Chapter 12

Chapter 12

In the kitchen, Jiang Mingchuan spoke to Jin Xiuzhu about her new job.

"Chef Zhang said he's arranged for you to work as a breakfast chef. You'll start by helping with breakfast, and if you do well, you can be reassigned to lunch or dinner shifts later."

"The pay is the same as others: twenty dollars a month, five catties of grain coupons, half a liang of sesame oil, and other items issued at year-end. However, you'll need to get up early—arriving in the kitchen by three every morning to work until nine, then prepare for the next day from nine to ten in the evening."

The salary was comparable to that of city workers, but the only downside was the early mornings and late nights.

However, this wasn't an issue for Jin Xiuzhu. As a maid, she often stood watch all night, especially during the depths of winter when even wearing a coat couldn't keep out the cold.

Moreover, even the lady of the Marquis Mansion would rise at the hour of Yin to dress and go to the matriarch for greetings, which would be around three or four o'clock in today's terms.

Jin Xiuzhu nodded without concern. "That works. I'd just be idle at home anyway."

Jiang Mingchuan looked at her skeptically. According to his daughter, Jin Xiuzhu usually slept until mid-morning.

That night, Jin Xiuzhu tried to snuggle close to Jiang Mingchuan. He held her down helplessly and whispered, "Do you still want to get up tomorrow?"

Hearing this, Jin Xiuzhu felt conflicted and hesitated. "How about we hurry up?"

Jiang Mingchuan: "…"

Seeing him unmoved, she took the opportunity to touch his chest.

Jiang Mingchuan blushed; he had never met such a shameless woman.

As Jin Xiuzhu tried to climb onto him again, he firmly embraced her, holding her tightly against his chest. "Listen to me, it's time to sleep."

His deep voice sent a warm breath onto the top of Jin Xiuzhu's head, making her feel ticklish.

Her face pressed against his chest, unsure whether it was his body heat or her own flushed cheeks that made her feel so warm.

This was the first time Jin Xiuzhu experienced being tightly held in someone's arms, giving her a sense of fulfillment as if she were embracing the entire world.

And at this moment, this small, quiet bed was her whole world.

—

She slept soundly through the night.

At dawn, Jin Xiuzhu opened her eyes on time.

She lay on her side, with the man holding her from behind.

She inwardly scoffed, thinking that men were all the same—no matter how unwilling they were to marry, they still slept soundly while hugging their wives.

Still, she moved quietly when getting up, wrapping herself in a thick cotton robe. She washed her face with water from a thermos in the kitchen, tied up her hair, and left.

It was pitch black outside, but the moon provided enough light to see the path.

When Jin Xiuzhu arrived at the cafeteria, the lights were already on. The electric lamps illuminated the space brightly. Chef Zhang wasn't there, but the four soldiers preparing breakfast were. Each was busy with their tasks. They must have been informed beforehand, as they weren't surprised to see Jin Xiuzhu. Instead, they looked more curious.

Jin Xiuzhu had expected some trouble, knowing that one must always pay respects upon entering a new environment. To her surprise, these four soldiers treated her exceptionally politely. One tall soldier even stopped his work to ask, "Master Jin, is there anything else you need? We can prepare it for you."

Hearing "Master Jin," Jin Xiuzhu glanced at him approvingly. She surveyed the kitchen, noticing the soaked glutinous rice and prepared jujubes. Without being too formal, she rolled up her sleeves and said, "I also need red beans and osmanthus. Do you have them here?"

"We have red beans, but not osmanthus."

"Then just the red beans."

He immediately went to fetch them.

Jin Xiuzhu checked the soaked glutinous rice.

By eight in the morning, the soldiers finished their morning exercises and entered the cafeteria in orderly lines. Each took a plate at the entrance and queued to collect their meals from the window.

Usually, they received an egg, a steamed bun, a vegetable bun, and a bowl of hot porridge. Today, however, things were different. The steamed buns were replaced with a red, round dish topped with red beans and jujube flesh. It smelled delicious and looked mouthwatering.

