Widow Remarries in Sixties

Jin Xiuzhu returned home with her children after dark. Jiang Mingchuan isn’t home yet; he probably hasn’t come back yet. She didn’t feel like cooking, so she took the kids to the cafeteria to eat and brought a meal back for Jiang Mingchuan.

When they arrived, the cafeteria was empty. The chefs were eating in the back and, seeing Jin Xiuzhu, invited her to join them. Jin Xiuzhu didn’t stand on ceremony and sat down with her two children.

Chef Zhang asked her, “Why haven’t you cooked yet?”

Jin Xiuzhu recounted the afternoon’s events.

The chefs had heard some things about the kids fighting. Military wives often came to the cafeteria, so they were familiar with the chefs and occasionally chatted with them.

Especially Chef Zhang, who knew every little thing that happened in the barracks. “I think that Yang family’s kid was framed. I’ve seen that kid many times before. His dad used to bring him to the cafeteria often. He was well-behaved, not the type who gets into fights. If you said Qi Kang hit him, that’d be more believable.”

Jin Xiuzhu frowned at his words.

The cook sitting next to him interjected, “You never know with these things. A barking dog seldom bites. Maybe that kid is a little tyrant in private.”

Chef Zhang sighed, “He’s no tyrant. His mother died not long after giving birth to him. His stepmother divorced his father a year after marrying him. His grandmother, afraid of taking responsibility, blamed it all on him, claiming he drove her away. Whenever his dad was home, he’d keep him by his side because his grandmother wouldn’t even feed him properly.”

“She doesn’t care for her own grandson?”

“As long as her son is around, grandsons are plentiful. Look, didn’t Captain Yang remarry? He’ll soon have another grandson.”

These words made sense. However, each family had its own troubles, and no one thought much more about it. They quickly moved on to other topics. After finishing her meal, Chef Zhang packed another meal for Jin Xiuzhu to take home.

As he saw her off at the door, Chef Zhang couldn’t help but say to his young apprentice, “Captain Jiang is lucky after all.”

If he had really married Zhao Yun, his future days would have been hard.

The apprentice didn’t understand and looked at his master in confusion.

Chef Zhang knocked him on the head, “You’re still too young.”

On the way home, He Yan walked beside Jin Xiuzhu carrying the meal box. After a while, he suddenly looked up at her and said, “I think Yang Yingxiong is a bit pitiful.”

He had always thought he was pitiful himself. His father died, his mother remarried and abandoned him, his uncle and aunt took everything from his family and treated him poorly, and his grandmother didn’t dare intervene, fearing that his uncle and aunt wouldn’t take care of her when she got old.

But Yang Yingxiong was different. He had a father, so why was he still so pitiful?

He Yan thought to himself that if his own father were still alive, his uncle and aunt wouldn’t dare treat him like that, and his grandmother wouldn’t be afraid to intervene.

Jin Xiuzhu didn’t know how to comfort him. After all, she had seen people who were even more unfortunate, and these events and people couldn’t really stir her sympathy.

She could only pat his head, “Things will get better when you grow up.”

He Yan lowered his head and couldn’t help but mutter softly, “If they didn’t like him, they shouldn’t have had him.”

Jin Xiuzhu didn’t hear this, but Fu Yanyan, who was walking beside them, did. She couldn’t help but glance at Jin Xiuzhu.

In her heart, she thought this was also something she had wanted to say in her previous life.

Jiang Mingchuan came back late at night, and the food was already cold. Jin Xiuzhu told him to go wash up while she went to the kitchen to heat the food. He was quick in washing up, and by the time Jin Xiuzhu went to call him for dinner, he was already lying on the bed, fast asleep.

She decided not to wake him and left the food warming in the kitchen.

Jin Xiuzhu lay down with her back to him, listening to his deafening snores, and gave him a kick in frustration.

The man seemed to sense something but didn’t wake up. He instinctively reached out, pulled the blanket over her, and even patted her a few times.

