It was a midsummer night, dark as ink.
And just like the night itself, the Zhou family of the capital city was shrouded in gloom.
Inside the two-story house in the military compound, red “double happiness” wedding decorations were pasted everywhere, yet there was not the slightest trace of joy in the atmosphere.
Old Master Zhou, his hair already gray with age, seemed to have aged ten years overnight.
The back that had always stood straight was now bent. One hand rested on the sofa, trembling faintly.
Even his once meticulously groomed hair was now visibly disheveled.
He sat on the sofa with a defeated expression, while beside him, Commander Zhou—the family’s only son—also radiated a cold heaviness.
Grandson Zhou Yunting’s ink-dark eyes seemed to conceal a bottomless icy abyss. The moment he appeared, the temperature in the living room seemed to drop several degrees.
“Grandfather, Father… Liu Zhixia is still alive.”
Relief could be heard in the man’s voice.
Commander Zhou sighed deeply.
“Our Zhou family has dragged her into this disaster… As long as she’s alive, that’s enough. That’s enough.”
“Father, do you think there’s a way to separate Zhixia from all this? She just married into the family. She shouldn’t have to follow us to the countryside…”
Old Master Zhou slowly closed his wise eyes.
“Our Zhou family encountered disaster on the very day of the wedding. Do you really think that was a coincidence?”
The three generations of men fell silent.
Meanwhile, inside the bridal room—
Liu Zhixia had already quickly accepted her new identity.
She had transmigrated into a novel called The Pampered Obedient Wife of the 1970s as a cannon-fodder side character.
Even the character shared her exact name.
But in the novel, Liu Zhixia was barely described at all. The author only mentioned that she deeply resented the marriage arranged by her father.
Beautiful, yes—but dull and timid in personality.
Most importantly, she was such an insignificant cannon-fodder character that she appeared for less than a chapter before being written off completely.
Back when Liu Zhixia had first read the novel, she had even complained inwardly:
“How can a weak supporting character like this share my name?!”
Still, she remembered the Zhou family vividly.
The Zhou family had always been small in number, nearly every generation producing only one heir, yet every single one of them was an elite soldier with an unbreakable spirit.
Their hardest years were the period they spent in the countryside.
In the novel, the Zhou family suffered terribly during those years, even reaching the point where they barely had enough food to survive.
Old Master Zhou’s health deteriorated from overwork, and within only half a year, he passed away.
Three years later, however, the Zhou father and son finally welcomed the dawn and returned to the capital.
Relying on ruthless methods and Zhou Yunting’s exceptional military talent, the Zhou family rose to even greater heights than before.
By the end of the novel, Zhou Yunting had successfully become a general.
Yet he never married again.
People offered countless explanations for it.
Some said he had deeply loved his late wife and remained unmarried for her sake for the rest of his life.
Others said he had devoted his entire life to the nation.
But now that Liu Zhixia possessed the original owner’s memories, she knew that regardless of the rumors, it definitely wasn’t the first reason.
Zhou Yunting didn’t like her.
There was no way he loved her.
He had only married her to repay Father Liu’s life-saving kindness.
Because of the original owner’s death, the relationship between the Zhou and Liu families eventually deteriorated completely. The novel barely mentioned the Liu family afterward.
Questions Liu Zhixia once had while reading the book now finally had answers.
Father Liu had forced Zhou Yunting to marry Liu Zhixia using that life-saving favor for a reason.
The Liu parents had discovered letters exchanged between Liu Zhixia and her pen pal—and the relationship was already close to becoming a real-life romance.
After investigating, Father Liu learned that the so-called pen pal had deliberately approached Liu Zhixia with ulterior motives. Without hesitation, he turned his attention toward Zhou Yunting instead—a man with a bright future and upright character.
But fate never follows human plans…
The moment Liu Zhixia finished piecing together the situation, she jolted in alarm.
In the novel, the Zhou family suffered catastrophe, but the original Liu Zhixia had already died by then.
The Liu family was never implicated.
But now things were different.
She was still alive.
The weak body that had felt utterly drained suddenly seemed filled with strength again.
Liu Zhixia abruptly got up and rushed downstairs.
“Grandpa Zhou, I hope you can use the Zhou family’s remaining influence one last time—to help me sever ties with my father.”
At that moment, gauze still wrapped around Liu Zhixia’s forehead. Combined with her pale complexion, she looked like a fragile beauty who could collapse with the slightest breeze…
But at this very moment, her eyes were fixed firmly on Old Master Zhou.
