Chapter 67

Chapter 67

By November, the weather was getting cooler, though it was still hot during the day, leading to significant temperature differences between night and day.

Perhaps due to her unbridled joy at school, Liu Liu had started coughing suddenly over the past few days. Jin Xiuzhu felt her pulse and then went to the nearby Chinese Medical Hospital to get some herbs to brew for her. Despite adding licorice, Liu Liu spat out the concoction after one sip and refused to open her mouth again.

It was anyone's guess whom this child took after—He Yan had a thick hide, while Fu Yanyan was well-behaved and compliant; neither of them ever balked at taking medicine. Only Liu Liu couldn't stomach it, acting as though she were being force-fed poison each time she had to drink it. She would claim to be done after barely touching the medicine to her lips, and any further attempts to feed her would prompt the tears to start. It wasn't the kind of tantrum where she'd scream and thrash about; rather, she would look at you with red-rimmed eyes, brimming with aggrievement. Even if Jin Xiuzhu could steel herself, Liu Liu's siblings couldn't bear to see her so distressed.

Feeling helpless, Jin Xiuzhu tried coaxing her into going to the hospital for a checkup, hoping that the white pills prescribed by the hospital might be more palatable.

But when they returned from the pharmacy, Liu Liu refused to take them, saying they were too bitter for her to swallow.

In frustration, Jin Xiuzhu ended up spanking her.

Even Jin Xiuzhu, who had always vowed to raise her children gently, could lose her temper and resort to physical punishment.

Liu Liu cried loudly. Fu Yanyan couldn't bear to watch and took her sister outside to bask in the sun, somehow managing to persuade her to take the white pill.

Before long, laughter from Liu Liu echoed through the courtyard.

However, the little girl seemed to hold a grudge, refusing to speak to Jin Xiuzhu during dinner that evening and eating only plain rice without any vegetables.

This Sunday, Jiang Mingchuan didn't come home, saying he had to go out to train his troops.

Jin Xiuzhu noticed her daughter's pouting but deliberately refrained from comforting her.

Eventually, He Yan couldn't resist and placed some meat on her plate, but the little girl stubbornly left it there, eating only the rice.

Both He Yan and Fu Yanyan looked at Jin Xiuzhu, who, after finishing her meal, excused herself, "When you're done, wash the dishes. I need to finish my painting."

He Yan agreed, "Okay."

As soon as their mother left, he piled good food onto his sister's plate, saying, "Mom is just worried about you. How can you be angry with her?"

Fu Yanyan also added some food to her plate, "There's no reason to be upset. Mom has even hit us when we were young. Eat first, and you can be mad later."

Coaxed by her siblings, Liu Liu stopped being angry, picked up the meat to eat, and decided in her heart to make amends with her mother tomorrow.

However, it was unclear whether she caught a chill overnight or was infected by someone else, because when Jin Xiuzhu woke up the next morning, her throat was sore, and she felt dizzy. Touching her forehead, she realized she was running a slight fever.

She didn't think much of it, planning to brew herself a dose of medicine later to break the sweat and feel better.

In the morning, she cooked noodles for the three children. He Yan's school was across the street, so she didn't have to worry about him. The two younger ones didn't need her to accompany them anymore either. Fu Yanyan was familiar with the area now; her school started a bit later, and the sisters would walk hand-in-hand through the bustling streets, occasionally bumping into classmates along the way.

Jin Xiuzhu ate the noodles with her daughter. Fu Yanyan, being more perceptive, noticed that Jin Xiuzhu's cheeks seemed flushed and couldn't help asking, "Are you sick?"

Hearing this, Liu Liu furrowed her small brows and looked at Jin Xiuzhu with concern.

Jin Xiuzhu coughed twice and shook her head. "It's not a big deal. I'll be fine after taking some medicine."

Fu Yanyan didn't press further, simply saying, "Take care and rest."

"Um."

As the sisters were leaving, Liu Liu suddenly let go of her sister's hand, turned around, and hugged Jin Xiuzhu, looking up earnestly and saying, "Mom, you need to rest well and must take your medicine."

Jin Xiuzhu's heart softened, and she playfully pinched her daughter's nose, "Now you remember to take medicine?"

Liu Liu nodded vigorously. "Sister said if you don't take medicine, you'll stay sick. Mom needs to take it too."

"Alright."

Only then did Liu Liu leave with peace of mind.

Once the girls were out of sight, Jin Xiuzhu closed the door and went to the kitchen to brew herself some medicine.

The medicine was indeed difficult to swallow, and Jin Xiuzhu only managed half before stopping. She then returned to her room to lie down.

