The Daily Life of a Marginal Character in a ’70s Novel

Lin Yingxian is a moderately successful actress from the twenty-first century who transmigrates into a 1970s novel, inhabiting the body of a background character with the same name. The original Lin Yingxian was the neglected eldest daughter of a cramped, working-class family in Jiangcheng. Sent to live with her grandmother in a remote village during her childhood, she endured bullying and hardship before returning to her parents at age seven, only to face continued neglect and abuse from her siblings. When her parents sacrificed her opportunity to stay in the city, assigning her to the countryside instead of her younger sister, the original Lin Yingxian attempted suicide by pesticide ingestion. Lin Yingxian awakens in the hospital, initially struggling with the residual depression of her host and her own desire to return to her original world. Recognizing the impossibility of her situation, she decides to survive and improve her circumstances within this resource-scarce era.

Her primary motivation is securing independent housing, as she currently lives in a twelve-square-meter apartment shared with her parents, eldest brother, sister-in-law, and younger sister. The Jiangcheng Pharmaceutical Factory, where she works as a packaging worker, announces a housing allocation plan based on a points system. To qualify, she must achieve high scores in seniority, marital status, education, and awards such as Model Worker. Simultaneously, she navigates complex family dynamics. Her grandmother had arranged a marriage between Lin Yingxian and Zhong Shucen, an educated youth with a problematic capitalist class background. Zhong Shucen visits the Lin family to dissolve the engagement, a move welcomed by the entire family who fear political repercussions. However, Lin Yingxian notices Zhong Shucen’s calculating nature and two-faced character, recalling that he had previously ignored her suicide attempt before pretending to save her for credit.

Lin Yingxian strategically positions herself to win the Model Worker title, which is tied to housing eligibility. She works tirelessly, taking on extra duties in the tablet workshop and submitting articles to national newspapers like the Workers' Daily. Her writing brings her modest financial rewards and catches the attention of Zhao Yijun, the new trade union chairman. Zhao investigates the Model Worker nominations and discovers corruption within the tablet workshop, leading to the arrest of the workshop director for bribery. Lin Yingxian had anonymously reported the director’s misconduct to ensure the position was not awarded through nepotism, thereby clearing the path for a fair competition.

As the story progresses, Lin Yingxian’s life intersects with characters from the novel she once read. She learns that her aunt, Yan Yingshu, was involved in a baby-swapping incident decades prior. Yan Yingshu’s biological sister, Li Qing, had been swapped at birth and raised in poverty before discovering her true identity and returning to the Yan family. Lin Yingxian observes the intricate relationships and rivalries within the extended family, including the tension between Yan Yingshu and the newly returned Li Qing. Li Qing possesses a spatial dimension that allows her to grow exceptionally delicious food, which becomes a source of social leverage and addiction among the characters. Lin Yingxian maintains a detached, observant stance, focusing on her career advancement and securing a stable future for herself while avoiding the political and familial pitfalls that surround her.