“Married to a Soldier for Three Years Without Coming Home: Forget It, Let’s Divorce

Su Luoluo, a modern medical prodigy and disciple of a legendary ghost doctor, transmigrates into the body of a cannon fodder wife in a 1980s period drama. The original owner of this body was infamous for her ugliness, vicious temper, and abusive treatment of her husband’s three children. Su Luoluo awakens in a dilapidated mud-brick house, suffering from a severe allergic reaction that covers her face in red rashes and a prominent birthmark. She quickly realizes she is trapped in a tragic narrative where her family is destined to die or suffer horribly, and she herself is eventually sold into human trafficking. Determined to survive and change her fate, she decides to abandon the original owner’s malicious path and instead care for the three neglected children: the wary six-year-old Xiao Lei, the timid five-year-old Xiao Fan, and the three-year-old Niuniu.

The core conflict arises from Su Luoluo’s struggle to improve her family’s dire poverty while overcoming the deep-seated fear and hatred the children have for her. The original owner had starved and beaten the children, leaving them emaciated and traumatized. Su Luoluo begins by providing them with food, clean clothes, and baths, using her medical knowledge to treat Niuniu’s delayed speech and the family’s poor health. She also addresses her own disfigurement by identifying willow fluff as her allergen, chopping down the tree, and brewing a medicinal ointment to heal her skin. Her actions are initially met with suspicion; the children believe her kindness is a trap and that she plans to poison them or abandon them.

A key turning point occurs when Su Luoluo ventures into the dangerous mountains to gather herbs and set traps. She discovers a decades-old wild ginseng, which she sells at a local pharmacy for five thousand yuan, providing the capital needed to lift her family out of poverty. She also encounters a car accident where an elderly man has stopped breathing. Using the lost Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles technique, she revives the man, earning the gratitude of his son and a promise of a substantial reward. This event also draws the attention of Fu Yichen, a handsome and cold military commander who is present at the scene, marking the beginning of her connection with the male lead of the original novel.

Back in the village, Su Luoluo’s reputation begins to shift. She saves a village child from choking using the Heimlich maneuver, proving her medical skills to the locals. She uses her earnings to buy rice, meat, milk powder, and clothes for the children, gradually winning their trust. Niuniu, in particular, becomes attached to her, calling her “Mama” and seeking her affection. However, external threats persist. Su Luoluo’s own family, led by her selfish sister Ma Zhichan, arrives demanding money and goods, accusing the family of stealing from Su Luoluo. Meanwhile, the original plot’s tragic events loom; the male lead, Fang Shuling, is away on military duty, and his family is left vulnerable. Su Luoluo must navigate these familial conflicts, protect the children from abuse, and prepare for the male lead’s return, all while trying to find a way back to her own world or establish a new life in this era.

The story direction follows Su Luoluo’s transformation from a feared stepmother into a capable provider and healer. She establishes a small business selling herbs and game from the mountains, ensuring financial stability. Her medical expertise allows her to treat various ailments in the village, improving her social standing. As she heals her face and builds a home, the relationship with Fu Yichen develops. He is intrigued by her resilience and skill, contrasting sharply with the delicate female lead of the original novel. Su Luoluo’s ultimate goal is to alter the tragic fate of the children and herself, turning a story of death and despair into one of survival and prosperity.