Meng Zhizhi felt a wave of heat washing over her body. She tugged at her collar, trying to cool down.
A cold draft poured into her collar, stinging her fair, delicate skin. She shivered and tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt heavy, refusing to budge no matter how hard she tried.
The sound of rustling reached her ears.
It seemed to drift in from outside the window, which was pasted over with newspapers.
“Has the bride gone in?”
“She’s in.”
“Tell the Eldest and the Second to finish seeing off the guests and hurry back for the wedding night. Don’t let them miss the auspicious hour. Otherwise, once they return to the garrison unit, I’m afraid they won’t be back for a while.”
Dizzy and confused, Meng Zhizhi thought to herself: Who’s getting married?
They even have to rush the wedding night?
Before she could think further, the peeling wooden door creaked open. Along with a gust of cold wind, an exceptionally tall and imposing man walked toward her.
The man had a handsome face with sharp, well-defined features, a straight nose, and a firm mouth. Most striking were his eyes—thin eyelids and a cold gaze, with pupils as black and piercing as ink.
Despite it being the coldest days of winter, he wasn’t wearing a padded jacket. He wore only a thin Zhongshan suit, buttoned meticulously all the way up to his uniform collar hook at his Adam’s apple.
The only thing out of place was the bright red flower pinned to his chest, nearly level with his straight shoulder line. His chest and back were filled out with firm muscle, narrowing down to his waist before broadening again at the hips.
His back was broad, his waist narrow, and his hip line was tight and clean-cut.
It was hard for Meng Zhizhi to ignore him. She tried to force her eyes open to look at him, but her eyelids were too heavy; after several attempts, she still couldn’t open them.
The man stood two feet away from the bed, quietly gazing at his stranger of a wife.
Because it was dark, and also to save money, the kerosene lamp in the house had been blown out early.
The room was plunged into darkness.
By the faint moonlight filtering through the window, he could vaguely see an exceptionally pale silhouette, looking like a piece of precious jade hidden within the heavy quilts.
Coupled with the slight, sharp scent of alcohol and a faint fragrance in the air, the reality told Zhou Shechuan that someone was hidden in his bed.
An exceptionally beautiful woman.
Zhou Shechuan waited for a moment, but heard no sound or movement.
With a hint of awkwardness and restraint, his large, rough knuckles clicked as he began to undo his buttons.
One.
Two.
Three.
In the extreme silence, even the sound of unbuttoning was magnified.
Meng Zhizhi’s senses were also heightened. She rolled over but didn’t speak.
Zhou Shechuan’s hand, which had moved to his black leather belt, instantly froze. He stopped unfastening the belt.
Instead, with an unreadable expression, he made a decision. He lay down directly on the very edge of the bed with his clothes still on, hands placed on his stomach, his entire body as straight as a spear.
In the narrow room, the bed wasn’t considered large, but because of the way Zhou Shechuan slept, there was a vast divide between him and Meng Zhizhi.
Meng Zhizhi seemed unaware. She was heavily intoxicated. On the big day of the wedding, as the bride, relatives and neighbors had all come over to toast her.
She couldn’t afford to drink less than her rival, Zhao Mingzhu. As sisters-in-law, she naturally couldn’t let herself be outdone!
So, she had accepted every drink offered.
This drinking had led her to a state of unconsciousness.
She hadn’t noticed him coming up, nor did she resist. This left Zhou Shechuan with an indescribable feeling in his heart.
The shallow sound of breathing beside him, carrying a faint scent of fragrance and alcohol, drifted into Zhou Shechuan’s nose.
He held his breath, but his own breath carried a robust scent of wine. He squeezed the space between his thumb and forefinger, his voice strained and restrained. “I won’t touch you.”
His voice was rough, carrying a searing heat.
Unfortunately, the drunk Meng Zhizhi didn’t hear a word he said.
She only felt so hot, as if she were about to explode.
Even though the weather was freezing, she sought out that sliver of coldness and slowly groped toward it.
Finally, she caught it!
Meng Zhizhi clung to him like an octopus. The coldness made her sigh in comfort.
But Zhou Shechuan, whom she was clinging to, instantly stiffened.
His body tensed, his fists clenched tight, and he said in a raspy voice, “Comrade Zhao, I know you are unwilling to be part of a blind marriage—”
Before Zhou Shechuan could finish, his mouth was blocked.
