Chapter 1

Winter 1973.

The wind was cold and the snow was falling heavily.

In the courtyard of Shengshi Textile Factory, Jing Xian rolled down the stairs and hit her head, bleeding a lot.

She just felt a buzzing in her head, as if it was about to explode.

Jing Mingyue's terrified and sharp voice came to my ears: "Mom, I didn't mean to do that. She fell down by herself. It's none of my business!"

"Shut up, what are you yelling about? Are you afraid that others can't hear you?" Zhou Huifang squatted down to feel Jingxian's breath, and after confirming that she was still breathing, she stood up and said fiercely, "Director Zhou's idiot brother in the countryside needs a wife. You go find your brother, and I'll go find your father, and we'll send her over tonight."

Hearing the door closing, Jing Xian opened her eyes with difficulty, covered her dizzy forehead, and laughed like crazy.

It was the same in my previous life.

She was pushed down by Jing Mingyue, and her head hit the corner of the table, and she fainted on the spot. When she woke up, she found out that she was sold by Zhou Huifang to the idiot brother of the factory director Zhou. The idiot was not only stupid, but also bad, and beat her up every day.

Old Mrs. Zhou was afraid that she would run away, so she starved her and didn't give her any food.

Her injuries had not healed yet, so she didn't even have the strength to get out of bed, let alone resist.

Old lady Zhou was afraid that the idiot would beat her to death, so she locked her up in the cellar and only gave her one meal a day. When she was almost grown up, they dragged her out and let the idiot beat her again. They tortured her like this for more than ten years. When Old lady Zhou couldn't bear it anymore, she fed her rat poison and let the idiot drag her to the mountains and throw her into the valley.

The Jing family got in touch with the Zhou family by selling her. Jing Mingyue joined the art troupe, and Jing Mingyang became the son-in-law of Director Zhou.

Only her body was left exposed in the wilderness.

She was unwilling to die like this.

She wants revenge on everyone.

Unexpectedly, when she opened her eyes again, she arrived at the end of the world. Corpses were everywhere, and the dead turned into man-eating monsters.

But he was alive after all.

She didn't want to die, so she killed zombies for a bite of food. She endured the disgust and took out the zombies' brains to exchange the crystal cores for food. She experienced betrayal and brushed shoulders with death countless times. But she didn't expect that she would come back more than ten years after the apocalypse.

She thought that she had long forgotten what happened in this world after surviving in the apocalypse for more than a decade.

But I didn't expect that I still remember it so clearly.

But compared to surviving and having good food to eat, the Jing family is nothing.

Jing Xian struggled to get up and almost fell down again. She held on to the table and slowly moved towards the house.

She can't stay here.

Zhou Huifang and Jing Mingyue will be back soon, and she has to leave before they come back. She will not let the Jing family sell her out for Director Zhou again.

Jing Xian usually lives in the dormitory of the pharmaceutical factory, and the Jing family has nothing of hers.

Her monthly salary is 18 yuan, and Zhou Huifang wants 15 yuan.

She was reluctant to spend the remaining three dollars.

I only saved thirty yuan after working for a year.

These thirty dollars are all her belongings.

Jingxian put the money in her pocket, put on her cotton jacket and went out.

The snow was heavy, above the knees.

Jing Xian's lips turned purple from the cold, but she kept walking forward without saying a word. She had seen all kinds of bad weather in the apocalypse, and compared to that time, the heavy snow now was very exciting.

It took her more than an hour to reach Liu Lijuan's house.

Liu Lijuan and her husband had just finished their meal and had not yet cleared the table. Liu Lijuan asked her to sit at the table and poured her a glass of brown sugar water.

"Why are you here at this hour? Have you eaten yet? Drink some brown sugar water first, don't let it freeze."

Jing Xian held the jar in her hands, her eyes welling up.

Liu Lijuan is the eldest sister of the pharmaceutical factory union. She is a very enthusiastic person and helps her a lot. Most importantly, she is willing to play the role of a middleman.

A few days ago, Liu Lijuan contacted her, intending to introduce her to someone.

She said she would go home and ask her family.

Jing Xian sipped the brown sugar water. It wasn't sweet, just a little bit of brown sugar. There was a lot of ginger in it, so it was spicy, but warm. When it went down her stomach, she felt like she was still alive.

"Jingxian, tell your elder sister, did something happen to you?" Liu Lijuan glanced at her husband Shi Huaiming.

, and winked at him to go into the house first.

Jing Xian held the jar and looked up at Liu Lijuan: "Sister, I agreed to introduce me to someone last time."

Liu Lijuan was stunned. She didn't expect that the child came to her for this matter.

"Jingxian, you are still young, don't rush to get married. When there is a suitable one, I will introduce you to one. This one is not suitable for you this time."

"Why is it inappropriate?" Jing Xian put down the jar and her face turned even paler.

Liu Lijuan is a down-to-earth person. She said bluntly, "The man is older than you and married. Although he is a military officer, he has two children. You are good-looking and capable, it's a pity to find such a man. Moreover, this man came here with a marriage report. If the requirements are suitable, you should get married and go with him immediately."

