A Pampered Marriage in the 1980s When the Sweet Wife Cries Even the Toughest Man Can’t Stand It

In 1997, Qiao Rongrong, a woman haunted by the unsolved death of her husband Fu Zheng, confronts two individuals, Shi Yun and Fu Zheng, on the top floor of a skyscraper. Having spent over seven hundred days seeking justice for Fu Zheng, who was framed as a cowardly deserter after a collaborative incident resulted in his death and their financial gain, Qiao Rongrong pushes them off the twenty-seventh floor, choosing to die rather than live without him. This act serves as the catalyst for her rebirth, transporting her consciousness back to June 1989, the time when her parents forced her into a substitute marriage that originally ruined her life.

Upon returning to the past, Qiao Rongrong finds herself at a state-owned restaurant, preparing for a blind date with Fu Zheng, a tough, muscular soldier several years her junior. In her previous life, she was timid and inferior, allowing her morbid family to control her destiny. This time, she resolves to seize her fate. She approaches Fu Zheng directly, declaring her satisfaction with him and her willingness to marry him immediately to escape her family's grasp. Fu Zheng, initially stern and blunt, is disarmed by her directness and beauty. He agrees to the marriage, and the two proceed to her home to negotiate with her family.

Qiao Rongrong's family is depicted as parasitic and abusive. Her father, Qiao Youtian, is weak and controlled by his older sister, Qiao Dahua, due to a fabricated life-saving debt. Qiao Dahua had previously forced Qiao Rongrong to marry Wang Cheng, a lame educated youth, to cover up her own daughter Lin Furong's scandal. When Fu Zheng arrives, Qiao Dahua attempts to sabotage the union by slapping Qiao Rongrong and spreading rumors. However, Fu Zheng intervenes, protecting Qiao Rongrong and demanding an explanation for the assault. He agrees to the exorbitant bride price and dowry demands—eight hundred yuan and the "three major items"—not out of greed, but to secure Qiao Rongrong's freedom and ensure her family cannot easily reclaim her.

During the confrontation, Qiao Rongrong slaps her aunt back with such force that it leaves a visible scar, shocking her family and neighbors. This act of defiance marks a significant turning point, demonstrating her newfound courage. After Fu Zheng leaves, Qiao Rongrong discovers a magical brooch inherited from her grandmother, which grants her access to a "Space Island." This mystical space allows her to store items and fish up boxes containing valuable goods from various eras, including modern clothing and high-quality meat. She uses this ability to prepare for her new life, ensuring she has resources independent of her family.

The following day, Qiao Rongrong confronts Wang Cheng and his mother, who arrive to claim her as their bride. Using knowledge of Wang Cheng's past crimes, including faking illness to return to the city and abandoning a woman in the countryside, she blackmails them into paying her thirty-two yuan for silence. She then hands the money to her father, further destabilizing the family's control over her. Fu Zheng returns to pick her up, and they travel to the city to purchase the agreed-upon dowry items. Along the way, they bond over shared values, such as giving up seats to those in need on the bus. Fu Zheng reveals that he is being stationed on a remote island with scarce resources, testing Qiao Rongrong's resolve. She firmly agrees to follow him, signaling her commitment to their future together. The story concludes with the couple shopping for their new life, having successfully broken free from Qiao Rongrong's oppressive family and begun to build a relationship based on mutual respect and support.