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

The snow had melted, but the road was still a bit slippery. Fang Chu and Chao Huaihua carefully helped Zhi Xia, one on each side, as they arrived at the military hospital once again.

This time, Fang Chu specifically sought out an experienced doctor. As soon as he entered the consultation room, he eagerly asked the doctor the question that had been lingering in his mind for a long time:

"Doctor, please take a close look. Is my wife... pregnant with twins?"

The doctor, an experienced senior physician, had Zhixia lie down and carefully and repeatedly touched, pressed, and felt her protruding abdomen. The examination room was quiet, with only the tense breathing of a few people audible.

After a moment, the old director pondered and said, "Hmm...maybe."

"Possibly?" Fang Chu was very dissatisfied with this ambiguous answer, and her tone became impatient. "Doctor, please give me a definite answer! If it's twins, I need to prepare extra clothes and blankets in advance! How am I supposed to prepare with this 'possibly'?"

The old director was amused by him, and after a moment of focused feeling, his tone became much more certain: "Don't rush, let me feel again... Hey, one here, and over here... It seems there's another one. That's right, they're twins, I can feel both heads."

Twins!

There really are two!

The moment she confirmed it, Fang Chu felt her heart skip a beat. The immense joy lasted less than a second before being instantly overwhelmed by a tidal wave of anxiety!

Having one child was already dangerous enough; he was on tenterhooks every day! Now it's two?! The danger factor has increased exponentially! Countless terrifying thoughts about premature birth and difficult labor of twins flashed through his mind, and his face turned pale.

The doctor seemed to sense his fear, and while writing in the medical record, solemnly instructed, "It's confirmed to be twins. Twin pregnancies are more demanding and increase the risk of premature birth. You must rest more after returning home and avoid strenuous activity. If you experience any discomfort, such as abdominal pain or spotting, you must come to the hospital immediately!"

Standing to the side, Chao Huaihua had held her breath ever since she heard "possibly." Only after the doctor's final confirmation did she gasp for air, her face a complex mix of shock and understanding, and murmur:

"She's really pregnant with twins...no wonder her belly is so big..."

She looked at her pale-faced son-in-law and her still somewhat dazed daughter lying on the bed, and her heart tightened instantly. Each one was precious; now there were two. From now on, she couldn't afford to be careless at all.

After returning from the hospital with confirmed twins, Fang Chu's secret joy at the thought that "it might be a daughter" was completely washed away by the immense financial pressure.

He locked himself in his room, took out the small tin box containing money and tickets, poured everything inside onto the bed, and carefully counted it.

All that was left in cash was a crumpled 138.63 yuan.

Various meat coupons, grain coupons, and cloth coupons are almost all gone.

Looking at the meager balance, Fang Chu's heart sank.

For the past six months, in order to improve Zhixia's health, he bought meat almost every day, ate refined rice and flour at every meal, and never stopped taking those expensive nutritional supplements. His meager political commissar salary was spent cleanly every month, leaving him penniless.

If it weren't for his parents sending him various scarce tickets and some cash every month without fail, he wouldn't have made it this far!

He used to be single and didn't care about money. But now, he's about to be a father of two! Twins mean double the formula, double the clothes, double the expenses!

Looking at the meager amount of money on the bed, he could almost see two crying babies, their little mouths agape, waiting for him to feed them. An unprecedented, heavy sense of responsibility to support his family pressed down on him like a mountain.

No, we absolutely cannot just sit around and do nothing!

I absolutely cannot support two children on my fixed salary and with my parents' financial support!

A clear idea formed in his mind: he had to find a way to do some side business and earn more money.

In order for Zhixia to have a peaceful pregnancy and for the two unborn children to have a better life, he could no longer just rely on the meager benefits of the military. He had to take action, even if it meant taking some risks, to support this family!

With his meager savings, Fang Chu steeled himself and went to find Li Yunxiao. He knew the young man was quick-witted and probably had some shady ways of making money, which he had previously dismissed as beneath him.

But now, when he thinks of Zhixia and those two unborn children, all pride and self-righteousness have to give way to reality.

Li Yunxiao was reading the newspaper in the infirmary with his legs up when he saw Fang Chu walk in with a serious expression. He chuckled, "Oh! Did the sun rise in the west today? Even Political Commissar Fang has taken the initiative to come to see me?"

Fang Chu had no time for beating around the bush and went straight to the point, her tone carrying a sense of desperation: "Stop talking nonsense. Xiaxia is pregnant with twins, and I'm out of money. I can't keep relying on my family for support."

"What?! They really are twins!" Li Yunxiao jumped up from his chair, not even caring that the newspaper had fallen to the ground. His eyes were wide open, and his face was filled with pure, undisguised shock and...jealousy!

He circled Fang Chu twice, as if trying to get to know him all over again, before finally slapping his thigh and wailing in a complex tone, "Damn it! Fang Chu! How the hell are you so amazing?! Huh?! Not only is your wife beautiful, but she gets pregnant with just a touch! And she's pregnant with twins at once?! What kind of world is this?! You get all the good things for yourself!"

Fang Chu was annoyed by his wailing. He was preoccupied with how to get money and had no time to pay attention to this guy's sour grapes mentality.

He grabbed Li Yunxiao by the collar, hissing through gritted teeth, "Stop howling! Tell me! What ways do you have to make money?! I'm desperate for cash! If I don't get some money soon, your two sons will starve!"

Seeing the genuine anxiety in Fang Chu's eyes, Li Yunxiao stopped joking. He pushed Fang Chu's hand away, straightened his collar, and lowered his voice: "Alright, alright, seeing how miserable you are... no, seeing how capable you are. Come with me, we need to find a place where no one is around to talk about this."

Li Yunxiao pulled Fang Chu to the innermost small storeroom of the infirmary, closed the door tightly, and then lowered his voice to reveal the inside story that operated in the gray area:

"Reselling cigarettes. Dare to?" He stared into Fang Chu's eyes, emphasizing the temptation and risk with each word, "This job, done once a year, can feed you for a year."

Reselling cigarettes?!

Fang Chu's heart sank, and his pupils contracted. This was speculation and profiteering! It was explicitly prohibited, and the consequences of being caught would be unimaginable! He looked at Li Yunxiao and, for the first time, felt that his childhood friend was incredibly audacious.