Everyone's first action was to use their chopsticks to pick up the dish. At the first bite, they tasted a sweet flavor that was so good it could make one swallow their tongue.

Some found it so delicious that they didn't want to finish it in one go, saving half for last.

Jiang Mingchuan hadn't cooked breakfast that morning and brought his two children directly to the cafeteria. He exchanged meal tickets for three breakfasts. Fu Yanyan and Xiaoyan had eaten Dragon-Phoenix cakes before and didn't devour them as quickly as the first time. The two children used spoons to eat them daintily.

After eating, Jiang Mingchuan took Fu Yanyan to the kitchen and handed her over to Jin Xiuzhu.

The steam from the kitchen had reddened Jin Xiuzhu's face. With recent good food and drink, she had gained some weight, and her skin had become fairer. Her hair was glossy and black, making her look somewhat different, though it was hard to pinpoint exactly how.

Jin Xiuzhu fed her daughter the Dragon-Phoenix cake crumbs stuck to the cloth of the steamer basket and told Jiang Mingchuan, "You don't need to buy an extra portion for Yanyan tomorrow. This amount is enough for her."

Fu Yanyan: "…"

Fu Yanyan closed her mouth, not very eager to eat. Jin Xiuzhu coaxed her, "Be good, Mom saved this especially for you."

Xiaoyan glanced enviously at his sister.

Fu Yanyan ignored him.

Jiang Mingchuan said helplessly, "Stop teasing the child. Get back to work. I'll take Xiaoyan to the gate."

After finishing her work, Jin Xiuzhu took her daughter home. Passing by the Wu family's house, Qian Yufeng called out to her, seemingly waiting at the door on purpose. She looked at Jin Xiuzhu sourly. "You're not very honest. I tell you everything, yet you didn't mention your new job at the cafeteria. I only found out from your husband. Working in the cafeteria must be good, right? I heard there are many subsidies each month. Other military spouses wanted to work there but couldn't. You're truly capable."

Indeed, she was capable of winning over Captain Jiang and now finding a job.

Qian Yufeng refused to admit she was jealous. She was just angry that Jin Xiuzhu had kept it a secret and hadn't considered her a friend.

Jin Xiuzhu had anticipated this reaction. Instead of consoling her, she deliberately pulled a long face. "Sister, your words make me uncomfortable. I only learned about it last night and left the house at three this morning. There was no chance to tell you. If you think like that, you're treating me like an outsider. Ever since I came here, I've been sincere with you and always thought of you first whenever I made something tasty. Yet, you always assume the worst of me."

Without looking at her, she directly took her daughter's hand and headed home.

Hearing this, Qian Yufeng felt guilty and hurriedly stepped forward to hold her back. "Ah, ah, ah, you really... I didn't even say anything, why are you angry? Alright, alright, it's my fault. Come in and sit down, have some hot water. You must be tired after being busy all morning."

Jin Xiuzhu gave her a withering glance. "Who dares to be angry with you? Otherwise, you'd say I'm ungrateful again."

"Ah, such a temper, only Commander Jiang can put up with you."

Saying this, she pulled her into the house without further ado. "My mother-in-law went visiting. We had a fight this morning; I don't feel like appeasing her anymore. She can go out if she wants. Come inside."

Standing beside, Fu Yanyan watched as Jin Xiuzhu managed to smooth things over with just a few words, even getting comforted by the other party.

If it were her, she would probably have been ready to apologize upon hearing those words.

She suddenly realized that Jin Xiuzhu of this world was truly different.

Jin Xiuzhu asked her, "You argued with your mother-in-law?"

"How could I have the nerve? It was Daya. I did as you said yesterday. When I got home, I said a few nice words to Daya and then told her that if she wanted to go to school, Mom fully supports her, but we don't have the money. If she really wants to study, she should argue with Dad and Grandma. Arguing with them is more effective, and make them stop always minding Uncle's family and pay attention to her instead."

"Who knew the child would become so bold? This morning, she really had an argument with her dad and grandma. I must say, it felt good listening to it. Now I've come to realize that rather than spending so much money on Uncle's family, it's better to invest in education for our Daya."

