The Stepmother's Lucky Star in the 70s Compound

Jiang Xiaoci is a young girl living in a rural Chinese village during the late 1970s, though she harbors a secret past as a flower spirit. She possesses the ability to see fate and marriage connections, often visualized as red threads tying people together, and her predictions consistently come true. She lives with her grandmother, Wu Hehua, her mother, Gu Wenying, and her younger relatives, Uncle Jiang Chengping and Aunt Jiang Hongyu. The family is poor but close-knit, having taken in Gu Wenying and Xiaoci half a year prior under the guise of a "spirit-calming marriage" to Wu Hehua’s missing eldest son, Jiang Weihai. The village matchmaker, Wang Lumei, harbors resentment toward the family due to past grievances involving her daughter and the missing son, and she actively schemes to separate Xiaoci from her mother to secure favorable marriage terms for Chengping.

The central conflict revolves around securing marriages for both Jiang Chengping and Jiang Hongyu while navigating Wang Lumei’s manipulations. Chengping is a capable but unmarried man who refuses to become a live-in son-in-law, a traditional arrangement where a man marries into the wife’s family. However, he meets Qi Xiuzhu, a capable woman from a neighboring village whose family requires a live-in husband to protect their assets from greedy relatives. Simultaneously, Wu Hehua receives mysterious voices guiding her to invite Yu Changqing, an educated youth with a tainted political background, to marry her daughter Hongyu as a live-in son-in-law. Xiaoci orchestrates these matches, leading to Chengping agreeing to marry into the Qi family and Hongyu marrying Yu Changqing, effectively balancing the family structure.

A pivotal turning point occurs on the day of the weddings when the radio announces the restoration of the national college entrance examination system. This news transforms the lives of the young men in the village. Chengping is urged by his new father-in-law to study for the exams, while Yu Changqing, despite his disqualification due to his family’s political history, is allowed to take the test after his household registration is transferred to Wu Hehua’s family. Both men perform exceptionally well, with Changqing scoring first in the city. However, just as their futures seem secure, malicious relatives from Changqing’s past in the capital submit a denunciation letter, claiming his father was a counterrevolutionary and attempting to revoke his admission.

The family faces a second crisis when Changqing’s relatives arrive in the village to demand a divorce, offering compensation to separate him from Hongyu. The village chief and family fiercely reject these demands. The situation resolves when news arrives that Changqing’s father has been rehabilitated, clearing his name and restoring his position as a university professor. It is revealed that Jiang Weihai, the missing eldest son, had been working on a classified mission and was promoted to a high-ranking position. Weihai had secretly investigated and cleared Changqing’s father’s case, repaying the kindness shown to his family. This revelation confirms that the "spirit-calming marriage" was indeed blessed by fate, as Weihai’s return was prophesied.

The story concludes with Jiang Weihai’s return to the village. He reunites with his biological mother, Wu Hehua, and meets his daughter, Xiaoci, who immediately recognizes him through her spiritual sight. Weihai is struck by Xiaoci’s innocence and charm, and he also notices Gu Wenying, the woman who has been living as his wife in name only. Xiaoci sees the red thread of fate connecting her father and mother, confirming that their union is destined. The family is finally whole, with the younger generation secured in their marriages and academic futures, and the long-lost eldest son returned to claim his place within the family, vindicating the grandmother’s faith in the mysterious blessings that had guided them through their hardships.