Chapter 59.1

Ruan Mingfu shook her head.

“His biological father married a stepmother, and this is what happens to the child.”

Gu Yilin felt a pang of sadness.

The boy looked only six or seven years old, and his clothes were like pickled vegetables. It was unclear how long they hadn’t been washed.

“Doesn’t the military handle this?”

“How could they?”

They were not the only family in the army. There were one or two hundred families in the family compound, which was more than the population of an average village. Tiezhu’s stepmother was excessive, and they had warned her, but she was a tough nut, always polite but hard to deal with.

When it came to handling matters, Tiezhu’s father wanted to help but couldn’t because Tiezhu’s mother was so formidable, often beating them both together.

His father had recently gone on a mission and couldn’t attend to him.

So Tiezhu had to fend for himself, eating only intermittently.

Ruan Mingfu felt a bit speechless.

Among so many families, there were always some odd ones.

She packed up some leftover whole grain steamed buns from breakfast and a small piece of clothing.

Ruan Mingfu had recently been learning to sew clothes with Hu Wanning. It seemed wasteful to throw away the leftover scraps, so she decided to stitch them together. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much fabric.

Now, it was just the right size for Tiezhu.

Tiezhu worked diligently and quickly in the vegetable patch. In the short time Ruan Mingfu was inside, he had already cleared more than half of the weeds, far surpassing the work she and Gu Yilin had done.

Ah!

Ruan Mingfu had a brilliant idea.

For such tedious and laborious tasks, she could have Tiezhu help out in the future!

She was truly a genius!

you can come to my house and help me with the work in the future,” Ruan Mingfu thought for a moment, “I will provide you with three meals a day, how about that?”

Tiezhu’s eyes lit up.

This is much better than helping Aunt Liu with work.

Aunt Liu had kept him working all day without letting him leave. He had finished his work only to miss meal times and was now starving.

Seeing Tiezhu’s eyes fixed on the steamed buns in her hand, Ruan Mingfu handed them to him.

“Here, eat.”

Tiezhu hesitated, then took the buns and began devouring them quickly. His hungry state made Gu Yilin frown slightly.

“Eat slowly, don’t choke.”

“Forget it,” Ruan Mingfu said, heading inside. “I’ll get him a glass of water.”

Tiezhu felt a bit embarrassed as he received the water.

“Thank you, Auntie.”

He ate three buns in one go, clearly very hungry. After eating, he had more energy and worked even faster. Perhaps to show his gratitude, he quickly cleared the remaining weeds from the field.

With the weeds gone, Ruan Mingfu looked at the neatly arranged radish seedlings and felt satisfied.

“Tiezhu, you did a great job.”

Gu Yilin was genuinely pleased.

She and her “plastic friend” had spent an entire morning working, but Tiezhu achieved more in just a few hours. They were adults after all.

“Here’s a piece of clothing for you, Tiezhu.”

Tiezhu shook his head vigorously upon seeing the clothes. “Auntie, I can’t accept this.”

The steamed buns were enough.

He felt he didn’t deserve new clothes, thinking they were too expensive…

Ruan Mingfu didn’t understand his hesitation and said impatiently, “Just take it. Who else would fit this size? Hurry up.”

Tiezhu looked at the clothes.

After hesitating for a moment, he accepted the bundle that Ruan Mingfu handed to him.

“Take it.”

Tiezhu looked at the clothes in his arms and smelled the scent emanating from the cloth. He was very happy.

In a voice barely above a whisper, he said, “…Thank you, Auntie.”

“Do you still want more buns?”

He touched his round belly with his small hand.

He had never felt so full in his life. But his father always said one shouldn’t be too greedy.

Tiezhu shook his head.

“No, thank you, Auntie.”

“Sister-in-law Ruan, are you here?”

Ruan Mingfu: “…”

Honestly, every time she heard that address, it made her feel older…

She looked at the person at the door. “Who are you?”

“I am Li Xiuxiu, the granddaughter of Commander Li.”

The visitor wore a white shirt and had two glossy black braids. Her clear and bright appearance was not at all like the eccentric description Xie Yanzhao had given.

She smiled and stood at the door with a lively demeanor, looking like a university student from fifty or sixty years in the future.

Ruan Mingfu was a bit puzzled, but as the guest, she welcomed her.

“Comrade Li, don’t be polite. Come in.”

She then noticed that Li Xiuxiu was carrying something.

