I mtled this so I might not be as accurate with the deets. I rated this 4 stars for the ff reasons:

1. Although this is technically SoL genre, the additional scenes was very interesting.

2. There’s a lot of cliché scenes but tbh it’s not as cringy as it seems. I’m talking about the face slapping in almost every rivaly scene with MC, getting kidnapped/hostaged etc. But it’s not that abrupt in the text. I mean the author didn’t include it there just for fck’s sake, so the flow wasn’t as bad. The faceslapping isn’t as unrealistic the author gave some modicum of ‘reason’ why MC wins or whatever. And MC doesn’t always hold her wins over everyone she doesn’t necessarily gloat or peacocks everywhere

3. ML was not that OP and with an all encompassing talent. He was good at some and a few things which was realistic given his background. He feels alive.

4. The children were delightfully different from each other and carefully crafted personas that grows and progress. I like the dynamic they have too.

5. The villians are pretty weak tbh like her brigade shrew women rivals, that educated youth from the other brigade forgot her name. I never feel like the MC or her family will suffer a loss cuz their just plain s*upid. Most issues were rectified quickly. So I’m subtracting some points to my rating. But at the same time There were some ‘villains’ who are in the gray area which I appreciate and can infer their motives but very tricky too because they hide in the dark. Anyway those select few villains are what added the stars back

5. The ending kinda abrupt but also seems like the author just kinda got tired. I feel bad about watching all the children growing up and we only get the daughter’s’extra story’. Why was her lovelife the only one written? Why not the eldest bro or 2nd bro 😔 I feel that there were more content there that could’ve been expounded.

Loved the story!!! It’s really a gem with a lot of funny moments. I absolutely loved most of the characters! Contrarily to other 60-70’s stories, this one focused on taking the honest way to success in the socialist china of the time. The romance is thick. Patriarchal and biases characters are still annoying but the author added nuances in the different characters so it wasn’t as bad. The female lead and male lead are honestly great individually and together. I mtled the rest of the story but will definitely read... more>> the translated chapters as well. <<less

Love MC & how she deals with everything realistically. If you can ignore the theory of 's*xual harassments = romance' then it's a good slice of life to enjoy. I also feel so bad for the original host, ab*sed & starved daily even during her pregnacies, as well as being abandoned by ML who only hurts her as a s*x s*ave enough for her to hate/fear s*x. I wish ML never came back. I know realistically there's probably no better way to survive at that era for our FL but... more>> I still Hate how author tries to whitewash him and then have him trying to force himself onto our MC. Ugh I'm dropping this just b/c I really can't stand how most CN authors make the ML force themselves onto or s*xually harass female protagonists even if the FL themselves rejects/really doesn't want it. Worse, the FL are then forced by the authors to like ML then live happily ever after with those self-righteous jerks. Honestly, even if they're married, it's unacceptable... <<less

I've read a few similar genre (and era).. But I think this one is quite unique.. It tells a bigger and wider aspects of life..

I love the kids.. They thrive under the FL and the ML care.. Not much drama in terms of relationship.. But there is a suspense and dramatic plot that adheres to the environment of that particular time..

Interestingly, there is even a plot on how and why the FL transmigrated, though it's not stated clearly (and left for the audience to interpret).

Since it's a slice of life... more>> story, it's quite a long read.. But still very enjoyable.. We can see the growth of each characters from the beginning till the end~

All in all, recommended reading 👍🏻 <<less

This is a treasure and I feel really warm and fuzzy after reading it, but at the same time, I feel sad because I'm craving for more chapters. I don't think that the novel ended abruptly, on the contrary, it was nicely tied up.

The original title is not the Strict wife, but the SHREWish wife in the 70's. It's not fair to judge the story because the FL was a shrew at the beginning of the story. The truth is she's really not. More like she was labeled as lazy and a shrew when she's actually level-headed most of the time and only acted like a crazy woman when people hurt her family. Some circumstance and some people deserve to be slapped when they are evil and uncompromising. And she's very hard-working and was able to make the commune progressive.

