Chapter 15

After a night of indulgence, the next morning, Jiang Chunzao unsurprisingly couldn’t get out of bed.

By the time Lu Lin had finished his bath, chopped wood, and made breakfast to go to the market, his little wife was still sound asleep, lying on the kang without getting up.

By the kang, six-year-old Shitou was with his little sister, Xiao Moli. The two children were looking at Jiang Chunzao, who was still in bed, with worried expressions.

When Xiao Moli saw her mother like this, she said worriedly with her baby voice: “Brother, is Mommy sick?”

Six-year-old Shitou was a sensible child, already a little adult. He understood some things and had a vague feeling that his mother didn’t seem sick, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He could only scratch his head and say: “I don’t know, either.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Moli became anxious. She quickly brought her little wallet over, stamping her feet and spinning around in circles: “Brother, if Mommy is sick, we have to take her to the hospital. I have money! Let’s take Mommy to the doctor!”

The little wallet Xiao Moli was holding was a colorful one made by Jiang Chunzao’s mother, it was embroidered with jasmine flowers.

Shitou had the same wallet, but his had elegant bamboo patterns on it.

Usually, the two little ones took great care of their wallets, storing the pocket change their grandparents and mother gave them.

Now, Xiao Moli was holding her treasured wallet, wanting to use the money to help her mother see a doctor.

Seeing his sister like this, although Shitou also wanted to take out his own wallet, he hesitated and said: “Sister, Grandma said that seeing a doctor costs a lot of money. We don’t have enough.”

What should we do? Mommy is sick.

Xiao Moli’s big, beautiful eyes filled with tears, she cried pitifully.

Shitou looked at his Mother, who was still sleeping heavily, and his sister was crying too. His own eyes were now red with worry.

At this moment, Jiang Chunzao’s mother, who couldn’t find the two children outside, came into the room and saw the children lying by the kang, with tears in their eyes.

Mother Jiang slapped her thigh and hurried over to comfort the two children, leading them outside: “My good grandchildren, what’s going on? Why are you crying when I haven’t even been gone long? Shitou, did some bad kids outside bully my good grandson? Come on, let’s go find them and settle this!”

Seeing Mother Jiang looking so angry, Shitou quickly shook his little head and said: “Grandma, no one is bullying me and my sister. We’re just worried about Mom. Is Mom sick?”

What? That’s all?

Mother Jiang immediately breathed a sigh of relief. She looked Joat her grandchildren’s tear-filled faces, she smiled and said repeatedly:

“Ah, I thought something serious had happened! These kids… Your Mom is fine, don’t worry.”

Although Mother Jiang said that, the two little ones still looked at her with teary eyes: “Grandma, why hasn’t Mom gotten up yet? The big rooster in the village has crowed several times already.”

Mother Jiang was both amused and helpless. The two kids didn’t even believe their grandma when it came to their mother! So, the old lady decided to tell them the truth: “Mom is just tired. Last night, she was fighting with a monster and fought the whole night! How could she not be tired? Don’t worry, it’s nothing. Shitou, take your sister and go play.”

After saying that, the old lady took off her shoes and sat down on the mat, starting to arrange her clothes, leaving the two little ones to huddle together and whisper.

“Brother, why did Mom have to fight with a monster? Why didn’t Daddy save her?”

This was curious little Xiao Moli.

Shitou thought for a while, his big eyes suddenly brightened: “Dad also fights with monsters! Dad fights the big monster, and Mama fights the little monster!”

Xiao Moli nodded, then smiled brightly: “Brother, then Daddy and Mommy are so amazing!”

Indeed, Mom and Dad are the best!

Shitou strongly agreed with his sister’s words, and the two children proudly went into the room to check on Mama.

〰️〰️〰️〰️

Meanwhile, in the yard, Jiang Chunzao’s mother, having overheard the children, smiled quietly to herself.

Grandma’s silly grandchildren, your mom and dad are those two monsters!

~

Jiang Chunzao was indeed exhausted after last night. When she woke up, it was already bright outside, and her whole body felt as if it had been crushed by a giant rock—so sore.

She touched her aching waist, grumbling and crying a little as she tried to drag herself out of bed. Just as she started to get out, she was met by the sparkling eyes of her two little ones.

Xiao Moli who was happy to see her mother wake up, asked: “Mommy, you’re awake?”

“Little Sister, Don’t disturb Mom. Grandma said Mom fought with the big monster all night and needs to rest,” Shitou said as he made a shushing motion to Xiao Moli.

Xiao Moli quickly covered her mouth with her little hand and blinked her big, watery eyes, signaling that she understood.

After the two little ones finished speaking, they focused all their attention on watching their Mother.

Jiang Chunzao, who had just crawled out of bed, silently wiped away tears and crawled back into the covers.

…It’s all that bastard, Lu Lin’s fault!

~

Although Jiang Chunzao cursed Lu Lin angrily in bed for a long while, in the end, it was “that bastard” Lu Lin who “rescued” her from the children’s watchful eyes.

Unlike his little wife, who struggled to get out of bed, Captain Lu was already full of energy early in the morning.

He started by washing up, then boiled hot water and mixed it with water from the well to make warm water. He gently used a clean towel to wipe down his little wife, who was still in bed.

