Chapter 49

Ji Ling entered carrying a large bag and explained, "I've been participating in training nearby recently. After it ended, I took a few days off to go home and visit. When I called my sister, she told me that Mom was here, so I came over."

Fang Min invited him to sit down.

In the living room, Zhu Ying saw her son and her anxious heart calmed somewhat. She hurriedly said, "Your sister called this morning and said both children were sick and that Yin also got injured. She can't manage everything alone, so she asked me to come back."

Upon hearing this, Ji Ling's expression turned serious. "Are you leaving now? I'll go with you."

Zhu Ying hesitated for a moment before nodding. It wasn't easy for her son to make the trip, and he probably hadn't rested much on the way. But thinking of her daughter, she agreed.

"Carry this bag for me. I need to say goodbye to our neighbor, Jin Xiuzhu. She has been very kind to me lately."

Seeing that Ji Ling had just arrived and was already leaving, Fang Min was at a loss. She wanted to keep him around but feared that Ji An might be waiting anxiously. She glanced at her husband and then hesitantly asked, "Would you like to have a meal before you leave?"

Zhu Ying looked at her son.

Ji Ling squatted down and opened the bag, taking out the gifts he had bought on his way—a selection of biscuits and candies. He zipped up the bag again and picked up the one his mother had packed. "No, Auntie. There's food in the bag, so I'm not hungry."

Then he said to Commissioner Zhu, "Uncle, I'll visit you next time."

Commissioner Zhu followed him out. "You can come anytime. An An's situation is more urgent."

Zhu Ying held Fang Min's hand. "I'll try to return as soon as possible. Take good care of yourself while you're alone. Don't overwork yourself, and if there's anything you need, ask your brother to do it."

"Okay," Fang Min said, feeling reluctant to let them go. "Sister, please be safe on your journey with Ji Ling."

Zhu Ying smiled. "Don't worry about us. Xiao Ling is with me, so I'm not afraid."

Hearing this, Fang Min felt relieved.

Commissioner Zhu took one of the bags from his nephew and prepared to escort them to the entrance of the military compound.

Once outside, Zhu Ying knocked on the neighbor's door. Jin Xiuzhu answered, and upon seeing Zhu Ying's anxious face, she couldn't help asking, "What's wrong, Sister?"

Zhu Ying briefly explained the situation at home and said, "I just wanted to let you know that I don't know when I'll be able to return. Although you're stable now, you still need to be careful. Avoid cold or raw foods, and don't sit and draw all the time. Remember to get up and walk around."

Jin Xiuzhu was touched. "Okay, take care on your journey."

Zhu Ying waved and nodded.

Jin Xiuzhu watched them descend the stairs. She noticed two people in camouflage uniforms walking ahead of Zhu Ying but didn't think much of it. Once they were out of sight, Jin Xiuzhu bid farewell to Fang Min and closed the door.

Back in the living room, Jin Xiuzhu suddenly remembered the pastries she had made that morning. She quickly wrapped two servings in oil paper and called out to Bai Jingzhi, who was doing homework in her room. "Jingzhi, could you come here for a moment?"

Bai Jingzhi ran out of her room. "What is it, Sister-in-Law?"

Jin Xiuzhu said, "Sister Zhu had an emergency at home and had to leave in a hurry. Could you deliver these to her? They should still be within reach."

Without hesitation, Bai Jingzhi nodded and agreed.

She took the two packages of pastries from Jin Xiuzhu and rushed out.

Zhu Ying and the others were walking briskly, and by the time Bai Jingzhi caught up, they were almost at the canteen.

Bai Jingzhi called out, "Aunt! Aunt!"

Zhu Ying recognized the voice and turned around. She saw Bai Jingzhi running toward her, her pale cheeks flushed from the exertion and her hair slightly disheveled.

Bai Jingzhi caught her breath and said, "These are the pastries my sister-in-law made this morning. She wants you to take them with you on your journey."

She handed over the oil paper-wrapped packages.

Zhu Ying felt touched. "Oh, how thoughtful of her to give us so many."

