Chapter Seven

The moment Jin Xiuzhu stepped through the door, she paused. Following the sound of the voice, she looked up and met the gaze of a middle-aged woman with short hair that reached her ears. The woman had a round face and fine eyebrows, and when she smiled, there were many wrinkles around her eyes.

Without looking at Jin Xiuzhu, the woman turned to ask the woman beside her, "I don't think I'm mistaken, right? Last time, Qian Yufeng wore this outfit and said it was handmade by her mother-in-law. She showed it off for quite some time."

The living room wasn’t very large. In the center stood a square table surrounded by several men drinking tea. Women sat near the entrance, chatting while holding sunflower seeds in their hands. They threw the shells on the ground, making the place messy and difficult to walk in.

The woman who was asked had a long, thin face. Hearing this, she gave an awkward smile. Seeing everyone looking at her, she quickly said, "I’m not sure."

She was secretly furious but didn’t want to get involved in something that would make enemies.

Liu Hongyue acted as if she hadn’t heard anything and feigned surprise, "How could that be? You were there that day."

Her expression was exaggerated.

Just as Jin Xiuzhu was about to speak, Jiang Mingchuan, who had been walking behind her, suddenly stepped forward and shielded her from behind. Liu Hongyue wanted to say more, but seeing this, she felt less confident. She had only dared to act like this after hearing some gossip.

A woman sitting some distance away from Liu Hongyue greeted Jiang Mingchuan, "Commander Jiang is here too. This must be your sister, come in, it’s cold outside."

The few men sitting at the table got up one after another upon hearing the commotion. "Why so late?"

"The sister-in-law came too? Come in and have some hot water."

"Two children, right? Good, good."

The atmosphere in the living room instantly became lively.

Jiang Mingchuan put his arm around Jin Xiuzhu's waist and greeted them, "We were delayed on the way."

Then he introduced Fu Yanyan to Jin Xiuzhu, "Jin Xiuzhu, this is my daughter, Yanyan."

He then started introducing others, "This is Commander Wu, this is Commander Yang…"

Jin Xiuzhu and Fu Yanyan took turns greeting them.

Wang Ling, who had been busy in the kitchen, came out to see. While rubbing her hand on her apron, she warmly said, "Finally! Just wait a bit longer, two more dishes will be ready soon. What’s up with Old Yan? He went out earlier and hasn’t returned yet?"

Jiang Mingchuan continued to introduce Wang Ling to Jin Xiuzhu.

"This is the commander’s wife, you can call her sister. This is Jin Xiuzhu, my wife."

When Wang Ling heard the word 'wife,' her hand, which she had extended, paused for a moment. However, she still warmly said, "Hello, hello. It’s our first meeting, please forgive us for any shortcomings in our hospitality."

Jin Xiuzhu noticed this but did not show any unusual reaction on her face. She switched the basket on her right wrist to her left hand, reached out, and shook hands with a smile, "Hello."

Seeing the basket in her hand, Wang Ling’s smile widened.

So many people had come today, but Jin Xiuzhu was the first to bring something. Even though Wang Ling had some grievances towards the couple, her mood improved a little now.

"Come in and rest for a while. We can start eating once Old Yan returns. I’ll go back to the kitchen. Feel free to chat among yourselves, make yourselves at home."

With that, she hurriedly returned to the kitchen.

Jiang Mingchuan continued to introduce Jin Xiuzhu to everyone. He introduced everyone except for the woman with the round face who had spoken at the beginning. Finally, he greeted Fang Min, the wife of Political Commissar Zhu, "It’s her first time here, she’s not familiar with everything yet. I trouble you, Sister."

The woman was the one who had invited them in at the beginning. She was young, but her manner of interacting with others made people feel comfortable. She smiled gently, "Don’t worry, we won’t let her down."

Jiang Mingchuan then walked over to the other men, taking a stool for Jin Xiuzhu before he left so that she could sit next to Fang Min.