“No need,” Li Xiuxiu said with grace. “Grandma heard you like fish, and Grandpa went fishing today with Uncle Wu at the reservoir behind. They caught quite a few. I happened to pass by, so I brought them for you.”

“…I see.”

Ruan Mingfu breathed a sigh of relief. She thought the other party was here to spy on the enemy, but it turned out they were just delivering fish.

“Come in, and I’ll get a bucket.”

Li Xiuxiu was very well behaved, she walked into the yard without looking around. She put down the things in her hand, lowered her eyes slightly, and no one knew what she was thinking.

Ruan Mingfu came over with the bucket and saw her like this.

The fish were not large.

There was a grass carp, about a pound and a half, and several small crucian carp, perfect for making soup.

When Li Xiuxiu saw Ruan Mingfu more clearly, her eyes showed a flash of admiration.

Ruan Mingfu was even more beautiful than anyone Li Xiuxiu had seen, making her previous infatuations look insignificant. Li Xiuxiu’s eyes sparkled, and even though it meant getting wet, she eagerly grabbed the fish from the water herself.

“Comrade Ruan, I’ll do it!”

Ruan Mingfu, who was about to help: “…”

Although she didn’t understand Li Xiuxiu’s behavior, she was pleased not to dirty her own hands.

“Comrade Ruan, my grandmother asked me to tell you to visit her for a chat.”

After Li Xiuxiu had finished with the fish, she stood upright.

“I understand.”

In the family compound, Wu Yunhua was the closest elder to her. Ruan Mingfu liked her very much for her warmth and kindness.

Li Xiuxiu was very considerate. “Then I’ll be leaving now.”

Ruan Mingfu saw her out of the gate.

Since they weren’t very familiar, it felt awkward to keep her. Besides, she wasn’t sure of Li Xiuxiu’s purpose for the visit.

…

After leaving the yard, Li Xiuxiu went back carrying the bucket in a good mood.

Ye Qiu had already returned, sitting at the table, listening to the radio while knitting. She might have some quirks, but her knitting skills were truly impressive.

Ye Qiu’s knitting was incredibly fast. Before anyone could even see what she was doing, she had already finished a row.

When Li Xiuxiu came back, Ye Qiu lazily lifted her eyelids but continued her swift knitting.

“Back already? How did it go?”

Li Xiuxiu’s hand paused, and the smile on her face faded.

“What’s there to discuss?”

“Don’t try to fool me,” Ye Qiu set aside her knitting, “What did your grandma say?”

Li Xiuxiu hurried over to Ye Qiu.

She rolled her eyes, “I didn’t ask.”

“How could you not ask?” Ye Qiu was flabbergasted, her frown deepening. “What did I tell you before you left? Why didn’t you inquire?”

“Embarrassing.”

Ye Qiu’s face twisted with rage.

“You little brat! Why didn’t you ask when I told you to?!” She grabbed Li Xiuxiu and pinched her sharply. “I’m doing this for your own good!”

Li Xiuxiu dodged her mother’s hand.

“Mom, why do you always have to be so physical with your reprimands?”

Ye Qiu’s temper flared even more.

“Have you gotten so bold that you dare shout at me, your mother?”

Although Ye Qiu had set her sights on Xie Yanzhao as a potential son-in-law, he and his wife were happily married, leaving her no way to intervene. Now, she had heard that Captain Gu was getting a divorce.

Wasn’t this a perfect match?

Because of Wu Yunhua’s warning, she was barred from entering the military compound. Frustrated and unable to come up with a solution, Ye Qiu had sent Li Xiuxiu to handle it.

But…

“Mom, can you calm down?” Li Xiuxiu was exasperated. “If I go now, Grandma might think less of me.”

So annoying!

Always pushing her to get married, as if she was going to rot at home.

Li Xiuxiu felt she was on the verge of losing her mind.

“What’s to look down on?” Ye Qiu’s chest heaved. “She’s your own grandma. She should help with your matters. Even though Captain Gu might be a bit inferior to Xie Yanzhao, he’s still a good match for you. What more do you want?”

Li Xiuxiu: “…”

Forget it, it’s impossible to reason with her mother.

She turned and sat on the sofa. “I’m not going. If you want to go, then you go.”

“If I could get into the family compound, I wouldn’t need you,” Ye Qiu suppressed her anger and walked over. “Tell me, what do you think of Captain Gu?”

