WRS – Chapter 47

Jin Xiuzhu walked in with the children, then stopped at the foot of the bed without saying a word.

Her son, unable to contain his worry, rushed over to Jiang Mingchuan, scanning him up and down several times before suddenly bursting into tears, “Dad, what happened to you?”

These past few days, hearing that Dad was in the hospital had him very anxious. But both his mother and the aunts kept saying that Dad was fine. Being the only boy in the family, with his mother pregnant and his little sister still very young, he hadn’t dared to show how scared he really was. It wasn’t until yesterday, when Mom suddenly told him to ask for leave from school and accompany her to the hospital the next day, that he guessed Dad might not be as okay as everyone claimed.

Along the way, he had tried to comfort his mother and sister, but deep down, he had already prepared for the worst. Now, seeing his father lying on the hospital bed, he couldn’t help but feel a sharp pang of sorrow.

He had never seen Dad in such a serious condition.

“Dad, does it hurt?”

Jiang Mingchuan looked at his son’s reddened eyes, and his heart softened. He reached up to pat his head, but his hands were occupied—one holding an unfinished peach, the other immobilized—so he could only say, “It’s okay, it’s okay, almost better.”

Fu Yanyan hadn’t expected that Dad’s injuries were so severe. She slowly walked behind her brother, looking at him with concern.

Jiang Mingchuan smiled at her, then looked up at Jin Xiuzhu and quickly reassured her, “It’s really not that serious, just minor injuries. Only truly serious ones would need surgery—I don’t.”

Jin Xiuzhu didn’t reply, her eyes lingering on his suspended leg.

She didn’t understand the medical treatment method, but she trusted the doctors here. She looked at Jiang Mingchuan again. Even after just a short while apart, he had lost a lot of weight; his eye sockets were sunken.

She pressed her lips together, “So this is what you meant when you said you’d be home in a few days?”

Her tone was calm, but Jiang Mingchuan knew her well enough—this meant she was genuinely upset.

“Soon. The doctor said recovery is fast, I can be home next week.”

Jin Xiuzhu nodded.

Jiang Mingchuan wanted her to sit, but seeing there were no chairs nearby—they had all been taken by other patients’ families—he asked his son to go next door and bring two chairs.

He Yan obediently ran out.

This was the first time Jiang Mingchuan had encountered such a situation. In the past, when he was hospitalized due to injuries, he had always endured it alone. Occasionally, comrades would come to visit, but only briefly. He had never experienced family visiting him in the hospital.

He had Jin Xiuzhu sit on the bed first, then offered fruit to mother and daughter. “These were brought by soldiers’ families. Try some.”

Fu Yanyan glanced at the fruit on the floor by the bedside—besides the peaches, there was a small watermelon.

But she wasn’t in the mood to eat, and her gaze returned to Dad.

Being silently watched by mother and daughter, Jiang Mingchuan suddenly didn’t know what to say.

The ward had originally been lively, but after Jin Xiuzhu and the children arrived, it gradually quieted down. In the beds next door, one held a young soldier, the other a disaster victim injured by a collapsed building.

The young soldier’s bed was near the door. There were many young soldiers in the hospital. In the morning, several of his comrades had come to talk, two of them from Jiang Mingchuan’s own squad.

In the past few days, no family had come to visit the company commander. They had privately speculated that maybe he wasn’t close to his wife, since other officers had family visit, bringing food, drinks, and staying overnight—yet only Jiang, the company commander, didn’t.

Now, seeing his wife and two children, they all pricked up their ears, curious.

Meanwhile, another family of three also quieted down, sensing the subtle atmosphere.

Jiang Mingchuan felt increasingly awkward. At home, he could have quietly coaxed Jin Xiuzhu, but with so many people around, he felt embarrassed.

Fortunately, He Yan quickly returned with the chairs—one for Mom, one for his little sister—while he himself leaned on Dad’s bedside, watching attentively.

“Dad, how did you get hurt so badly? The aunts said you’d be back in a few days, so Mom, sister, and I were just waiting at home, counting the days. Yesterday, Mom couldn’t wait any longer, so she told me to ask for leave from school and we came specially today. Luckily we did… we didn’t know it was this serious.”