It was the first time Jin Xiuzhu had been taken care of like this, without needing to handle things herself. Recalling her days at the Marquis Mansion, where she had to swallow her anger every time she was bullied, later on, when she gained power, she learned to use her influence to bully others. She sold or expelled the servants and concubines who had once bullied her, leaving them no chance to retaliate.

Facing her was the round-faced woman who had mocked her earlier. Her face now looked a bit ugly, probably because she resented Jiang Mingchuan’s intentional neglect.

Being supported and protected by someone else made Jin Xiuzhu feel good, but she wasn’t a good person either. She put on a flustered expression and explained to the woman, "My previous husband was also a soldier, but he sacrificed himself last year. I have a daughter and am not favored in my in-laws’ house. If it weren’t for Commander Jiang coming to visit us specifically, I wouldn’t know what future we would have… This outfit does belong to Sister Qian. I was afraid that wearing something too shabby would embarrass Commander Jiang, so I made some food to give to Sister Qian and asked to borrow her clothes for the night, promising to return them tomorrow. Sister Qian is kind. Seeing that my child didn’t have any clothes to wear, she specially found a nice outfit for the child."

As she finished speaking, tears rolled down her cheeks like beads. With just a few words, she praised Jiang Mingchuan, Qian Yufeng, and herself. Even though she was poor, she didn’t borrow things from others for nothing.

In contrast, it made the other woman seem even more unreasonable and petty.

The two children stood behind Jin Xiuzhu. He Yan was still young and couldn’t hide his thoughts. Seeing Jin Xiuzhu cry pitifully, the usually silent and timid boy glared at Liu Hongyue across from him with an unfriendly look.

Only Fu Yanyan looked surprised, widening her eyes. She glanced at Liu Hongyue, who was being attacked by everyone’s gazes, and then at Jin Xiuzhu. Suddenly, she felt that the woman in front of her seemed a bit unfamiliar. In her memory, Jin Xiuzhu never showed weakness.

Fang Min sighed and patted Jin Xiuzhu’s back, "It’s okay, better days are ahead. Commander Jiang is a good person, and the two children are well-behaved. Don’t cry, don’t cry."

"That’s right, what’s wrong with borrowing clothes? My child’s clothes are all gifts from relatives. Who has such a prosperous life?"

"Don’t worry, next time borrow my clothes. If anyone dares to say anything, I’ll tear their mouth apart."

These words made Jin Xiuzhu laugh. Seeing her smile, everyone started chatting again, but the topic revolved around Jin Xiuzhu. No one echoed Liu Hongyue when she tried to interject. Especially the few people around her, whether intentionally or unintentionally, slowly moved their stools closer to Jin Xiuzhu, making her face look even uglier.

However, the topic didn’t last long. Soon, Commander Yan and Political Commissar Zhu returned. All the women stood up. There were quite a few people, so Commander Yan simply went out to borrow a table from the neighbor.

The women split into two groups. Some swept the floor, while others went to the kitchen to help serve the dishes. Jin Xiuzhu was afraid of breaking the dishes and drawing attention, so she only moved chairs outside. As she did so, she ended up standing next to Jiang Mingchuan.

Jiang Mingchuan had heard Jin Xiuzhu’s words earlier. Although he was somewhat touched, he also knew that she had her own little tricks. However, he couldn’t bring himself to be angry. Instead, he even felt a bit envious. In the past, when faced with similar situations, he would only endure silently.

For dinner, the men sat at one table, while the women and children sat at another.

The children didn’t sit at the table. They held a bowl in their hands and stood nearby, telling their mothers what they wanted to eat. Some lively children would even run to their fathers’ table and point at what they wanted to eat.

Jin Xiuzhu placed Fu Yanyan on her lap. Holding a spoon, Fu Yanyan scooped food to eat by herself. As she ate, she remembered how Jin Xiuzhu taught her to chew slowly and keep her back straight. She subconsciously followed these instructions. He Yan also stood obediently beside her, eating whatever Jin Xiuzhu gave him. The two children didn’t make a fuss, forming a stark contrast to the other children who were wolfing down their food and clamoring for meat.