She knew the Zhou family could make it happen.
There was a determination in her voice unlike anything before.
A faint glimmer seemed to appear in Old Master Zhou’s dim eyes.
He thought to himself that this girl from the Liu family was truly remarkable. At such a critical moment, she had not lost her head. She understood how to weigh the situation and distinguish the pros and cons. Especially now, there was an air of decisiveness and efficiency about her.
If the Zhou family could rise again, if these two young people were still here, then the Zhou family would still have hope!
Liu Zhixia’s words also caused Zhou Tingyun, who had shown almost no expression the entire time, to slightly raise his head.
He actually saw in Liu Zhixia the kind of resolute authority possessed by those in high positions—something that allowed no argument.
Old Master Zhou’s gaze shifted slightly.“Zhixia, have you thought this through? If you don’t break off the relationship, you may still have a chance to change your fate. But if you sever it…”
The meaning behind his words was obvious.
The Zhou father and son both turned their eyes toward Liu Zhixia again. They were now curious about what she would do.
After all, just moments ago, this girl had rather died than follow them to the countryside. Was this some aftereffect of hitting her head?
Liu Zhixia straightened her back, her voice firm and powerful.“Grandpa Zhou, when it’s time to cut ties, then cut them cleanly. Rather than sinking into the mud together, it’s better to preserve even the slightest chance of survival. The blood of the Liu family runs in me…”
Hearing this, Zhou Yunting suddenly lifted his head to study the woman who had already become his wife.
At this moment, she seemed to shine with her own light.
Her posture was straight and elegant, and her already beautiful features seemed to come alive with brilliance.
Zhou Yunting’s gaze darkened.
Liu Zhixia knew that Old Master Zhou understood the meaning behind her words.
The Zhou family would definitely use their connections. In Liu Zhixia’s eyes, this was a win-win situation.
When Liu Zhixia returned to the bridal room once more, she felt somewhat awkward. After all, she and Zhou Yunting were newlyweds, and after everything that had just happened, unless something unexpected occurred, she was now completely tied to the Zhou family.
While her thoughts wandered, Zhou Yunting’s deep, cello-like voice sounded beside her.
“You should sleep first. I’ll go downstairs and tidy things up a bit…”
The man paused before continuing,
“If nothing unexpected happens, we’ll set out tomorrow. You… should make… preparations. I’m… sorry…”
The last three words were spoken very softly. If one did not listen carefully, they would not hear them at all.
But Liu Zhixia possessed ancient martial arts skills. Although she was not as powerful as in her previous life, her hearing was still extraordinary. How could she possibly miss it?
As the sound of footsteps faded away, Liu Zhixia let out a light breath.
Given the current situation, she knew the man would not do anything, though things still felt somewhat awkward.
Suddenly, Liu Zhixia remembered what the man had said about leaving tomorrow and packing up. She seemed to have quite a lot of belongings as well!
But could she really take all these things with her?
If only she had the kind of storage space all transmigrators seemed to possess!
Thinking about how it was only the year 1973, Liu Zhixia could not help but sigh. She, who had always been so confident, suddenly realized that in this era, most of her talents seemed to have nowhere to be used.
Aside from ancient martial arts for self-defense and medical skills for maintaining health, the rest of her abilities felt rather useless.
Especially at this moment.
Still, having martial skills was always a good thing. At the very least, no one would be able to bully her…
Looking at the dowry prepared by the original owner’s parents, Liu Zhixia felt a headache coming on. As the only daughter in the family, she had naturally been deeply cherished.
Her parents had practically placed all the family’s best things before her. Whether it was food, clothing, or daily necessities, they had done everything within their power to give her the very best.
Perhaps because she was the family’s only child, she had been loved even more dearly.
Then she looked at a wooden box filled with ration coupons—grain coupons, industrial vouchers, sugar coupons, cloth coupons, even sewing machine and bicycle tickets…
Even with the Liu family’s circumstances, these coupons must have taken her parents a very long time to save up.
At that moment, for Liu Zhixia, who had been an orphan in her previous life, emotion overflowed within her.
These were not merely money and coupons; they carried the immense love of the Liu parents.
Her heart felt as though it had been immersed in a land of warmth. Across the boundaries of time and space, she had once again touched warmth itself.
The eyes beneath her lashes grew even more moist as scenes of the Liu family slowly unfolded in her mind, frame by frame…