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

"You...you're really brave!" Fang Chu's voice lowered even more unconsciously, filled with disbelief.

Li Yunxiao seemed to have anticipated his reaction, and with a slight smirk, explained, "The bold get rich, the timid starve. My brother-in-law works at the cigarette factory and can get his hands on special-supply cigarettes that are sold internally, without coupons, and at a lower price. I take advantage of the time around the end of the year when supplies are scarce to secretly smuggle a little bit. It only happens once a year, so if I'm careful, nothing will go wrong."

"One job a year, enough to last a year." These words, like a hook, scratched hard at Fang Chu's heart, which was pushed to the brink by economic pressure. It meant that as long as he succeeded in this one job, he wouldn't have to worry about Zhi Xia's nutrition or the future cost of milk powder for his two children for the next year.

A tremendous temptation and a tremendous risk battled fiercely in his mind. He took a deep breath and didn't immediately agree; the inherent caution of a soldier kept him on his last shred of composure.

"You...you let me think about it."

Li Yunxiao didn't pressure him, but patted him on the shoulder, his tone carrying a hint of wistful understanding: "Okay, take your time thinking it over. This is something you need to figure out thoroughly. To be honest, if you could figure out a safer way, I wouldn't want to do this either. Who wants to live in constant fear?"

Fang Chu nodded silently, then walked out of the warehouse with a heavy heart. On one side was the readily available "quick money" and the security of his wife and children's future; on the other was the sword of law hanging over his head and the risk of ruining his reputation. This choice was more difficult than any training or mission he had faced.

After returning from Li Yunxiao's place, Fang Chu's initial restlessness stirred by the prospect of "quick money" was ultimately suppressed by reason and a sense of responsibility towards her family.

Speculation? No, absolutely not. He's the pillar of his wife and children now; he can't afford to get into trouble, and we can't take any risks whatsoever.

After much deliberation, he reluctantly picked up the phone again and called Fang Zheng. Although it was a little embarrassing to say, it was the safest option at the moment.

The call connected, and Fang Zheng's calm voice came through. Fang Chu stammered out the mention of money, and Fang Zheng was speechless on the other end: "Didn't I just send you some money a couple of days ago? What happened? Are you raising a wife or a mythical creature?"

Fang Chu was momentarily speechless, then quickly dropped the bombshell: "Dad, I just went to the hospital for a checkup today, and Xiaxia... she's pregnant with twins!"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a full five or six seconds, before Fang Zheng's voice, raised an octave and filled with disbelief, finally came through:

"Are you kidding me? Twins? There haven't been any twins in our family for eight generations! Who are you trying to fool?"

"Dad, I'm not lying to you!" Fang Chu said confidently, "The doctor checked the baby's position himself, and it's confirmed—there are twins! Xiaxia's belly is so big because there are two inside!"

Another silence fell. Fang Chu could even hear his father's heavy breathing on the other end of the line, clearly processing the explosive news.

"...Are you sure? There really are two?" Fang Zheng's voice came again, carrying a slight tremor and ecstasy.

"Absolutely true!" Fang Chu was practically swearing to God.

"Good! Good! Good!" Fang Zheng said "good" three times in a row, his tone instantly becoming incredibly hearty, all his previous doubts and speechlessness vanishing. "Wait! I'll go back right now and have your mother pack her things, and send you the money and tickets! I'll send them as express!"

After hanging up the phone, Fang Chu breathed a long sigh of relief. Although she would have to rely on her family again, at least she had temporarily overcome the current difficulties.

Unbeknownst to him, Fang Zheng, on the other end of the phone, paced excitedly back and forth in his office after hanging up, repeatedly muttering, "Twins... I, Fang Zheng, am going to have two grandsons! That's wonderful!"

Fang Zheng practically flew home. As soon as he entered, before he even had a chance to take off his coat, he called out to Zheng Qin, who was knitting a small sweater:

"Quickly! Gather all the money and ration coupons at home and send them to our son!"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Qin stopped knitting, her face showing surprise and a hint of helplessness: "Is Xiao Chu short of money again? Didn't she just send some a couple of days ago? She's spending money at such a rate..."

Before she could finish speaking, Fang Zheng interrupted her, his face flushed with barely suppressed excitement, and his voice louder than usual: "Xiaxia is pregnant with twins! Two in her belly! How could it not cost a lot?!"

"Twins?!" Zheng Qin jumped to her feet, not even bothering to pick up the ball of yarn that rolled to the ground. Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Really? You're not kidding me!"

"Absolutely true!" Fang Zheng's tone was resolute, filled with pride. "Xiao Chu said it herself on the phone, and the doctor at the hospital confirmed it! This is the first time in our Fang family that this has happened!"

Upon confirming the news, Zheng Qin's helplessness was instantly replaced by immense joy and a sense of urgency. She immediately turned and went into the inner room, muttering rapidly, "I'll pack right now! I'll send it immediately!"

But after rummaging through the groceries, she frowned and came out again, "Oh no, we've used up all our rice coupons for this month, and sent them all to Xiao Chu! This won't do; a pregnant woman can't get enough nutrition from whole grains!"

After a moment's thought, she made a decision. While putting on her coat, she said, "I'll go find my sister-in-law right now, and then go see Dad. I'll try to get some rice and egg coupons from them! Xiaxia needs to eat something better!"

"Alright!" Fang Zheng fully supported this, waving his hand with unprecedented boldness, "Exchange more! Don't be stingy! We can't let our grandson suffer now..."

Zheng Qin nodded vigorously and rushed out the door. At this moment, all thoughts of careful planning and gradual savings were swept to the winds by the tremendous joyous news of "twin grandsons."

The elderly couple embarked on a massive fundraising campaign to gather supplies for their grandchild whom they had never met.

Zheng Qin rushed to find Grandpa Fang Yuzhao and told him about the twins. The old man's first reaction was to shake his head vigorously.

"Nonsense! Impossible!" The old man's voice was full of vigor, his face showing a "you can't fool me" expression. "I've lived most of my life, I'm practically buried in the ground, and I've never seen real twins! And now, on my last legs, you're telling me our little Chu's wife is pregnant with twins?"

Zheng Qin was both amused and exasperated, and could only emphasize again and again, "Dad! It's true! The doctor at the hospital examined them personally, and it's confirmed that there are two! Absolutely!"

Looking at his youngest daughter-in-law's confident demeanor, Fang Yuzhao's cloudy old eyes slowly revealed a hint of doubt and uncertainty. He pondered for a long while, and suddenly, a strong, almost dreamlike expectation burst forth in his eyes, which had seen through the world:

"Then...could it be...twins?" The old man's voice trembled slightly. "Our Fang family already has three sons in the great-grandchild generation, and not a single daughter yet! If twins were to come along, it would truly be a blessing from our ancestors!"