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

The group chatted for a while, mainly about the two children playing around and funny things at school, creating a relaxed atmosphere.

Seeing the weariness on Zhixia's face, Fang Chu knew she had been through too much today and was exhausted both physically and mentally. So she stood up and said, "Mom and Dad, Grandpa, Sister, Brother-in-law, I'll take Xiaxia upstairs to rest first. She's pregnant and goes to bed early."

Fang Yuzhao nodded immediately, his tone kind: "Okay, go ahead. Make sure you're covered up well tonight, don't catch a cold. Xiaxia, get some rest."

Zhi Xia responded softly, and with the careful support of her mother Chao Huaihua and Fang Chu on either side, she slowly went upstairs.

Once their figures disappeared around the corner of the stairs, the atmosphere in the living room seemed to subtly settle down again.

Fang Hua's smile faded. She glanced upstairs, then at her parents and grandfather, her brows furrowing slightly. Finally, she couldn't help but lower her voice and ask the question that had been lingering in her mind ever since she met Zhi Xia, a question that made her feel incredibly awkward:

"Mom and Dad, Grandpa...don't you...feel awkward?"

Jiang Jinyan, standing to the side, gently tugged at his wife's sleeve, signaling her not to ask too directly.

Fang Yuzhao leaned back on the sofa, twirling a teacup in his hand. Hearing this, he looked up at his granddaughter and said calmly, "What's all the fuss about?"

Seeing that his grandfather seemed not to understand, or rather, pretended not to understand, Fang Hua decided to be more explicit, his voice becoming somewhat urgent with embarrassment and confusion: "Zhi Xia... she looks exactly like Aunt! My heart almost jumped out of my chest the first time I saw her! But... but she's Fang Chu's wife now! She's married to Xiao Chu, with Aunt's face, and she's pregnant... I... I always feel like there's a generational difference! It feels so strange, so awkward! Don't you all feel embarrassed?"

The question was direct, even somewhat sharp, revealing Fang Hua's most immediate unease—a sense of confusion regarding ethical and generational relationships. In her view, the face of an elder (albeit one who had passed away early) appearing on her sister-in-law's person made the relationship seem utterly inappropriate.

Fang Yuzhao put down his teacup, looking calmly at his granddaughter. His face showed no displeasure, only a clear-headedness and decisiveness born from experience: "Xiaohua, remember, she is Xiaxia, not Xiaozhi. Don't confuse her with your aunt. No matter how similar they look, they are two different people."

Fang Zheng chimed in, his tone serious and clear, carrying the air of a family head: "Your grandfather is right. Xiaxia is Xiaxia, and Xiaozhi is Xiaozhi. They are completely different people, it just so happens that they look very alike. You can't confuse their identities or even question Xiaochu and Xiaxia's marriage just because they have similar faces. That's unfair to them and disrespectful to Xiaxia."

Zheng Qin added softly, with words of comfort and guidance: "Xiao Hua, Mom knows you can't accept it right now and it feels awkward. But you have to try to distinguish them in your heart. Look at Xia Xia's personality, her way of speaking and acting, she's completely different from Xiao Zhi. She's herself. Our Fang family married Zhi Xia, not anyone's shadow. You have to get used to it slowly, treat her as your sister-in-law, instead of always thinking about who her face resembles."

Fang Hua was stunned by the consistent, logical, and clear answers from his parents and grandfather.

She had expected her family to react more strongly and find it harder to accept Zhixia than she had, perhaps even leading to conflict or awkwardness. But to her surprise, their acceptance was so quick, their attitude so… “normal”?

It's as if that shockingly similar face is merely an objective fact that needs to be recognized and treated "correctly," rather than a bomb capable of disrupting family relationships and triggering ethical dilemmas.

She looked at her grandfather, who had a calm expression, then at her father, who looked solemn but not conflicted, and then at her mother, who was trying to comfort her. The shock she felt was far greater than the shock she had felt when she first met Zhixia.

My family... their ability to accept this is too fast! Or rather, they've already reached some kind of private consensus, quickly "digesting" and "classifying" this matter?

"But..." Fang Hua opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found that his feelings about "generation", "awkwardness" and "contradiction" seemed so...inappropriate, even a bit of an overreaction, in the face of his family's unified and firm attitude.

Jiang Jinyan gently squeezed his wife's hand and said softly, "Xiaohua, listen to your parents and grandfather. Now that Xiaxia has married into the family, she's one of us. Let bygones be bygones, and we need to move on."

Fang Hua looked at her husband, then at her family. In the end, the initial shock and awkwardness were slowly suppressed by her family's powerful and consistent "normalization" treatment, turning into an incredulous admiration and a lingering, subtle feeling.

She finally understood that in this family, the resemblance between Zhixia and Fang Zhi had been settled—it was a coincidence that needed to be "correctly" ignored. All the ethical awkwardness and emotional entanglements that might arise from this would be forcibly smoothed out and downplayed under the firm belief that "she is Xiaxia, not Xiaozhi."

This swift and complete "acceptance" is less a sign of magnanimity and more a rational, even ruthless, decision made to maintain the stability of the existing family and the son's marriage.

Fang Hua felt a mix of emotions, but she knew she had no choice but to accept her family's "consensus." After all, life had to go on. Did she really want to break up her brother's family, which was already formed and pregnant with new life, just for a face that looked so much like the deceased?

She silently picked up the tea, which had gone cold, took a sip, and said nothing more. But in her heart, in addition to the initial awkwardness, she felt an indescribable complex emotion towards her younger brother and sister-in-law who bore her aunt's face—in this family, she would always be reminded that she was both herself and the shadow of another person.

How much of the love her family showed her was for "Zhi Xia," and how much of it was passed on through her to "Xiao Zhi," who could never return?

This question may never have an answer.

Fang Hua put down his teacup, the awkwardness in his heart still lingering. Suddenly, he remembered someone and couldn't help but speak again, his tone tinged with uncertainty and hidden worry: "By the way, Dad, does Uncle know that Xiaxia looks like Aunt?"

The "uncle" she mentioned is Fang Zheng's older brother, Fang Yuzhao's eldest son, Fang Xiang.

Fang Xiang is several years older than Fang Zheng. When Fang Zhi was born, Fang Zheng was still young. Fang Zhi was practically raised by her older brother Fang Xiang. The siblings had a very deep relationship, even closer than Fang Zhi's relationship with her father, Fang Yuzhao.