The winter of 1975 was fading, and the first hints of spring were in the air.
At the western edge of Wansheng Village, Su Qianli had just "cracked a skull" again.
Wang Ergou, the village’s notorious bachelor, usually loved taking liberties with young wives. Today, emboldened by alcohol, he caught sight of a girl washing clothes by the river and was struck by a wicked urge.
Unfortunately for him, the girl was Su Qianli. She knocked Wang Ergou unconscious on the spot, leaving a massive gash on his head as he collapsed, his blood staining the ground crimson.
The police arrived shortly after, and once they understood the sequence of events, they hauled Wang Ergou away. Word of the incident spread throughout the village, and the consensus on Wang Ergou was unanimous.
One word: Pathetic!
Two words: Serves him right!
In Wansheng Village, everyone knew of Su Qianli’s manic streak, and nobody dared to provoke her easily. Why? Because she was foolish and unhinged.
It was true; Su Qianli had never been quite right in the head since she was a child. She was the village’s recognized "silly girl," yet she possessed a peculiar, headstrong character. No matter where she went, she carried a small wooden stool with her—always ready to rest, and always ready to "crack a skull."
As Su Qianli grew older, her demonstrated combat prowess made the villagers increasingly wary of her. For instance, three years ago, two enemy agents had hidden in Wansheng Mountain, plotting some mischief. By sheer coincidence, they ran into Su Qianli. Fearing their identities would be exposed, they prepared to silence her.
At the time, Su Qianli was alone, yet she showed no fear in the face of danger. She snatched up her stool and charged. She might have been small, but she fought with vicious intensity. After a fierce struggle, she managed to kill one of the agents and injure the other. When news reached the authorities, high-level officials praised her heroic performance and even came in person to honor her. From that day on, she became known as "Invincible Su."
However, during today’s scuffle with Wang Ergou, Su Qianli had been too close to the water’s edge and slipped, falling in. Although she climbed out to teach Wang Ergou a lesson, she returned home soaked to the bone. With the spring chill still biting and the river water icy, the cold she had suffered from since childhood flared up. Not long after arriving home, she fell ill with a high fever, lying alone on the kang, undetected by anyone.
The next morning, as the village rooster crowed, "Su Qianli" suddenly opened her eyes.
Her mind felt as though a massive boulder had smashed into a tranquil lake, churning up wild waves. The moment she opened her eyes, she realized... she had transmigrated!
Su Qianli sat dazed for a full half-hour before she finally accepted the reality. She had been one of the unlucky victims of a corporate layoff, and on her way home after finishing her exit procedures that very day, a sudden, torrential downpour had begun. Then, the heavens had greeted her in a rather unique way: "Do you believe in the light?"
*Crack... Crack-crack...*
Just like that, she had been struck dead by lightning! Struck three times, to be exact!
If she didn't know her own character—that she had never done anything malicious—Su Qianli would have assumed it was divine retribution. But no matter what, returning was impossible; the scent of her own charred hair and skin was still fresh in her memory. And as a 21st-century modern woman, she certainly didn't believe she was ascending to a higher realm—and even if she were, she wouldn't have ended up in a book, let alone a crumbling, logic-defying period drama.
She recalled noticing the novel previously only because the twin sister of the protagonist had the same name as hers, "Su Qianli," differing only by the final character. Her own name used the character for "departure." At the time, she never imagined she would end up becoming the Su Qianli in the book in such an absurd fashion.
*Cue the crying: "Crack-crack..."*
Now, looking back at the plot, she only remembered the general gist. Fifteen years ago, the Su family’s twin daughters were abducted, sparking a massive search that made headlines in countless newspapers. After the kidnappers snatched the sisters, they fled Beijing that same day. Midway, the elder sister, Su Qianli, developed a high fever. After the kidnappers bought medicine for her with no results, they simply abandoned her, dying on a snowy mountain.
Fortunately, Grandpa Su and Grandma Su found her. They nursed her back to health; though her intellect was impaired, her life was saved, and they doted on her thereafter.
The younger sister, Su Mengcheng, was not as lucky. She was sold into the mountains as a child bride. From the age of five, she worked daily, ate slop, slept in a shed, and was routinely beaten. When the sisters were twelve, one of the kidnappers was caught, revealing Su Mengcheng’s location. She was rescued and returned to her biological parents, Su Yuhui and Yuan Jiamin.
Over the years, her parents poured all their love into Su Mengcheng, trying every possible way to make up for the lost time. This unique care was a stark contrast to Su Mengcheng’s past life, and she grew to revel in it—until the day eighteen years later when the elder sister, Su Qianli, was also found. Everything changed. Because of Su Qianli’s limited intelligence, their parents were even more indulgent toward her. Su Mengcheng felt her love being stolen. Furious, she began suppressing and sabotaging Su Qianli, eventually resorting to foul play.
When Su Qianli went missing again, the parents suspected Su Mengcheng. Though nothing was said explicitly, they were deeply disappointed, their hearts set only on finding their eldest daughter. This enraged Su Mengcheng. She couldn't understand why she had suffered for over a decade in the countryside while Su Qianli had always been protected. Consequently, she began a campaign of vengeful destruction against the Su family. She reported the family with her real name, leading to the parents being sent to the countryside, where they died of illness a few years later. Of their two brothers, one was branded a traitor and went missing, while the other became a vegetable after a car accident.
Su Mengcheng herself, having "upheld justice by exposing her family," gained status, married a high-ranking official, and lived a smooth, happy life. As for Su Qianli, Su Mengcheng had her sold to a remote mountain village to taste the suffering she had once endured, eventually letting her rot there. When she was finally found, Su Qianli’s limbs were mangled, and she died in a shed that had collapsed under the weight of snow, a newly formed fetus beneath her. Though she died with her eyes open, they held no hatred—only the joy of release.
The heavens, lamenting her tragic fate, had granted Su Qianli a chance at rebirth. But Su Qianli, unwilling to face the turmoil of family ties again, chose to give up.
And so, it became Su Qianli’s gain.
Su Qianli: "..."
She didn't quite see it that way. A vengeful ghost sister? She was scared, too. But since she was here, what else could she do? She pulled herself together and adjusted her mindset. Since she couldn't go back, she would just have to live well. It wasn't as if she hadn't died before! *Crack-crack...*
Hmph!
Whoever dared to cross her would get a slap to the face. What, her hand hurt? Using the small stool to crack a skull wasn't out of the question! After all, it was the original owner’s fine tradition.
Besides, she was the Su Qianli of this world now. With the advantage of being a transmigrator, she had to stir things up. Otherwise, how could she justify the tragic fate of the original owner’s family?
Therefore, she refused to acknowledge any "sister." And as the current "Su Qianli," she would make sure Su Mengcheng regretted ever being her twin.
...
Meanwhile, a letter from Beijing was already on its way.