Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Jiang Mingchuan kept his word. By the weekend, he specially took Jin Xiuzhu to the county's department store.

The watch counter was on the second floor, and there were quite a few people browsing at the entrance, but very few were buying. Only a young girl, accompanied by her parents, was trying on a brown watch.

When Jin Xiuzhu approached, she heard the girl's father say, "In the countryside, we do farm work. Buying such an expensive one is too wasteful. Let's get a cheaper one. I think this one looks good."

He pointed to another silver watch as he spoke.

Upon hearing this, the girl's smile faded, and her enthusiasm waned.

The woman behind her frowned. "Why are you saying these things? If our daughter likes it, that's enough. She's going to the countryside; why can't she use something nice?"

"I'll buy it, dear. Mom will buy it for you."

Only then did the girl perk up, pouting playfully. "Mom's the best."

Jin Xiuzhu lowered her head to look. There were so many watches, in all sorts of styles. Eagerly, she asked to see a golden bucket-shaped watch with a brown strap. The salesperson, seeing her interest, let her try it on and introduced, "This uses imported movement. With proper care, it could last a lifetime."

Jin Xiuzhu nodded, then set her sights on an egg-shaped model, asking the salesperson to show it to her as well.

The salesperson praised her, "Your taste is excellent. This one is imported from R country. We only have two in stock, and the other one was sold yesterday."

Jin Xiuzhu smiled without saying anything, taking out the other watches she liked to try them on.

Jiang Mingchuan stood nearby waiting, father and son indistinguishable in size.

Only Fu Yanyan curiously craned her neck to look. When Jin Xiuzhu turned to ask Jiang Mingchuan which one looked better, he replied dryly, "They all look good."

Jin Xiuzhu ignored him, instead following her daughter's pudgy finger pointing at the golden watch. "That one looks nice."

Jin Xiuzhu agreed that it looked good, but she also liked another diamond-encrusted model. Holding one in each hand, she hesitated, unsure which to choose. In the past, she would have bought both.

Finally, she asked the salesperson, "How much are these two?"

The salesperson smiled in response. "The golden one is 180 yuan, and the black one is 120 yuan."

There was a difference of over sixty yuan.

After two seconds of hesitation, Jin Xiuzhu chose the more expensive one.

Expensive must mean better.

Having made her choice, she turned to Jiang Mingchuan.

Jiang Mingchuan had no objections. He had brought her here to buy a watch, so he had borrowed extra money specifically for this purpose.

"Looks great. This one then."

Satisfied, Jin Xiuzhu put it on immediately.

Jiang Mingchuan stepped forward to pay the money and present the ticket.

Those still browsing nearby couldn't help but show envy, greatly satisfying Jin Xiuzhu's vanity.

But only their whole family knew that the money for the watch had been borrowed.

On the way back, Jin Xiuzhu happily held onto Jiang Mingchuan's arm, sweetly praising him. "I'm so happy today. Before, everyone else had watches except me. You don't know how envious I was. Indeed, the man I chose is the best. Willing to spend so much on a watch for me. Look at other dads who wouldn't even buy one for their daughters. Compared to them, you're the best. Oh, I'm so lucky."

"Sometimes, people really can't be compared. Look at you, not only handsome but also kind to your wife and children, and capable of making money. How did I manage to meet such a wonderful man? Seems like I'm blessed."

Though Jiang Mingchuan knew she was flattering him, he couldn't deny that hearing these words made him happy.

Perhaps swayed by her flattery, he said, "I'll buy the other one by the end of the year."

Jin Xiuzhu laughed joyfully. "Really? That's great. I knew you were the best."

Seeing this, He Yan happily chimed in, "Dad, you're so nice. I want one too."

"..."

Jiang Mingchuan regained his composure, clearing his throat. "Boys don't wear watches. It'd be useless if you got one."

"Why not? But I just saw uncles looking at watches."

"They were buying for their families."

"Oh, okay. Then I'll buy one for Mom and Sister later."

Jiang Mingchuan hummed in acknowledgment, while Jin Xiuzhu covered her mouth and laughed beside him.

Only Fu Yanyan rolled her eyes at him.

He Yan noticed and quietly whispered to her, covering his mouth. "I know Dad's lying to me. He's just too poor to buy one for me."

Fu Yanyan tugged at the corner of her mouth, thinking, You won't be any better off when you grow up; you'll be even poorer.

Back home, Qian Yufeng came over to ask Jin Xiuzhu what she had bought.

