Song Xixi, a woman who had spent ten years in a mental hospital before inheriting a supermarket, dies unexpectedly and finds herself in the underworld. Due to an administrative error by soul collectors, her original body is cremated before she can return. After causing chaos in the afterlife, the King of Hell arranges for her to transmigrate into a novel as a character with the same name. She awakens in the spring of 1977, standing before her bed, just moments after the original owner drowned. The woman standing before her is Zhang Damei, her vicious aunt, who sneers that Song Xixi failed to die. Song Xixi’s new life is harsh; she lives with her uncle and aunt, rising at dawn to work in the fields, enduring constant hunger and abuse. Her meals consist of watery porridge and bland vegetables, with no meat in sight. A single glance at a plate of eggs once resulted in her being slapped. The original Song Xixi had drowned from starvation and exhaustion on her way to the fields, which is precisely when the modern Song Xixi arrived.
Song Xixi possesses no special abilities or systems, carrying only a paintbrush from her previous life as a keepsake. Her situation appears dire until Song Yaping, her cousin, enters the room. Song Yaping is revealed to be reborn, having lived through a miserable future. In her past life, she had insisted on marrying Battalion Commander Lu Shaoting, a widower with two children. The marriage was a disaster; she faced hostility from the stepchildren, emotional neglect from her husband, and sabotage from other women in the military compound. Her desperation led her to attempt harming the children, resulting in divorce and being sold to a blind old man for fifty yuan. Meanwhile, her cousin Song Xixi had married Gu Jianguo, an educated youth from a landlord family who later became the richest man in the province. Song Xixi lived in luxury, raising successful twins and enjoying a devoted husband. Consumed by jealousy, Song Yaping is determined to steal Song Xixi’s future by marrying Gu Jianguo this time.
Song Yaping refuses to marry Battalion Commander Lu, citing her desire to bear her own children and avoid the fate of a stepmother. However, her mother, Zhang Damei, has already accepted a thousand yuan betrothal gift and the "Three Turns and One Sound" for the match. With the money spent on Song Yaping’s brother’s wedding, they cannot afford to return it. Song Yaping suggests that Song Xixi take her place, arguing that Lu Shaoting is a poor match anyway. Song Xixi, aware of Song Yaping’s rebirth and intentions, realizes the trap. She knows that Lu Shaoting is destined to die young in the line of duty, leaving her a widow. Despite this, she understands that in this era, marriage is the only escape from the mountains for a woman of her status. She counters the threat of being married off to a village fool by demanding the thousand yuan and the betrothal gifts for herself.
Song Yaping, eager to secure her own path toward Gu Jianguo, quickly agrees to the terms, whispering to her mother to comply. Once Song Xixi agrees, Song Yaping rushes to the fields to seduce Gu Jianguo before Song Xixi can interact with him. She finds him looking dark, thin, and shabby, a stark contrast to the confident, suit-wearing man she remembered, but she remains determined to win him over. Meanwhile, the wedding procession for Song Xixi and Lu Shaoting arrives at her house. Song Xixi accepts her fate, knowing she must navigate the dangers of marrying a doomed officer while keeping her distance from the cousin who seeks to usurp her life. The story sets the stage for Song Xixi to forge a new destiny, armed with her modern knowledge and resilience, as she prepares to face the military compound and the tragic fate awaiting her husband.