Jin Xiuzhu suddenly felt at ease and closed her eyes.

She slept until the next morning. When Jin Xiuzhu got up, the house was empty except for her and her daughter.

Her daughter was playing in the living room. Seeing her awake, she said, “Dad cooked porridge in the pot.”

After freshening up, Jin Xiuzhu went to the kitchen to serve herself some porridge.

She spent the whole day drawing at home. In the afternoon, Fang Min dropped by.

Unlike Jin Xiuzhu, who was always running around, Fang Min’s biggest daily exercise was going to the army gate to send out manuscripts and collect fees. Sometimes, if she saw Jin Xiuzhu’s, she would pick them up for her.

Jin Xiuzhu’s manuscript fees were much higher this time. The previous book only paid half the money, and now that it was completed, the other half came in. In addition, there were payments for various illustrations she had sent to other newspapers over this period. After Fang Min left, Jin Xiuzhu counted the money twice. It totaled 36 yuan and 60 cents.

This was much more than she earned at the cafeteria. It also included some sugar coupons, fabric coupons, tea coupons, and soap coupons.

Jin Xiuzhu went to her room, took the middle book from the top of the bookshelf, and took out all the money hidden inside. She counted it again, including the newly received money, totaling 262 yuan and 78 cents.

This money included what she brought from her hometown, her earnings from the cafeteria over the past six months, and the money Jiang Mingchuan handed over.

Jiang Mingchuan’s salary was not low, but he only brought home a large part of it each time. Jin Xiuzhu suspected he was sending money to his sister or lending it to others.

She took out 2 yuan and 78 cents and put the rest back in the book, placing it back on the top shelf. This money would not be touched again.

When she returned to the living room, she met her daughter’s curious gaze.

Jin Xiuzhu adjusted her expression and said, “Children shouldn’t be so curious about adult matters.”

Fu Yanyan bluntly said, “Mom has a lot of money. Why does Dad still need to borrow?”

Jin Xiuzhu didn’t feel embarrassed being exposed. Instead, she sneered, ““Others can borrow from him, but he can’t borrow from others? After suffering a few losses, he’ll learn his lesson.”

Fu Yanyan looked at Jin Xiuzhu with some admiration, surprised that she knew about Dad Jiang lending money to others.

In her previous life, it was indeed like this. Whenever someone had difficulties, they found Jiang Dad. But when Dad Jiang once fell ill and had to undergo surgery, draining the family’s funds, “Jin Xiuzhu” had a big fight with him, forcing him to go door-to-door to demand repayment.

However, very few people repaid, and after that, Dad Jiang learned his lesson and stopped lending. This incident also led to a lot of gossip about their family.

Jin Xiuzhu took the two yuan and some change to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy meat and vegetables. She cooked a large meal in the evening.

She originally thought of inviting Fang Min from next door to join them, but Jiang Mingchuan came back, and He Yan hadn’t returned yet.

After waiting a while, Jin Xiuzhu became worried and asked Jiang Mingchuan to go out and look.

Jiang Mingchuan changed his shoes and went downstairs. Not long after, she heard the father and son talking on the stairs outside, and Jin Xiuzhu breathed a sigh of relief.

He Yan rushed into the house, excitedly calling for his mom and sister. He explained that the teacher had been angry and kept them after school to memorize their lessons, which is why he was late. “The Chinese teacher randomly called on people to recite the text today. Many hadn’t memorized it, so we had to stay after school and recite it one by one before we could leave.”

“Is that so? Quickly wash up and come eat.”

“Okay, okay.”

Dinner consisted of four dishes and a soup, all of He Yan’s favorites. He chatted away while eating, recounting the events of the day at school.

He mentioned that Wei Ningqing ranked first in the test while he came in third. He also talked about a student who was caught sleeping in class and got punished, and how the math teacher now had a significant other.

Jin Xiuzhu used to insist on silence during meals, but she had gradually grown accustomed to the lively dinners and occasionally asked a question or two.

