Marriage in the 1970s: The Political Commissar's Contract Wife

The obstetrician arrived quickly. After a preliminary examination and questioning, she removed her mask, looked at the family members with a serious expression, and asked a crucial question: "Is the patient married?"

"No!" Zhilin answered immediately, his tone resolute.

Just then, Fang Chu rushed in like a gust of wind, his hair disheveled and his forehead covered in sweat. He grabbed the doctor's arm, his voice filled with barely suppressed panic and a terrible premonition: "Doctor! What happened to Zhi Xia? The baby... is the baby gone?!"

"Shut the hell up!" Zhi Lin roared in anger, shoving Fang Chu aside. Veins bulged on his forehead, and he wished he could punch him again right then and there.

Wang Chun, who was standing nearby, also became anxious and quickly tried to explain, "Doctor, that's not true! She just has menstrual cramps! She doesn't even have a boyfriend yet! What do you mean by 'children'!"

The doctor frowned as he looked at the chaotic scene before him, his gaze sweeping between Zhi Lin and Fang Chu. His tone was more stern and solemn than ever before:

"Calm down, all of you! I'm not prying into your private affairs! The patient is bleeding heavily, unconscious, and in extremely dangerous condition! If she has a miscarriage, we must proceed with the emergency treatment and curettage according to the miscarriage protocol. If it's just severe functional bleeding, that requires a different treatment plan! Using the wrong medication or treating the wrong direction can be fatal! I'm asking you one last time, who is telling the truth?!"

All eyes immediately focused on Fang Chu.

Facing Zhi Lin's almost murderous gaze, Fang Chu took a deep breath, stepped forward, stood in front of the doctor, and said in a tone that commanded everything and brooked no argument:

"Doctor, I'm telling the truth. We...we had a relationship. Please save her, I'll take full responsibility."

"Fang Chu, you fucking bastard!!" Zhi Lin's pent-up anger suddenly erupted, and he roared, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and he was trembling with rage, but was held back by Wang Chun and a nurse who were quick to react.

The air seemed to freeze at the entrance to the emergency room.

Faced with the threat to their lives, the truth was forced to be laid bare.

The doctor gave Fang Chu a deep look, then turned and strode into the emergency room without hesitation. The door slammed shut, shutting out all the anger, guilt, and worry.

The lights in the emergency room finally went out. The doctor came out, took off his mask, and his face showed a hint of relief after exhaustion.

"The bleeding has stopped, and the person is out of immediate danger. Observe for a while, and they will wake up when the anesthesia wears off."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but before they could fully relax, the doctor's next words instantly froze the atmosphere again.

"She did have a miscarriage. Fortunately, the fetus was very small and the implantation was unstable, so the damage to the uterus was relatively minor. With proper rest, it shouldn't affect her future."

Upon hearing this, Zhilin's eyes instantly reddened, not from sadness, but from immense confusion and anger. He glared at the doctor, his voice hoarse, "Doctor, this isn't right! She...she took birth control pills before! How could she still be pregnant?!"

The doctor seemed unfazed by this, calmly explaining, "Comrade, birth control pills, especially the emergency kind, aren't 100% effective. There's a chance of failure."

"Then why did she miscarry?!" Zhi Lin pressed, needing an answer, a target to which he could more accurately direct his raging anger.

The doctor gave a diagnosis based on common medical knowledge, yet it sent a shockwave through those in the know:

"Judging from the size of the embryo and the way it detached naturally, it is highly likely that the embryo itself was of poor quality and underdeveloped, and it was a natural selection process. No matter how good the soil is, an unhealthy seed cannot survive."

"It's all your fault!!" Zhi Lin suddenly turned to Fang Chu, all her anger, heartache, and helplessness turning into these three words, which she threw like a stone.

Fang Chu stood there, his complexion not much better than Zhi Xia's, who had just woken up. He didn't argue, nor did he try to shirk responsibility; he simply bore Zhi Lin's anger, bowing his head deeply, his voice low and clear:

"It was my fault."

He knew better than anyone else. The doctor's words, "The embryo itself is of poor quality," were like a needle, precisely piercing his deepest worries and guilt.

It's highly likely that the reason he was drugged and disoriented, coupled with Zhixia's immediate use of emergency contraception afterward, was that this "seed" was inherently rotten.

This realization made him feel a heavy, inescapable sense of guilt.

Wang Chun, standing to the side, froze completely upon hearing the word "miscarriage." Her mouth gaped open, her eyes widened, and her mind went blank, repeatedly echoing, "Zhi Xia... miscarriage... the child..."

She finally pieced together all the clues from before—that Zhixia had fallen ill when she first arrived, and the rumors circulating in the family compound about Fang Chu and Zhixia.

The truth was too shocking for her to process. She could only stand there blankly, watching the painful and guilty mess that had been caused by the death of a life that should not have existed.

The hospital's disinfectant smell was pungent, and the cold lights in the corridor made Lin's face look bloodless.

His sister was temporarily out of danger, but a problem far more intractable and deadly than physical injuries weighed heavily on his shoulders like a mountain.

It can't be hidden, it's impossible to hide it.

There are no secrets in the family compound. From Wang Chun carrying her out of the house, to the aunties helping to lift her, to Li Yunxiao's blurt out "miscarriage," and finally to Fang Chu's admission at the hospital... every step of this incident was exposed to the public eye.

Rumors and gossip are probably spreading like a plague in every corner of the residential compound.

Before long, the news that "Zhilin's pretty sister got pregnant and miscarried as soon as she arrived" will become the hottest topic of conversation for everyone.

What should I do? What should I do next?

Zhilin scratched his head in pain, his hair a mess. This decisive and resolute man on the training field was now driven to the brink of despair.

He seemed to have only three paths before him, each one fraught with thorns, leading to deeper despair:

1. Immediately send Zhixia back to her hometown.

This is the most direct protection. Getting away from this place of trouble might avoid the most intense barrage of rumors. But... she has just experienced severe bleeding and miscarriage, and her body is extremely weak; she simply cannot withstand a long journey. If something were to happen to her on the way, he would never forgive himself for the rest of his life. This would be tantamount to pushing her into another dangerous situation.

2. Take them home to recuperate.

He wanted to ensure his younger sister received the best care under his watchful eye. However, this meant she would have to face the pointing fingers, whispers, and strange looks from the entire residential compound. Those invisible knives were enough to slowly kill a healthy soul, let alone Zhixia, who had just suffered a severe blow and was already psychologically fragile. Rumors really could kill; he feared his sister couldn't bear it and would be driven to her death.

3. Arrange for Zhixia and Fangchu to get married.

This seems to be the only way to "save" her reputation and give the rumors an "explanation." By using marriage, this "scandal" could be legalized and normalized. But... what will Zhixia think? She hates Fang Chu; it's a deep, visceral hatred. Forcing her to marry the man who caused her immense trauma, made her lose her child (even though the child shouldn't exist), and almost ruined her life? With Zhixia's fierce temperament, this probably isn't saving her, but pushing her to the brink! She might rather die than accept such an arrangement. In that case, what will be lost won't just be a child, but her sister's entire life, even her life itself.

He was truly caught in a dilemma, losing no matter which way he went.