Reborn in ’85: Divorced, Sea Fishing, Raising Kids, and Making a Fortune

Han Xiaorui, a survivor of a future apocalypse where rising seas submerged cities and mutated ecosystems forced humanity to adapt, awakens in the body of a woman with the same name in 1985. The original host had died from a brain hemorrhage after discovering her husband, Yang Jianming, was cheating on her with a distant relative named Zhang Lili, who was already pregnant. The Yang family, particularly the mother-in-law Zhang Xiufang, despised Han Xiaorui because she gave birth to twin daughters who were diagnosed with autism and did not speak. They pressured her for a divorce so Yang Jianming could marry Zhang Lili and secure a male heir. Upon regaining consciousness, Han Xiaorui realized she retained her water-element superpowers, which allowed her to breathe underwater and sense marine life. Instead of succumbing to despair, she strategically negotiated her divorce terms, leveraging the guilt and conscience of her father-in-law, Yang Zhigang, a fisherman who believed in karma after surviving a shipwreck thanks to his granddaughters.

Yang Zhigang agreed to the divorce on the condition that Han Xiaorui remain in Jinshan Bay until the children turned eighteen. In exchange, she received the family’s three-story villa, a twelve-meter fishing boat, and a lease on ten mu of mountain land, along with monthly financial support for the children’s medical treatment. Han Xiaorui immediately began a rigorous rehabilitation program for Pingping and An’an at a specialized hospital in Shen City. Under the guidance of Professor Wang, she implemented strict dietary and therapeutic routines. The results were rapid; within days, the children began to respond to stimuli, make eye contact, and utter their first words. Han Xiaorui also reunited with her younger sister, Han Xiaojing, who had been struggling with unfulfilled educational ambitions. She hired Xiaojing to help care for the children, allowing herself the freedom to pursue her new livelihood.

With her water superpower, Han Xiaorui proved to be an exceptionally skilled fisher. She ventured out to sea in her newly acquired boat, using her abilities to locate dense schools of fish. Her first major catch included over two hundred jin of groupers, which she sold at the county pier for a significant profit. She continued to catch increasingly rare and valuable seafood, including a massive giant grouper that sold for nearly two thousand yuan. This financial independence allowed her to fund the children’s expensive treatments and improve their living conditions. She also encountered Zhang Lili, who mocked her and the children. Han Xiaorui firmly asserted that she would not finalize the divorce, ensuring Zhang Lili’s child would remain illegitimate and unable to inherit any family status or property, effectively neutralizing the threat.

A pivotal moment occurred when Han Xiaorui discovered a foreign underwater reconnaissance device entangled in the reef. Recognizing the national security implications, she retrieved the device and reported it to the authorities. A special task force, led by an officer named Ye Feng, arrived to investigate. This encounter marked the beginning of her involvement with state security matters. Meanwhile, her relationship with her father-in-law deepened, as he provided emotional and practical support, including buying animals to aid the children’s therapy. The story follows Han Xiaorui’s transformation from a victim of domestic abuse to a successful businesswoman and devoted mother, as she builds a stable life for her daughters while navigating the economic opportunities of the 1980s and dealing with the lingering consequences of her past marriage.