Widow Remarries in Sixties

Whether Jiang Mingchuan would help or not, Jin Xiuzhu didn’t know, but she had already spoken her mind. He wouldn’t drag her down, for sure.

Over the next few days, Jin Xiuzhu waited quietly. Without receiving any news from Chef Zhang, she heard some commotion from the neighboring house.

Although Jin Xiuzhu was curious, she didn’t want to inquire openly. It was He Yan who told her during breakfast one morning that the eldest sister wanted to go to school, but Aunt Qian and Granny Wu disagreed. The eldest sister cried at home, saying they were biased towards her brother. Aunt Qian got so angry that she took a stick and hit her.

He Yan had been eating well lately, with some flesh on his face, and his chin was a bit rounder. He furrowed his brows and said, “The eldest sister has always wanted to study. I’ve seen her holding Xiao Jun’s books several times, asking him how to read the words. Xiao Jun got impatient and scolded her once, and she was upset for a long time.”

Back when he lived at the Wu’s house, he felt sorry for the eldest sister. But he also pitied himself. He didn’t dare to say anything back then; he just thought that if he went to school in the future, he would come back to teach the eldest sister. But now he didn’t live at Granny Wu’s house anymore, so he couldn’t do that.

Jin Xiuzhu nodded. Whether it was in the Dajing Dynasty or here, girls always had a harder time.

When she was young, her family sold her and her second sister together to a buyer just to support her brother. Her second sister died on the way, and the buyer, fearing a loss, kept her to sell her to a brothel. It was the Second Lady of the Hou Mansion who took a liking to her, bought her, and cunningly sent her to the heir’s residence.

She instructed, “We should mind our own business. If anyone asks, just say you don’t know.”

He Yan obediently nodded, then asked, “What if Xiaojun talks to me about it?”

Wu Xiaojun had a big mouth and always liked to talk about his family affairs.

“It depends on what he says. If he complains about his family, you tell him he’s overthinking it. You can say his family is good, his parents work hard, his grandma is kind-hearted, and his sister is sensible. Just explain that every family has its own difficulties, and he needs to understand them.

If he talks down about himself, praise him for being thoughtful and filial. When speaking outside, always be cautious. Try to say good things to others. Honest advice may be hard to accept, and not everyone will appreciate it. Besides, you can’t be sure you’ll always be good friends. If you end up falling out one day, your harsh words will become your indictment. Of course, you shouldn’t always praise others either. That would seem a bit insincere. You need to find the right balance.”

He Yan nodded vigorously. No one had ever taught him these things before.

He felt a bit uneasy. In the past, when Wu Xiaojun complained about someone, he would just agree to keep him as a friend.

Fu Yanyan next to him, tightly held the chopsticks. Jin Xiuzhu used to deny everyone she spoke about, criticizing their various shortcomings. It seemed like that was the only way to make herself seem great.

Jiang Mingchuan had always been like this too, but he didn’t think as much as Jin Xiuzhu did. It was just his nature.

Glancing at Jin Xiuzhu, he found that there were many things about her that surprised him.

Jin Xiuzhu didn’t think these words would have much of an impact on the two children. This was just a small aspect of her way of survival. Now, He Yan and Fu Yanyan were her children, so it was normal for her to teach them these things.

She not only demanded these things from the two children but also practiced them herself.

In the morning, Qian Yufeng came to their house with red eyes. Jin Xiuzhu brought out freshly made pastries, cut into small pieces and placed them on a plate.

Qian Yufeng tasted one. It was salty, made with shredded radish and pickled vegetables, but it was delicious. She couldn’t help but eat two more.

After finishing, she looked at Jin Xiuzhu somewhat embarrassedly. “Sister, you have a talent for cooking. You always make delicious food. My son at home always begs me to make some, but I don’t know how to make these things.”

Talking about this, she sighed, “Neither of my two children is thoughtful or considerate. I used to think the eldest was quiet and obedient, but now she’s not obedient anymore.

She’s clamoring to go to school, saying I’m biased. Biased towards what? She doesn’t realize how good she has it. If she goes to the brigade to take a look, which family is as comfortable as ours? Eating well, dressing warmly, and not having to work in the fields.”

