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

Fang Zheng stared blankly at his father, and the tightness in his chest suddenly eased.

Yes, what's the point of worrying about those vague notions of "reincarnation"? What matters is the living, breathing people in front of us, the future of our son and daughter-in-law, and the two little lives that are about to be born.

Treat Xiaxia as Xiaxia, love her well, make up for the regrets you had for Xiaozhi by taking care of her, and let her live a peaceful and happy life. Perhaps... this is the best way to comfort Xiaozhi and the most responsible thing to do for this family right now.

Zheng Qin also let out a long sigh of relief, her tense shoulders relaxing. Although the old man's idea sounded a bit "pragmatic," it was the most practical and effective way to maintain the stability of the family. Treating Xiaxia like a younger sister and treating her like a daughter-in-law were not inherently contradictory, and could even be done better.

Seeing that his son and daughter-in-law's expressions had softened, Fang Yuzhao knew they had taken his words to heart, so he didn't say anything more. He simply waved his hand and said, "Alright, stop standing there. Go and see how Xiaxia and your mother-in-law are resting. Prepare a lavish dinner to welcome them home. Remember, from now on, in this house, there is only your granddaughter-in-law Xiaxia, no one else. You all need to get your attitude right."

His tone regained its usual authority, carrying the force of a final decision.

Fang Zheng and Zheng Qin exchanged a glance, both seeing relief and determination in each other's eyes. They nodded, turned, and walked upstairs, their steps much lighter than before.

Fang Yuzhao sat alone in the living room, his gaze fixed on the stairs. After a long while, he sighed almost inaudibly, muttering to himself, as if speaking to his long-deceased daughter, or perhaps admonishing himself:

"Xiao Zhi... In this life, your father couldn't protect you. In the next life... no, in this life, your father will definitely... protect this girl who looks like you. Let her enjoy all the blessings you never had."

As evening approached, the Fang family's doorbell rang again.

When Zheng Qin opened the door, she saw that her goddaughter Zheng Yunzhu and her best friend Zhou Mudan had arrived.

"Godmother! I heard Xiaxia is back? I came to see her!" Zheng Yunzhu said with a smile as soon as she entered the door, taking Zheng Qin's arm.

Zheng Qin smiled and patted her hand: "She's resting upstairs, she must be tired from the journey. Why don't you go up and check on her?"

"Yes!" Zheng Yunzhu responded and ran upstairs as if she knew the way well.

Zhou Mudan then pulled Zheng Qin to sit down on the living room sofa and asked with concern, "Xiao Qin, are you satisfied with your new daughter-in-law?"

Zheng Qin's smile faded slightly, and she lowered her voice, her tone complex: "Whether I'm satisfied or not... I can't say right now. The main thing is... this child looks exactly like Xiao Zhi."

"What?!" Zhou Mudan was so shocked she almost jumped off the sofa, her eyes wide open, and she forgot to lower her voice, "With Xiaozhi? Really?"

"Really!" Zheng Qin sighed, her expression filled with disbelief and lingering fear. "When she first came back, the old man mistook her for someone else, holding her and crying his eyes out, calling her 'Xiao Zhi' over and over! Later, when he asked, not only did her face look like Xiao Zhi's, but even her birth date, time of birth, and the red birthmark under her collarbone were exactly the same! Isn't that eerie?"

Zhou Mudan was stunned, and it took her a long time to recover. She murmured, "My God... this is too... bizarre! No wonder your Fang Chu fell in love with her at first sight and insisted on marrying her! With Xiao Zhi's face back then, how many young men in our compound secretly admired her? If it weren't for her high aspirations and her single-minded focus on studying medicine and... sigh!" She couldn't help but sigh as she thought of Fang Zhi's later fate, "Beautiful women have such tragic lives... what a pity for Xiao Zhi..."

Zheng Qin's eyes also reddened, and she nodded: "Who says it isn't... Seeing Xia Xia's face, my heart feels like it's being pricked by needles, it hurts... and I can't quite put my finger on it... It feels like Xiao Zhi has come back. The old man said, just think of it as... reincarnation, and that I should make it up to her properly in this life."

The two whispered about this incredible "coincidence" and the turmoil it caused in their home, while footsteps and Zheng Yunzhu's clear voice came from the stairs.

"Mom! Look! This is Xiaxia. Isn't she prettier than me?" Zheng Yunzhu carefully helped Zhixia down the stairs.

After resting for a while, Zhixia felt better. She washed her face, and although she was swollen from pregnancy, her beautiful face was even more clearly visible under the light.

Zheng Yunzhu helped Zhixia to the center of the living room like she was showing off a treasure, her face full of admiration: "Mom, now you believe me, right? Isn't Xiaxia like a fairy? If I were a man, I would definitely marry her too!"

She was so focused on praising Zhixia that she didn't notice her mother's sudden freeze and widened eyes.

The moment Zhou Mudan stepped down the last step and was fully exposed to the bright lights of the living room, she seemed to be frozen in place. She abruptly stood up from the sofa, covered her mouth with her hand, gasped, and stared intently at Zhixia's face, her face drained of all color.

"So...so alike..." she murmured unconsciously, her voice trembling, "They're exactly the same...just like Xiaozhi when she was young...like they were cut from the same mold..."

Zheng Yunzhu was startled by her mother's reaction. She looked at Zhixia, then at her mother, and asked, "Mom? What's wrong?"

Zhou Mudan then came to her senses and realized that she had lost her composure. She quickly took a few deep breaths and forced a smile, but her eyes still lingered on Zhi Xia's face involuntarily, filled with shock and an indescribable emotion.

She took two steps forward, took Zhixia's hand, and spoke in an unusually gentle tone, even with a hint of caution: "Xiaxia, right? Please sit down, please sit down, don't stand. Oh my, this belly... twins really show, it's so lovely to see. Xiaochu is so lucky!"

She spoke politely, but her mind was in turmoil.

It's so similar! It's uncanny! I was half-believing when Zheng Qin told me, but now that I've seen it with my own eyes, the impact is a hundred times stronger than the description! No wonder the Fang family reacted so strongly... It's not just similar, it's Xiao Zhi standing right in front of me, only younger and... more docile.

Zhi Xia felt a little uncomfortable under Zhou Mudan's overly enthusiastic and complicated gaze. She smiled shyly and said softly, "Thank you, Auntie." Then, with Fang Chu's timely assistance, she slowly sat down on the sofa.

Zheng Qin watched from the side, her heart filled with mixed emotions. It seemed that Xia Xia's face would inevitably spark discussion and memories in the compound from now on. She was not only Fang Chu's wife, Zhi Xia, but she would also inevitably become, in many people's eyes, the shadow of the beautiful Fang Zhi who had long since sacrificed herself.

This realization added a new layer of worry to Zheng Qin's initial shock and self-comforting belief in "reincarnation."

After Xiaxia, will she be able to withstand the extra attention and comparisons from others? How should her mother-in-law guide and protect her so that she can feel the extra love from the Fang family because she is "like Xiaozhi" and live peacefully as "Zhixia"?

It seems that we will need to be more careful in balancing and managing things from now on.