“Little comrade, we’ve reached the military compound!”
The tractor sputtered to a halt, a cloud of yellow dust rising from the trailer.
Cheng Xi climbed out of the back. As soon as her feet hit the ground, the dust sent her into a coughing fit.
She bent over, coughing for a long while until her throat felt like it was filled with sand. Straightening up, she looked down at herself.
Grey streaks marred her floral dress, and a dark smudge had appeared on her knee at some point.
She remembered her past life—taking the high-speed rail from Shanghai to Beijing; a four-hour trip that left her fresh enough to touch up her lipstick upon arrival.
Now, it had taken her three agonizing days to travel from Shanghai to this nameless place.
Trains, buses, and tractors—she had transferred six times. In that last tractor, she had spent four hours being jolted around in the trailer alongside three sacks of potatoes.
She squatted by the roadside and wiped the dust from her face with the back of her hand, her brow furrowed tightly. If she had known she was coming to a place like this, she wouldn’t have come even if it killed her.
After taking a moment to recover, she headed toward the military compound gates.
The two sentries in the guardhouse stood ramrod straight. She composed herself and spoke politely, “Hello, comrade. I’m looking for Qin An.”
The two sentries’ expressions flickered slightly. “Comrade, may I ask what business you have with Regiment Commander Qin?”
So, her nominal husband was a big shot.
Cheng Xi took a deep breath. “I am his new wife.”
She was originally a university student from a family of Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners in the 21st century. A month ago, she had woken up in the 1980s, inhabiting the body of a capitalist’s daughter who shared her name and looked exactly like her.
Recently, the Cheng family had hit hard times. Her nominal father had exhausted his connections, but no one dared help a capitalist family. Finally, he had dug up an old marriage contract and sought out the Qin family, both to send his daughter away for her safety and to secure a backer for the Cheng family.
Fearing she would refuse, her parents had secretly registered the marriage certificate for her and kicked her out just yesterday, giving her only enough money for the fare.
In this era, staying at a hotel required a letter of introduction, and private business wasn’t yet fully open. If she didn’t comply, she would have nowhere to go. Her only choice was to travel thousands of miles from Shanghai to this remote northern military region to find this husband of hers.
Along the way, she had already made up her mind: if Qin An didn’t take her seriously, she would divorce him as soon as she found her footing and could support herself.
The two sentries’ eyes widened instantly. They shared a look before turning back to Cheng Xi. “Please wait a moment. We need to inform Regiment Commander Qin first.”
On the training ground, a man in a forest-green military uniform was watching the recruits at target practice.
He was very tall, at least 185 centimeters, standing there as straight as a pine tree. With broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs, the uniform didn’t just look worn—it looked as if it had grown onto him.
His face was strikingly handsome, with a high brow, a straight nose, and a jawline that looked as if it had been carved with a blade. However, his face was devoid of expression, cold as a stone.
A soldier had just finished a round with poor results.
“Why is your hand shaking?” The man’s voice wasn’t loud, but the soldier immediately snapped to attention. “The third and fifth shots—where did they drift off to? Extra practice this afternoon. Fifty rounds.”
“Yes, sir!”
At that moment, a sentry ran over, stood still beside him, and saluted. “Report, Regiment Commander Qin! A female comrade has arrived at the compound gate. She says… she is your new wife.”
Qin An’s hand, holding the score sheet, paused for a beat.
Last month, when the Cheng family had come knocking with the old marriage contract, his grandfather had agreed without a second thought.
Because of this, his mother had been fuming over the phone, her voice booming: “I don’t know what your grandfather was thinking! This eldest daughter of the Cheng family was supposedly childhood sweethearts with the young master of the Shen family. They were almost engaged! As soon as the Shen family fell, the Cheng family cut ties immediately. Now that the Cheng family is in trouble, they run to your grandfather. What is this? Making you pick up someone else’s leftovers? People like that are untrustworthy and ungrateful! My heart aches for you!”
An unbidden memory of a summer in Shanghai flashed through his mind.
He had gone to a banquet in Shanghai with his grandfather. From a distance, he had seen a girl sitting on a swing in a garden. A young man in a suit stood beside her, peeling an orange for her.
The girl was laughing happily.
Qin An’s gaze fixed on a point in the distance for a moment. Then, he continued flipping through the score sheet, his grip slightly heavier than before, though his tone remained the same as when he assigned the extra drills. “Take her to the family quarters and settle her in. I’m not finished here yet.”
The sentry was stunned.