Jin Xiuzhu was initially hesitant to tell her, fearing jealousy, but her son had a big mouth and told Wu Xiaojun, who had come over to play, "Dad bought Mom a watch. It looks really nice."

Jin Xiuzhu had no choice but to roll up her sleeve to show her.

On her slender, fair wrist sat a delicate, golden watch, the brown strap making her skin appear even more tender.

Qian Yufeng felt a twinge of envy upon seeing it. "Your man is really good to you. This thing isn't cheap, right? My Erzhu says he'll buy me one every year, but he never does. All talk and no action."

The more she spoke, the more upset she became. "Your man treats you well, unlike my old Wu. His heart always leans towards his mother. He doesn't know how to cherish me. Yesterday, he even said I didn't raise the kids well, fighting with others every day and getting such poor grades, embarrassing him. He doesn't even look at himself and expects our son to be smart?"

Jin Xiuzhu wanted to laugh when she heard this but held her lips tightly together to suppress it, afraid that Qian Yufeng would think she was mocking her.

She gave her a playful glare and said with a tone of irritation, "Sister-in-law, you're truly an honest person. If Commander Wu says he'll buy it for you, are you really going to wait for him to remember and buy it himself? I had to shamelessly ask for mine."

"I'll teach you a trick. Next time Commander Wu says he'll buy you a watch, go around telling everyone until everyone knows he's going to buy you one. See if your man doesn't buy it for you then. If he doesn't buy it, he'll lose face too."

Qian Yufeng was stunned; she never thought it could be done this way.

Jin Xiuzhu didn't think there was anything wrong with what she said. If someone promises something, they should fulfill it.

The three men in the room fell silent upon hearing this. Fu Yanyan glanced at Jiang Mingchuan, her eyes carrying a hint of sympathy.

---

In early July, school was out.

He Yan came home with three award certificates: third place in Chinese, first place in Math, and an all-around excellent student award.

The certificates were beautifully hand-drawn by his teacher. He Yan cherished them as he brought them home, showing them to the whole family. However, he didn't let them put them up, saying he wanted to hang them on the wall of their new house.

Jin Xiuzhu agreed and helped him carefully store them away in a box.

With He Yan at home, Jin Xiuzhu and Jiang Mingchuan had it much easier. In the morning, after Jiang Mingchuan prepared breakfast, He Yan would take his sister to wash clothes by the river after eating. He carried the bucket while his sister held the washing stick and soap.

After returning home, he would do his homework and only go out to play once Jin Xiuzhu was back. At first, Fu Yanyan stayed at home, but later, she followed him out to play as well, catching birds in the mountains and fish in the river.

In just a few days, the two children turned as dark as charcoal from the sun.

However, the food at home became more varied. Sometimes they'd bring back wild rabbits or chickens, other times a few fish and a basket of shrimp.

Seeing how happy they were playing, Jin Xiuzhu didn't interfere.

If they got tanned, so be it. They could recover during winter.

Perhaps inspired by Jin Xiuzhu, Qian Yufeng really started spreading the word outside that her man was going to buy her a watch, telling everyone she met and praising her man to high heavens.

So, before moving, Commander Wu took advantage of a free weekend to buy her one.

The first thing Qian Yufeng did upon returning was to find Jin Xiuzhu and say, "Your method really works. Look, he really bought me one."

Qian Yufeng couldn't stop smiling, even showing her gums. She extended her hand for Jin Xiuzhu to see. On her thick wrist was a silver-colored watch. It was clear she liked it very much, as she hadn't even removed the protective paper from the watch.

Jin Xiuzhu was happy for her. "It looks great. Make sure to praise Brother-in-law more often."

Qian Yufeng gently touched the watch. Without thinking, she replied, "Why should I praise him after buying me a watch? What does he have that's worth praising? He's lazy to death. Praising him would make me sick."

"..."

Well, as long as she's happy.

After discussing it, Jin Xiuzhu and Jiang Mingchuan decided to move on the twenty-fifth of July.

Actually, some people had already started moving at the end of June, but Jin Xiuzhu, taking the two children to check out their new home, felt there was still a bit of an odor in the house and decided to air it out before moving.

Their new house was part of the second batch and was larger than those in the first batch because people had previously complained about insufficient space. Therefore, the houses in the second batch had an additional small room.

Over these past half-month, Jin Xiuzhu often brought the children over to clean and arrange things. To ensure fairness, the children decided their rooms through a draw.

He Yan's luck wasn't great, drawing the smaller room facing north, but he didn't mind. He was already thrilled to have his own room.

