Married to the Disabled Mechanic in the 1980s

Jiang Leyang, a modern English teacher, transmigrates into the body of a textile factory worker in 1985 China. She awakens in a rustic bedroom with a strange man, Lu Feng, sleeping beside her. Immediately, a mob led by her malicious half-sister, Jiang Yingmei, kicks down the door to accuse her of infidelity. Jiang Leyang quickly deduces that Lu Feng is the friend of the factory secretary and uses this connection to discredit the accusers. Lu Feng, a retired soldier with a disabled leg, recovers his senses and publicly supports her story, exposing the frame-up. The factory secretary arrives and silences the crowd, forcing Jiang Yingmei to pay for the broken door.

Jiang Leyang learns that the original owner was exploited by a man named Cao Siming, who owed her money and a sewing machine. She confronts Cao at his workplace, using his illegal speculation as leverage to recover part of her debt. Upon returning home, she faces her abusive father and stepmother, who intend to sell her into a marriage with a violent alcoholic to settle their debts. Her father strikes her, but Lu Feng intervenes, stopping the blow and declaring his willingness to marry her. He had been watching the abuse through the window and could no longer remain passive.

Lu Feng explains his background: he is twenty-eight, runs a repair shop, and has a younger brother, Lu Kai, whom he supports. Despite his disability and lack of wealth, he offers Jiang Leyang a way out of her toxic family. She accepts, and they negotiate a bride price with her parents, severing all familial ties. Jiang Leyang packs her belongings and moves into Lu Feng’s home in the suburbs. They register their marriage the same day, obtaining a certificate without a wedding ceremony.

At the Lu family home, Jiang Leyang meets Lu Kai, who is hostile and suspicious, having been brainwashed by his second aunt, Lu Jiayun, that he is a burden and will be driven out. Jiang Leyang discovers that Lu Kai is starved while his cousins are well-fed. She confronts Lu Jiayun, exposing the inequality and asserting her role as the new mistress of the house. She buys new clothes for both brothers and begins cooking for them, slowly earning Lu Kai’s tentative trust. Lu Feng, though awkward and insecure about his leg, treats her with immense respect, giving her control over the household finances and refusing to let her do heavy labor. The story follows their adjustment to married life as Jiang Leyang navigates this new era, seeking independence while building a genuine connection with her husband and stepson.