Chapter 001

November 8 – Beginning of Winter.

Nature rests, vegetation withers, and hibernating creatures retreat underground.

At dawn, the village of Tianzhuang was veiled in a thin, misty fog.

White frost clung thickly to the withered grass and gray branches.

There was no wind, and the drooping twigs brushed against the shoulders of passersby.

As one branch was nudged, it bounced slightly, sending frost cascading onto a shoulder.

Zhenzhen, pulling a handcart, didn’t pause. She casually raised her hand and brushed the white frost off her shoulder.

The rubber tires rolled forward, leaving clear wheel tracks behind shallow footprints.

She stopped in front of the team leader’s house.

Raising her hand, she knocked twice on the courtyard gate. Soon, someone came to open it.

It was the team leader himself.

Seeing her, he said in a neutral tone, “Still heading to the market?”

Zhenzhen nodded and handed him two dimes.

There was no need for small talk.

After paying the fee, Zhenzhen pulled her cart toward the marketplace.

Once there, she set up her stall and laid out her goods for sale.

She was selling mung bean sprouts.

She hadn’t brought many today, so before noon, even before the market dispersed, she began packing up.

As she was about to leave, someone came by and asked, “Any more sprouts?”

She shook her head. “Sold out for today.”

She packed up her things and headed home, pulling the cart behind her.

Just before reaching the village, she ran into two local women—Hongmei and Cuilan.

They exchanged smiles and greetings.

After Zhenzhen passed by, Hongmei and Cuilan started gossiping behind her back—

“The war’s finally over. I heard the last of the troops withdrew ten days ago.”

“Looks like Shi Huaiming must be dead.”

“He’s been gone five years without a single word. How could he still be alive?”

“She became a widow barely two weeks after marriage, and has stayed that way for five years. Poor girl…”

“Poor? What’s poor about it? She walks around like nothing’s wrong.”

“Come on, don’t say that. Zhenzhen’s pitiful—maybe she cries into her blanket every night.”

“What’s so pitiful? It’s just her fate. Some people aren’t meant for a good life. Maybe she’s a jinx to Shi Huaiming. Remember how happy she was when they got married? Everyone said she was lucky. Shi Huaiming was top-notch—educated, capable, hardworking, and handsome. Who’d have thought that ‘good luck’ meant becoming a widow after just two weeks? Goes to show, don’t get too smug.”

“Are you jealous of Zhenzhen?”

“Me? Jealous? Jealous of being a widow right after the honeymoon?” She lowered her voice, “From the looks of it, I bet Shi Huaiming never even touched her. He never liked her from the start.”

“She doesn’t have kids either. If you ask me, she might as well remarry. Is she really planning to stay a widow her whole life? With her looks and temperament, and no children holding her back, it wouldn’t be hard.”

“Looks and temperament don’t mean much. Whether she can remarry depends on her mother-in-law.”

“That’s true—Old Madam Shi probably wouldn’t bear to let her remarry.”

“She spent so much money on getting a daughter-in-law. Think of all the work she does at home. If it were me, I wouldn’t want to let her go either…”

…

Zhenzhen returned home with the empty handcart just as her mother-in-law, Zhong Minfen, finished cooking lunch.

Her niece Shi Danling and nephew Shi Xingguo had also just returned from school.

After washing up, they all sat down to eat.

Zhenzhen took out the money she earned that day and handed it to Zhong Minfen. “Mom, I made twenty-eight cents today.”

Zhong Minfen tucked the money away and sighed. “It’s getting too cold—bean sprouts don’t grow well in this weather. We shouldn’t sell them anymore.”

As winter set in, the weather would only get colder. The bean sprouts would stop growing properly, and the small earnings they made wouldn’t even cover the costs.

Just like today: after paying the two dimes to the production team, only eight cents were left—hardly worth the trouble.

Minfen handled the sprouting at home while Zhenzhen took them to market each day. In the end, it was all for nothing.

They’d stop selling bean sprouts. Maybe in a while, they could try selling some roasted seeds and nuts instead.

The New Year was only two or three months away—perfect time for those.

Zhong Minfen used to support the whole family by doing small trades like this, but in the past two years, even those had become barely enough to scrape by.

To sell anything at the market, they first had to pay the production team.

Two dimes a day—once that was paid, there was hardly any profit left.

Zhenzhen said nothing. She simply nodded and replied, “Okay.”

Whatever her mother-in-law chose to sell, she’d help out however she could.

The last of the bean sprouts had now been sold.

After lunch, once the kids went back to school, Zhenzhen grabbed a tool and was ready to go work with the production team.

But just as she stepped out the door, Zhong Minfen called her back.

“Zhenzhen,” she said, “take the afternoon off. Missing a few work points isn’t a big deal. Later, go to our plot and pick some greens—we’ll make salted pork rice with vegetables tonight.”

Salted pork rice?

