Becoming the Butcher's Daughter in the 1970s

Jing Xi, a survivor of a brutal apocalyptic wasteland, awakens in the body of an eighteen-year-old girl with the same name in Chunliu Village during a historical period resembling 1970s China. The original Jing Xi was known as a lazy, gluttonous, and unpopular village girl, yet she was deeply cherished by her protective family. Her father, Jing Dashu, works as a butcher at a county meat processing plant, while her mother, Chen Hailan, is a strong farm worker. Her second uncle serves as the village production captain. After being pushed down a mountain and suffering a head injury, the original owner lay unconscious until Jing Xi’s soul merged with the body. Upon waking, Jing Xi is disoriented by the sudden transition from a world of starvation and zombies to one of relative peace and abundance, though she quickly realizes the value of food in this era.

Her primary conflict involves navigating her new identity while dealing with the mystery of who pushed her down the mountain. Although she possesses the original owner’s memories, she cannot recall the specific moment of the attack, and attempting to force the memory causes her severe physical pain. Despite this gap, she senses malicious intent behind the act and resolves to uncover the truth eventually. Meanwhile, her family, particularly her parents and grandparents, are consumed by worry and anger, vowing to find the culprit. Jing Xi must carefully balance her true personality—a hardened survivor with combat skills and survival instincts—against the expectations of the lazy girl her family knows, fearing that revealing her true nature might alienate the loving parents who now care for her.

A key turning point occurs when Jing Xi discovers that the man who saved her, an educated youth named Xi Weishen, is the person she needs to interact with to understand her new circumstances better. Xi Weishen is intelligent, reserved, and from a family with a complicated political background that he hides from others. He is ostracized by his peers at the educated youth point but gains favor with the Jing family after being assigned light duty by Jing Xi’s uncle. Jing Xi, driven by her hunger and survival instincts, begins exploring the mountains behind her home. She discovers abundant wild resources, including fruit and game, which she uses to improve her family’s diet and strengthen her own physique through secret exercises.

The story progresses as Jing Xi’s relationship with Xi Weishen deepens through a chance encounter at a secluded mountain stream. She catches fish and offers him some, inviting him to dinner at her home in exchange for his silence regarding her presence there. This interaction reveals a shift in Jing Xi’s character; she is no longer the passive victim but an active agent securing her place in this world. Her family’s warmth becomes a source of strength rather than a burden, and she embraces her role as the beloved daughter while secretly preparing for any threats. The narrative establishes a dual focus: Jing Xi’s gradual mastery of her new environment and physical capabilities, and the underlying tension of her unresolved past trauma and the hidden dangers within the village and among the educated youths.

As the days pass, Jing Xi continues to hunt and gather, bringing meat and wild fruits home, which significantly improves her family’s living standards. Her parents and relatives are delighted by her contributions, unaware that she is hiding her true strength and the extent of her mountain explorations. She also begins to train rigorously in secret, aiming to restore the combat abilities she lost in the transition. The dynamic with Xi Weishen evolves from a simple debt of gratitude to a budding alliance, as he recognizes her changed demeanor and she appreciates his discretion. The story sets the stage for Jing Xi to navigate the complexities of rural politics, family dynamics, and her own mysterious past, all while building a secure and prosperous life in this unfamiliar era.