Old Lady Qin Reborn in 1980s: Kicking Away the Scumbag Husband

Qin Suian, a woman who lived a tragic life in rural China during the 1980s, dies in despair after decades of abuse and the loss of her children, only to awaken in May 1982, ten years earlier. She finds herself at a critical juncture: her second daughter, Xiaojuan, is about to be married into the Lin family, a union Qin Suian knows from her past life is a deadly trap. In her previous timeline, the Lin family had deceived the Wang family by sending the handsome younger brother, Lin Jun, to negotiate while the mentally disabled eldest son, Lin Mao, was hidden away. Xiaojuan was forced into the marriage, assaulted by Lin Mao, and accidentally killed him in self-defense, leading to a five-year prison sentence, her subsequent mental breakdown, and early death. Qin Suian, armed with these memories and a background in militia training, refuses to let history repeat itself.

During the matchmaking meeting, Qin Suian publicly exposes the Lin family’s scam, revealing that Lin Mao is the fool intended for her daughter. When the Lin family attempts to defend their deception, Qin Suian violently attacks Lin Jun and his aunt with a wood-chopping knife, defending her daughter’s honor. This act of aggression shocks the Wang family, particularly her husband Wang Fuyuan, a spineless man who had previously oppressed her. More importantly, it reveals the extent of the Wang family’s complicity; her mother-in-law, Jiang Xiumei, had knowingly facilitated the match to secure a high bride price for her own son, Wang Fujiang’s children. Qin Suian realizes that staying in the Wang household means her daughters will continue to be exploited as financial resources for the men in the family.

Qin Suian declares her intention to split the household and divorce Wang Fuyuan. The Wang family is stunned, as divorce was virtually unheard of in their village. Wang Fuyuan initially threatens violence, but Qin Suian holds a cleaver to Jiang Xiumei’s neck, forcing the matriarch to agree to the divorce and hand over three hundred seventy yuan in family savings. She also demands the return of her eldest daughter Xiaomei’s bride price, which had been stolen to fund Wang Yaowen’s factory apprenticeship. With the brigade leader’s seal and the county civil affairs bureau’s approval, Qin Suian and Xiaojuan legally divorce Wang Fuyuan, leaving him humiliated and broke of his primary labor force.

With no home to return to, as her natal family is equally hostile, Qin Suian chooses to stay in the county town. She rents a small courtyard near the river, aided by kind neighbors who recognize her courage. Her immediate priority is rescuing her eldest daughter, Xiaomei, who is heavily pregnant and suffering severe domestic abuse from her husband, Li Zude, and his family. Qin Suian hires a female cart driver, Xie Kaihua, to transport herself and Xiaojuan to Li Village. She fabricates an excuse about seeking blessings for a grandson to avoid suspicion, retrieves Xiaomei, and brings her to the county hospital for medical care.

At the hospital, doctors diagnose Xiaomei with severe anemia and malnutrition but confirm the baby is healthy. Qin Suian moves her daughters into the rented house, establishing a new domestic routine. She plans to use her knowledge of pickle-making, a skill she honed in her previous life, to start a small business. The story concludes with Qin Suian and her daughters sharing their first peaceful meal in their new home, symbolizing their escape from the cycle of abuse and the beginning of their independent lives.