WRS – Chapter 70

It was already a month after Jin Xiuzhu received Bai Jingzhi’s letter. She was naturally curious about its contents, but so much time had passed, and Yang Yao had already returned to his hometown with the children, settling into a peaceful life. It was best for everyone not to interfere with each other.

Still, it was a bit hard on Yang Yingxiong. A while back, he had written to her, saying that not long after his father came home, the factory workers introduced him to a potential match—a twenty-year-old girl whose father was the brigade leader. She probably had better conditions in the countryside and was selective about whom she would marry. She had never married before, but she seemed very satisfied with Yang Yao, and they soon got married.

Yang Yingxiong was doing okay, now living at the local high school and only returning home once a month—or sometimes not at all. But his younger brother had to stay at home for school. He didn’t get along with others well and had even run away in the middle of the night to the school to find Yang Yingxiong once.

In the end, Yang Yingxiong had no choice but to have Yang Yao transfer his younger brother to a county elementary school where he could stay in the dorms, so the two brothers were together every day.

He had decided not to apply to military school in the future—the military schools were strict and wouldn’t allow him to bring his brother—but he could apply to a school in the same city as He Yan, so they could see each other often.

Jin Xiuzhu felt sorry for the boy. He was too sensible and kind-hearted, taking on the responsibility of caring for and educating his younger brother while his father was still around. As for Yang Yao’s behavior, she had long been used to it. At least Yang Yingxiong had grown up enough that no matter how biased or reckless his father was, he wouldn’t be harmed.

The only downside was that he would likely have to fight for everything on his own in the future, unable to rely on his parents. Even if he succeeded later, he might still be expected to give back to his father.

Jin Xiuzhu had been through similar things. In her previous life, her parents sold her, and later, they heard someone say she had become a favored concubine in a marquis household. They even brought the whole family to recognize her. Jin Xiuzhu was not so patient; she had the servants politely usher them in, fed them well, and even sent them off with substantial gifts.

As expected, the family encountered bandits on the way. Whether they survived or died didn’t matter to Jin Xiuzhu. She only knew that her past could never be used to control her or affect her future wealth and status.

As for her relatives, all ties had been severed the moment she and her second sister were sold. Watching her second sister die of illness, her body discarded by the roadside, left her with no attachment.

She only hoped Yang Yingxiong could recognize the truth sooner.

In fact, her kindness toward Yang Yingxiong stemmed from seeing her younger self in him.

Inside Yang Yingxiong’s envelope was a piece of paper with childlike handwriting—Yang Chaoying’s letter to Liuliu. Liuliu and Fanfan were about the same age as Yang Chaoying. The three played together a lot. Liuliu admired her older sister endlessly, always saying her sister was the best. Chaoying, meanwhile, admired her brother the most, claiming he was the best. They often argued about this, but Fanfan, being domineering and the eldest, had to mediate for them to reconcile.

When they played together, though, the three were inseparable.

After reading the letters, Jin Xiuzhu replied to Bai Jingzhi. Along with Bai Jingzhi’s letter, she had received test papers and exercises personally prepared by local teachers in S City. One of their colleagues had a relative who was a high school teacher, known for being excellent. These exercises were compiled by several high schools’ leadership teams and used internally. Seeing someone ask for them, she requested a copy for He Yan as well.

Jin Xiuzhu found it quite good and planned to give it to He Yan when he returned.

That evening, when He Yan came home from school and saw the gift from his little aunt, he was delighted and excitedly flipped through it. After half a year, he could roughly understand the local language and even speak a little, though he could clearly tell the schoolteachers weren’t very competent.

Most of the teachers only had a high school education, and some of the questions were too difficult for them. This was normal. Over the years, some had forgotten what they had learned, while others were temporarily assigned. So learning mostly depended on the students themselves.

The papers and exercises came with answers and clear solution steps, which helped him a lot.

He Yan excitedly said, “I’ll make a copy for Yang Yingxiong and Wei Ningqing later.”

The three children had played together since they were young, and their bond was almost like that of biological siblings, always thinking of each other’s best interests.

For example, Wei Ningqing, after returning home with his parents, first wrote to He Yan, sending their address and a large bag of snacks.

Jin Xiuzhu left it to him and simply said, “Let me know if you need more notebooks.”

“Okay.”

The next day, He Yan shared the exercises with his class. His grades were excellent; last year he had ranked first in the school’s final exam. Previously, with Wei Ningqing around, he rarely ranked first. Since moving here, aside from the first monthly exam when he came in third, he always ranked first.

