When the Suona Sounds, the Vicious Old Woman Gets to Work

Jiang Qingran wakes up in a coffin from the start, becoming a wicked old woman with the same name and a baby face, as well as a horrible mother-in-law who mistreats her daughters-in-law.

The old woman has three sons. The eldest is a rugged man over six feet tall. The second passed the provincial exam at fourteen, then became obsessed with gambling.

He lost the family's six red-brick houses and tiled roofs, leaving them with six thatched huts. He even used every last acre of their farmland to pay his debts.

The third son is a simple-minded fool.

Faced with a family that has lost everything, Jiang Qingran refuses to bow to reality. Instead, she leads her sons and daughters-in-law down the road to prosperity.

When the suona sounds, Jiang Qingran takes charge of funeral ceremonies and sings mournful songs, landing one funeral job after another.

Meanwhile, under her careful guidance, her wayward second son becomes a renowned master of celebratory ceremonies.

When old-fashioned scholars sneer at him, the second son, now back in a red-brick house with a tiled roof, gives them a scornful smile.

Go ahead and sneer. He's the one with the provincial graduate's title, and he's the one counting money until his hands cramp. All the others can do is envy him.