A Chance for Rebirth
After Qin Shi regained consciousness, she found herself transparent and floating in mid-air.
She didn’t panic, just felt a bit puzzled.
She had saved a child who was hit by a car and died within seconds of hitting the ground. She was very aware that she was dead.
But now, in this state… So, there really are souls in the world.
“You’re quite unusual. If it were anyone else, they would have been screaming or getting excited by now,” a childish voice chimed in.
Qin Shi calmly surveyed her surroundings without seeing anyone in the void of white space, then spoke up, “Who are you?”
“I’m the system. Don’t worry, I’m here to help you.”
With only the voice and no one in sight, Qin Shi narrowed her eyes slightly and spoke again, “I don’t need help.”
The air fell silent for a few seconds, the system seemingly surprised by her response.
“The child you saved is a great benefactor of the tenth generation. He will make significant contributions to the world as a scientist in his lifetime. You saved him, so you have a chance to be resurrected once,” the system cut to the chase without further ado.
“Resurrected?” Qin Shi’s heart skipped a beat.
“Yes, but you can’t return to your original world. Your family has already cremated you. I can place you in one of the small worlds.”
Qin Shi chuckled sarcastically at the mention of her family, who had eagerly taken care of her affairs intending to take her high-value life insurance. But they shouldn’t celebrate too soon; her beneficiaries were children in impoverished areas.
“What small worlds?” Qin Shi inquired.
“There are three: one is the world of a daughter-in-law in the 1960s, another is the world of educated youth sent to the countryside in the 1970s, and the third is the world of a stepmother in the 1980s. Which one do you choose?”
As Qin Shi listened to these names, her expression turned slightly grim. Influenced by her best friend, although she didn’t read novels, she still knew a bit about them.
“These don’t sound like real worlds, aren’t they from novels?” Qin Shi remarked.
The system chuckled, “Just being resurrected is good enough. Who cares about the specifics of these small worlds?”
That made sense. Qin Shi had worked hard for years to succeed in her career, only to die before enjoying the fruits of her labour. It was too unfair.
“I’ll choose the 1980s,” Qin Shi decided. She was born in the 1990s, but she knew that the past wasn’t easy.
By the 1980s, China had restored the college entrance examination system and initiated economic reforms. Life was surely better than in the 1960s and 1970s.
“Okay~” the system reminded her, “I can help you resurrect, but once the plot is set, it’s irreversible. You must follow the stepmother storyline, or you’ll still meet a tragic end.”
Qin Shi frowned, then relaxed. “I understand, thank you for the reminder.”
Being a stepmother? Easy.
Known as a “Child whisperer,” even the most troublesome child would become obedient in her hands and turn into a well-behaved darling.
“You’re welcome~” the system sounded cheerful at the gratitude, “The boy you saved sincerely thanks you, so you can draw one golden finger.”
A huge blue roulette wheel appeared. Since there were no rewards written on it, Qin Shi casually pointed her finger.
The wheel spun, emitting dazzling lights.
After it stopped, golden letters appeared before Qin Shi’s eyes.
【Master Chef: Your culinary skills are superb, you understand ingredients well, and you have a sensitive palate. Any ingredient in your hands will become a masterpiece of flavour】
“Not bad,” Qin Shi nodded. She loved eating but wasn’t great at cooking. With this golden finger, she could enjoy delicious food in the 1980s as well.
“I’ll select a suitable identity for you. Rest assured for the resurrection~”
Qin Shi thanked again, sounding genuinely grateful this time.
“You’re welcome. Alright, I’ll start the transfer now…”
The system’s voice faded as Qin Shi drifted into slumber.
When she woke up again, Qin Shi saw a pitch-black ceiling. She looked around and found herself in a dilapidated and cramped room, with furnishings that screamed of a bygone era.
“Is that a good family? He killed his first wife, and now Erni is going to marry him, enduring beatings and raising his child?”
“I, I don’t agree either.”
Voices from outside reached Qin Shi’s ears, and she hurriedly listened in.
“You didn’t agree, so your mom won’t let Erni marry him? They’re offering 300 yuan, can your mom afford to refuse?”
“That won’t do either, I disagree.”
“Why do you disagree? He has a house in the city. If Erni marries him, she’ll become a city dweller, which is much more respectable!”
“Erni is a college student, and she’s pretty. Why should she become a stepmother? He beats his wife, and he has three kids!”
“Lu Cai only hits his wife because she cheats on him. What’s wrong with having three kids? His family is wealthy anyway. Taking care of children and enjoying city life is only natural.”
“Besides, it’s a woman’s duty to raise children. Whether it’s one child or three, it’s all the same.”
“But still…”
“I won’t take a single cent of the 300 yuan. It’s all for you. And Ni Ni needs money for university, and Bao Bao is about to start middle school, right?”
“Um…”
The voices outside suddenly quieted down.
Qin Shi, now in possession of memories, narrowed her eyes. She realized she was the “Erni” they were talking about.
Her original mother passed away early, and her father remarried soon after. Her stepmother even brought along a younger sister, two years her junior.
Her father favoured her older brother, while her mother paid more attention to her younger sister. Qin Shi was neglected, a complete outsider in the family. She was smart and always excelled academically, which was why she hadn’t married early like many others in her situation.
Later, her stepmother gave birth to a son, and Qin Shi became even more invisible, silent and withdrawn, burying herself in studies.