Bai Jingzhi smiled. "There are still some left at home."

Zhu Ying was in a hurry but didn't want to be impolite. "Alright, I'll take them."

She took the packages from Bai Jingzhi, waved her off, and urged her to return to her studies, knowing that Bai Jingzhi had a lot of reading to do every day.

Ji Ling, who was walking ahead, noticed Bai Jingzhi leaving and looked away.

After walking for a bit, Zhu Ying remembered something and exclaimed softly. She hurried to catch up with her son and whispered, "Did you see that girl? I really like her. She's the younger sister of our neighbors, beautiful and smart, and a college student. I plan to ask your uncle to inquire about her. If it seems suitable, we could try to set something up between you two."

At this, Ji Ling frowned and turned to her. "Don't meddle. She's still in school. Why are you trying to set us up?"

Zhu Ying felt a bit guilty when she saw her son's stern expression and lowered her voice. "I just don't want someone else to snatch her away. A few days ago, someone came to inquire about her. As the saying goes, 'A good woman is sought after by many.' If we don't act, what if someone else takes her?"

"That doesn't mean you should interfere recklessly. We live next door, and you know each other. You came here to help Uncle, not to cause trouble for his family. I understand that my affairs concern you, but I can handle my own matters. You don't need to worry and rush around for nothing. I'm not interested."

Hearing this, Zhu Ying's confidence waned. Thinking he meant he wasn't interested in Bai Jingzhi, she looked troubled and muttered, "If you don't like someone as attractive and accomplished as her, then who would you like?"

Ji Ling heard her and knew his mother misunderstood him, but he pursed his lips and didn't clarify.

He simply said, "Our families are close, and your actions put her in an awkward position. Before coming here, I told you to be considerate. Don't be so hasty."

"I..."

Commissioner Zhu, overhearing their conversation, interjected, "Xiao Ling, how can you talk to your mother like that?"

Ji Ling turned his head away and fell silent.

Zhu Ying looked at her son, feeling a bit wronged, and then glanced at her brother.

Commissioner Zhu comforted her. "It's okay. Family members never cause trouble for each other. This hasn't even been discussed yet."

Deep down, he understood that in the past, their family had been poor, and his brother-in-law had been unwell. The entire household relied on his sister to support it, and her children endured many hardships, especially Ji Ling, who had always been responsible and independent. Even with him, his own nephew didn't want to owe anyone any favors.

Ji Ling grunted in acknowledgment.

Zhu Ying heaved a sigh of relief. She had always felt indebted to her son. When he was young and being bullied by their relatives, he had stood up for her without her knowing. She thought he was getting into fights outside and hit him with a stick out of anger. It wasn't until later that her daughter told her what her son had done for her.

Later on, he helped her with the household chores and took on all the burdens she had been carrying. For so many years, if it weren't for her son, she wouldn't have been able to hold on.

Seeing that her son wasn't angry anymore, she coaxed, "Mom won't say anything anymore. Mom won't meddle in your affairs from now on, okay? Don't be angry, I'll listen to you from now on."

Ji Ling looked at Zhu Ying helplessly. "You always say that."

Zhu Ying quickly said, "This time I mean it. I won't care even if you don't get married."

What's the point of getting married when even someone like Jingzhi doesn't meet his standards? Previously, she thought that someone's younger brother had high standards, but now she realized that her son had even higher standards. She really couldn't find anyone better.

Ji Ling's tone softened, but he still said, "Go back and let your sister scold you."

Zhu Ying's head hurt even more when she heard this.

Her son was easy to coax, but Ji An was a hot-tempered girl. She didn't know how her daughter would scold her when they got back.

Before she left, her younger daughter had repeatedly warned her not to cause trouble.

Commissioner Zhu found it amusing. His older sister used to have a bad temper, but who knew that her children would have even worse tempers?

He sent the mother and son to the door and said, "Alright, don't be angry. I'll send you off here. Be careful on your way back."

As he spoke, he took out some money from his pocket and stuffed it into Zhu Ying's pocket while she wasn't paying attention.