Using her salary, Jin Xiuzhu commissioned someone to make a small table and four stools. The old table at home was pitted and ugly, which she disliked.

Covered with white floral cloth, the center of the table held a broken glass bottle. Jin Xiuzhu had taken the bottle from the canteen; originally used to hold honey, it had chipped and was going to be thrown away. She brought it home to hold dried flowers she made herself.

Both children's rooms were equipped with desks, beds newly crafted by someone else, and cabinets. Jin Xiuzhu spent almost half of her accumulated salary on these items.

Gradually adding things here and there, the once empty house began to resemble a home.

On moving day, the two children were excited and woke up early.

Jiang Mingchuan packed everything they needed to take using old sheets: quilts, clothes, shoes, the children's belongings...

There were quite a few miscellaneous items.

He Yan and Fu Yanyan took initiative to sweep and clean the house.

No breakfast was prepared that morning, as the kitchen items had been packed the night before, waiting for Jin Xiuzhu to bring them food upon her return.

Jin Xiuzhu returned around eight in the morning. She had become familiar with the canteen staff and could leave with just a simple greeting.

From her basket, she took out breakfast: fried dumplings, oiled flatbread, fried dough sticks, and the yam cakes she made.

Without needing reminders, the two children washed their hands obediently. Jiang Mingchuan told them to eat first.

While the children ate, Jin Xiuzhu watched Jiang Mingchuan pack clothes. She took care of the remaining small items. After finishing his breakfast, Jiang Mingchuan borrowed a bicycle and moved the large items first. Since it was a borrowed bike, he wanted to return it as soon as possible, leaving all the items downstairs to be moved upstairs later.

Jin Xiuzhu sent the children to watch over the items while she finished up at home.

Once everything was moved, Jiang Mingchuan returned the bike. Many people were moving recently, and many were borrowing bikes.

Jin Xiuzhu took the small items upstairs first.

Jiang Mingchuan, being a soldier, could carry several large bags at once.

It was summer, and the sun was scorching hot. After two trips, Jin Xiuzhu was drenched in sweat. Today, they weren't the only ones moving. Regardless of gender, everyone was carrying large and small bags.

Looking at the two small bags in her hands and listening to Jiang Mingchuan's heavy breathing ahead, Jin Xiuzhu felt a little uneasy.

So when she got home after climbing upstairs, fearing that Jiang Mingchuan would think she was slacking off, she deliberately panted.

Jiang Mingchuan wiped the sweat from his forehead and glanced at her. "You rest first. I'll take care of the rest."

Jin Xiuzhu continued to pant, looking at him worriedly. "Can you manage?"

Jiang Mingchuan nodded. "It won't take long."

Jin Xiuzhu didn't argue further. After seeing him downstairs, she unpacked and tidied up the things they had already brought up.

The door across opened, perhaps due to the commotion. A young woman came out, surprised to see Jin Xiuzhu. She then greeted her with a smile. "I didn't expect us to become neighbors. Need any help?"

Jin Xiuzhu smiled back. "What a coincidence. Teacher Fang, I never thought you'd be living next door. I've been coming over frequently these days but haven't run into you."

Fang Min explained, "It's quite coincidental. We moved in right after the lottery. However, I went back to my hometown recently and only returned yesterday."

Just then, voices could be heard approaching from the stairwell—Jiang Mingchuan and Qian Yufeng's voices.

Fang Min heard them too and smiled at Jin Xiuzhu. "Let me go throw out the trash."

Knowing Fang Min wasn't fond of socializing, Jin Xiuzhu told her to take her time.

Jiang Mingchuan and Qian Yufeng came upstairs. Qian Yufeng carried a package in one hand and a cured fish in the other.

Jin Xiuzhu hurried to take them, surprised. "Why are you here?"

Qian Yufeng had been busy with farm work at her parents' place for several days, so Jin Xiuzhu hadn't seen her.

Qian Yufeng laughed heartily. "I planned to help you move today but got held up by something this morning. This is from my parents' place; it's ready to eat after steaming."

Then, unable to resist, she asked, "I saw Fang Min just now. She lives in this building too?"

"Indeed, she lives right next door. I just found out."

Qian Yufeng couldn't help but feel envious. "How nice. Before, I always wanted to move in early and live in an apartment. But now that we're here, I find it really inconvenient. The kitchen is tiny, barely enough room to turn around. The whole place is small, not much to do. It's not like before when we had a yard. The only good thing is that it's less damp and the rooms are bright."

Her family lived on the second floor of the building furthest away, some distance from Jin Xiuzhu's place. It wouldn't be as convenient to visit each other anymore. Jin Xiuzhu's delicious meals might not reach their table as often now.

