WRS – Chapter 69

That evening, Jiang Mingchuan prepared eight dishes and a soup. The round table in the living room was fully set, and it was just the right size for the whole family to sit down together.

Jiang Mingchuan somehow got hold of a bottle of alcohol and asked, “Can you drink?”

Ji Ling sat there awkwardly. Hearing this, he quickly nodded, “I can drink a little.”

“That’s good.”

Jiang Mingchuan poured a full bowl for him. Ji Ling’s face tightened at the sight. He had said he could drink a little just to save Jiang Mingchuan’s face, but in reality, he had never touched alcohol before.

Bai Jingzhi hesitated, looking at Jin Xiuzhu. She didn’t understand what her brother meant—she had never seen him drink before.

Jin Xiuzhu smiled at her reassuringly. “It’s fine. Your brother knows what he’s doing.”

Hearing this, Bai Jingzhi relaxed and smiled as she picked up her chopsticks to feed Liuliu.

Liuliu was clingy. As soon as Bai Jingzhi returned, she wanted to be held, and even during meals, she insisted on sitting together.

Seeing her aunt feeding her, she opened her mouth in a coquettish way, waiting to be fed.

Bai Jingzhi found it amusing but fed her anyway, gently pinching her little cheeks.

Meanwhile, Jiang Mingchuan had already started drinking with Ji Ling. He began by asking about Ji Ling’s years in the military. Ji Ling told him everything and even volunteered details about his family—his mother, sister, brother-in-law, and two nephews, even his father. His father had been an ordinary farmer, the eldest in the family, very poor. When he was very young, he had been adopted by relatives. After the relatives passed away, he returned to his grandparents’ home, where they favored some uncles. His father was frail and excessively filial, passing away when Ji Ling was five. After that, the family survived only through the support of his mother and uncle.

However, his uncle was in the military and couldn’t handle affairs at home, so Ji Ling had grown up seeing his mother bullied by his grandparents and uncles and aunts. He had learned to be sensible early on, thinking about protecting his mother and sister.

Jiang Mingchuan then asked if he had had any romantic experiences with girls over the years.

Ji Ling shook his head. “No. My relatives wanted to introduce me to someone, but I said I was busy and didn’t go back.”

He knew what his relatives were like. His mother was straightforward and didn’t hold grudges, but he would never forget that after his father died, the three of them were forced to the point of having no food. His mother had to kneel and beg each family for a bit of rice.

Jiang Mingchuan encouraged him to drink and then asked about his plans for the future.

Ji Ling, coaxed into drinking more than half a bowl, looked flushed as the redness spread across his usually dark face. Hearing the question, his gaze grew a bit hazy. He quickly shook his head and tried to speak clearly: “Next year, I’ll take leave to come back and propose, then discuss the wedding. I’ve saved some money over the years. We’ll have a ceremony at my hometown and one here. I’ve been promoted, and my salary has increased a lot. In the future, everything will go to Jingzhi. I’ll come back on leave to see her…”

As he spoke, he became increasingly confused, talking about having children and what to bring for the proposal.

Bai Jingzhi’s cheeks turned red. She secretly tugged at Ji Ling’s sleeve, but he, in front of everyone, took her small hand and pressed it to his heated cheek.

Jiang Mingchuan’s smile froze, and he watched expressionlessly as Ji Ling acted coquettishly toward Bai Jingzhi, saying he felt hot and that the wine tasted bad, spicy.

Bai Jingzhi felt embarrassed and quickly reached out with her other hand to cover his mouth. Ji Ling, still dazed, puckered and kissed her palm once.

Startled, Bai Jingzhi pulled her hand back and instinctively looked away at the others. Seeing her brother, sister-in-law, and the three children watching, her face turned as red as a monkey’s bottom, and she stammered, “He… he’s drunk…”

Jin Xiuzhu glared at Jiang Mingchuan beside her and had He Yan help Ji Ling to rest.

Bai Jingzhi relaxed, then followed, helping him out of the room.

Even as they walked away, Liuliu twisted her head to watch, then mischievously raised her hand, imitating Ji Ling by puckering and kissing her own palm, giggling afterward.

Jiang Mingchuan got more annoyed. “Learn the good things, not this. Stop copying.”

But Liuliu wasn’t afraid. She deliberately clapped her palms to her mouth, kissing herself repeatedly.

Fu Yanyan nearby couldn’t help laughing.

Seeing her sister laugh, Liuliu got even more excited, continuing to quickly kiss her palm.

Jiang Mingchuan ignored her, turning his head away.

Only Jin Xiuzhu knew he was holding back his frustration. Ji Ling was no longer young, and after courting Jingzhi for so long, they finally came to meet the family. The elders didn’t know before, and it would have been embarrassing if anyone else found out. At the very least, they should have informed the family.

