Chapter 5: My Husband Is Not Dead

Chapter 5: My Husband Is Not Dead

The original body was in poor condition; after standing for a while, she felt weak and Su Zhaozhao quickly sat down.

"By the way, Mother, Aunt Guo asked me to tell you to rest for another day, no need to rush into the fields."

Who is Aunt Guo?

Su Zhaozhao searched her memory; she was the village chief's wife, a very warm-hearted person who had helped their family a lot. The original personality was soft and didn't like to cause trouble, so she often advised the original to be more assertive.

"Alright, I understand."

After speaking, Gu Nian picked up the broom and started sweeping the yard again. Su Zhaozhao watched her, truly industrious! She didn't even need to be told.

The yard was small, and it was swept clean in no time. Gu Nian put down the broom and went to pick up a basket, "Mother, there's nothing much to do at home, I'll go up the mountain to dig for some wild vegetables."

Su Zhaozhao looked at the sky, "It's too sunny in the afternoon, the wild vegetables will wilt. Don't go."

Gu Nian put down the basket, "Then I'll go find my brother, we can collect cicada nymphs together."

Su Zhaozhao sighed, children these days never know how to be lazy, they just don't stop.

"Xiao Nian, don't call me 'Mother' anymore. It's a new era, let's change it to 'Mom.'"

Whether it was 'Mother' or 'Mom,' she wasn't used to it, but every time she heard them call her 'Mother' and saw this thatch-roofed house with no sense of the times, she always felt as if she were in ancient times rather than the present.

"Okay, Mom." Gu Nian nodded without hesitation; in her textbooks, 'Mother' was called 'Mom.' She heard that people in the city no longer called their parents 'Mother' and 'Father,' but 'Mom' and 'Dad.'

"Tell your brother the same thing."

"Mm-hmm."

After Gu Nian left, Su Zhaozhao got up and went into the house to lie down. She didn't know how long she had slept when she vaguely heard someone calling Zhaodi. When she opened her eyes, she saw a tall figure in front of her.

She was startled! Su Zhaozhao clutched her chest and quickly sat up.

The figure was backlit, initially just a dark silhouette. Upon closer inspection, "Aunt Guo?"

Oh my! How did she just walk in like that?

"Yes, it's me," Aunt Guo showed no awareness of having scared anyone, sitting down by the bed, "How are you feeling? Still dizzy?"

"Not dizzy, not dizzy." Not dizzy, but almost scared to death, Su Zhaozhao couldn't help but think.

In the village, neighbors who got along well treated each other like family, entering houses freely.

"It's good you're not dizzy. I wanted to come see you this morning but couldn't find the time. This morning I ran into Xiao Nian and asked her to bring you a message. Did she tell you?"

"Yes, thank you for your concern."

Aunt Guo waved her hand, "Nonsense! What are you being so formal for?"

Su Zhaozhao couldn't stay lying down, so she got out of bed and went to the living room to sit and talk.

Aunt Guo's gaze swept around the room, "Your house is really clean."

"The children cleaned it."

There were no cups in the house, so Su Zhaozhao used a bowl to pour her a glass of water. Sugar and tea were luxuries this family couldn't afford, and there was nothing to add flavor.

"You're being too formal. I could have done it myself," she said, taking the bowl and gulping it down in one go. She hadn't had water all afternoon and was parched.

"Let me pour you another bowl."

Aunt Guo waved her hand, "No need, that's enough." Before Su Zhaozhao could react, she quickly scooped water from the barrel, rinsed the bowl, and put it back in the cabinet.

So efficient!

"Xiao Nian, don't think I'm being nosy, but raising two children alone is really tough. Look at this time, if there was a man in the house to help, you wouldn't have been worn out by the autumn harvest."

"My purpose today is to check on you and also to advise you to consider the future. You should find a man to support the household."

"Gu Da..."

Aunt Guo didn't give Su Zhaozhao a chance to speak, "I know what you're thinking, afraid that another man might not be good to the children. Yes, there are such men, but there are also good ones, right?"

She grabbed Su Zhaozhao's hand and patted it, "Not to mention, take Li Erzhu from our village, he's strong and hardworking. His wife passed away last year, and his previous marriage was a second marriage where he took in a daughter. They haven't had any more children, and he dotes on that girl like a treasure. He's looking for someone now..."

"And Wang Dachun from the neighboring village, also strong and the same age as you, twenty-seven this year. He hasn't married yet, not because of any issues, but because his family was poor before, and then both his parents died one after another, delaying things. Though poor, there are no in-laws to deal with, and with both working hard, they could become prosperous in a few years..."

"Now everyone is forming cooperatives, supported by the central government. They've issued guidelines and even provided tractors to some places for development. Who knows, maybe it will be our turn soon. Life will only get better!"

Aunt Guo kept talking, making Su Zhaozhao's head spin.

"You're gentle, and having a man in the house would prevent bullying..."

"Do you think what I said makes sense? Which of these two men do you prefer? If you're interested, I'll definitely arrange the match for you! Don't say you don't want to find anyone, it's so lonely lying in bed alone at night." She lowered her voice and winked, they weren't naive, everyone understood.

Oh my, finally, she got to speak, "Sister-in-law, I... I think my husband might still be alive."

"What... what?" Aunt Guo thought she had agreed to find a man, "Who's still alive?"

"The father of my two children."

Aunt Guo was stunned, speechless, "Wasn't the father dead?" If she remembered correctly, when Su Zhaodi returned looking like a beggar, she said her husband had been killed by a bomb dropped from an airplane. Soon after, her in-laws were killed by bandits, leaving her with nowhere to go but back to her mother's house.

"I'm confused," Aunt Guo patted her forehead, "How did he come back to life? I don't understand."

"I only found out recently," Su Zhaozhao quickly explained, "A while ago, I went to town to buy something. I was tired and rested at the post office entrance. There was someone sorting through old newspapers, and out of curiosity, I glanced over. To my surprise, I saw a photo of my husband in one of the newspapers..."

At this point, she paused and glanced at Aunt Guo, who was getting anxious. "Then what?"

"Then I asked the person to show me the newspaper carefully. It really was him. Although it's been so many years, he hasn't changed much. He was wearing a military uniform, looking very spirited. The newspaper said he had become a combat hero."

Aunt Guo hurriedly asked, "What about the newspaper?"

"The person took it away."

What a good excuse!

At the beginning of the book, it is described that before meeting the male lead, the female lead had already collected the newspaper that featured his glorious deeds. She felt an immediate fondness upon seeing his photo. Later, when someone proposed a match, she agreed to meet him only after learning he was the combat hero from the newspaper. She often said that the newspaper was their first matchmaker.

Su Zhaozhao used this reason without hesitation. According to the timeline, the newspaper should have been published long ago.

As for why the original character in the book never saw it and thus it never appeared in the story, it was probably because newspapers were expensive and something only educated people read, making them rare in this small village.

Moreover, in the entire village, only Su Zhaodi knew what the male lead looked like. Even if others saw the newspaper, they wouldn't recognize him as Zhaodi's deceased husband.