The Young Widow's Sweet Second Marriage [The 1970s]

Chu Wan was the beauty of the surrounding villages, but she was unlucky. On her wedding day, before she had even met the husband chosen for her, she became a widow.

Her husband's family called her a jinx and made her do all the dirty, exhausting work.

Her own family thought she brought bad luck. Once a daughter was married off, she was no longer their concern.

And as a beautiful young widow, she was bound to attract plenty of gossip...

After working herself sick, Chu Wan dreamed in her fever that she was living in a novel set in a bygone era. She was a disposable pawn, a stepping stone for her stepsister.

In the original story, Chu Wan was accidentally locked in Captain Gu's room one night while he was back in the village visiting family. The villagers gathered outside to gossip.

A fellow educated youth from the same village kindly "rescued" her, showing her a route over the cliffs so she could escape.

After Chu Wan fell to her death, the other woman pretended to shed crocodile tears in front of Captain Gu, playing the part of a devoted sister and winning his favor...

When Chu Wan woke up again, her fever had just broken. She was lying weak and limp on Captain Gu's kang.

The man beside her had a cold gaze, while outside, the villagers were shouting that the shameless little widow had climbed into his bed.

Chu Wan summoned her strength to lock the door. Trembling all over, she touched her lips with a slender, pale finger and pleaded, "Shh... Please, don't make a sound."

She wanted to live. For the rest of her life, she wanted to live for herself.

*

After being reborn, Wang Meiru summed up her previous life as having three great regrets.

First, she hadn't worked hard enough when she was sent to the countryside and had missed her chance to return to the city, letting delicate Chu Wan get there first.

Second, she hadn't passed the university entrance exams after they were reinstated.

Third, she hadn't clung to Gu Xiao. People said he had a bad temper and came with two troublesome little kids, but he had a bright future!

In this life, Wang Meiru seized her chance. She made Chu Wan a widow, let the rumors fly, and waited for her chance to date Captain Gu.

But as she waited, she heard

Chu Wan had been taken to the military compound by Gu Xiao?

Chu Wan had passed the university entrance exams in the provincial capital and landed a state job??

Chu Wan was being treated like a treasure by the Gu family???

Wang Meiru consoled herself that Chu Wan had nothing to be jealous of. She was just becoming someone's stepmother.

But then came the news: the two little kids with Gu Xiao were the orphaned children of a fallen comrade, and Chu Wan hadn't suffered even a little!

Please add my next book, The Delicate Little Sister-in-Law's Island Life [The 1970s], to your reading list~

Blurb:

Ning Qiao was famous around the compound for her delicate beauty. The older generation had arranged a childhood betrothal for her to the Jiang family.

She was gentle and frail, and her family had raised her like a princess.

The Jiang family's son was now stationed on a remote island, with three unruly younger siblings in tow. Nobody dared marry him.

Her parents couldn't bear to let Ning Qiao move there, but the notice ordering her to go to the countryside had arrived.

Someone as frail as her wouldn't be able to endure it.

After weighing her options, they agreed to let her marry into the family on the island.

The journey to the island was arduous. Ning Qiao fell ill as soon as she got off the boat and had a nightmare.

It turned out that her entire family were foils to the hero and heroine in a novel set in a bygone era.

The original heroine got along well with her husband's family, and she and her husband lived in harmony.

But in Ning Qiao's family, her second younger brother used a sea spider to scare her, her third younger brother chased her away with a broom, and her little sister ruined her clothes with scissors.

Captain Jiang was cold and distant, often away on missions, and never protected her.

Ning Qiao woke with a start, only to find a handsome, tall man beside her.

Captain Jiang held a nourishing, lightly seasoned bowl of coconut chicken soup and coaxed her to drink it spoonful by spoonful.

Her three younger siblings stood obediently in a row, politely calling her their little sister-in-law.

Ning Qiao: Why is this different from my dream?

*

In his previous life, Jiang Yi's new bride set his younger siblings on the right path, but died young while saving his little sister.

The family became entangled in a conspiracy while trying to avenge Ning Qiao, and met a tragic end.

After being reborn, the first thing Jiang Yi did was call his unruly kids to the beach for a talking-to. Before he could even begin...

His second younger brother dropped to his knees with a thud. "Big Brother, I was wrong. I shouldn't have scared Little Sister-in-Law in my last life. From now on, I'll go gather seafood for her every day and catch her lobsters."

His third younger brother was crying so hard his nose was running. "Big Brother, I was wrong. I shouldn't have chased Little Sister-in-Law away in my last life. From now on, I'll make her kelp, crab, and clams every day."

His little sister turned away, grabbed a chicken by the neck, and ordered her second brother to climb a coconut tree. "Little Sister-in-Law likes coconut chicken best. Hurry up and pick some coconuts before it's too late!"

The firecrackers welcoming the bride rang out one after another.

Jiang Yi turned around and caught sight of the petite figure gazing at him timidly.

He swore that in this life, he would protect her.

*

At first, the soldiers and their families on the island all thought this family would be a disaster. There was no way a delicate new bride could keep Captain Jiang and his unruly kids in line.

But later

Ning Qiao ate huge lobsters and caviar, her skin grew fairer and more radiant, and she lived a sweet, happy life. Her younger siblings were well-behaved and sensible, and the whole family pampered her to the skies!

Theme: Live for yourself.