Zhou Qingling, an ordinary modern woman, wakes up in the body of a twelve-year-old girl in the Great Shun Dynasty, living in the rural Yangliu Village. She is the third child in the Zhou family, a household where sons are valued over daughters and resources are scarce. For nearly half a month, she endures a life of grueling labor, eating coarse grain porridge while her brothers and sister receive better food. Despite her low status, she remains calm and observant, understanding that her only path to survival is to accumulate wealth without drawing attention.
Her life changes when she discovers she has transmigrated into a novel titled The Happy Times of a Farm Girl After Marriage. In the story, her elder brother, Zhou Guanghai, marries Lin Guihua, who brings a valuable lingzhi mushroom into the family, securing their prosperity. Zhou Qingling realizes she is merely a cannon fodder character destined to provide the initial wealth before fading into obscurity. Determined to change her fate, she seeks out the lingzhi mushroom in the back mountain. Upon finding it, she activates a mysterious storage space that allows her to store items and grow new mushrooms. She secretly sells the lingzhi for sixty taels of silver, purchasing food and supplies that she hides in her private stash.
Meanwhile, her second elder sister, Zhou Qingcha, is also plotting her own escape from rural poverty. Using her beauty and cunning, she manipulates Zhang Youcai, the son of a wealthy cloth shop owner, into proposing marriage. She orchestrates several chance encounters to win his affection, successfully securing a match that will lift her out of the village. Her engagement brings temporary honor to the Zhou family, shifting the household dynamics.
The plot thickens when Zhou Guanghai, still infatuated with Lin Guihua, defies his parents by demanding a high bride price. When the Lin family refuses, Lin Guihua takes drastic action on her wedding day to Butcher Wu, faking a head injury to escape. Zhou Guanghai carries her away, causing a scandal that enrages the Lin family and Butcher Wu. The conflict escalates into a village-wide dispute, threatening both families. The Zhou patriarch intervenes, proposing that Zhou Guanghai marry Lin Guihua instead, turning a scandal into a double wedding. As the family navigates these turbulent events, Zhou Qingling continues to build her secret fortune, preparing for a future where she is no longer dependent on the Zhou family's neglect.