Zhu Ying tried to take it out, but Commissioner Zhu held onto her pocket. "Buy something nice for the two kids when you get back. When Anan is better, you might have to come over again."

Hearing this, Ji Ling nodded at his uncle and then said to Zhu Ying, "Let's go."

Zhu Ying didn't refuse. "Then take good care of Fang Min recently. I'll be back soon."

"Okay."

When they were far away, Zhu Ying took out the money and tickets from her pocket. Seeing that there was more than a hundred yuan, she exclaimed, "Why did your uncle give so much?"

Ji Ling wasn't surprised. "We'll buy them more nice things next time we visit."

Zhu Ying sighed. "That's too much. What haven't those two eaten? After I came here, I've eaten a lot of good food. The child next door is also pregnant, a few months behind your aunt. Her husband was injured, so I took care of her as well. That child has a good heart and always shares her delicious food with me. Those pastries are even better than the ones you bought from the department store."

Every year during the New Year, even if her son didn't come home, he would buy some pastries and sweets from the department store or supply and marketing cooperative and send them back. When they were young, they couldn't afford such things. Anan even picked up something someone else dropped when she was young. Her son still remembered all that.

"That family has good hearts, and so does Jingzhi. When I cook, she helps me. She's very considerate and speaks nicely."

She glanced at her son secretly and stopped talking when she saw that he had no expression on his face. She was afraid she had upset him again.

She wasn't afraid of anyone else, but she was afraid of her two children.

Ji Ling recalled the girl he had seen earlier. Suppressing an indescribable feeling, he said solemnly, "Let's go."

He showed no sign of relenting. He felt that he wasn't worthy of her. Although his uncle was now a commissioner, that was his uncle, not him. He was just a poor boy from the countryside, while that girl clearly came from a good family in the city.

His mother didn't see reality, but he did.

Zhu Ying obediently said, "Okay."

---

After Bai Jingzhi returned home, she told Jin Xiuzhu about delivering the pastries.

Jin Xiuzhu nodded and told her to continue studying in her room.

After Bai Jingzhi went to her room, Jin Xiuzhu hesitated before saying to Jiang Mingchuan, "I was worried that Big Sister Zhu would mention her son to me. I could easily reject Sister Wang, but I didn't know how to deal with her."

During this period, Big Sister Zhu had helped their family a lot.

Jiang Mingchuan had heard Jin Xiuzhu talk about how Zhu Ying often mentioned her son around her, seemingly interested in Jingzhi.

He thought for a moment and said, "If she really brings it up, just say that you can get to know each other first. Even if it doesn't work out, we shouldn't hurt the relationship between our families."

Then he added, "If he's a hardworking young man, it wouldn't be a bad thing."

Jin Xiuzhu nodded. That was what she meant when she said this.

Jingzhi would eventually marry someday. Picking early would give her a greater chance of finding a good match. Otherwise, when they looked for one later, they might only find someone rejected by others, like the person Aunt Wang introduced. She didn't like that person.

However, it was inappropriate for her to say this, as if she couldn't tolerate her sister-in-law. It was better for Jiang Mingchuan to have this idea himself.

However, Jin Xiuzhu was mistaken. When Zhu Ying returned from her hometown, she seemed to have forgotten about it and no longer mentioned it. Of course, these were all future events.

After Zhu Ying left, Bai Jingzhi and He Yan took on the tasks of cooking and buying groceries, while Jiang Mingchuan washed the dishes.

Although it was still inconvenient, he could slowly clean them.

Bai Jingzhi initially felt sorry for her brother, but her sister-in-law told her that they didn't support useless people in their family and asked her to trust her brother.

Seeing her four-year-old niece wiping the table with a cloth, she suddenly felt inferior.

So she went back to her room to study with peace of mind.

Bai Jingzhi loved the desk in her room the most. When she lived with her adoptive parents, she and her sister had a desk in their room, but it was a broken one that her adoptive father had picked up from outside. Its legs were uneven and needed to be propped up with stones.

