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

Shen Xing spent her entire life clinging to that meager, fixed salary, numbly enduring a hopeless job until retirement.

She did not remarry.

It wasn't that no one introduced her to anyone; rather, she knew in her heart that she had been married to someone like Fang Chu, witnessed the glamour and ruthlessness of the upper class, and could no longer look down on these mediocre ordinary people.

I heard that Fang Chu never remarried.

This realization once gave her a twisted sense of comfort, as if there was some tragic, inescapable karmic entanglement between them.

Therefore, in this life, her initial goal remains clear: Fang Chu.

She wanted to seize this man again, using him as a stepping stone to climb the social ladder. She meticulously planned the delivery of shoes and the drugging, and everything was proceeding according to her plan—until that unexpected variable, Zhi Xia, barged in!

When she saw from the shadows that, by a twist of fate, Fang Chu, the person selling traditional Chinese medicine, had actually taken away Zhi Lin's younger sister, Zhi Xia, she was utterly shocked and immediately felt an unprecedented panic. From that moment on, the trajectory of her past life completely veered off course from what she had anticipated.

She dared not linger any longer and chose to leave without hesitation. Even when news of her mother's accidental fall arrived, she almost sneered—look, even fate was providing her with the most plausible excuse to leave!

Because she knew that once things were exposed, Fang Chu and Zhi Lin's wrath would be something she couldn't bear.

Now, she lives a quiet life in the countryside, caring for her mother while frantically studying. The path she initially chose seems blocked, but she must seize the opportunity presented by the college entrance exam! She wants to use her "prophetic" abilities to pass the exam with dignity and rewrite her frustrating past!

However, in the quiet of the night, she would occasionally think of that woman named Zhixia, and a complex mix of jealousy, resentment, and a sense of bewilderment would well up in her heart.

Why? Why can she so easily obtain what I've longed for in two lifetimes?

Under the lamplight, Shen Xing's gaze returned to its cold and resolute tone. She closed the book and blew out the oil lamp.

In this life, she no longer wants to be a vine clinging to a man; she wants to grow into a towering tree on her own.

In the stillness of the night, Shen Xing lay on the cold earthen bed, her eyes wide open, staring at the beams blackened by smoke. Scenes from her past life, like faded old movies, played back vividly in her mind uncontrollably.

In her previous life, Zhi Xia took a completely different path.

She went to university in Kyoto after the resumption of the college entrance examination, having been admitted with honor. A beautiful, talented, and clean-cut female college student, somehow caught the eye of the dignified and imposing General Fang.

The old man insisted on recognizing her as his goddaughter, his attitude incredibly resolute. Fang Zheng (Fang Chu's father) and Fang Xiang (Fang Chu's uncle) also agreed without any objection.

Thus, Zhixia, who was even younger than their children, became Fang Chu's rightful aunt overnight.

Shen Xing still remembers that Fang Chu had vehemently opposed it at the time; with his temper, he almost had a falling out with the old man. But in the end, he couldn't fight against the old man's authority.

Zhi Xia still became a member of the Fang family, a "little sister" who was cherished by the old man and genuinely loved by Fang Fangzheng.

The scenes from her past life became increasingly clear in Shen Xing's mind, carrying a belated and cold insight.

Fang Chu liked Zhi Xia.

Perhaps even he himself may not have clearly admitted it, but how could such secret feelings be completely hidden from Shen Xing, his wife (even though they were sleeping in the same bed but dreaming different dreams)?

She remembered that at every family gathering, if Zhixia was present, Fang Chu would speak very little, but his eyes would unconsciously follow that bright figure, only to quickly and awkwardly look away just before their eyes met. His attitude towards Zhixia was one of almost clumsy caution and distance, completely different from his casualness towards other family members.

Back then, she had maliciously speculated that Fang Chu might have some ulterior motives towards her nominal "aunt." Now, looking back, it wasn't sordid at all; it was clearly a man's most helpless and painful restraint when faced with a woman he couldn't have and who was separated from him by social status and ethics.

Zhi Xia has Zuo Qi, who is her childhood sweetheart and lover.

Fang Chu, on the other hand, had Shen Xing, a wife he obtained through scheming and whom he loathed.

He had no position and no opportunity.

So he chose to escape.

He used the military as his best refuge and numbed himself with busy work. He avoided going back to Kyoto whenever possible and avoided family gatherings. It was as if he had built a high wall around his heart, sealing away those inappropriate thoughts and isolating himself from the harmonious atmosphere of the Fang family.

Later, their divorce might not only have been due to their disgust after discovering the truth, but also partly because they had finally severed that ridiculous legal bond? Even after the divorce, the even more terrifying chasm of "aunt and niece" still existed between him and Zhixia.

In his past life, Fang Chu was like a silent volcano, his burning emotions suppressed by the ashes of ethics, responsibility, and a failed marriage, never erupting and never truly happy.

Thinking of this, Shen Xing gave a very faint and complex smile in the darkness, whether it was mocking him in his past life, pitying herself in her past life, or lamenting the capriciousness of fate.

What about this life?

In this life, there is no absurd barrier of "aunt".

In this life, by a twist of fate, he "obtained" Zhixia in the most primal way.

In this life, Zhixia did not end up with Zuoqi, but instead became pregnant with his child and became his rightful wife.

What is he feeling right now?

Is it the ecstasy of getting what you want? The preciousness of something lost and found again? Or is it mixed with unease and guilt about how it all started?

Shen Xing recalled the brief time she spent in the family compound six months ago, when she occasionally caught a glimpse of Fang Chu from afar. Not long after she drugged him, he always seemed to have a melancholy and restlessness between his brows.

Later, she returned to her hometown. Her brother wrote to say that Fang Chu had gotten married and was going to be a father. He also said that Fang Chu was "a completely different person" and "doted on his wife like she was royalty," always beaming with joy. Her brother warned her that they were from different worlds and that she should stay home, live a good life, and not dream of things she couldn't reach.

So, did Fang Chu stop being gloomy and even become more vibrant because he got what he wanted?

This realization stirred a subtle ripple in Shen Xing's heart. In her past life, she schemed relentlessly, only to be met with his indifference and disgust; in this life, Zhi Xia did nothing (and might even have been a victim), yet it seemed... she received all of his passion and focus?

Fate is truly ironic.

But it's fair.

What she sought was not his love, but the status and resources she could gain through him, and in the end, she suffered a complete defeat.

Zhi Xia may never have asked for anything, yet she seems to have obtained something she once longed for but could never have.