Thinking about this, Qian Yufeng envied Fang Min even more.

Jin Xiuzhu frowned. "Hearing you say that, our previous house seems better."

"Don't doubt it. You'll understand once you live here."

Qian Yufeng bent down to help Jin Xiuzhu tidy up. Jiang Mingchuan went downstairs again. Seeing this, Qian Yufeng couldn't help but praise her. "You're smart, waiting until your husband is home to move. I'm impatient. My mother-in-law and I moved everything ourselves, and it really wore me out that day."

That day, Jin Xiuzhu had also brought the two children along. Unlike her, Qian Yufeng kept everything, even broken stools from home. Her small apartment was packed full. With many family members, Grandma Wu and Daya shared a room, while Wu Xiaojun slept in a smaller one. Wu Xiaojun's room, besides a bed, was filled with miscellaneous items. No one knew why they were keeping those things.

"I don't have much stuff at home."

Hearing this, Qian Yufeng subconsciously turned her head. Despite having the same layout, Jin Xiuzhu's home felt much more spacious. Moreover, all the furniture was new, making it very pleasant to look at.

She felt uncomfortable thinking that her home couldn't compare to Jin Xiuzhu's. Buying all these things must have cost a lot.

She looked down at her wrist. Today, since she didn't need to help with farm work at her parents' place, she wore her watch intentionally.

After buying this watch and returning home, her mother-in-law criticized her a lot, telling her not to compete with Jin Xiuzhu. Jin Xiuzhu was capable and could earn money to support her family, unlike her. Their situations were different, and spending money like this wasn't worth it.

She didn't understand why, after marrying into the Wu family for so many years and giving birth to two children, managing household affairs and saving on expenses, buying just one watch was unacceptable. Meanwhile, Jin Xiuzhu and others could obtain such things without doing anything.

It wasn't that the money wasn't worth spending, but rather that spending it on her wasn't worth it.

Now, whenever she went out, she wore the watch. But suddenly, she felt sad because, despite all her efforts to finally have something similar to Jin Xiuzhu, there were still many things she couldn't match.

Initially, Jin Xiuzhu was no better than her, yet now she was getting better and better, and the gap between them was widening. She couldn't figure out where the problem lay.

Unaware of what she was thinking, Jin Xiuzhu got up to go to the kitchen to boil water for tea.

In the apartment, they used a stove, similar to the one in the canteen. Jin Xiuzhu skillfully placed two briquettes in the stove and lit them, then put a pot of water on top.

When she returned to the living room, Jiang Mingchuan came back with the children, accompanied by Daya and Wu Xiaojun. All the kids helped carry things, and this was the last trip—they had finished moving everything.

He Yan happily took Wu Xiaojun to his room.

There was a desk and bookshelf inside. The desk faced the window, with a vase of flowers on it. Three award certificates were posted on the wall at the foot of the bed. The quilt was old but clean and neatly folded.

Seeing this, Wu Xiaojun became envious and immediately ran outside to find his mother. "Mom, come and see. I want a room like He Yan's. My room is so ugly."

He didn't like it at all.

Daya was helping tidy up responsibly. Hearing this, she looked up. With the doors of all the rooms open, she not only saw He Yan's room but also Yan Yan's, with its brand-new desk and chair, floral bedsheet, and little stuffed animals hanging on the wall...

After a quick glance, she quickly lowered her head, afraid someone would notice her envy.

Wu Xiaojun kept nagging until they left.

Jin Xiuzhu invited them to stay for dinner, but Qian Yufeng, perhaps feeling awkward, dragged her son away after slapping his buttocks a few times. "No need to eat here. We'll eat at home. Come over another day to play."

With all the snacks gone from moving, they could only watch them leave.

As the three figures disappeared down the stairs, they could still hear Wu Xiaojun's crying and Qian Yufeng's scolding.

Once downstairs, Qian Yufeng was livid. "If you don't want to live here, give your room to your sister. You can live with Grandma."

Wu Xiaojun cried, his tears and snot mixed together. "Why can you buy a watch, but you can't make my room like He Yan's? Watches are so expensive, yet Dad bought one for you..."

Qian Yufeng stood rooted to the spot, opening and closing her mouth but unable to utter a word.

Wu Xiaojun thought she was feeling guilty. "You're being selfish. Watches are useless. They cost over a hundred yuan for something so small. You don't earn money but still buy such expensive things. Why can't I have what I want..."