Jiang Mingchuan had originally planned to drink properly with him, then set boundaries, give warnings, and advice. Who knew this boy would become incoherent after just two sips?

He muttered irritably, “Useless. When I drank for the first time, I needed four bowls to get drunk.”

Jin Xiuzhu laughed. “You’re impressive.”

She added, “Ji Ling is like you used to be—without support. He keeps everything to himself and likes to handle things on his own. He looks steady and sensible on the outside, which is already good. There’s no perfect person. If there were, they’d either be a liar or have some flaw.”

Hearing her words, Jiang Mingchuan could only nod. “Let’s eat.”

After Bai Jingzhi and He Yan helped Ji Ling lie down, they returned to eat and heard this, gratefully glancing at Jin Xiuzhu.

She thought Ji Ling was good. At school, there were capable male students, and some had shown interest in her, but she never felt they were the ones. Deep inside, she was still the insecure, sensitive girl raised by foster parents. She wanted someone to rely on, someone who would stand in front of her in critical moments.

Ji Ling just fit that role.

Bai Jingzhi suddenly became serious and said to Jiang Mingchuan, “Brother, Ji Ling is very good. I’ve decided on him for life.”

She knew her brother and sister-in-law acted for her benefit, so she added, “I’ll take care of you properly with Ji Ling in the future.”

Jiang Mingchuan: “…”

Jin Xiuzhu laughed. “That’s enough. You don’t need to ‘take care’ of us. Just live your lives well. That’s all we need.”

Bai Jingzhi smiled, feeling it was too formal.

The next morning, Ji Ling woke early, remembering nothing from last night except drinking a few sips with Bai Jingzhi’s brother. He had no memory of when he went to sleep.

When he moved, He Yan woke as well. Seeing He Yan rubbing his eyes and sitting up, Ji Ling politely said, “You can sleep a bit more. I’m used to getting up early.”

He Yan shook his head. “I can’t sleep. I’ll get up and read.”

He put on the padded jacket by the bed and went to the window, lighting a candle to read.

Ji Ling admired He Yan’s diligence. He had heard from Jingzhi that her nephews and nieces were all very bright and hardworking; they would surely succeed in life.

Thinking this, Ji Ling quietly left the room and went to the kitchen to show his skills.

When Jin Xiuzhu and the others got up, they saw Ji Ling carrying out freshly cooked dishes: stir-fried shredded potatoes, radish, and pickled vegetables.

Jin Xiuzhu peeked and, politely, “Smells delicious.”

Jiang Mingchuan glanced and said flatly, “Your knife skills need improvement.”

Ji Ling laughed, “Compared to you, Big Brother, still a lot to improve. Just make do. I’ll practice more in the future.”

Jiang Mingchuan nodded.

Jin Xiuzhu secretly tapped him and thought, “He’s learning the ropes, huh?”

Jiang Mingchuan touched his nose. With the whole family so warm, someone had to play the strict one. Otherwise, if he bullied his sister, no one could stop him.

Jin Xiuzhu didn’t understand this. As the eldest sister-in-law, she wanted to be polite to her brother-in-law, hoping he would remember their kindness and naturally treat her sister well in the future.

In this matter, the couple’s opinions rarely differed.

Ji Ling’s temperament was clearly very good. No matter the family’s attitude, even if Liuliu wanted him to play, he didn’t brush her off but seriously played with her, drawing and making string figures.

It happened to be the winter break these days. Except for He Yan, who consciously stayed home reading, the other two younger ones wanted to go out and play. Jin Xiuzhu grew lazy every winter. Although it wasn’t very cold here—there had only been one snowfall so far, which melted the next day—she still didn’t feel like moving much. She preferred lounging at home, leisurely painting and snacking.

Now, with her young aunt and uncle at home, the two little ones clung to them, wanting to go out. Bai Jingzhi, visiting for the first time, was curious and decided to take Ji Ling along.

The two adults and two children wandered through all the market stalls in the city, then went to the nearby seaside to play in the sand and collect shells.

Ji Ling also knew how to have fun. The next day at the beach, he made his own fishing rod and sat on a distant rock to fish, actually catching quite a few good things—fish and shrimp.

Liuliu was the happiest, circling around Ji Ling.

When Jiang Mingchuan came home that evening, he noticed that his beloved little daughter now called his brother-in-law “uncle” instead of “uncle-in-law,” addressing him warmly at every turn.

He was at a loss and asked Jin Xiuzhu what was going on.

Jin Xiuzhu rolled her eyes at him. “Isn’t it because you haven’t done well enough? Look at Ji Ling, see how good he is with kids.”