That room was small, with a window facing north. There was no sunlight throughout the year. Unlike her niece's room, which had a window as tall as a person facing south. She could see the scenery far away outside by lowering her head. Next to it was a bookshelf with her books and her niece's books. The bed was also large, with a blanket laid under it, allowing her to walk barefoot on it.

This time when she came back, there was an additional wardrobe in the room, filled with several new clothes, all hers.

Her sister-in-law told her that her brother planned to replace their beds with bunk beds. By the New Year, she could sleep on it, and then she and her niece could each have a bed.

Although she felt that things were fine as they were now, her brother and sister-in-law seemed to think otherwise.

After Jingzhi had read for a while, her little niece quietly came in and sat beside her, picking up her own picture book to flip through.

After reading for a bit, she suddenly turned her head to ask in a hushed voice, "Auntie, did you see Aunt Zhu's son earlier?"

Jingzhi was taken aback, not understanding what her niece meant. "What son?"

Fu Yanyan explained, "It's Aunt Zhu's son. He came over, but when he heard his mother was leaving, he followed her."

Fang Min had mentioned it. With no one else at home and feeling bored, Fang Min had come over to chat with Jin Xiuzhu, and Fu Yanyan had overheard.

Curious, she asked, "Did Auntie see him? Is he good-looking? Aunt Zhu said he's even more handsome than Father."

Jingzhi tried to recall. When she had caught up with the person earlier, there seemed to be someone else ahead, but she hadn't paid attention, focused solely on completing the task her sister-in-law had given her.

She shook her head. "No, I didn't see him."

Fu Yanyan responded with an "oh," somewhat disappointed.

She thought to herself that if Aunt Zhu's son was truly that great, he wouldn't be a bad choice for an uncle-in-law.

If she had an uncle-in-law, Bai Jingzhi's fate from her previous life would truly be rewritten.

The more time Fu Yanyan spent with Bai Jingzhi, the more she appreciated her kindness and gentleness.

And the more she felt heartache for what had happened to her in her past life.

Fu Yanyan said, "Well, Father is definitely better looking."

Bai Jingzhi laughed, not taking her niece's words to heart, and lowered her head to continue reading.

Outside, Fang Min and Jin Xiuzhu were sewing baby clothes and chatting. Jin Xiuzhu asked worriedly, "Will Elder Sister Zhu be able to return before your delivery?"

Fang Min wasn't sure. "Elder Sister said she'll come over once things settle down there. It's just that the two children are still very young."

Jin Xiuzhu nodded. "It shouldn't be too long then. By the way, how about your parents?"

In Jin Xiuzhu's opinion, Fang Min's family's actions were truly disheartening. Even the strict Marquis Mansion of old would have sent someone close to visit their daughter during pregnancy and childbirth, even if they couldn't come themselves.

Yet, despite the convenience of modern transportation, Fang Min's parents hadn't come to visit, nor had they kept in close contact through letters.

When Fang Min heard this, her expression lightened. "Later on, I followed your advice and stopped replying to their letters. I don't know what they were thinking, but they started writing to me to ask about my situation. I'd reply with a word or two sometimes, or not at all. Now, they write every month."

She looked at Jin Xiuzhu, her eyes filled with confusion. Indeed, she was confused. In the past, she might have been moved and delighted, thinking that her parents had finally started to care about her. But now, she didn't think so. She was simply puzzled as to why her parents were acting this way.

Hearing this, Jin Xiuzhu found it somewhat amusing. She couldn't comment on Fang Min's parents. This couple clearly didn't treat Fang Min as their own.

If they had, even if she had distanced herself from them and they didn't like her, they wouldn't want her to slip out of their control.

That's why they became anxious after Fang Min grew distant.

She said, "Do what feels right to you."

Fang Min hummed in agreement. After a pause, she added, "It's strange. Before, I wanted them to pay more attention to me, but now that they write every month, I don't actually want to read their letters."

She wanted to ask if she had changed, but ultimately didn't. It wasn't because she considered Jin Xiuzhu an outsider, but rather because she felt it was meaningless.

Whether she had changed or not, nothing could be altered now.

