Wang Ziru, a respected obstetrician and gynecologist from the modern era, awakens in the body of a woman in 1980s rural China. She finds herself in the role of the third wife of the Zhai family, married to a soldier named Zhai Ximo who has not returned home in five years. The original owner of this body was neglected and abused by her mother-in-law, Liu Xiulan, and her two sisters-in-law. Wang Ziru’s first act in this new life is to save her four-year-old son, Bao’er, who has fallen into a village pond. Using her medical knowledge, she performs artificial respiration and revives the child, defying her mother-in-law’s wishes to let the boy die. This incident marks the beginning of her resistance against the oppressive household dynamics.
The conflict escalates as Wang Ziru refuses to accept the mistreatment she and her son have endured. She confronts Liu Xiulan, who had been hoarding the money Zhai Ximo sent home every year while starving Wang Ziru and Bao’er. During a heated argument, Wang Ziru threatens her mother-in-law with a grass-cutting cleaver, shocking the family. Her eldest brother-in-law, Zhai Qingsong, attempts to mediate but is undermined by his wife, Liu Xiangqin, who secretly hopes for a family split to secure better living arrangements for her adopted daughter. Wang Ziru discovers the truth about the hidden remittances and demands a fair division of the family’s assets.
The Zhai family decides to split into separate households. During the division process, Wang Ziru outmaneuvers her relatives by insisting on choosing the best farmland first, despite having no cash compensation. The village chief and an elder facilitate the split, but Liu Xiulan secretly bribes the eldest and second sons with portions of the hidden money to ensure Wang Ziru receives only the poorest, barren plots. Wang Ziru sees through the scheme but accepts the land, knowing she can rebuild her life independently. She secures five chickens and a small amount of grain, marking her first taste of autonomy.
Shortly after the split, Zhai Ximo returns from the army on leave. He is unaware that he has a son and is shocked to find the poor conditions in which his wife and child have lived. He discovers that his mother has been deceitful and that his remittances were never given to Wang Ziru. Zhai Ximo confronts his family and learns the extent of the abuse. The story concludes with Zhai Ximo meeting his son for the first time at the village creek, where Wang Ziru is washing clothes. The reunion is tense, as Wang Ziru is determined to protect her son and secure her own future, while Zhai Ximo begins to understand the gravity of his absence and the suffering his family has endured.
