Reborn in the Seventies

A Note Before You Read:

This story has undergone several major revisions, and some content has been deleted. If you see "Diandian Jun," please bear with me. Thank you!

Two male leads + period setting + HE + both protagonists' first love + transmigration into a book + a special ability (appears in Chapter 19)

Gu Yu (top) × Shen Jianan (bottom)

The protagonist is flawed, not a saint, and always repays a grudge.

Some supporting characters are annoying, while others are lovable and have solid values. They're of all genders, so please don't make everything about gender politics.

The first thirty chapters mainly highlight the bottom's personality. Because of his circumstances and status, the top can't yet show all of his abilities. But later, the two will make a powerful team.

This novel has quite a few career-focused storylines and a slow pace. It isn't suited to readers who only want romance or a fast-moving plot.

Some of the details about the era in this novel come from older relatives' firsthand accounts, while others were gathered through Baidu searches. For the sake of a complete story, the plot may stray a little from reality. Please don't overanalyze the historical accuracy.

Also, some places had electricity in the seventies, but the power supply was insufficient, so electricity was rationed. The story takes place in a fictional location, but I based its conditions on those of my hometown at the time. It was a special region, so it did have electricity. Please be reasonable about this and don't flame me.

And to all the readers who have stopped by, the author warmly welcomes you! If you like it, please keep reading. If you don't, please be kind enough to leave. Writing isn't easy, so please don't leave a bad review just because you didn't read carefully. I'm begging you!

The author has kindergarten-level writing skills, and this is my first time writing a period novel. If there's anything lacking, please feel free to offer reasonable suggestions and feedback. The low rating is due to the effects of several major revisions. Please don't pick fights for no reason, and especially don't attack the author personally, or it'll come back to bite you. Thank you!

Main Story:

Outside XX University.

A dignified, well-dressed woman handed Shen Jianan a card and said coldly, "Your tuition for all four years of university is on this card. Don't come asking me for money again."

Then she turned and left, arm in arm with a middle-aged man in a suit, his fingers covered in gold rings. Shen Congwen, standing some distance away, glanced at their backs and spat. He then ground out his cigarette on the trash can, walked over with an irritated look, and stopped in front of his son.

Then he impatiently took out his phone and waved it at him. "Pay by QR code. I've only got six thousand yuan in my WeChat account. Make it last the next four years. I still have to raise Xiaobao, so I don't have any extra money."

"Hah!"

Shen Jianan scoffed, but didn't say anything more. He obediently took out his phone and quickly opened his payment code. Only after the other man had scanned it and transferred the six thousand yuan did he start haggling. "Give me another thirty thousand, or I'll go to your workplace and tell everyone about what you've done."

Shen Congwen froze, then shouted, "What the hell did you say?"

Seeing the murderous look on his face, Shen Jianan wasn't the least bit intimidated. Expressionless, he repeated, "I said, give me another thirty thousand, or I'll go to your workplace and tell everyone about what you've done. I'll tell them you brought me into the world but never raised me."

"In your dreams!"

Shen Congwen glared at him and raised a hand to strike, but Shen Jianan took a few quick steps forward and looked up at the palm raised above him.

"Go ahead! There are cameras everywhere. Try hitting me! I promise I won't fight back."

"You!"

Shen Congwen jerked his hand, but in the end didn't dare bring it down. Breathing heavily, he glared at his unfilial son, his eyes blazing with barely contained fury. "Fine! I'll give you the money. But from now on, you'd better not show your face in front of me again, or I'll break your damn legs!"

"Sure!"

The young man nodded. As long as he got the money, he didn't care. Seeing that he'd agreed, the other man wasted no time scanning his code and transferring the money, afraid that if he delayed another moment, this shameless little bastard would ask him for more.

Shen Jianan accepted the payment and smiled at him. "Thanks, Mr. Shen!"

Then he waved his phone, grabbed his suitcase, and walked off without looking back. But suddenly, an SUV went out of control, hurtled from the middle of the road toward the curb, and struck Shen Jianan before he'd gone far. He flew backward and slammed into Shen Congwen, who had been gloating behind him.

