Lin Xi, a woman who died in abject poverty and exploitation in a sweatshop, awakens in the body of her three-year-old self in 1970s rural China. She finds herself in the home of her biological grandmother, Wang Cuihua, and aunt, Li Guilan, relatives who have long coveted the military pension and ration coupons sent by her father, Lin Weiguo, a border guard. In her previous life, these relatives starved her until she was weak with fever, then sold her to human traffickers for two hundred yuan. That sale led to a lifetime of abuse, forced labor, and a lonely death in a rented room. Reborn with the memories and emotional resilience of an adult, Lin Xi resolves to change her fate. She recognizes the immediate danger: the same trafficking deal is being arranged for that very night. Rather than succumbing to the starvation tactics her family employs, she uses a broken porcelain bowl to injure her hand, creating a spectacle that forces her relatives to keep her alive as a valuable asset rather than a corpse. This act buys her a few crucial hours.
Understanding that she cannot remain in the house, Lin Xi escapes into the night, accompanied by a stray kitten she names Huzi. During her flight, she discovers she possesses a supernatural ability to sense and communicate with animals. She uses this power to turn the family’s vicious guard dog, Black Tiger, against the human traffickers who have come to collect their purchase. The chaos allows her to scale a wall and flee into the surrounding mountains. Once in the wilderness, Lin Xi faces the harsh realities of survival. She is malnourished, injured, and alone, but her bond with Huzi and her growing connection to the forest wildlife provide her with essential aid. Animals guide her to food sources, such as wild raspberries and clean water, and later help her evade a search party sent by her greedy relatives, who are motivated more by the lost money than by concern for her safety.
Lin Xi establishes a temporary refuge in a hidden cave, where she vows to sever all ties with her family. She declares them her enemies and resolves to journey to the frontier to find her father, the only relative who ever showed her love. Her survival depends on her ability to adapt and utilize her unique gift. She constructs a snare trap to catch prey, learning to hunt despite her small stature and lack of tools. When she injures herself while attempting to kill a rabbit, Huzi saves her by dispatching the animal, and Lin Xi uses her knowledge of medicinal plants to treat her wound. The story follows her transition from a helpless victim to a determined survivor, relying on her wits, her animal allies, and her unyielding will to endure the dangers of the mountain wilderness as she begins her long journey northward.