She slept until two in the afternoon. After checking the time, she belatedly remembered that she needed to prepare lunch for the children. However, when she went outside, she found that the dining table was already set with food, and a note was left beside it.

The note was written by He Yan, telling her to eat when she woke up and mentioning that he had brewed some medicine for her. He reminded her to take the medicine after eating.

Jin Xiuzhu felt warm inside as she ate the food on the table. In the morning, she hadn't bought any ingredients, so all that was left at home were some cabbages and radishes, which He Yan had stir-fried. He also steamed a bowl of egg custard, leaving a quarter of it for her.

Halfway through her meal, He Yan climbed over the wall from outside. Seeing that Jin Xiuzhu was awake, he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Jin Xiuzhu asked, puzzled, "Why are you back?"

He Yan explained, "I was afraid you were still sleeping and wouldn't wake up for lunch. I was worried that you might be seriously ill and considered taking you to the hospital."

Jin Xiuzhu was moved. "It's okay, no need to worry too much. I haven't been sick for a long time, so it hit me hard. I'll be fine after taking a few doses of medicine."

"Good. You keep eating, and I'll go back to class. Remember to take the medicine, and you don't need to wash the dishes—I'll do it when I get back."

"Okay, hurry back."

He Yan climbed over the wall again and left.

After finishing her meal, Jin Xiuzhu went back to the kitchen and drank the medicine, thinking about how her son had prepared it for her. She endured the sour and bitter taste and drank it all.

Disregarding He Yan's words, she washed the dishes and then took a basket to buy groceries, purchasing tofu, potatoes, and peppers. Feeling lazy, Jin Xiuzhu went to the State-owned Hotel to buy braised pork, chicken stewed with mushrooms, and several large steamed buns filled with meat.

Although she didn't have to cook, it would take time to wait for the food.

When she returned home, the high school across the street had already dismissed its students. Jin Xiuzhu glanced over instinctively and unexpectedly saw her son coming out of the school gate.

He Yan walked side by side with a slim and petite girl, chatting as they went. He took out a notebook from his backpack and handed it to the girl, who hesitated before accepting it.

Seeing this, Jin Xiuzhu didn't think much of it and approached to greet them. "Xiaoyan—"

Then he smiled at the girl and said, "This is your classmate, right?"

He Yan introduced her with a smile, "This is my classmate Lin Zhaodi; this is my mother."

The girl said nervously, "Hello, Auntie."

Jin Xiuzhu smiled. "Hello dear, why don't you have dinner at our place tonight? I bought quite a lot of dishes."

"Thank you, Auntie, but no need. My home is rather far away, and it will be dark if I go back late."

"Is that so..."

Jin Xiuzhu took out two meat buns from the basket and gave them to her. "In that case, you should go back early. These are what I just bought; take them to eat on the way, they're still warm."

"No, no."

Lin Zhaodi waved her hands in a hurry. "You should keep them for yourself."

She really didn't dare to accept them. He Yan bought steamed buns for her every morning, and now his mother was giving her buns. She felt like she had taken advantage of their kindness.

"There's more."

He Yan directly handed them to her. "Take them. My mother likes to give food to people. She'd give them to anyone."

Lin Zhaodi glanced at He Yan, pursed her lips somewhat embarrassedly, and said shyly, "Thank you, Auntie."

Then she said to them, "I'll be going back now. Goodbye, Auntie, goodbye, Classmate He."

"Goodbye, come over to play sometime."

"Mm-hmm."

Lin Zhaodi walked down the street to the right, still able to hear He Yan and his mother talking behind her as she got further away.

"How did you come out? Weren't you sick? You're really making things hard for us."

"Tsk, it's not a big deal, I'm feeling better now."

"You were still hitting Liu Liu yesterday. I don't think you're much better. You're not being good at all."

"You little brat, you're lecturing me now?"

"Hmph, who would dare to lecture you? I'll tell Dad later."

As Lin Zhaodi listened to their voices fading into the distance, she couldn't help but purse her lips and smile lightly. She couldn't help but feel envious. He Yan and his mother had such a good relationship.

But she was mostly happy for him. No wonder he was so kind and cheerful. It turned out that he had such a wonderful family.

Lin Zhaodi couldn't bear to eat the two buns. She endured her hunger all the way home. Her house was in a remote mountain area, and when she crossed the mountain path, she tried to step lightly, afraid of encountering someone. She had known since she was young that meeting someone at night was scarier than meeting a wild beast.

