The Soft Stepmother and Her Cold Husband (70s)

Su Ting, a twenty-eight-year-old office worker and freelance comic artist in the twenty-first century, dies after falling asleep in a taxi following an exhausting overtime shift. She awakens in the body of Yuanshen, a twenty-year-old woman in 1974 China, who has just married He Dongchuan, a battalion commander stationed on Pingchuan Island. Yuanshen is a widow with a six-year-old stepson, He Yan, and her marriage was the result of a manipulative scheme where she faked drowning to force He Dongchuan into wedlock. Although He Dongchuan provided financially, he remained emotionally distant, and Yuanshen’s obsessive pursuit of his affection eventually curdled into resentment, which she later took out on He Yan. This abuse warped the boy’s character, leading to a tragic future where he imprisoned his stepmother after her husband’s death. Su Ting, aware of this original plot from a novel she read, resolves to alter the timeline by treating He Yan with genuine kindness and maintaining emotional distance from He Dongchuan.

Upon transmigration, Su Ting initially struggles with despair over losing her modern life, but she quickly adapts by leveraging her knowledge of the era’s impending reforms and her new identity’s financial assets. She possesses over a thousand yuan in savings and valuable ration tickets, a significant fortune in the 1970s. Rather than wallowing, she begins to spend strategically on household goods and snacks, aiming to build a comfortable life. Her first major interaction with He Yan involves a trip to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, where she purchases enameled basins and soap to establish hygiene boundaries, and later shares bananas with him, breaking his defensive exterior. She also confronts Yu Hongzhi, a malicious neighbor who had previously sown discord between Yuanshen and He Yan, by warning the boy about her manipulations before Yu Hongzhi can act.

Su Ting’s primary goal is survival and avoiding the tragic fate of the original character. She recognizes that her marriage to He Dongchuan is loveless and plans to divorce him once the political climate allows, likely after the Cultural Revolution ends and college entrance exams are reinstated. To secure her independence, she decides to return to her former profession as a comic artist. She travels to the city alone to buy drawing supplies and study popular comic magazines at the Xinhua Bookstore, facing rude salespeople but persisting in her quest. She invites He Yan to accompany her on future trips, carefully rebuilding trust after accidentally frightening him by mentioning Yu Hongzhi’s suggestion to abandon him. He Yan, initially guarded and suspicious, begins to soften as Su Ting demonstrates consistent care and honesty, such as buying him snacks and explaining her actions logically.

The narrative explores the social dynamics of the military compound, where Su Ting interacts with other military wives like Qiao Yan and Chen Shaomei, gaining insight into the limited employment opportunities for women on the island. She observes the gossip and judgment directed at her by neighbors like Wang Lixia, who criticize her spending and perceived laziness. Despite these social pressures, Su Ting remains focused on her long-term plan: to raise He Yan well, ensure his future success, and eventually secure her own freedom through creative work and potential higher education. The story sets the stage for Su Ting to navigate the challenges of the 1970s while rewriting the destiny of the male protagonist, He Yan, from a vengeful prisoner to a well-adjusted individual, all while maintaining her own autonomy in a restrictive era.