Chapter 1: Reborn in 1973
Three days had passed!
Shen Nan Zheng finally confirmed one thing: he was reborn.
Reborn in the year 1973.
The fact that such an event, which defied science and the laws of nature, had happened to him was beyond comprehension.
However, he was also thankful that it happened to him.
This moment was ideal; he could marry her even sooner.
Just as he was deep in thought, the sound of a door opening reached him. He quickly laid back on the hospital bed and half-closed his eyes.
The sounds of footsteps and soft sobbing approached the bed. Only then did he abruptly open his eyes, pretending to be surprised, "Mom, why are you here?"
"Your Uncle He told me everything, and I was so scared! How could you nearly lose your life trying to act the hero!" Amidst her worry, his mother, Zeng Lan Hui, lightly smacked him.
He coughed slightly, instantly filling her with guilt.
"Did I hurt you?"
"No, I told him not to tell you!" Shen Nan Zheng frowned deeply, but he had already anticipated that his Uncle He, being the hospital director, would inform her. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been transferred to the East City Hospital.
Zeng Lan Hui had always felt guilty towards her son, and now, her guilt intensified. Her face, still as charming as ever, revealed traces of melancholy.
"Nan Zheng, I know you blame me for divorcing your dad, and even more for remarrying with your Uncle He. But the fact that you're my son can never change, and my love for you will not reduce one bit."
Shen Nan Zheng understood that there were things that couldn't be prevented, such as rain falling from the sky and a woman getting married. Uncle He was indeed a good man, treating him well despite having his own child with his mother. That's a true act of kindness and righteousness. Besides, these matters belonged to the older generation, and he didn't want to interfere.
The primary reason he had called her here was not to discuss her marriage, but his own.
After a moment of silence, he said, "I'm going to get married."
Married?
Zeng Lan Hui was momentarily confused, "You don't even have a partner, whom are you marrying?"
"Once I'm discharged from the hospital, I'll go to propose." Shen Nan Zheng thought about his wife from his past life who had committed suicide due to depression, wishing he could appear before her immediately.
Despite her thoughts, Zeng Lan Hui could not think of who it could possibly be.
All the women she had introduced him to were rejected without even a second glance.
In the army, it was already challenging to see a female mosquito, let alone a young maiden!
This had led her to suspect at one point that perhaps her son didn't like women!
At twenty-seven, it was time for her son to get married.
He had become somewhat cold due to spending years in the army, but no one could fault his character.
His handsome features fit perfectly on his distinctively angular face, emanating a compelling force, rather than creating any sense of discord.
As he lay in bed, his hulking build was still apparent. However, his whole demeanor emitted a clear 'keep out' vibe.
It doesn't matter who he takes a liking to.
Not bothering to ask more questions, she heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Your mother knows you are a person of your own mind. No matter which girl you fancy, as long as you like her, that's all that matters. I won't interfere. I have some brocade quilt covers at home. When I get back, I'll make them into bridal quilts for you. This way, even if you have the materials, you won't have to trouble others to make them."
"The remaining fabric coupons, sugar coupons, foreign exchange coupons, and industrial coupons, among others, will be given to you later. Don't let the girl down."
"Up to you!" Shen Nanzheng was moved by how considerate she was.
In his previous life, he held a grudge against his mother for many years after she remarried. Only after he himself got married did he come to appreciate the difficult path his mother had walked, but by then it was too late because she had died earlier in an accident.
Zeng Lanhui noticed his agreement and broke into a smile.
She was about to continue speaking when she saw a glimpse of an army uniform outside the window and urgently said, "I have to go now. I will bring the things to you later."
Shen Nanzheng: "......"
Barely three minutes after Zeng Lanhui had left, Shen Nanzheng's father, Shen Zhaoting, who had risen to the rank of officer, came into the room.
Shen Zhaoting had purposely avoided his ex-wife waiting outside the window, yet he had overheard half of their conversation. He took a serious look at his son and asked, "Who is this girl you want to marry? What's her political standpoint? What's her background? This time, you've performed a meritorious service, and promotion to regiment commander is due. You can't lose this opportunity because the girl fails the political review!"