"Can I join the army?"

Then this person's qualifications are very suitable.

Liu Lijuan thought the girl was being too naive, so she explained, "It's not in Sheng City, but in Lv City. It's easy to go there, but it's hard to come back."

"Is that man a bad person? Is he divorced, or is his wife dead?" Jing Xian spoke very directly.

It would have been fine if Jing Xian hadn't asked, but once Liu Lijuan asked, she was furious and started swearing: "Although they are divorced, his character is fine. He was very busy in the army and left soon after the marriage. Less than a year later, his wife gave birth to twins. He usually sends money home monthly and rarely comes back. Not long ago, he came back and caught me in the act and asked for a divorce. The woman didn't want the child and took all the money away."

If it were someone else, Liu Lijuan wouldn't be so angry, because Shang Nanchen is the son of her second aunt's sister-in-law.

My second aunt's sister-in-law died early, leaving behind this son, and my father got married a long time ago.

The boy grew up with his grandparents. Later, when the two old people passed away, he worked hard to join the army. He fought in wars, made meritorious service, and finally got married, but she is still such a jerk. Anyone would want to curse that stinky woman who likes to have affairs with other women to death.

"Who are the people in his family?" Jing Xian's eyes flickered slightly, and she was very satisfied.

"His mother is gone, and his father remarried. We don't know the specific circumstances." Liu Lijuan's second aunt's family wanted to chop Shang Nanchen's father to pieces. If they were not too far away, they would have come to his house long ago.

After so many years, except for Shang Nanchen, my second aunt's family has no relationship with anyone else in the Shang family.

Jing Xian was so satisfied that she said directly, "Sister, please arrange for us to meet!"

Liu Lijuan was shocked: "Are you having any troubles?"

Jing Xian said nothing, took off her scarf, and revealed the wound on her forehead. It had scabbed over in the winter, and now the wet wound stuck to her forehead in the warm house. It was shocking to see.

Liu Lijuan took a deep breath and said, "What's wrong with you? What's going on?"

"Jing Mingyue recommended it."

Liu Lijuan is a good person and Jing Xian doesn't want to harm her.

She finished telling the story, lowering her head without looking at Liu Lijuan: "They wanted to sell me to a fool as his wife, and I ran away when they left."

Liu Lijuan also knew about the Jing family’s troubles.

No one would believe it if she told others about it, because Zhou Huifang almost died when she gave birth to Jing Xian, so she insisted that the child have the old lady's surname Jing.

Liu Lijuan treated Jingxian's wound. There was nothing in the house to bandage it. She looked at the little girl who was so thin that she had little flesh on her body and sighed: "Wait here, I'll ask your brother-in-law to call someone over. I'll also buy some gauze to bandage it for you."

It's not easy to ride a bike in heavy snow.

Shi Huaiming went there on foot.

It took more than half an hour to go back and forth.

He entered the house, followed by a tall man, estimated to be over 1.9 meters tall, dark and thin, like a telephone pole that has been burned by fire. His jawline was angular, and it was obvious that he had a good bone structure, but he was a little out of shape.

Those eyes were sharp and full of spirit.

He is a man with a good mental outlook.

"Nanchen, this is Jingxian. Jingxian, this is Shang Nanchen." After Liu Lijuan said this, she found an excuse and went out, leaving the room to the two of them.

Jing Xian looked up and saw Shang Nanchen frowning, seeming to be dissatisfied with his appearance.

How can this be possible!

She was very satisfied with Shang Nanchen's conditions.

A marriage that can take her away from Sheng City is an excellent marriage.

Besides, her first impression of Shang Nanchen was okay. She couldn't say that she liked him, but at least she didn't dislike him, and they could still get along well.

She decided to take the initiative.

"My name is Jingxian. I'm eighteen this year. I graduated from the third pharmacy class of the First Hospital and now work in a pharmaceutical factory. My parents are workers in a textile factory, and three generations before them are all poor."

Shang Nanchen frowned, with an air of majesty that came from his expression without even getting angry.

He looked at the girl in front of him calmly. She was a little thin, but very white. She had an oval face and big, watery black eyes. She looked younger and more fragile than his ex-wife.

He subconsciously wanted to refuse, but the girl in front of him raised her hand to push back the loose hair in front of her forehead, and tilted her fair little face up, just in time to see the wound on her forehead that had been cleaned but not bandaged.

Jing Xian said openly, "I have a bad relationship with my family. My mother had a difficult birth and let me take my grandmother's last name. My father listened to my mother and liked my brother and sister more. This injury was caused by my sister. They planned to sell me to a fool. I was unconscious on the ground at the time. I vaguely heard them talking about this and ran away from home. I don't want to marry a fool. I want to leave that home."

Shang Nanchen didn't like the girl in front of him, not because she was ugly, but because she was too pretty.

She is much more beautiful than his ex-wife, but she looks even more fragile than his ex-wife.

