Sent Down to the Countryside in the ’70s: Targeted by the Era’s Most Powerful Man

Pei Nian is an eighteen-year-old girl living in a 1970s Chinese industrial compound. Her mother died saving factory documents when Pei Nian was five, leaving her to be raised by her grandfather. Upon his death three months prior, her household registration was temporarily transferred to her father, Zhao Jianguo, and his new wife, Wang Cuihua. Pei Nian was entitled to inherit her mother’s factory job, but on the day she received her graduation certificate, she discovered her father had secretly registered her for sent-down youth reassignment to the countryside. This scheme was designed to free up her legitimate job position for Wang Cuihua’s son, Zhao Xiaojun, who was Pei Nian’s half-brother but whom she refused to acknowledge.

Confronting her father’s family in their home, Pei Nian exposed their hypocrisy and rejected their claim over her life. The argument escalated when Zhao Xiaojun, enraged by her contempt, shoved her violently. The impact caused Pei Nian to lose consciousness and awaken with the memories of her previous life intact. She realized she had transmigrated into this body; she was originally a wealthy heiress from the twenty-first century whose memories had been sealed since birth. Now fully integrated, she possessed the combat skills and ruthless pragmatism of her past life combined with the current body’s resources.

Pei Nian immediately asserted dominance, physically subduing her abusive stepmother, father, and half-brother. She forced Zhao Jianguo to sign a severance agreement, legally cutting all family ties. She then demanded and extracted two hundred yuan and various ration coupons as compensation for medical expenses and emotional damages. After securing the agreement, she retreated to her grandfather’s old home, where she discovered a spiritual spring space attached to a jade bracelet left by her mother. The space allowed her to accelerate crop growth, preserve food indefinitely, and store items in a timeless warehouse. She also found a hidden secret chamber beneath her grandfather’s study containing vast amounts of gold, silver, antiques, and rare medicinal herbs accumulated over generations.

Utilizing her space, Pei Nian systematically stripped her former family of their assets. She stole their cash, ration coupons, kitchenware, and grain. Crucially, she discovered a ledger detailing illegal dealings between her father and the factory’s Logistics Director, Li Fugui. She also stole the household registration booklet, removing Zhao Xiaojun’s entry to frame him as a volunteer for the countryside. She anonymously reported the corruption to the authorities, ensuring the evidence was delivered directly to the Revolutionary Committee and the factory leadership. Consequently, Zhao Jianguo, Wang Cuihua, and Director Li were arrested and sentenced to labor reform, while Zhao Xiaojun was forcibly assigned to Yunnan Province.

Pei Nian sold her inherited factory job to a classmate, Zhang Wei, in exchange for cash and coupons. She then boarded a train to Lin County in Northeast China, destined for Xiangyang Commune. On the train, she encountered Zhou Jin, a woman who had also transmigrated into the body of a girl from the 1970s. Zhou Jin was the female protagonist of a novel Pei Nian had read in her previous life. Pei Nian realized she was now a background character in Zhou Jin’s story. She maintained a low profile, observing as Zhou Jin exposed the scheming nature of Gao Juan, a classmate who had manipulated the original Zhou Jin into volunteering for the countryside.

Upon arriving at Qu Liu Production Brigade, Pei Nian met the novel’s male lead, Jiang Xu, and other educated youths, including two new characters, Gu Zheng and Shen An, who appeared to be from influential Beijing families. Pei Nian assessed the living conditions at the educated youth residence and decided immediately that she would not endure the cramped, communal quarters. She purchased supplies and furniture, using her space to store everything efficiently. She established a reputation for physical strength and independence, deterring harassment from Gao Juan and other residents. With her wealth secured in the spiritual space and her family destroyed, Pei Nian prepared to navigate her new life in the countryside, aiming to survive until she could return to the city through the restored college entrance examination.