Zhenzhen looked curious. “Is there a special occasion?”

Drawing out her words, Zhong Minfen smiled, “It’s the start of winter today.”

Oh, right.

It was the first day of winter.

Taking Zhong Minfen’s advice, Zhenzhen stayed home for the afternoon.

She called it a break, but her hands never stopped—she and Minfen sat in the courtyard, basking in the sun as they sewed.

Zhenzhen kept her head down, fully focused on her needlework. When Zhong Minfen grew tired, she paused and quietly looked at her.

Sunlight poured down with a gentle warmth, illuminating the soft contours of Zhenzhen’s face, highlighting each strand of her dark, scattered hair.

Though they had been married for five years, Zhenzhen still had the delicate appearance of a young maiden. Narrow shoulders, a slim waist, firm cheeks, clear eyes, and finely drawn features. Her glossy black hair was braided into two long plaits.

Sitting quietly in the sun, she resembled a daisy blooming in early spring.

After watching her for a moment, Zhong Minfen looked away.

She seemed to have something on her mind, but after a bit of hesitation, said nothing.

Zhenzhen looked up and noticed something off in her expression.

Curious, she asked, “Mom, is something wrong?”

Zhong Minfen gave a soft smile. “Nothing.”

The conversation drifted to trivial things, and whatever she meant to say was once again left unsaid.

They chatted idly and sewed until late afternoon.

When the sun dipped behind the treetops, Zhenzhen grabbed a wicker basket and walked to their private plot.

She pulled up a few frost-bitten cabbages and returned home to start dinner.

Zhong Minfen packed up the sewing supplies and went into the kitchen to help.

Zhenzhen washed a piece of salted pork, a mix of fat and lean, then carefully diced it into neat cubes on the chopping board.

Beside her, Zhong Minfen sorted through the vegetables, her face clouded with unspoken thoughts.

After some more hesitation, she finally said, “Zhenzhen, there’s something I’ve been thinking about these past few days.”

Zhenzhen continued cutting the pork. “What is it, Mom?”

Zhong Minfen paused again, then took a deep breath. “Huaiming… he’s not coming back.”

At those words, Zhenzhen’s knife stilled on the cutting board.

Zhong Minfen had given birth to three children, and Shi Huaiming was her youngest.

Because the Shi and Lin families had always been close, and Huaiming was only three years older than Zhenzhen, the two families had arranged their engagement from a young age.

Five years ago, Zhenzhen and Shi Huaiming married under their parents’ arrangement.

But just three days after the wedding, a military conscription order came down. Huaiming, driven by ambition and a sense of duty, immediately enlisted—wanting to serve his country in a time of need.

A little over two weeks later, he was selected and left to join the army.

Since then, he had vanished—no letters, no news. It had been five years. The family assumed he had died in the war.

Especially now that the war had ended and the troops had all withdrawn.

The kitchen fell into silence for more than ten seconds.

As Zhenzhen resumed cutting the meat, Zhong Minfen spoke again. “I was thinking… maybe I should find a matchmaker to help you find someone new. You could remarry. I’ll prepare a dowry for you—you won’t have to worry about that.”

She didn’t want Zhenzhen to spend the rest of her life widowed in the Shi family. It was too hard.

She had raised children alone herself, and she knew all too well how bitter that life could be.

Zhenzhen was still young, kind, capable, and pretty. She had no children—remarrying into a good household would be easy.

Zhenzhen quietly put down the knife, finishing a neat row of pork cubes.

Without much hesitation, she softly said, “Mom, I won’t remarry.”

Zhong Minfen kept her head down as she stripped leaves from the cabbages, one by one. “If you don’t, are you really planning to live the rest of your life like this? Honestly, I’d prefer you stayed—it’s nice having an extra pair of hands around. But I can’t let you keep living like this. You’ve already suffered five years. That should be enough.”

Zhenzhen shook her head, as if trying to cast the words from her mind.

She still said softly, “I won’t remarry.”

Zhong Minfen sniffled as she scooped water to wash the vegetables. “Don’t be so quick to say that. Let’s have the matchmaker look around first. If we find someone suitable, we’ll consider it. If not, we can wait.”

But Zhenzhen still refused. “I don’t want to look either.”

Zhong Minfen placed the washed vegetables back on the table.

She looked at Zhenzhen, her brows furrowed. “Zhenzhen, the army has completely withdrawn. Huaiming is not coming back.”

Zhenzhen forced a faint smile, her eyes slightly red as she looked up at Zhong Minfen and said, “Mom, can’t I just stay and live with you?”

Hearing that, Zhong Minfen’s eyes welled up too.

She wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “Forget it. Let’s not talk about this now. Let’s just cook.”

Zhenzhen sniffled and continued chopping the salted pork.

Once all the pork was diced, she soaked the pieces in a large bowl of water.