After the college entrance examination was restored, she worked hard for a year and managed to get into university. But the family was broke, and her father had an accident, breaking his leg. She couldn’t go to university and had to stay home to take care of him, doing odd jobs to save money to continue her education.
Just a few days ago, Qin Shi found out that her stepmother had sold her university spot to pay for her father’s leg treatment.
And on top of that, her stepmother had arranged for her to marry Lu Cai, a thug-turned-rich-man who, after inexplicably becoming wealthy, was now a widower with three children.
Qin Shi fell ill from anger, but no one noticed her fever in the middle of the night. Soon after, she passed away, and her soul inhabited Qin Shi’s body.
The conversation outside continued, but Qin Shi’s father and stepmother no longer sounded as “indignant” as before. It seemed they had been convinced.
Qin Shi silently sneered. Her stepmother’s righteous words earlier were purely because she hadn’t benefited yet and didn’t want to be criticized. Now that the benefits were secured, she didn’t say a word, even changing her tune to say that “Lu Cai is indeed wealthy, and Erni will live well if she marries him.”
It’s quite realistic indeed.
After a while, the voices outside faded, and Qin Shi stopped paying attention to them. She carefully reviewed all the memories again until someone knocked on the door and called her for dinner. Only then did she climb out of bed.
Qin Shi looked at her washed-out clothes and pants, and then at her worn-out cloth shoes. She furrowed her brow slightly.
Accustomed to a more refined lifestyle, suddenly finding herself here was indeed uncomfortable. It seemed she needed to find a way out as soon as possible.
Qin Shi’s family lived in the village, with a compound comprising five rooms where her grandparents, eldest uncle’s family, and her own family lived.
Her grandparents occupied one room, her uncle and her family each had two rooms. Qin Shi lived with the stepmother’s daughter, Fourth Ni, while her parents and younger brother shared a room. Her older brother lived in the town’s factory and rarely came home.
Qin Shi wasn’t close to anyone, spending her days either working or buried in books. After passing the college entrance examination but failing to attend university, she worked as a temporary teacher in the village school and did odd jobs to make ends meet. Compared to other girls in the village, her life was relatively better.
Inside her grandparents’ room, everyone was gathered around the table, eating. Grandma Qin saw Qin Shi enter expressionlessly and spoke unkindly, “You’re so slow to come for dinner, still waiting for someone to invite you?”
Qin Shi didn’t say anything, just sat down in the only available seat and started eating the watery porridge in front of her.
The rice had been stored for who knows how long, and Qin Shi could taste a faint hint of mould.
She sighed inwardly, realizing that this golden finger had its pros and cons.
Seeing Qin Shi’s furrowed brows, Grandma Qin rolled her eyes, “If you don’t want to eat, then don’t! Why the long face?”
Qin Shi remained silent, ignoring her, and continued to eat quickly, treating it like taking medicine, hoping to finish it soon and move on.
Grandma Qin kept nagging, “Lu Cai’s family is really well-off. Don’t be so ignorant.”
“I’ll give you five yuan. Tomorrow, you can go to the county to buy cloth and make yourself some clothes.”
Qin Shi put down her bowl and reached out her hand, “Alright.”
Everyone at the table was stunned. They hadn’t expected Qin Shi to agree.
Grandma Qin was delighted, put down her bowl, and fetched five yuan and a cloth voucher, handing them to Qin Shi with a smile, “It’s good that you can be open-minded. Living in the city, eating well and living comfortably, how wonderful!”
Qin Shi forced a smile. In her previous life, she lived alone in a 200-square-meter house. Could an apartment in a tenement building compare to a modern high-end residential complex?
Qin Shi remained silent, accepting the money and voucher, then picked up the biggest cornbread from the table and started eating, oblivious to the angry glares from Grandma Qin and Eldest Uncle’s Wife. The biggest cornbread was meant for the eldest son! Qin Shi ignored their stares and focused on her own meal.
The original occupant of the body didn’t dare to eat openly at the dinner table. But Qin Shi was not that person. Even if she didn’t particularly enjoy eating, she knew she needed to eat enough for her health.
After finishing her meal, Qin Shi hesitated for a moment before saying, “I’m not feeling well. I’ll go rest in my room first.” Then she left the house to wash up.
“Look at her! Just look at her!” Grandma Qin finally couldn’t hold back and slammed her chopsticks down. “She hasn’t even married into a city family yet, and she’s already acting so arrogantly!”
No one else in the Qin family said anything; they just buried their heads in their own meals, each contemplating their own family matters.
After taking a nap, Qin Shi got up and came out to use the bathroom. As she opened the door halfway, she saw her stepmother holding a hoe, crouched outside Aunt Qin’s room, eavesdropping.
Qin Shi gently closed the door, listening intently.
Perhaps Aunt Qin knew that everyone else was in the fields, and she was asleep, so she didn’t hold back. She didn’t whisper stealthily.
Qin Shi vaguely heard some things and guessed from context why Grandma Qin had been willing to give all of the 300 yuan to the original occupant’s parents.
Lu Cai had also promised a temporary job at the mechanical factory, with a monthly salary of thirty yuan. Grandma Qin wanted to give this opportunity to her eldest grandson, Aunt Qin’s eldest son.
Qin Shi watched as her stepmother, with an angry expression, left the yard. She knew this matter wasn’t over; there would be more trouble.
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