Widow Remarries in Sixties

During the meal, Jiang Mingchuan told Jin Xiuzhu, “I’ll go see Zhong Xue this afternoon. Tomorrow morning, I’ll take you to visit a few elders, and then we’ll leave in the afternoon.”

He wasn’t worried about Pan Jun. Those punches wouldn’t be fatal, and he knew his limits. He was more concerned that Zhong Xue might be bullied again after leaving, so he planned to have a serious talk with Pan Shenglin.

Jin Xiuzhu said, “I’ll go with you.”

She also had some things to discuss with Zhong Xue.

Jiang Mingchuan nodded.

After lunch, the family of four headed straight to the Pan residence without taking a nap.

This time, they didn’t need to be announced. The guard recognized Jiang Mingchuan as the son of the logistics director.

When they knocked on the Pan family’s door, they expected to be turned away. Instead, Tao Qianyun opened the door, and upon seeing them, her expression changed. With a mix of stiffness and fear, she asked, “What are you here for?”

Jiang Mingchuan stood at the front, his attitude somewhat firm. “I’m here for Zhong Xue.”

Tao Qianyun seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. She pursed her lips, gave him a deep look, and stepped aside to let them in.

In the living room, Pan Shenglin sat on the sofa with a stern face.

Tao Qianyun initially intended to call Zhong Xue out from the kitchen, but after a moment of thought, she turned and headed towards the kitchen.

Seeing her head towards the kitchen, Jin Xiuzhu stepped forward to stop her. “No need. Jiang Mingchuan has something to say to you too. I’ll go find her.”

Jiang Mingchuan glanced at Jin Xiuzhu and, recalling the red envelope she had tucked into her pocket before leaving, guessed that she intended to give it discreetly. So, he followed her lead and said, “I have something to say to both of you.”

Seeing Jiang Mingchuan’s cold demeanor made Tao Qianyun nervous. She hesitated for a moment before moving to sit on the other side of the sofa, not daring to sit too close to Pan Shenglin.

Last night, Pan Shenglin scolded her harshly, asking why she hadn’t torn up the property deed. He berated her, saying that taking it out was as good as admitting she had taken it. He also blamed her for not being nicer to Jiang Mingchuan, which might have prevented their current predicament.

Tao Qianyun felt aggrieved. He hadn’t communicated his thoughts, so how was she supposed to know what he wanted?

It was all her fault, but was he any better? If he really protected Jiang Mingchuan, she wouldn’t dare to bully that child, and the worst bully was actually his mother.

Jiang Mingchuan spoke up, “I meant what I said yesterday. If Zhong Xue is bullied again…”

Snippets of conversation floated from the living room. In the kitchen, Jin Xiuzhu took out a thick stack of red envelopes from her pocket and quickly slipped them into Zhong Xue’s pocket.

Zhong Xue, reacting a bit slowly, hurriedly tried to take them out to return them to her. She wasn’t particularly close to Mingchuan when they were children and had never spoken to this new sister-in-law.

How could she accept such a big red envelope?

She had already appreciated Mingchuan standing up for her last night, not to mention making this special trip today.

Jin Xiuzhu grabbed her hand to stop her. “This is from your brother and me. Don’t refuse.”

Zhong Xue hesitated, looking at Jin Xiuzhu. How could they bear to give her so much money?

Jin Xiuzhu sighed and said with a pained expression, “Your brother told me last night that you used to be a pretty, smart, and innocent little sister, a very lovable girl. But now you’ve been worn down so much that you don’t even have a temper. It pains him to see you like this, and it pains me too because I see my former self in you.”

“Don’t laugh, but I used to have it worse than you. My biological parents favored boys over girls, so I had endless chores. Later, when I got married, my first husband was a soldier. His mother and sister bullied me mercilessly. They made me do all the housework, wouldn’t let me eat at the table, and beat and scolded me at will. When my husband died unexpectedly, your brother saw me and my child in this miserable state last year and took us away. You probably can’t tell, but last year around this time, my child and I were nothing but skin and bones. Your brother is a good man. If he treats me like this, imagine how well he will treat you. Take it.”

Zhong Xue listened in a daze. Looking at Jin Xiuzhu’s fair and tender face, she couldn’t imagine her ever being so skinny.

Jin Xiuzhu looked at her with compassion. “We’re leaving tomorrow. Before we go, I have some things I want to say to you. Us women, sometimes our misfortunes come from men. Marrying well is a blessing, marrying poorly is a lifelong curse.”

“I used to be like that, and now you are too. But don’t give up on yourself. When I first got to the army, people laughed at me. I didn’t accept it and found a job in the cafeteria. Later, someone reported me, and I lost that job. Then I went to a literacy class to learn to read and write, and I started writing and submitting articles. Now I have a job at a newspaper. Don’t think it was easy. Only I know the hardships I endured.”

