Lin Xiang had a nightmare.
She dreamed of a man strangling her neck while hitting and scolding her.
"Lin Xiang, you stinking bitch, you were flirting with Secretary Wen when you were in the countryside, and you're still restless, throwing yourself at men. You dare disrespect me, huh!"
Lin Xiang woke up from the feeling of suffocation, drenched in sweat.
It was already bright outside.
This dream was the ending for Lin Xiang in the book; after entering the city, she followed Lin Yun, trying to marry a big boss, meddling in everything.
She caused a lot of trouble for Lin Yun, and ultimately ended up married to a beastly man who committed domestic violence, getting beaten every day.
The pain in the dream was too real.
She also heard a voice in the dream telling her that she needed to make the male lead have favorability towards her, change the ending to return.
Upon waking up, seeing she hadn't transmigrated back yet, Lin Xiang knew she couldn't delay increasing favorability.
She washed her face with the water beside her, looking at herself in the mirror, her face was still her own, not dark, since the original didn't do much farm work, just too thin, with no flesh on her face.
In this era, few farmers had enough to eat, and there weren't many overweight people.
Putting on the floral jacket placed next to her, Lin Xiang casually brushed her hair back, tying her shiny, black hair neatly behind her head, looking spirited.
In the kitchen, Mrs. Lin was humming a tune while kneading a lump of yellow dough.
"You woke up! Yesterday Smartie Liu brought over a small bag of cornmeal, mom kneaded it to make buns for you."
Seeing Lin Xiang come in, Mrs. Lin proudly showed off.
Smartie Liu Pei was the female supporting character who secretly admired the male lead in the book.
After the male lead went to the city, she helped him quite a bit.
In this era where most people couldn't get enough to eat or wear, relying on earning work points to receive grain at the year's end, consuming a bowl of thin porridge with a few leaves to get by, she actually sent over a bag of cornmeal!
But it's understandable, the female characters in male-oriented novels are mostly portrayed as mindlessly sacrificing, fulfilling male fantasies.
Sadly, she wasn't the official match for the male lead and ultimately didn't achieve her desires.
Lin Xiang looked around, there were only three rooms in the entire courtyard, a main room, a kitchen, and another which was Lin Yun's room, upon opening the door, she realized it was a woodshed.
Suddenly remembering, the original male lead in the novel had been sleeping in the woodshed since childhood, without even a thick quilt.
"Mom, where's my brother!"
"Your brother went to work! If he doesn't work, how will he supplement your work points? After eating corn buns, in the afternoon you should also go to work with mom, don't let our family owe that money at the year's end."
Lin Xiang suddenly remembered, "Mom, since my brother went to work, did he have breakfast!"
"Breakfast? Does the family have anything for him?" Mrs. Lin said, and Lin Xiang immediately understood.
Lin Yun was injured, wasn't given food, and still had to go to work, wouldn't he starve?
Seeing Mrs. Lin struggling to knead the dough, Lin Xiang quickly said, "Mom, you go rest, I'll do it!"
Mrs. Lin widened her eyes, "You know how?"
Heaven opened its eyes! The girl actually knows how to cook!
"Isn't it because you taught me well, mom? Relax! Don't tire yourself!"
"Oh my, my good girl is so capable! At least she'd find a worker as a match for herself later!"
Mrs. Lin was in great spirits, with a filial daughter, how could she not be happy?
Lin Xiang remembered.
In the seventies, even doing business couldn't be done freely. Labor was most glorious, intellectuals all had to go to the countryside to work, so the most sought after were workers who received wages from factories.
And the book's setting should be around the late seventies.
Some regions were already notifying the educated to return to the city, and the notice for restoring the college entrance exam had just been issued in the first half of the year. In less than a year, they would welcome the opening up, and everyone could do business, that's when they could truly become prosperous!
With her grasp on the plot and the times, she might become a wealthy person herself, marrying a worker!
After Mrs. Lin left, Lin Xiang washed her hands beside and continued kneading the dough, the rough dough in hand felt gritty, and once touched, she knew the resulting dough had no taste, having something to eat in this era was good enough.
The priority now was to increase favorability.
After kneading the dough, Lin Xiang instinctively tasted it, and it had a bitter taste, which would leave it tasteless after steaming!
Fumbling around in the cupboard, Lin Xiang found a sugar jar and a small bag of white flour.
Not using the white flour?
Lin Xiang poured hot water beside, added a big spoon of sugar into it, dissolved it, then kneaded it into the cornmeal, since it was too thin, she added some white flour into it to knead, giving it some sweetness, mixed with white flour for a better taste. Shaping it into a nest-like form, Lin Xiang steamed it in the steamer.
In the real world, Lin Xiang had achieved financial freedom by relying on livestreaming and selling goods, and in her free time, she loved to tinker with food.
Last night, the rice mush hurt her head.
After about twenty minutes, the nests were ready.
Lin Xiang tore off a piece to taste, the texture was ordinary, but much better than without the white flour, if there was milk and yeast powder, they could be steamed softer and tastier.
Stuffing herself carelessly, she didn't want to eat more.
Used to eating good food, she found the era's food hard to swallow.
Seeing Mrs. Lin chopping wood outside, she called out, "Mom, I'm going to find my brother, remember to eat the buns in the pot!"
"Alright!"
Mrs. Lin wiped her hands and stood up, only to see Lin Xiang run off, "No, why are you looking for your brother!"
Receiving no response, Mrs. Lin had no choice but to go into the kitchen, and after a moment let out a sharp scream, "You little brat! It's the last bit of white flour and sugar at home, all ruined by you!"
She thought the excuse to find Lin Yun was false, more likely she was rushing to give Smartie Wen some food!
But the corn nests mixed with white flour and sugar were really tasty! When did that girl learn to make this?
*
Lin Xiang ran out and realized she didn't know where Lin Yun was.
Fortunately, there was only one path to the field, and there were a few kids picking cow dung along the way.
"Hey, did you all see my brother?"
Lin Xiang couldn't recognize who they were, but went ahead to ask.
She didn't know them, but they were all from the same village, they should at least recognize her.
The leading boy pointed, "In that field over there."
"Thanks!" Lin Xiang quickly said her thanks.
After Lin Xiang left, a little girl remembered.
"Wait, Sister Niu just asked about Brother Lin Yun, not Smartie Wen!"
"You must have misheard, Sister Niu wouldn't look for Brother Lin Yun. Who in the village doesn't know Sister Niu likes Smartie Wen, she's always been looking for Smartie Wen!"
*
Following the directions of the kids in the field, Lin Xiang looked around but didn't see Lin Yun.
She thought maybe Lin Yun had gone off to relieve himself.
Just as she was planning to search, a bespectacled, scholarly man walked over and inexplicably took the bowl from her arms.
"Thank you, Sister Niu, for bringing me food so early. It's really hard on you. Whoever becomes your man will definitely be very happy in the future."
Lin Xiang: ???
What the—they're blatantly snatching food in broad daylight!
Watching him about to gobble up the corn bun, Lin Xiang couldn't hold back her fiery temper, snatching the bowl and bun from Wen Siyuan's hand, and slapped the back of his head.
"Snatching food in broad daylight, are you insane or not? If insane, go cure it at the hospital!"
Lin Xiang used quite some strength with this slap, directly knocking Wen Siyuan into the freshly planted rice field, making him fall flat into the mud.