The Stunningly Beautiful and Delicate Darling in the 1980s Military Compound - Chapter 1

It was early summer, 1983.

Song Zhuang Street hadn’t been this lively for a long time. At the entrance to the home of the factory worker, Song Aimin, the crowds of onlookers had completely blocked the courtyard.

After a little while, someone shouted, “They’re here!”

The sounds of celebratory gongs and drums gradually grew louder, approaching from a distance. Leading the procession was the matchmaker, who was smiling and swiftly handing out fruit candies to the crowd. Behind her followed several strong men carrying bamboo poles laden with gifts, the baskets covered with large red towels, concealing items like carp, pork, tobacco, and alcohol.

Most eye-catching of all was the wooden-wheeled cart pushed by two burly men. Besides the customary betrothal gifts only the wealthy could afford at the time—a bicycle, a watch, and a sewing machine—the cart also carried a rare television set.

Exclamations of admiration constantly erupted from the crowd: “Aimin’s daughter really made the family proud this time; she’s marrying so well! Has anyone on Song Zhuang Street ever had a daughter marry so grandly?”

“This is just the engagement. The wedding ceremony will likely be even bigger than this. That girl knows how to pick a husband! She found the steel factory director’s son right away. That Old Liu family has more money than they know what to do with.”

The group excitedly whispered among themselves. When a child nearby demanded candy, an adult peeled the wrapper without looking, popped it into the child’s mouth, and then leaned closer to the crowd, pointing and secretly saying, “The girl next door has been sleeping for a week without getting up. Seeing this grand occasion today must be making her sick with anger.”

“I would be furious too! She thought she had a clear shot at that highly eligible bachelor, but now she’s not only been dumped, but the man is marrying her cousin, who is supposedly less attractive than her.”

“It’s just bad luck. Plus, she and that Liu boy had been seeing each other ambiguously for four or five years. She’s probably already… Well, let’s see who dares to marry her now.”

A deafening burst of firecrackers interrupted their conversation. The end of the firecrackers signaled that the day’s ceremony had officially begun.

In the center of the crowd, Song Jiajia was surrounded by people. She wore a red cotton jacket and had deliberately applied blush, standing shyly beside Liu Jiabao, who had just come to propose, accepting the well wishes and envy of those around her.

In stark contrast to the bustle here was the desolate quiet of Song Aiguo’s house, not far away next door.

It wasn’t until the firecrackers had finished that Wang Yufen, Song Aiguo’s wife, opened their front gate, her face clouded with fury. In her heart, she cursed Song Aimin and his entire family for being shameless.

Unable to let go of her worry for her daughter, Song Mingyue, Wang Yufen carried the chicken soup she had cooked in the kitchen to her room, hoping she would wake up and eat something. But when she entered the room, she found the bed pristine and the room completely empty.

Wang Yufen immediately panicked and shouted for her son, Song Mingnian: “Mingnian, Mingnian! Your sister is missing!”

Song Mingnian was in another room reviewing for an exam. Hearing his mother’s words, he quickly rushed out, seeing that his mother was close to tears: “Quick, let’s split up and look. Don’t let her do anything foolish again.”

“Okay, Mom, please don’t worry.”

“How can I not worry? If anything else happens to Mingyue, how will I go on living?”

Song Aimin had set up more than ten tables for a large banquet in his yard. Anyone related to him, even remotely, had come over. He had worked as a factory employee his whole life, constantly overshadowed by his elder brother, Song Aiguo, who worked at the Power Supply Bureau. Now that his daughter was marrying the factory director’s son, he felt he could finally hold his head high.

Just as everyone was preparing to sit down and eat, an unexpected guest arrived in the courtyard: Song Mingyue.

She was wearing a bright yellow, small floral dress. Her figure was slender, her skin delicate and pale. Her oval-shaped face was clean and fresh, and her expressive, sparkling eyes were filled with a proud, bold smile: “Cousin, why didn’t you tell me you were getting engaged today?”

A moment of silent stillness spread through the courtyard. Everyone present knew the relationship between the parties and no one dared to speak up, assuming she had come to cause trouble.

Song Jiajia quietly glanced at the man beside her. Seeing that he remained unmoved, her heart slightly eased. She quickly put away her smile and greeted her: “Mingyue, are you feeling better? I didn’t notify you because I heard you weren’t well recently.”

“I’m all better now.” Song Mingyue scanned the courtyard with an investigative gaze: “Fortunately, you haven’t started eating yet. I came here specifically for the banquet. I hope you don’t mind one extra guest?”

Liu Jiabao hesitated for a long time before finally stepping forward. On the one hand, he did not want anyone to cause trouble on such an important day. On the other hand, seeing Song Mingyue’s beautiful yet exhausted face, he felt uneasy and did not want her to be sad because of him anymore.

“Mingyue, you should still…” Liu Jiabao hadn’t finished speaking when Song Mingyue proactively took his hand, her eyes smiling as if they were meeting for the very first time, “Future Brother-in-law, hello. I wish you and my cousin a happy marriage.”

Hearing her speak to him in such a distant, unfamiliar tone, Liu Jiabao felt even more uneasy for some reason.

