Stuck In Matrimony

The gentle breeze rustled the grass, and the sunlight illuminated the vibrant life around.

This season was perfect for relaxation; all one had to do was lie down on the ground to feel the comforting laziness wash over them.

At the riverbank, a girl of nearly six lay on the grass, chewing on a sweet grass root. She lazily rolled over, narrowly avoiding the hand of a nearby boy who tried to pull her up.

Nate looked at his sister, Nina, who refused to get up, shaking his head in disbelief. With a sigh typical of an older sibling, he wondered how someone could be so extraordinary as to lie in bed all day.

Nina had always been a bit of an enigma to him. While he could run around the village all day without tiring, she seemed perfectly content to lounge about, often leaving their parents worried when she spent too much time in bed or on the couch. Yet, when it came to chores, she would do her part without complaint, just not proactively seek out work.

Their family had concluded, after much deliberation, that Nina was simply born lazy.

Just like now, she wasn’t even tired but still refused to join them, claiming she was contemplating life. Nate, looking at her from different angles, could only conclude that she was daydreaming.

Hearing Nate’s footsteps fade as he ran off, Nina resumed her position on the ground, taking the now tasteless grass root from her mouth, her chubby face displaying a look of resignation.

Life was hard for her!

Nina was well aware of how her family and even the villagers perceived her, but she couldn’t help but feel that in her previous life, this behavior would have been perfectly normal.

Nina’s previous life had ended when she was thirty. Growing up in an ordinary family, she had lived a typical life. Her only advantage was her hard work, which allowed her to excel academically and gain admission to a prestigious university for computer science.

Just when it seemed her life was about to shine, tragedy struck. Her parents fell ill and passed away during her college years, leaving her emotionally drained and financially destitute. Their savings were wiped out, and she was left alone.

Starting from scratch, she graduated and entered a major tech company, where the grind of a 996 work schedule became her new normal. Every day was a blur of commuting and working, fueled by toxic positivity. Everyone said that if you didn’t work hard while young, you wouldn’t enjoy life when you were older.

But she never got the chance to enjoy anything; she collapsed on her way home from work, her life extinguished.

In her final moments, she thought about becoming a headline in the news, sparking discussions about work-life balance. To her surprise, when she opened her eyes again, she found herself reborn as a baby in a bygone era, decades before personal computers even existed. Her field of study had no relevance here—after all, who in this time could build a computer?

The painful memories of her previous life lingered, and Nina had no desire to relive the struggle of starting over. All she wanted was to be a happy, lazy fish and live a simple life.

“Get up, Nina!”

Nina was abruptly pulled to her feet by her brother, Nate. Seeing the urgency on his face, she furrowed her brow in confusion, unsure of what was happening.

Nate, accustomed to Nina’s silent expressions, quickly explained, “Something’s wrong; Grandma is calling us back!”

Nina understood the urgency and followed her brother home, her movements surprisingly agile despite her usual laziness. “What happened?” she asked.

The village was usually peaceful, and the biggest event she had witnessed since her birth was a petty theft. The fact that children were being called back home indicated something serious was afoot.

Nate, running without breaking a sweat, wiped his brow. “Little White Goose is missing! They say she fell into a pit in the mountains, and the village chief is calling for the kids!”

Little White Goose wasn’t actually a goose; it was the nickname of a girl who lived near the Johnsons. She was around Nina’s age, but they had never interacted much due to their families’ differences. Little White Goose and her sister were known for their difficult personalities, and Nina had never bothered to cultivate friendships.

“That’s strange,” Nina blurted out.

The pit was a local term for traps set by old hunters in the mountains. Children who grew up in the village were wild and adventurous, often playing in the woods. Even Nina, who preferred to be lazy, knew to avoid such traps. This was the first time she had heard of anyone falling into one.

Little White Goose and her sister rarely played with the village children and often went up into the mountains. It seemed unlikely that Little White Goose would be the one to fall in, especially since the sisters were usually inseparable.

As Nate ran, he felt a sudden resistance on his hand. He turned around to see Nina walking slowly, her expression growing more troubled. In that moment, a flicker of fear crossed her face.

Nate, who had been calm until now, suddenly panicked, recalling something their grandmother had said. He looked around and spotted their grandmother standing at the door, shouting, “Nina! Are you scared?”

“Not at all, Grandma, I’m fine!” Nina insisted for the fifth time, but it didn’t stop Grandma from forcing herbal medicine down her throat.

The lid of the jar on the table was not tightly sealed, and as per routine, Grandma would add a few more herbs and apply them to Nina’s forehead.

Grandma was quick; as soon as Nina spoke, the concoction was poured down her throat, and before Nina could protest, the herbal paste was smeared on her forehead. The brown liquid dripped down her face, giving her a patchy appearance that resembled a theatrical performance.

“Good, you’re not scared, not scared,” Grandma said, relieved to see Nina’s bright eyes. She noticed there was still some liquid left in the bowl and diluted it with water before handing it to Nate, determined not to waste anything.

What’s the saying? “Medicine is three parts poison.” She had never heard of that; all she knew was that wasting food was a sin.

As Nina watched her brother endure the same treatment, she heard a commotion at the door. It was her mother, Wendy, who walked in with a curious expression. “Mom, let me tell you, the daughters of the Old Smith family are something else…”

Before she could continue, Grandma shot her a look, silencing her. Wendy, feeling uneasy, noticed Nina’s herbal-covered forehead and rushed over to embrace her. “Mom, what happened to Nina?”

Grandma didn’t stop her daughter but emphasized, “Don’t talk about that in front of the kids; they tend to overthink. Nina was almost scared to death today!”

With Grandma’s intervention, the gossip ceased. Nina found herself enveloped in her mother’s warmth, resting against her chest, lost in thought.

In truth, Nina already knew the details of the situation, even what was to come…

The incident involving Little White Goose stirred up quite a commotion in the village, even prompting the Johnson family, who usually kept to themselves, to offer their condolences. The morning’s work was hastily wrapped up.

However, no matter how serious the situation, it couldn’t overshadow mealtime. As soon as it was time to eat, every household was filled with people, their appetites unaffected by any drama. The Johnson family was no exception.

Nina sat quietly beside her mother, her demeanor drawing the attention of the family. From Grandma to her father, uncles, and even Nate, everyone wore concerned expressions.

But looking at them, Nina could only sigh—

[Transforming villains, building a better life, and contributing to society as flowers of the nation is an unshakable responsibility! Dear host, are you ready to become the hero who changes this world?]

The system’s voice echoed in her mind, reminiscent of a cult-like sales pitch, as a door representing temptation swung open.

This morning, Nina hadn’t been scared; she had been stunned by two shocking revelations that landed in her lap.

One was the sudden appearance of a so-called villain transformation system.

The other was the memory of a novel she had once read, titled “Fighting Against Heaven and Earth in a Historical Novel.”

In that book, Little White Goose, whose real name was Lucy, was the female lead, and this incident was the catalyst for Nina’s journey into the story.

In the novel, she would change Lucy’s unfortunate life, wielding immense power to confront every antagonist that stood in her way.

Nina looked up at her family, who were devouring their meals,