A Thriving Little Life in the Seventies

[Ongoing novel: The Beloved Wife of a 1970s Rural Family. See the author's profile for the blurb!] As the only girl in the Gu family for three generations, Gu Qingqing was the apple of her grandparents' eyes from childhood. Her father was the head of the production brigade. Her second uncle was a famous carpenter for miles around. Her third uncle was a chef at a state-run restaurant. Her fourth uncle... had a silver tongue and a handsome face. She had countless male cousins, and her two older brothers were both in the army. Life was prosperous and getting better every day. One day, her second brother, who was with the construction corps, sent her a letter. Along with ration coupons, cloth coupons, and his allowance, he included a photograph. The man in the military uniform had sharp brows and bright eyes. He was leagues better-looking than her eldest brother, an air force pilot. Gu Qingqing immediately decided: She'd go visit him! To the corps! She had to marry him! No matter how much pleading and pestering it took, she'd make her second brother help arrange the match. Years later, two handsome young men from the Chu family asked their grandfather, "How did you meet Grandma back then?" Chu Dai held back a laugh. "Well... your grandma saw just one photo of me. She'd never traveled far from home before, but she took a green train north all by herself for a day and a night. Then she slumped against your second great-uncle and said she'd come to find herself a husband." A slice-of-life story, set in an alternate world. - Ongoing novel: The Beloved Wife of a 1970s Rural Family Xia Jingzhi transmigrated into a book, landing in a period novel as the youngest and most pampered child in her family. Her older brothers and sisters were all married, and her nieces and nephews were only two or three years younger than her. The late-born daughter of the brigade secretary, she'd been cherished by her parents and siblings since childhood and was famous throughout the brigade for being lazy. The women of the brigade thought, "What's the use of being pretty? If she can't work in the fields and earn work points, it's all for nothing. Even being the secretary's daughter won't help. Who'd marry a lazy girl like that and treat her like an ancestor?" Who could have guessed that someone really would be foolish enough to do it? - Because of his father, Lin Fengmian left the army and went to stay with his aunt for a while, to lie low. He never expected the brigade secretary's daughter to take a fancy to him and insist on marrying him, no matter how much she was rebuffed. For his aunt's peace and quiet, he reluctantly agreed. On their wedding night, just as he was about to make do with a night in a chair, the young woman suddenly tossed him a quilt and lifted her chin. "I'm frail, so I have to sleep in the bed. You sleep on the floor." Lin Fengmian clenched his back teeth. His stubborn streak took over, and he tossed the quilt back, then lay down beside her with a cold expression. Xia Jingzhi: "?" Weren't you supposed to be avoiding me at all costs? Worried their son-in-law might mistreat their late-born daughter, the old brigade secretary and his son would sneak out every few days in the middle of the night, carrying a ladder and climbing the wall to check whether she was being wronged. Instead, they heard their lazy daughter's coquettish voice from inside the room: "Lin Fengmian, the water's too hot! How am I supposed to wash my feet? Look, they're all red." The man tested the water, his voice gentle and soothing. "It is a little hot. I'll add some cold water." The three men perched atop the wall stared at one another. What was going on?! Marriage first, love later. An alternate world, alternate world, alternate world!!! Theme: Life will keep getting better.