The ’80s: Don’t Mess with the Gruff Man’s Green Tea Wife

Jiang Yingying, a modern woman with expertise in manipulative social dynamics, transmigrates into the body of a twenty-year-old girl in late 1970s rural China. The original owner had ruined her reputation by attempting to seduce an educated youth named Cheng Wenjian, only for that scheme to backfire when Cheng’s rival, Shen Yao, drank the drugged water instead. Forced into a hasty marriage with Shen Yao, the woman wakes up in a dilapidated farmhouse to find herself married to a towering, cold, and hostile man who detests her. The Shen family is impoverished, consisting of Shen Yao, his chronically ill father Shen Qinghong, his gentle mother Li Xuelian, his sharp-tongued younger sister Shen Xiaoyun, and two orphaned nephews. Shen Yao views Jiang Yingying as a shameless vixen and declares he will never touch her, intending to divorce her as soon as possible.

Recognizing her precarious position, Jiang Yingying adopts a calculated persona of a delicate, pitiful "green tea" bride. She uses coquettish behavior, feigned tears, and sweet words to disarm her hostile family. Her strategy succeeds quickly; she wins over her mother-in-law Li Xuelian by showing respect and offering pastries from her dowry, and she neutralizes her sister-in-law Shen Xiaoyun’s hostility through compliments and gifts. Meanwhile, she encounters Cheng Wenjian, who attempts to manipulate her for money. Jiang Yingying publicly humiliates him by feigning victimhood, turning the village gossip in her favor while exposing his true nature.

A supernatural element is introduced when Jiang Yingying activates the "Green Tea System," which rewards her manipulative remarks with luck points. These points can be exchanged for goods such as food, health, and wealth. Using this advantage, she acquires dried meat and, in a dramatic turn of events, summons a wild rabbit that lands directly in her arms during a confrontation with a jealous neighbor, Shen Hongcui. This act not only provides her family with much-needed food but also solidifies her image as a beloved daughter-in-law, contrasting sharply with the neighbor’s greed and malice.

Despite her social victories, the core conflict with Shen Yao remains unresolved. He observes her changes but remains skeptical, labeling her as deceitful, lazy, and greedy. He is focused on improving his family’s economic status through hard labor and is preparing to take the national college entrance exam, the gaokao, which has recently been reinstated. Jiang Yingying, aware of the historical significance of the exam and her own lack of academic foundation, decides to focus on accumulating wealth through the system rather than studying immediately. She navigates the harsh realities of rural life, avoiding manual labor while maintaining her delicate facade.

As the story progresses, Jiang Yingying continues to use the system to provide for the Shen family, securing meat and other resources that elevate their standard of living. Her actions gradually shift the family’s perception of her, though Shen Yao remains emotionally distant. The narrative sets the stage for Jiang Yingying to build a life of comfort and independence within the Shen household, leveraging her system and social skills to overcome poverty and familial discord while waiting for the political and social winds to change, which she knows will eventually make divorce a viable option if she chooses to pursue it.