“I’m not bragging. I just want to tell you, don’t give up on yourself. You have a long life ahead of you. You have more advantages than I did. You’ve read many books and met many outstanding people. You have a broader perspective and can rely on yourself better. As women, it’s better to rely on ourselves than on anyone else. Be tough on yourself and others, and you can carve out your own path.”

Zhong Xue listened quietly, entranced. If it were her old self, she might not understand these words. But after experiencing so much, especially the shock of what happened yesterday, these words were like a wake-up call, snapping her out of her confusion.

In the Pan family, she couldn’t rely on anyone. Maybe she had always known this but didn’t know who else to depend on besides the Pan family. Now, her new sister-in-law was telling her she could rely on herself.

Her new sister-in-law had done it.

A fire ignited in Zhong Xue’s heart.

Jin Xiuzhu suddenly lowered her voice, “Lastly, I might be overstepping with a few words.”

Zhong Xue looked at Jin Xiuzhu seriously. “Go ahead, sister-in-law.”

From the moment her new sister-in-law handed her the thick red envelope, she knew she was a good person. Especially those heartfelt words, no one had said such caring things to her since her parents’ downfall.

Jin Xiuzhu sighed, “I don’t dare tell your brother this. He is kind and doesn’t like to think ill of others. But I’ve suffered and seen many bad people, so I think more about these things. Yesterday, your brother asked Elder Zhang about your situation. I was there and heard it. Your parents were good people who wouldn’t have been corrupt. Think about it. You’re their only child. What would they do with that money? Your family lacked for nothing. So, could the evidence have been…”

She whispered the last few words into Zhong Xue’s ear.

Zhong Xue’s eyes widened in shock, and she murmured, “Why…”

Jin Xiuzhu frowned at her and quickly said, “This is just my guess, a reminder for you.”

“We’re leaving soon. We’re far away. Your brother might be able to protect you for a while, but not always. I’m just giving you a heads-up. Like in my old village, there was a man who hooked up with a cadre’s daughter. To avoid gossip, he pushed his wife into the pond. Who knew she had a strong will to live and was rescued? Later, she reported that pair of adulterers.”

“It’s always good to be cautious. Keep this money secretly. Even if not for yourself, do it for your two children.”

Zhong Xue’s heart pounded. Jin Xiuzhu’s words made her scalp tingle. Things she couldn’t understand before suddenly became clear.

Yes, her parents were upright people. How could they have done those things?

Someone must have framed them.

Who was it? She had always thought it was a colleague or someone they had offended.

Now that the Pan family showed their true colors, she felt Jin Xiuzhu was right.

Her lips trembled uncontrollably, not knowing whether she was scared or excited. She breathed heavily, her eyes welling with tears, “Sister-in-law, why? Just because my parents didn’t pull strings for him? But my parents treated him well…”

Jin Xiuzhu didn’t answer but patted her head, “Live well. One day, you’ll see your parents again.”

Zhong Xue bit her lip hard, suppressing her voice, “I know, I know. I will live well…”

She told herself this every day.

Jin Xiuzhu sighed, hearing the living room quiet down, “We’re leaving. Take good care of yourself.”

Zhong Xue suddenly reached out and grabbed Jin Xiuzhu’s hand tightly, as if drawing strength from her. After a while, she squeezed out two words, “Thank you.”

Jin Xiuzhu replied, “I hope you can escape this cage like I did.”

After they left, Zhong Xue softly said, “I will, I will.”

In the living room, who knows what Jiang Mingchuan said, but Pan Shenglin and Tao Qianyun didn’t look happy. When Jin Xiuzhu came out, Jiang Mingchuan stood up.

Tao Qianyun also quickly got up to see them off, eager for them to leave.

As soon as the family of four stepped out, Tao Qianyun shut the door quickly. That morning, Old Master Zhang had brought people over to back up Jiang Mingchuan, scolding her and her husband harshly. Now Jiang Mingchuan warned them that if they treated Zhong Xue badly, he would reveal everything they did to him back then.

Whether people believed it or not, if it was said enough, some would believe it. Then, the two of them wouldn’t have a good time.

Fortunately, Jiang Mingchuan was somewhat soft-hearted and didn’t take things to the extreme.

Tao Qianyun glanced towards the kitchen, wondering what that woman had said. She wanted to ask, but thinking of Jiang Mingchuan made her hesitate. After some thought, she decided to leave it for now.

In the kitchen, her son said to Zhong Xue, “Their dad is so nice, taking them out to play.”

Zhong Xue’s heart ached.

Her daughter, seeing her mother’s sadness, quickly said, “Don’t talk about Dad.”

The little boy pouted but couldn’t help saying, “Mom, can you get me a new dad? I don’t like this one.”

He was always scolding them, so fierce.

Zhong Xue lowered her head, her eyes welling with tears again.