Before he died, the knot that had been tied inside Shen Jianan for eighteen years suddenly loosened halfway. Looking at the people running toward them in a panic, he curled his lips into a faint smile, then slowly closed his eyes.

Summer, 1975. The sun was so fierce it made people squint. The ridges between the fields were scorching and brittle, covered in countless narrow cracks. Anyone walking across them had to watch their step, or they might crush a clod of earth beneath their feet.

Recorder Zhao Hongjun paced back and forth along the field ridges, keeping a close eye on how much work everyone in the brigade—men and women, young and old—had done. Every now and then, he glanced at the boy lying unconscious beneath a persimmon tree and muttered a few words.

"Honestly, he's been here a whole year. How does he pass out every time he does a little work?"

"Mm..."

The young man gave a faint groan and slowly opened his eyes. Countless unfamiliar images flashed through his mind. He couldn't help reaching up to rub his head, then looked up at the tree overhead, dazed for a moment.

A few hours ago, he and his heartless father had been hit by an SUV outside the university gates. He hadn't expected that as soon as he opened his eyes, he'd find himself in this era of scarcity.

The worst part was that he'd transmigrated into a dark period novel called The Seventies: My Steamy Life with the White Lotus Heroine. He'd become an unlikable, minor side character—the kind who didn't even survive three chapters.

The plot had already reached the part where the minor character passed out from heatstroke and still hadn't woken up by the time the whistle blew at the end of the workday. The recorder was in a hurry to leave, so he asked the novel's second male lead, Gu Yu, to carry him back to where he lived.

That gave the heartless male lead, Zhao Jianguo, the perfect opportunity. The cannon-fodder boy was the sort who couldn't carry anything or lift a hand, but had a sharp tongue and couldn't stand losing even the smallest thing. He'd argued with practically everyone at the Educated Youth Station.

In the end, the educated youths got so fed up with him that they went to complain to Brigade Secretary Zhao Qiancheng. He also thought the boy was a useless layabout, so he sent him to live with Gu Yu in a thatched hut halfway up the mountain.

So if they went back, they'd have to take the narrow, steep mountain path. Zhao Jianguo knew that, which was why he'd hidden in the bushes beside the path beforehand. Catching them off guard, he shoved them both down the slope.

The minor character named Shen Jianan, just like him, landed among the rocks at the foot of the mountain. A sharp stone pierced his neck, killing him on the spot. Gu Yu, meanwhile, had broken only his right leg because Shen Jianan had broken his fall.

After forcing himself to endure the pain, Gu Yu called for help and drew people over. Zhao Jianguo then ran out from the side and insisted that he'd seen Gu Yu kill Shen Jianan. As for his injured leg, he claimed Gu Yu had deliberately hurt himself to divert suspicion and escape punishment.

Under normal circumstances, anyone with a bit of sense would have seen through such a crude frame-up. But the problem was that Gu Yu's background was sensitive.

For certain reasons, his family couldn't defend themselves and were branded XXX. In the end, everyone except his aunt, who had married a high-ranking official, and his youngest uncle, who was overseas, was sent down to different places.

As a result, Gu Yu became a target for special "care" from the brigade. The people of Red Flag Commune avoided him like the plague and thought very poorly of him.

On top of that, Gu Yu disliked Shen Jianan intensely. Everyone often saw him giving the other man the cold shoulder. By comparison, Zhao Jianguo was the son of the Brigade Secretary, clever and studious, and a shining example of moral integrity. Naturally, everyone was more inclined to believe him.

So Gu Yu's attempt to "helpfully carry" Shen Jianan ended in a death. Worse, it got him thrown in prison. He was originally supposed to be executed, but later, somehow, someone brought the case to his aunt's attention.

Only then did she use every means at her disposal to save Gu Yu. But he didn't get away with it completely—he was still sentenced to seven years. During that time, Gu Yu's white-lotus educated-youth girlfriend didn't believe a word he said and let Zhao Jianguo lead her around by the nose.

What was ridiculous was that this woman claimed to love Gu Yu deeply and promised to wait for him and marry him when he got out. But less than a month after he was sentenced, she threw herself into Zhao Jianguo's arms. That alone would've been bad enough. If you'd cheated on someone, shouldn't you have kept a low profile and lived your life quietly? Everyone had eyes, after all.

