“Comrade Shu An, are you willing to become my revolutionary wife? Although I know our marriage was an accident, now that we’re married, you can rest assured. I’ll treat you well.”
“It hurts…”
“Okay, I’ll be gentler. I’ll be gentler…”
Moonlight streamed into the candlelit room, the flickering candlelight barely illuminating the darkness. Beneath the festive quilt embroidered with mandarin ducks, two bodies were entwined.
A broad, bronze-colored back rose and fell repeatedly, while a slender, snow-white hand dangled weakly outside the quilt. The next moment, someone grabbed it and pulled it back under the covers.
“Wife, I’m leaving. I have to report back to my unit. Remember to go to the post office on the 15th of every month to collect the money. Keep the money safe. I’ll leave the household in your hands.”
“The fifteenth? Collect the money on the fifteenth?”
Shu An jolted awake in fright and suddenly opened her eyes.
“Wait! Isn’t today the fifteenth?”
“Bang, bang, bang… bang, bang!”
“Second daughter-in-law! Second daughter-in-law! Get up already! What time is it? What kind of wife sleeps this late? The sun is already high in the sky and you’re still not up! What, are you planning to starve us to death?”
Good grief! Why had she dreamed about her wedding night again?
She glanced at the alarm clock. It was only six o’clock.
Throwing off the quilt, she scratched her hair and opened the door with a click.
“Bang… Ow!”
Feng Aidi had been knocking so enthusiastically that she failed to notice the door suddenly opening and fell flat on her face.
“Ow, ow, ow! Are you trying to kill me by making me fall?”
Startled by her mother-in-law’s early-morning “greeting,” Shu An tidied her hair, squatted down, and said, “Mom, what are you banging on the door for so early in the morning? Are you trying to summon my soul? It’s only six! And didn’t I already tell you? I pay my share of the household expenses, so I’m not cooking. Besides, can you even eat the food I make?”
Feng Aidi groaned as she sat up. She was just about to say something when Shu An’s words left her stunned.
That was true. The second daughter-in-law had already said she would contribute money to the household and wouldn’t cook.
But then Feng Aidi suddenly realized she was being led off track.
“You—you… No! If you’re not cooking, then give me the key to the grain storage! Do you think we’re made of clay? Are we supposed to eat dirt?”
“Oh! I’m sorry, I completely forgot!” Shu An finally remembered that after collecting the grain yesterday, she had locked it inside that room and forgotten to give her mother-in-law the key.
She stood up, retrieved the key, and helped Feng Aidi to her feet. With a serious expression, she said, “Mom, you should just say so directly. Look at you—you didn’t say anything, and now you’ve wasted all this time. All right, Mom, hurry up and go cook. I’m hungry. Good girl, go on.”
With that, she slammed the door shut.
Feng Aidi stood outside, stunned.
“Wait… Why is she ordering me around now?”
Inside the room, Shu An stretched lazily and loosened her body as she tidied the bed.
She thought about how she had finally managed to get into the research and development department of a major automobile factory in her previous life. She had worked herself to the bone for years and was just about to get promoted again when, by some cruel twist of fate, she worked overtime one night and suddenly died from exhaustion.
She only hoped that the compensation money would be enough for her parents to enjoy their later years. Fortunately, she still had her older sister, so her parents wouldn’t have to grieve too much.
In her previous life, she had lived through an economic downturn, working herself to death like an ox and constantly competing with everyone else.
But she never expected that instead of being reincarnated, she would somehow end up in 1973.
This time, she absolutely refused to become an overworked workhorse again.
Sitting in front of the mirror and combing her hair, Shu An stared at the original owner, who looked almost exactly like her.
She couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
The original owner was also named Shu An. Even her parents and older sister looked exactly like her own family, only younger. Even their ways of speaking were almost identical.
If not for the fact that this family had an extra older brother, she might have thought the twenty-first century had all been a dream.
The girl had also led a difficult life.
Starting from her grandfather’s generation, the family had always had jobs. In this generation, her older brother and sister had both relied on the family’s connections to get factory jobs.
