WRS – Chapter 65

Before dawn the next day, Jiang Mingchuan was already heading out.

Jin Xiuzhu was still asleep. She sat up on the bed and watched him get dressed. Jiang Mingchuan turned his head to glance at her — she must have been hot in the night; a few strands of hair were damp and stuck to her cheek. He asked whether she had slept well.

Jin Xiuzhu yawned. “It was fine.”

He said, “If you have time today, go to the supply and marketing cooperative and buy a few mosquito nets. There are quite a lot of mosquitoes here.”

Jin Xiuzhu nodded sleepily.

Jiang Mingchuan laughed, then added, “If I don’t come back today, just eat first. Don’t wait for me. I’m not sure if I can return. These next few days I’ll look around to see if I can buy a bicycle earlier. It’ll be much more convenient once we have one.”

Jin Xiuzhu nodded again.

After dressing, Jiang Mingchuan walked to the table, poured a glass of water, then came back and handed it to her. Jin Xiuzhu liked to drink a sip of warm water every morning when she woke up.

She looked up at him and then took the cup and drank.

Jiang Mingchuan hesitated for a moment, then suddenly said, “It’s been hard on you and the kids, following me through all this.”

He had always known she wanted to return to the capital. It was good there — it truly was — but he still wanted to stay with the army. Through all the tossing about on their journey, neither she nor the children had complained. Even the youngest, Liuliu, was very sensible.

She had taught the children well.

Hearing his words, Jin Xiuzhu originally wanted to shake her head and say it wasn’t hard at all. But the words paused on her tongue and turned into: “You’re my husband, the father of my children. As long as our family is together, no amount of hardship matters.”

Then she added, “Don’t feel burdened. Life is the same no matter where we are. This place is pretty good — lots of delicious food, fun things — it broadens our horizons too.”

She meant every word. In her previous life, she had been locked inside a grand residence for over twenty years. She enjoyed luxury and wealth, yet often felt it was all a bit pathetic. The more she read, the more she longed for the world men lived in. She wanted to see the beautiful spring scenery of the south, the sunset over the frontier, to imagine herself riding a horse through bustling streets…

The liveliness and richness of the outside world had never belonged to women of deep, wealthy households.

Unexpectedly, she had realized those dreams here — in another way.

She had ridden trains and boats, worked as a cook in the canteen, taken photos, attended exhibitions, worked like a man to earn money and support her family… Here, she felt free. Every part of her belonged to herself.

Even if one day she left Jiang Mingchuan and the children, she believed she could still live well.

In the past, she would never have dared to imagine that.

Jiang Mingchuan didn’t understand the depth of her thoughts — he simply felt deeply moved. Imitating her usual gesture, he reached out and touched her head.

Jin Xiuzhu glared at him playfully. “My hair is getting oily from your touching.”

Jiang Mingchuan withdrew his hand guiltily. He took the cup from her, hesitated again, and suddenly said, “Look over there — what’s that?”

Without thinking, Jin Xiuzhu instinctively followed his line of sight and turned her head. Just as she turned, she felt warmth at the corner of her lips — his rough stubble even poked her cheek.

Her eyes widened slightly. By the time she reacted and turned back, the man was already striding out of the room.

“…”

Jin Xiuzhu touched the spot he had kissed, then wiped it twice on the blanket in disgust — he hadn’t brushed his teeth last night.

But after wiping, she couldn’t help but smile. At his age he was still pulling tricks like this… utterly shameless.

When the children woke up, she took them out to eat. Yesterday she had noticed a street vendor selling noodles and dumplings — no one seemed to bother them.

She and Liuliu ate dumplings. He Yan and Yanyan ate a type of noodle called luósīfěn — spicy and smelly. Jin Xiuzhu couldn’t stand the smell, but the two children seemed to love it, insisting it was delicious.

After eating, Jin Xiuzhu bought a big bag of shrimp to take home. She also bought a type of hard-shelled seafood — the vendor gestured for a long time, explaining that after cleaning the shell, they should steam it with ginger and scallions. The sauce she would need to make herself.

She didn’t need to — Qian Yufeng had given her two jars of chili sauce when she left. Perfect for mixing with noodles.

The four of them returned home satisfied.