Meng Zhizhi was like someone eating a popsicle, tasting wherever it was cool.
This was something even the previously righteous Zhou Shechuan couldn’t withstand.
When his neatly arranged shirt buttons were torn off and scattered across the floor, the last string in Zhou Shechuan’s mind snapped. He reached for the enamel mug on the bedside table and threw it hard toward the door.
With a loud thump, the enamel mug hit the floor.
The rustling sounds of people eavesdropping at the door of the East Room instantly scattered.
Outside.
Mother Zhou whispered to her husband, “It seems the Eldest’s side with his wife is a success.”
“Go check the Second’s side. See how things are with him and Meng Zhizhi.”
Father Zhou was reluctant. As a father-in-law, how could he eavesdrop on his own son and daughter-in-law?
He refused to listen, turning around with his hands behind his back to leave. He didn’t forget to say, “The children are all grown up. Since when do parents have to teach them how to enter the bridal chamber? Wouldn’t they be fools then?”
He left immediately after speaking, not staying at all.
Mother Zhou scoffed. “Do you think I’m worried the Eldest and the Second don’t know how to do it? I’m afraid Meng Zhizhi and Zhao Mingzhu will start fighting again.”
When the brides were welcomed during the day, the two had already gotten into a fight on the road.
It had turned them into a laughingstock for no reason.
She still felt ashamed to show her face.
Seeing that her husband didn’t care, Mother Zhou stood by the foot of the wall, crouching down and lowering her voice. “The Eldest and the Second have become like wooden blocks from being soldiers. If we hadn’t taken advantage of their leave to grab them and find them wives, they’d probably have dragged it out another three to five years. When would I ever get to hold a grandson then?”
At this point, she shook her head. “No, I have to go keep an eye on the Second. We can’t have any more trouble.”
“He’s younger. When we told him to get married, he was already reluctant.”
When she got to the West Room of the second son, it was dead quiet inside.
There wasn’t the slightest sound.
This made Mother Zhou a bit puzzled. “That shouldn’t be right. The Second drank so much; there shouldn’t be no movement at all.”
“Even if he has no move, Meng Zhizhi is such a beautiful person. Could he really have no reaction at all?”
She didn’t believe it.
Mother Zhou spat on her hand and was about to poke a hole in the newspaper pasted on the window to listen, but she was grabbed by the back of the neck and pulled away by the returning Father Zhou. “Let’s go.”
Mother Zhou was unhappy, but under Father Zhou’s glare, she immediately followed him obediently.
Others still wanted to eavesdrop and were huddling at the foot of the wall, but Father Zhou gave them a look. “That’s enough.”
At this, the crowd of eavesdroppers scattered all at once.
The weather was cold; if it weren’t for the tradition of “disturbing the bridal chamber,” everyone would have gone to bed long ago.
Now that Father Zhou had chased them away, they naturally went back to their own homes.
Once the courtyard was completely quiet, Zhou Ye finally arrived late from outside the alley. He carried the brooding aura of a youth, with bright eyes, a straight nose, and thin lips. His blue veins were visible beneath his cold, pale skin.
He had a cigarette in his mouth but wasn’t smoking it; the filter was bitten out of shape. He just stood there at the entrance of the alley, letting the cold wind blow over him.
He waited until the smell of alcohol on him had completely dissipated before he vaulted down from under the eaves, landing by the pile of winter cabbages at the foot of the alley wall.
He bent down, pinched off a leaf, and chewed it. The cold made him narrow his eyes.
He waited until the last trace of alcohol in his mouth was completely suppressed by the fresh taste.
Then he turned and entered the compound courtyard. The Zhou family lived in the first house on the left, making it easy to identify.
The West Room was his new bridal chamber.
Zhou Ye paused at the door for a moment before pushing it open to go see his bride.
In the next room, Mother Zhou heard the movement and immediately sat up in bed. She pricked up her ears. “Old Zhou, listen. Is that movement in the West Room?”
Father Zhou turned over to sleep, not wanting to listen.
Mother Zhou didn’t get a response but didn’t get angry either. Instead, she began to calculate on her fingers. “Maybe by this time next year, we’ll be holding a grandson.”