Shen Nanzheng frowned subconsciously, "She won't affect me! Her parents are from the working class. They are truthful and honest. They are locals from Beicheng."
"Working class is good, truthful and honest is good, local is even better. You should focus on your recovery. I'll handle the rest!" Shen Zhaoting was satisfied with his response and continued, "I'm going to get the bicycle coupon, sewing machine coupon, watch coupon, and industrial coupon now. I have a radio at home. It's still new and even sealed. I'll have a serviceman deliver it to you later."
Pretending to be straightforward, Shen Nanzheng said, "You don't have to worry about it, Commander. I have my own salary."
"What can your salary do? Don't think I don't know you're subsidizing your subordinates! Besides these three revs and one bang, I'll prepare some cash and common tickets for you. We can't be stingy with the betrothal gifts!" Given Shen Zhaoting's current status, there was no room for stinginess. Everything had to be done elegantly.
Especially in all aspects, he had to crush Zeng Lanhui and couldn't let her prepare more than him.
This was the effect Shen Nan Zheng wanted, but it was not enough.
He wanted to fight for more for their little family, so his wife wouldn’t worry about household chores.
He added: "Help me get a house in the family compound!"
"What???" Shen Zhaoting squinted his eyes, wanting to explode in anger.
His grandson's wife hadn't even been brought home yet, and his son had already thought about moving out.
However, he immediately thought, his son finally had the heart to get married, he couldn’t discourage him.
He gritted his teeth and said, "If you don't have a grandchild for us to play with soon after getting married, I won't let you off!"
Shen Nan Zheng watched him storm off, he hurriedly sat up.
Wanting his wife to have a child as soon as possible would be difficult.
In his previous life, although he was often away from his wife after they got married, he didn’t spare any effort to make it work.
They had tried all sorts of traditional treatments for infertility, visited numerous hospitals, and even tried IVF. Yet, they had no success.
Being infertile for so long had caused his wife to suffer from depression.
The adopted daughter didn't bring his wife happiness, on the contrary, it aggravated her condition further.
Thinking of his wife's despairing and alienated eyes, his heart throbbed with pain.
Perhaps he had missed something, ultimately not understanding her enough.
According to the timing, she should not have been sent to the countryside yet.
He wanted to get to know her again before she gets sent to the countryside, as she seemed to greatly dread the period in the countryside, undoubtedly having suffered severely. He could not let her be sent off once more.
At the same time, his wife Song Wenran from his past life had a high fever after getting caught in the rain and had a long, drawn-out dream.
In the dream, she lived inside a book titled "The Innocent Age That Can Never Be Returned".
The protagonist was her classmate and close friend Ruan Ling, who was independent, confident, with superior family conditions. Despite her unfortunate love life, she had managed to create a grand enterprise.
She was just a tragic supporting character who repeatedly refused Ruan Ling's advice.
Ruan Ling had advised her several times to be wary of her own cousin. She didn’t take it to heart, which led to her betrothed being taken from her.
She was again advised not to heed her father's arrangement to volunteer in the countryside for her cousin, but she did not listen. As a result, she nearly lost her life multiple times due to the harsh living environment and the brutal customs.
Finally, with Ruan Ling's help, she returned to the city only to discover that her father had remarried and her mother was in a mental hospital.
She was admitted to a university, but a young man who secretly admired her tore up her university admission notice, accidentally leading to her marriage to an older military officer. She was left barren for life, adopted a daughter who was thankless, and eventually her own mental health deteriorated.
She, who was so afraid of pain, jumped from a high-rise building of over thirty floors.
The lifelike images were too real, causing her to break out in cold sweat.
But would she still feel pain when she died in her dream?
As she was massaging her temples, an argument arose from outside the door.
"Song Jianshe, let me tell you, Ruirui is the flesh of my body. You intended to let her suffer in the countryside for that Winxin girl. I disagree!"