The ML is really cold outside. He was the least favorite child and was sent to the army at a young age. Like he got married, boinked and then off to the army. It's not easy to make a connection with his wife or children, especially when his parents also prevents him from taking his family to live in the military because his salary supports the whole clan. Don't say this is a bad ML, because he did compromised and retired to return to his family. Although his wife had to let him open his eyes to see how they were being ab*sed by the in-laws, he was able to protect them and never tolerated his mom's ab*sed and helped discipline his children.

This novel is a little different from the 70's novels that I've read. The 70's novels usually focuses on speculation to help their lives be better. But here, since the ML retired and became a public official, she did her best to keep upright, even keep the people around her do things legally but still profit, which was rarely done in 70's novels where the goal is to get rich. She's also not a good cook nor a genius. What she's good at is doing publicity or propaganda as she was a reporter in her previous life.

The story is also mixed with some action and mystery. Her children went astray and died in the original story so she tried her best so they won't blacken in the future and supported their endeavours. And the last mystery in the novel was who killed her husband in the original story. It has a happy ending. And all the children lived a full and happy life.

The story is written well. There's no golden fingers and she did not transmigrate in a story. More like she went back in time and occupied the original mom. I like all the children especially Sanwang, but I like the development of the eldest child the most. From being a ruthless and cold child to someone who becomes devoted to his family.

I MTL'd this and definitely worth all the while.

Fair warning: there is a ton of propaganda in this novel. Insanely so.

The ML flaws have been pointed out by multiple folks, but will mention that the author really tried to gloss over them by constantly pointing out his patriotism and time spent in the military. That's commendable stuff, but it doesn't excuse him from being a terrible husband. His personality is also very frozen and there is zero growth there once he sleeps with the FL.

Surprised no one mentioned how repetitive the storyline got towards the end with the... more>> kids basically handling all the problems and the constant national propaganda.

Slightly annoyed by how quickly the FL adjusts to having kids and a husband. She has high EQ, etc, sure, but if you don't like kids, you just need to get kids to be okay with them? I didn't really see this addressed except at the very beginning where she said she'd just take responsibility since she'd transmigrated.

Major plot hole:

Spoiler

ML has a vision of the FL with tubes in her body. Not really explained tbh and the explanation for the transmigration was weird as well. I didn't really get it, and I don't think it was actually explained what that whole "other world" was about, and who Han Qingsong was in it. Super random interjection. It felt like that was going somewhere and the author completely ignored it after the "seer" or whatever disappeared from the story.

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I like it.

a more mature take on the transmigration trope.

the MC is no impulsive girl, the kids are more than props and have their own thoughts and personalities, the ML is interesting and much better than would be thought of the times without being unrealistically so.

... more>> the conflicts are verbal without making a strange drama of it like the harem/boudoir ancient novels.

basically: it skips the overdramtic, overdone aspects, staying within more reasonable boundaries.

it does not drag drama or situations, the main characters have so far not annoyed me once and the flow is nice.

the motivations, past and circumstances of the characters show how they turned into who they are now, it is really well written (for a wn) !

the confrontations are well done, the eq of MC is there, the main characters actually talk and communicate, both making concessions and taking a step back to get along, it is really refreshing!

it just suits my taste. <<less

Worth reading. No complaints on main body. Extras are okay, but I feel like you can skip the extra parts about the unfinished case and just read about how kids are doing. That part dragged a bit.