After getting back, she had Yanyan watch Liuliu at home, while she took He Yan to the school across the street.

She even changed into slightly more presentable clothes and neatly combed her hair.

He Yan followed behind her with his schoolbag. The younger two escorted them to the door. After they left, Liuliu asked her sister slyly, “Since brother is going to school, are we going soon too? I don’t want to go to school.”

Fuyan laughed. “If you don’t want to go to school, what do you want to do?”

Liuliu answered righteously, “I want to stay home and play, and eat lots of yummy food.”

Fuyan: “If you don’t go to school, you won’t get yummy food.”

Liuliu refuted, “That’s not true. Mom doesn’t go to school and she gets to eat yummy food.”

“She studies too. If she didn’t study, how would she earn so much money to buy you treats? If you can earn that much, then you don’t have to go to school.”

Liuliu pouted and said nothing.

When Jin Xiuzhu and He Yan arrived at the school, they ran into a female teacher at the gate. Jin Xiuzhu explained their situation. The teacher was on her way to class, so she directed them to the academic director and described his office and appearance.

Jin Xiuzhu thanked her and took He Yan to find him.

The director was a middle-aged man wearing black-rimmed glasses. The office door was open, and he was writing something inside.

At Jin Xiuzhu’s signal, He Yan knocked lightly.

“Come in—” came the voice inside.

Jin Xiuzhu and He Yan entered.

Seeing them, the director asked curiously, “You are…?”

She explained sincerely. Hearing they were a military family, the director immediately stood up. “Please, sit, sit.”

He even moved to make tea.

Jin Xiuzhu smiled. “No need to be so polite. Please sit.”

The director still poured her a glass of water.

Afraid he might not believe her, Jin Xiuzhu took out their household registration booklet and marriage certificate. “Please take a look. My husband was just promoted and transferred here. For the sake of the children’s education, we stayed in the city. We heard your school has excellent teaching, so we rented right across the street. We originally wanted to settle down first before applying for admission, but I didn’t want my son’s studies to fall behind. He’s already in his first year of high school — time is precious. So we’re hoping he could start early, even just sitting in on classes.”

The director accepted the documents. Even without them, he mostly believed her. She spoke perfect standard Mandarin, her skin was pale — clearly someone who hadn’t worked under the sun. The boy, though a bit tanned, was tall, straight-backed, and had a steady gaze. Even carried a bit of a soldier’s demeanor.

Still, the director opened the documents. The marriage certificate photo matched Jin Xiuzhu exactly. The man beside her wore a military uniform, upright and righteous-looking, with a military ID number printed clearly — easily verifiable. The household booklet also recorded all five family members.

Jin Xiuzhu then had He Yan take out his grades. He Yan grinned and handed over his report card and exam papers. “Teacher.”

The director looked through them — his eyes lit up. The boy scored highly in every subject, especially Chinese. His compositions were excellent. The director looked up, very pleased. He liked good students even more than military families.

Now that the college entrance exams had resumed, having one more student with university potential was a wonderful thing.

He immediately said, “In that case, he can start today. No need to sit in. I’ll take you to the class — he can join directly.”

A weight lifted from Jin Xiuzhu’s heart. Grateful, she said, “That’s wonderful. With teachers like you, no wonder this school has such a reputation. I’m so glad I brought him today.”

The director beamed. “Not at all, not at all. Education is too important now. We can’t delay it.”

Jin Xiuzhu turned to her son. “Did you hear that? Study hard — don’t let the teacher down.”

He Yan responded loudly, “I’ll definitely remember your guidance.”

The director smiled even wider and led them toward the first-year class.

As they walked, he said, “Our school used to have many students. Later, there were only two classes — one for first year and one for second year. But now that the college entrance exams have returned, many children are coming back, even former educated youth from the countryside. The learning atmosphere is wonderful.”

Jin Xiuzhu agreed. “That’s a very good thing.”

“Yes, we’ve waited so long for this.”

The director brought them to Class Two of Year One and handed He Yan over to the teacher who was teaching. The teacher didn’t say much — he simply brought He Yan inside and, seeing he was tall, assigned him a seat at the back.

He Yan said nothing and walked straight to his seat. As he passed the students, many turned their heads to look at him.

