Widow Remarries in Sixties

The time for allocating self-cultivated land arrived quickly. Upon receiving the notification, Jin Xiuzhu took her daughter and went over.

The location wasn’t far, just behind the family housing area near the foot of the mountain. When Jin Xiuzhu arrived, many people were already there. Qian Yufeng and Aunt Wu were also present, with Qian Yufeng waving to her.

Jin Xiuzhu walked over with her daughter. The temperature had risen quite a bit in March and April, especially with the recent sunny days. Many people only wore light jackets when they came out.

Qian Yufeng greeted them cheerfully, “Each household can receive two plots of land. Later, we’ll choose one together for mutual supervision.”

Then she added, “The leadership is wise. With our own land, we can save a lot of money in the future. Don’t think vegetables are cheap. Over the course of a year, it adds up to quite a sum.”

Jin Xiuzhu nodded, but her thoughts differed from Qian Yufeng’s. She wouldn’t be farming, and now that  she could earn money on her own, buying vegetables was more convenient for her.

However, she still felt it was better not to miss out. Instead of growing vegetables, she wanted to plant some fruit trees so she could make some preserves to eat.

She expressed her concern, “What if someone steals them?”

With so much in one place, what if someone passing by picks up a few?

Qian Yufeng lowered her voice, “It’s hard to say. There are plenty of light-fingered people around.”

Aunt Wu chimed in, “At the beginning, there will definitely be thefts. Let’s just plant a little casually. If theft becomes frequent, someone will step in to manage it, and then it’ll be better.”

Jin Xiuzhu thought it made sense, “Auntie is indeed wise.”

Aunt Wu waved her hand dismissively, “What wisdom? Just lived long enough, that’s all.”

They chatted while standing for a while, and once everyone had arrived, two young comrades in military uniforms came out and started organizing the queue for distribution.

Aunt Wu asked Qian Yufeng to go and collect while she stood aside, waiting.

Jin Xiuzhu walked up behind Qian Yufeng. As the two lined up, Qian Yufeng suddenly mentioned her family’s situation, “Daya went to school yesterday. Her dad discussed things with the folks back home and said they’ll send twenty yuan every month from now on to support themselves. We have to live too.

The folks back home called, initially crying about how poor they are. Her dad and grandma were a bit soft-hearted at first, but I pulled them back. It’s not that I’m heartless, I’m just really fed up with this kind of life. And guess what?

Once they saw we were determined, they started cursing our whole family, accusing us of being heartless and not caring about our brothers’ lives. If you ask me, I don’t think we should give them even the twenty yuan. Why support a bunch of ungrateful people?”

Jin Xiuzhu knew about this. Yesterday, Xiao Yan came back from school and said that Daya came to school today and sat behind him, paying close attention in class.

But Wu Xiaojun was a bit excessive. When Daya called him, he ran away, feeling embarrassed to have an older sister who was a year below him.

For other people’s affairs, Jin Xiuzhu refrained from commenting and only advised He Yan not to gossip about it outside.

He Yan was much more sensible now. Influenced by Jin Xiuzhu, he knew which topics were appropriate to discuss and which were not.

As for Qian Yufeng, Jin Xiuzhu felt the same. Even though she thought the Wu family matter wasn’t handled well and would have severed ties cleanly if it were her, she said, “Captain Wu and Auntie are both good people. Good people will be rewarded. Your family’s fortune is still ahead. Every family has one or two troublesome relatives. Don’t be too upset. It’s not worth getting angry over it. Just like you said, instead of spending money on outsiders, it’s better to send Daya to school. Things are much better now, right?”

Upon hearing this, Qian Yufeng’s expression softened. “That’s true. It doesn’t cost much for our Daya to go to school, and we can still save some money ourselves.”

Indeed, it didn’t cost much. Besides the five yuan tuition fee and some stationery expenses at the beginning of the school year, there weren’t many other expenses. Jin Xiuzhu thought of Xiao Yan, who ate at home both morning and night, even bringing his lunch from home.