He analyzed that a large part of it was due to reading many books under Jin Xiuzhu’s influence from a young age. Jin Xiuzhu loved reading and picked up books whenever she had time. Aunt Fang next door also had many books, and Wei Ningqing’s grandmother had a large study. So the three of them had endless books growing up.

These books subtly shaped their thinking and understanding, making writing essays less stressful and enhancing their reasoning skills.

He Yan didn’t hold back because he didn’t see classmates as rivals. He knew most of them came from modest families and genuinely wanted them to get into good universities.

Lin Zhaodi appreciated He Yan’s sharing. Using the notebook he gave her, she carefully copied the exercises. He Yan asked her to help because it was too tiring to copy everything alone. He also gave her some thick notebooks as a thank-you gift.

Lin Zhaodi understood the gesture but accepted them anyway, saying sincerely, “Thank you, He Yan. I’ll return these to you later.”

He Yan smiled and said, “Yes, but you better return more. I like chocolate; you have to buy me chocolate.”

Lin Zhaodi didn’t know what chocolate was but nodded immediately when she heard it was his favorite. “When I earn money, I’ll buy you lots of chocolate.”

He Yan grinned even wider, showing a row of white teeth.

Lin Zhaodi felt her heart race as she met his sparkling eyes. She shyly smiled and quickly lowered her head to read.

They no longer sat at the back but were moved by the teacher to the middle near the window, side by side.

Lin Zhaodi sipped water, suppressing the flush on her face, silently reminding herself that some things weren’t for her to think about.

For now, all she could do was study hard and aim for a good university. Meeting He Yan had already been a stroke of luck.

That weekend, Jiang Mingchuan said he would take a team to a neighboring province for a competition.

Jin Xiuzhu didn’t think much of it at first until he added, “Do you want to come with me?”

She felt she might get bored staying at home all the time. Before, Fang Min had accompanied her, but here she knew no one.

Jin Xiuzhu was a bit surprised. “Can I go?”

“Of course. We won’t stay at the military camp. You can stay at the guesthouse with me, watch the competition during the day, and even go shopping.”

Jin Xiuzhu felt tempted.

Liuliu also heard and immediately said, “I want to go too.”

Jiang Mingchuan replied, “You still have school. Besides, what about your sister if you go?”

Fu Yanyan: “…”

Liuliu pouted, looking at her sister and mother, saying, “I can ask for leave. Besides, my sister won’t run away. I’ll come back after playing.”

Now Jiang Mingchuan had nothing to say. It wasn’t impossible, but he still said, “Then if you go, your older siblings will want to go too.”

Fu Yanyan immediately said, “I don’t want to go.”

Having spent many years there in her past life, it held little appeal.

He Yan wanted to go, but it would take many days, affecting his studies. He decided, “I don’t want to go either. I plan to apply to the military school there later, so I’ll get to go sooner or later.”

Jiang Mingchuan: “…”

Liuliu happily said, “They don’t want to go, Dad, but I do.”

Jin Xiuzhu laughed. “Let her go. She’s still young; a few days off school won’t matter.”

She didn’t intend to confine the children at home. This wasn’t a rigid society like Dajing Dynasty.

Liuliu knew she could go out to play and jumped up like a little sprite, hugging Jin Xiuzhu. “I knew Mom was the best!”

Jiang Mingchuan was speechless; he hadn’t said anything yet.

Jin Xiuzhu rubbed her little nose. “Eat first, then go shopping with Mom.”

“Okay! I love shopping with Mom the most!”

Jiang Mingchuan would leave on Wednesday. Before departing, Jin Xiuzhu arranged everything at home, stocked enough food and snacks, and gave the two children plenty of money. She said if they didn’t want to cook, they could eat out—the city was convenient, with state-run restaurants and many street stalls.

“Remember to lock doors and windows before school, each of you keep a key, and come back early. Especially Yanyan—go straight home after school. No playing on the streets. Xiaoyan too—don’t go to class for self-study at night. Stay home with your sister. Call us if anything comes up. Once we get there, we’ll tell you…”

After talking for a long time, the two children listened patiently, nodding in agreement constantly.

Liuliu was the happiest, swinging her mother’s hand, wearing the little duck backpack her mother had made for her. The bag was stuffed with her favorite snacks and homework.

The little girl had her hair in two pigtails, her round face lit up with a sweet smile, clearly someone who had grown up in a bubble of love.

He Yan and Fu Yanyan stood at the door to see them off. Fu Yanyan watched her younger sister bouncing along and gradually found the image overlapping with the frail figure she remembered.

She thought, how lucky her sister was to have never experienced a terrible childhood.

When she grows up, her memories would probably all be sweet.