Hearing this, Jiang Mingchuan felt a pang of guilt and looked at Jin Xiuzhu. “It’s actually okay. I’ve had worse injuries before. Unlike now, Shi Dajun’s wife brings me meals every day, which makes things much easier.”

Jin Xiuzhu didn’t know how to respond. She understood that he was doing it for their sake—now that she was pregnant and the children were young, he only wanted to spare them worry.

“But that doesn’t mean you should say nothing. I may not be able to come every day, but coming every couple of days is fine. And our son—he can stay here to help you, run errands, even wash clothes.”

Jiang Mingchuan immediately knew that Jin Xiuzhu had calmed down a bit. He nodded quickly, smiling and praising, “Yes, you really think of everything.”

Jin Xiuzhu gave him a scolding glance, her face stern, “Stop smiling foolishly at me.”

He Yan chimed in beside her, “Yeah, Dad, I can take care of you too.”

He wasn’t a little kid anymore; he could now help in many ways.

Jin Xiuzhu carefully looked at Jiang Mingchuan, then frowned, “I wonder how many days it’s been since you last bathed.”

His face was all grimy.

Jiang Mingchuan felt embarrassed admitting it had been twenty days or so.

Even without him saying it, Jin Xiuzhu could guess. She told He Yan to bring a basin of hot water.

Jiang Mingchuan hurriedly said, “The basin is under the bed.”

A few days ago, Jin Xiuzhu had already had someone send it along, along with clean clothes. But since he was lying on the bed and couldn’t move easily, he hadn’t used them.

He Yan found the basin, then rummaged through the bag to pull out a clean towel.

Jiang Mingchuan added, “The hot water is at the end of the corridor in the boiler room. Turn the faucet toward the red side, and it’s ready.”

He Yan had already run out, “Got it.”

Jin Xiuzhu had her daughter retrieve the razor and other items. Fu Yanyan quickly slid off the chair and skillfully handed over the items.

When He Yan returned with the basin of hot water, Jin Xiuzhu washed his face with the towel, then used soap and the razor to cleanly shave his beard.

Her movements were gentle, and Jiang Mingchuan closed his eyes, enjoying it.

He had always considered himself an adult. He wasn’t new to injuries or hospitalization, so at the beginning, he hadn’t even thought to notify Jin Xiuzhu and the children, thinking he could handle it.

And in fact, that had been true—lying alone in the hospital these days, apart from not being able to bathe, he hadn’t felt too bad anywhere.

Seeing others cared for by family didn’t make him envious.

But just now, seeing Jin Xiuzhu enter with the children, his initial worry was quickly replaced by joy and excitement.

Now, watching her gently wipe his face and shave him, with the children leaning on the bedside, he felt completely fulfilled.

The young soldiers in the neighboring beds saw this scene and exchanged knowing looks. After chatting briefly, they left. The lightly injured soldiers helped each other out, and only outside did they dare whisper:

“That’s Commander Jiang’s wife… she’s really beautiful.”

“Right? If it were me, I wouldn’t want my wife to come either.”

“You’re dreaming. You could never marry someone that pretty.”

“Not just pretty, she cooks well too. Earlier this year, Chef Zhang personally recruited her to work in the cafeteria making breakfast. Every day was something new—so delicious you’d want to eat it with your hands.”

“Really? Then why isn’t she doing it now?”

“She got reported. You hadn’t arrived yet at the time—such a shame. During festivals, many leaders used to reserve her food in advance to take home. Now even if you want it, you can’t get any.”

“Is it really that good?”

“Of course. Nothing sold in the department store can compare…”

Their voices faded as they walked away. A woman who had brushed past them overheard the conversation, suddenly stopping and turning her head, staring darkly at their backs.

The little soldiers seemed to sense something and glanced back.

The woman quickly turned her head away.

Seeing that she was just a pregnant woman with a child, the little soldiers didn’t think much of it and continued chatting and laughing.

Tang Ying, being well-behaved, didn’t say much and looked up at her mother.

Zhao Yun touched her belly and whispered, “Let’s go.”

She took her daughter upstairs.

