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

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the bright glass windows, casting a warm glow into the Fang family's spacious living room, but it couldn't dispel the strange, stagnant atmosphere within.

After being comforted by Fang Chu and Chao Huaihua, Zhi Xia had just rested for a while in her room on the second floor and drunk some hot water, which calmed her down a bit.

Fang Chu was just about to go downstairs to see if his mother had returned and to ask about the lunch arrangements when he heard steady but slightly hurried footsteps on the stairs, accompanied by a low-voiced reminder from the bodyguard, Xiao Zhou: "Sir, please slow down."

Fang Chu heard the sound and went to the stairwell, where she saw her grandfather, Fang Yuzhao, being helped upstairs by a guard.

The old man had clearly come back from the retirement home on special occasion. He was wearing a well-fitting old military uniform. Although he was over seventy years old, his back was still straight. His hair was white, and his face was etched with the marks of time and the resolute lines unique to soldiers.

His face showed obvious eagerness and anticipation, the kind of look he only had when he heard that his most beloved grandson was returning with his pregnant granddaughter-in-law.

"Grandpa! Why are you back? Didn't we agree to visit you after we settled in?" Fang Chu quickly stepped forward to help him up.

Grandpa Fang waved his hand, his gaze passing over his grandson and landing directly on Zhixia, who was standing at the door of the room and had come out upon hearing the noise. His voice was loud and loving: "My grandson and granddaughter-in-law are back. How can this old man sit still?" He smiled and looked at Zhixia with eager eyes.

However, when his gaze was fully focused on Zhixia's face, which had regained some color and whose features were clear after resting, the smile on the old man's face froze and shattered inch by inch, like a lake surface that had been frozen in an instant.

Time seemed to stretch out infinitely and stand still at this moment.

The urgency and affection on Old Master Fang's face vanished without a trace, replaced by extreme shock and bewilderment, followed by a surge of intense emotions—a mixture of overwhelming joy and grief.

His pupils suddenly dilated, his lips trembled, and his body staggered forward uncontrollably, shaking off the support of his guard and grandson.

"Xiao...Xiao Zhi?!" A trembling, tearful scream burst from the old man's throat, sounding particularly abrupt and mournful in the quiet corridor.

He lunged forward, his large, strong hands, covered in age spots, gripping Zhixia's arm tightly. His eyes widened, and turbid tears instantly filled his eyes, rolling down the deep wrinkles on his face.

"Xiao Zhi! Is that you?! You've come back to see your father, haven't you?! I knew... I knew you weren't dead! You definitely wouldn't want to leave me... Xiao Zhi! My daughter! I miss you so much! My heart is breaking!!"

The old man cried like a child, tears streaming down his face, clinging tightly to Zhixia's arm as if she would disappear if he let go.

His murky gaze greedily swept over Zhixia's face inch by inch, his eyes filled with a mixture of the ecstasy of regaining what was lost, the pain of years of longing, and an almost obsessive obsession.

"Daddy misses you so much... Where have you gone... Why don't you come home... Why don't you send Daddy a message...?"

Fang Chu was completely dumbfounded!

He stood frozen in place, watching his grandfather lose control, listening to the heart-wrenching cries of "Xiao Zhi" and "Dad," his mind going completely blank.

He knew he had an aunt named Fang Zhi who had died young in the Korean War; she was his grandfather's deepest sorrow and a taboo subject in the family. But he never knew, never imagined, that this aunt he had never met would look exactly like his wife, Zhi Xia…!

This sudden shock left even the usually composed Fang Chu at a loss, unsure whether to comfort his emotionally distraught grandfather or protect his terrified wife.

Chao Huaihua, standing behind Zhixia, was completely dumbfounded, her mind buzzing.

How did her daughter... Xiaxia... become the "daughter" "Xiaozhi" in the mouth of this seemingly dignified yet sorrowful old leader? What exactly happened?

Xiaxia is her own daughter, someone she raised from infancy, how could she be someone else's daughter?! But looking at the old commander's emotional and grief-stricken demeanor, it was completely genuine…

Chao Huaihua was panicked and confused. She instinctively wanted to pull her daughter back, but seeing the old man's heartbroken appearance, she stopped herself in her tracks. She could only watch anxiously and helplessly, her lips trembling, but she couldn't say a word.

Zhi Xia was stunned by this sudden situation. Her arm was gripped painfully by the old man, and the immense strength and the intense sorrow emanating from him made her stiff and unable to move.

Looking at the weeping, white-haired old man before her, and hearing him call her "Xiao Zhi" and "daughter" repeatedly, she felt a surge of fear, confusion, and a vague, indescribable pain.

"Grandpa...Grandpa..." she tried to speak, but her voice was weak and trembling, "I'm not...I'm not Xiaozhi...I'm Zhixia..."

"No! You are Xiaozhi! You are my Xiaozhi!" Grandpa Fang shook his head stubbornly, looking at her through teary eyes, his tone resolute, "Dad won't mistake you! Your face... your eyes... are exactly the same as your mother's when she was young! Exactly the same as the you I saw in my dreams! You are my Xiaozhi!"

The situation was completely out of control.

Fang Chu forced himself to recover from the shock. He stepped forward and gently but firmly tried to pry open his grandfather's hand that was tightly gripping Zhi Xia's. His voice was extremely soft, yet carried an undeniable force: "Grandpa, calm down. Let go first. You've frightened Xia Xia. She's my wife, Zhi Xia, not my aunt. Look closely, she's much younger than my aunt, and she's pregnant. She's your great-grandchild."

The old man seemed to be touched by the words "great-grandson," his gaze drifting to Zhixia's swollen belly. His grip on her hand loosened for a moment, but quickly tightened again, his eyes even more confused: "A child? Xiaozhi...you have a child too? Whose is it? Is it that...no...Xiaozhi, come home with Daddy, Daddy will never let you leave again..."

Just then, hurried footsteps and Zheng Qin's panicked cries came from downstairs: "Dad! Dad, what's wrong?!"

Zheng Qin finally returned. As soon as she entered the door, she heard commotion upstairs and, sensing something was wrong, rushed up. Seeing the scene before her, her face paled again. She quickly went forward with Fang Chu to gently comfort the old man, who was almost delusional.

"Dad, you're mistaken. This is Xiaxia, Xiaochu's wife, not Xiaozhi. Xiaozhi... she's already..." Zheng Qin's voice choked, but she tried to remain clear. "Xiaxia does look a bit like her, but she really isn't. Please let go, Xiaxia is pregnant and can't take a shock."