Halfway through the meal, they suddenly heard a commotion upstairs.

The four of them paused and instinctively fell silent.

The noise from upstairs grew louder and louder, and a sharp voice became distinctly audible:

“It’s all your fault! He hasn’t been back for a whole day and night, and you still have the nerve to eat…”

“Oh my poor grandson! What have we done to deserve this?”

“Mom, stop shouting. I’ll go out and look for him.”

“You only know how to protect her! Do you even consider me your mother? Married for so long and still not pregnant. I take care of her every day, and she hasn’t given me a grandson. Instead, she’s driven my eldest grandson away…”

Zhao Yun seemed to say something in response. After a moment of silence, the old lady started yelling again, “Did you hear what she just said? How can you let her talk to me like that? Yang Yao, I raised you with such difficulty, and now you let her treat me this way…”

Jin Xiuzhu strained her ears to listen. Jiang Mingchuan, however, seemed unfazed and continued eating his meal. Seeing that Jin Xiuzhu had stopped eating, he picked up a piece of good meat and put it on her plate, saying helplessly, “Eat your meal.”

He seemed completely uninterested in the neighbors’ affairs.

He Yan, unusually, kept his head down and quietly shoveled food into his mouth.

Sitting next to him, Fu Yanyan gave him a curious glance.

Around eight in the evening, there was a knock on the door.

Jin Xiuzhu was sitting at the table with her son, writing and drawing, while Jiang Mingchuan was helping their daughter with her reading.

Hearing the knock, Jiang Mingchuan handed the book to his daughter and got up to answer the door.

When he opened it, he saw Zhao Yun standing there with red, tearful eyes, and instinctively paused.

Zhao Yun, choking back her tears, said, “I’m so sorry to bother you this late. I just wanted to ask if you’ve seen our child. Last night, Yang Yao came back and found out about the fight, and he got angry and beat him. We thought that was the end of it, but we haven’t seen him all day today.”

Jiang Mingchuan frowned, “When did you last see him?”

“We didn’t see him this morning. We thought he left early for school, so we didn’t worry. He does leave early sometimes. Yang Yao went out to look for him just now but hasn’t found him yet.”

Jiang Mingchuan, not wanting to judge, simply said, “I’ll go out and help look for him.”

“Really? That would be great. Thank you so much, Captain Jiang.”

Jiang Mingchuan nodded, “Go ask the others as well. I’ll just change my shoes.”

“Okay.”

Zhao Yun sniffed but didn’t leave, standing at the door waiting.

Jin Xiuzhu heard it too but didn’t mind. She just reminded, “Be careful.”

Jiang Mingchuan responded with a gentle “Mm” and said softly, “Finish up and go to bed early. You don’t need to wait for me.”

Jin Xiuzhu nodded.

Even after the door closed, they could still hear the voices of the two talking in the hallway. Fu Yanyan looked at Jin Xiuzhu, surprised that there was no emotion on her face. She simply lowered her head and continued drawing, seemingly unaffected.

Noticing her daughter’s gaze, Jin Xiuzhu couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong? Is there something you don’t understand?”

Fu Yanyan shook her head, lowered her eyes, and whispered, “Dad went out with that person.”

Jin Xiuzhu looked puzzled. “So what? Does he dare have any funny business behind my back?”

Fu Yanyan said nothing, but in her heart, she thought that in her past life, Jin Xiuzhu was not like this. Whenever Dad talked to any aunt, she would throw a fit and scream, let alone going out with Zhao Yun.

Next to her, He Yan held his pen without moving for a long time. Fu Yanyan calmly asked him, “Do you know where they are?”

He Yan’s body stiffened. He hadn’t expected to be found out so quickly. He quickly shook his head. After shaking, he saw his mother looking at him suspiciously. He shrank his neck and then nodded slightly.

Both mother and daughter squinted at him simultaneously.