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

Fang Chu was annoyed by Zheng Yunzhu's antics. After barely finishing the reception duties, he returned home feeling irritated. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he heard bursts of laughter coming from inside the house.

Zhi Xia was reclining on a deck chair, while Zhi Xu and Zhi Yu were gathered around her huge belly, making grand plans about their "future little brother".

Zhixu, like a little commander, put his hands on his hips and said to his younger brother, "Xiaoyu, listen up! Once you have a younger brother, you can command them both to help you with chores!"

Zhiyu tilted his little face up and, in a childish voice, pointed to a small stool not far away: "Little brother! Get me a stool!"

Zhixu nodded vigorously, looking like a seasoned expert: "That's right! Just like when I'm directing you! Once your little brother is born, you can direct him!"

Little Zhiyu was amused by her brother's description of the bright future and clapped her hands with joy.

Chao Huaihua, who was listening nearby, couldn't help but laugh and interrupt their naive fantasy: "That will have to wait until the younger brothers grow up. They're still little babies now."

Zhi Xu waved his hand dismissively, acting like a little adult: "It's alright! Xiao Yu can wait!"

Chao Huaihua, deliberately teasing them, asked again, "What if it's a younger sister?"

"It's definitely a younger brother!" Zhixu answered decisively, pointing to Zhixia's stomach. "Both are younger brothers!"

Fang Chu, who had just walked in, overheard this. His lingering displeasure over Zheng Yunzhu was instantly ignited by these words, and he retorted unhappily, "Who said that? How could I not have a daughter? I definitely have a younger brother and a younger sister!"

Xiao Zhiyu, confused, excitedly ran over and hugged his leg when he saw his uncle come in, looking up and reiterating, "Uncle! They're both younger brothers!"

Fang Chu was furious at her nephew's "curse," but she didn't want to argue with the child, so her face turned even uglier.

Seeing her son-in-law's stubbornness, Chao Huaihua was both amused and exasperated, and quickly smoothed things over: "Alright, alright, boys and girls are the same, they're both our precious children! Hurry up and wash your hands and eat!"

Fang Chu responded sullenly, but in her heart she was still struggling with the "daughter" who might not exist. At the same time, she was even more worried about how to tell Zhi Xia about Zheng Yunzhu's insistence on coming to see her.

That evening, Fang Chu brought in hot water and skillfully knelt down to wash Zhi Xia's feet. He massaged her slightly swollen ankles, hesitated for a moment, then looked up and casually asked, "Um... the performing arts troupe is coming to perform, would you like to go? If you do, I'll find you a corner seat."

Zhi Xia shook her head without even thinking: "I'm not going. There are too many people, it's too noisy, what if they squeeze me?" Right now, she is focused on the two children in her belly.

Fang Chu pursed her lips, and under the guise of wiping her feet, she lowered her head and finally revealed her true intention: "There's a distant cousin of mine in the performing arts troupe named Zheng Yunzhu. She heard I got married and wanted to come and see you."

"A distant cousin?" Zhi Xia raised an eyebrow slightly, her tone flat but tinged with confusion. "I don't even know her. Why is she coming to see me?"

Fang Chu's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice a little dry: "...Curious."

These two words were rich in meaning. Zhi Xia understood instantly. Looking at Fang Chu's somewhat nervous expression, she suddenly found it a little funny.

She reached out and touched her round belly, her tone unusually calm, even with a hint of amusement: "Are you curious why I married you?"

Fang Chu didn't dare to look up, and mumbled a reply: "...Mm."

"Okay," Zhixia agreed with surprising ease. "Then let her come." She paused, then added with a touch of possessive naiveté, "But let me tell you, I'm not feeding her! All the good food in our house is mine, and nobody gets a share!"

These words sounded like a joke, but they made Fang Chu's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, fall back to reality with a "thump." She wasn't angry, she wasn't suspicious, and she even had the mind to joke.

He quickly assured her, "Okay! Don't worry about her food! All the good food in our house is yours, and we won't give any to anyone else!"

Zhixia smiled as he helped her onto the bed. He used the water from Zhixia's foot bath to rinse his own feet haphazardly, dried them, and then got into bed and gently pulled her into his arms. His large hands tenderly covered her high belly, feeling the lively movements of the little ones inside.

Zhixia held Fang Chu's large hand, which was resting on her stomach, and the room was so quiet that only their breathing could be heard.

Suddenly, she spoke softly, her voice trembling slightly, as she asked a question that had been weighing on her mind for a long time, a question that almost every pregnant woman has feared: "Fang Chu, what if I have a difficult labor?"

Fang Chu tightened his grip slightly, his tone trying to remain calm: "Don't overthink it, it won't happen. I'll find the best doctor beforehand and make all the necessary preparations."

Zhi Xia wasn't appeased. Stubbornly insisting on a definite answer, she asked the most cruel hypothetical question: "What if... if the situation becomes critical and only one of the adult or the child can be saved, would you save me or the child?"

This question struck Fang Chuxin like a block of ice, chilling her to the bone. He almost immediately and resolutely growled, his arm gripping her so tightly it hurt: "That won't happen! Absolutely not!"

"Promise me!" Zhi Xia insisted, tilting her head back to search for his eyes in the dim light, her voice filled with raw fear, "Fang Chu, if something really happens, can you protect me? I'm afraid of dying... I'm so afraid of dying..."

That cry of "I'm afraid of dying" contained all her love and longing for life.

She was only twenty years old, and her life was just beginning to show a different side. She didn't want to ruin everything just to have a child. She still wanted to go to university and experience a wonderful life.

Fang Chu looked at the tears glistening in her eyes and the genuine fear in them, and his heart felt like it was being squeezed.

He lowered his head, forehead to forehead, his gaze fixed on her, each word seeming to come from the depths of his heart, heavy and clear: "I'll protect you. I will definitely protect you."

He paused, his voice hoarse but incredibly firm:

"What's the point of having a child without you? Stop overthinking, do you hear me? You're much more important than a child. Nothing is more important than you."

These words, like the most effective tranquilizer, instantly calmed the turbulent waves in Zhixia's heart. She received the promise she most wanted, and her tense nerves finally relaxed. She buried her face deeply in his neck and softly murmured "Mmm."

She felt relieved.

In an era of limited medical resources, this promise was the most important guarantee of life she could secure for herself.

She loved the child in her womb, but she loved herself even more. This appreciation for her own life was not selfish; it was a survival instinct and a young soul's most genuine yearning for the world.