She wondered why they hadn’t sent Daya to school earlier.

Compared to having a son, Jin Xiuzhu would rather have another daughter in the future. Sons rarely have a close relationship with their mothers, but daughters are different; they are more affectionate.

Qian Yufeng remembered something else and said hurriedly, “Oh, has your husband tell you? In the second half of the year, around July or August, we’ll be able to move to the apartment buildings.”

Jin Xiuzhu looked at her curiously. “So soon? He didn’t tell me.”

“Your husband is tight-lipped. It’s normal if he didn’t say anything. By then, our two families might not live together anymore. I heard we’ll have to draw lots; it all depends on luck.”

Jin Xiuzhu sensed something amiss and asked her, “What’s wrong? Is the apartment not good?”

“It’s not that. The apartment has electricity, so it’s very bright at night, just like during the day. And there’s running water in the kitchen. You know what running water is, right? Just turn a knob, and the water comes out. It’s amazing, but it all costs money.”

“The only concern is that if we end up on the first floor or the top floor. I’ve inquired about it. The first floor is particularly damp, and the lighting isn’t good, while the top floor is cold in winter and hot in summer. The best option is the third floor.”

Jin Xiuzhu noted this in her mind, nodding. “If you hadn’t said, I wouldn’t have known these details. It’s great that you have such good connections, sister-in-law.”

Qian Yufeng was pleased with her praise. “I like chatting with people in my spare time. Speaking of which, I recently heard something interesting…”

She paused abruptly, looking somewhat regretful as she glanced at Jin Xiuzhu, seeming to blame herself for being too talkative.

Jin Xiuzhu understood. This interesting thing must be related to their family.  She gave Qian Yufeng a look, half-serious, half-teasing. “With our relationship, there shouldn’t be anything you can’t tell me. Besides, even if you don’t say now, I would have found out sooner or later. Don’t worry, I won’t mind. I’m planning to make some new snacks this afternoon, and I thought of bringing some over to you.”

At the mention of food, Qian Yufeng immediately dismissed her hesitations and, glancing around, whispered, “Remember the woman I mentioned to you before, the one your man used to be interested in?”

Jin Xiuzhu nodded, recalling instantly. The woman seemed to be in a situation similar to hers, also raising a daughter, but she was a factory worker. In this world, workers hold high status.

Qian Yufeng continued, “I heard recently that she’s now being set up with Captain Yang. You might not know Captain Yang. He’s another company commander’s subordinate. He looks okay, with a square face, but he’s not as handsome as your husband.”

“I’ve heard people talking about Captain Yang several times. He’s alright, except he has a tough mother. I heard his first wife was driven to death by his mother, and the second one divorced him after just a year of marriage. Many leaders tried to persuade them to reconcile, but it didn’t work. After the divorce, he never remarried, and nobody dared to introduce him to anyone else. I don’t know who was so wicked to introduce him to her. Let me tell you, marrying isn’t just about the man; it’s also about his mother. Even if the man is good, if his mother is unreasonable, life will be difficult.”

Jin Xiuzhu nodded in agreement, thinking about her own sensible mother-in-law and how exhausting it would be to deal with a troublesome one.

Fu Yanyan squatted aside, watching the ants, and pursed her lips when she heard that. It was the same in her past life. Every time that woman felt wronged, she would seek help from Dad Jiang, and he, being soft-hearted, would help her.

Jin Xiuzhu would then suspect something between them. Combined with gossip from others, it escalated to the point where Jin Xiuzhu stopped talking to Dad Jiang anymore.

That woman’s child would cry and say to her, “It’s all because of your mom. Uncle Jiang was originally my dad.”

That woman’s child was beautiful and smart. The kids at school liked to gather around her and help her curse herself. They accused her and Jin Xiuzhu of being thieves, stealing someone else’s happiness.

