Rebirth in the ’70s: A Farming Side Story

Liu Yu, a modern woman, dies in a bungee jumping accident and is reborn into the body of a seventeen-year-old girl in 1970s rural China. The original owner, also named Liu Yu, was a massive, 210-pound village girl known as "Lady King Kong" for her aggressive personality and obsession with an educated youth named Li Qinghua. After discovering Li Qinghua was secretly involved with her cousin, Bai Xueling, the original Liu Yu attempted suicide by drowning in the Duobao River. Upon waking, Liu Yu realizes she has been given a second chance and immediately resolves to change her life. She rejects Li Qinghua, declaring him worthless, and sets two primary goals: lose weight to regain her beauty and protect her family from exploitation.

The Liu family lives in a multi-generational household under the control of the matriarch, Chen Shi, who shows blatant favoritism toward her youngest son, Liu Jianmin, and his family. The eldest son, Liu Jianjia, is a kind but weak production team leader who allows his wife, Nie Xiaocui, and children to be financially drained to support the younger branch. Liu Yu quickly confronts this dynamic. When Chen Shi demands the family slaughter their cherished chickens to feed the uncle, Liu Yu outmaneuvers her grandmother by threatening to kill the uncle's own chickens, successfully protecting the family's food supply. She also stands up to her lazy uncle and aunt when they demand unfair work points, physically defending her brother and asserting that the eldest family will no longer be bullied.

A significant turning point occurs when Liu Yu discovers a mysterious copper basin in her home. After placing a few small potatoes in it, she finds they have multiplied overnight. Realizing the basin is a magical treasure capable of doubling food supplies, she sees an opportunity to solve her family's chronic hunger. She begins secretly using the basin to produce potatoes and other grains, which she uses to feed her parents and younger brother, Liu Ye, who had long suffered from malnutrition. This act of kindness strengthens her bond with her family and marks a shift from the original Liu Yu's selfishness to genuine care for her relatives.

Liu Yu also encounters Wang Changping, an educated youth who saved her from the river. Finding him ill with a fever, she cares for him and prepares chicken soup, earning his gratitude and a gift of canned fruit. Unlike the original owner, who was infatuated with the handsome but manipulative Li Qinghua, Liu Yu treats Wang Changping with respect and indifference toward the former. When Li Qinghua attempts to manipulate her for food, she publicly humiliates him by refusing his demands and exposing his hypocrisy. Meanwhile, she confronts Bai Xueling, who feigns innocence regarding the suicide attempt, and exposes the cousin's manipulative behavior to the village.

As the story progresses, Liu Yu works tirelessly in the fields to earn labor points and burn calories, enduring the harsh summer heat while covering her skin to lighten her complexion. She continues to use the treasure basin to generate food, carefully hiding the secret from her grandmother and extended family. The narrative follows her efforts to balance her weight loss journey with her new responsibilities, as she aims to improve her family's living standards and assert their independence from the parasitic dynamics of the extended Liu household.

The core conflict remains the struggle against the entrenched family hierarchy and the scarcity of the era. Liu Yu's transformation from a despised, overweight outcast to a capable and respected figure challenges the village's perceptions. Her actions force her father to begin asserting himself against his mother, and she actively plans for the family to eventually split from the main household to escape Chen Shi's control. The story establishes Liu Yu as a strategic and resilient protagonist who uses her modern knowledge and the magical basin to navigate the hardships of 1970s rural life, prioritizing her family's well-being and her own physical transformation.