He noticed his mother outside watching him, so he secretly waved. Jin Xiuzhu smiled and then left with the director.

After exchanging a few polite words, she left, saying she would have He Yan pay the tuition tomorrow.

As soon as she left the school gate, she saw her two younger children waiting by their doorway. Seeing her come out, Liuliu ran over, craning her neck to look behind her and asking with a frown, “Is brother not coming home?”

Jin Xiuzhu tapped her nose. “Your brother is in school. I’ll take you two in the afternoon — that way Mom can relax.”

Liuliu immediately grabbed her sleeve and whined, “Nooo, I haven’t finished playing. Mom, can I go in a few days?”

“In that case,” Xiuzhu said, “you can stay home and play alone. Your sister will go to school.”

Liuliu didn’t want that either. “Can’t sister not go to school?”

“No. Your sister is in middle school. If she doesn’t study, she won’t get into college.”

Liuliu huffed. She had recently learned that getting into college was very important. “Fine… then I’ll go to school too.”

Jin Xiuzhu rubbed her little head in amusement. “You really are your sister’s little tail.”

Liuliu laughed cheerfully. “I’m not a tag-along. I’m my sister’s little padded jacket.”

Jin Xiuzhu replied, “Then your sister must be really hot.”

“Why?”

“You’re so warm. How could she not be?”

Liuliu turned her silly little head to ask her sister, “Sister, are you hot?”

Fu Yanyan was amused and asked in return, “What do you think?”

Liuliu said very seriously, “Mom, sister says she’s not.”

Both Jin Xiuzhu and Fu Yanyan burst into laughter. Jin Xiuzhu pinched her chubby cheeks. “You’re such a little treasure.”

Liuliu grinned happily, holding her mother’s hand with one hand and her sister’s with the other, singing loudly, “The best in the world is Mom, the best in the world is Sister…”

Hearing her little sister’s cheerful voice, Fu Yanyan’s mood lightened as well. When Jin Xiuzhu was pregnant, she thought her new little brother or sister wouldn’t have much to do with her… but now, she suddenly felt that having a younger sister was wonderful.

At noon, He Yan came home for lunch and prepared to return to school right after.

As they ate, he couldn’t help saying to Jin Xiuzhu, “Everyone is working way too hard. Nobody even goes to the bathroom during breaks. They don’t even talk. They just sit there studying.”

Before, he thought Yang Yingxiong was hardworking—skipping a grade just to be in the same year as him and Wei Ningqing—doing his homework during breaks and reviewing lessons again at night. But compared to these classmates, Yang Yingxiong wasn’t even that remarkable. These were the truly diligent ones.

Fu Yanyan said bluntly, “How can they not work hard? If they don’t, they won’t get into college.”

In his previous life, He Yan’s grades had been a complete mess. Later, in order to get into the military academy, he’d poured in countless hours of sweat and effort. But unfortunately, everything in the end had been ruined.

This time, Tang Ying had already left… those past tragedies should no longer happen.

He Yan nodded, then looked at his mother and sister with a pained expression. “I can’t understand what the teacher is saying. They talk so fast.”

Fu Yanyan pressed her lips together to hide her smile.

He Yan turned away. “Don’t be too happy. Soon you’ll be going to school too.”

Fu Yanyan raised her brows but didn’t answer. If only he knew—she actually could understand.

In her previous life, when she followed Jin Xiuzhu to the south, she did struggle to communicate at first. But she eventually adjusted. “Just listen more. You’ll get used to it.”

Jin Xiuzhu couldn’t help him this time either and said sympathetically, “Just listen more. You’re so smart—you’ll definitely pick it up soon.”

He Yan huffed. He was already grown up, yet his mom was still coaxing him like a child.

After eating, He Yan washed the dishes and returned to school.

He might joke around normally, but deep down, he was competitive. He didn’t want to fall behind.

That afternoon, Jin Xiuzhu took the two younger ones to the nearby junior high and primary school. The schools were next to each other, making pick-up and drop-off convenient. After talking with the school leaders, they agreed the children would start the next day.

It was already past four when they returned. Jin Xiuzhu simply brought the children to stroll around the street again. She had cooked the prawns and those “oysters” at noon—the kids loved them—so she decided to buy more kinds of seafood to try, especially the ones they hadn’t tasted before.