Father Zhou interrupted her coldly, “If we really do, where would they live?”
The Zhou family had only two rooms in total. Back then, they really couldn’t fit everyone, so the Eldest and the Second went to be soldiers to make room for their younger siblings.
This time, to make bridal chambers for the two children’s weddings, they had partitioned the two rooms into three. Each brother had a tiny wedding room of four or five square meters.
The remaining room was for the old couple plus the two younger children.
There was barely enough space to turn around.
Mother Zhou fell silent. “Others live like this too.”
“Why can’t our family?”
“I just don’t know if they can get the job done.”
Next door in the East Room.
After a bout of passion, the quilts were crumpled into a mess, half on the floor and half on the bed.
Meng Zhizhi was covered in ambiguous red marks.
However, after all that exertion, the heat in her body had finally dissipated. She fell into a deep sleep, satisfied.
Still finding Zhou Shechuan too hot, she gave him a light kick.
She wanted to kick him off the bed.
Such a small bed should naturally belong to her alone.
She didn’t like sharing a bed with others.
Zhou Shechuan gave a bitter smile. Unable to sleep, he got up and gathered the clothes scattered on the floor, folding them neatly and placing them to the side.
He hadn’t expected to get married before he came back on leave.
But now he was married, had a wife, and had completed the wedding night.
Some things seemed to have changed.
Zhou Shechuan began to look around. Before marriage, this room was fine for one person to live in.
But after marriage, living as a couple, he felt there were flaws everywhere.
The room was too small.
The bed was also small.
Even going to the toilet was inconvenient. The public latrine for the compound courtyard was at the end of the alley; it took a five-minute walk just to get there.
In this freezing weather, it was truly inconvenient.
Not to mention, it was even more inconvenient for a female comrade.
Zhou Shechuan paused for a moment, then went out to find some materials and made a clean chamber pot, placing it behind the door.
By the time he finished, it was almost time.
Zhou Shechuan paused, his gaze falling on the bed. Meng Zhizhi was sleeping soundly, buried completely under the covers.
Only a pale, slender leg could be seen sticking out from the messy quilts.
Zhou Shechuan could even remember how she had wrapped those slender legs around his waist earlier.
His gaze darkened. He walked over, tucked her leg back into the quilt, and adjusted the corners to make sure no cold wind would get in.
From his person, he pulled out his only ten-yuan notes and industrial coupons and stuffed them all under the pillow.
Then, in the dark, he took his wife’s household registration book from the table and tucked it into his clothes.
After doing all this, he turned and went out, quietly knocking on the door of the West Room.
At the knock, Zhou Ye on the other side woke up instantly. He still had someone’s head resting on his arm.
It was an exceptionally soft woman.
This made Zhou Ye’s face instantly flush, and his lips were bitten a deep red. His breath was hot, carrying the awkwardness unique to a youth.
Yet there wasn’t a trace of profanity in his eyes.
Zhou Ye paused for a moment before carefully laying the person down.
He turned to change his clothes and followed his brother out.
The morning light had not yet broken, and it was the darkness before dawn.
Zhou Shechuan stood at the door, wearing a crisp military uniform with the uniform collar hook fastened to the very top.
He stood in the shadows, tall and upright, looking heroic and extraordinary.
The two brothers, having suddenly emerged from their respective bridal chambers on their wedding night, felt a bit awkward upon meeting.
“Everything settled?”
Zhou Shechuan took the initiative to break the silence.
Zhou Ye scoffed and shook his head. “Sleeping like a—” pig, he thought, but remembering she was his wife, he couldn’t bring himself to say the word.
Instead, he changed it to, “She’s alright.”
He was vague about it.
In fact, he hadn’t even seen what she looked like clearly, nor had they completed the wedding night.
They had just spent the night under the covers, simply sleeping.
Zhou Shechuan didn’t feel right asking about his brother’s bedroom affairs. He gave a low “Mhm.” “The garrison unit sent a telegram. They want us back immediately.”
Zhou Ye felt a bit bitter, his tongue poking his cheek. “Why does it have to be at a time like this?”
Zhou Shechuan shook his head.
Zhou Ye looked back at the closed door of the West Room. The person on the bed was sleeping like a log. He gritted his teeth and cursed quietly, “Heartless.”