When she got home, Lin Zhaodi didn't know what time it was. She put down her schoolbag and went to see her mother first. Her mother hadn't gone to sleep yet and was lying in bed watching her younger siblings do their homework. Seeing her come in, she wasn't surprised. Her withered, sallow face looked even older under the dim kerosene lamp. The woman smiled weakly and asked, "You're back?"

Lin Zhaodi nodded.

Her younger siblings were delighted to see her return and surrounded her. Their faces were covered in soot.

Lin Zhaodi had seen He Yan's two younger sisters before; they were very pretty, with fair skin like tofu and wearing nice clothes.

She felt a pang of envy and took out the meat buns from her pocket to give them.

The two children were puzzled by the sight of the meat buns; they had never eaten them before.

Lin Zhaodi smiled. "Eat them. They're delicious."

Upon hearing that it was something delicious, their eyes lit up. Her sister had been bringing back a lot of delicious treats lately. They started eating them, and her brother bit into a larger piece, directly tasting the meat. He exclaimed in surprise, "Sister, there's meat inside!"

Lin Zhaodi nodded with a smile.

Her sister, being more considerate, offered the bun she had bitten into to their mother, wanting her to have a taste. The woman shook her head. "Mom doesn't like it. You eat it."

So the sister ate it herself.

Seeing this, her brother imitated her and raised his hand to feed his sister.

Lin Zhaodi said she had already eaten.

Only the woman knew that her eldest daughter definitely hadn't eaten. She couldn't help but ask, "Did your classmate give you this again?"

Lin Zhaodi nodded. "I ran into his mother at the school gate, and she gave them to me."

The woman's face showed unease. "That's not good. Always giving you things to eat and helping you with your studies. Zhaodi, our family is poor. Don't always take things from others. We can't repay them..."

Hearing these words, Lin Zhaodi lowered her head and bit her lip.

The woman sighed. "Why do you insist on studying? Getting up early and coming home late every day. It would be better if you got married; at least you wouldn't go hungry. Your father works during the day and goes hunting at night for you..."

Lin Zhaodi interrupted her. "Mom."

She didn't want to hear these words. Every time she heard them, she felt that her persistence was wrong. But she really wanted to study. She didn't want to be like her parents, trapped in this mountain for life, only seeing the world through the eyes of a frog at the bottom of a well.

The woman sighed again. "Forget it, I can't control you. It's all my fault for being useless and now burdening you."

Lin Zhaodi looked at her lower body, covered by a tattered quilt. When she was younger, these words would make her suffer immensely, but now she could listen to them without showing any emotion. Sometimes Lin Zhaodi thought she was cold-hearted, and other times she felt sorry for her mother, who could only lie in bed for the rest of her life after giving birth to her younger siblings.

She said calmly, "I'll go do my homework now."

The woman looked at her daughter's silent face and said weakly, "Go ahead. There's some food left for you in the pot."

"Mm."

Lin Zhaodi fetched some steamed potatoes from the kitchen and returned to her room to eat while doing her homework.

The next morning when she left the house, her father had already returned. She heard voices coming from the neighboring room and paused in her steps.

"How come you only managed to hunt so little last night."

"It's hard to do so these days; many people are selling wild game."

"Sigh, don't get me started. If it weren't for your soft heart agreeing to let Big Sister go to high school, we wouldn't be this hard-pressed. What about Fufu and Lulan in the future?"

"Big Sister is our daughter too. Don't say such things anymore."

"I just feel like she's being unreasonable. When I was her age, Second Sister would have already been born. Sigh, forget it. I'll leave it up to you two. I can only worry needlessly."

"What's the point of bringing this up? That child has already been sent away. Let's not talk about it; it's annoying to hear."

"Are you blaming me? I did it because I wanted to give birth to a son for you. I'm paralyzed now because I tried to bear a son for you."

"Alright, enough said..."

Lin Zhaodi raised her arm to wipe away her tears before quietly leaving the house.

---

After taking two doses of medicine, Jin Xiuzhu's fever had subsided, though she still coughed occasionally. This illness had come on suddenly and was quite severe, so it wasn't easy for her to fully recover.

Jiang Mingchuan returned half a month later. Upon his return, he saw that both Jin Xiuzhu and Liu Liu were coughing, causing him to frown.

He Yan really tattled on her, saying that their mother hadn't been taking her medicine properly and stopped taking it before she was fully recovered, going out to run around every day.

Jin Xiuzhu glared at him secretly, but He Yan turned his head away, pretending not to notice.

Jiang Mingchuan had lost weight during his trip. Jin Xiuzhu took out some money and gave it to her daughter, telling Yan Yan to take her sister to the state-owned restaurant to buy two big dishes.

