Su Wanwan, a modern emergency room attending physician, dies after being stabbed by a grieving husband whose wife succumbed to white lung syndrome. She awakens in the body of Su Wan, a woman who transmigrated into 1975 rural China. The original host was a lazy, gambling-addicted widow left with four children after her husband Chen Dayong died in a mining accident. Su Wanwan immediately faces a life-or-death crisis: her youngest daughter, Chen Xiaoxue, is suffering from muscarine poisoning after eating poisonous mushrooms that the original owner had foolishly picked for beauty benefits. With only one hour on the survival countdown before her soul is erased, Su Wanwan must act. She identifies the poisoning, attempts gastric lavage using a crude village substitute of activated charcoal made from ash, and successfully saves the child despite the hostility of her eldest son, Chen Dongsheng, who believes she is trying to harm his sister.
Following this rescue, Su Wanwan binds herself to the Era Child-Raising Survival System. Her mission is to raise the four children with care, or face soul erasure. The system rewards her with points that can be exchanged for essential supplies, such as infant formula, which she uses to feed the starving children. However, the family faces immediate threats beyond hunger. A severe snowstorm is forecasted to hit within twelve hours, threatening to collapse their dilapidated mud-brick home. Su Wanwan’s attempts to secure shelter are met with hostility from the village community, who blame her for past debts and immoral behavior. She is refused aid by neighbors and physically assaulted by Captain Li’s wife. In a desperate move to save her children, she kneels in the snow and kowtows to the village chief, enduring public humiliation to beg for a small amount of rice and medicinal ingredients.
Her shamelessness unlocks a system achievement, allowing her to double the meager resources she acquired. Simultaneously, she confronts Wang Mazi, a local loafer who attempts to sexually exploit her in exchange for roof repairs. Su Wanwan physically defends herself, beating him with a broom until he reveals that her house is structurally unsound and cannot be repaired in time. With no other options, she bets against the village gossips that she can secure help from Zhou Weidong, an educated youth she previously harassed. She approaches Zhou, feigning a sincere apology and revealing that her past behavior was a desperate shield against Wang Mazi’s harassment. Using her medical knowledge, she performs the Heimlich maneuver on Zhou when he chokes, earning his sympathy. Zhou, moved by her plight and her change in demeanor, offers his sturdy brick house for her family to stay in during the storm.
The family moves into the educated youth quarters just as the snowstorm strikes. Inside, Su Wanwan and Chen Dongsheng work together to reinforce the windows and doors. The storm rages for hours, but the solid construction of the house protects them. During the night, Chen Dongsheng, who had previously threatened her with scissors, apologizes for his distrust, and Su Wanwan reassures him, solidifying a tentative maternal bond. The storm pauses for a brief window, allowing Su Wanwan to shovel snow and prepare food, while also dealing with the aftermath of the village’s judgment. Li Chunyan, Captain Li’s daughter, falsely claims her own house collapsed to gain sympathy and potentially manipulate Zhou Weidong, but Su Wanwan remains focused on the immediate survival of her family and the long-term task of raising her four adopted children in a hostile and impoverished environment.