She gently touched her belly, determined to never lose the child within. She would love him wholeheartedly.

As Jin Xiuzhu had said, she already had love, children, and friends—she had enough.

After seeing her guests off, Jin Xiuzhu went to the kitchen to help Jiang Mingchuan. He stood by the sink shelling peas, having overheard the conversation outside. Seeing Jin Xiuzhu approach, he curiously asked, "What good advice did you give her?"

Jin Xiuzhu recounted the story of Fang Min receiving letters from her family, then said angrily, "How could parents be like that? Fang Min has such a good temper. If it were me, I would have cut ties long ago. Since they prefer their adopted daughter, they should go live with her."

Seeing her puffed-up appearance, Jiang Mingchuan chuckled. "That's their family matter. Didn't you tell the kids not to meddle in other people's family affairs? Why are you getting involved?"

Jin Xiuzhu shook her head. "Fang Min is different."

Pausing here, she continued, "I used to have a... maidservant, named Girl. She was very kind to me, but in the end, her parents married her off to an old man, nearly getting her killed. Her personality is a bit like Fang Min's."

She was referring to her former personal maidservant, Ningyue, who always dreamed of saving enough money to buy her freedom and return home. But when she finally could, she discovered that her parents had only visited her to extract more money from her, not because they genuinely wanted her back. Seeing that she was no longer profitable, they sold her to an old man.

It was another maidservant who learned about this when she returned home for a visit and inadvertently told Jin Xiuzhu. At the time, Jin Xiuzhu was at the height of her influence and needed to win hearts and minds, as well as capable people, so she specially brought Ningyue back and arranged for her to serve as a nanny.

Later, when she was poisoned and lost her child, and accused of attempting to poison the Marquis, Ningyue deliberately showed panic and confessed in front of the Marquis, claiming responsibility for the poisoning. Sent to the Ministry of Justice, she endured torture and insisted that Lady Liu had instigated her, eventually crashing her head against the wall and dying, avenging Jin Xiuzhu.

Thinking back, Jin Xiuzhu had forgotten Ningyue's face, but she still held a special place in her heart. She had lied to him; the two were nothing alike. Ningyue used to love smiling, but every time Fang Min spoke about her parents, she thought of Ningyue.

Jiang Mingchuan's face turned serious. "We should go back and see her when we have the chance. We'll help if we can."

Jin Xiuzhu knew he was being overly compassionate again, so she feigned nonchalance. "It's alright. She got divorced before remarrying and is doing well now."

Jiang Mingchuan sighed in relief. "That's good."

Seeing his emotions play out on his face, Jin Xiuzhu found it somewhat amusing. She thought that with his personality, if he had stayed in the Marquis Mansion, he probably would have been deceived without knowing who had harmed him.

---

That evening, Zhao Yun prepared three dishes and a soup.

They had returned that afternoon. Zhao Yun hadn't wanted to come back, but with her growing belly, living alone with her daughter wasn't convenient. After some thought, she decided to return with Yang Yao.

Yang Yingxiong, seeing his father and aunt return in the afternoon, stayed home to help his aunt prepare dinner.

During meals, he noticed that Dad and Auntie were silent, the house was too quiet, and recalling how lively it always was at He Yan's place, after much internal deliberation, he spoke up, "Dad, have you thought of a name for my little brother yet?"

He knew adults preferred to have boys, so he referred to the baby as his younger brother directly.

Yang Yao, hearing his son's question, glanced at Zhao Yun's belly, his expression softening slightly, "Not yet. We still have time to think about it once the baby is born."

Yang Yingxiong said, "Better to start now, then we can come up with more nice names. Godmom and Goddad have already thought of several names, for both boys and girls."

He just didn't like his own name.

Yang Yao didn't overthink it, "Then I'll find some time to look through books in the next few days."

Zhao Yun also heard this, catching the slip in his words. She froze, asking instinctively, "Is Jin Xiuzhu pregnant?"

Yang Yingxiong looked up, finding it hard to describe Zhao Yun's expression—it was somewhat frightening—and he deeply regretted speaking up just now.