Yet Fu Yanyan didn’t feel jealous at all. She was also part of her sister’s happy childhood memories—almost as if she had once lived happily herself.

Once He Yan saw that their parents were out of sight, he said, “Let’s go back.”

Fu Yanyan withdrew her gaze and turned to go inside. Just as she reached the doorway, He Yan secretly whispered to his sister, “I’ll bring a classmate home for lunch. Don’t tell Mom and Dad when they get back.”

Fu Yanyan calmly turned her head to look at him. “The tall, dark, pretty sister?”

He Yan, without thinking, protested unhappily, “She’s not dark, she’s just tanned. Don’t discriminate against her.”

Fu Yanyan gave him a meaningful look and teasingly asked, “Do you like her?”

He Yan’s expression tightened, and he immediately denied it loudly, “Like her? Don’t say nonsense. I don’t like anyone. I only like studying. Seriously, you’re so young talking about liking someone. Stop daydreaming when you don’t even study properly…”

Fu Yanyan watched his rambling denial without expression, then cut in directly, “Why so nervous? I was just asking casually. If you don’t like her, fine, don’t worry. I’ll tell her you don’t like her so she won’t overthink it.”

“….”

Hearing that, He Yan became nervous again. He watched his sister, backpack ready, about to leave. He wanted to say something but didn’t dare admit it. Finally, as she reached the courtyard gate, he hurried after her, shyly mumbling, “I’ll do your homework for you. Just don’t say those things, okay?”

They had grown up together, and he knew his sister was capable of such mischief.

Fu Yanyan secretly twitched her mouth into a small smile, but quickly suppressed it and turned her head with a puzzled look. “Which things?”

He Yan lowered his tone, almost pleading, “I’m begging you, okay? I’ll do your homework these days, alright?”

“That’s more like it.”

Fu Yanyan nodded in satisfaction, though she couldn’t resist teasing him a bit: “With that stubborn attitude of yours, aren’t you worried she’ll run off with someone else later?”

He Yan’s face turned red. Quietly and shyly, he said, “She’s innocent. Right now she only wants to study well. I plan to wait until after she gets into university before saying anything.”

Fu Yanyan had never seen He Yan act so flustered and awkward. She felt goosebumps rise. “As long as you’re happy.”

He Yan watched her leave, reminding her, “Don’t tell Mom and Dad.”

Fu Yanyan waved without looking back.

At noon, He Yan brought Lin Zhaodi home, saying that their parents were out these days, and only he and his sister were home. She needed to come over to copy exercises and papers.

He also said he wasn’t very good at cooking and wanted her guidance.

Lin Zhaodi didn’t think much and followed him. Once in the kitchen, she realized He Yan just had her wash and chop vegetables; the rest he handled himself, and he was much more skilled than she expected.

She felt a little surprised and slightly embarrassed.

He Yan cheerfully said, “I learned from Dad. In our family, men cook. But my skills aren’t great, so just bear with it.”

He even picked up a piece for her to taste.

Lin Zhaodi lowered her head and ate, nodding afterward.

After she finished, He Yan took a piece of meat himself and tasted it, seriously saying, “It’s ready to serve.”

Lin Zhaodi blushed; her lips had brushed the chopsticks just now.

He Yan’s ears reddened too, though he nonchalantly carried the plates.

Only Fu Yanyan, standing at the kitchen doorway, looked on disdainfully at his shamelessness. He Yan, noticing her gaze, was startled and quickly gestured for her to leave.

Fu Yanyan pursed her lips, went to the living room, and before leaving, gave him a middle finger.

She didn’t even know what it meant—maybe she had seen kids do that in the hospital in her past life, and it wasn’t a nice gesture.

He Yan understood and playfully waved the spatula in warning.

Lin Zhaodi didn’t notice the sparks between them. When the food was ready, she brought it out and nervously greeted, “Hello, I’m your brother’s classmate, Lin Zhaodi.”

Fu Yanyan politely replied, “Hello, Sister Lin, you can just call me Yanyan.”

“Okay.”

At noon, He Yan made two dishes and a soup, which were quite tasty. Fu Yanyan, usually quiet, chatted freely for once, and Lin Zhaodi, initially a bit uneasy, gradually relaxed and even laughed several times.

He Yan, caught in the middle, couldn’t get a word in and could only serve them.

After the meal, Fu Yanyan pushed her bowl aside, saying she had to go to school. She told Lin Zhaodi, “My brother is really nice. At home, he’s so diligent, loves cooking and washing dishes. I wonder who will benefit from a man like that in the future.”

Then she grabbed her backpack and ran off, leaving, “Bye, Sister.”

