Chapter Four: It Is the Transmigrated Supporting Character

As she walked forward, Yun Shu desperately absorbed the information about this body that the angel had finally uploaded into her mind.

Perhaps it was a credit to her being a seasoned bookworm of over a decade that she could always manage to multitask. Maybe heaven had truly heard the naive dreams she often fantasized about in her youth, or perhaps, among the countless "choose your own adventure" polls she had mindlessly participated in on Douyin, one of them had actually been real.

In any case, after dying from overwork as a modern-day corporate slave who moonlighted as a coder, she had finally been chosen by a transmigration angel. Her soul traveled into a book, where she became a supporting character—someone with little screen time, not brain-dead, and, according to the protagonist, someone who lived quite well.

Truth be told, she had read this book, though it had been quite a while. At the time, she had marveled at how the supporting character shared her name, which made for a deeply immersive experience. Furthermore, she was one of the few people the protagonist spoke of kindly.

As fellow educated youth sent to the countryside, the original "Xie Yunshu" was calm, rational, independent, and strong—possessing the resolute character that the newly arrived protagonist envied. She had once stepped in to help when the protagonist was being framed by a villainous side character, preserving her innocence and preventing her from losing her reputation to the schemes of village loafers and wicked women. Later, the protagonist returned the favor; when the college entrance exams were reinstated two years into their rustication, she pulled "Xie Yunshu" along to study, and together they passed and left that place in a blaze of glory.

In the original text, after the protagonist became close with "Xie Yunshu," she once overheard other cannon-fodder characters gossiping, claiming she had latched onto "Xie Yunshu" as a high branch, which was the only reason she lived so comfortably in the production brigade without having to do back-breaking farm work or go hungry. In reality, the original protagonist, Lin Jingshu, possessed a knock-off "Pinduoduo" system; she never worried about food or drink while completing tasks, so she didn't care much for those insignificant work points—she only aimed to keep a low profile and avoid standing out.

Of course, the original "Xie Yunshu's" family background was quite good, fitting for a supporting character destined for a happy ending, yet it wasn't ridiculously prominent. At least in this type of period novel, she hadn't reached the level of being "persecuted" like the protagonist's family. She wasn't a "second-generation" elite, but she wasn't some pathetic girl forced to the countryside by a wicked stepmother or toxic relatives, either. If one looked closely, she could be considered a "third-generation" cadre child. Her maternal and paternal grandparents were veterans of the revolution, though her paternal grandparents had retired early due to poor health after the founding of the new China. Her maternal grandparents, however, were still deeply entrenched in the military. Consequently, the original body’s older brother, Xie Yunyi, had been arranged into the army by their maternal grandparents right after graduating high school, and within six months, he was recommended to a military academy—a path filled with a bright future.

When it came to the original body, her maternal grandparents had wanted to arrange for her to join the literary and art troupe after high school graduation. After all, for a young woman, that job was decent and comfortable; she wouldn't have to go to the countryside, and they could keep an eye on her. Unfortunately, "Xie Yunshu" was hot-blooded at the time; she ignored her family's arrangements, and with a little prodding from those around her, she resolutely signed up to go to the countryside. As for the motives of the person who urged her, Yun Shu didn't care to dwell on it; in any case, if they wanted to get anything out of Yun Shu, the original body's family wouldn't let them have an easy time of it.

The moment of Xie Yunshu's transmigration was quite clever; by the time her consciousness cleared, she was already on the train heading to the countryside. That was fine. After all, she was not the original Xie Yunshu, and rashly interacting with the original owner’s loved ones would surely lead them to notice something amiss. A departure from the start was the best-case scenario for her; by the time she returned home via the college entrance exam two years later, she could use the hardships she had endured as a pretext for her changed personality—a perfect buffer.

Carrying two parcels filled with her parents' love, a military coat on her back that her brother had specially mailed from the base to give her some standing, and clutching a bulging, olive-green shoulder bag, Yun Shu could only think of one thing: this new life was quite alright. She didn't know where the original soul had gone; perhaps they had swapped places, and if so, her own parents wouldn't have to grieve her sudden death. All in all, Yun Shu didn't feel much of a burden about occupying another person's life, as she was also adrift and could only try her best to adapt to her circumstances.

On the train, the "heroine" sitting next to her was Lin Jingshu, the protagonist of the book. Opposite her sat the villainess Yang Yue and the male lead, Jiang Xiucheng. Later, when the conflict erupted, the person who swapped seats with the male lead was Chen Ming, Jiang Xiucheng's best friend. He wasn't the male lead, but he had a significant role in the book. Looking back at the original body, Xie Yunshu had only one thought: children who don't know any better cannot be taught easily; they must be beaten by the harsh reality of society.

Especially since the main theme of this era was the "Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside" movement, the fact that the original body had abandoned the urban job that most protagonists in period novels craved, choosing instead to go to the countryside, was more than just "not knowing any better." Failing to live up to her elders' wishes was one thing, but more importantly, while her maternal grandparents had some influence, in such sensitive times, they couldn't be too conspicuous.

Therefore, helpless, the two elders and Yun Shu's parents had to accept their daughter's impulsive decision. They thought that since she insisted on going, let her go; once she tasted hardship, learned a lesson, and grew up, they would slowly arrange for her return. The elders were heartbroken for her, but her parents, who were both low-level leaders in the working class, could only nod in agreement once the grandfather spoke. They then took out their savings to provide the troublesome daughter with everything she needed for life in the countryside.

While it wasn't as comprehensive as an ancient bride's dowry, the loving couple wanted to ensure that Xie Yunshu would be as well-fed and clothed in the countryside as she was in the city. Most things would have to be sent by mail; it was currently late summer and early autumn, so Yun Shu only brought what was absolutely necessary. And then, under the gaze of her parents and younger sister, she boarded the train to a distant land.

Was the original Xie Yunshu stupid? The current Xie Yunshu didn't think so. This was just how the era was. One followed the trend, chased the torrent of the times, took passionate oaths alongside classmates, and, swept up in the fervor, filled in one's name on the registration form. Setting aside the prodding of those with ulterior motives, she could have accepted her elders' arrangements and stayed in the city as a worker—after all, with her brother in the army and her sister still young, she could have barely squeezed through a loophole.

However, not just the original protagonist, but even Xie Yunshu knew while reading the book that the "Xie Yunshu" in the story was the most common, yet most precious, type of hot-blooded youth of that era. Perhaps "Xie Yunshu" was too young to understand the miseries of the countryside, and perhaps in the future, she would forget her original intent due to the exhaustion of laboring in the fields, even regretting her own rashness and naivety. But at least for now... the term "hot-blooded youth" was by no means derogatory.

Who hasn't been young? Who hasn't made decisions they later regretted? Who was born mature and capable of weighing pros and cons from the start? At least the "Xie Yunshu" in the book, after a brief moment of sorrow and regret, reaffirmed her self-determination. She was a microcosm of that era, and perhaps, a reflection of the youth the author longed for—those who looked toward a brighter future.

So, Xie Yunshu felt quite fortunate that she had transmigrated into this "Xie Yunshu."