Chapter 2

Chapter 2

They walked all the way to the county town.

The road was not easy to traverse, covered in snow, with footprints marking every step. Jin Xiuzhu wore a pair of cotton shoes, and her feet quickly became wet. After a while, her feet were numb from the cold.

They didn't know how long they had been walking, but by the time they reached the county town, the sky had brightened from its earlier foggy state.

Perhaps due to the resilience of this body, Jin Xiuzhu didn’t feel overly exhausted. If it were her old self, she would have likely developed blisters by now. Years of living a life of ease had changed both her body and her mindset. She knew that she couldn’t complain, so she remained silent, following closely behind the man.

Fortunately, the man seemed to sense something and deliberately slowed down, even turning back to say, "Follow my footsteps."

Jin Xiuzhu paused for a moment before nodding and lowering her head in acknowledgment. Her heart felt warm; it was the first time someone had shown concern for her in such a manner.

The Lord Marquis had been kind to her in the past, but his kindness was like that given to a pet cat or dog – he found them cute, so he liked them more. Deep down, however, he looked down on her. Of course, he treated others similarly, being capable of killing his wife of twenty years without hesitation when he felt ruthless. But this man seemed different.

Jin Xiuzhu pushed aside her thoughts, pondering what her future path should be. Having spent a long time in the Marquis Mansion, she had developed the habit of thinking several steps ahead. She had no children, no one to rely on, and could only be as cautious as possible. It was this prudence that kept her in favor for over a decade and safe.

However, all her thoughts were interrupted upon reaching the county town. Jin Xiuzhu realized that she had somehow been reborn into an entirely unfamiliar place.

Although she initially found the locals' clothing and hairstyles strange, she hadn't thought much of it, assuming that the rural folk dressed that way for convenience while working. It was similar to how, when she was young and her family was poor, her mother would roll up her sleeves and pant legs while working in the fields. Later, after entering the Marquis Mansion, she learned that such attire was considered unrefined.

But here, both men and women wore similar clothes and pants. Men had short hair close to their heads, while women typically had two braids or short hair reaching their ears. Occasionally, on the wide streets, people could be seen riding on two iron wheels.

However, this place didn't seem particularly prosperous. The houses along the street were small and dilapidated, scattered sparsely. It lacked the thriving and prosperous appearance of the Great Jing Dynasty, let alone the sight of people adorned in gold and silver.

Jiang Mingchuan led Jin Xiuzhu towards the police station in the county town. Upon arriving at the entrance, he said, "Wait for me here for a bit. I need to go inside and take care of something. I'll be out soon."

Without further explanation, he handed her the child in his arms.

Though they hadn't spent much time together, Jin Xiuzhu trusted the man in front of her. Her intuition told her that he wouldn't abandon her, so she nodded and took the child.

The child was still asleep, subconsciously snuggling closer to Jin Xiuzhu as if sensing a familiar scent.

Jiang Mingchuan entered the police station.

Jin Xiuzhu curiously observed her surroundings. Seeing people coming in and out across the street, eating steamed buns, she suddenly felt hungry herself. Above the entrance opposite her was a sign reading “State-owned Hotel.” She didn’t recognize the first character, but based on the memories of the original "Jin Xiuzhu," she knew that this was where wealthy people dined, and the prices inside were quite high.

However, Jin Xiuzhu wasn't one to neglect herself. Before leaving, she took all the private savings that "Jin Xiuzhu" had accumulated over the years: a total of seventy dollars, ten jin of food coupons, and five feet of cloth coupons.

To her, it wasn't much, but for "Jin Xiuzhu," it was a considerable amount. She had stolen it from Fu Jianguo's pocket each time he returned home, while he was asleep.

Fu Jianguo was naive and didn't suspect her when he noticed the missing money. He might have had doubts, but he never confronted her about it.

When Jiang Mingchuan came out after borrowing money, he saw Jin Xiuzhu holding the child in one hand and eating a bun with the other. "..."

He hadn't expected her to have money. He had given all his money to the Fu and Jin families and couldn't even afford a train ticket back. He had to borrow from his comrade, intending to repay him later.

Seeing her eat, Jin Xiuzhu offered him a steamed bun when he emerged.

Jiang Mingchuan glanced at it. He was indeed hungry and, after a moment of hesitation, took it and started eating. He also took the child from her arms, noticing that the child was still asleep. Unable to resist, he asked, "Is it okay for her to sleep like this?"

Misunderstanding his concern, Jin Xiuzhu explained, "I saved two buns for her to eat when she wakes up."

Jiang Mingchuan nodded, saying nothing more.

Silence fell between them.

Jiang Mingchuan walked ahead, with Jin Xiuzhu habitually trailing a few steps behind. Feeling somewhat uncomfortable, he decided that since they would be living together, there were some things he needed to discuss with her beforehand. He spoke seriously, "I'm thirty-one this year. My parents died early, and I was raised by my father’s comrade. I live in the military most of the time. If you come with me, you’ll have to follow the military. I will do my best to take care of you and the child. As for you… put aside any ulterior motives."

His tone was slightly stern at the end.

