In the '80s, I Bound a Wife-Pampering System

Li Yuhao, a thirty-five-year-old programmer from 2024, dies from electrocution after spilling cola on his keyboard during a late-night work session. He awakens in 1985, inhabiting the body of a twenty-year-old man with the same name. The original host was a lazy, unemployed troublemaker living in a crowded courtyard home in Y City with his parents and seven siblings. After a month of adjustment, Li Yuhao accepts his new reality and decides to build a better life rather than remain idle. He comes from a large, complex family where his father is a Level-6 welder and his mother works in a textile mill union. His siblings have varied paths: some are successful factory workers or government clerks, while others struggle with unemployment or rural hardships. The family dynamic is tense due to financial pressures and perceived favoritism, with the original Li Yuhao having been a burden on his parents.

His transformation begins when he attends a blind date arranged by his aunt. He meets Liu Qingqing, an eighteen-year-old woman from a poor family with three younger brothers and a sick father. Qingqing is kind, hardworking, and beautiful, fitting Li Yuhao’s ideal partner perfectly. He confesses his intentions to marry her on their first meeting, and she accepts. Shortly after, Li Yuhao discovers he has bound with a "Wife-Pampering System," a cheat ability from a game he designed in his previous life. The system provides tasks, such as running five kilometers daily, which reward him with physical enhancements, cash, and skills like advanced cooking recipes. The system’s fate value with Qingqing starts at 68, and Li Yuhao aims to increase it through acts of care and provision.

To support his future wife and wedding, Li Yuhao decides to start a braised meat business. Using the recipe rewarded by the system, he prepares high-quality braised pork and offal. He starts by selling from a bicycle outside a machinery factory, where workers eagerly buy his food due to its superior taste. The business is an immediate success, generating significant daily profits. With his earnings, he buys a tricycle to expand his operations and purchases supplies to renovate his room for the upcoming marriage. His family, initially skeptical of his abilities, begins to notice his diligence and success. His mother, in particular, is proud of his transformation from a lazy youth to a responsible provider.

The engagement process involves formal visits between the two families. Li Yuhao travels to Qingqing’s modest home with gifts, including braised meat, to propose formally. The Liu family, though poor, is honest and reasonable. They agree to the marriage terms, which include a bride price of 1,188 yuan and a sewing machine. Li Yuhao handles the financial arrangements himself, ensuring Qingqing’s family feels respected and secure. The system rewards him with cash bonuses for completing tasks and successful proposal milestones. As the engagement date approaches, Li Yuhao continues to work hard, balancing his business with his daily exercise routines mandated by the system. He plans to open a permanent shop once he has enough capital, aiming to provide a stable and prosperous future for Qingqing and their future family.

The story highlights Li Yuhao’s strategic use of his modern knowledge and the system’s rewards to overcome the economic limitations of the 1980s. He navigates family politics by maintaining independence while contributing to the household, avoiding the conflicts that plagued the original host. His relationship with Qingqing deepens as he demonstrates his commitment through actions rather than just words. The narrative follows his journey from an accidental time traveler to a determined entrepreneur and devoted husband, setting the stage for further business expansion and family growth in the changing economic landscape of 1980s China.