Raising Kids in the 1970s [Ancient Soul in the Modern World]

Author's upcoming novel: My Real Mom in a Stepmom-Era Story

Zhao Yinyin, a palace maid who spent her whole life being exploited in the imperial palace, transmigrated to 1978 and became the silly daughter of the Zhao family.

When her younger sister ran away from her engagement because her fiancé was disabled, Zhao Yinyin was married off to Xu Yunhai, the man her sister had been promised to since childhood.

They agreed on the terms: on the surface, they would be married, but in reality, she would work as a nanny and look after the children. After three years, when the kids were old enough, she would take her dowry and leave.

But who could have expected that just two years later, Xu Yunhai would get back on his feet and rise from nothing to become the province's leading figure in foreign trade?

The nieces and nephews she helped raise all thrived. Her eldest niece showed a talent for painting, her second niece became a child star, and even her troublesome little nephew was disciplined into an exemplary student of gentlemanly conduct, devoted to his older sisters and aunt.

Her sister, back from her elopement, grew jealous. After going to great lengths to find out that the marriage was fake, she decided to force her way in.

She confronted Xu Yunhai: "I know your marriage to my sister is just for show. Are you still waiting for me?"

Xu Yunhai replied, "The only thing I have to thank you for is bringing Yinyin to me."

A fake marriage? He was going to make it real!

Upcoming novel: My Real Mom in a Stepmom-Era Story

Zhu Wanxing transmigrated into a book, becoming the eccentric biological mother who died young in a stepmother story based on her own life.

She was a wicked, spoiled, rotten mother who abandoned her two children, took all the valuables from the house, and left after divorcing her husband. Unfortunately, the male lead she abandoned, Xie Tingsong, was the real winner in the end. After his name was cleared, he went into business and became the richest man in the country, making the author-inspired stepmother heroine the beneficiary of it all.

At this very moment, Zhu Wanxing had transmigrated to just before she abandoned her husband and children. She was on her way to the civil affairs bureau with the male lead to get a divorce.

Looking at Xie Tingsong's icy expression and the two little ones who looked exactly like her, Zhu Wanxing had a flash of inspiration:

"The children will stay with me, and the house and money will all be put in my name. You can go work in peace. I'll take good care of these two kids."

Why just grab a little money and leave? The big house belonged to her, the treasures hidden in the cellar belonged to her, too, and with her golden finger, she wouldn't have to worry about food or drink. Wouldn't it be better to keep her head down and ride out this period?

* *

Xie Jiahe had always felt that his mother didn't like him or his little sister. She seemed to be going through the motions in this family. Ever since his sister was born, she had been shouting that she wanted to leave.

When the day finally came for his mother to divorce his father, he secretly vowed that even if he had to go into exile with his father, he would never go with his wicked mother!

But his father left him behind, handing him over to his wicked mother.

Gradually... he realized that his wicked mother was wicked in a rather unusual way.

She absolutely refused to let his sister sleep with her head flattened. The granny next door even called her wicked, but his sister's round head seemed... pretty cute.

She made him eat meat he didn't like, made him study textbooks that had been burned at school, and made him run around, jump, and even dress nicely every day.

* *

The retired professor and the old overseas Chinese man sent into exile alongside them were connections who could help the male lead go into business. When they heard he had left everything in the family to his ex-wife, they strongly disapproved.

But then they received food and clothes sent by that woman, along with chocolate and poetry books. In the photograph, the little boy was pouting and refusing to smile, yet he held tight to the hand of the mother carrying his little sister.

What kind of mere pretty face was she? She was a proud white swan!

* *

The stepmother who had also transmigrated into the book kept waiting. It was her story, and she was sure to be the ultimate winner.

She waited for the heroine and male lead to divorce and divide the family assets.

She waited for the heroine to be robbed and killed, then planned to shed a few hypocritical tears at her funeral.

She waited for Xie Jiahe to get beaten by a classmate and break a bone, then planned to visit and take the opportunity to get the child to call her Mom.

She waited for the male lead's parents to starve to death, planning to comfort him and use the opportunity to latch onto him, becoming the future wife of the richest man.

But she waited through the Reform and Opening-Up, waited for the male lead to go into business, and waited for the siblings Xie Jiahe and Xie Jiayu to become famous, yet that day never came.

Instead, the heroine's face, which filled her with jealousy and resentment, grew more and more radiant. The male lead she had picked out for herself had eyes only for that woman, and spoiled her to no end.

Unable to hold back any longer, she decided to make the first move. But her attempt backfired, and all the hardships she had planned for the heroine in the book came back to haunt her instead.

P.S. 1. The heroine is the original character, and the book was written based on her.

2. All place names are fictional. Any resemblance to real places is purely coincidental.

Theme: A new era, a new woman!