But she was shamelessly conspicuous, strutting around like a peacock fresh from mating, as though she wanted to carve the words "Zhao Jianguo is my man" into her forehead.

She even said she loved boldly and honestly. She claimed she wasn't leaving Gu Yu because he was in prison, but because she'd gradually seen his true nature. His former perfection had all been an act; Gu Yu was a gloomy, introverted murderer.

Zhao Jianguo, on the other hand, was so upright, ambitious, and kind. Only a man like him deserved all her love.

Shen Jianan was speechless. How is this a dark period novel? It's an idiotic story written by someone with a shrunken brain. And Zhao Jianguo and the heroine, Jiang Hongmei, are both absolutely unhinged.

But the most ridiculous of all was the author. It would take a decade-long brain thrombosis to come up with a plot like this. Just to make the male and female leads' love story work, she'd not only ruined the second male lead, who had the most normal values, but also killed off a minor side character. She was completely insane.

And the key point was that he'd transmigrated into that minor character. How could Shen Jianan put up with that? Furious and resentful, he cursed the author and her whole family eighteen different ways in his head before gradually calming down. He was just about to figure out how to deal with Zhao Jianguo when he heard hurried footsteps approaching from a distance.

His eyes shifted, and in an instant his expression turned remorseful. He planted both hands on the ground and struggled to sit up, trembling. His handsome face pale, he looked at the recorder who had come over and spoke in a soft, weak voice.

"Recorder, thank you for looking after me. I—I'm feeling a bit better now. I'll go back to work right away!"

As he spoke, he "struggled" to his feet under the other man's astonished gaze, then staggered toward the fields. Watching his legs nearly tangle together, Recorder Zhao Hongjun frowned and couldn't help asking him,

"Educated Youth Shen, are you sure you can manage? If you really can't keep going, rest a little longer."

"N-no, I'm fine!"

Shen Jianan waved him off and walked with determination to the plot of land assigned to him. He picked up the hoe lying in the corner and started chopping at the earth.

Zhao Hongjun watched him swing the hoe weakly, looking as though he might drop dead at any moment, and felt anxious for him. Still, it was better than usual.

The boy couldn't carry anything or lift a hand. He usually relied on his family's good circumstances—they often sent him money and food coupons, so he never went hungry. As a result, he didn't put much effort into his work.

He also didn't get along with the people at the Educated Youth Station or the villagers. He often argued with everyone over the smallest things. But now, he'd actually started working on his own. Had passing out once knocked some sense into him?

Zhao Hongjun wondered about it, but whatever the reason, it was a good thing that the other boy was willing to work. He smiled, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked in good spirits to the other end of the field, leaving the feeble Shen Jianan alone.

Shen Jianan was just as relieved when he left. The boy gritted his teeth and worked hard for a while. Just as he was getting tired and wanted to rest, he heard the whistle signaling the end of the workday. He happily straightened up, leaned on the hoe, and wiped the sweat from his brow.

He saw the unlucky second male lead, Gu Yu, and the white-lotus heroine walking over one after the other, each carrying a hoe. Remembering the plot of the book, Shen Jianan quickly smiled and hurried toward them.

"Brother Gu!"

Gu Yu was lost in thought when he suddenly heard a familiar voice. The vein in his forehead twitched. He was about to avoid him when the young man came running over like a whirlwind, then looked up at him with a grin, his face far too handsome.

"Brother Gu, shall we go back together?"

"But Gu Yu still has to help repair the roof at the Educated Youth Station! You go back first!"

Gu Yu's mouth twitched. He was about to refuse when the young man in front of him scoffed and turned his head toward Jiang Hongmei behind him with a mocking look. "Why should he? Is that Gu's house? Are there no other men at the Educated Youth Station who know how to fix a roof?

"Don't you know Brother Gu is busy? If he goes to repair your roof, who'll do the work in the Cattle Shed? If he doesn't finish and loses work points, and gets scolded for it, are you and those other men going to take his place?"

Shen Jianan rattled on, making Jiang Hongmei so angry that she started panting, her chest heaving like bellows. "Shen Jianan, how can you twist my words like that? I'm trying to help Gu Yu! His situation is special, so he should contribute more. Don't you know that?"

