The Pampered Wife in the Space of Superpowers

“Sis, sis, wake up—” In the courtyard of the Mei family in the Honghe Production Brigade, a six- or seven-year-old boy was squatting beside a girl lying motionless on the ground, eyes closed. He cried and tugged at her clothes, his voice sharp and urgent. But most people had already gone to the fields, so no one noticed the commotion. Besides the siblings, the courtyard also held Old Madam Mei and her fourth daughter, Mei Xiuhua. Mei Xiuhua had a nasty temper. Hearing the boy cry, she yelled, “Shut up, you little i***t! Scream again and I’ll rip your mouth off!” Old Madam Mei added coldly, “Enough shouting. She’s practically a goner. I’ll take this i***t away, and you bring the girl into the house later. If she lives, she’s lucky. If not, tell your third brother to toss her into the river.” She stepped forward and grabbed the boy. “I won’t go! I won’t—!” “You have to,” Old Madam Mei snapped. “You’re just a fool who eats but doesn’t work. Keeping you is worse than raising a chicken. At least chickens lay eggs. What can you do? If you don’t go, I’ll beat you to death.” “No! Sis, sis—” The boy clung tightly to the girl's clothes with one hand while Old Madam Mei yanked his other hand. He looked like a bobblehead with his skinny frame, yet somehow had the strength to resist being pulled away. “Xiuhua, come help! This little fool must be sneaking food when we’re not looking.” Mei Xiuhua came to assist. When she couldn’t pry his hand off, she screamed, “Let go or I’ll bite you!” “Sis, sis—!” His cries were heartbreaking, and Mei Qingjiu, though unconscious, could hear everything. Who was this child calling her sister? She had no siblings. And hadn’t she just died from choking on a fishbone? Suddenly, foreign memories surged into her mind. Then came the boy’s piercing scream. As if jolted awake, Mei Qingjiu opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was a large face biting the boy’s hand. The boy looked like he was about to faint from the pain. “A person chooses to act like a dog?” Mei Qingjiu shot up and shoved the woman aside. Then she straddled her and started slapping her hard. “You want to bite? I’ll beat the poison out of you!” Just before waking up, she had figured it out. She had transmigrated back to 1970, into the body of Mei Qingjiu, the eldest daughter of the Mei family in the Honghe Production Brigade. This original Mei Qingjiu shared her name and fate—both were orphans. She had interrupted Old Madam Mei’s plan to abandon her youngest brother, whom she deemed useless. Following a flood and her husband’s death, the family’s life became even harder. The large-faced woman was her fourth aunt, who insisted the boy didn’t work and just ate food. Throwing him away meant more food for her. Old Madam Mei, always favoring her daughter, agreed. That day, while everyone else was out, they planned to abandon the boy in a nearby county. But the original Mei Qingjiu had returned home to grab a kettle and caught them. A struggle ensued, and Mei Xiuhua pushed her, causing her to hit her head and die—allowing the current Mei Qingjiu to take her place. “You have the nerve to say Xiaocong is lazy?” Xiaocong was the boy they were going to abandon. “You make him wash your shoes, clothes—even your underwear! And you have the gall to say he’s useless? You’ve got no shame? Then I’ll beat it out of you!” “You little brat! Mom, help! She’s gone mad—she hit her own aunt!” Mei Xiuhua was no match for the new Mei Qingjiu, who now had a laborer’s strength. So she screamed for help. Old Madam Mei had been stunned when the girl suddenly came to life. Now she rushed over. “You damned girl, hitting your own aunt? You want to die?” Seeing her approach, Mei Qingjiu stood and pulled the sobbing boy aside. “I don’t care who she is. She tried to throw away my brother—I’ll beat her!” Old Madam Mei shouted, “He’s just a fool! He won’t earn work points when he grows up, and he’ll be a burden. You think food falls from the sky? You’re crazy! Go to the fields now! If I don’t throw him away, I’ll die from rage!” “I won’t let you! As long as I’m here, you’ll never touch Xiaocong. You always say he’s dumb—but what did he ever do wrong? Did he steal grain or money? And what about Fourth Aunt? She’s sixteen, three years older than me, and still doesn’t work!” “Pah! He’s just a dumb money pit, not fit to be compared with your aunt. Your fourth aunt is a star in the sky—he’s dirt on the ground! Stop interfering or I’ll toss you out too!” In Old Madam Mei’s twisted mind, her daughter was the only one who mattered. Granddaughters were barely human. Grandsons were worthless. Sons and daughters-in-law were just labor. “Throw them out, Mom! Both of them! Useless girls who bring nothing but shame. We’ll save so much food!” Mei Xiuhua clutched her swollen cheek, glaring. If she could win, she would’ve scratched Mei Qingjiu’s face off. “Throw us out? Fine.” Mei Qingjiu said, and the little boy beside her visibly trembled. That wasn’t the reaction of a fool. “But be prepared. You toss him out today, I’ll go to the commune tomorrow and report that my fourth aunt acts like a landlord’s daughter—refusing to work and making others serve her. Let’s see who suffers more.” “You venomous brat!” Mei Xiuhua cried to Old Madam Mei, “Mom, kick her out! She wants us all in the cowshed!” Old Madam Mei was fuming. “You brainless girl! He’s a worthless money pit. When he grows up, he’ll only serve his wife, not you. You must be mad, trying to save him!”