Her husband was leaving, and she was still sleeping like a pig.
Despite saying that, he turned and placed the only bit of money he had under the pillow. He also grabbed a household registration book before leaving with Zhou Shechuan.
After they left the house, he asked, “Aren’t we going to tell Mom and Dad?”
Zhou Shechuan shook his head. He had changed into his military uniform, with the uniform collar hook fastened to the top. The uniform fit him perfectly, making him look tall, mighty, and disciplined.
“I left a note.”
Short and to the point.
With a cigarette in his mouth and a rucksack on his back, Zhou Ye looked back once. “True. With the two of us getting married yesterday, Mom and Dad didn’t get to sleep until halfway through the night. It really wouldn’t be good to wake them now.”
Zhou Shechuan gave another “Mhm” and took a long, steady stride. However, his pace was not as fast as his usual gallop.
Instead, it carried a hint of hesitation and reluctance.
Zhou Ye caught up in a few steps. “Brother, if we just leave like this, what will they do when they wake up?”
Zhou Shechuan didn’t speak.
Zhou Ye looked gloomy, his canine teeth slightly retracted. “Mom isn’t an easy person to deal with, and neither is Hongying. I’m not worried about leaving her here.”
“Of course—” He looked up at Zhou Shechuan and complained, “Your wife isn’t an easy one either.”
He was really afraid that his own wife would be bullied to death by his eldest sister-in-law.
Zhou Shechuan stopped in his tracks. His handsome profile was turned to the side, his short hair neat, and his jawline sharp. “Can a fight start with only one person?”
Zhou Ye fell silent instantly.
Zhou Shechuan had a plan. His voice was calm and deliberate. “This time, I’ll strive to earn a merit on the mission and get a quota to have the family accompany the army, then we can pick them up.”
At this point, Zhou Shechuan gave his younger brother a meaningful look. “By then, we’ll live separately.”
He didn’t want his wife and his brother’s wife fighting and arguing every day.
Zhou Ye slowly opened his eyes. His skin was so pale that the purple veins on his eyelids were visible. He thought for a bit. “I don’t want to live with you either.”
Seeing his elder brother’s expression slightly tighten, he immediately changed his tune. “But what you said is indeed a good idea.”
Youthful and spirited, his steps were vigorous.
When they reached the entrance of the compound courtyard, Zhou Ye looked back once more at the Zhou family’s West Room.
“I wonder if she’ll still recognize me the next time I come back?”
Zhou Shechuan also looked back, his heart full of concern.
He was also worried that his wife would forget him.
The next morning.
When Meng Zhizhi woke up again, she was still in a bit of a daze. Seeing the mess on the bed, she remembered that last night wasn’t a wet dream.
The wedding night had truly happened.
She looked at the dilapidated room around her and raised a hand to pinch her own face. “I transmigrated!?”
“Then where is Mingzhu?”
She and Mingzhu had been in a car accident on their way home for winter break. When she opened her eyes again, she had transmigrated to the 1970s.
Not only was she married, but she had also slept with a man on the spot.
As her memories returned, Meng Zhizhi’s expression changed. A set of memories that didn’t belong to her appeared in her mind.
She had transmigrated into a book.
She had entered a melodramatic “chronicle” novel called Marrying a Second Time into the Military to be a Stepmother, and she was a cannon fodder female supporting character.
She and her lifelong rival, Zhao Mingzhu, had married into the Zhou family together, to two brothers.
These two brothers—one was the male lead, and the other was the villain.
As luck would have it, she had married the villain—Zhou Ye.
It seemed the man she had slept with last night was Zhou Ye.
And Zhao Mingzhu had married the male lead—Zhou Shechuan.
However, the two of them were not the female leads; they were both female supporting characters who were basically “freebies.”
The focus was on the woman who would marry into the family a second time to be the stepmother.
After she and Zhao Mingzhu got married, their husbands—who were cold, never home, and hated them—and their children—who were naughty, disobedient, and disliked them—would be perfectly handled by the stepmother female lead.
As for her and Zhao Mingzhu, both would naturally meet an early end, eventually leaving their bodies in the street.
Meng Zhizhi: “…”
Wait, she was focusing on the wrong thing.
Had her best friend Zhao Mingzhu transmigrated too?