1959: With an Achievement System in Hand, She Stirred Things Up.

In July 1959, Du Yimeng, a woman who had died of cancer at thirty in her previous life, awakens in the body of a seventeen-year-old girl with the same name. The original owner was the eldest daughter of the Du family in Sanchuan City, Changde County. To ease her family's financial burden after her mother gave birth to her fifth son, she had postponed her education and aimed for vocational school instead of high school. However, poor nutrition and a severe cold caused her to collapse before the entrance exams, leading to her death. Du Yimeng arrives with an achievement system that rewards her with money, ration coupons, supplies, and attribute points for contributions and milestones. The more attribute points she accumulates, the higher her scientific research skills become.

The Du family lives in poverty. Du Weihai, a fourth-level worker earning fifty-two yuan monthly, supports six children—Du Yimeng and four younger brothers named after the directions, plus a younger sister. Rationing is tight, food prices are rising, and the family struggles to eat. Du Yimeng's mother, Wang Yanhong, earns five to six yuan a month assembling matchboxes. Despite their hardships, the family is close-knit. Du Yimeng's first act upon returning home is to give her mother thirty yuan and food coupons to buy extra grain, sensing that food shortages lie ahead.

On her first day at the machinery factory, Du Yimeng impresses Director Yu Hongru by presenting blueprints for a four-wheel-drive tractor design that increases horsepower from fifty-four to seventy-five. She is promoted from level sixteen to level fourteen, earning forty-eight point five yuan monthly. When a critical machine tool breaks down, Du Yimeng diagnoses that Soviet experts had deliberately installed parts upside down to force future repair contracts. She disassembles and repairs the machine, then improves its transmission and control systems, boosting production efficiency. The factory rewards her with an electric fan ticket and fifty yuan, and the system grants her attribute points and supplies.

Du Yimeng continues to improve machine tools throughout the factory, earning recognition and rewards. She designs a plastic fan, which is faster, quieter, and safer than iron fans. The technical department chief, Song Zhi, collaborates with a local plastic factory to produce samples. The Ministry of Industry evaluates her work and awards her a ninth-level engineer certificate. She is converted to a regular employee at level thirteen, earning fifty point seven yuan monthly. The factory grants her two temporary worker positions for her brothers.

As Du Yimeng rises in status and income, she faces the challenge of navigating the rigid social hierarchies and political climate of 1959 China. She must balance her technological contributions with the need to avoid standing out too dramatically. Her family benefits from her success, but she remains cautious about revealing the full extent of her abilities or her system. The story follows her efforts to improve industrial productivity, support her family, and prepare for the economic difficulties that will come in the following years.