Rebirth in the 1970s: Military Commander's Sweet and Fierce Love

Chapter 1: Rebirth

Zhao Yunchu felt an intense pain in her head and her body ached as if it were being pricked by needles. Groggily, she opened her eyes.

The sight before her was startling.

The room was dimly lit, with walls covered in old, yellowed newspapers.

The ceiling was made of wooden beams, dark and evidently old, with spider webs hanging from them.

The air was thick with the smell of mildew and a sour odor. What kind of place is this?

Wait!

Hadn't she died?

The laboratory had exploded for unknown reasons, and before she could react, she was engulfed by flames.

In the final moment, she felt her body wrapped in a flash of white light, and then, everything went blank.

As Zhao Yunchu thought about this, she tried to sit up immediately but found herself too weak to move.

The sensation beneath her told her she wasn't lying on a bed but rather on a bed of straw with only a layer of cloth on top.

A sudden sharp pain in her head made Zhao Yunchu collapse back down, and she realized that her pillow was a bundle of straw with a ragged piece of clothing on top.

Before she could react further, a rush of unfamiliar memories flooded her mind.

The original Zhao Yunchu had always been different from other children since she was young, often falling behind her peers. Thankfully, she had loving parents who cared for her. At twelve, fate played a cruel joke, and her parents passed away one after another.

Afterward, the family was taken over by her aunt and her family. The original Zhao Yunchu was somewhat slow-witted but a diligent worker, handling almost all the household chores.

She spent her days collecting firewood and cooking, but often had only watery rice soup to eat, with no grains of rice in her bowl.

The naive girl did not know how to argue or protest; even if she did, it was of no use as her voice was not heard in the household.

With these memories, Zhao Yunchu finally understood what had happened—she had been reborn.

Reborn into the body of a bullied little girl who shared her name, Zhao Yunchu.

The old adage, "same name, different fate," seemed fitting. In her past life, she had been a world-renowned ghost doctor, capable of both healing and killing with her hands.

The door opened, and Zhao Yunchu glanced to see a man in an old military coat enter.

She had only seen such military coats on television before.

The room was very dim, and as the man approached, Zhao Yunchu could finally make out his features.

He was extraordinarily handsome, with sculpted features like a masterpiece from the hands of a deity, exuding an indescribable aura of dominance.

Seeing the military coat, Zhao Yunchu's mind was suddenly filled with another memory.

In this memory, the original Zhao Yunchu had been carrying firewood and had felt a shove from behind at the riverbank.

In an instant, she fell into the icy, newly thawed river.

Struggling briefly before losing strength, she felt a hand grasp her collar and was gradually dragged ashore.

Before closing her eyes, the original Zhao Yunchu had seen the color of the military coat flash before her.

"Who are you?" Zhao Yunchu, recalling the memory, felt a sense of wariness. Although the man didn't seem like a bad person.

"Do you feel unwell?" Le Beicheng stood there for a while, unsure of how to begin. If the little girl hadn't spoken, he might have continued standing there in silence.

Zhao Yunchu heard the man's question and instinctively touched her forehead, which still felt a bit warm. It seemed that she had a fever before; no wonder her head was spinning.

When she lowered her hand, she finally noticed how thin and dirty her fingers were. It looked like she hadn't washed them in a long time.

"Are you feeling unwell?" Le Beicheng asked again, looking at the frail girl in front of him.

Feeling his gaze, Zhao Yunchu quickly pulled her hand back and tucked it under the cotton quilt.

The quilt wasn't really a quilt—it was just a heap of cotton with a layer of cloth covering it, old and dark, clearly used for many years.

"My head hurts a bit and I'm having trouble remembering things. Can you tell me where I am?" Zhao Yunchu asked. This place was clearly not the original straw hut she had lived in.

Le Beicheng examined Zhao Yunchu closely. Could someone who fell into the water really be someone else?

The composed girl before him didn't seem like the "foolish girl" he had heard about. The village gossip painted Zhao Yunchu as simple-minded and hardworking, who rarely spoke and just did all the chores. Le Beicheng had heard the rumors, though he hadn't interacted with her before.

Two days ago, when he was visiting family and saw someone flailing in the river, his first reaction was to jump in and save them. But he hadn't expected that saving someone would lead to this...

Le Beicheng unfastened his military coat and laid it beside the kang (a traditional heated platform): "This is my home. To be precise, this room is where I live."

"Ah!" Zhao Yunchu was bewildered. What had happened?

Le Beicheng looked at the small girl before him. Her face was obscured by darkness, but her eyes shone brightly like two black grapes, very striking.

"Do you still remember what happened before? You were collecting firewood and fell into the river. I pulled you out."

Zhao Yunchu nodded. "I remember that, but why am I in your home? And how long was I unconscious?"

Le Beicheng held up three fingers. "Three days."

Hearing this, Zhao Yunchu realized that the fever had likely led to the original Zhao Yunchu's death. Somehow, she had been reborn into her body.

Le Beicheng tested her response and concluded that she seemed to be a normal person. It was possible that her previous reticence led to her being misunderstood as a simpleton. He sighed and sat on the edge of the kang.

"During the three days you were unconscious, a lot has happened. Let me explain things one by one.

First, you and I are now nominally married.

Second, I have a leg condition that will worsen with age, eventually rendering me bedridden and useless.

Do you understand what I'm saying, Zhao Yunchu?" Le Beicheng asked. If it weren't for his leg condition, he wouldn't have returned home at all. This visit was essentially a recuperation leave, and if he didn't heal, he would face discharge.

After ten years of military service starting at the age of fifteen, Le Beicheng faced an uncertain future if he could no longer serve. He hadn't expected that rescuing someone would lead to this mess. He wondered if the girl would resent him, as they would both have to face a hard life together if he became disabled.