After the Cannon Fodder Little Hedgehog Awakens [1970s]

In July 1975, within the Qingshan Commune of Yangcheng County, a catastrophic storm rages over Jinshan Mountain. Deep in the wilderness, a hedgehog spirit, the last of her kind, attempts to undergo her heavenly tribulation to achieve human form. Although she fails the trial due to a missing soul fragment she lost centuries ago, the lightning strike destroys her physical body. Simultaneously, the soul fragment, which had reincarnated as Bai Zhizhi—the slow-witted youngest daughter of Brigade Leader Bai Fumin—is found unconscious in a mountain hut by her brother, Bai Junwu. The hedgehog’s spirit merges with Bai Zhizhi’s body, resurrecting the girl with her memories and instincts intact. Upon waking, Bai Zhizhi discovers she has lost her cultivation but retains her heightened senses and a mysterious inheritance from her lineage of healers, known as the White Immortals.

The Bai family is in turmoil, furious that Bai Zhizhi was tricked into going into the mountains by Liang Jian, an educated youth who had deceived her affection to gain favor within the family. Liang Jian, seeking to return to the city, had manipulated Bai Zhizhi and subsequently abandoned her for a woman with higher social status. In Bai Zhizhi’s past life, this betrayal led to the ruin of her family: her father was stripped of his position, her brothers lost their city jobs and educations, and she was eventually married off to Song Jing’an, only to suffer a tragic, impoverished death. Now reborn with full awareness, Bai Zhizhi vows to alter her fate and protect her family from the calamities that Liang Jian will bring.

Her first test comes when her mother, Liao Guizhi, injures her ankle while defending Bai Zhizhi’s reputation against a malicious village gossip. Using her inherited medical knowledge, Bai Zhizhi applies a herbal poultice that rapidly reduces the swelling, proving her value to the family and earning their trust. Meanwhile, on a train to the countryside, Song Jing’an awakens from a nightmare, realizing he has been reborn to the past. Remembering his tragic life and his eventual devotion to Bai Zhizhi, he resolves to change his fate. He recognizes his companions, Lin Bangguo and Wang Ting, not as friends but as individuals who will later betray him, and he coldly distances himself from them.

When Song Jing’an arrives at Qinghe Brigade, he deliberately avoids the educated youth settlement, where he suffered in his previous life. Liang Jian, already established as a manipulative figure among the youths, refuses to share his bed and blocks Song Jing’an from staying in the dormitory. Seizing the opportunity, Song Jing’an requests lodging with the Bai family. Bai Junwu, who had previously beaten Liang Jian for insulting his sister, welcomes Song Jing’an with warmth, unaware of the man’s hidden agenda. Bai Zhizhi, however, recognizes Song Jing’an immediately as the man who would become her husband and who brought her misfortune. She treats him with visible hostility and suspicion, keeping a wary distance.

The family, particularly Liao Guizhi and Huang Xiuyun, initially view educated youths with disdain, but Song Jing’an’s polite demeanor and the circumstances of his exile from the settlement win them over. While Song Jing’an plays the role of a humble victim to gain the family’s support, Bai Zhizhi remains unconvinced. She senses a dangerous undercurrent beneath his gentle exterior, recalling the pain of her past life. As the Bai family prepares to accept Song Jing’an into their home, the stage is set for a confrontation between the reborn hedgehog spirit and the reborn man who once betrayed her, both determined to rewrite their destinies while navigating the complex social dynamics of the commune.