Rebirth of an Ordinary Person [1990s]

Li Lanlan, a woman from a rural village in northwest China, wakes up in 1997 with a splitting headache, only to realize she has traveled back in time to her youth. She finds herself in a cold earthen cave, sleeping on a heated kang beside her three young children, including twin toddlers. Her husband, Wang Dashan, a man she previously found lazy and frustrating, enters with breakfast. Li Lanlan reflects on her past life, where she worked tirelessly to raise four children who all attended university, yet she lived in poverty and regretted not having more personal freedom. Determined to change her fate, she resolves to avoid the hardships of her previous life, particularly the grueling manual labor she endured in the city of Wushan. Li Lanlan decides against accompanying Wang Dashan to Wushan for work. Instead, she plans to take a job as a nanny in Beijing, a position offered by her cousin Wang Caixia, who is pregnant and needs help. Despite Wang Dashan's initial reluctance due to the children's young age, Li Lanlan insists, arguing that the monthly salary of three hundred yuan is significant. She arranges for her parents to care for the children while she and Wang Dashan move temporarily to her parents' home in Ningzhou County. Wang Dashan finds odd jobs in the county town, while Li Lanlan prepares for her trip to the capital. Upon arriving in Beijing, Li Lanlan is welcomed by Wang Caixia and her husband, Bai Zhigang, who live in a military compound. Li Lanlan is assigned to cook for an elderly couple, former revolutionaries from her home region. Her culinary skills, particularly her ability to make authentic hand-pulled noodles, impress the employers immediately. The elderly couple, who miss the food of their hometown, praise her cooking, and Wang Caixia leaves her in charge of the household duties while she recovers from her pregnancy. Li Lanlan secures the position, earning a higher salary than anticipated, and begins to settle into her new life. While working, Li Lanlan observes the bustling environment around the military compound, noting the presence of educational institutions and street vendors. She strikes up a conversation with a local bun seller, Li Fangfang, who runs a stall near a cram school. Learning about the potential customer base of students and parents, Li Lanlan decides to start a small side business. She purchases cooking equipment and ingredients, preparing a spicy potato dish similar to malatang. She sets up her stall next to Li Fangfang’s, leveraging the proximity to the educational center to attract young customers. Her first day of selling proves promising, as children eagerly buy her snacks. Li Lanlan feels a renewed sense of purpose and optimism, believing she can improve her family's financial situation through hard work and smart decisions. The story concludes with Li Lanlan balancing her nanny job with her new street food venture, aiming to create a better future for herself and her children.