That’s your newlywed wife! She traveled all this way, and you won’t even go to see her?
But one look at Qin An’s face, and the words were swallowed back down.
“Yes, sir!” The sentry saluted and turned to leave.
A company commander nearby leaned in and lowered his voice. “Old Qin, your wife is here and you aren’t going to pick her up?”
Qin An glanced at him, his expression unchanged. “Pick her up for what? We haven’t even spoken a word to each other.”
The company commander was choked by the response. He rubbed his nose and fell silent.
Qin An retracted his gaze and nodded toward the firing line. “Next group, up.”
Several soldiers nearby, who had been listening with pricked ears, exchanged glances.
One bold soldier nudged the person next to him and whispered, “Did you hear that? The Commander says he doesn’t even know her.”
“You didn’t know? I heard this marriage was forced on him by his grandfather. The Commander never actually agreed to it.”
“I also heard the Commander’s mother refuses to acknowledge this daughter-in-law. She said he’s picking up someone else’s leftovers.”
“Leftovers? What does that mean?”
“Who knows? Something unpleasant, anyway. Who wouldn’t be upset?”
“And you know the Commander. He’s always said women are a hassle and that he’s dedicated his life to the army.”
“Tsk, it sounds like the new wife is in for a hard time.”
“Shh!”
Qin An’s gaze swept over, and the group immediately shut up, chests out and heads up, staring straight ahead.
The gunshots rang out again. He stood there as if nothing had happened.
At the compound gate, Cheng Xi was still waiting.
The sun had risen high, and the heat was making her feel a bit dizzy. She shielded her forehead with her hand, squinting as she looked inside. Finally, she saw the sentry running back.
Cheng Xi instinctively looked behind him. It was empty. Her hand slowly dropped.
The sentry stopped in front of her and saluted, his eyes darting around as if he didn’t know where to look. “Sister-in-law, Regiment Commander Qin is… currently occupied with important business and can’t get away. He asked me to take you to the family quarters to settle in first.”
She took a deep breath. She understood. Anyone would be frustrated if their family forced them into a marriage with someone they had never even met. If she hadn’t been truly desperate, she wouldn’t have come here either.
Besides, she didn’t intend to rely on him anyway. This was fine. Once she found a job and could support herself, she would get a divorce. Neither would owe the other anything.
At that thought, she looked up and gave the sentry a small smile. “Then I’ll have to trouble you.”
The sentry waved his hands frantically. “No trouble at all, no trouble!” He picked up her luggage bag from the ground and led the way.
Cheng Xi followed him inside. The roadside was lined with propaganda boards, and the distant sound of training drills could be heard. After turning at a junction, a row of red-brick bungalows appeared.
A group of women stood in front of the houses. Before she even got close, she could hear voices drifting over.
“She’s here, she’s here! Regiment Commander Qin’s wife has arrived!”
Today, Cheng Xi was wearing a floral midi dress with a thin belt cinched at the waist and white canvas shoes. Her hair was half-tied back with a pink clip. Her features were delicate and fair, making her look exceptionally sweet and graceful.
“She’s so pretty!”
“Tsk, tsk, look at that skin.”
“Can someone like that even do housework?”
Suddenly, someone glanced behind and muttered, “Hey? Why did a sentry bring her? Where’s Regiment Commander Qin?”
At those words, several of the women looked behind as well. Sure enough, there was only the sentry carrying the luggage; there was no sign of Qin An.
“The new wife arrives on the first day, and he doesn’t even come to get her?”
“Exactly. No matter how busy he is, he could’ve spared a moment.”
“Could it be that… he doesn’t like this wife?”
One woman who knew the inside story lowered her voice and whispered to the person next to her, “Don’t you know? This Eldest Miss Cheng was previously engaged to someone else.”
“Really?”
“The Commander’s mother said so over the phone. She was so loud someone overheard. This marriage was forced by the old man; the Commander didn’t want it at all.”
“Then Regiment Commander Qin is the one being wronged.”
“Exactly. If it were me, I wouldn’t go pick her up either.”
When the women looked at Cheng Xi again, their gazes held a certain unreadable quality.
Cheng Xi saw those looks clearly, and the fragments of their conversation drifted into her ears. Her pace slowed half a beat, and her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag. Just as she intended to lower her head and walk faster, her foot suddenly slipped.
The paths in the family quarters were paved with crushed stones and were uneven; her white shoes offered no grip.
“Ow!”
She tumbled forward, her knees hitting the ground and her palms scraping against the sharp stones. It burned with a sharp pain.