“What’s the use of girls going to school? In the end, they’ll just get married and have children. Isn’t that a waste of money? Look at who, after getting married, still runs back to her parents’ house every day? Don’t laugh at me. I just want to save some money.”

Jin Xiuzhu comforted her, “It’s all the same. I also want to save money, but both of my children are too thin. I just think since we don’t have much money at home, there’s no point in scrimping and saving. It’s better to eat and drink well and keep them healthy.”

Qian Yufeng shook her head, “You don’t understand. Our family is different from yours. Most of my husband’s monthly wages are sent back to his hometown. It makes me angry just thinking about it. I used to think I’d have a good life by marrying him, but who knew there would be so many problems.

My dead father-in-law had a first wife, who gave birth to his older brother. A few years ago, while working in the fields, he fell and hit his head on a stone, and he ended up paralyzed. We’ve sent money back home twice, but his good sister-in-law stopped working altogether to take care of the paralyzed man and her children, just living off the land.

Let me tell you, even if she ate meat every other day, she wouldn’t spend more than fifty bucks. I told my husband about it, and he said his brother still needs medicine. What medicine? He’s paralyzed and can’t move. What kind of medicine does he need? I used to hope his brother would recover, but now it seems impossible.”

“If my husband brought all the money home, would I not send my eldest daughter to school? She also has a younger brother. In a few years, he’ll be getting married. I need to save money for Xiaojun to get married. It’s not easy for me either.”

As she spoke, her eyes welled up again, cursing her own misfortune.

Jin Xiuzhu looked at her with a heartache, gently patting her back as she coaxed, “I didn’t expect my sister-in-law to have so much on her mind. Don’t blame Daya. She’s done better than many children. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have waited until now to cause a scene.

Actually, it’s good to speak out about things. Think about it, you always say she’s reserved, but now she’s telling you her thoughts on her own. That’s progress. In the future, when she goes to her in-laws, you won’t have to worry about her being mistreated.”

Pausing for a moment, she continued reassuringly, “And, after hearing your words, I feel like there might be some aspects of Xiaojun’s uncle’s family worth pondering. Xiao Jun’s dad and grandma may know something, but they’re reluctant to say anything due to family ties. It’s indeed difficult for you as the daughter-in-law caught in the middle, but Daya’s outburst might actually be an opportunity.”

Hearing this, Qian Yufeng, who was originally anxious and distressed, gradually calmed down, feeling that there was some truth to it. As she listened to the rest of Jin Xiuzhu’s words, her eyes lit up. “What do you mean? Please continue.”

“You can tell from how Daya is taken care of, how she eats and dresses, that Xiaojun’s dad and grandma still care for her deeply.”

Qian Yufeng nodded vigorously. “That’s right. When she was young, her dad would always carry her as soon as he got home, and her grandma wouldn’t let her do heavy work.”

“No matter how good outsiders may be, they can’t compare to one’s own family. Sister-in-law, go back and comfort Daya. Think back to when we were daughters. It’s not that we didn’t care about our younger siblings, but we just wanted to make sure our parents loved us.

But when you become a parent, you don’t think about these things as much. Sometimes, no matter how well you do, it’s not as good as a kind word. Children are still young and only see the surface; they don’t understand what’s in your heart.”

This struck a chord with Qian Yufeng, making her feel that her eldest daughter didn’t understand how much she cared for her.

Reflecting on Jin Xiuzhu’s words, the more she thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. Indeed, as an outsider, no matter how much she said or did, it couldn’t compare to a child’s simple words.

But she was an outsider, and the child’s uncle was even more of an outsider.

Having understood this, Qian Yufeng couldn’t sit still anymore. She got up and prepared to leave. She needed to go home and have a good talk with her daughter.

Jin Xiuzhu deliberately took two pastries and handed them to her as she left.

Back in the house, Fu Yanyan looked at her and suddenly asked, “Does Mom really think Aunt Qian loves Eldest Sister?”

Jin Xiuzhu instinctively replied, “Why do you ask?”

“Because if Aunt Qian really loves the Elder Sister, she wouldn’t come to you to complain.”

Jin Xiuzhu was momentarily stunned, then smiled. She didn’t think there was anything wrong with her three-year-old daughter saying that; some children were just precocious.

