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

The dishes had just been cleared away when the sounds of keys turning and children playing came from the doorway. Fang Hua was carrying a bulging bag in one hand and holding the hand of a chubby-faced little boy of about six or seven years old in the other. Behind her was her husband, Jiang Jinyan, who was holding the hand of an older boy.

As soon as Fang Hua entered, she saw that the dining table was almost cleared away. She couldn't help but raise her voice, jokingly complaining, "Hey, why did you finish eating before we even got there? That's so inconsiderate!"

Fang Yuzhao sat on the sofa, holding his teacup, and glanced at her. His tone was harsh, but there was no anger in his eyes: "Waiting for you to come? We'd all starve to death then. What have you been doing? Dawdling around so late."

Jiang Jinyan quickly explained, his face showing helplessness: "Grandpa, it really wasn't on purpose that we were late. It's just that Jiangbei..." He pointed to the smaller boy, "had a little conflict with some classmates, and the teacher asked the parents to come over. After it was resolved, we rushed over."

"Isn't it normal for kids to fight? Is it really necessary to call their parents?" Grandpa Fang snorted dismissively, his gaze falling on the little boy named Jiang Bei. The boy looked a bit unconvinced, but he seemed to be in good spirits and hadn't been injured.

Jiang Jinyan smiled wryly: "If it were just ordinary playful fighting, that would be fine, but they... they had a group fight, with seventeen or eighteen kids on both sides. It was quite a commotion, so the teacher had to call all the parents."

Fang Zheng, who hadn't said much until now, frowned upon hearing this and looked at Fang Hua: "What's going on? Xiao Bei is only in first grade, right?"

Fang Hua put down his bag, sighed, and said with a mix of anger and helplessness, "What else could have happened? A bunch of little rascals, all wanting to be the 'boss,' none of them willing to submit to the others. They got into a fight in the corner of the playground after just a few words. Luckily, the teacher found out early, and it didn't escalate into anything serious."

Fang Zheng looked at his grandson: "Xiao Bei, are you hurt?"

Jiang Bei, neck stiff, spoke loudly with a hint of pride: "No! Grandpa, I beat them all to a pulp!"

Fang Zheng looked at the boy's rooster-like appearance, feeling both amused and annoyed. But after confirming that the child was not injured, he felt relieved and solemnly instructed, "Fighting won't solve anything. No more fighting, understand? If you want to be the boss, you have to rely on this." He pointed to his head.

Jiang Bei nodded as if he understood, but his eyes were already darting around, taking in the stranger.

Fang Chu, who was listening nearby, couldn't help but interject, "Getting into a group fight in first grade? Not bad, kid." His tone was teasing. He turned his head, leaned close to Zhi Xia's ear, and said half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Qingqing, let's have a daughter in the future, it'll be easier. Look at this naughty boy, he's too much of a troublemaker."

Zhi Xia was drawn to the lively family that had suddenly appeared. Hearing Fang Chu's words, she couldn't help but smile and whispered back, "Whether it's a boy or a girl isn't up to you..."

Her smiling, whispering manner was seen by Fang Hua, who had just settled his youngest son and was looking up at her.

Fang Hua's gaze fell on Zhi Xia's face. He was stunned for a moment, then his brows furrowed slightly, his eyes filled with confusion and a strong sense of déjà vu.

She stared at Zhixia for several seconds, then couldn't help but take two steps forward and hesitantly asked, "Have we... met somewhere before? You look so familiar..." She tried hard to search her memory, but couldn't recall where she had seen this beautiful yet somewhat delicate face before.

Seeing this, Zheng Qin's heart skipped a beat. She quickly stepped forward, gently tugged at her daughter's arm, and under the guise of adjusting her collar, whispered clearly and quickly, "Xiao Hua! Don't talk nonsense! She looks like your aunt Xiao Zhi!"

Fang Hua was startled and turned sharply to look at her mother, her eyes filled with shock. Like her aunt? Fang Zhi?

That name, along with that beautiful yet distant young face I'd seen in a faded family photo album, surged up instantly from the depths of my memory.

Fang Zhi did take care of her when she was little, but she was too young then and her memory is vague. Her impressions of her aunt are mostly from her parents' occasional sighs and that carefully preserved black and white photo.

She slowly turned her head again, her gaze falling once more on Zhixia's face, this time with an incredulous scrutiny and comparison.

Her eyebrows, her facial features, even that quiet yet stubborn temperament... Apart from being younger and dressed differently, the Zhi Xia in front of me really did overlap with my aunt Fang Zhi in my memory and in the photos!

"My God..." Fang Hua murmured unconsciously, his eyes wide open, completely forgetting his earlier question about "having seen it before," only filled with shock and disbelief. "This...it looks so much like it..."

Her reaction was more direct and shocking than Zhou Mudan's earlier, because her memory of Fang Zhi was not entirely based on descriptions from others or distant impressions, but rather on vague personal encounters and clear photographic references.

Fang Yuzhao remained calm in the face of her reaction, even more convinced of her "reincarnation" feeling because of his granddaughter's "certification." He simply looked at Zhixia with loving eyes. Fang Zheng and Zheng Qin exchanged a helpless glance, knowing that this matter would likely become a long-standing topic of conversation within the family.

A subtle silence fell over the living room once again because of that similar face. Fang Chu immediately noticed her sister's unusual behavior and her parents' subtle actions. Knowing what they were thinking, she couldn't help but pull Zhi Xia closer to her, silently asserting her ownership.

Chao Huaihua also watched Fang Hua nervously, afraid that the Fang family's daughter would say something shocking that would upset her own daughter.

Fang Zheng cleared his throat, breaking the brief silence, and said to Fang Hua in a calm tone, "Xiao Hua, this is your younger brother's wife, Zhi Xia. This is your mother-in-law, Aunt Chao. Xia Xia, this is your older sister Fang Hua, your brother-in-law Jiang Jinyan, and your two nephews, Jiang Bei and Jiang Nan."

His description was clear and official, deliberately omitting the word "like".

Fang Hua also snapped out of her daze, realizing her lapse in composure. She quickly composed herself, replacing her shocked expression with a warm smile, and stepped forward to take Zhi Xia's hand: "Xia Xia, right? Welcome, welcome! Look at me, I'm completely mesmerized, you're just... so beautiful! You must have had a long journey?"

She then turned to Chao Huaihua and greeted her politely. Jiang Jinyan also pulled her eldest son forward to say hello.

The atmosphere warmed up again, but everyone knew in their hearts that the secret about that face and the impact it brought were probably only just beginning for this family.