Time Travel & Rebirth : Prosperous Life in the 1980s

Chapter 1: The Extraordinary Aunt

The year was coming to a close, yet the mine at Yuewan Village was still bustling with activity. The workers wanted to make the most of these last few days to earn enough money for their families to have a good New Year. After finishing up, they would finally get to rest, and the women of each household had already started preparing for the festive season. The miners risked their lives to make a living, while the women busied themselves inside and out, making preparations to welcome the new year, cherishing the reunion dinner with their families all the more.

Outside, it was freezing cold, but inside, the warm kang bed stove kept Zhi Jiaojiao wrapped in a blanket of warmth. The door to the main room opened and closed, letting in a cold gust of wind.

There seemed to be people talking, their noisy chatter irritating her.

Zhi Jiaojiao turned over in bed, groggily opening her eyes, only to see a woman with sparse, curly hair and bright red lips that looked as if she'd just eaten a child. Startled, Zhi Jiaojiao quickly shut her eyes.

Sorry for the disturbance, this must be a nightmare.

This was Zhi Jiaojiao's third day in this world. Three days ago, she was happily curled up at home watching TV and eating chicken feet. But the chicken feet betrayed her. The show was just too good, and as she laughed, a small bone accidentally lodged in her throat.

And just like that, silly Jiaojiao was no more.

Zhi Jiaojiao could already imagine how the gossip blogs would report her death—Some Z-list actress tragically dies at home after choking on chicken feet. She lived an unremarkable life and died an even more mundane death. It's a pity this is the first and last time many of us will hear of her. May there be no chicken feet in heaven.

Maybe she would finally have her moment of fame in the entertainment industry.

As Zhi Jiaojiao drifted in and out of thought, someone kept poking her, seemingly trying to wake her up.

Zhao Weiya, her mother, was worried about disturbing her daughter's sleep, so she quickly pulled her younger sister's arm. "Auntie, the child is still sleeping, let her rest."

The younger sister, Zhao Weiran, immediately protested, "Oh come on, Sis. She's an adult now, you can't keep spoiling her like this."

Zhao Weiya and Zhao Weiran were sisters. Zhao Weiya was beautiful and well-liked from a young age, while her younger sister was smart and cute, though not as pretty as her elder sister. They had a good relationship growing up, but Zhao Weiran always felt the need to compete with her sister and only felt happy when she could surpass her.

When they were younger, there was an opportunity to work in a factory, and the manager favored Zhao Weiya. But Zhao Weiya gave the opportunity to her sister instead, choosing to stay in the village and marry. Even though she stayed in the village, she lived a life free from hardship; her husband, Zhi Qin, loved and cared for her, and after many years of marriage, she was still beautiful.

Her sister did well in the city too, eventually marrying a city man and gaining an urban household registration. Initially, her sister was very grateful, but she could never quite shake her competitive streak.

Every year when she returned for the holidays, she had to show off how good her life was and how well-behaved and accomplished her children were.

Anyone else would have grown impatient, but Zhao Weiya was good-natured. She would let her sister talk, knowing it wouldn't hurt her. She was used to her sister's temper, knowing there was no malice behind it. Once she was done showing off, things would return to normal.

However, Zhao Weiran wasn't pleased about being interrupted and said something hurtful. She thought her sister was too lenient with her daughter and criticized her for it. "Sis, you've spoiled Jiaojiao too much. She's grown lazy and useless. How will she find a husband? People will laugh at her. Look at my Shengnan; she makes breakfast for me every morning and never makes a mistake as an accountant in the factory. The bosses always praise her."

"Shengnan is only two years older than Jiaojiao, but Jiaojiao is nowhere near as capable."

"There's no point in sending a girl to school; Jiaojiao didn't even get into college, and now she's just idle at home. That's not a good situation."

No matter how good-tempered Zhao Weiya was, this was too much, and she turned cold, her tone sharp, "My Jiaojiao is still young, and when she marries, she'll be cherished, not treated like a servant."

Although she grew up in the village, Zhao Weiya had very modern views and wouldn't tolerate anyone mistreating her daughter.

Zhao Weiran sighed, feeling she was speaking from the heart, "Sis, you're being naive. Jiaojiao will end up marrying someone from the village. She's not like my Shengnan, with an urban household registration and a good job. Jiaojiao doesn't have any special skills, and your family isn't rich. If you don't prepare her well, no one in the village will want to marry her. Sure, Jiaojiao is pretty, but beauty won't feed her. It'll only attract troublemakers and ruffians, and she'll suffer for it in the future.

Note:

Characters mentioned in Chapter 1 and their relationships to the main lead, Zhi Jiaojiao:

Zhi Jiaojiao: The main lead of the story. She is a transmigrated character who finds herself in the world of the book as a supporting character meant to highlight the protagonist's noble and impoverished life.

Zhao Weiya: Zhi Jiaojiao's mother. She is  a kind and modern woman who supports her daughter and is protective of her.

Zhao Weiran: Zhi Jiaojiao's aunt (mother's younger sister). She is  competitive and critical of Zhi Jiaojiao, contrasting with Zhao Weiya's more lenient approach.

Zhi Qin: Zhi Jiaojiao's father. Although not directly mentioned in this chapter, he is implied to be a loving and supportive husband to Zhao Weiya and father to Zhi Jiaojiao.

Li Shengnan: Zhi Jiaojiao's cousin (daughter of Zhao Weiran). She is depicted as successful and competent, contrasting with Zhi Jiaojiao's perceived shortcomings.