Chapter 41: I Don’t Mind Being Your Stepmother

Xie Aiguo never expected that Yu Juan would come up with this plan.

“How do you know that the method Jing Xi told you is correct?”

Yu Juan sat on the kang bed, picked up her wool sweater, and started knitting. “I asked Zhang Rui. She told me the same thing. Besides, when I visited her house the other day, they happened to be curing meat. I saw exactly what ingredients they used. I just wanted to double-check with Jing Xi to see if Zhang Rui was telling me the truth.”

“Alright, as expected of Teacher Yu, always thinking things through. Go ahead and give it a try!”

Yu Juan couldn’t sit still any longer. She grabbed her notebook, stood up, and went off to experiment in the kitchen.

Xie Aiguo, thinking about helping out, walked into the kitchen and saw the large bowl of fried tofu meatballs that Jing Xi had brought. He casually picked one up and popped it into his mouth.

He hadn’t expected much, but as soon as he bit into it, the crispy, fragrant outer layer gave way to a soft and bouncy texture, with a hint of garlic and just the right amount of saltiness. It was delicious!

He kept reaching for more, and before he knew it, he had eaten more than a dozen.

Just as he was about to grab another one, Yu Juan walked in and scolded him, “You told her to take them back, yet here you are stuffing your face! Have you no shame?”

Xie Aiguo, still chewing, pointed at the bowl. “Try one! They’re so good!”

Yu Juan picked one up, thinking, How good can a simple fried tofu meatball be? But the moment she took a bite, her eyes lit up.

“This girl, Jing Xi, really knows how to cook! She’s so young, yet she’s already this skilled in the kitchen!”

Xie Aiguo nodded repeatedly and reached for another, but Yu Juan smacked his hand away. “Leave some for your daughter and grandson!”

Only then did Xie Aiguo reluctantly stop.

Thinking about how, in just a few days, his daughter, grandson, and son-in-law would be coming home for the second day of the new year, he felt much happier.

The Spring Festival of 1985 arrived particularly late that year. The weather was so warm that people had even shed their heavy winter coats.

Jing Xi learned to cut paper window decorations with Liu Yan and Liu Chun and stuck them on the two windows of her home. The bright red decorations made everything feel extra festive.

She even wrote her own couplets by hand:

Right couplet: Eat well, drink well, play well, and stay super healthy.
Left couplet: Step on petty people, step on petty people, step on petty people, crush those petty people.
Horizontal scroll: Make lots of money.

When Liu Yan and Liu Chun saw the couplets, they burst into laughter, holding onto the doorframe for support.

Jing Xi, on the other hand, remained serious. “What’s so funny?”

Liu Yan nodded vigorously. “It’s hilarious! Seriously, Xiao Jing, just how much do you hate petty people?”

Liu Chun laughed even harder. “Xiao Jing, I must say—I admire you!”

Jing Xi grinned. “I never went to school! For someone like me, this is already pretty good, alright? Now, give me some applause! Clap, clap!”

Liu Yan and Liu Chun played along, clapping enthusiastically.

The three of them laughed and joked as they put up the couplets.

At noon, Jing Xi originally planned to eat at home, but Liu Yan and Liu Chun dragged her to their place instead.

She suddenly realized that ever since her cousin, Yu Zhu, passed away, she had spent every Spring Festival alone for the past five years. This body seemed to have gotten used to the loneliness.

Even when she died unjustly, she never felt the warmth of a home again.

But this year was different.

Jing Xi didn’t want to intrude on the Liu family’s celebration. After all, she was just an outsider, and on a holiday like this, she felt a little out of place.

However, Liu Yan, Liu Chun, Zhang Rui, and Liu Jianchang all insisted that she not spend the New Year alone. If she refused again, she would seem ungrateful.

So, she brought along some homemade snacks, along with roasted peanuts and sunflower seeds, and joined the Liu family.

With them, she enjoyed setting off firecrackers, having lunch, and eating dumplings for the New Year’s Eve dinner.

Only after finishing the dumplings did she return home.

That night, she had a truly restful sleep.

On the first day of the New Year, Jing Xi visited Old Man Xia and the Wang family to pay her respects.

As she was leaving the Wang family’s house, she spotted Zhang Jianjun standing at the Zhang family’s gate.

Zhang Jianjun was still unmarried, and Zhang Qiang’s two older sisters were already married and living outside the village. So aside from their immediate family of three, only a few distant relatives came by during the New Year.

Zhang Jianjun wasn’t surprised to see Jing Xi.

But unlike before—when he used to look at her with resentment, as if she had done him some unforgivable wrong—his expression now carried a strange emotion.

Jing Xi immediately wiped the smile from her face, her expression turning cold as she prepared to walk away.

Zhang Jianjun called out from behind her, “Xiao Jing.”

Jing Xi turned her head. “What?”

“Uh… Happy New Year.”

Jing Xi narrowed her eyes. “Did you take the wrong medicine?”

Zhang Jianjun sighed. “It’s just a simple New Year’s greeting. No need to act like I’m out to get you.”

Jing Xi scoffed. “Why are you wishing me a Happy New Year? Don’t forget what kind of relationship our families have.”

“Speak properly, and don’t always have that kind of attitude! I’m not here to fight with you. By the way, my parents agreed to apologize to you, so why haven’t you responded?”

Jingxi crossed her arms. “Oh, the village chief didn’t tell you? I changed my mind.”

“Changed your mind?”

“Yep! I don’t need your parents to apologize anymore. I want them to get a divorce instead!”

Zhang Jianjun thought he had misheard. “Divorce? Who’s getting divorced?”

“Your parents. I want your parents to divorce.”

Zhang Jianjun glanced toward the courtyard, quickly pulled the door shut, and stepped closer to Jingxi. “Why do you want my parents to get a divorce? Xiao Jing, wouldn’t an apology be enough?”

Jingxi shook her head. “Your dad begged me to be his mistress, even promising to rent me an apartment and buy me meat. Do you know what his condition was?”

Zhang Jianjun felt his head heat up. That was disgusting to hear. “What was the condition?”

“Your dad said he couldn’t divorce your mom… and that I had to give him a child.”

“……” Zhang Jianjun cursed his father in his heart. Shameless.

“But what does that have to do with you wanting my parents to divorce?”

Jingxi blinked her big eyes. “Of course, it’s related. I don’t like being the mistress. If your dad is really sincere, he should divorce your mom. I wouldn’t mind becoming your little stepmother.”

Zhang Jianjun: “……”

Jingxi continued, “Actually, the more I think about it, the more I feel like being your dad’s wife wouldn’t be such a bad deal. Your family has money! Just look at the farm—you made five or six thousand yuan this year, and that was with poor sales of dihuan. If sales were good, your family would be making tens of thousands!”

“……”

“And if I marry your dad, I wouldn’t have to work for other people anymore. I could live an easier life—eating meat, spending money however I like!”

Zhang Jianjun: “……”

Jingxi smirked. “Most importantly, your dad is old, overweight, and drinks a lot, right? Plus, I noticed his skin is greasy, his eye sockets are sunken, and his lips have a bluish tint. Do you know what that means? It means he has cardiovascular issues! Your dad probably doesn’t have many years left. If I become his wife, it won’t be long before I inherit his assets!”

Zhang Jianjun: “……”

As she got more excited, Jingxi clapped her hands and slapped her thigh, her face beaming with joy. “Oh my god, just thinking about it makes me happy! Imagining a future where I have an endless supply of white rice, flour, and meat—it makes me feel like life is finally full of hope!”