But she happened to be caught up in the campaign that sent educated youth to the countryside.
To make matters worse, her eldest uncle, who was the director of the logistics department, had been framed by the deputy director of the machinery factory. With the family unable to protect her, the girl had no choice but to go to the countryside.
Fortunately, her parents still treated her well. They used their connections at the factory to arrange for her to live in a nearby rural area. It took only about an hour and a half to walk to the city. Her brother and sister also came to visit her every now and then, bringing her food.
But that kindness attracted a wolf.
The deputy factory director realized that since he had already offended the family and couldn’t get rid of them, he could only try to make peace. So he wanted his son to marry the original owner.
When his attempts to win her over failed, they decided to force the issue by taking advantage of her.
The original owner fought desperately and was pushed into the water. She nearly died, but Jiang He, who happened to be home visiting his family, rescued her.
However, her cries for help also attracted the villagers.
In broad daylight, the two had been seen holding each other, and the original owner had been drowning at the time. Jiang He had performed rescue breathing on her.
They had held each other, they had kissed, and just like that, she somehow ended up with a husband.
The young girl was terrified and overwhelmed. She developed a high fever and never woke up.
When she opened her eyes again, Shu An was already there.
After finally understanding what had happened, Shu An married Jiang He.
Unfortunately, the scumbag who had caused the original owner’s death had never been brought to justice. He had run away quickly, and there had been no witnesses or physical evidence nearby. There was nothing they could do to prove his guilt.
Even when the original owner’s parents reported the matter to the authorities, nothing came of it. They were simply told that since no one had seen him there, there was no way to prove he had been there.
Thinking about this, Shu An couldn’t help but recall the terror and despair in the young girl’s memories.
She silently promised her:
Shu An, rest easy. I’ll make sure that scumbag pays for what he did.
Since I’ve inherited your body, the least I can do is get justice for you.
If Jiang He hadn’t happened to return to the village and rescue her, she really would have died.
Thinking of Jiang He reminded Shu An of his impressive physique on their wedding night, and she couldn’t help but sigh.
As expected, soldiers really did have incredible stamina.
After getting ready, Shu An went out for breakfast.
Seeing that breakfast had already been prepared, she cheerfully called out, “Good morning, everyone!”
“Hmph! Good morning? Do you even know what time it is? What kind of daughter-in-law sleeps until now? And don’t forget, today is the fifteenth. My son sent money home. Give me the bankbook. I’m going to collect it. You spend money like there’s no tomorrow. If the money stays with you, you’ll squander it all.”
Jiang Erzhu looked at his spendthrift daughter-in-law, who had slept until this late hour. Thinking about how freely she spent money made his heart ache.
The moment he said that, the atmosphere froze.
Shu An was already used to her father-in-law’s endless nagging. She turned around and smiled sweetly at him.
“Dad, are you jealous? There’s nothing you can do about it. My husband has already given you all the money needed to support the family. Naturally, whatever is left belongs to me.”
“I have a husband to support me. Dad, if you’re jealous, why don’t you find yourself a man to support you too?”
“You—you… What kind of nonsense are you saying? Do you have any respect for your father-in-law?” Jiang Erzhu shot to his feet, shocked by her outrageous words. “What do you mean, find a man to support me?”
Seeing this, Shu An’s smile disappeared.
“So you do know that you’re my father-in-law? I really don’t know of another father-in-law in the entire village who behaves like you. You spend all day nagging your daughter-in-law!”
Jiang Erzhu immediately pointed at Shu An’s nose and began shouting.
“You… you ungrateful woman! What’s wrong with me saying a few words to you? You married into the Jiang family, so you’re a member of the Jiang family! Can’t I discipline you?”
“Look at yourself! You wouldn’t even lift a finger if the oil jar fell over. All you do all day is run outside, and yet you spend my son’s money without the slightest shame!”
“Who do you think you are? Just because you’re from the city, you think you’re so special? Being from the city doesn’t mean you can shit on your in-laws’ heads!”
“Ahhh!!!”