Liu Liu raised her hand. "Mom, I want to eat popcorn."

"You can use whatever money is left over."

He Yan followed them. "I want some too."

Liu Liu immediately teased him. "Shame on you, big brother, eating popcorn."

He Yan grunted and directly picked Liu Liu up, placing her on his shoulders, which made Liu Liu squeal in surprise.

When they were alone, Jiang Mingchuan frowned and asked her, "Why didn't you take your medicine when you were sick?"

Jin Xiuzhu denied it. "You're listening to Xiaoyan's nonsense. Why wouldn't I take it? Taking too much medicine isn't good. I only have a slight cough now; it's not serious."

She then changed the subject. "I've seen him walking with a female classmate several times, chatting happily. I've never seen him play with girls before."

Perhaps due to being bullied by his younger sister growing up, He Yan had avoided getting close to girls since starting school.

Jiang Mingchuan slightly raised an eyebrow and stopped questioning her.

Jin Xiuzhu sighed in relief. It was true that ever since Jiang Mingchuan's official position had grown, she found herself somewhat afraid whenever he frowned at her.

However, during dinner, Jiang Mingchuan casually asked his son, "I heard you often walk together with a female classmate?"

Jin Xiuzhu: "…"

Who asks questions like that?

He Yan subconsciously looked at Jin Xiuzhu.

Jin Xiuzhu pretended to know nothing, looking back at him curiously.

Now uncertain, He Yan glanced at his sisters, unable to guess who had blabbed.

"No, she's just a regular classmate."

"That's not true!"

Liu Liu said disbelievingly, "Brother even gave snacks to Sister. I saw it."

A few days ago when Jin Xiuzhu was sick, she had taken two days off for Liu Liu. Unable to sit still, once she felt a bit better, Liu Liu had secretly gone across the street to play with He Yan. At noon, she saw her brother giving snacks to her sister.

He Yan retorted, "Unlike you, who's so stingy, unwilling to share anything tasty with others."

Liu Liu pouted. "I gave some to Sister."

"What about me?"

"You were born so many years before me. Haven't you eaten enough?"

He Yan couldn't refute that.

Seeing her brother speechless, Liu Liu proudly lifted her chin and hummed.

The whole family was amused by her mischievous behavior.

After dinner, Jiang Mingchuan went to the kitchen to wash the dishes. He Yan stayed behind and followed him to help. He originally wanted to explain, "Dad, she's really just a regular classmate."

"I know."

Jiang Mingchuan joked, "What are you so nervous about?"

He Yan replied seriously, "She's a good kid; you shouldn't misunderstand her."

Jiang Mingchuan nodded in approval. "Alright, I misunderstood. Dad apologizes to you. Feel free to bring your classmate home for a meal anytime; you're always welcome."

He Yan let out a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Alright."

He helped Jiang Mingchuan clean up the kitchen.

The next day, He Yan invited Lin Zhaodi to come over for dinner at his home, but Lin Zhaodi was unwilling to go and apologized, saying that her family did not agree.

Not knowing much about Lin Zhaodi's family situation, He Yan didn't push it and smiled, saying it was no problem.

Lin Zhaodi secretly sighed in relief, grateful for He Yan's consideration.

She was afraid that He Yan would keep inviting her, as she really didn't want to go. She feared that if her parents found out, they would be upset, and she also worried about feeling inferior seeing how good things were at He Yan's home.

---

Because Jin Xiuzhu and her daughter hadn't fully recovered yet, Jiang Mingchuan rode his bike back home every night for the next few days.

Jin Xiuzhu advised him not to tire himself out, but Jiang Mingchuan didn't listen.

Jin Xiuzhu obediently took her medicine. Even after her cough disappeared, Jiang Mingchuan still came back every night, saying, "It can be considered exercise. It makes me happy to see you all every day."

Since he wasn't afraid of the effort, Jin Xiuzhu didn't say anything more, especially since seeing Jiang Mingchuan every night made her happy too.

Far away on the other side, Fang Min also received a letter from Jin Xiuzhu.

It was her neighbor who had picked it up for her. The neighbor had just moved there and wrote home frequently. Seeing Fang Min's mail by the door, she brought it along as a favor.

Mainly, she wanted to establish a good relationship with Fang Min, as she didn't know anyone else there yet.

Having spent a long time with Jin Xiuzhu, Fang Min had learned some social niceties and politely invited her neighbor in for tea.

However, neither of them was particularly talkative, so the conversation soon fizzled out. Fang Min opened the letter and read its contents, unable to resist smiling.

But Jin Xiuzhu's mention of Ji Ling visiting her home during the New Year and asking Fang Min to guess why left her stumped.