Jiang Mingchuan: “……”

So it was his fault after all.

On the third day, after Jin Xiuzhu finished the last painting of the year, she took Bai Jingzhi out to buy New Year supplies. Actually, preparations had started a while back—sugar, biscuits, pastries—all things Jin Xiuzhu had been making these days, and she even had Jiang Mingchuan take some to give to others.

Since it wasn’t too cold here, Jin Xiuzhu hadn’t dared to stockpile meat or vegetables at home, worried they might spoil. Only today did she decide to buy some good meat to keep at home.

She didn’t let Ji Ling go, leaving him at home to play with the kids. Mainly because if Ji Ling went along, he would probably insist on paying. That stage hadn’t come yet, and Jin Xiuzhu didn’t want him to spend money.

Bai Jingzhi loved shopping with Jin Xiuzhu the most. The two of them walked hand in hand, but without Ji Ling, Bai Jingzhi insisted on paying herself, saying she could earn plenty now and didn’t mind a little expense.

Jin Xiuzhu had no choice but to let her do it.

On New Year’s Eve, Jiang Mingchuan didn’t have to go to the army and got up early to help Ji Ling and He Yan in the kitchen with the New Year’s Eve dinner.

Jin Xiuzhu and Bai Jingzhi were responsible for cleaning and putting up couplets. Bai Jingzhi, curious, quietly asked why this year her brother didn’t let them help in the kitchen.

In past years, she and her sister-in-law had helped in the kitchen.

Jin Xiuzhu pointed at her head and laughed: “Silly girl, your brother is teaching Ji Ling some rules. He wants him to be diligent at home in the future, too.”

Hearing this, Bai Jingzhi realized, her mouth opening slightly in surprise, and she looked at Jin Xiuzhu emotionally, her nose tingling: “Brother is so good.”

He always thinks about everything for her.

“Don’t worry about who’s good to you. You’re his own sister. Even if you get married, the door to this home will always be open to you.”

Bai Jingzhi nodded vigorously.

They cleaned the house thoroughly, straightened the couplets, and even laid out some snacks on the table.

Looking at the empty yard, Bai Jingzhi couldn’t help but sigh: “New Year isn’t as lively as before.”

When she was in the army, she used to celebrate every year at Fang Min’s home. That was truly lively, especially with several children running downstairs to play—sometimes they wouldn’t even come back for meals unless called.

While Bai Jingzhi was lamenting the quiet, Fang Min was also feeling the emptiness at home. Zhang Qiulai had gone home early to prepare the New Year’s Eve dinner, leaving only her, the political commissar, and the child.

Fan Fan ate quickly, wanting to finish and go watch a movie.

Fang Min told him to slow down: “No one’s competing with you.”

This seemed to touch a nerve. Fan Fan pouted: “I’d rather someone compete with me.”

When Liuliu used to compete with him for food, it seemed to taste better.

Fang Min stayed silent. At bedtime, she couldn’t help but say to the political commissar: “Maybe we should have another child.”

She felt there were too few people at home.

The political commissar shivered: “Another like Fan Fan? I really can’t handle it. This is enough.”

Fang Min was just speaking casually. Thinking of Fan Fan’s crying and fussing as a child, she felt like she’d been enjoying easy days for too long.

She turned over: “Forget it, let’s just sleep.”

The political commissar tucked her in.

——

That evening, Jiang Mingchuan and Ji Ling drank quite a bit again. The family finished their meal together cheerfully. Jiang Mingchuan mentioned that the military district was showing a movie, so they all went over to watch.

After the movie, night had fully fallen. Walking back across the street, they occasionally saw fireworks exploding in the sky and heard firecrackers.

Liuliu sat on her father’s shoulders, excitedly waving at the fireworks: “Look, look! More fireworks! They’re blue!”

“That one is purple. So pretty.”

Jin Xiuzhu held Yanyan’s hand as they walked beside them. “Send this to Aunt Fang. I don’t know if the things for Aunt Qian and Aunt Wang have arrived yet. If not, they might spoil.”

Fu Yanyan looked up at the sky calmly: “It’s fine. We’ll send more next time.”

“That’s all we can do.”

He Yan walked on Jiang Mingchuan’s other side, mischievously tugging at Liuliu’s braid. Liuliu noticed, angrily putting one hand on her father’s head and reaching out to hit him with the other.

Bai Jingzhi and Ji Ling, following behind, couldn’t help but laugh. But beyond the amusement, they felt envy and anticipation.

Ji Ling quietly whispered into Bai Jingzhi’s ear: “Next year we’ll be a family of three too.”