When they reached Room 409 on the fourth floor, Zhao Yun went straight to the middle bed where Yang Yao was. He had been admitted the night before, and with his permission, the hospital nurse had called his unit and contacted his family.

Zhao Yun had come today with her child. Now living in the city, she and Yang Yao hadn’t seen each other for some time.

Yang Yao, lying in bed, was almost unrecognizable when he suddenly saw her.

Some time ago, Zhao Yun had just gained a little weight, but now she had put on a whole extra layer. Her formerly fair skin had turned yellowish, several pimples had appeared on her cheeks and chin, her nose looked wide, and her neck had two dark creases from the weight. She had also cut her hair short, and upon closer look, her hair seemed thinner, appearing almost sparse.

Yang Yao didn’t think too much of it. Recognizing her, he quickly said, “Sit down and rest for a bit.”

But Zhao Yun caught the slight loss of composure in his eyes and immediately frowned, pressing her lips tightly together and staying still.

She knew she looked awful. She had always been proud of her beauty and figure, but ever since getting pregnant with this child, she had become increasingly unattractive. Lately, she didn’t even dare look in the mirror.

When she had Tang Ying, her appearance hadn’t changed much—at most, her belly had gotten a little bigger.

But now, she didn’t even dare go out.

Neighbors had guessed that this baby would be a boy, but she didn’t care about the gender. She just wanted to regain her former appearance.

She regretted having this child more and more. She had noticed that Yang Yao’s attitude toward her had grown colder, so she had hoped pregnancy would bring them closer. Had she known it would turn out like this, she would never have wanted the child.

Tang Ying glanced up at her mother.

Yang Yao asked with concern, “What’s wrong?”

Suppressing her inner disgust, Zhao Yun shook her head and quietly sat on a nearby stool.

Yang Yao looked at her. She now hated being looked at, so she lowered her head to avoid his gaze.

Unable to guess her thoughts, he assumed she was upset because they hadn’t seen each other for a long time and softened his tone: “How’s the baby recently?”

Hearing this, Zhao Yun pressed her lips into a thin line but replied, “It’s okay.”

“That’s good.”

Yang Yao nodded and didn’t say more.

After sitting in silence for a while, Zhao Yun left with her daughter.

Tang Ying followed her mother. When they reached the doorway, she couldn’t help but glance back. Usually, she liked watching Uncle Yang looking at her mother, but this time he didn’t look at her mother; he was lying in bed staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.

She looked at her mother again. At her young age, she didn’t fully understand adult matters, but she just felt something wasn’t right.

“Mom, when can we go back?”

She really wanted to tell her mother that Daddy Yang treated them well and maybe she could stop being angry. She also wanted a brother—like the girl downstairs, whose brother treated her really well.

Hearing this, Zhao Yun paused at her steps.

She stood at the stairwell for a while, and finally, after seemingly deciding something, she left with her daughter.

Downstairs, Zhao Yun ran into Jin Xiuzhu and her two children.

She seemed a bit surprised, not expecting to meet anyone.

Jin Xiuzhu recognized her and raised her beautifully arched eyebrows in surprise.

Zhao Yun’s heart flared with anger at the look and she pretended not to see them, lowering her head and moving on.

At the stairwell corner, she heard Jin Xiuzhu’s son exclaim, “That’s Aunt Zhao!”

The tone was full of surprise.

Zhao Yun didn’t want to listen anymore. Gritting her teeth, she left quickly with her daughter.

She thought to herself that at least she had given Yang Yao a child. Jin Xiuzhu had been married for over a year with nothing yet. Just this alone made her feel superior.

Upstairs, Jin Xiuzhu gave He Yan a playful smack on the head, “Keep your voice down! Are you trying to let everyone hear?”

He Yan quickly covered his mouth, looking innocently at his mom and sister.

Fu Yanyan didn’t even want to bother with him. With such a loud voice, she probably heard everything.

Still, she was surprised—she hadn’t expected Zhao Yun to look like this after getting pregnant.

Jin Xiuzhu didn’t care what they thought. “Let’s go home first. We’ll come back to see Dad the day after tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

Afterward, Jin Xiuzhu went to the hospital two more times with the children. By Sunday, Jiang Mingchuan was discharged early. Aside from his left hand and right leg, most of his injuries had healed.