Li Xiuxiu: “…”

She thought the Jade Emperor would be great. Xould her mother make her the Queen Mother of Heaven?

“Don’t talk about it. Captain Gu isn’t even divorced yet.”

“So what if he’s not divorced? We’re just being prepared,” Ye Qiu said with growing conviction. “Find out now, and if it seems suitable, you can marry him once he’s divorced.”

“Mom!”

Every conversation with her mother left Li Xiuxiu feeling a mix of frustration and helplessness.

“Can you calm down? I’m not unable to get married. Do you know what you’re doing? You’re ruining military marriages and breaking the law!”

Anger surged in Ye Qiu as well.

“You’re getting so brazen you dare shout at me, your mother!”

Li Xiuxiu closed her eyes and took a deep breath, suppressing her frustration.

“Do you ever listen to yourself?” Ye Qiu continued to berate her, “Who would even want you? A while ago, a cadre was interested in you. He didn’t mind that you were unmarried with a child, but you rejected him because of his age.”

“And that young man from a while ago wasn’t old, but you said he was unattractive.”

“Li Xiuxiu, you’re already an old maid. If you don’t get married, are we supposed to support you forever? Your little brother is still young. He’ll need to go to college, get married, and have children…”

Listening to Ye Qiu’s long-winded lecture, Li Xiuxiu suddenly stood up.

“Enough!”

“You always use my reputation to scold and belittle me. Who do you think caused my bad reputation outside?”

Ye Qiu felt a pang of guilt.

“You spend your days gossiping about me with those busybodies,” Li Xiuxiu’s suppressed anger exploded. “Others say bad things about me, and you don’t just accept it, you even agree with them. What kind of parent are you?”

“Everything outside is better than what I do, and nothing I do is right.”

“Marry someone? No way! I have a job. I can support myself!”

Li Xiuxiu’s eyes were red as she released all the pent-up grievances she had harbored for years.

Ye Qiu was stunned.

“You only care about your own face,” Li Xiuxiu’s voice was filled with indignation, “Face, face, you and your face can go live a good life.”

Li Jian was just outside the door, and was slightly stunned when he saw his daughter carrying something in one hand and holding her child in the other.

“What’s going on?”

“Get out!” Ye Qiu threw a ball of yarn at Li Xiuxiu with extreme rage. “I’ll act like I never gave birth to you!”

“What…”

The ball of yarn hit Li Xiuxiu squarely, and it knocked away the last bit of hesitation she had.

“Dad, I’ll visit you again later.”

Li Xiuxiu, holding her child and fighting back tears, walked out.

“Wife, what’s wrong…”

Looking at Li Xiuxiu’s back as she left without hesitation, Ye Qiu felt like a volcano had erupted inside her.

“Shut up!”

This time it wasn’t yarn but a ceramic cup, which narrowly missed hitting Li Jian’s face, crashing down with a loud noise.

“Get lost! If you keep bringing her up in front of me, you can get lost too!”

Looking at the dented enamel basin, Li Jian felt a bit of relief, as if surviving a disaster. He carefully picked up the basin and closed the door, only to see Ye Qiu sitting nearby, wiping away tears.

“She actually said I’m not fit to be her mother…”

“And I was only trying to do what’s best for her!”

“Ungrateful little wretch…”

At this moment, Ye Qiu was no longer the tough figure she appeared to be in front of Li Xiuxiu. With red eyes, she looked heartbroken.

Li Jian didn’t know what to say and could only sigh.

….

Although Ruan Mingfu was as anxious as a mouse facing a cat when meeting Mrs. Ruan, she still hoped they would come. That day, when Xie Yanzhao happened to be off work, she dragged him out.

Gu Yilin looked at their departing figures and snorted.

Hmph!

She didn’t want to be a light bulb and went to play with Hu Wanning.

In the car, Ruan Mingfu held a list and chatted with Xie Yanzhao.

“My parents will definitely be staying at our place, so that storage room needs to be cleared out… Also, Mrs. Ruan prefers silk sheets…”

Since they weren’t available for purchase, she was glad that the silk factory had given her a bit during the last trade fair.

She planned to cut it into bed sheets when she got back…

Ruan Mingfu continued, “Also, Mrs. Ruan is very particular. The room’s fragrance should be a fresh, subtle woody scent.”

Since there weren’t any fragrances to buy right now, she planned to check the supply and marketing cooperative for oranges later.

And there were curtains, beds, and pillows…

There was so much to buy.