Second Marriage in the 1970s

This is my second time reading this novel! The first time around, I persisted for quite a while (at least Chapter 55). This time, I quit by the 37th chapter, hahaha. Not necessarily because I thought it was a bad read, but well, it's a bit boring. The issue is... this story is more of a study of what a second marriage is like in the 1970s than a story of a girl who is getting married for the second time in the 1970s. Does that make sense? I guess what I'm saying is... the characters feel more like actors in a play, and not very good ones at that. They’re enough to convey the essence of the story, but not quite enough to make you empathize with them.

**SUMMARY**: The Female Lead (FL) is a modern woman who has transmigrated into the 1970s. The original owner of the body is named Dong Jiahu. She was married to a weak, worthless man for three years and was divorced for not being able to bear any children. After a series of events (which felt excessive to me), she ends up marrying the Male Lead (ML), Zhao Donglin, a retired soldier now working as a Commune Secretary. The ML had been married before and had two children. He met the FL and was attracted to her, leading to their relationship.

**THOUGHTS**: If you're interested in the era, I recommend giving this novel a try. It’s quite detailed about the political environment and cultural expectations of the 1970s (far more explicit than other novels). In this sense, the author did a good job. However, that’s about it. The pacing of the overall plot is a mess from the start, and there’s a lot of filler where nothing really happens. It just drags on and on, uninterestingly. The FL, who is overly passive, doesn’t make any significant moves and mostly stays in the background. The ML, who does make some moves here and there, is too dull to drive the story forward.

Ahh, all this might sound a bit overly negative. But I really don’t have a good impression of this novel. Part of it is also due to the messy text. Not sure if it’s because of the translation (which is edited machine translation, so it’s not the cleanest) or just the author’s writing style, but there are repeating statements everywhere. Well... anyway, since I’ve given it a second shot and still disliked it, I don’t think I’ll be reading this again. That being the case, I decided to give it a rating! 2 stars! More specifically... 2.3/5!! LMFAO. For the sake of the detailed worldbuilding, I gave it a bit more. Because it **really** is good for studying cultural practices of the era. The plot is also not bad, just messy and poorly structured. At the very least, you shouldn’t be bored if you enjoy historical details and petty drama.

A delightful slice of life. It’s refreshing to encounter a story in this genre where black market speculation isn’t a central theme. Not that I object to such elements, but after reading numerous tales set in the 60s and 70s, it almost seemed as if success was impossible without engaging in illegal activities, no matter how unjust those laws might have been. It’s nice to see a different take on the era.

I considered dropping the story about a third of the way through because it felt slow and lacked development. However, the narrative soon picked up and became quite engaging. It’s a shame the main character didn’t make better use of their future knowledge, and I wish the story hadn’t ended so abruptly.

I enjoyed the story. While the translation has room for improvement, it is still understandable and enjoyable. The characters have consistent personalities, which I appreciate. I also agree with previous reviewers that the author didn't overdo the details about the children and their "cuteness." In fact, I particularly liked the development of the relationship between the stepmother and the children. There's nothing to criticize about the male lead (ML) and female lead (MC) since they are well-matched and positively influence each other and those around them. I also enjoyed the in-laws and the side characters, especially the adorable sister-in-law. This is a nice, light read for passing the time, with a warm and comforting feel.

As everyone mentioned, this is a somewhat lighter version of "Back to the Sixties: Farm, Get Wealthy, and Raise Cubs." It’s also a bit less satisfying. The couple in "Raise Cubs" can be said to be living in the fast lane, moving quickly to get rich. In contrast, the couple in this book is less frantic. Personally, I prefer the main character in "Raise Cubs" because she’s so fierce. Jiahui, on the other hand, is such a goody-goody.