Upon entering the body of a new mission recipient, Ding Yun first used her mental energy to expel all the water she had inhaled.
Then, she struggled and swam ashore with all her might.
She also used her mental energy to dry herself.
Only then, in a relatively secluded and desolate area, did she find a safe spot and sit down on the ground to sort through memories.
...
The original host was born into a very ordinary single-income family. She was the eldest daughter. Her father was somewhat patriarchal, but fortunately, her mother shielded her from the worst of it. Later, her mother gave birth to two sons, so overall, the original host's childhood was much better than that of families with more pronounced patriarchal tendencies.
At least, they had enough to eat and could go to school.
She hardly had to do any housework, and even in her teens, she didn't know how to cook. Of course, this didn't mean she was overly pampered at home. It was mainly because her mother couldn't bear to see her daughter suffer and was willing to work harder herself, completing all the chores so that her daughter could have time to do her homework and read when she got home.
If it were another mother, one who wanted to slack off a bit,
Or one who wanted an easier time,
She would have started making her daughter do chores long ago.
However, perhaps it was through her mother's example, that even though her mother didn't make her daughter do much work, influenced by her mother, or rather, unable to bear seeing her mother work too hard, the original host would often do what she could to help her mother with some of the household labor.
This was before she graduated from junior high school. The original host did not get into a vocational high school. If she had gone to a regular high school, not only would the cost of education be higher, but she might not have been able to get into university.
Furthermore, she had two younger brothers who also needed to study.
With only her father earning money, the pressure was quite high. Therefore, the original host eventually stopped her studies at the persuasion of her family. She did not attend high school and found an internship at a local food factory.
Do not find this strange. In that era, graduates from vocational high schools were quite sought after, and the admission requirements were relatively high, essentially higher than for those entering regular high school. Most departments prioritized university graduates, then junior college graduates, and then vocational high school graduates. High school graduates had to come after vocational high school graduates.
Moreover, at that time, the college entrance examination admission rate was low, and universities had not yet expanded enrollment. It was very difficult to become a university or junior college student through the college entrance examination. Therefore, it was normal for vocational high school graduates to be sought after, a result of the era's policies.
Of course, besides this, the standard of vocational high schools in that era was indeed quite high. Many vocational high schools then were later upgraded to universities, which were different from the vocational high schools that appeared later with the popularization of education.
After starting work, the original host continued to work diligently and conscientiously. Her family did not ask for her monthly salary; she kept it all for herself. After three years, with a monthly salary of just over thirty yuan, she managed to save over a thousand yuan through sheer frugality.
Then, in the fourth year, she gave it all to her father.
It was used to help build a house for the family.
Her father bore the brunt of the cost, and her thousand yuan was just enough to help buy some bricks and tiles. At the same time, the family also incurred some debts, owing money to others. To repay the money to the family as soon as possible, the original host resolutely abandoned the local food factory, which had been experiencing declining performance and was even having trouble paying salaries, and specifically went to a first-tier city, where the wages were reportedly higher, to earn money.
It must be said that big cities are big cities. Even working as a female factory worker in a private clothing factory, her salary was much higher than before, exceeding sixty yuan a month. She also received overtime pay, one yuan per hour.
It was just a pity that there weren't many overtime opportunities.
So, the original host's monthly salary was around seventy yuan, sometimes more if it was busy, up to eighty, but no matter what, it was definitely better than in her hometown.
However, the original host only stayed there for two years before her family urged her to return. This was because her family felt she was getting old, past twenty years old, and if she didn't get married, people would gossip. They might even suspect that their family wanted to keep their daughter at home specifically to earn money for them.
And the original host was obedient. She quickly resigned and returned to accept her family's arrangements. She started going on blind dates, and after several dates, she grudgingly settled on someone. Within a month or so, they began discussing marriage, obtaining a marriage certificate, and getting married.
By this time, the original host no longer had a job. She could only stay at home and cook, and do farm work. No one thought there was anything wrong with this, as it seemed quite natural for a wife to be a housewife after marriage, managing all the household affairs.
It was like this when the original host was unmarried, and after getting married, she naturally continued in the same vein at home.
Initially, the original host wasn't very good at cooking, nor at farming, because she hadn't done it before. But time is the best teacher. With no one to help, she could only slowly learn these skills.
And gradually adapted to her married life.
Then came having children and so on.
In the second year of her marriage, the original host became pregnant, and in the third year, she gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. This was followed by the even more ordinary life of raising children and being a housewife.
After the children started attending primary school, the money the original host had saved, along with her dowry, had long been spent. She increasingly felt uncomfortable about not having a job or income and having to ask her husband for money to buy anything.
So, she quickly found another job, taking on a physically demanding position at a nearby glass factory. Although it was tiring, it was close to home, making it convenient to return and allowing her to take time off for family matters.
Five years later, the glass factory closed down. She looked much older than her actual age and then found a job in the catering industry, continuing to work while taking care of her family.
When her children were in high school and boarding, the original host found another job with a slightly higher salary. However, she still had to cook three meals a day for her husband and manage household chores.
To save time and avoid being late, sometimes she would finish making breakfast and not have time to eat it herself.
Later, her children attended ordinary universities. After graduating and starting their careers, and finding boyfriends or girlfriends, the original host had to busy herself again saving money for their betrothal gifts and dowries, and for down payments on houses.
Truly, except for the more than ten years of her childhood,
Her entire life was almost lived for others.
Two years later, her son was preparing to get married, and her daughter was also in the process. The down payment for the house had been made, and the remaining mortgage would be paid by her son himself. Everything seemed to be going well. With another two or three years of hard work, she would probably be able to retire completely and help take care of her grandchildren.
It was in this year that the original host discovered that the stomach pain she had frequently experienced before seemed to have become more severe, even bleeding. Once, she even fainted at home from the pain. Only then, with some concern about the cost, did she go to the hospital for a comprehensive examination.
The diagnosis was stomach cancer, late stage.
The condition could be managed, and there was a certain survival rate, but it would be incredibly expensive, enough to bankrupt the family.
After understanding the situation, the original host sat alone for a long time, deliberated for a long time, and finally found a place where no one was around. She cried out her grievances, then tore up the examination report she held and purchased some painkillers.
Afterward, she began urging her son to get married.
She urged her daughter to get married.
And with a smiling face, over the next six months, through some unknown willpower, she held on until her son married his wife and her daughter married her husband, only then did her body completely give out.
Fearing that she might lose consciousness again.
And that her family would then spend money to treat her.
She quietly left by herself, found a remote, deserted place, and deliberately let herself slip and fall into the water.