Chapter 1 – Rebirth on the Wedding Day

[Fictional era setting—do not fact-check]

Memory storage location, toss it away～

“You silly girl, if you won’t marry Lu Jinyuan, you just have to marry that hooligan!”

Ran Jinnian opened her eyes to see a mottled red-brick wall before her, damp and aged.

The air was thick with the scent of everyday life.

Sunlight streamed through an old wooden window, spilling across the wall where a calendar hung—
she could clearly see the date.

February 18, 1972.

Her pupils contracted sharply.

Hadn’t she died on the streets of Guangzhou?
How was she back in her own home?

“You dead girl, use your brain!” Wang Xiumei, seeing her daughter silent, jabbed her again in anger.

Only then did Ran Jinnian snap out of her shock.

She… had been reborn to the very day she was supposed to marry Lu Jinyuan.

In her past life, she had stubbornly refused to marry him, all because of Song Zehan.

On the wedding day, she had taken advantage of the family’s distraction, slipped away, and eloped with Song Zehan.

She followed him to Guangzhou, believing she’d live a happy life.

But she had never expected Song Zehan to lie about starting a business—
instead, he gambled away all the money she’d stolen from home.

Eventually, the people he owed came knocking, and only then did Ran Jinnian see his ugly true colors.

From then on, she became nothing but a tool for him to make money.

Both of them had no legal household registration,
and to force her to earn more, Song Zehan made her work endless hours in an illegal workshop.

Ran Jinnian was utterly hopeless. She tried to escape several times,
but each time he beat her half to death.

In the end—

Years of hard labor, coupled with malnutrition, left her body frail.
When she fell ill with tuberculosis, Song Zehan dumped her in the street like garbage.

She had been foolish as a pig—
turning down the devoted boy-next-door, Lu Jinyuan, for a heartless scum of a man.

Lu Jinyuan.

He was three years older than her. Since childhood, she’d always trailed after him,
the two of them growing up together.

Lu Jinyuan had always been aloof and quiet.
At sixteen, he joined the army, and after that they rarely met.

During that time, Ran Jinnian met Song Zehan—
sunny, humorous, bold in his words. He made her laugh every time.

Gradually, she fell for him.

She dated Song Zehan in secret, never expecting that last month,
after Lu Jinyuan returned home on leave, the Lu family would come to propose marriage.

Her parents were delighted.

Lu Jinyuan’s father had died young,
and he was raised by his gentle, kind-tempered mother in town.

If she married him, she’d have no difficult mother-in-law,
and the Lu family was small and simple.

Lu Jinyuan’s future in the army was bright,
and she could even follow him as a military spouse.

The family quickly settled the match—
but Ran Jinnian resisted fiercely. Only then did they discover she was seeing a local thug.

Naturally, the Ran family disapproved.

What could Song Zehan possibly have to compete with Lu Jinyuan?

Seeing her daughter still silent, Wang Xiumei grew anxious:
“I’ve said it so many times—Song Zehan is no good!”

“Mom, I’ll marry.”
Ran Jinnian lifted her head, her voice full of resolve.

In her previous life, after she ran away, Lu Jinyuan searched everywhere for her.
But blinded by her feelings for Song Zehan, she hid from him every time.

Later—

He rose to a high position and never married.

She once saw him in a televised interview.
When the reporter asked why he remained single,

the man, steady and mature, said:
“I’ll only marry once in this lifetime.”

The reporter pressed for an explanation, but he gave none.

Only after exhausting half her life in regret did she realize—
she had missed a truly good man.

Wang Xiumei’s eyes lit up.
“Finally thought it through! Your father and I would never harm you. Good girl, stop crying—
you’ll look puffy-eyed when we go out later.”

“Mm.”

Ran Jinnian nodded.

In her past life, she had wailed and made a scene,
and while the family busied themselves with the wedding,
she’d stolen eight yuan and run off with Song Zehan.
This time—never again.

“I’ll get someone to do your makeup,” Wang Xiumei said happily, hurrying out.

Ran Jinnian glanced around the room.
The Lu family’s betrothal gifts were generous—
not only the traditional four big items but also a cash gift of three yuan.

As the youngest daughter, she was doted on by her family,
who had prepared bedding, a wooden chest, table, basin stand, washbasin, and more.

The windows were pasted with red “double happiness” characters.

The Ran household bustled with joy.

As the bride, her wedding dress was a red satin skirt.

“The bride is truly radiant—beautiful as a picture,”
the woman doing her makeup said sincerely.

Ran Jinnian was pale-skinned, lovely, and lively—
a well-known beauty of the West Street apartment block.

Her black hair was coiled up with red pearl silk,
and the fresh, translucent makeup enhanced her beauty,
making her like a dewy, blooming flower.

“The groom is here! The groom is here!” someone shouted.

While everyone crowded around the groom,
Wang Xiumei quickly pressed six yuan into Ran Jinnian’s hands:
“Girl, three yuan is from the Lu family’s dowry, and three is from us as your trousseau money. Keep it safe.”

“Mom…”

Ran Jinnian’s eyes reddened. Her family truly loved her—
but she had been blind in her past life.

Wang Xiumei’s eyes were wet too. She held her daughter’s hand tightly,
reluctant to let go.

“Bride, the groom is here!”

Ran Jinnian looked up to see a man in a neatly pressed military uniform,
his cap perfectly straight. He was sharp and imposing,
his features cold and striking, an aura like winter ice—
commanding respect at a glance.

On his chest was pinned a large red flower,
softening his stern face a little.

Through the crowd, Lu Jinyuan’s gaze fell on his beautiful, shy bride.
Striding forward, he took her hand and said in a low, cool voice:

“With me here, you don’t have to be afraid.”

Standing together, they were a picture-perfect couple.

The crowd erupted in excitement.

Ran Jinnian suddenly recalled the time, when she was eight,
she’d nearly been kidnapped—
and little Lu Jinyuan had driven off the bad men,
standing in front of her: “Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”

Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she let him lead her outside.

The crowd followed, cheering,
relatives carrying wedding items in a lively procession.

Lu Jinyuan’s large hand held hers firmly as they stepped out the door.

Just then, a ray of sunlight spilled over them,
casting them in a golden glow.

“Come, come, groom and bride—look this way!”

The photographer raised his camera and captured the moment.

The Ran and Lu families lived in the same building,
one upstairs, the other downstairs,
but the wedding procession couldn’t be too short—
so the couple made a small loop outside.

It wasn’t just to receive blessings from neighbors,
but also to show the groom’s sincerity and the bride’s dowry.

The whole apartment block was festive.

“This Lu family is really wealthy—four big items and three yuan dowry cash!”

“Ah, pity they didn’t pick my daughter.”

“The Ran family’s no slouch either—everything in the dowry is solid wood, plus a pile of bedding.”

“I heard the officiant is the deputy director of the Public Security Bureau—
now that’s a wedding with status!”

Everyone looked on with envy.

Lu family.

This wasn’t Ran Jinnian’s first visit,
but today was different—she had become the Lu family’s daughter-in-law.

Lu’s mother sat at the head seat, grinning from ear to ear.

She had watched Ran Jinnian grow up and liked her very much,
never expecting that one day she would be her daughter-in-law.

“Bride, serve the tea.”

Ran Jinnian took the cup and knelt to offer tea to Lu’s mother.

“Good, good, good.”
Lu’s mother had barely taken a sip before Lu Jinyuan, without a word,
helped Ran Jinnian to her feet.

Noticing his subtle gesture, her heart warmed.

With the tea ceremony over, the wedding formalities were done.

“Tired? Go rest a bit,”
Lu Jinyuan said, leading her into the bridal room.