It was understandable for He Yan to behave this way since he wasn’t related by blood. But for such a young girl to be so well-behaved and sensible, it was indeed surprising to those present who were observant.

Fang Min, sitting next to Jin Xiuzhu, turned to look at them several times. She found the mother and daughter’s manners to be very refined and gentle, making them pleasant to watch. Although she didn’t have children yet, if she did, she hoped they would be as well-behaved as these two.

After the meal, those in the room chatted for a while longer. Once Wang Ling had finished washing the dishes and returned, people began to take their leave one after another. Jin Xiuzhu and Jiang Mingchuan lingered behind; when most had departed, the two bid farewell as well. Jin Xiuzhu pretended to have just remembered something, picked up the basket in the corner of the room, and then smilingly took out the plate inside. "It's my first time here, and I wasn't sure what to bring. We don't have much at home, so I made some food myself. I hope you won't mind."

She lifted the cover on top, revealing a neatly arranged pile of bean cakes in the plate—a beautiful golden hue that looked incredibly tempting under the soft light.

A hint of surprise appeared on Wang Ling’s and Commander Yan’s faces. Having lived more than half their lives, they had never seen such a dish before.

Without hesitation, Commander Yan said, "This looks like good stuff, but you should take it back and eat it yourselves."

The child standing behind him stretched his neck to look. Hearing this, he tugged hard on his father's clothes. "Dad."

He wanted his father to retract his words. Seeing that his father ignored him, he turned to his mother instead.

Commander Yan felt somewhat awkward.

Wang Ling didn’t want to embarrass her husband, so she followed suit. "Yes, you should take it back and eat it yourselves. We still have food at home. We invited you over just to get to know each other and become familiar with one another. Everyone in the unit is like family, so there's no need for all this."

"Your words are too kind, Sister. This is also our heartfelt gesture, both mine and Commander Jiang’s. You and Commander Yan have been taking care of us, and we're grateful to you. It's not anything valuable—all homemade and didn’t cost much. If you don’t accept it, it would make me sad."

With Jin Xiuzhu saying this, Wang Ling couldn’t refuse any further. She smiled and went into the kitchen to fetch a plate.

As they saw their guests off, Wang Ling’s smile remained on her face. When she and Commander Yan turned around, they saw their son already stuffing his mouth full. He mumbled through his food, "So delicious, Mom, come and try some."

Wang Ling glanced at him disapprovingly. "How old are you now? You’re less sensible than someone else’s younger siblings."

During dinner, she had noticed how well-behaved Commander Jiang’s two children were.

Yan Xing grunted twice, expressing his dissatisfaction.

Beside him, Commander Yan picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. Hearing this, he couldn’t help but say, "Don’t blame the son either. You’re the same. I clearly only invited the Xiao Jiang family, why did you call the others as well?"

Wang Ling felt a little guilty and found an excuse. "I thought having more people would be lively."

Yan Xing directly exposed her true thoughts. "Not really. You clearly told Aunt Qin and Aunt Liu that you wanted to see what kind of person Jiang Mingchuan was interested in, someone who could even reject Aunt Zhao—could she be a celestial beauty? You didn’t believe that so many people wouldn’t reveal her true colors."

Being retold word-for-word what she had said, Wang Ling couldn’t hold her embarrassment. She glared at him angrily. "Have you finished your homework?"

Yan Xing puffed out his cheeks.

Commander Yan’s face darkened. Irritated, he said, "Look at yourself. She was thinking about making you something nice to eat, yet you harbored such intentions towards her. Jiang Mingchuan and Zhao Yun only met once; nothing has been decided yet. Moreover, this is between the two of them. What right do you have to interfere? Do you only feel happy if you make them lose face? Jiang Mingchuan’s parents were heroes in the war, and Jin Xiuzhu’s husband was a martyr. Even if Zhao Yun is great, does that justify you playing tricks on them?"