Hearing this, Jin Xiuzhu glanced at him guiltily and instinctively acted coquettishly, saying, "I understand."

She understood that he was referring to the events of last night.

Jiang Mingchuan frowned at her, not used to being spoken to in such a manner. However, he didn’t say anything.

Jin Xiuzhu hadn’t combed her hair that morning, and it hung messily over her shoulders. Unaware of this, she lowered her head shyly when he looked at her.

Seeing her behave, Jiang Mingchuan looked ahead and continued, "Last year, I adopted a comrade’s child. His name is He Yan. He’s a bit introverted and sensitive. His father was once my squad leader, a good man."

Pausing for a moment, he added, "If you have no objections, we can file our marriage report when we return."

At his age, he did need to get married. He usually wasn’t around much and relied on neighbors to feed He Yan, compensating them with money. However, he knew that this arrangement wasn’t ideal in the long run. Raised by adoptive parents himself, he didn’t want the child to suffer as he had. So, when the commander’s wife introduced him to a woman with a child, he agreed after some consideration. Given his current situation, it was difficult to find a partner. Two people with children could better understand each other. He hadn’t anticipated the turn of events on this trip.

He glanced at Jin Xiuzhu again. Jin Xiuzhu looked surprised, not because he had a child—men his age often had grandchildren in the Great Jing Dynasty—but because she hadn’t expected him to be so kind as to raise another person’s child. She couldn’t bring herself to do something like that.

However, considering that Fu Jianguo had been dead for over half a year and no relatives had visited, it was he who had come on New Year’s Day, bringing rice and money.

A smile appeared on her face. "I love children and will treat him as my own."

She meant these words sincerely. In her previous life, she had longed for a child desperately but had been poisoned and unable to conceive.

Jiang Mingchuan nodded, unsure whether to believe her.

He led Jin Xiuzhu to the bus station. They were lucky enough to catch a bus heading to the city just as they arrived. Jiang Mingchuan bought the tickets skillfully and then found a seat at the back of the bus for them to sit together.

Jin Xiuzhu had never ridden such a vehicle before. Although the interior wasn’t luxurious, she had endured hardships in the past and didn’t complain. Instead, she curiously observed everything around her. When the bus started moving, she couldn’t help letting out a soft exclamation, watching the rapidly receding scenery outside and turning to look at the man beside her with bright eyes.

Jiang Mingchuan held back a smile and sternly reminded her to sit properly.

Jin Xiuzhu huffed softly and turned her head back to the window, finding the ride much more comfortable than a horse-drawn carriage and quite interesting.

After arriving in the city, Jin Xiuzhu followed Jiang Mingchuan off the bus. Next to the bus station was the train station. Jiang Mingchuan bought two train tickets for them, scheduled for departure at two o'clock in the afternoon. With lunchtime approaching, they ate at a nearby State-owned Hotel.

When they got off the bus, the child in Jiang Mingchuan’s arms had woken up at some point. He had been worried that the child would cry, but to his surprise, the child was very well-behaved, looking at him with calm, dark eyes as if gazing into the eyes of an adult. Jiang Mingchuan furrowed his brows perceptively. Just as he was about to examine the child more closely, the child turned its head to look outside.

He sighed in slight relief, thinking that he must have imagined it.

Jin Xiuzhu was starving. In the past, a small bowl of bird's nest porridge and a few side dishes would have sufficed for breakfast, but now, she found that even a large steamed bun wasn't enough to fill her up.

Jiang Mingchuan ordered two bowls of chicken noodle soup and a bowl of egg custard, each serving generously portioned. Jin Xiuzhu didn't fuss over her food, picking up her chopsticks and digging in. Despite her eagerness, her movements were delicate and refined, giving her an elegant appearance.

Jiang Mingchuan glanced at her, thinking that perhaps she wasn't as bad as he had imagined.

When Jin Xiuzhu noticed him looking, she assumed it was because she was eating too coarsely. She hastily pretended to wipe her mouth, then flicked her hair and flashed him a sweet smile.

He paused for a moment. "Eat quickly."

Then, he lowered his head and took a large mouthful.

Jin Xiuzhu: "…"

How utterly insensitive.

Fu Yanyan, who was quietly eating her egg custard beside them, witnessed this exchange, and a ripple of emotion stirred in her calm eyes.

After finishing their meal, they headed to the train station to wait. At 1:50 PM, the family of three boarded the train.

Knowing that it was Jin Xiuzhu's first time on a train, Jiang Mingchuan, fearing she might be clueless, had her lead the way with their luggage.

As Jin Xiuzhu walked, she curiously looked around. If the automobile had amazed her, the train left her utterly astonished. She had never seen such a long, large vehicle capable of carrying so many people without the need for horses, powered merely by steam. It was simply incredible.

She didn't notice how her hips swayed as she walked.

Jiang Mingchuan, walking behind with the child in his arms, observed this and couldn't help but comment, "Walk properly. Don't sway like that; it's uncomfortable to watch."

Hearing this, Jin Xiuzhu turned to look at him, meeting his furrowed brow. Intimidated, she quickly adjusted her gait.

Inwardly, she cursed him as a dead dullard.