Chapter One: Arriving Just in Time for a Blind Date

“Comrade Xiaoxiao Fu, I was thinking, after we get married and my work unit allocates us an apartment, I’ll bring my parents to the city to live with us. It wasn’t easy for them to raise me, and now that I’m grown, it’s time for them to retire and enjoy life.”

“Your circumstances aren’t the best, but you’re good-looking. Although your education isn’t quite on my level, that’s all right, I don’t mind. After we get married, I’ll take care of things outside the home, you’ll look after things inside. When we have children, you can stay home and take care of them, enjoying a comfortable life.”

“And furthermore...”

Xiaoxiao Fu listened to the rather ordinary-looking but extraordinarily confident man in front of her go on and on about their supposed future together. She almost couldn’t stop herself from rolling her eyes. They weren’t even married yet, but he’d already planned out their life after having children, and wanted to bring his parents from the countryside into the city, handing the entire burden of filial piety over to her.

How very thoughtful of his ancestors!

Maintaining a basic, polite smile, Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes internally, reciting a litany of curses in her mind.

Others who traveled through time arrived with golden fingers—fortune, land, or at least some luck. She, on the other hand, was thrust straight into a gauntlet of blind dates, each one worse than the last.

The original Xiaoxiao was the second child in the family, the classic case of being neither cherished by her father nor loved by her mother. With an older brother above and a younger sister below, she was sandwiched in the middle, living in a perpetual state of darkness.

In the 1970s, getting a secure job was nearly impossible; every position was filled and there was no extra slot for her. Her family was just an ordinary working-class household—five people squeezed into a sixty-square-meter apartment. Even using the restroom meant going to the public toilets, and with neighbors separated only by a single wall, everything happening next door was as clear as day. This kind of home was known as a “tube-shaped apartment.”

The original Xiaoxiao had just turned twenty and was working as a temporary employee at the Grain Bureau. Coincidentally, the nation had issued a call for educated youth to go to the countryside, and every family had to send one. Both she and her brother had jobs, so the only suitable candidate at home was her younger sister, who had just graduated high school.

Obviously, compared to the timid, unflattering original Xiaoxiao, her parents much preferred the coquettish and tearful younger sister. They directly asked her to give up her job for her sister, to go to the countryside in her place. If she didn’t want to go, then she needed to get married quickly, and they’d hand over the dowry to her.

When she arrived in this body, her parents had already decided to transfer her job to her sister. There were only seven days left before the educated youth would leave for the countryside.

If she didn’t get married within those seven days, she would have no choice but to go in her sister’s stead. In this era, where even travel required an introduction letter, there was no way to escape. If she got caught trying, she’d be branded with a bad reputation.

As the unloved and unwanted second daughter, Xiaoxiao Fu had no right to refuse. Her urgent priority was to see if she could find a reliable man and marry him immediately, to escape her current predicament.

If she couldn’t find anyone in seven days, she’d obediently go to the countryside.

Today was already the last day. Xiaoxiao Fu felt her luck must be particularly terrible. Rather than marry the man in front of her, she’d rather choose to go to the countryside.

Sitting on a park bench, Xiaoxiao was grateful for the reserved nature of men and women in the seventies. She could keep two empty seats between herself and the man, pretending to listen while her mind wandered.

Liu Guang, dressed in a neat Zhongshan suit, with his hair combed meticulously, a hint of pride in his eyes, glanced at her with a determined look—he was certain he’d win her over.

The first time he saw her, he was stunned.

Standing in the sunlight, her fair face was as smooth and delicate as mutton-fat jade, suffused with a faint rosy glow. Her eyes were clear as spring water, sparkling with a pure yet lively light. Long lashes, a small straight nose, lips tinged with red—charming yet innocent, her smile shy and girlish. Her hair was jet-black and shiny, cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall, with a few mischievous strands brushing her cheek, adding yet more vitality.

Bathed in sunlight, she seemed wrapped in a golden halo, the perfect blend of innocence and allure.

Liu Guang was smitten at first sight. In that instant, he’d even thought up names for their future children.

Strutting with the confidence of a peacock displaying its feathers, he made every effort to showcase himself to Xiaoxiao Fu, certain that a man of his qualities would never be rejected.

But what he didn’t know was that Xiaoxiao’s attention had already drifted to another couple not far away, also in the midst of a blind date.

They weren’t far apart—Xiaoxiao could even overhear the girl’s jaw-dropping conditions.

“I don’t mind marrying right away, but I want a dowry of three hundred yuan, and I want all three prized appliances and a wristwatch.”

“Agreed.”

“I also want a full set of furniture for my family!”

“Done.”

The girl gave the man a satisfied glance, and he spoke slowly.

“I can agree to all your conditions, but you must also hear mine.”

“Go ahead,” the girl said, determined to accept whatever he said.

“I already have two children. After we’re married, you’ll need to take care of their daily needs, and I won’t have any more children with you. If you can accept that, we can register our marriage immediately.” His tone was so cold it felt impossible to approach him.

“You want me to marry you just to be a stepmother to your children?” The girl’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Yes.”

“You’re just taking advantage of me! Who would ever agree to be a stepmother and not have children of her own?” The girl pointed at him, shaking with anger, then burst out crying and ran away.

The man watched her leave, only sighing before standing tall in the sun and crossing another name off a small notebook.

Xiaoxiao Fu’s interest was piqued. She looked at the notebook in his hand—could it be...

Before long, another girl approached him, and the same thing happened again. Another girl was driven to tears by his conditions.

Truly, what girl would marry just to be someone else’s stepmother?

Xiaoxiao’s eyes sparkled with a sudden, bold idea.

She needed a man to marry. He needed a woman to take care of his children. And—he couldn’t have more children, so there would be no need for intimacy!

All she had to do was look after two kids—how wonderful was that!

Wasn’t that a perfect match for her?

Her skills in the kitchen could finally be put to use.

Xiaoxiao knew she couldn’t let this chance slip by. She stood up at once, startling Liu Guang, who was still merrily rambling beside her. Xiaoxiao nodded to him, her polite smile delivering a message as cold as ice.

“Comrade Liu Guang, you’re a very good person, but I don’t think we’re suitable for each other. I’m sorry to have wasted your time.”

Liu Guang’s heart instantly plunged into a pit of cold water. How could they not be suitable? He thought they were perfect for each other, a match made in heaven.

Before he could say a word to persuade her otherwise, he saw Xiaoxiao Fu stride purposefully over to the man who had just finished his blind date nearby.

He heard her say to him,

“Comrade, let’s get married!”