Wang Ling was left speechless. She hadn’t thought about it that much. She just felt unhappy because a pair she had thought would be perfect together was suddenly interrupted by someone else. Added to that, someone had egged her on, and she had joined in the mischief.

Actually, she had quite a good impression of Jin Xiuzhu tonight. She didn’t talk excessively and was polite. However, being scolded by her husband now made her lose face. "You also said that Jiang Mingchuan and Zhao Yun were a good match. Why are you blaming me now? I didn’t do anything. Everyone ate happily, so why are you being so harsh? I worked tirelessly in the kitchen, what were you doing? You didn’t even help clean up after the meal. Where do you get the nerve to criticize me?"

"…"

While the two were arguing, Yan Xing had almost finished eating the bean cakes. With the last two pieces remaining, Yan Xing quickly ran back to his room.

---

Jin Xiuzhu and Jiang Mingchuan hurried home to heat water and wash up. Jin Xiuzhu washed up first. Afterward, she sat on the bed sorting out the fabric she bought during the day. While buying the fabric, she had also purchased a sewing kit. She measured the fabric with her hands and cut it with scissors, her movements quick and steady.

When Jiang Mingchuan came out after his bath, he saw her bent over, engrossed in something. The soft candlelight illuminated her face, making her appear gentler.

After measuring her daughter’s arm, Jin Xiuzhu quickly tucked her hand back into the quilt and stroked her small face. "Go to sleep."

The little girl stared at her, her eyes suddenly moistening. Afraid of being noticed, she quickly closed her eyes.

Jin Xiuzhu didn’t notice. She sewed quickly with needle and thread, creating a rough outline. It resembled what she had seen at the department store today. After finishing her daughter’s, she started measuring He Yan’s.

He Yan obediently extended his hand for her to measure.

Jiang Mingchuan dried his hair and sat down on the bed. Jin Xiuzhu glanced at him, thought for a moment, and spoke softly. "Thank you for tonight. When I heard those words upon entering, I didn’t know what to do. At that moment, when you stood in front of me to protect me, I felt reassured. No one has ever treated me so kindly."

Jiang Mingchuan was taken aback. He didn’t expect her to remember such a minor incident. For a moment, he didn’t know how to react.

But a warm current seemed to flow through his heart, warming his entire being.

No one had ever spoken to him like this.

Jin Xiuzhu continued with a smile. "Let’s not mention the past. From now on, I’ll treat you as my true partner. Let’s live a good life together. No one will dare to look down on us. What do you think?"

Her eyes shone as she looked at him, filled with admiration and affection.

She knew that men loved to be heroes. By elevating him and looking at him with adoration, no man could resist.

Sure enough, even the usually composed Jiang Mingchuan couldn’t handle it. He had planned to live a respectful life with Jin Xiuzhu. She was his comrade’s wife, and he could marry her but couldn’t disrespect her. But hearing these words now, his heart wavered. In just a few days of interaction, he gradually experienced a sense of home.

Perhaps it was the sound of her voice or the dim candlelight in the room that made him nod his head as if possessed.

Jin Xiuzhu smiled.

Jiang Mingchuan didn’t dare to look at her for long. He quickly lay down, closed his eyes, and his mind became a jumbled mess.

Having achieved her goal, Jin Xiuzhu blew out the kerosene lamp beside her and lay down to sleep.

She slept well that night.

The next morning, when Jiang Mingchuan and He Yan got up, Jin Xiuzhu and Fu Yanyan skillfully turned over and continued sleeping.

Father and son paused at the sight of their backs but ultimately said nothing. They quietly left without making a sound.

Author's note:

Jin Xiuzhu: Men are so easy to please.

Fu Yanyan: Learned another trick.

He Yan: Aunt has been working so hard, staying up late last night to make us clothes.

Jiang Mingchuan: Something just doesn't feel right.