She even had the children pick what they wanted.

Liuliu wanted big crabs. Fu Yanyan didn’t intend to choose anything, but her eyes lingered on the squid, and after hesitating, she pointed at it.

Jin Xiuzhu didn’t think too much and skillfully bought both the crabs and squid, asking the vendor how to cook them.

Liuliu squatted by the stall, curiously inspecting all the different seafood.

Only Fu Yanyan stood quietly, her gaze falling on Jin Xiuzhu’s back. She saw that Jin Xiuzhu didn’t show the slightest reluctance. She’d long known that this Jin Xiuzhu wasn’t the same as the one from her previous life, but still… being here brought back memories.

In her past life, also in the south, she had once returned home for a break and gone to the market with “Jin Xiuzhu.” She saw a little girl begging her mother for squid, and the mother bought it. She herself had felt so envious. On impulse, she had imitated that little girl and acted coquettish, telling “Jin Xiuzhu” that she wanted squid too.

But she forgot—“Jin Xiuzhu” was “Jin Xiuzhu.” Others were others. Instead of buying it for her, she yelled at her, calling her useless, saying all she knew was eating…

Ignoring how many people were staring at her.

The way everyone looked at her that day was something Fu Yanyan could never forget.

She had thought she’d let go… but she hadn’t. At least not fully. When Jin Xiuzhu asked her what she wanted today, and she pointed at the squid, it was because she wanted to give that past-life little girl—who had stood there being scolded—a proper ending.

She wanted to say to that girl: Look, today your mom bought you the squid.

After buying everything, Jin Xiuzhu took them home.

That evening she steamed the crabs and stir-fried the squid. The vendor had cleaned the squid for her, so she only had to wash and cook it.

The squid tasted pretty good—chewy and flavorful. Liuliu loved it.

Yanyan, however, didn’t eat much. Jin Xiuzhu noticed and picked more into her bowl. “I bought it especially for you. Eat more.”

Yanyan nodded. She picked up a piece and thought, So this is what squid tastes like.

That night, Jiang Mingchuan didn’t come home. After dinner, He Yan went back to school to study. Before leaving, he told Jin Xiuzhu, “Mom, go to bed early. Don’t wait for me. Lock the yard gate; I’ll climb over the wall.”

Jin Xiuzhu worried. “Don’t study too late. Your health is important. You’re only in your first year of high school. Don’t push so hard.”

“Got it.”

She watched him leave until he disappeared across the road, then shook her head and told her daughters, “Your big brother works too hard.”

Fu Yanyan exposed the truth. “He’s afraid that Wei Ningqing and Yang Yingxiong will secretly study harder than him and he won’t be able to beat them. He’d feel embarrassed.”

Jin Xiuzhu laughed. “Ah, that explains it.”

In the following days, all three kids started school. In the mornings, Jin Xiuzhu painted at home; in the afternoons, she read. Her days were quiet and relaxed. The only downside was that she had no one to talk to. Unlike at the army base, where she spent every day with Fang Min—even if Fang Min wasn’t talkative, she was still company.

On Saturday night, Jiang Mingchuan finally came back—riding a brand-new 28-inch bicycle with many things tied to the back. These were the belongings previously mailed over that hadn’t been collected yet—old clothes and shoes they didn’t need right now.

After unloading everything, He Yan excitedly wanted to try the bicycle. But he didn’t know how to ride, so both sisters had to help hold it. Liuliu didn’t want to help for long—she wanted to play too.

In the end, Jiang Mingchuan had to hold it for him.

He Yan was bold. After a short while, he could basically ride.

Jiang Mingchuan was satisfied. Stepping aside, he told Jin Xiuzhu, “This kid has the potential to be a soldier.”

She laughed. “Just from this?”

Jiang Mingchuan smiled. “You don’t understand. His father was the same—he learned fast. Back in the army, when they taught big truck driving, many people couldn’t get it even after several tries, but his father learned in one go. He was the fastest learner I’d ever seen.”

He still regretted it—if he hadn’t been injured back then, he would’ve been the one to go on that mission.