Hearing this, Bai Jingzhi felt a warm itch in her heart, imagining the future scene of a little family. It should be very cozy.

If one day she became a mother, she vowed to love her child properly, sparing her from the hardships she experienced as a child.

Ji Ling also looked forward to that day. After so many years serving in the army, it was only after meeting Bai Jingzhi that he felt a sense of settling down.

Bai Jingzhi and Ji Ling stayed until the third day of the New Year before leaving. Bai Jingzhi still had work, and Ji Ling’s holiday was almost over. He wanted to see Jingzhi home first, and if possible, make a quick trip home to discuss some matters in person.

Jiang Mingchuan went to the army and couldn’t accompany them, so Jin Xiuzhu took the kids to the train station, bringing plenty of food—dishes and pastries that she and Jiang Mingchuan had made over the past few days. Since Bai Jingzhi often skipped meals when busy at work, and the weather was still cold, the food would last a few days for her.

After boarding the train, Bai Jingzhi’s eyes were a little red. She felt the kind of affection she hadn’t received as a child, now being given by her brother and sister-in-law over these years, creating a fleeting illusion of still being a child.

Ji Ling, carrying the luggage, sat beside her, coaxing: “It’s okay. We’ll be back during summer vacation.”

Bai Jingzhi nodded.

They changed trains to the neighboring provincial capital, then boarded a train to S City.

Halfway, Bai Jingzhi slept lightly, waking at dusk. Ji Ling helped her sit up to drink water, then leaned closer and asked: “Do you know the person on the upper opposite bunk? He keeps looking at you secretly. Don’t look directly at him yet; wait a moment.”

Bai Jingzhi instinctively wanted to look, but hearing Ji Ling’s instruction, she suppressed the urge. After drinking water and waiting a while, she casually glanced, coincidentally meeting the gaze of a woman assessing her.

The woman’s face was slightly round, fair-skinned, with hair lightly curling against her ears.

Although she had changed a lot since before, Bai Jingzhi immediately recognized her—it was Zhao Yun, who had lived upstairs in the family quarters. She had almost married her brother back then. Her sister-in-law didn’t deny this later, saying it had been a helpless choice. Zhao Yun lost her job due to a complaint from her ex, so it evened out.

Still, Bai Jingzhi didn’t have a good impression of her. Even ignoring the sister-in-law incident, just leaving her breastfeeding son to run away with her daughter was hard to understand.

Bai Jingzhi had seen Zhao Yun several times before. She remembered her as pregnant, chubby, with yellowish skin and oily hair.

After all this time, she had become much prettier.

Zhao Yun realized Bai Jingzhi recognized her. She opened her mouth, wanting to ask about Chao Ying, but hesitated, afraid of bad news, and ultimately couldn’t bring herself to ask.

Bai Jingzhi turned to Ji Ling, and they chatted about something else.

Midway, the train stopped. The man originally lying on the lower opposite bunk stood up, took a bag from under the bed, and called Zhao Yun, who was in the upper bunk, down.

Zhao Yun got off, followed the man, disappearing from view. Before vanishing, she couldn’t resist glancing back at Bai Jingzhi.

Bai Jingzhi watched her leave.

Afterward, Ji Ling asked who it was.

Bai Jingzhi explained Zhao Yun’s situation, finally shaking her head: “Luckily, my brother married my sister-in-law. If it had been her, I don’t think I’d be like I am now.”

Perhaps she was still with her foster parents, unaware of her true identity.

Ji Ling pondered for a moment, analyzing logically: “They came up at noon and are getting off now. They booked a sleeper, so the man must have some status and wealth. When Zhao Yun came down, the man touched her waist—a close relationship—but they bought two beds to avoid suspicion. It seems their relationship shouldn’t be exposed…”

He and Bai Jingzhi’s salaries weren’t low either, but they only booked one bed for this trip, thinking the ride short enough not to matter if they slept. The other pair booked two beds, were close, and the closeness was intimate, hinting at a romantic connection, which raised questions.

Bai Jingzhi hadn’t thought much initially, but after Ji Ling’s analysis, she frowned, feeling it was probably true.

Also, Zhao Yun didn’t have her daughter with her.

Thinking of this, she shook her head: “Forget it, I won’t worry about her. Later, I’ll write a letter to my sister-in-law—she’s interested in these things anyway.”

Jin Xiuzhu: This brat makes me sound like such a gossip.

Jiang Mingchuan: Isn’t that true?

He Yan: Dad, you can shut up now.

Fu Yanyan: This time I’m on He Yan’s side.

Liuliu: What are you all talking about?

Jin Xiuzhu: Talking about your little stepmom you’ve never met.

Jiang Mingchuan: Honey, I’m sorry.