Chapter 5: Go with the Flow

Seeing her own husband undermining her, Song Mei’s face turned unsightly. She glared at Jiang Cheng, wanting to say something, but Qin Man spoke first.

“From now on, everyone should call me Manman. Before, you didn’t know my name, but now that you do, it should be corrected!”

“Manman, that name sounds really nice!” Jiang’s mother responded with a smile.

It sounded just like the name of a city girl. Rural girls were usually named after flowers or plants—none had such an elegant name like Qin Man.

“Then, do you plan on looking for your birth parents?”

Just as they were smiling and chatting, Jiang’s father still voiced the question. Although they all feared that Qin Man might leave once she found her real family, they had to respect her wishes.

Qin Man raised an eyebrow. She didn’t even know if she had parents—she couldn’t remember anything. Besides, if her original body had parents, how could they have let her end up in such a state without even looking for her? That alone said enough about their responsibilities as parents.

“I’ll just go with the flow. Right now, the most important thing is to raise the children well. So many years have passed—if they wanted to find me, they would have done so already!”

Yet, all these years, there hadn’t been any news about a missing person matching her description. Maybe to her birth parents, she was dispensable.

Qin Man had been an orphan in her previous life as well, never having experienced parental love. So, to her, such an intangible thing didn’t mean much.

Seeing the bitterness flash across her face, Jiang Cong’s brows furrowed slightly, and his heart ached for her.

“It’s alright, Manman. From now on, your father and I will treat you like our own daughter. This is your home!” Jiang’s mother patted Qin Man’s hand in reassurance.

Qin Man returned a smile. Jiang’s mother was a good mother-in-law. At least all these years, she had never looked down on the original Qin Man and had genuinely cared for the children. That alone was already better than many others.

Song Mei, sitting on the side, pursed her lips, silently grumbling about how biased the two elders were.

Looking at her husband, who only knew how to eat, and her daughter, she felt more and more frustrated.

“Mom, you still have me, Dad, and Brother!” Little Yu tugged at Qin Man’s sleeve with her tiny hands, her voice soft and sweet, melting hearts.

Jiang Li also nodded solemnly, looking like a little adult, making Qin Man chuckle.

Her smile was enchanting, revealing two adorable dimples at the corners of her mouth, sweet and captivating.

Jiang Cong was momentarily stunned, then followed along with a smile.

…

After dinner, Jiang’s mother bathed the children and put them to sleep early. Qin Man also fetched some hot water to wash up. When she returned to the room, the light was still on—Jiang Cong was inside.

After being single for so many years, she suddenly had a handsome husband, ending her solitary life overnight. It made her feel a little nervous.

Her hair was still dripping with water. In the warm August weather, she wore a floral-patterned tank top and knee-length shorts. The wooden door creaked open.

Jiang Cong would be heading to the city to teach in a month. At the moment, he was preparing teaching materials and notes late into the night. The dim light illuminated the side of his face, casting a long shadow on the wall. His long eyelashes were distinct under the soft glow.

Hearing movement, he looked toward the door. Qin Man awkwardly smiled at him.

The atmosphere between them had become a little strange. Before, Qin Man had been simple-minded. Now that she had regained her intelligence, they were both normal adults. Being alone in a room like this naturally made things feel different.

Qin Man walked to the bed and sat down. The entire room was filled with an old-fashioned charm. The bedspread had large peony flower prints, the fabric was rough, and the walls were covered with old newspapers, some white paint already peeling off. The pillowcases were several years old, slightly frayed, with big red “double happiness” characters embroidered on them—something she had bought not long after arriving in this world.

It was meant as a small gesture, even if her situation back then wasn’t exactly glorious.

As she took in the details of the room, Jiang Cong suddenly put down his pen and got up. He grabbed a dry towel from the basin stand and walked over to her, naturally helping her dry her hair.

“Dry your hair properly. The night breeze is cool—you don’t want to catch a cold.”

His voice and actions were gentle. He was much taller than her—sitting down, she only reached his chest.

Her heart pounded. This iron-hearted woman had suddenly blossomed—wasn’t that amazing?

“Thank you!”

But she liked this feeling, letting him gently dry her hair and then brush it smooth with a comb.

“You’re welcome,” Jiang Cong’s deep voice was warm and pleasant, exuding a refined and gentle aura.

“I still need to finish my lesson preparations. If you’re tired, go ahead and sleep first.” He instructed as he returned to his desk.

“It’s not good for your eyes to read and write at night. You should do it during the day!” Qin Man said seriously.

The light bulb wasn’t very bright, and the room’s lighting was poor. Studying in such conditions would strain his eyesight.

“I don’t have time during the day—I have to go to the county newspaper to write articles. So, I can only work on this at night.”

Next month, he would start teaching in the city, so he needed to save up some living expenses.

The family’s financial situation wasn’t great, and he definitely wouldn’t ask his parents for money.

Although teachers had decent benefits, he still needed to find a place to stay, and outside of school hours, food and other necessities would cost money.

“Alright then. I’ll go to bed first. You should rest early too!” Qin Man spread out the blanket and lay down on her side.

But she didn’t fall asleep. Even with her eyes closed, her mind remained restless. Maybe she just wasn’t used to sleeping in this environment yet.