[Period setting + wicked heroine + foil character + heroine refuses to take a loss and fights back + putting the workhorse family in its place]
The wicked Jiang Mian transmigrates into a period novel as the cannon-fodder female character who serves as the heroine’s foil.
The heroine grew up without a mother and was doted on by her father, while the foil also grew up motherless, but her father beat her until she was running all over the place.
At long last, the two women marry into the same family, wedding a pair of cousins.
The heroine marries the younger cousin. Her in-laws die and no one bothers her, so the young couple live a lovely life.
The original owner marries the older cousin. Her in-laws all work like oxen for the younger cousin’s family, and her life is miserable.
Her mother-in-law’s favorite saying: “I’m going to wash your younger cousin’s wife’s clothes. She has such a hard time!”
Her father-in-law’s favorite saying: “Take this meat to your younger cousin’s family. We’ll make do with chaff and vegetables!”
Her husband’s favorite saying: “Just think of this money as a loan to my younger cousin. He has no parents, so he’s under a lot of pressure and has a hard life. I have to help him out.”
Jiang Mian: ??? You love having a hard time, huh? I’ll make sure you have more hardship than you can handle!