After that, he went outside to chop firewood, cook, and even made a trip to the market to buy some snacks that Jiang Chunzao and the children liked.

When he returned from the market and entered the house, he saw the two children staring at Jiang Chunzao on the bed with their wide, bright eyes. He held back his laughter and managed to coax the children away.

Finally managing to get out of bed, Jiang Chunzao’s little face was as red as a sunset.

Jiang Chunzao that was now as red as a sunset, dressed and looked at the two children in the yard.

She glared at Lu Lin with an annoyed expression “It’s all your fault!”

Earlier, Lu Lin, who had been outside, also noticed the teasing look from Mother Jiang. His handsome face reddened slightly, and he cleared his throat “The breakfast is cold, I’ll heat it up again. Get up and have something to eat.”

Lu Lin’s words made Jiang Chunzao, who had slept in for most of the morning, realize she was already quite hungry. She stopped being upset, got out of bed, washed her hands, and had a late breakfast.

By the time she finished, the clock in the main room had already struck ten. After eating her fill and resting enough, Jiang Chunzao felt much better.

The sun was high outside now, and the three speckled chickens that had been fed in the morning started clucking again, asking for more food.

Jiang Chunzao went outside. Hearing the chickens clucking, she mixed some feed and fed them. Then, she wiped her hands clean and grabbed a water bucket, heading toward the well to fetch water.

Seeing this, Lu Lin quickly went over to help his wife with the water. Mother Jiang smiled happily at the sight. Recently, Jiang Chunzao seemed to have become bolder, as she just pretended not to see and took the two children to the kitchen to collect eggs.

Lately, the three speckled chickens at home had been laying eggs regularly, sometimes eight or nine a day. Jiang Chunzao collected the eggs and not only steamed eggs for the children every day but also saved the rest in a jar.

Over the past few days, Jiang Chunzao had saved quite a few eggs. Since the family couldn’t eat them all, she thought she could either take them to her parents to help with their health or perhaps sell them at the market when she had the time to make some money.

Since the family couldn’t eat all the eggs, it wouldn’t hurt to sell some for money, but today, she wasn’t planning to sell them. She wanted to collect some eggs to take to Longshan’s wife as a thank-you gift.

If it hadn’t been for Longshan’s wife helping her handle the group of women yesterday, buying all those things for the house, it would have been really difficult for just her and Lu Lin to carry everything back.

In the countryside, relationships and mutual help are important, and when someone helps you, you must return the favor.

Moreover, before her rebirth, Jiang Chunzao had caused a lot of trouble. Not only was she not well-liked in the Lu family, but she also didn’t have many good relationships in the village.

This time, she genuinely wanted to be on good terms with Longshan’s wife. Longshan’s wife was kind-hearted, and not only did she get along well with Jiang Chunzao, but her father-in-law was also an old official in the village. Cultivating a good relationship with her could be quite beneficial.

Jiang Chunzao collected twenty eggs, placed them in a basket, and left her two children at home while heading to Longshan’s house.

When she arrived, Longshan’s wife was busy with chores, but she was naturally happy to see Jiang Chunzao and quickly brought out some snacks and tea to entertain her.

The two sat down inside, and when Longshan’s wife saw that Jiang Chunzao was still holding something, and heard that she was here to thank her for helping the day before, she quickly said:

“Chunzao, what are you doing? Such a small thing, and you’re bringing gifts to my house. Do you not consider me as family?”

Jiang Chunzao had come prepared. After a little back-and-forth in refusal, she casually said, “If you don’t accept these eggs, I’ll never visit again.” With that, Longshan’s wife reluctantly accepted the eggs.

As soon as she took the eggs, Longshan himself returned home. As soon as he walked in, he mentioned that the team leader was calling a meeting to discuss the village’s wheat harvest.

Jiang Chunzao quickly excused herself, and Longshan’s wife walked her to the gate. She walked back home with the basket in hand. As she passed the back mountain, she heard two cuckoo calls coming from the trees and saw the village’s wheat fields stretching out, golden waves of grain shining in the sunlight.

The summer breeze blew across the fields, making the wheat sway like waves, a beautiful sight of harvest.

Jiang Chunzao walked home happily with the basket. She mentioned it to Lu Lin, and as soon as he heard, his dark eyes grew serious. Every year during the wheat harvest, every household sent people to the fields to help.

Lu Lin’s military leave was about to end, and once he left, the house would be left with just his wife and children. He couldn’t bear to let them work in the fields.

After a moment of thought, Lu Lin went to the town that day and called the military district. The call was answered by Captain Fang, who talked with Lu Lin for quite a while before hanging up. As soon as the call ended, a soft voice spoke.

“Brother, is Big Brother Lu coming back?”

Captain Fang hung up the phone, smiling as he looked at his younger sister, Fang Man:

“Not yet. This little brat is concerned about his wife at home. He said he wants to take a couple of days off to help with the wheat harvest.”

“Oh, Little Lu is really thoughtful toward his wife. He clearly cares about her!” Fang’s wife said with a laugh as she brought over the rice, then glanced at Fang Man meaningfully. Hearing this, Fang Man’s face turned pale, and she bit her lip, and became silent.