After Becoming the Control Group, I Won [1980s]

Wei Nan, a young woman from the twenty-first century, transmigrates into the body of a twenty-year-old girl with the same name who died of despair upon returning to her hometown in 1981. The original Wei Nan had spent six years as an educated youth in the countryside, only to learn that both her parents were dead. Her father, Wei Damin, had hidden her mother's death for three years to save her travel costs, and upon her return, she discovered he had died of a sudden heart attack. The girl, overwhelmed by grief and betrayal, fainted and died, allowing Wei Nan to take her place. Wei Nan wakes up in a hospital ward, confused and distressed, but quickly learns about the hostile environment she has entered. Her grandmother, Wang Sanhua, is a greedy and abusive matriarch who cares more about money than family. Wei Nan’s father had been a subservient son who gave his job position to his cousin and borrowed money to buy a house for his second brother, leaving his daughter with nothing but debt.

The core conflict arises immediately as Wang Sanhua arrives at the hospital, demanding Wei Nan leave to handle funeral arrangements and claiming the family’s assets. Wei Nan, realizing she has no support system, uses her wits to stall her grandmother by demanding expensive beef noodles and claiming she needs costly nutritional injections. This ruse scares Wang Sanhua away, as the old woman is too stingy to pay for such expenses. Wei Nan is aided by Wei Qiuxia, her mother’s former apprentice and a loyal factory worker, and Ling Bailan, a doctor at the factory hospital. They help her secure medical care and understand the grim financial reality of her situation. Wei Nan returns to her small apartment, which her father had converted into a noodle shop, and begins to clean and organize her new life. She discovers a family photograph revealing she has a six-year-old younger sister, Wei Pei, who was sent back to the countryside by their father after their mother’s death. Determined to protect her sister, Wei Nan resolves to bring her back.

Wei Nan visits the textile factory’s finance office to investigate her father’s debts. She learns that her father borrowed five hundred yuan, four hundred of which was used to buy a house for her second uncle. The factory claims Wei Nan is responsible for the remaining debt after deducting funeral expenses and subsidies. Humiliated and angry, she attempts to see the factory director but is rudely dismissed by Secretary Liu Qiangquan, who is pursuing her cousin Wei Jing. This public humiliation pushes Wei Nan to take a stand. She drafts a letter of appeal to the provincial women’s federation, intending to expose the factory’s mishandling of her case and her family’s exploitation. The act draws the attention of the union chairperson, Wang Qiuping, who intervenes to prevent a scandal during a sensitive political period. Wei Nan demands that her second uncle repay the four hundred yuan and that Secretary Liu publicly apologize for his abuse of power. The story follows her struggle to navigate the bureaucratic and familial obstacles, asserting her rights against a system and family that have consistently discarded her.

As the narrative progresses, Wei Nan faces the challenge of reclaiming her inheritance and securing her sister’s return from the countryside. She must contend with Wang Sanhua’s schemes, the indifference of factory officials, and the lingering debts of her father. Her journey is one of survival and resistance, as she transforms from a vulnerable transmigrator into a determined woman fighting for justice. The story highlights the harsh social conditions of 1980s China, where individual rights were often subordinated to family obligations and state bureaucracy. Wei Nan’s resolve is tested as she uncovers more secrets about her father’s life and the true nature of her relatives’ greed. She relies on the support of her new allies, Wei Qiuxia and Ling Bailan, to navigate these complexities. The central tension revolves around whether Wei Nan can successfully recover her father’s assets, clear her name, and bring her sister home, or if she will be crushed by the weight of her family’s sins and the rigid social structures of the time.