Jiang Lusheng lived a life defined by deception and exploitation, a victim of her own family's calculated cruelty. In her previous existence, she was deceived by her stepmother, Liu Dahua, and stepsister, Huang Meimei, who fabricated the news that her arranged husband, Si Xingzhou, a regiment commander in the northern military region, had died in the line of duty. Trapped and vulnerable, Jiang Lusheng was forced to marry a gentle but poor educated youth named Xue Bin. For years, she supported him and his family through grueling labor, first as a veterinarian and later in foreign trade, sacrificing her youth and health. However, her devotion was met with betrayal. After Xue Bin died in an accident, she was labeled a widow cursed with bad luck and left to care for her stepmother. On her deathbed, the truth finally emerged: Si Xingzhou was alive, and Huang Meimei had stolen his identity and marriage certificate to become a military wife. The couple had colluded to murder Si Xingzhou and frame it as an accident, allowing them to live in comfort while Jiang Lusheng bore the burden of their lies. As she died in agony and rage, she vowed to reclaim her life if given another chance.
Jiang Lusheng opened her eyes to find herself back in 1975, twenty-two years old and standing outside the mud-brick house where her stepmother was still pretending to be paralyzed. She had returned to the very day the conspiracy was in its infancy. Through the crack in the door, she overheard Liu Dahua and Huang Meimei discussing their plan to send Huang Meimei north to replace Jiang Lusheng as Si Xingzhou's wife. The realization that she had been given a second opportunity to alter her fate ignited a fierce determination within her. No longer the submissive daughter who endured abuse in silence, Jiang Lusheng resolved to expose the truth and seize her own destiny. She intended to travel to the military district herself, confront Si Xingzhou, and dismantle the web of lies her family had woven around her.
The confrontation began immediately upon her entry into the room. When Liu Dahua demanded the egg custard Jiang Lusheng had prepared, only to be offered steamed sweet potatoes instead, the stepmother erupted in anger. Jiang Lusheng coldly refused to continue the charade of filial piety, revealing that she knew the paralysis was fake. When Liu Dahua threw a sweet potato at her, Jiang Lusheng snapped. She physically assaulted her stepmother, forcing the hot potato into her mouth and slapping her until the old woman lay wheezing on the bed. This violent break from her previous submissive behavior shocked Huang Meimei, who watched from the doorway in fear. The act marked the beginning of Jiang Lusheng's transformation from a victim into a formidable opponent who would no longer tolerate abuse.
With her family's deception laid bare and her stepmother subdued, Jiang Lusheng prepared to leave the village. Her goal was to reach the northern military region and find Si Xingzhou before her stepsister could complete her impersonation. The marriage had been arranged by their grandfathers, former comrades-in-arms, but the two had never met. Jiang Lusheng knew that Si Xingzhou was a man of integrity and that the real tragedy of her past life stemmed from his death, which had been orchestrated by Huang Meimei and her lover, Xue Bin. By intercepting the situation early, Jiang Lusheng aimed to protect Si Xingzhou from the assassination plot and prevent Huang Meimei from stealing her life. The journey ahead would be dangerous, requiring her to navigate military protocols and outsmart a family willing to kill for status and wealth. As she stepped out of the house, leaving the chaos behind, Jiang Lusheng embraced her new role as the architect of her own fate, ready to turn the rabbit into a tiger.
