Inside a room where the wall paint was peeling off, the afternoon sun shone through the gap in the curtains, casting a thin ray of light. The room was silent except for the faint, hurried breathing coming from the bunk bed in the corner.
After receiving the memories of the original owner, Li Manman opened her eyes. She touched the still damp corner of her eye and rolled off the bed expressionlessly.
The bunk bed had been in use for a long time and swayed badly at the slightest movement.
It was not until her feet touched the ground that she breathed a sigh of relief. She glanced at the messy blanket on the lower bunk, and then walked out of the room.
The living room outside was silent. She went to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of room-temperature water, sipped it at the edge of the living room, and scrutinized the house she was in.
By the time she finished her water, she still couldn't figure out how she ended up in this godforsaken place, let alone how she took over the body of the original owner.
All she knew was that she was not in a good mood right now.
She had been leading a good life in the 21st century, with a car, a house, and savings. Though she was almost thirty without a boyfriend, her life was better than many of her friends who were married and had children.
But what time was it now?
1975.
The country's economy had just started to develop, college entrance examinations had not yet been restored, there were no cell phones or computers, no vast internet network, and no well-developed facilities for various life services.
To sum up her situation, it was a big "miserable."
She put the glass down on the table with a "clack." Glancing at the desolate scene outside the window, Li Manman went back to her room with a stern face.
She climbed back onto the shaky top bunk, pulled the blanket over her, and went to sleep.
Who knows, she might wake up back in reality.
Embracing this dreamland, which was so beautiful that it ignited yearning, Leman didn't take long to sink back into sleep.
That is, until a resonating slam of a door shook the small house.
In her dream, Leman was having a fancy steak dinner at a western restaurant, and she suddenly woke up. A fleeting look of confusion flashed through her eyes, only to be replaced with the late realization of her hunger as she patted her belly.
No wonder she was still eating in her dream. Apparently, she was so hungry that her stomach was growling.
She glanced at the drawn curtain and saw that it was already dark outside.
The slam she heard was likely from the return of the original owner's family.
Just as she thought of this, the door of her room was pushed open from the outside. Yincuimei stood at the door, reaching out to turn on the light. Seeing the quilt bulging on the upper bunk of the bed, she became agitated, “What time do you think it is? You're still asleep. You don't cook, you don't do laundry, did I raise you this big just to have you graduate and lie in bed all day after you come home? I work hard all day, and when I come back, I still have to take care of you..."
Leman sat up from the bed, gathered her hair, and looked down at her mother from her elevated position.
Her eyes were indifferent and seemed unconcerned.
"I don't want to do it."
Yincuimei was taken aback.
Leman lowered her head to look at her, and repeated her previous statement, word by word, "I'm feeling down, I don't want to do anything right now."
Meeting her daughter's slightly reddish and swollen eyes, Yincuimei's original intention to grab Leman's hands faltered mid-air. Her face stiffened a bit from the anger, and her tone also became less harsh. "Leman, you should be considerate of your mom too. The nomination for going to the countryside requires one person from each household. Your eldest brother and sister-in-law just got married and they both have stable jobs. They just had a child. It's not logical to ask your eldest brother to go."
"What about my eldest sister? She's two years older than me. Shouldn't it be her turn if we go by age?"
"But isn't your eldest sister dating the son of our Fuji bakery's factory manager? Who knows, they might become engaged as they continue their relationship. If she goes to the countryside, then we'll be ruining such a good marriage proposal."
Li Manman sneered to herself silently.
In the previous owner's memory, the son of the director of the Lucky Cake Factory was not just dating her elder sister. Once, the previous owner had even seen him dining in a restaurant with a delicate-looking girl after school.
Looking at the flirtatious interaction between them, she didn't believe a word if someone said they were just friends.
That guy is obviously toying with her sister. After all, Li Tingting was physically attractive, a beauty willing to throw herself at him, who could resist?
However, just speaking about their engagement from both their family perspectives, one family is an ordinary dual-income family with four children to raise, and the other is a large food factory with 300 employees.
Although people nowadays say they don’t care about matching of family backgrounds, the old-fashioned mentality entrenched in the older generation is still very strong. Even if the factory director's son was really enchanted by her sister, don't forget, the one in charge of the family is his father.
Come to think of it, if her sister were particularly outstanding, extremely outstanding, it would at least be admirable. But the fact is, Li Tingting hasn't had a proper job since graduating from junior high school.
The delusion of their mother and her elder sister is just so unrealistic. She's simply too lazy to care.
Only the harsh reality can wake those who are keen on dreaming.
"Before you decided to register my name with the local government, did you consider asking me first? I just graduated from high school and I'm planning to find a job to contribute to the family,” Li Manman didn't mind sounding somewhat noble, “Do you still remember the clothing factory that was hiring an accountant a few days ago? I applied behind your back and passed the test as the top student. I could start working there in a few days. I was keeping silent and planned to surprise you and dad once he returns the day after tomorrow.”
Li Manman wiped away a tear, “But now? Because of your registration, all my plans are ruined!”
Mrs. Yin Cuimei could not help but open her mouth in surprise, “I didn't know. But your name has already been registered, and you cannot go back on it.”
But even saying that, she still hated to miss the chance. That was an accountant position, not like their daily work in a workshop which was quite tiring. That would have been a comfortable office job with a good salary.
Originally, Li Manman thought Mrs. Yin was about to leave with a pained expression, but she made another astonishing proposal, "Manman, how about giving this job in the clothing factory to your sister? Your sister, who graduated from junior high, can do the calculations. It would be such a waste to lose this opportunity for work.”
Li Manman looked coldly at Yin Cuimei's self-satisfied expression, without a single ripple in her heart.
They seem to want this and that, why not just wish for the moon!
“Mom,” Li Tingting came in clattering in her high heels and a long dress, “why isn't dinner ready yet, I’m starving.”
Then she glanced at Li Manman who was sitting on the bed, “Manman, you can’t have been sleeping all day, right? Did you wash the dress I took off yesterday? I’m going to wear it tomorrow.”