Gu Yu's expression changed at her words, and he couldn't help closing his eyes. He'd never understood what had gone wrong in his head. Why did he like such an idiotic woman? There were times when he wanted to strangle the fool.

But whenever the thought crossed his mind, a flood of affection would rise up inside him, and he'd think of all her wonderful qualities. Then he could no longer bring himself to refuse her, much less hurt her. Honestly, it was torture.

Fortunately, later on, that little sparrow called Shen Jianan had gone to the countryside and, by a twist of fate, ended up living with him. That had let him enjoy a few days of peace.

But what irritated him was that, even though the boy was undeniably cute, Gu Yu inexplicably found him annoying. Incredibly annoying. Sometimes he couldn't control his temper and would yell at him.

Every time he saw the other boy looking aggrieved, Gu Yu felt terribly guilty. He didn't know what was wrong with himself. He wanted to be kind to the boy, but the next moment he couldn't control his temper.

"Pah! That's a nice way to put it. You clearly want a sucker to work for you for free, but you make it sound so noble. Shameless!"

Shen Jianan scoffed with disdain. "Besides, if you really cared about Brother Gu, you wouldn't keep making him do your work."

The young man narrowed his eyes and leaned toward her, lowering his voice. "And if I hear you tell anyone again that Brother Gu's situation is this or that, I'll report you for making other people do your work and trying to live like a capitalist pleasure-seeker."

"You!"

Jiang Hongmei looked as if she were about to burst into tears. She stepped forward, tugged at Gu Yu, and said pitifully, "Gu Yu, say something! You know I didn't mean it that way. I just wanted you to get along with everyone, so you could eventually..."

"Thanks for the thought, but there's no need!"

Gu Yu came back to himself and glanced at her impassively. Then he lifted his chin at Shen Jianan, who looked smug. "Let's go."

"Oh!"

The young man's dimples deepened. He hoisted his hoe onto his shoulder and walked away alongside Gu Yu, leaving Jiang Hongmei standing there in a daze, unable to recover for a long time. In the end, a companion couldn't stand watching her and came over to tug at her before she finally snapped out of it.

"Hongmei, Gu Yu is so petty."

Educated youth Lu Xiaoyue looked at the two departing figures and said disdainfully, "Sure, his family used to have decent circumstances, but look at how badly off they are now. What's there to be smug about? Why don't you just get together with Zhao Jianguo instead? He likes you, after all."

"Don't talk nonsense!"

Jiang Hongmei's face reddened. She gave her a shy, reproachful look. "Jianguo and I share the same ideals; we're close friends. But Gu Yu and I..."

She lowered her head, her voice turning sweet and cloying. "My parents said we'd get married once we were old enough. Do you understand?"

"Oh!"

Lu Xiaoyue gave a perfunctory reply and said no more, but she secretly grumbled about Jiang Hongmei. She'd used that excuse eight hundred times, yet it never stopped her from flirting with Zhao Jianguo. And Gu Yu sometimes seemed to get along with her, but at other times he seemed to find her utterly repulsive.

What was more, from Jiang Hongmei's own words, Lu Xiaoyue and the others at the Educated Youth Station knew that the Gu family had never acknowledged any engagement between her and Gu Yu. They'd only said they'd let things take their course. But Jiang Hongmei and her family were convinced the Gu family had accepted the match.

Lu Xiaoyue glanced at her and lowered her eyes to hide the complicated look in them. "Come on. If Gu Yu won't help, never mind. We can fix it ourselves."

"But...I still want him to get along with everyone."

Jiang Hongmei twisted her fingers together miserably. Seeing her put on that act again, Lu Xiaoyue felt fed up. She rolled her eyes and said, "Then go by yourself!"

With that, she hoisted her hoe onto her shoulder and walked off impatiently. Jiang Hongmei froze, then shouted after her, aggrieved, "Xiaoyue, how can you do this?"

But when Lu Xiaoyue heard her complaint, she didn't respond. She only walked faster, as if a dog were chasing her.

Jiang Hongmei was both angry and anxious. What was going on today? Why was everyone picking on her? None of them would listen to her advice. They were all acting like different people.