Qian Yufeng shivered with a chill, realizing that in her son's heart, she wasn't even worthy of wearing a watch.

Da Ya noticed her mother's unusual expression and quickly stopped her younger brother from speaking further, "I'll tidy up your room when we get back, it'll be just like He Yan's."

Wu Xiaojun became even angrier, snapping, "No, it's not the same at all. You don't understand; everything in He Yan's room is new. No amount of tidying can make it the same."

Da Ya didn't understand what he was angry about. The family had already given him the best they could. Although his room was messy, it was at least his own space. She, on the other hand, could only sleep in the same bed as their grandmother, who snored loudly at night, leaving her unable to get a full night's rest for days.

After everyone left, He Yan stood somewhat at a loss, looking between his mother and sister, and asked softly, "Did I do something wrong?"

Jin Xiuzhu patted his head, "You didn't do anything wrong. You and Wu Xiaojun are good friends, and you shared your new room with him because you were happy and wanted him to feel your happiness. But Wu Xiaojun doesn't have such a nice room, so you need to understand his feelings."

"In the future, if we have something good, we shouldn't show it off to others. If they don't have something similar, they might become sad or even jealous of you, possibly leading them to do something bad to you."

He Yan nodded, seemingly understanding but not entirely.

Just like before, when he saw Wu Xiaojun being loved by his family, he felt envious.

This time, Fu Yanyan refrained from mocking him and instead reminded him, "Don't flaunt your wealth, no matter who you're with."

Jiang Mingchuan also nodded, "Mother and sister are right. We won't do it again next time."

"Okay."

At noon, Jin Xiuzhu steamed the salted fish that Qian Yufeng had brought and stir-fried a plate of beans and leeks.

Everyone was hungry after a busy morning and finished the food completely.

It was the first time they were staying in their new home, and everyone was excited. They even took baths specifically before their afternoon nap.

Jin Xiuzhu prepared two bathtubs. Previously, Jiang Mingchuan and He Yan shared one, while she and her daughter shared the other. The bathtubs were placed in the kitchen, filled with hot and cold water, with clothes laid out on nearby stools. After bathing, the water was poured into the sink, which was connected to the tap water supply.

After the bath, everyone felt refreshed. Jin Xiuzhu sat on the bed fanning herself with a palm leaf fan. Soon after, Jiang Mingchuan entered the room with a cup of water, asking if she wanted some.

Initially not thirsty, Jin Xiuzhu found herself wanting a drink upon his question and took a sip before handing the cup back to him.

Jiang Mingchuan set the cup aside on a table and then lay down on the bed, naturally reaching out towards Jin Xiuzhu.

Just as he was about to touch her, Jin Xiuzhu swatted his hand away with the fan, saying, "It's too hot."

Jiang Mingchuan replied earnestly, "If your mind is calm, you'll feel cool."

His hand continued to reach towards her, undeterred.

Jin Xiuzhu rolled her eyes at him, "You still have sweat on your forehead. Doesn't look like you're feeling very cool."

She scooted to the end of the bed, putting some distance between them.

"You come over here, and we can fan each other to cool down."

Hearing this, Jin Xiuzhu gave him a light glare, "Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. It's broad daylight, and you're already planning something. What if someone hears us?"

Caught in his thoughts, Jiang Mingchuan looked embarrassed and lowered his voice to save face, saying, "Didn't you want to have a child?"

At this, Jin Xiuzhu became agitated and hit his leg with the fan, "It's been half a year, and I'm still not pregnant. How dare you even mention it!"

Jiang Mingchuan sighed, "These things can't be rushed. Some people take years to conceive. Let's just leave it to fate."

This comment struck a nerve with Jin Xiuzhu, causing her to laugh bitterly and say sarcastically, "Yes, we don't have that kind of luck. You have it with someone else, right? She's upstairs, isn't she? I bet she regrets it now."

Jiang Mingchuan knew this day would come. Ever since he learned that Zhao Yun and her husband lived above them, he had a bad feeling.

Seeing her stirring up trouble for no reason, he knew he couldn't continue to placate her, or it would never end. Pretending to yawn, he said, "I'm really sleepy, let's go to sleep."

He then turned over and closed his eyes.

Seeing him blatantly feign sleep, Jin Xiuzhu became furious and hit his foot with the handle of the fan several times until she grew tired, yet he remained motionless.

Biting her lip, she said, "Stop pretending to sleep. Get up and explain yourself."

As soon as she accused him of pretending, he started snoring.

"..."

Jin Xiuzhu realized that despite appearing honest, this man was far from simple.