Lin Zhaodi lowered her head, silent, sensing there might be more behind her words but didn’t dare think that way.

He Yan cleared his throat. “You sit for a bit, I’ll wash the dishes.”

Inwardly, he was fuming—this little girl just wanted to slack off.

“I’ll do it.”

“No need, go read for a bit.”

He Yan quickly carried the dishes to the kitchen, tall and lean.

Lin Zhaodi blushed, wiped the table, and exhaled. She told herself she must get into a good university.

Fu Yanyan ran to school, meeting her deskmate along the way, who asked, “Why are you running so fast? You won’t be late.”

Fu Yanyan panted, then smiled happily.

Her deskmate looked puzzled, “You’re acting strangely.”

Fu Yanyan laughed, “Nothing, just happy. These days, my parents weren’t home, only me and my brother.”

“Really? That’s awesome!”

“Yeah. Mom even left me lots of money to buy snacks.”

Her deskmate envied her. “Your mom is so good to you.”

Fu Yanyan: “Yeah, really nice.”

Everything’s good, He Yan is good—he wouldn’t end up like in her past life, crippled and missing the military academy. Now he even had a girl he liked and was carefully protecting her.

Fu Yanyan looked up at the clear sky, feeling even happier.

Meanwhile, Jin Xiuzhu and the others had arrived at the neighboring provincial capital.

After eating, Jiang Mingchuan took her and Liuliu to the guesthouse. “Rest well. In the afternoon, you can go out on your own. If you get hungry, eat at the state-run restaurant. I might be back late.”

Jin Xiuzhu nodded.

Liuliu happily waved, “Bye, Dad.”

Jiang Mingchuan smiled and waved, then left.

Jin Xiuzhu checked the time—still early, just twelve o’clock—put down her things, and looked around the room. It wasn’t much different from the previous guesthouse.

After a morning on the train, both mother and daughter were a bit tired. They lay down and quickly fell asleep, waking only around two in the afternoon.

After lingering a bit, they went out. The city center was quite close. Following directions, they headed straight down the main road. Jin Xiuzhu held her daughter’s hand and noticed many military vehicles on the road, likely due to some upcoming competition.

Liuliu curiously asked, “Is Dad on them too?”

“Maybe.”

Jin Xiuzhu couldn’t help glancing at the green vehicles, imagining what Jiang Mingchuan was doing now.

Before, she never thought about these things—her focus had been on keeping favor and suppressing concubines. With men, she only felt fear and calculation.

Jiang Mingchuan, however, had never been her interest, yet now she found herself caring more.

Jin Xiuzhu found it amusing, feeling a bit like a young girl with a budding heart.

She shook her head and told her daughter, “Let’s check out the department store first.”

“Okay.”

The mother and daughter walked to the city center department store, finding it less crowded than expected. In S City or the capital, even on weekdays, stores were packed, but here that wasn’t the case.

They still browsed around. The staff were polite, smiling even if someone just looked.

Jin Xiuzhu, surprised by their good manners, asked, “We’re just visiting. Why does it seem like business isn’t that good here? In S City, people are so many, and before, you couldn’t even buy a TV without waiting in line.”

The staff assumed they came from S City. Seeing that Jin Xiuzhu also wanted a TV and judging by her appearance, they thought she wasn’t short on money. Politely, they said, “Business was good here before. People even rushed to buy these watches. Now, we don’t know why, with no control over the black market, people sell during the day, and goods are cheap without tickets, so many go there instead.”

They frowned. “We don’t know what the authorities are thinking. If this continues, department stores may close, and we’d be laid off too. It took so much money to get this job.”

Jin Xiuzhu comforted them, “Don’t worry. You’re young and capable. If you can work here, you’ll find other good opportunities. Things will work out.”

The staff smiled. “Thanks for the encouragement.”

Lowering their voice, they added, “Don’t spend too long here. Things are expensive. If you want bargains, check the black market—it’s cheaper and has more options.”

Suppressing a laugh, Jin Xiuzhu asked softly, “Where is the black market?”

“Turn left outside, go straight, take bus number five to Liujia Alley. Ask there, and someone will guide you.”

“Okay.”

Grateful, Jin Xiuzhu decisively took her daughter. Following the instructions, they took bus five to Liujia Alley, asked directions, and found the black market.

Holding Liuliu’s hand at the entrance, Jin Xiuzhu was directly stunned by the bustling street.

Jin Xiuzhu: We made it.

Jiang Mingchuan: My wife really loves me.

He Yan: It’s great that Mom and Dad aren’t home.

Fu Yanyan: Two people showing off love again.

Liuliu: Where’s the love? I don’t see it.