They Want Me to Be a Saint, but I Prefer Being Yama

E6, a consciousness from a future era, transmigrates into the body of Zuo Cao, a five-year-old girl in 1990s China. The original Zuo Cao was a tragic background character in a novel titled "Returning to the Nineties, I am the Trendsetter of the Era." She was sent by her impoverished parents to live with her aunt, Zuo Caiyun, and uncle, Wei Changzhi, in Yang City. While her parents hoped for a brother to continue the family line, Zuo Cao was treated as a free laborer by her aunt’s family. She performed all household chores, from cooking and cleaning to caring for her cousin, Zhuangzhuang, often going hungry while the Wei family enjoyed meat and better treatment. In the original novel, she worked herself to exhaustion to support the male lead, Zuo Dongliang, who later used her savings as startup capital for his business empire.

Upon awakening, E6 refuses to continue this role as a "blood bag." A system instructs her to follow the novel’s plot and learn the virtue of hard work for the family. E6 immediately defies this directive. When her grandmother-in-law, Wei Mu, hoards food and denies her meals, E6 stops doing chores. She refuses to cook breakfast, wash diapers, or clean the house. Wei Mu reacts with rage, locking away food and verbally abusing the child. E6 responds by leaving the house, securing her independence through small-scale entrepreneurship. She finds work with Aunt Mo, a street vendor selling oil pancakes, folding paper wrappers in exchange for food and eventually a daily wage. She also crafts simple toys from scrap materials at a recycling station run by Aunt Qin and sells them to elementary school students after school.

The conflict escalates when Wei Mu attempts to physically punish E6 for her defiance. E6 uses her agility to evade the attack, causing Wei Mu to fall. Neighbors gather, and E6 manipulates the situation by feigning victimhood, revealing the family’s abuse to the public. The neighborhood committee and security personnel become involved, exposing Wei Changzhi’s gambling debts and the family’s exploitation of Zuo Caiyun’s labor. Wei Mu’s reputation is ruined, and the family is forced to acknowledge E6’s mistreatment. Despite this, Zuo Caiyun remains passive, hoping E6 will return to her previous subservient role. She offers E6 the chance to attend school in exchange for resuming household duties, but E6 rejects the transaction, asserting her autonomy.

E6’s financial situation improves significantly. She earns more than her aunt’s factory wage and enjoys meals at state-run restaurants, gaining weight and health. She builds alliances with Uncle Chen, a security officer who protects her from harassment, and Aunt Qin, who provides a safe haven. Uncle Chen’s daughter, Chen Xuan, becomes E6’s friend, and E6 helps her with homework. The narrative hints at future plot points involving the original male lead, Zuo Dongliang, and Chen Xuan’s tragic fate in the source novel, which E6 is aware of but chooses to ignore.

The story establishes E6’s determination to carve out her own path, rejecting the sacrificial role assigned to her by both her family and the system. She prioritizes her well-being and economic independence over familial obligation. The Wei family, deprived of her labor, struggles with daily chores and internal discord. Wei Changzhi continues his gambling, and Zuo Caiyun faces increasing pressure from her mother-in-law. E6’s departure from the Wei household marks a decisive break from the original plot, setting the stage for her to navigate the 1990s economic boom on her own terms, rather than as a supporting character for someone else’s success.