Such a person is not suitable to be married home.

He opened his mouth to refuse, but before he could say anything, the girl in front of him spoke again.

"You think I'm inappropriate, don't you?"

The light in the girl's eyes disappeared.

The words on Shang Nanchen's lips turned into a self-introduction: "My name is Shang Nanchen, I'm 27 years old. I have two sons, and one is five years old this year. You will be a stepmother after you marry her. It's not easy to be a stepmother, so think it over carefully."

Jing Xian secretly breathed a sigh of relief in her heart. It was good that she could agree to it. It meant that she was willing to get married.

"My elder sister told me before."

"Would you like to be my stepmother?"

Shang Nanchen thought she would give up when faced with difficulties.

Jing Xian also knew that being a stepmother was difficult, but the person in front of her was the most suitable one.

"I just told you about my family's situation. I don't want to go along with their wishes and I don't want to tell them about the marriage." Marriage is no joke, Jing Xian has also considered it carefully, "If you agree, let's go get the marriage certificate tomorrow morning."

Shang Nanchen had never seen such a girl before. If the person who introduced her was not his cousin Liu Lijuan, he might have turned around and left.

"Comrade Jingxian, you need to consider the matter of marriage carefully." After saying that, Shang Nanchen opened the curtain and went out.

Not long after, Liu Lijuan came in and almost laughed out loud when she saw the little girl with her head drooped.

"Are you really planning to marry Shang Nanchen?" She felt sorry for Jing Xian.

Shang Nanchen's conditions were really good. But Jing Xian's conditions were also among the best in the pharmaceutical factory. If she married someone else in the factory, many people would be willing to marry her.

Jing Xian nodded gently: "Sister, I understand what you mean. I am not acting on impulse or anything. I was raised by my grandmother and didn't spend a penny of their money. In the past year after I started working, I have to give 15 yuan to my family out of my 18 yuan salary every month. If I stay in Sheng City, no matter who I marry, my family will not let me go. That kind of marriage will not last long. I want to marry secretly and leave a letter for them. Comrade Shang is in the army, and if I go with Comrade Shang, they won't be able to find me. They don't know I'm here, and they don't know that you and I have a good relationship, so they can't find you here."

She is a invisible person in the Jing family.

The Jing family knew nothing about her.

Liu Lijuan didn't know what to say.

Outside the curtain, Shang Nanchen heard these words and felt sorry for the little girl.

But marriage is not charity.

He is looking for someone who can take care of the children and take good care of the family.

"I learned how to cook when I was three years old, and I took care of my grandmother. I can do all the housework.

I can endure any hardship. I promised Comrade Shang that I would be good to other people's children, but that's unrealistic. But I'm not that kind of black-hearted person and I won't let other people's children down. If he doesn't want children in the future, I can also give up. " She couldn't say this directly to Shang Nanchen, but she knew Shang Nanchen heard it.

She lowered her head and glanced at the curtain, then sat quietly on the edge of the kang.

"Okay, I understand. You sit down first, I'll go ask Shang Nanchen what he means." Liu Lijuan got up and went out.

Shang Nanchen glanced at Liu Lijuan and turned to go to the west room.

Liu Lijuan closed the door and asked in a low voice, "Did you hear what Jingxian said just now?"

Shang Nanchen nodded.

"I won't say anything else. This girl is very capable. She grew up in the village and learned a lot from the barefoot doctor in the village. She also worked hard and was able to enter the pharmacy class of the First Hospital. She is not an ordinary girl. She came to our factory right after graduation. If it weren't for the evil deeds of her family, she would have received a salary increase after the New Year, more than 80 yuan a month."

Liu Lijuan also said bluntly: "There is nothing to say about the girl, and her future prospects are definitely good. It's just that she is from this family... Apart from this, it's really a pity that the girl is paired with you. You are just in the army, and the army is strict and can take people away. Otherwise, how could the girl be willing to choose you. Eighty yuan a month is not a salary that ordinary people can get."

Shang Nanchen: “…”

He didn't know how to explain it.

Previously, he thought that this girl was too weak and did not meet his requirements for a wife. But after hearing what she said to Liu Lijuan in the outer room, he felt that this girl was okay.

"Sister, it would be a good idea for her to stay in the pharmaceutical factory. She won't have this opportunity if she joins the army." Shang Nanchen felt that he shouldn't delay the girl.

"Why don't you go ask her yourself?" Liu Lijuan thought this matter was very important. She had not told Jingxian before that she might be promoted and her salary would increase after the new year.

Shang Nanchen looked at Liu Lijuan with an unspeakable look in his eyes, opened the door and walked into the east room in two steps.

"Comrade Jingxian."

Jing Xian looked up and asked expectantly, "Have you agreed to go with me to get the marriage certificate?"

“…”

This girl is really stupid.

Shang Nanchen said seriously: "You may get a promotion next year and a raise, 80 yuan a month. If you follow me to the army, it will be hard to find a job, and even if you do find one, you won't make much money."

"So you agreed to marry me?"