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

Zheng Qin was taken aback by her father's erratic thinking and overly high expectations, and smiled helplessly, "Dad, that's a bit demanding. Whether it's a boy or a girl, who can say for sure? We'll be grateful if we can give birth to two safely!"

Fang Yuzhao seemed to realize that his request was a bit excessive, but he immediately seized on another crucial matter and announced in an unquestionable tone:

"Since they're twins, I'll be the one to choose these names!"

Upon hearing this, Fang Zheng immediately objected: "Dad! You're so old, don't worry about this! I'll name my grandson myself!"

Fang Yuzhao glared, slamming his cane heavily on the ground, asserting the absolute authority of the old patriarch:

"Dream on! I'm not dead yet! This is no big deal for you to handle. Get out of my way!"

Well, this naming dispute has escalated from Fang Zheng and Fang Chu to the old man. It seems that these two unborn little ones are destined to carry the heavy love and expectations of generations of the Fang family, starting from their names.

Fang Zheng immediately began to argue his case, even bringing up old grievances: "Dad, you're being biased! You weren't so insistent on naming my eldest brother's three grandsons back then! Why do you have to personally take charge when it comes to Xiao Chu?"

Fang Yuzhao was a little embarrassed when his son pointed out the "differential treatment," but as the saying goes, experience counts, and he straightened his neck and retorted confidently:

"How can that be the same? Your older brother's family only had single births! Xiao Chu's wife is pregnant with twins! It's the first time in our family! How can the significance be the same? I have to name them!"

Seeing that the old man was being unreasonable, Fang Zheng had no choice but to change tactics and began to "attack" the old man's naming skills, his tone tinged with grievance and disdain:

"Dad, I'm not saying this to be mean, but the names you gave us are really awful! Look at the names you gave us: Fangxiang (Direction) and Fangzheng (Upright)! They're so casual. And look at your three grandsons: Fangchu (Fang Chu), Fangchen (Fang Chen), and Fangxi (Fang Xi)! Chu, Chen, Xi—they've got it all over the place all the time, there's no sense of style at all!"

He got more and more excited as he spoke, directly bringing up "other people's children" for comparison: "Look at my eldest brother, the names he gave his three grandsons: Yanzhou, Yanlin, and Yanchuan! Listen to them, aren't they all more cultured and elegant than the 'Chuchenxi' you gave them? Dad, just take a break, okay?"

Fang Yuzhao was somewhat rendered speechless by his son's series of "accusations." He pondered for a moment, and it seemed... his eldest son's name did indeed sound better? His momentum weakened, and his tone became more conciliatory, even ingratiating:

"Then can't I follow the names of Xiao Zhou and Xiao Lin? I'll choose one with the character 'Yan' in it!"

Fang Zheng was secretly pleased to see the old man concede, but he still pretended to be unwilling and began to fight for his rights, his tone even carrying a hint of coquetry and whining:

"Dad! I've finally made it to the point of becoming a grandfather, so please let me have my fun naming things! You have to leave me one, right?"

Fang Yuzhao looked at his son's rare childlike side and his heart softened. He also knew that he couldn't be too autocratic.

He hesitated for a moment, then made a difficult decision, with a pain as if his own flesh had been torn apart: "...Fine! Then...one for each of us!"

"Okay!" Fang Zheng immediately made the decision, afraid that the old man would change his mind.

This "family war" over naming rights for their two unborn babies has finally reached a preliminary peace agreement through friendly negotiations where both father and son have taken a step back.

Zheng Qin managed to obtain a thick stack of cash and a number of rare tickets from her father-in-law through a combination of "borrowing" and "coaxing".

Without a moment's delay, she packed everything up, including what she had scraped together, and sent it to her son as quickly as possible. Only then did she feel a little more at ease—this should be enough for her unborn twin grandchildren to use for a while.

Meanwhile, in the Fang family's old house, old man Fang Yuzhao was not idle. On the surface, he agreed to his son's request to "choose one for each of them," but behind the scenes, he put on his reading glasses, took out the dusty dictionary, and seriously began to think about names.

They said they'd only take one, but that won't do.

The old man had his own plan: the names of the twins must be related to each other, sounding like a family. What would it sound like if they were given separate names? He had to decide on the names himself! So, he automatically put the "one name for each of them" agreement out of his mind and began to rack his brains, thinking about which words would be both pleasant to hear and meaningful, and would also reflect the tacit understanding between the twins.

As he pondered this, he couldn't resist opening the drawer and taking out another small notebook.

What if... what if they really are twins?

This wonderful idea took root and sprouted in his heart like a seed. He felt he couldn't be too biased and had to prepare in advance.

So, while pondering a name for a boy, he also began to think about a name for a girl. What would make the character "砚" (yan) sound elegant, and what would make it sound gentle and graceful...?

Sunlight streamed through the window and shone on the desk, where the old man was writing furiously, sometimes frowning, sometimes nodding.

Under his pen, names that embody the Fang family's best hopes for the future are leaping off the page one by one.

Fang Chu was overjoyed to receive a call from Fang Zheng, who told her that his family had sent him another large sum of money and ration coupons. He felt that his immediate crisis was finally about to be alleviated.

But this joy lasted less than half a minute before it was completely extinguished by the notification from the other end of the phone.

"...Okay, as long as you receive the money and tickets. There's another thing, don't worry about the names of the two children your wife is carrying, your grandfather and I will take care of them." Fang Zheng's tone carried a sense of "just letting you know" as if it were a matter of course.

Fang Chu immediately became anxious upon hearing this, her voice rising eight octaves: "No! Dad! Why are you dragging my grandpa into this again? How old is he? Can't he just enjoy his retirement in peace? Why is he getting involved in this mess?"

He had been hoping that even if he couldn't win against his father, he could at least secure the right to name a child. But now, he's completely out of the running!

Fang Zheng snorted on the other end, passing the buck to a higher "authority": "You have a problem with that? Go tell your grandfather yourself."

"That's my son!" Fang Chu tried to make a final stand, emphasizing his "sovereignty" as a father.

"I knew it was your son." Fang Zheng's tone carried a hint of schadenfreude from someone with more experience and an unquestionable air of wisdom. "When you become a grandfather, you can name your grandson. As for this son, forget about him!"

These words were like a final verdict, leaving Fang Chu speechless. He seemed to see an invisible "family law": in the Fang family, it was a natural and unshakable tradition for the grandfather to name his grandson! And he, as a new father, was at the bottom of this food chain, with no choice but to obediently accept it.