Jin Xiuzhu was surprised. Jiang Mingchuan rarely mentioned He Yan’s father.

She heard the sadness in his voice. She didn’t know what had happened, but still said softly, “If his father saw him now, he would be proud. You’ve raised him well.”

Jiang Mingchuan smiled, a bit proud himself.

He indeed thought He Yan was doing well.

Standing on the steps, Fu Yanyan overheard. She glanced at Dad Jiang, then at He Yan riding the bicycle. She suddenly remembered a scene from her previous life—He Yan once quarreled with Dad Jiang over something and yelled, If it weren’t for you, my father wouldn’t have died.

Dad Jiang had gone silent. He looked at He Yan, then lowered his head and walked away.

And she remembered how He Yan’s eyes had reddened.

In that past life, no one in that family was happy.

Since arriving in the south, she had been thinking of many things from the past.

He Yan rode with Liuliu for a while. After dinner, he went back to school for evening study. There were no lights at school; each student brought their own candles. Jin Xiuzhu wanted him to bring a flashlight, worried that candlelight was too dim and would hurt his eyes.

But He Yan refused. He said he would look too showy, and classmates might envy him.

He learned early on that his parents made good money. Compared to many classmates, he and his sisters lived comfortably—ate well, dressed well. But he didn’t want to flaunt this or make classmates feel inferior.

He told Jin Xiuzhu that he did the eye-massage exercises she taught him every day. Studying by candlelight for a while wouldn’t hurt.

So she let it go.

Jiang Mingchuan agreed with his son and told her not to worry.

Jin Xiuzhu fretted. “I don’t know if him being so kind is good or bad.”

Jiang Mingchuan didn’t understand. “Of course it’s a good thing.”

She ignored him and turned to her daughters. “Don’t learn from your father and brother.”

Fu Yanyan felt the worry was unnecessary. “Fools have good fortune. Dad is one.”

He Yan wouldn’t be any better later.

Jin Xiuzhu tapped her head. “Mind your manners.”

Fu Yanyan huffed.

The next day, Jiang Mingchuan rode the bicycle and took the whole family to the nearby beach. Jin Xiuzhu held Yanyan in the back seat, while He Yan and Liuliu sat on the front bar.

Five people on one bicycle—good thing Jiang Mingchuan had strength. Otherwise, the bike wouldn’t move.

They arrived early because Yanyan wanted to see the sunrise. They didn’t see it, but they did see lots of locals collecting seafood—each with a shovel and a basket.

Curious, they went to look. Besides crabs and scallops, there were also long, thick worms. They’d seen them at seafood stalls but had never dared buy any because they looked too scary.

Unexpectedly, the locals said those things were delicious and even taught Jin Xiuzhu how to cook them.

After hearing that, the entire family exchanged looks—and immediately began gathering seafood too. Jin Xiuzhu used her hat to hold the catch. She didn’t care about sunburn anymore.

He Yan directly took off his T-shirt, tied it up, and used it as a basket.

Jiang Mingchuan stayed close, pushing the new bicycle carefully to prevent theft. After a while, a fishing boat returned, and people rushed to buy seafood. Jin Xiuzhu joined them and bought a bunch of good things.

They returned home fully loaded. On the way, Jin Xiuzhu sighed, “If it weren’t so far, I’d love to send some to Fang Min and the others.”

Jiang Mingchuan stood up to pedal harder, breathless. “Wait for winter. When it’s cold, it’ll keep better.”

Liuliu felt hot and slumped in He Yan’s arms, urging her dad to pedal faster so the wind could cool her.

Jiang Mingchuan gritted his teeth and pedaled with all his might.

Liuliu waved her arms. “Daddy, use more strength!”

Fu Yanyan stared at his sweat-soaked back, then at the uphill path. She felt a little sorry for him. She turned around to look at Jin Xiuzhu—who was relaxing, looking at the scenery.

Meeting her gaze, Jin Xiuzhu even winked at her.

…Right. She’d worried for nothing.

Jin Xiuzhu: A man can get tired. I can’t let myself get tired.

Jiang Mingchuan: All ancestors. But my heart aches for my new bike.

He Yan: Come on, Dad, you can do it!

Fu Yanyan: Forget it. I saw nothing.

Liuliu: I want wind!