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

Zhi Xia's heart pounded violently in her chest. A surge of emotions, a mixture of hatred, humiliation, and rage, rushed to her head, making her almost want to pounce on him immediately and scratch his hypocritical face with her fingernails! But she remembered her brother's words—"Treat each other like strangers from now on."

She took a deep breath and used all her strength to suppress the turmoil of emotions surging within her.

The smile on his face had vanished without a trace, replaced by a complete and utter indifference.

She walked past him as if he were a stone or a wooden stake, her gaze unwavering, her steps unslow, straight and calm. A barely perceptible breeze stirred, brushing against Fang Chu's sleeve.

Fang Chu stood frozen in place.

He watched her straight back and her resolute figure disappear at the intersection, and felt a sudden, indescribable, dull ache in his heart.

This feeling of being completely ignored and treated like air was even more frustrating and uncomfortable than the punch Zhi Lin had thrown at his face that day.

She should have hated him, cursed him, or even sought revenge. Any drastic reaction would have seemed to make him feel better than this complete "stranger" attitude.

Fang Chu stood there, realizing for the first time clearly how deep and cold a chasm had been drawn between him and the girl named Zhi Xia, due to the mistake designed by others.

Having arranged to go shopping with Wang Chun the next day, Zhi Xia felt a long-lost sense of anticipation.

Just as she was about to leave, Wang Chun's sister-in-law, Zhao Lili, came out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of half-picked vegetables. She glanced at her and casually tossed out a remark:

"Out again? Never home. Chun'er, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but you don't earn any money, all you do is ask your brother for money. What kind of talk is that?"

The harshness and disdain in his tone were like needles pricking you.

Wang Chun's face flushed instantly. He grabbed Zhi Xia's wrist, turned around, and went into his small room, slamming the door shut to shut out his sister-in-law's nagging.

"Ignore her!" Wang Chun sat angrily on the edge of the bed, her chest heaving. "It's my right to spend my brother's money! She's from the countryside; if she hadn't married my brother, she'd still be toiling in the fields. What right does she have to talk to me like that!"

Zhixia sat down on the edge of the bed, listening to the faint murmurs coming from outside the door. The joy she felt from shopping was somewhat dampened, and a hint of worry crept into her heart. She hesitated for a moment, then asked softly:

"Xiaochun, you said... my sister-in-law is treating me really well now. But as time goes on, will she... become like your sister-in-law?"

Wang Chun turned her head and looked into Zhi Xia's eyes, which were filled with confusion and a hint of fear. She sighed helplessly. She had arrived earlier than Zhi Xia and saw things more clearly.

"It's possible," she said honestly, her voice lowering. "People like us, who say we've come to rely on our brother, are really just living under his roof. When we first arrive, we're guests, but as time goes on, we inevitably become a burden, eating for free."

Silence fell over the room. Outside the window, the daily hustle and bustle of the family compound only served to highlight the heavy thoughts in the hearts of the two girls inside.

Wang Chun reached out and grasped Zhi Xia's hand, as if to pass on some strength, or perhaps to encourage himself:

"So, we have to find our own way out. We can't keep relying on our brother and sister-in-law for our livelihood. Once we've settled down and figured out the situation, we should either find a job, even if it's just temporary work, because having our own money gives us more confidence."

She paused, a look of bewilderment and longing for the future, typical of her age, appearing on her face.

"Either... you should hurry up and find a suitable person to marry. Only when you have your own home can you truly say you've established yourself here."

These words are realistic, even somewhat cruel, but they represent the future they must face. The two girls clasped hands tightly in the cramped room, sharing the pressure of their precocious maturity and their uncertainty about the unknown future.

Zhixia walked back, her heart heavy with worry for the future, her mood much heavier than when she left. Just as she feared, Fang Chu, the very source of her distress, appeared once again ahead of her on the path.

Actually, Fang Chu never left; he stayed there waiting for Zhi Xia.

She immediately lowered her eyes, quickened her pace, and tried to pretend she hadn't seen anything and escape quickly.

"Let's talk," Fang Chu said, taking a large step forward and blocking her path. His voice was low and deep.

Zhi Xia was forced to stop, raised her head, and said coldly, "I don't know you, there's no need to talk."

Fang Chu was speechless at her words, a strange sense of irritation welling up inside him. A voice in his head retorted: How can we not be familiar anymore? We've...we've already gone through that! But even he, as muddle-headed as he was, knew he absolutely couldn't utter these absurd words. In desperation, an even more absurd and blunt thought blurted out:

"Let's start dating."

Zhi Xia recoiled as if burned, taking a half-step back and looking at him as if he were some incomprehensible monster: "You're sick!"

Fang Chu stopped Zhi Xia again, who was trying to walk around her, and lowered his voice, offering a reason he thought he couldn't refuse, which was also a hidden worry deep in his heart: "I'm serious! Think about it, what if... what if you get pregnant?"

"I took birth control pills!" Zhi Xia blurted out, both ashamed and angry.

Fang Chu's pupils contracted, and she immediately asked, "Who gave it to you?" Her subconscious desire for control and concern were mixed together, making her tone somewhat aggressive.

"Mind your own business!" Zhi Xia was furious. What right did he have to interfere?

One insisted on leaving, while the other refused to let her go. Their struggle on the roadside was witnessed by Xu Guihua, who was carrying a laundry basin.

Xu Guihua's eyes lit up, as if she had discovered some earth-shattering news, and her voice instantly rose: "Oh my! Political Commissar Fang, Zhixia! You two...you two are really dating?"

Zhi Xia felt as if she had been pricked by a needle. She jerked her hand away from Fang Chu, her face turning deathly pale, and hurriedly denied, "No! Don't talk nonsense!"

Fang Chu, standing to the side, simply kept a tense expression and, unusually, did not utter a word to explain or deny.

Seeing this, Xu Guihua thought she understood and put on a teasing smile, as if she'd been through it all: "Hey, you two had a falling out, didn't you? That's how young people are, bickering is good for a relationship! Political Commissar Fang, you'd better be more considerate of the girl..."

Zhi Xia couldn't listen anymore. Her face was burning. She glared at Fang Chu and turned around, practically running away from this suffocating place of trouble.

Fang Chu stood there, watching her flee in a panic, then glanced at Xu Guihua, whose face was full of gossip, and his brows furrowed tightly. He knew that now, things were even more complicated.