“……” Wen Xi woke up with a splitting headache, unable to help but let out a pained murmur.
The contents of an entire book had just drilled into her brain. Forced to read through everything, she finally understood: she was nothing more than a minor background character in a period drama.
While her family was away, her older sister had signed her up to be sent to the countryside. After two years of grueling labor, her eldest sister and brother-in-law tricked her into returning, only to marry her off to an old man. There, she became a stepmother, raising children and serving a difficult mother-in-law.
After enduring over a decade of pain and despair, the man died in a car accident while driving for work. When the company provided a compensation payment, her parents-in-law and stepchildren tried to drive her away, unwilling to let her have a share of the money. During the ensuing argument, they joined forces and pushed her down the stairs to her death.
Just like that, she had died.
She wasn't even thirty years old when she died!
Thinking about how she was just an insignificant background character—a mere existence created by the author to pad the plot and word count—a mocking curve tugged at the corners of Wen Xi’s mouth. So what if she was a background character in a period drama?
She would definitely be able to change her fate through her own efforts.
Even if she couldn't be as formidable as the male and female leads, she could certainly change her destiny and live the life she wanted.
“Xiao Xi, you’re finally awake. Everyone was worried sick about you.”
A cool hand touched Wen Xi’s forehead, accompanied by a familiar voice. Wen Xi snapped her eyes open and immediately saw her best friend, Shen Jiaojiao, who lived in the same alleyway as her.
“Jiaojiao, what happened to me?” Wen Xi asked, confused.
“You had a high fever that wouldn't break. You were burning up for two whole days and were completely delirious. We tried every method to bring your fever down, but nothing worked. Thank goodness you’ve woken up.” Shen Jiaojiao reached out to support Wen Xi’s body and took the hot water handed over by Jiang Yue. “Xiao Xi, since you’re awake, you should be fine now. Drink some hot water to soothe your throat.”
“Thank you.” Wen Xi was truly too weak right now; she had no choice but to follow Shen Jiaojiao’s arrangements.
After Wen Xi finished the entire cup of hot water, Shen Jiaojiao returned the cup to Jiang Yue. “Jiang Yue, thank you.”
“Why be so polite? We’re all going to the same place to work in the countryside. We’ll have to look out for each other in the future, stay united, and make sure we don't get bullied,” Jiang Yue said with a smile.
Shen Jiaojiao supported Wen Xi and said, “Xiao Xi, lean on me and get some good rest.”
Wen Xi didn't have the strength to say much more, so she obediently leaned into Shen Jiaojiao’s embrace. The tangible sensation confirmed it: she had been reborn.
She had been reborn in December of '74, the time when her eldest sister had secretly arranged for her to be sent to the countryside behind their family's back.
Thinking of their miserable ending in the book, tears began to well up in Wen Xi’s eyes. Since she had been reborn, she would definitely not let herself, Shen Jiaojiao, or Jiang Yue repeat those mistakes. She would lead Shen Jiaojiao and Jiang Yue to change their fates.
And this time, she would absolutely not let those irrelevant people use her marriage for their own gain. Who she marries—or doesn't marry—is for her to decide!
Once Wen Xi felt a bit better, she climbed out of Shen Jiaojiao’s embrace. She was wearing thin clothing, and as soon as she moved, she felt gusts of cold wind blowing in, so she hurriedly pulled her clothes tighter.
Going to the Northeast to work in the countryside only required half a year of labor, with the remaining half spent "hibernating" through the winter. However, going to the central or southern regions meant working all four seasons. The place her eldest sister had signed her up for was in the central plains—Huizhou Province—which was also a place where one had to work year-round, though the winter labor was relatively lighter.
Wen Xi turned her head to look out the window. A landscape of snow-covered white greeted her eyes, with the occasional farmhouse visible. If it weren't for the wisps of blue smoke rising from the roofs, one wouldn't even be able to tell they were houses.
Because the entire world was a sheet of white.
At this moment, Jiang Yue asked, “Shen Jiaojiao, do you want some hot water?”
“Yes, please.” Shen Jiaojiao immediately took out her lunch box. “Jiang Yue, thank you!”
Jiang Yue quickly fetched some hot water and poured half of it into Shen Jiaojiao’s lunch box. Shen Jiaojiao hurriedly took out a steamed corn bun and soaked it in the hot water. Once it softened, she said to Wen Xi, “Xiao Xi, come and eat a little to regain your strength. You haven't eaten for days, and you can't go on like this. You had a fever, so you can't eat eggs; that’s why I didn't soak any eggs for you. You can eat eggs once you’re better.”
“Okay.” Wen Xi took the spoon Shen Jiaojiao handed her and began to eat, one bite at a time.
After Wen Xi finished, the stomach cramps she had been feeling from hunger finally eased significantly. Shen Jiaojiao went to get hot water to soak a corn bun for herself, and after eating, she leaned back against the seat to rest.
Night fell.
Most of the people in the carriage were already asleep. Due to the cold, several people were huddled together for warmth. Wen Xi, Shen Jiaojiao, and Jiang Yue were also squeezed together, which made it relatively warmer.
The sounds of deep breathing from the sleeping passengers rose and fell, sounding particularly clear in the darkness. But Wen Xi couldn't fall asleep for a long time. She looked at the pitch-black night outside the window, her heart filled with complex emotions.
Suddenly, an emotionless voice echoed in her mind: “Ding! The Sign-in System has been successfully bound. Please sign in to claim your Newcomer Gift Pack!”
Wen Xi was startled. She hurriedly turned her head to look around, but seeing that everyone was fast asleep and no one had noticed the commotion—or heard the voice—she widened her eyes and asked in confusion, “Sign-in System? What is that?”
Could this be a "golden finger" like the one the transmigrated female lead had in the book?
The female lead’s golden finger was a super-large farm where she could plant or harvest all her crops with a flick of her finger—very convenient. She wondered what her own Sign-in System was.
The system seemed a bit stumped, not knowing how to answer Wen Xi’s question. After a moment, it replied, “The Sign-in System means to sign your name to indicate that you have arrived. For me, you just need to use your consciousness to tap lightly to indicate that you have been here.”
Wen Xi suddenly realized, “I understand. So, what are the benefits of signing in?”
“The first sign-in grants a Newcomer Gift Pack. Subsequent daily sign-ins will randomly drop small gift packs, a large gift pack will drop once a month, and large gift packs will drop randomly on holidays,” the system replied.
Wen Xi was shocked. She hadn't expected such a good thing to exist in the world!
She nodded repeatedly. “I want to sign in and claim the Newcomer Gift Pack.”
Following that, a rectangle the size of a textbook appeared before her eyes, emitting a faint, firefly-like fluorescent glow. In the top right corner were the words ‘Sign in to claim Newcomer Gift Pack.’ She tentatively poked it with her consciousness.
“Ding! Sign-in successful. Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Newcomer Gift Pack.”
Wen Xi didn't see the so-called Newcomer Gift Pack and was very confused. After waiting a few seconds, she noticed a red dot had appeared above the words ‘My Warehouse’ in the bottom right corner.
(End of chapter)