Guide to Marrying a Military Commander in the 1970s

Ye Huan, a woman from the modern era, transmigrates into the body of an eighteen-year-old girl in 1970s China, arriving just as the government mandates that all unmarried, unemployed youth over sixteen must relocate to the countryside. Her mother, Li Xiufen, is desperate to prevent this fate and views marriage as the only viable escape. However, the family dynamic is fractured. Ye Huan’s father, Ye Yongguo, favors his children from his first marriage, Ye Qing and Ye Mingliang, while Li Xiufen dotes exclusively on her biological children, Ye Huan and the young Ye Mingqiang. This tension comes to a head when a suitable match, Chen Yongqing, a formal worker with a decent salary, becomes available. Li Xiufen intends for him to marry Ye Huan, but Ye Qing, aided by their father’s guilt over their deceased mother, secretly bribes the matchmaker and secures the engagement for herself. The wedding proceeds hastily, leaving Ye Huan with no husband and a looming deadline for rural assignment.

With marriage no longer an option, Li Xiufen leverages a favor from her husband’s former apprentice, Yang Shengbing, who now works in the city government. He secures Ye Huan a placement at Hongxing Farm in Jiangping City, specifically in the flower nursery, which is considered a privileged assignment compared to the backbreaking labor in poor villages. Before departing, Ye Huan outmaneuvers her step-sister and half-brother. When Ye Qing gives Ye Huan a portion of her husband’s wages as a parting gift, Ye Huan publicly announces the amount, forcing Ye Mingliang to match the sum to avoid appearing stingier than his sister. She also extracts a substantial contribution from her mother, who borrows money from neighbors to ensure her daughter is well-provisioned. The family sees her off at the train station, with her young brother Ye Mingqiang tearfully promising to take her place in two years when he comes of age.

During the two-day train journey, Ye Huan is accompanied by Li Mingjie, a young man who sees her as a strategic wife due to her apparent good family background and her connection to the desirable Hongxing Farm. Li Mingjie attempts to woo her by feigning a heart condition to secure priority disembarkation, a trick that backfires when Ye Huan exposes his deception to fellow passengers. She refuses to be indebted to him and carries her own heavy luggage, displaying a strength and independence that surprises him. Upon arrival in Jiangping, she encounters Gu Cheng, a tall, handsome military officer she had noticed days earlier. Gu Cheng, who is a battalion commander, assists her with her luggage and offers her a ride in his jeep. Li Mingjie, sensing Gu Cheng’s disapproval and Ye Huan’s clear preference for distance, loses interest in pursuing her and attempts to attach himself to Ye Huan’s new connection with the influential Xu family, believing Xu Guochao to be a farm director.

The journey continues with a mix of social maneuvering and harsh realities. Li Mingjie is forced to ride on an uncomfortable tractor while Ye Huan and another educated youth, Yao Yujuan, are offered a spot in the jeep. Yao Yujuan, a fervent idealist, refuses the comfort, claiming it contradicts revolutionary spirit, and insists on walking to the farm to demonstrate her dedication. Ye Huan observes these interactions with detachment, having already established that she must navigate this new world on her own terms. She arrives at Hongxing Farm, a place of relative prosperity with a renowned flower nursery, marking the beginning of her new life far from the political and familial intrigues of her previous home.

At the farm, Ye Huan settles into her role in the flower nursery, a position that aligns with her modern knowledge and appreciation for horticulture. The narrative establishes the stark contrast between her comfortable, albeit constrained, life in the city and the physical demands of rural labor. Her relationship with Gu Cheng remains undefined but charged with unspoken tension, as he represents a world of authority and stability she cannot yet access. Meanwhile, Li Mingjie’s attempts to climb the social ladder by ingratiating himself with the farm’s leadership are met with indifference. The story sets the stage for Ye Huan to build a new identity, leveraging her wits and skills to survive and potentially thrive in an era where personal ambition is often subordinated to collective duty.