After Falling into a Novel, the Chancellor's First Wife Just Wants a Divorce

Mo Sangsang, a researcher from an agricultural science institute and a food blogger in her past life, dies from a fish bone choking her while reading a novel. She transmigrates into the body of the novel's early-deceased original wife, who was sold to the Gu family for six silver taels by her greedy parents. The original owner jumped into a river out of despair after her mother-in-law passed away and her husband, Gu Jingci, remained in a vegetative state for over a year. Mo Sangsang wakes up among villagers who believe she attempted suicide, but she claims she slipped while gathering wild vegetables. She enters the Gu household to find a four-year-old boy, Gu Nian'an, caring for his unconscious father. Recognizing her status as a servant, she decides to stay and care for the father and son, hoping to earn her freedom deed once Gu Jingci recovers.

Using her knowledge of agriculture and cooking, Mo Sangsang immediately improves their living conditions. She forages for mushrooms and catches a rabbit, trading with neighbors to secure rice and other essentials. She meticulously cleans the home, treats Gu Jingci's bedsores with herbal poultices, and ensures the boy is fed and bathed. Her professional background allows her to identify that the village's agricultural crisis stems from soil depletion and improper planting techniques. She approaches the Village Chief and requests a plot of blighted land to demonstrate a solution. She burns dry vegetation to create ash fertilizer, tills the soil deeply, and creates raised ridges to manage moisture, successfully germinating wheat seeds that had previously failed to sprout.

Mo Sangsang's success revitalizes the village fields, earning her the gratitude and support of the locals. During a trip to the mountains with Gu Nian'an, she discovers a rare mother-and-child wild ginseng, which she sells to a reputable apothecary in town for sixty taels of silver. This windfall provides the capital to buy supplies, cloth, and educational materials. She begins teaching Gu Nian'an to read and write, using modern pedagogical methods to engage the withdrawn child. She also develops a mosquito repellent salve using mugwort, mint, and beeswax to protect the bedridden Gu Jingci during the humid summer.

The story introduces a hidden layer of intrigue when Mo Sangsang encounters a wounded man in the mountains who holds her at knifepoint to ask for medicinal herbs. She identifies the plant sanqi and leads him to it, unaware that he is a high-ranking general named Song Mo and his companion is the unconscious Gu Jingci, who has been hiding his identity. Back in town, Doctor Zhang, the apothecary owner, recognizes Mo Sangsang as the woman who saved the general. He visits the Gu household to examine Gu Jingci but finds no medical explanation for his coma, noting only that his pulse is stable. Impressed by Mo Sangsang's culinary skills and business acumen, Doctor Zhang proposes a partnership to mass-produce the mosquito repellent salve, offering her a share of the profits in exchange for the recipe.

As Mo Sangsang establishes this new income stream, she continues to nurture Gu Nian'an, helping him overcome his emotional trauma and social withdrawal. She maintains a routine of caring for Gu Jingci, chattering to him about daily life and her plans, while secretly preparing for the possibility that he may never wake up or may reclaim his former life and discard her. The narrative establishes a balance between domestic survival, agricultural development, and the underlying political mystery surrounding Gu Jingci's true identity and the circumstances of his condition.