Rebirth in the 1960s: A Capitalist Heiress Meets a Military Officer

Mu Yao, a woman burdened by the tragic regrets of her previous life, awakens on October 17, 1966, as a truck carrying educated youths arrives at Xiangyang Brigade in the Qing Mountain Commune. Having died in despair, she is reborn into her seventeen-year-old body, determined to alter her fate. The village is harsh, marked by political tension and physical hardship. Among the new arrivals is Gu Jingci, a twenty-two-year-old militia platoon leader and production team chief. In her past life, Mu Yao had recoiled from him with fear and disgust, a reaction that contributed to her downfall. This time, she approaches him with vulnerability, asking for help with her heavy suitcase. Gu Jingci, initially cold and distant due to her label as a capitalist’s daughter, reluctantly assists her, sensing a fragility that disarms his usual reserve.

Assigned to a dilapidated woodshed at the village edge, Mu Yao faces immediate hardship. The structure is cold, drafty, and inadequate for survival. That first night, shivering and hungry, she is visited by Gu Jingci, who brings her a thick military quilt, a mattress, and a bowl of sweet potato porridge. He claims the items are public property, but his actions reveal a protective instinct. The following day, Mu Yao is assigned to haul aquatic weeds, a grueling task in icy water. Gu Jingci intervenes, reassigning her to feed the livestock, a role that offers slightly better conditions. He teaches her to operate the fodder chopper, guiding her hands with calloused warmth. Through diligent labor, Mu Yao earns seven workpoints a day, a significant sum that validates her worth in the commune’s eyes.

As winter deepens, the relationship between Mu Yao and Gu Jingci evolves through silent gestures. He provides her with straw shoes during a sleet storm and frozen pears after she attends a literacy class. Mu Yao, refusing to be a burden, signs an IOU for the bean buns he brings her on New Year’s Day, preserving her dignity. Her determination to learn and work hard earns her respect from the accountant, Old Xu, and gradually shifts Gu Jingci’s perception of her from a political liability to a capable comrade. Rumors spread among the villagers and other educated youths, led by the jealous Liu Caixia, who accuses Mu Yao of using improper means to gain Gu Jingci’s favor. Mu Yao confronts the accusers directly, demanding they face the brigade secretary, which silences the immediate gossip.

Spring arrives, bringing heavier labor as the brigade prepares for plowing. Mu Yao chooses to remain in the livestock shed, accepting doubled workloads and harder tasks. When Gu Jingci checks the spring ox census, he defends her position against the deputy team leader’s concerns about her background, stating that her work speaks for itself. The two share a moment of mutual understanding, culminating in a brief handshake that signifies a partnership forged in labor. However, tension rises when Liu Caixia threatens Mu Yao after literacy class resumes, warning her to stay away from Gu Jingci and alluding to dark secrets from Mu Yao’s past. The chapter ends with Mu Yao facing renewed hostility, forcing her to rely on her resilience and the quiet support of the man who has become her anchor in this unforgiving world.