The surroundings fell silent for a second. Then, laughter erupted from all directions.
“Oh my!”
“She fell! She fell!”
“Hahaha!”
Cheng Xi sat on the ground, her face pale with pain. She tried to stand, but her ankle wouldn’t hold her weight. She tried twice and failed both times. The laughter grew louder.
Just then, a woman in a cloth shirt stepped out from the crowd and looked her up and down. It was Zhao Yinghua, the wife of Vice Regiment Commander Zhou Desheng.
“The capitalist’s daughter really is different, isn’t she? Can’t even walk properly.”
“I bet she’ll be crying and heading back home in three days.”
Zhao Yinghua hated women who dressed up like “vixens”—pretty to look at but useless for work. Moreover, she had heard about this capitalist girl’s background. She had almost been engaged to someone else and only sought out Regiment Commander Qin after the other family fell. It was clearly a case of climbing a higher branch.
Regiment Commander Qin didn’t even come to meet her, which showed how much he must despise her.
Her words were biting, yet the surrounding women all laughed.
Cheng Xi sat on the ground, her palms stinging. The laughter felt like needles in her ears. She gritted her teeth, her eyes stinging, but she forced herself to hold back the tears. In her previous life, she had lived twenty years without ever suffering such humiliation.
Just wait. Once I find my footing, the first thing I’ll do is divorce him. Then, whoever wants to stay can stay.
She looked up and stared at Zhao Yinghua’s sharp face. After watching her for a few seconds, Cheng Xi spoke in a slow, gentle tone. “Sister, have you been feeling a dry and bitter taste in your mouth lately? And perhaps you’ve been having trouble sleeping, tossing and turning all night?”
Zhao Yinghua was stunned by the question and instinctively licked her lips. How… how did she know?
The other women stopped snickering and looked at each other, their eyes filled with curiosity.
Seeing that Zhao Yinghua didn’t deny it, Cheng Xi flashed a sweet smile and continued, “I see that your face is flushed. These are typical symptoms of rising liver fire and internal stagnation. Put simply, you have too much ‘fire’ in you.”
She paused, her gaze sweeping lightly over Zhao Yinghua’s face. “I suggest you mind your own business less and stop getting angry. Otherwise, even an immortal won’t be able to save those wrinkles on your face.”
The area fell silent for a moment. Then, a younger wife couldn’t help but whisper to the person next to her, “What she says makes sense. Sister Yinghua has been in a terrible mood lately.”
Another woman leaned in and whispered, “How could she tell just by looking at her face?”
Zhao Yinghua’s face turned from red to pale and back again. Cheng Xi’s words were equivalent to calling her old and ill-tempered in front of everyone.
“You… what is a young girl like you blathering about!” Zhao Yinghua stiffened her neck, her voice rising an octave. “I am not! I’m in perfect health!”
An older woman who was close to Zhao Yinghua tugged at her sleeve and whispered, “Yinghua, but lately… you really have been saying your mouth tastes bitter, and you’ve been tossing and turning at night.”
Zhao Yinghua was choked for words, her expression becoming even more unsightly.
Seeing this, Cheng Xi’s tone became even more gentle. “Sister, there’s no shame in being ill, but dragging it out without treatment will only hurt your body. If you trust me, I can write you a few prescriptions to regulate your system, and you’ll be fine.”
Her words were spoken with such grace and generosity that it made Zhao Yinghua look increasingly petty.
Zhao Yinghua’s lips trembled. She wanted to say “yes,” but she had already spoken so harshly. If she changed her mind now, wouldn’t she be slapping her own face?
She could only grit her teeth and stomp her foot. “I don’t want it! Who cares about your prescriptions!”
With that, she turned and marched away, her footsteps hurried and heavy.
Cheng Xi watched Zhao Yinghua’s retreating back, the corners of her lips curling imperceptibly. Hmph. I don’t go looking for trouble, but if trouble comes looking for me, don’t blame me for being unkind.
Once Zhao Yinghua was far away, the sentry snapped back to reality from the battle he had just witnessed. He looked at the women who were still watching the scene and cleared his throat. “Sisters, could someone please help me out here and give her a hand?”
After all, men and women shouldn’t be too physically close, and this was the Regiment Commander’s wife.
As soon as he finished speaking, a young woman with two large braids walked over from around the corner. “I’ll do it!”
She squatted down, took Cheng Xi’s arm, and pulled her up. “Sister, up you get!”