After giving it some serious thought, she carefully replied, “Love can be felt. If you suspect that someone doesn’t love you, then they don’t. Mom said those words only because Aunt Qian wanted to hear them.”

Fu Yanyan lowered her head and remained silent. Did that mean, in her past life, Jin Xiuzhu didn’t love her at all?

Seeing her daughter feeling down, Jin Xiuzhu comforted her, “But you don’t need to feel sad for your Eldest Sister. Sometimes, realizing that your parents don’t love you is actually a good thing.”

Fu Yanyan looked up at her again.

Jin Xiuzhu smiled and said, “It will save you a lot of trouble. Interactions between people are often mixed with many things. So, in the future, no matter who you encounter, if they don’t like you, you don’t have to like them either. You don’t need to please or accommodate them. Just be yourself. In this world, there are thousands of people, and there will always be those who dislike or like you for no reason.”

Fu Yanyan never expected to hear such words from Jin Xiuzhu one day, but she had to admit that these words were like a pair of hands, slowly pushing open the long-sealed door in her heart.

The light from outside shone in for a moment.

***

In the afternoon, when Jiang Mingchuan came back, Jin Xiuzhu happily said to him, “I think our Yanyan might be a genius.”

Jiang Mingchuan shoved a piece of firewood into the stove hole and chuckled, “Why do you say that?”

Jin Xiuzhu then told Jiang Mingchuan about what happened in the morning. She wasn’t afraid that Jiang Mingchuan would think she was being malicious; after all, he already knew everything about her. “She’s only three years old, but she understood all the ins and outs of the situation and bluntly stated the facts. She’s very clever.”

Although Jiang Mingchuan was also surprised that Yanyan could say such things, he was more concerned about Jin Xiuzhu’s risky thoughts. “You can’t teach children like this. She’s only three years old. How can you say such things to her? What if she develops the wrong ideas in the future?”

Jin Xiuzhu gave him a look, “I’m speaking the truth. How could that lead her astray? Should I teach her to be kind, understanding, endure grievances, and swallow everything? That’s what would lead her down the wrong path. Children from ordinary families need to be a bit more cunning. Just wait and see, if Daya doesn’t change her stubborn nature, the days ahead will be tough.”

Knowing that he couldn’t reason with her, Jiang Mingchuan had to speak to their daughter alone after dinner. He told her that some things her mother said could be listened to, but some things shouldn’t be taken too seriously. “The most important thing in life is to be kind and sincere. There are always more good people in the world. You’re still a child. Don’t overcomplicate things.”

Fu Yanyan looked up at him and suddenly said, “But Dad isn’t sincere either.”

Jiang Mingchuan chuckled, “How is Dad not sincere?”

Fu Yanyan said, “I overheard it. Dad lent money to Uncle Wu before, but Uncle Wu said he couldn’t pay it back temporarily. Dad said it’s okay, but Mom doesn’t know.”

Jiang Mingchuan’s expression froze.

Subconsciously, Jiang Mingchuan turned his head to look around, relieved when he saw no one was there.

A hint of amusement flickered in Fu Yanyan’s eyes.

Jiang Mingchuan felt a bit embarrassed. “We need to consider the situation. You’re still young and don’t need to think too much. Overthinking will only hurt yourself, so don’t burden yourself too much.”

Fu Yanyan fell silent, feeling a bit sentimental.

Whether in her past life or now, Dad Jiang always had her best interests at heart.

Jiang Mingchuan left, and not long after, voices could be heard coming from the kitchen.

He Yan, who was writing beside her, couldn’t help but poke his head over and ask his sister when Dad had left, “What are you guys talking about? Why can’t I understand?”

Fu Yanyan’s smile disappeared from her face, and she glanced at him indifferently. “Idiot.”

He Yan looked aggrieved. “Why are you cursing?”

He felt like his sister had two different personas, one for outsiders and one for family.

Author’s Note:

Jin Xiuzhu: You lent money to someone and then didn’t want it back?

Jiang Mingchuan: Honey, let me explain…

Fu Yanyan: Brother said it.

He Yan (in disbelief): I said it?

Fu Yanyan: See, he admitted it himself.