That Sunday, Zhu Ying took the two children over to help carry things. Jin Xiuzhu cooked at home. She had even gone to the supply and marketing co-op in the morning to buy vegetables and meat, and cooked the meat right away.

When Jiang Mingchuan returned, the smell of the meat hit him as soon as he opened the door.

He Yan exaggeratedly exclaimed, “It smells so good!”

Hearing the noise, Jin Xiuzhu came out from the kitchen to take the items from Zhu Ying. Zhu Ying dodged her and put the bag on the floor. “As long as everyone is safe at home, that’s enough. You enjoy your family reunion—I’ll go back to see Fang Min.”

“Big sister, come to our house for lunch with Fang Min. I’ve cooked so many dishes.”

Zhu Ying didn’t bother with formalities. “Alright, I’ll go tidy up first.”

After Jin Xiuzhu saw the others leave next door, she closed the door behind her. When she turned back, she saw all three of the elders already sitting on the stools. Jiang Mingchuan was breathing a bit heavily—this time, the injury had taken a toll. He had climbed several floors with the aid of his cane, and it had left him winded. Normally, even climbing seventeen or eighteen floors wouldn’t have fazed him like this.

He asked his son to pour him a glass of water. He Yan was also tired—he had been carrying things the whole way—and once he sat down, he remembered there were lots of snacks in the package. He began sorting through them with his sister.

Hearing this, without even looking up, he said, “Dad, the doctor said you should move around more; it helps with recovery.”

Jiang Mingchuan shot him an exasperated look, then turned his attention back to Jin Xiuzhu. But she was too lazy to respond, “I’ve been busy all morning.”

She turned and headed to the kitchen.

Jiang Mingchuan clicked his tongue and muttered softly, “You weren’t like this back in the hospital.”

Not far off, Fu Yanyan heard him and pressed her lips together, sneaking a smile. Back at the hospital, Jiang Dad had been serious, and Mom and He Yan had obeyed him completely. Now that he was home, it meant things weren’t too serious, and Mom and He Yan were starting to treat him differently.

At lunch, Jin Xiuzhu made six dishes, symbolizing “everything going smoothly.” Fang Min’s belly was already starting to show, though she was slim, so it didn’t look too abrupt.

Jin Xiuzhu and the kids were used to seeing Fang Min and assumed a pregnant woman’s belly would just be a bit bigger, so when they saw Zhao Yun that day, it had seemed strange.

Because of this, Jin Xiuzhu had been deliberately eating a little less over the past few days—not because she was afraid of gaining weight, but because she was worried about her belly getting too big and making delivery difficult.

Jiang Mingchuan didn’t know this and, seeing her eat so little, kept offering her more food.

Since there were others around, Jin Xiuzhu couldn’t embarrass him and ate everything he offered. She answered him politely whenever he spoke.

But once everyone left and they went back to their room to rest, she began asking about his injuries.

“I heard you got hurt while saving someone.”

Jiang Mingchuan didn’t think much of it and nodded.

Jin Xiuzhu said earnestly, “You’re a soldier, and you always talk about serving the people. I agree with that, but I heard you almost got swept away by the flood while saving an old man. If the old man had been kind and reasonable, I wouldn’t have said anything. But you carried him to the middle of the river, and he suddenly insisted on going back. Clearly, he didn’t value his own life, nor yours. You put yourself in danger to save someone like that. What would have happened if you’d gotten hurt? What about our two children and the one in my belly?”

Jiang Mingchuan listened silently. At the time, he hadn’t thought that far—he had only wanted to save the person.

Jin Xiuzhu knew his temperament and softened her tone, continuing, “I’m not angry, I just worry about you. I hope next time you think about us before acting. Your job comes first, and sometimes sacrifices are inevitable. But I don’t want you to sacrifice yourself for nothing. Think about it—if you hadn’t gotten hurt this time, you could have saved more people. Many young lives might have been spared, instead of risking yourself for that unreasonable old man and losing so many innocent lives.”

Jiang Mingchuan had not originally thought what he did was wrong, but hearing her words, he suddenly realized she was right.