At that time, she felt panic, fear, self-blame, and sadness. She also felt sorry for the other party because “Jin Xiuzhu” told her that if it wasn’t for her, she wouldn’t have done what she did back then.

It was all her fault.

So when she later heard that Jin Xiuzhu wanted to divorce Dad Jiang, she was happy. She was returning Dad Jiang to them. She wasn’t a thief.

Jin Xiuzhu, upon hearing this, showed a hint of surprise on her face, which quickly disappeared. Then she smiled at Qian Yufeng and said, “Sister-in-law still sees things clearly. I won’t comment on this matter, but I sincerely hope she can live happily.”

Qian Yufeng admired Jin Xiuzhu the most for this. No matter what she heard, she wouldn’t talk nonsense, just like her mother-in-law. She could keep things to herself, and most importantly, she had a good heart.

***

After returning home with the allotted land, it was almost noon. Jiang Mingchuan had already come back, cut and stir-fried the vegetables that Jin Xiuzhu had washed in the morning, cooked rice, and stewed a bowl of egg soup.

Their daughter didn’t like eating hard-boiled eggs, so he made her a bowl of egg soup every day to supplement her nutrition.

When Jin Xiuzhu came back, she saw a large package on the table and asked Jiang Mingchuan in the kitchen, “What’s on the table?”

“It’s from the capital. I haven’t opened it yet.”

Upon hearing this, Jin Xiuzhu knew it was sent by his foster parents. She said, “I’ll open it.”

“Okay.”

Jin Xiuzhu opened the package, which looked quite full from the outside. However, upon opening it, there wasn’t much inside. On top was a letter, and beneath it were two large pancakes and some steamed buns wrapped in cloth. Below that were several old books and a notebook. The first book was titled “My Father.”

Jin Xiuzhu raised an eyebrow and then opened the envelope to read the brief message: “Got it.”

From what she knew, the last time Jiang Mingchuan wrote to them was to inform them of their marriage and that he couldn’t send money back recently.

Just by looking at the words, she could imagine the indifference of the sender.

Looking at these items, one couldn’t help but inevitably speculate. While the world might be a bit impoverished, Jiang Mingchuan’s foster parents had respectable jobs and a decent living standard, so they wouldn’t just send a few steamed buns and two pancakes to their own child.

It was rather insulting.

However, to outsiders, it did look like a big package, and Jin Xiuzhu smiled, finding it somewhat amusing.

Only Fu Yanyan seemed unsurprised. She knew that the people from the capital had always been so cold towards Dad Jiang, yet they always acted very caringly towards him outside.

Every time “Jin Xiuzhu” and Dad Jiang argued, she would mock Dad Jiang about it, and seeing Dad Jiang’s silent and uncomfortable appearance would make her feel very pleased.

Fu Yanyan looked at Jin Xiuzhu and noticed that although Jin Xiuzhu was smiling, there seemed to be a mocking undertone, as if she had seen through the other party’s tricks.

Meeting her daughter’s gaze, Jin Xiuzhu whispered, “Learn from this.”

Then she took the letter and went to the kitchen.

Not long after, Fu Yanyan heard Jin Xiuzhu’s gentle voice coming from the kitchen, “They don’t cherish you, but I do. You deserve to have the best in the world. How dare they treat you like this? I really wish I could give you my heart…”

“…”

So, when the two of them came out of the kitchen after preparing the meal, Fu Yanyan noticed that not only was her father not upset but also had a rosy complexion and bright eyes.

During the meal, they were even holding hands under the table, acting all lovey-dovey.

Fu Yanyan couldn’t help but lower her head in speechlessness, pretending not to have seen anything.

Author’s Note: 

Jin Xiuzhu: There’s no man I can’t handle.

Jiang Mingchuan: My wife is the best in the world.

He Yan: What’s going on?

Fu Yanyan: Disgusting.