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

Wang Chun sniffed, released Zhi Xia, and wiped her face haphazardly with the back of her hand, but tears still wouldn't stop. She looked at Zhi Xia: "Xia Xia, I'll miss you! I'll miss you every day!"

"I'll miss you too, Xiaochun." Zhixia wiped away her tears, trying to smile, but it looked worse than crying. "You have to take good care of yourself, wait for me... wait for me to help you find a boyfriend."

"Yes! I'll wait for your letter!" Wang Chun nodded vigorously, then turned to Fang Chu, her voice thick with emotion but unusually earnest, "Political Commissar Fang, Xia Xia... I'm entrusting her to you! You must... you absolutely must treat her well! Otherwise... otherwise I..." She wanted to say something harsh, but looking at Fang Chu's military uniform and calm eyes, she couldn't bring herself to say it, and her eyes reddened again.

Fang Chu nodded solemnly and promised, "Comrade Wang Chun, don't worry. I will protect her and take care of her with my life."

Zhao Lili tried to smooth things over, saying, "Alright, alright, don't you trust Political Commissar Fang to handle things? Let Xiaxia get in the car quickly, don't let her get cold, she's carrying a lot of weight."

Wang Chun then realized what was happening and quickly helped Fang Chu and Chao Huaihua carefully help Zhixia into the back seat of the jeep, then carefully covered her legs with a thick blanket. She herself clung to the car window, looking at Zhixia with teary eyes.

The driver honked the horn to indicate that it was almost time.

"Xiaochun, let's go back, it's cold outside." Zhixia waved to her through the car window.

"Hey! Be careful on your journey! I'll write when you arrive!" Wang Chun took a step back and waved vigorously.

The jeep slowly started and drove away from the small courtyard, exiting the gate of the family compound. Zhixia kept turning her head, looking through the somewhat blurry rear window, watching the figures of the people who came to see her off grow smaller and smaller, until they became blurry dots and disappeared around the corner of the courtyard wall with faded Spring Festival couplets hanging on it.

Tears blurred her vision again. Every brick and tile here, her sister-in-law Zhang Meili's care, her brother Zhilin's protection, Wang Chun's hearty laughter and parting tears... these were her initial warmth and longing after leaving her hometown.

Fang Chu turned slightly from the front row and handed over a clean handkerchief, her voice gentle: "Wipe your handkerchief, don't be sad. If you want to come back in the future, or if you want to invite Comrade Wang Chun to visit Kyoto, I can arrange it anytime."

Zhixia took the handkerchief, wiped away her tears, and softly hummed in agreement. She knew that the sadness of parting was inevitable, but there was also a new life and expectations ahead.

She touched her belly, feeling the secure presence of the two little ones inside, and then looked at her mother's concerned eyes beside her and Fang Chu's upright back in front of her. The sorrow of parting in her heart was gradually replaced by a courage to look forward.

The car headed towards the train station, heading towards a wider, unknown world. With reluctance to part and anticipation for the future, along with the new life stirring within her, she embarked on her journey home.

The sleeper car on the train was fairly stable, but it wasn't as comfortable as home. Fang Chu let Zhi Xia sleep in the lower bunk, while he sat on a small folding chair by the aisle, checking on her from time to time to see if she was feeling unwell or needed water. Several times during the night, he helped her to the cramped bathroom.

Chao Huaihua was old, so Fang Chu let her sleep in the middle bunk so she could rest better. The old lady felt sorry for her son-in-law and wanted to switch him several times, but Fang Chu firmly refused.

The train came to a smooth stop on the massive platform of Kyoto Station at 10:00 a.m. the next day.

During the eighteen-hour journey, Fang Chu barely slept, staying by Zhi Xia's sleeper berth the entire time, constantly monitoring her condition, his nerves on edge. Fortunately, aside from some fatigue, Zhi Xia had no other discomfort, and the twins seemed to have adapted to the slight swaying of the train, making the journey smooth.

Only when his feet touched the solid concrete ground again did Fang Chu feel the breath he had been holding slowly release. He held Zhi Xia, who was wrapped up like a ball with only her eyes showing, firmly with one hand, and carried the heaviest suitcase with the other, gesturing for Chao Huaihua to follow closely.

The platform was crowded with people and noisy.

While carefully protecting Zhixia from the crowd, Fang Chu stood on tiptoe to look around. Soon, he spotted a familiar figure near the exit—his mother, Zheng Qin, wearing a fine camel-colored wool coat and a cashmere scarf, stood beside a black car, eagerly waiting.

Beside her was a tall, upright young man in military uniform, Xiao Zhou, her father Fang Zheng's bodyguard.

"Mom!" Fang Chu called out, a relaxed and happy smile on her face, and quickened her pace.

Upon hearing the sound, Zheng Qin immediately looked over, a smile spreading across her face, and quickly stepped forward to greet him. She first looked her son up and down, noticing that although he was a little tired, he was still in good spirits. Then her gaze fell on the "ball" that he was carefully protecting.

"Xiao Chu! We've finally arrived!" Zheng Qin said, naturally reaching out to help support Zhi Xia's other arm, her gaze falling on Zhi Xia's face—though she was completely covered by a thick scarf and hat, only her eyes were visible.

Those were extremely beautiful eyes, with slightly upturned corners. At this moment, due to the long journey and tension, they appeared moist and somewhat timid, with a hint of the station's chill still clinging to their long eyelashes.

Looking into those eyes, Zheng Qin felt a sudden jolt in her heart, a vague sense of familiarity washing over her.

It seemed... I'd seen her somewhere before? But I couldn't quite place it. Suppressing her unease, her smile softened, and her tone became warm: "This must be Xiaxia, right? You must be exhausted from the journey."

Zhi Xia felt a little nervous being scrutinized and greeted so closely by her mother-in-law. She subconsciously shrank behind Fang Chu, revealing only her eyes, and whispered a muffled reply: "...Mom." Her voice was barely audible.

Fang Chu sensed her nervousness, gently squeezed her arm, and introduced her to Zheng Qin: "Mom, this is Xiaxia." Then she turned to the other side, "Mom, this is Xiaxia's mother, Aunt Chao. We are very grateful for her care along the way."

Zheng Qin then shifted her attention from Zhi Xia's eyes to Chao Huaihua, who was following behind. Chao Huaihua was wearing a clean but slightly worn cotton-padded jacket, carrying a bundle in her hand. Her hair was neatly combed, and her face showed signs of travel and restraint, but her eyes were bright and her back was straight.

"Hello, in-laws!" Zheng Qin immediately put on a warm smile, extending her hand. "You must be tired from your journey! I'm Fang Chu's mother, Zheng Qin. Come on, don't stand here, it's windy, and Xiaxia is quite heavy; it's not good for her to be exposed to the wind. Hurry up and get in the car, everything is prepared at home!"

"Hello, in-law." Chao Huaihua quickly extended her hand and shook hands with Zheng Qin, her attitude neither humble nor arrogant. "I'm sorry to have troubled you."

"Not at all! We're family, no need for formalities!" Zheng Qin smiled cheerfully, then turned to the bodyguard, Xiao Zhou, and said, "Xiao Zhou, quickly help with the luggage!"

Xiao Zhou immediately stepped forward, deftly took the suitcase from Fang Chu and the bundle from Chao Huaihua, and put them into the trunk of the car.

Zheng Qin personally opened the back door of the car and shielded the roof with her hand: "Xiaxia, be careful and get in slowly. In-law, please come in quickly as well."