Seeing Fang Min smile one moment and frown the next, her neighbor curiously asked what was going on?

Fang Min, having no one else to ask, summarized the content of Jin Xiuzhu's letter. She asked if her neighbor knew what it could mean?

The neighbor asked who Ji Ling was.

Fang Min explained that he was Commissioner Zhu's nephew.

After a moment's thought, the neighbor said, "A young, unmarried man visiting someone's home, especially during the New Year, is usually to meet the girl's parents. Does your friend have an unmarried young woman in her family?"

Fang Min initially wanted to say that Jin Xiuzhu's family didn't have any unmarried young women. But she quickly realized that Bai Jingzhi was still unmarried.

Could that be what it meant?

Fang Min widened her eyes.

Seeing Fang Min's reaction, her neighbor knew something was up and teased, "Looks like it might be a marriage between relatives."

Fang Min was both surprised and incredulous. At noon, when Commissioner Zhu returned home, she couldn't help but ask him if he knew about this.

Commissioner Zhu had no idea about this matter. Hearing Fang Min's question, he was momentarily taken aback. However, he was known for keeping his emotions hidden, so Fang Min couldn't gauge his reaction. She simply said, "I'll ask Xiuzhu first. If it turns out to be nothing, it's fine. You don't need to mention this to Sister."

Commissioner Zhu grunted in acknowledgment.

He didn't tell Zhu Ying about it, but in the afternoon, he couldn't resist calling his nephew. It took a while for the call to connect. When Ji Ling heard his uncle wanted to introduce him to someone, his instinctive response was to refuse. Faced with specific questions from his uncle, he vaguely mentioned that he wasn't thinking about such matters right now. He didn't want his aunt to find out and bother Jingzhi's family.

To his surprise, his uncle suddenly asked, "Do you know Bai Jingzhi? I was thinking of introducing her to you, but I heard she's already dating someone."

"..."

Ji Ling cursed inwardly, annoyed. "You knew and still tried to test me."

Commissioner Zhu chuckled. "You little rascal, keeping everything to yourself. Now that you're about to meet the parents, you still haven't told us. Alright, give your mom and An'an a call today and let them prepare some gifts. Your aunt and I will add something too. For the first visit, the presents shouldn't be cheap."

On the other end of the line, Ji Ling softly acknowledged and finally thanked his uncle.

After hanging up, Commissioner Zhu looked out the window, marveling at how fast time had passed.

That little kid who used to follow him around and wipe his nose was getting married. How wonderful.

While they were busy, Jin Xiuzhu was also bustling around at home.

A couple of days ago, she received a letter from Bai Jingzhi. In it, Bai Jingzhi mentioned that she had secured a publishing opportunity for Jin Xiuzhu and that she would be returning on the 26th, together with Ji Ling. She also mentioned that, barring any unexpected developments, Ji Ling would be spending the New Year with them this year.

In other words, there would be an extra person at home for the New Year, making it even livelier.

Jin Xiuzhu rarely witnessed the occurrence of boys visiting a girl's home for the New Year celebration, an event that was quite uncommon in her past life during the Great Jing Dynasty, unless the boy was a son-in-law by marriage.

But as the girl's parent, Jin Xiuzhu naturally welcomed this development. She had always treated Bai Jingzhi like a younger sister, and Bai Jingzhi had been good to her. To see her beloved sister suddenly get married, Jin Xiuzhu honestly felt a bit reluctant.

Moreover, this was good. Once her own daughters grew up, she could also have them bring their husbands home for the New Year. If the husbands disagreed, she believed that if her daughters lacked the ability to convince them, then all her years of teaching would have been for naught.

Having lived here for a while, Jin Xiuzhu had become familiar with the city and even learned some local dialect. She went to a furniture factory and bought two large beds.

She planned to have Ji Ling sleep with He Yan, while Bai Jingzhi and Yan Yan shared a bed. The current bed in the children's room was too small for everyone.

The distance was too great; the bed they had bought in the military camp couldn't be brought along, so they sold it cheaply to someone else.

This time, Jin Xiuzhu learned from her experience and didn't buy anything too fancy, considering they would only stay here for a few years and wouldn't be able to take the items with them when they left.

After ordering the beds, she headed home, buying some vegetables along the way. She pondered calling Wang Ling to buy some new fabrics to make a few new outfits and bedding sets for Bai Jingzhi.

After meeting the parents, the wedding preparations would likely speed up, so these things needed to be taken care of.

To Jin Xiuzhu's surprise, just as she was thinking about calling Wang Ling, she spotted her at her doorstep.