A Lie-Flat Life in the 1960s

The important things in life boil down to two: food and drink.

Think clearly, eat your fill, sleep soundly, and live well.

Zheng Pingping has known since childhood that she's different from the rest of her family. Everyone else works hard and strives for success. She's the only one who...

"Like the lazybones from the village entrance's kid," her grandma says.

Zheng Pingping lies in the middle of the courtyard, sunbathing without a care. "Like you."

She nearly gives her grandma a fit.

There are six people in the Zheng family: her parents and grandma, plus her second uncle and younger aunt.

Apart from Zheng Pingping, who eats, does chores, and sleeps all day, everyone has a special talent.

1.

Her dad, Old Zheng, gets along with everyone and is loved by all. He worked his way up from an ordinary farmer to become the brigade leader, and there's talk that the county wants to transfer him there for work.

It's just that children don't like him, so Zheng Pingping has to help him sort things out every time.

Zheng Pingping: "Five cents each time. No credit."

2.

Her mom is also surnamed Zheng, but she's not from Zheng Village. If you trace her family line far enough, it goes back to the Warring States period.

"Be discreet, be discreet." Old Zheng Mom covers Zheng Pingping's mouth, smiling with rustic charm and a hint of refinement.

But all Zheng Pingping sees is how shrewd her mother is, like when she sells eggs that cost one cent for ten cents.

Watching her mother accept the ginseng with a crafty merchant's grin, Zheng Pingping says, "Don't forget my share, like you promised."

It wasn't easy for her to dig up ginseng that looked this good.

3.

Second Uncle Zheng is the most handsome person in the family. No one can quite tell what he's good for, but Grandma Zheng says he's blessed with good fortune.

Zheng Pingping rolls over, plucks a fruit from the tree, and takes a bite. "Huh? But whenever he eats an apple, he gets one with a worm in it."

Grandma Zheng, who is under the tree calling Zheng Pingping a little monkey and worrying she'll fall: "..."

The fruit trees have only just blossomed. Where did she get that fruit? It looks pretty sweet, too.

4.

Younger Aunt Zheng is in high school. She can turn the classical Chinese texts that make Zheng Pingping's eyes spin into stories, and she once dug the family a sweet-water well using only a quick glance at a science textbook.

Doesn't she always get perfect scores on her exams, too? But that's not important.

Zheng Pingping holds a puppy and watches her aunt castrate a pig by the pigpen. "Auntie, didn't you say you'd seen this done before? You even drew a castration diagram for the village."

Younger Aunt Zheng's slender figure trembles, her long fingers shaking.

Two minutes later, Zheng Pingping shouts, "Grandma, my aunt fainted."

Grandma Zheng comes rushing over, her old face full of concern, and immediately scolds Zheng Pingping. "What did you scare your aunt for this time?"

Zheng Pingping remains unruffled. "You're the one who said my aunt could do anything."

She's just a little timid.

5.

Grandma Zheng: A mouth like a weapon, able to take on ten people at once and defeat the whole village in an argument.

Though she still can't beat Zheng Pingping.

However you look at it, everyone in this family really does have a special skill. Even Grandma Zheng, whose temperament is much like Zheng Pingping's, has a magical attack: she can make people furious enough to die, then furious enough to come back to life, just by opening her mouth.

Only Zheng Pingping is "ordinary."

So Zheng Pingping can't figure out why Li Dazhuang from next door always looks at her with a bashful, frightened expression.

On the roof next door, a transmigrator inhabiting Li Dazhuang's body hides behind a pile of cotton laid out to dry.

He secretly rejoices: Is this the young form of the "Demon King of the Abyss"? If I win her over, will I complete my mission?

But the little demon king is terrifying, too. She's coming over. Is she going to kill me?!

Coming soon: The Soft-Spoken Female Side Character Wakes Up in 1970

It isn't until she boards the train to the countryside that Ruan Qiaobai learns she's a comparison character in a period novel.

Her family appears harmonious, but is secretly full of conflict, while the female lead's family is united.

She's pretty and spoiled, and everyone caters to her, while the female lead is plain, capable, and never causes trouble.

She's framed and left to waste her life in the village, while the female lead goes to college and enjoys a happy life with her childhood sweetheart.

In short, she's inferior to the female lead in every way except her looks, and even those are the root of all her troubles.

Ruan Qiaobai: "Give me back my cookie!"

Everyone is enjoying a meal together, talking about how they'll make use of their skills in the countryside, when they suddenly see Miss Ruan snatch a cookie from Qi Miao's hand.

The room falls silent. Someone who can't stand Ruan Qiaobai's arrogance sneers, "It's rare to see someone take back something they've already given away."

"I want it back!"

Her peach-blossom eyes, their corners tinged red, fix on the sneering person, who turns away under her gaze.

Ruan Qiaobai is worried. Have everyone's loyalties already shifted to Qi Miao?

She has no idea that everyone is looking at her delicate skin and worrying: She's so pampered. What will she do when she gets to the village? I guess I'll have to help her then.

But she'll have to pay something in return...

No one expects that they won't have to worry about her at all.

As soon as they reach the county seat and are assigned to Zhang Family Village, the handsome young man called in to put on a show for the village takes charge of everything.

She's too delicate to walk, so he puts her on a cart. Worried she might get a sore bottom, he even tosses his padded jacket onto the cart for her to sit on.

She can't get used to farm work, so he does it for her and earns full work points.

Just as they've finally waited for the young man to recover from his injury and return to his unit, the rascal takes Ruan Qiaobai with him!

Ruan Qiaobai looks back at the village, then turns to Zhang Zhijiang.

So, has she escaped the plot?

But she hasn't even done anything.

Zhang Zhijiang: "Are you hot? I'll buy you a soda when we get to the county seat."

A soft and silly sweet heroine, Ruan Qiaobai x a straightforward, devoted husband hero, Zhang Zhijiang

Theme: Once you've taken care of your own responsibilities, it's fine to relax a little.