Gu Yinyin, an eighteen-year-old senior high school graduate and county exam champion, is pushed down a mountain by her best friend, Mei Ling, and transmigrates into the body of a character with the same name in a period novel. In this new reality, she becomes the wife of Shen Guo’an, a delivery driver, and mother to two children, Da Wa and Xiao Wa. The original owner of the body was naive and easily manipulated by Mei Ling, who convinced her that Shen Guo’an was unfaithful. Driven by jealousy and false information, the original Gu Yinyin attempted to commit adultery with Educated Youth Lin, only to be caught red-handed by Mei Ling, who had orchestrated the scenario with Shen Guo’an’s family. The original owner was beaten to death by the mob, allowing the transmigrated Gu Yinyin to take over.
Upon waking in the midst of the beating, Gu Yinyin quickly assesses her situation. Unlike the original character, she is calm, rational, and decisive. She seizes a hoe to defend herself, intimidating the Shen family members who were assaulting her. When Mei Ling attempts to further incriminate her by claiming the tea mug found in Educated Youth Lin’s possession was a gift from Gu Yinyin, Gu Yinyin slaps Mei Ling and demands the return of all items she had previously lent or given to her fake friend. She forces Mei Ling and Educated Youth Lin to write a debt note for the stolen goods, including jewelry, clothing, and money. Back at her home, she confronts her abusive mother-in-law, Li Ailian, and sister-in-law, Shen Meijuan, using a stick to threaten them and protect her space. She discovers her two children are malnourished and distrustful due to years of neglect and abuse by their grandmother and relatives.
Gu Yinyin begins to change the dynamic of the household by treating the children with kindness and protection. She feeds them peach crisps and steamed egg custard, earning their tentative trust. When her sister-in-law Ma Hongmei’s son bullies Da Wa, Gu Yinyin physically intervenes, punishing the child and defending her son. She also reclaims stolen household items from Mei Ling’s house, accompanied by her children, who now actively support her. The conflict escalates when the Shen family locks Gu Yinyin and the children out of their room. Gu Yinyin responds by taking the children to the village Big Captain and the Women’s Federation, feigning distress over her injuries and the family’s mistreatment. Under pressure from the authorities, Li Ailian is forced to provide tuition for Da Wa and an oil lamp for the household.
The tension within the Shen family intensifies when Gu Yinyin discovers Ma Hongmei had secretly hoarded fine flour and eggs for her own children while the eldest branch starved. Gu Yinyin uses these ingredients to prepare a meal for herself and her children, exposing the favoritism. This leads to a confrontation where Liu Wenxiu, the second daughter-in-law, demands a household split due to the unequal treatment. Gu Yinyin supports this demand, aiming to separate herself and her children from the toxic family environment. Meanwhile, Mei Ling, humiliated and angry, plots to kill Gu Yinyin by luring her into a mountain accident. The story follows Gu Yinyin’s efforts to survive, protect her children, and navigate the hostile rural society while awaiting her husband’s return to finalize her divorce.