Still, he knew she said all this because she was afraid something might happen to him, and she wanted him to take care of himself.

He felt a pang of tenderness for her, but as she said, he was a soldier. He had to obey orders. If the order was to save someone, he couldn’t leave them behind.

In the past, Jiang Mingchuan would have argued with her, but now he was gradually understanding how to navigate a marriage. So he nodded thoughtfully, “I’ll be more careful next time.”

Jin Xiuzhu finally felt satisfied.

She softened, snuggling closer to him and spoke gently, “I was very angry before, but I’ve thought it through. This is just your nature. What can I do about it? Back at the hospital, there were other people, so I gave you face. Now it’s just the two of us, and I want to tell you properly: others are important, but you are too. You need to protect yourself, so you can protect more people.”

Hearing this, Jiang Mingchuan felt his heart melt completely.

He realized he shouldn’t have brushed her off earlier. He opened his mouth and repeated what he said before, “I’ll be more careful next time.”

This time, he meant it sincerely. Next time, he would still save people if necessary, but he wouldn’t put himself in danger.

Jin Xiuzhu pressed her face to his chest, hearing the subtle difference in his tone, and smirked with satisfaction.

With him, she could still play these little tricks on him—hmph.

In the following days, Jin Xiuzhu stayed at home, resting and taking care of Jiang Mingchuan while keeping herself comfortable during her pregnancy.

Of course, it also helped that next door, Zhu Ying would come over to help whenever she finished her own chores. Lately, both families were eating together, taking turns cooking. When it was Jin Xiuzhu’s turn, she would give Zhu Ying the money for ingredients in advance.

Because of this, Jin Xiuzhu felt a bit embarrassed. After finishing her drawings during the day, she would make little clothes for the children, starting with Fang Min’s baby.

Zhu Ying mentioned Fang Min’s baby would be a girl and said Fang Min was beautiful. Jin Xiuzhu didn’t know much about this, so she made extra girl-style clothes and shoes.

Zhu Ying was amazed. She hadn’t expected Jin Xiuzhu to be so talented—not only could she draw beautifully, she could also make clothes that looked better than anything from the supply store.

By the end of July, Bai Jingzhi returned from school.

She had written earlier that she would come back a little later in the summer to help her teacher translate some books.

Jin Xiuzhu didn’t want her to worry about the family, so she hadn’t told her about Jiang Mingchuan’s injury.

Bai Jingzhi came back in the evening, just as both families were eating together. When someone knocked on the door, He Yan instinctively went to open it, guessing it might be an aunt visiting. But when he opened the door, he saw the dramatically changed young aunt and froze in place.

Bai Jingzhi came in smiling, carrying bags and packages.

Jin Xiuzhu reacted quickly, standing up with surprise, “You child, why didn’t you say you were coming back? I could have sent someone to pick you up.”

She walked over to help her unload the packages. “How many things did you bring back?”

Bai Jingzhi laughed, “Not many.”

Jin Xiuzhu patted her shoulder, “You’ve grown taller and prettier.”

The key difference was her aura—she no longer looked timid and shy. Her eyes and expression now exuded confidence.

Bai Jingzhi blushed and smiled, touching her long hair, thinking her sister-in-law was complimenting her hair.

Jiang Mingchuan laughed and urged them to sit down and eat.

He Yan, being observant, ran to the kitchen to serve the young aunt.

Fang Min and Commander Zhu also greeted her warmly, asking how school was.

Bai Jingzhi called out to everyone one by one, then sat down to share stories from school.

Zhu Ying, from the moment Bai Jingzhi entered, had eyes sparkling and secretly tugged at Fu Yanyan’s sleeve, quietly asking, “Who is she? Which relative of yours?”

Fu Yanyan didn’t think much of it, assuming Zhu Ying hadn’t heard them calling everyone before, and said, “This is my young aunt.”

Zhu Ying’s eyes lit up. “Oh, young aunt! How old is she? Is she married?”

Fu Yanyan: “……”

What? Trying to matchmake for her impossible son again?

Don’t think she’s too young to notice. She had liked Jin Xiuzhu before, dismissing Jiang Dad for not being handsome enough for her son.