Jin Xiuzhu nodded. "That's indeed the truth."

Only Fu Yanyan could empathize with Daya's feelings. In the past, she had to fight against the whole family alone, but now with her mother's support, she naturally gained boundless courage.

Because she would feel that her mother loved her.

In the afternoon, He Yan returned later than usual.

Jin Xiuzhu didn't mind, as she often heard Qian Yufeng complain about Xiaojun being held back by his teacher to recite texts, sometimes not returning until it was dark. A strict teacher produces outstanding students, and she assumed something similar happened to He Yan.

It wasn't until they were having dinner when her daughter suddenly said, "Brother was bullied."

Both Jin Xiuzhu and Jiang Mingchuan froze, subconsciously turning to look at He Yan.

He Yan, startled, raised his head and hastily explained, "No, no, I wasn't bullied."

Fu Yanyan looked at him with disdain, pursing her lips. "Your shoes were wet when you came back, and your backpack was dirty."

"That... That's because I accidentally tripped and fell."

"But there are scratch marks on your neck."

He Yan fell silent, lowering his head like a scolded child, not daring to meet Jin Xiuzhu and Jiang Mingchuan's eyes.

The light in the house was dim, and since He Yan was wearing a jacket, neither Jin Xiuzhu nor Jiang Mingchuan noticed. Jin Xiuzhu's face turned cold as she reached out to pull aside He Yan's collar, revealing three bloody scratches on his neck, one of which had broken the skin.

She frowned. "What's going on here?"

Thinking she was angry, He Yan recalled how, whenever he lost a fight with village kids, his mother would take off his pants and beat him with a stick, scolding him for being useless and disgracing her.

He whispered, "It doesn't hurt at all."

Jiang Mingchuan didn't seem too concerned, assuming it was just boys roughhousing. "We'll put some medicine on it later."

Upon hearing this, Fu Yanyan remained silent.

Only Jin Xiuzhu furrowed her brows. "What kind of talk is that? Being scratched like this isn't a big deal? This time it's scratches, next time it might be a head injury. Don't you know about Uncle Wu? He hit his head on a rock and became paralyzed, lying in bed for years unable to move."

Jiang Mingchuan fell silent, knowing he couldn't argue with Jin Xiuzhu at this moment.

Fu Yanyan glanced between Father Jiang and Jin Xiuzhu before wisely lowering her head to continue eating.

Only He Yan was terrified, fearing he might end up paralyzed in bed as well. He quickly confessed everything. Apparently, a few bullies in second grade had heard that He Yan's mother worked in the canteen and demanded that he bring them snacks. When He Yan refused, they blocked his way after school.

Those kids were particularly nasty, deliberately standing at the restroom entrance during breaks, making children crawl under their crotches to use the toilet or else forbidding them from going.

Jiang Mingchuan frowned, realizing the severity of the situation.

Jin Xiuzhu was about to teach him how to retaliate when Jiang Mingchuan seemed to guess what she was going to say and directly stated, "Tomorrow, find out where these kids live. Dad will visit their homes over the weekend. Next time, tell us about such incidents."

He Yan hadn't expected his usually busy father to stand up for him. Actually, he wasn't the only one being bullied.

He obediently nodded. "Okay."

He felt a bit happier inside.

After dinner, Jiang Mingchuan and Jin Xiuzhu went to the kitchen to wash dishes. In the living room, Fu Yanyan suddenly asked coldly, "Did you crawl?"

He Yan slowly understood what she was asking and hesitantly shook his head. "No."

Fu Yanyan looked at him suspiciously and scoffed.

He Yan's face reddened. He hadn't crawled, but he had wet his pants and sat in his seat all afternoon, not daring to move.

In the kitchen,

Jiang Mingchuan was bent over washing dishes while Jin Xiuzhu tidied up the stove. Suddenly, she turned to him and asked, "Do you secretly doubt me?"

Author's note:

Fu Yanyan: Oh, they're going to argue.

He Yan: What do I do, what do I do...

Jin Xiuzhu: Men need to be disciplined.

Jiang Mingchuan: Am I about to get into trouble?