1960.

Political Commissar’s Home.  

Lin Hongying opened her eyes to the sight of a snow-white bathroom wall.  

The original owner of this body had been washing her hands when her mind wandered for a moment. In that dazed instant, as she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, Lin Hongying had crossed over into her.  

A military calendar hung on the living room wall, its green pages displaying January 1960. In bold red calligraphy, the words “The Military and the People Are One Family” stood out prominently.  

The living room was furnished with the classic “sixteen legs” set—a dark red solid wood round table, chairs, and an old-fashioned wooden sofa draped with an elegant white lace cover. A bookshelf held several hefty Marxist tomes and Little Red Books, revealing the host’s taste and financial standing: ideologically steadfast and materially comfortable.  

From the living room came hushed chatter, low but clear enough for Lin Hongying to hear:  

“The Shao family rushed into this engagement. Isn’t this just an arranged marriage? Our New China doesn’t stand for such backward customs!”  

A military wife, wrapped in a thick hemp headscarf and wearing an army-green padded coat, poured water from a teapot as she spoke.  

Four women sat around the solid wood table.  

Several enamel mugs were placed on it, each printed with slogans like “Unity is Strength” and “Honor in Joining the Army,” with small inscriptions marking them as commemorative awards from the 23rd Army for outstanding cadres. Though just ordinary enamelware, they symbolized a history of military merit, making them a respectable set for serving guests.  

Another military wife cracked sunflower seeds, her words sharp and quick: “Exactly! At least find someone decent. This one’s practically an insult to Xiao Shao. When she first arrived, I thought she was a fraud.”  

The subject of their heated discussion was none other than the fiancée who had chased after Shao Qingfeng all the way to the military base—Lin Hongying herself.  

A wave of bitterness surged in Lin Hongying’s heart as fragmented memories, not her own, slowly awakened.  

Every word of their scorn felt like a knife twisting in her chest.  

Clutching her aching heart, she unraveled a past that didn’t belong to her.  

The original owner was a woman who had traveled a thousand miles from the countryside to reunite with her fiancé.  

The journey had been grueling. When she first arrived at the military base, the freezing weather and her tattered clothes left her looking sallow and emaciated—like someone dragged out of a refugee camp. Before collapsing, she had pulled out an introductory letter, declaring herself Shao Qingfeng’s fiancée.  

At first, no one believed her. It was only after verification that they realized it was true. Not only did Shao Qingfeng’s fiancée look rustic and unrefined, but their engagement was also an old-fashioned, blind arrangement!  

It was nothing short of a thunderbolt.  

Shao Qingfeng was a rare talent in the military—a man with an excellent family background, handsome and humble, who consistently ranked first in annual competitions. As an elite pilot, he had led his squadron to repeated victories.  

Every superior officer was invested in his marital prospects, and matchmakers hounded him yearly, introducing him to potential partners.  

Who could have imagined he’d end up with that kind of wife?  

But what shocked everyone even more was how Xiao Shao had taken three days’ leave to stay by Lin Hongying’s side in the hospital, bringing her meals and eventually taking her back to the compound.  

He had never treated a woman so well before. After her discharge, he publicly announced their engagement.  

Hearing she had fled famine-stricken lands, he specially stocked up on food at home, making sure every meal included meat for her. For a time, envy ran rampant.  

The women at the table cracked seeds, their gossip lively and relentless.  

In the corner, whispers continued—mixing envy with disdain for this country girl.  

“Plenty of girls here would kill to marry our Regimental Commander Shao. Matchmakers chase him everywhere, hoping to set him up. With his status, what kind of woman couldn’t he get?”  

“She doesn’t even know how to flush a toilet. I hope she doesn’t break the faucet at her sister-in-law’s place,” someone snickered.  

After hearing the taunts, Lin Hongying pressed her lips together and silently studied the mirror.  

The woman in the reflection resembled her, but wasn’t her. The real Lin Hongying had once been a golden phoenix who soared out of a barren mountain village. While others struggled across the single-plank bridge of the college entrance exams, she had walked it with ease. She had spent nearly thirty years in academia, eventually becoming a researcher at an institute, diligently tackling one challenge after another.  

One day, on her way home from work, she got into a car accident.

Just before the crash, she had been awarded the title of “Outstanding Young Scientist.”  

All her past achievements vanished in an instant.  

Under the bright fluorescent lights, the manually operated faucet in the military officers’ quarters gleamed, polished to a mirror shine. The bathroom was spotless, scrubbed clean without a speck of dust—nothing like the foul-smelling pit latrines the original owner was used to in the countryside.  

The original owner, naive, timid, and socially awkward, had become the butt of many jokes.  

After being mocked, her face would burn scarlet in front of everyone, as if scorched by fire. She would bow her head so low it nearly touched the ground, tears welling up in her eyes.  

Her shame was so deep that her neck bent like autumn crops heavy with grain, nearly drooping to the earth.  

Their scornful words rained down simply because this country girl didn’t know how to use a flush toilet.  

Under the women’s condescending guidance, she nervously scrubbed her hands with soap and rinsed off the lather, her fragile dignity washing down the drain along with the suds.  

They ridiculed her without restraint, insisting she wasn’t good enough for Shao Qingfeng.  

After staring at her reflection for several minutes, Lin Hongying accepted the reality—she had become this “clueless,” “backward” country wife that everyone despised.  

Everyone looked down on her, urging her to “know her place” and give up this arranged marriage.  

They all believed she was unworthy of Shao Qingfeng.  

Because everyone loved Shao Qingfeng.  

When he walked through the residential compound in his pine-green shirt, countless eyes followed him. Whether on duty or carrying out missions, he was adored by the people. Those he had saved would trek miles just to see him, bringing gifts.  

How could they accept such an ordinary country girl as his wife?  

…  

Lin Hongying had no intention of tolerating their nasty attitudes.  

She filled a basin with water, walked out of the bathroom, and dumped it on the two women mid-conversation.  

The two busybodies, caught off guard, were drenched from head to toe.  

They gaped in shock at this supposedly meek, docile country woman—the kind who wouldn’t make a peep even if beaten three times. Yet here she was… throwing water at them!

“Ah—!” they shrieked. “Lin Hongying, have you lost your mind?!”  

“Lin Hongying! How dare you?!”  

[Liu Faying’s Resentment +100]

[He Yingchun’s Resentment +100]  

Huh? What was this?  

Still holding the basin, Lin Hongying remained unfazed. “Some people’s mouths stink. I was just helping them wash it out.”  

The political commissar’s wife had been peacefully eating steamed buns when the commotion erupted.  

To her surprise, the instigator was none other than Shao Qingfeng’s timid little wife—the one who never spoke up. This was unexpected.  

“Enough!” the commissar’s wife intervened. “What’s going on here?”  

The two women sputtered as they wiped off the water. “Sister-in-law, she threw water on us!”  

“We were just sitting here, and she attacked us for no reason! If you don’t handle this, I’ll be heartbroken!”  

Lin Hongying set the basin down and waited for them to finish before speaking calmly. “Sister-in-law, we’re not just civilians—we’re military families. We should set an example. Yet here they are, mocking the poor and lower-middle class. Is this appropriate? The state strictly condemns petty bourgeois behavior. I expect you to address this.”  

The commissar’s wife, who had been about to reprimand her, froze in astonishment.  

Who would’ve thought this timid, newly arrived wife could speak so sharply?