more words of concern and telling Da Zai and Er Zai to come to the old house if anything happened, she hurried away.

Left alone, Lin Zhao lay in bed, studying the spinning prize wheel.

"How do I activate this thing again..." she muttered.

As soon as she finished speaking, a line of translucent script floated in front of the wheel.

"You have a free spin. Would you like to use it?"

Lin Zhao silently thought, "Yes."

The red pointer began to spin, gradually slowing until it landed on a 'grain and oil gift package.' The font on the gift list was tiny, but strangely, Lin Zhao could read every detail clearly.

[5kg premium snowflake wheat flour x5 bags]

[5kg top-grade pearl rice x5 bags]

[2kg egg noodles x2 packs]

[10 jin local pork]

[100 genuine country eggs]

[5 bottles peanut oil]

[1 marinated chicken leg]

[500g rock sugar x2 bags]

[2 cans meat preserves]

[Essential seasoning pack...]

"Would you like to claim your reward?" the message appeared again.

Lin Zhao replied blankly, "Claim."

In the next instant—

The empty space in the room was piled high with provisions.

"!"

Lin Zhao stared, dumbfounded.

The noise must have carried, for a small voice came from outside the door: "Mother?"

Da Zai, clutching a small stool, was sitting guard at her door. Hearing movement inside, he called out gently.

Lin Zhao was famed for her fertility, envied throughout the commune. Her first pregnancy resulted in twin boys, Da Zai and Er Zai. Years later, when Gu Chenghuai came home on leave, she conceived again, this time giving birth to fraternal twins—a boy and a girl, now just over a year old.

Two pregnancies, four children.

Lin Zhao snapped back to herself, hurriedly stashed the provisions into the cupboard, locked it with a click, and went to open the door. Seeing the thin, small Da Zai waiting outside, and remembering his tragic fate in the novel, she felt her heart seize with pain.