Because of Song Mingyue’s arrival, the originally festive atmosphere of the banquet became extremely awkward. People dared not be too boisterous, afraid of upsetting her.

Yet, throughout the entire ceremony, Song Mingyue acted completely calm. Not only that, but she ate the most at her table, even commenting on the quality of the dishes as she ate, truly appearing as if she had only come for the food.

Everyone was shocked. What exactly was wrong with her? Had the shock been so severe that she had become mentally unbalanced?

It was understandable why people thought this way. Just a week ago, after Song Mingyue found out that Liu Jiabao and her cousin Song Jiajia were getting married, she despairingly jumped into the Dongtai River. If a kindhearted person hadn’t passed by and rescued her, her body would likely be cold by now.

But they did not know that the person now inhabiting this body was not the original Song Mingyue.

That’s right, Song Mingyue had transmigrated into a book.

A few days ago, she was the wealthy young lady in the 21st century whom everyone feared, served by seven or eight maids, who only ate exquisite, fine dining meals, and who would cause chaos for everyone if she was in a bad mood. She never expected that after being pushed down the stairs by her half-brother, she would wake up again in the 1980s.

Through the original owner’s memories, Song Mingyue knew she had transmigrated into a period novel called The 1980s Female Supporting Character Reborn.

In the original book, she was the cousin of the female supporting character, Song Jiajia. She didn’t have many scenes, but her life was quite fortunate: born into a worker’s family, she had her childhood sweetheart, Liu Jiabao. Later, when the business trend arrived, she and Liu Jiabao resigned from their jobs to start a business, becoming affluent entrepreneurs. While Song Jiajia was distraught over the male lead, the couple even brought her to the city and took great care of her.

Unexpectedly, after Song Jiajia was reborn, the first thing she did was steal Song Mingyue’s husband. The original Song Mingyue couldn’t handle it and repeatedly attempted suicide, causing her family immense distress and worry.

This kind of man? If he can be stolen, let him be stolen. Song Mingyue completely failed to understand why anyone would be so reluctant to give up a man who could be taken away.

However, she couldn’t tolerate this insult. Only she, Song Mingyue, had the right to bully others; how could anyone flaunt their success over her head?

Zhao Xia, Song Jiajia’s maternal aunt, was a peasant from a nearby village. She had previously asked Song Aiguo to help her son find a job in the city, but Song Aiguo firmly refused. Because of this, she had always held a grudge against their family. Now, seeing her niece snatch away the man beloved by Song Aiguo’s precious daughter, she was overjoyed.

After having a little too much alcohol during lunch, she became even more reckless. While the people at so many tables dared not speak up, she ran over from the front tables to gloat: “Mingyue, you can’t think about killing yourself just because you were dumped! Don’t worry about not being able to marry. There are plenty of bachelors in my village, and I’ll introduce one to you tomorrow morning.”

People rushed to restrain her, telling her not to talk nonsense under the influence of alcohol. If Song Mingyue’s mother, Wang Yufen, heard those words, she would tear the woman’s mouth apart.

Everyone on Song Zhuang Street knew that Song Mingyue was the precious darling of the Song Aiguo family, spoiled and pampered since childhood. How could she marry just anyone into a village?

Seeing that everyone seemed afraid of her, Zhao Xia became even more verbally abusive: “I just like telling the truth. Who doesn’t know that Song Mingyue is essentially damaged goods now? The Song family should be grateful if someone even agrees to marry her. What right does she have to be picky?”

Song Mingyue proudly walked up to Zhao Xia, picked up the cup of baijiu (white liquor) that had just been poured into Zhao Xia’s bowl, and slowly poured it over her head, causing Zhao Xia to let out a startled scream.

Song Mingyue clasped her hands together, looking innocent, and said dismissively: “Your clothes are wet. How much do they cost? I’ll pay you back. Though, I doubt such a cheap, low-quality outfit is worth much money.”

Zhao Xia, driven mad, tried to grab her hair but was frantically restrained by the people around her, who urged her to calm down. In the struggle, several banquet tables were kicked over, and plates and bowls shattered everywhere.

Wang Yufen had searched all around her house for Song Mingyue without success. Worried that she might go to confront Liu Jiabao, she decided to quietly check the entrance of Song Aimin’s courtyard. Just as she reached the gate, she saw that lunatic Zhao Xia being held back by several people while trying to hit her daughter.

Wang Yufen grabbed a large stick nearby and rushed to Zhao Xia. No longer caring about her usual image, she shouted angrily: “All of you, let go! Today, I want to see if she dares to touch my girl! If she dares to touch her, I dare to fight her to the death!”

Zhao Xia instantly sobered up slightly and began to cry to Song Jiajia: “Jiajia, on your big happy day, are you just going to watch your aunt get bullied?”

Song Jiajia frowned, looking at the mess of shattered plates and bowls on the floor. She was so angry that she wished Zhao Xia would immediately leave, as local custom dictated that nothing should break during a joyous occasion.

However, Liu Jiabao already looked displeased, and Song Jiajia maintained her image of being gentle and non-confrontational in front of him, daring not to say much.

A perfectly good engagement banquet ended up being a messy, chaotic disaster.