I guess main reason I think this is a 4 is because of the husband. He's a little too accepting of his wife's secrets. I think he should have forced her in a conversation, or he's just not realistic.. I honestly think a relationship where that core of a secret is hidden is... more>> not a good one. Be honest with your partners people. <<less

This is the worst transmigration novel that I have ever read, the family is tr*sh, the ML is tr*sh, and the FL is also a fool to like that kind of ml. She could have left with the 260 yuan and the children but no she stayed and caused the children to be ab*sed countless of times. The youngest child, my little marshmallow and the only reason of why I read until chapters 26 was hit so many times, he deserved a better family... anyways I definitely regretted reading this... more>> novel. <<less

Not me thinking the novel was almost fully translated because it said 180 chapters. The translator unfortunately splits the chapters into small parts, so chapter 180 on their site is mid-30's for the raws. Still got a bit of the story to go!

Pre-Review Notes:

• FL was great as a transmigrator and did well to take advantage of the ogbody's shrew image. I think she ended up being a good mom/caretaker and was able to fight against the rude/biased mother-in-law pretty well. Was super glad when that arc ended lol.
  • The only thing the FL knew was that she transmigrated in a novel she read a while back (I believe). So, in order to save herself from death (and the ML/children from going down the antagonist's path) she starts fighting for a better life.
  • I like the way she teaches the children - very anti-ab*se (I mean, Chinese culture in the past and even now are pretty chill with hitting kids rip) and pro-ideals. She really tries to set the moral codes straight for her children.
• ML is a bit mediocre... he is devoted and loyal, true, but it took him a while to really see how bad his family treated his wife. He's also very taciturn (as MLs in the 70's novels are... especially those in the army lmao) so he's bad at speaking and usually proves things with his actions.
  • I like how he gradually makes changes (separates the family, builds a new home, etc) for the sake of his wife and children. And he genuinely likes the "warm homey environment."
  • But at the end of the day he's just another blindly loyal/whipped ML living in the 70's stepping back while their wife girlbosses her way to success.
• My fave are the children. There's a ton, but they're super cute and have their own distinct personalities. I think out of all the "transmigrate into the 60's/70's" CNovels I've read, these kids are the most fun.
  • The eldest son likes to fight around but is actually pretty smart.
  • The second eldest children are a pair of fraternal twins who are fans of their mom.
  • Third eldest son is a swimmer who likes to follow around the eldest.
  • Youngest is a baby boy who just wants his mom.
• Honestly I can't believe there's so much of the story to go but will probably wait for translated chapters to come out. Thankfully it gets updated pretty frequently!

This is my favorite C-novel. The best of the best.

The FL, an accomplished and very well educated modern city dweller who has never been married, suddenly transmigrates into a village in the 1970s, into the body of an extremely poor, illiterate and ab*sed woman with five children aged 4-11 and no husband in sight.

The ML is a soldier who at best comes home for a couple of days once every two or three years, but diligently sends all his money to her, thousands of yuan in total, which is confiscated... more>> to a penny by the original cannon fodder's mother-in-law who hoards this money but also wastes it on a pair of her own teenage children born late in her life - the FL's young brother in law and sister in law.

The FL learns to be a mother and a wife to those kids and that husband imposed on her by Providence, to run a household, to relate to a huge rural family on both sides (the original FL's and her husband's), to work in that village and to befriend and educate people around her who are extremely medieval and coarse in their attitudes, beliefs and behaviors.

The whole message of the novel is that there is always something that you can do in any circumstances to make lives of those around you immeasurably better, to make them better people, and to enjoy life and that it requires a lot of talking (or silence when appropriate) and a lot of storytelling and straightforward action. And art. Art is necessary, theater, music, visual arts, even martial arts. The only thing in this life that will fall onto your lap for sure is people, a lot of people. They are your true treasure and riches.

The ML is amazing. A truly great guy. Really.

However, I must warn the new reader that this novel is not for the faint of heart.

Spoiler

There is quite a bit of hard to stomach violence in it. Extreme violence towards kids, between kids and violent and cruel treatment of kids by adults. Extreme violence towards women.

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The novelist frequently mentions the original Lin Lan and that simply breaks my heart.