Cheng Xi looked at the woman. She had a round face and kind, generous features. If it weren’t for the wind-chapped skin, she would certainly be a striking beauty.
Cheng Xi said, “Thank you!”
“Don’t mention it. We’re neighbors.” Li Jing held her with one hand and patted the dust off her clothes with the other. “I’ll help you home.”
Cheng Xi looked at her foot; it was indeed quite painful. “Then I’ll trouble you, Sister.”
Li Jing smiled. “It’s a small thing.”
Behind them, the other women remained in place, their eyes following Cheng Xi’s back as they began to chatter.
“Hey, what do you think she does? How did she know what was wrong with her just by looking at her face?”
“Maybe it was just a lucky guess? A blind cat hitting a dead mouse.”
“A lucky guess? How could a guess be that accurate? Look at Yinghua’s reaction—she hit the nail right on the head. Her face turned green.”
“What use is that? Regiment Commander Qin doesn’t like her; she won’t last long in this compound. Just watch, this marriage won’t last.”
Li Jing took Cheng Xi to a row of red-brick bungalows and pushed open a courtyard gate.
“Regiment Commander Qin lives here,” Li Jing pointed out.
The courtyard wasn’t large. Honeycomb briquettes and several sacks of cabbage were piled against the wall, and there was a small tin coal shed in the corner. Li Jing helped her into the room on the right. The sentry dropped off the luggage and left.
Cheng Xi looked around the room. There was a single bed, a table, and a wardrobe. The window faced south, letting in plenty of bright sunlight.
Seeing Cheng Xi’s delicate appearance and her sprained ankle, Li Jing said, “Sister, take a rest. I’ll help you tidy up.”
Cheng Xi felt too embarrassed. “No, no, Sister, I can do it myself!” She stopped Li Jing and then reached into her travel bag, pulling out a small pack of White Rabbit Creamy Candies. “Sister, I brought some candy. Have a taste.”
She was new to the compound and knew no one. Li Jing seemed warm-hearted and was close to her in age; it was worth building a relationship.
Li Jing’s eyes lit up at the sight of the creamy candies. These were rare goods, very hard to buy in this area. She waved her hand quickly. “Sister, this is too expensive. You keep it for yourself.”
Cheng Xi stuffed the candies directly into her hand. “Sister, I still have more. Please, enjoy them!”
Li Jing had always found it hard to resist delicious things. She hesitated for a moment before finally accepting them. “Thank you, Sister. If you need anything in the future, just call for me.”
Cheng Xi smiled. “Sister, you can just call me Cheng Xi from now on.”
The setting sun spilled through the window, casting a golden glow over Cheng Xi’s fair face. Li Jing was momentarily dazed, thinking Cheng Xi was both beautiful and generous. She nodded. “Alright. Then you can call me Li Jing! We look about the same age; it sounds more personal that way.”
Cheng Xi replied, “You got it!”
Back at the training ground, Qin An tucked the score sheet under his arm and turned toward the family quarters.
His first few steps were his usual pace, but after he rounded the low wall of the training field, his stride noticeably quickened.
Near the guardhouse, the sentry who had delivered the message earlier was finishing his shift and drinking water from an enamel mug. He saw Qin An marching toward the family quarters from a distance.
The sentry put down his mug and nudged the man next to him. “Hey, look at the Commander. Just now he said he had important business and couldn’t go to the gate. Now he’s walking faster than a person heading to an emergency assembly.”
the soldier beside him took a look. “Maybe he’s just in a hurry to get dinner.”
The sentry paused. “True.”
When Qin An reached the entrance to the family quarters, his footsteps suddenly faltered. He looked toward the quarters, then in another direction, and finally turned toward the infirmary.
A moment later, he emerged from the infirmary holding a small brown glass bottle.
After Li Jing left, Cheng Xi sat alone on the bed, looking down at her swollen ankle. She hissed in pain. Just as she was wondering how to treat it, she heard footsteps outside.
Against the light, the first thing she saw was the forest-green military uniform. Then, she saw his face.
He had handsome brows and starry eyes, with deep, well-defined features and a tense jawline. There wasn’t a single superfluous expression on his face. His skin was a honey-gold tan from years of training, making his eyes look exceptionally dark and deep.
Cheng Xi’s heart skipped a beat.
This was her nominal husband, Qin An.
He was handsome, certainly. But he looked fierce, radiating a sharp, imposing aura. Moreover, this man hadn’t even come to meet her; he clearly didn’t like her at all.
She instinctively shrank back.