Spoiler

No one knows that she died when desperately crying for attention and help (except the FL, of course) so no one grieves her departure, sends her away, cherishes the memories of her or sustains memories of her in the hearts of her family and friends. The FL simply takes over.

The FL does pay her dues to the og's parents, relates to her sister, etc. She does not ignore them nor neglects them. But even they do not know that they actually lost their daughter forever...

To me that is the greatest injustice done to the original Lin Lan, far greater than all other injustices combined. She was gone and not a single soul shed a single tear, there is no tomb, nor memorial tablet, nor a photo of hers, no kids worshiping their ancestor even once a year, nothing. As if she never existed. As if she never loved or was loved.

The cure for this pain about the past gone forever, the person gone forever, never having achance for a better future for herself, was provided by the novelist in the passage about the future of her kids. Lin Lan's young daughter Mai Sui asks her why study if the educated youth is then sent to the countryside to do the work of uneducated people, just like the original illiteral Lin Lan was doing. Lin Lan tells her that it's temporary (there are currently not enough jobs in the cities, i.e. it's a solution for youth unemployment problem), that the future days will be bright and that one has to be ready for that future.

Mai Sui hugged Lin Lan all of a sudden, "Mother, you are looking forward to that day too, aren't you?"

Lin Lange said seriously: "For your mother, the present is the best. If you don't miss the past and don't greet the future, every day that comes is the most precious."

Because today is the future of the past, and today is the past of the future.

Mai Sui looked up at her and imprinted this sentence firmly in her mind.

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The story is really heartwarming. I loved the interaction between the MC and her children so much. I didn't like the ML too much, but it was tolerable I guess. The MC is so mature about the whole situation and takes care of all her children. True, it took them years to love each other, but that's the charm of it, right? It perfectly fits its slice of life genre with the low character growth we see throughout the novel of all the characters, including the ML and MC. It... more>> took a little time, but even the ML realized that his family was abusive to the MC and his children when he wasn't there. <<less

It's really an interesting read.

I like how the novel focused on developing the other characters. It didn't make it seem like the FL was the only one in this world to have problems, and the children seem to have their own personalities coming through. At the start, things were a bit rocky for me because it seemed like the angst was lasting forever, but I read to a point where the good things are starting to happen.

I also like how the FL knows when to back off or time things... more>> just right. She's also not a damsel in distress. Though initially, she might have thought of the children as a troublesome bunch, she's starting to really truly care for them now.

Really interested to see how her relationship with the ML would continue. So far, it's been rather calm, but not much romantic issues brought up yet.

Overall very happy with the story, will keep reading it for sure! <<less

This is very interesting. While it focuses on the FL's POV, we see how culture and tradition can stifle the growth of people before. I love reading how the FL is trying to defend her family and their rights from their super oppressive in-laws.

This novel is good. I won't go into details because I want you to discover it yourself. Also the 2 star review didn't do this story justice.

The story isn't depressing. In fact it is enjoyable to read especially Lin Lan's interaction with husband and children.

Focus on the main characters. Yes the og Lin Lan was pitiful but that was part of the setting of the story. Dont dwell on it and focus on the main characters. You yourself will make yourself depressed if you dwell on that.

So far I am delighted with the plot, I really like the main characters, and hoping that after solving the family problems the romance will develop 😍

I am excited to know that the translators are constantly updating, I can keep up with the plot comfortably, thank you very much for your work! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

It sounds really interesting, I cant wait till there r more translated chapters. Keep up the hard work translators!!! (՞ਊ ՞）→

I really enjoy this story so far.

I disagree with some folks saying had no personality or is too unfeeling towards his children. This character is portrayed after the more ancient CN military men in other novels, who are very stern with their heirs. He is upright and will never bow down to bribes or social pressure. He has a very inflexible personality, and it's probably inate or due to his family's complete disregard of him and his mother's obvious favor of the two youngest kids. However, I'm pleased to read... more>> that there is tension between the leads. <<less

This is a slice-of-life in the 70s with childbearing story that seems so long because of the split translations. I did enjoy reading it but had to stop midway as I felt its kind of draggy.

If you've read alot of 60s, 70s story then this is just a staple and rather similar. Only difference is FL is not a great cook (usually those transmigrated back to 70s are great cooks or entrepeneurs) lol. She does have to raise up some bratty kids too.

ML is typical block of wood as well... more>> with minimal romance between the two leads.

What I liked was how each kid felt distinct and had their own personality. However Dawang (the eldest kid) being rebellious is quite annoying to me lol.

Typical fights with family who are terrible to the FL, and the ML who learns to protect his wife..

The gist of the story is that. When I'm bored I'll probably continue reading it. I just wish there were more actual childcare scenes. The kids honestly mostly do their own thing. While FL lives her day to day.

The author also seems to have done a lot of research as the author goes into a lot of detail about the societal and cultural differences at the time. Author also elaborates about the different heirachy relationships like ML's workplace and what usually happens. How bribery occurs in small ways to suck up to superiors, etc. Those are pretty interesting but sometimes an entire chapter is all about those things instead of the story progressing. Maybe its because translations are split that makes it seem even more draggy. Regardless, it is still interesting. <<less

This is my second time reading this novel! It's not bad, but it's overly long and gets kind of dull in some areas. The first time I read this, I hadn't gotten into the habit of leaving reviews, but I did make a note somewhere, which basically said: [For the most part, this story is about what living as a big family with a too-quiet husband and a gaggle of precocious children with different personalities is like. It lacks the fantastical or dramatic flair most novels from the era has but... It's not bad overall? Just a bit monotonous, since there's no real overarching plot, just common day to day life in the 1970s.] I still pretty much agree with this impression. I thought it was a good read to... more>> pass the time, but after a while, I couldn't resist looking for something more exciting to read.

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SUMMARY: The FL, Lin Lan, transmigrates into the body of a village wife living in the 1970s. The original owner had a military husband that she saw only a handful of times, as well as 5 children (4 boys and 1 girl). Her husband's family was biased against her branch of the family, taking the sacrifices of her military husband for granted and tormenting her and her children. In the end, the original owner died and was replaced by the FL, who, despite her dislike of children, decides to raise the original owner's kids properly. As for the ML (Han Qingsong), he's the wooden type of guy. Doesn't speak much, and has a moderate temperament. He's a very accurate example of a dull gourd. But he's also very loyal and has a high level of responsibility. First and foremost, he's a filial son. And then later, after switching careers to take care of his family, he becomes a doting husband and strict father.

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THOUGHTS: All in all, not a bad read. I admire the fact that the author was able to continue writing such mundane things for so long XD. It's not that it's boring, just a bit tiring? Part of it is the characters, I suppose. The FL and ML are not very interesting in my opinion. They're the very sensible but stubborn type of people, and don't have much wiggle room for development. In that case, they're pretty much settled from the start. That's fine. Since there's the children's development to look forward to. Each of the little cubs have their own unique personalities and troubles, making for an interesting story. However, after a while, they're pretty much set too. Which just leaves cannon fodder and SEQUEL-like scenes where nothing much happens.

Anyway, I still recommend you give it a try for the initial experience. I don't think I'll ever be able to finish the story myself XD. But I still enjoyed reading what I did and am pretty satisfied overall. Right—- The TL of the novel is worth the effort at least, it's very good, just a bit cut up. Understandable once you see the length of the raw chapters lmao. (BTW, the MTL is fine, but not the best —65% readable cause some names and titles are a mess, making it confusing.) As for the rating... I'm giving this novel a 3.45/5! Not quite enough to upgrade to four stars, but not bad either. Maybe when the TL aid further along, I'll come back for a reread and will give a higher rating. Part of why I stopped reading and have a negative impression may be because the MTL was a bit too messy. <<less