Then she went to the rice jar, scooped out some rice, poured it into a tray, and sifted out the husks and tiny stones.

After rinsing the rice clean, she soaked it in a pot. When the pork was ready, she cooked them together.

When the rice was nearly done steaming, she stir-fried the chopped greens.

The greens, finely chopped, softened quickly in the hot oil. She added a pinch of salt and stirred.

Once the vegetables were ready and removed from the pan, the rice was also just right.

She mixed the vegetables into the rice, then let it sit for a while to let the flavors meld.

While waiting, Zhenzhen stir-fried the remaining greens.

There weren’t many seasonings—just a simple stir-fry, served on a plate alongside pickled vegetables and dried radish.

The savory aroma filled the kitchen, and just then, a voice called out from outside: “Wow, what are we having today? Smells amazing!”

Before Zhenzhen and Zhong Minfen could reply, the rest of the family had returned.

It was the eldest son’s family—Shi Huaizhong, his wife Chen Qingmei, and their children, Shi Danling and Shi Xingguo—Zhenzhen’s niece and nephew.

The one who spoke first without even stepping inside was Shi Danling.

As they entered the kitchen, Zhenzhen was scooping lard from a small enamel jar.

Smiling, she said, “We’re having salted pork and vegetable rice today.”

As she lifted the lid, the fragrance of the dish filled the room. Even Shi Huaizhong and Chen Qingmei couldn’t help but swallow their saliva. Danling and Xingguo were practically drooling, leaning close to the pot.

Seeing Zhenzhen mixing lard into the rice, Xingguo asked, swallowing hard, “Auntie, how come we’re eating so well today?”

Zhenzhen replied, “It’s the Start of Winter today.”

Ah, that explained it—a holiday.

These days, holidays were the only time they could enjoy something better to eat.

The dish was aromatic, visually appetizing, and rich in flavor once tasted.

Just one good meal like that could bring contentment for half a year.

Danling and Xingguo hovered by the pot, staring longingly at the rice.

Once Zhenzhen finished mixing in the lard and dished the rice into bowls, the two rushed to help carry them to the table.

They didn’t even bother putting their school bags down—just washed their hands and sat down, ready to eat.

Chen Qingmei picked up her chopsticks and smiled. “Zhenzhen, your cooking is as good as the chefs in town.”

The vegetable rice was perfectly cooked—not too wet, not too hard.

Danling nodded eagerly beside her. “Auntie’s cooking is the best!”

Zhenzhen placed a piece of green vegetable in her bowl. “Then eat more.”

With both meat and vegetables in the rice, even without extra dishes, one could easily eat two large bowls.

Danling took a big bite, her eyes turning into crescent moons from delight.

She and Xingguo devoured their food, while Huaizhong and Qingmei also ate heartily.

Only Zhong Minfen and Zhenzhen ate slowly.

Zhong Minfen had things on her mind and didn’t say much at the table.

After the meal, she left Chen Qingmei in the kitchen to wash the dishes and finally spoke.

She said to Qingmei, “I want to ask a matchmaker to help find someone for Zhenzhen. Let her remarry. She’s not willing. Can you help me talk to her?”

Chen Qingmei already knew this was something Zhong Minfen had been thinking about for the past couple of years.

Zhong Minfen hadn’t brought it up before—probably still holding on to a bit of hope that Shi Huaiming might still be alive. But now that the army had fully withdrawn, that hope had faded.

So, she finally voiced her thoughts.

As the mother-in-law, if she didn’t open her mouth and release Zhenzhen, the girl couldn’t leave—not with Shi Huaiming’s fate still uncertain.

As long as Zhong Minfen insisted Huaiming wasn’t dead, Zhenzhen couldn’t divorce or remarry.

She was like a widow, but not officially. No man would marry under those conditions.

“Mom, can you really let her go?” Chen Qingmei asked as she washed the dishes, glancing at Zhong Minfen.

Zhenzhen had lived with the Shi family for five years. She was already part of the family, deeply loved.

Zhong Minfen sighed. “I treat her like my own daughter. If she wants to remarry, what’s there to be reluctant about? As long as she’s willing, I’ll prepare her dowry and send her off with dignity.”

Chen Qingmei lowered her head, quiet for a long while.

She stacked the cleaned dishes into the cabinet, then wiped her hands on her apron. As if having made up her mind, she looked at Zhong Minfen and said softly, “Okay, I’ll talk to her later.”

Zhong Minfen nodded. “You young folks are easier to talk to.”

But Chen Qingmei didn’t go to Zhenzhen right away.

She went to her room first and spoke with Shi Huaizhong, telling him about Zhong Minfen’s plan.

He wasn’t surprised. After a moment of silence, he said, “Do we really expect her to live like a widow forever? Just do as Mom says. Try to persuade her. She’s still young—she shouldn’t have to live this way.”

Chen Qingmei nodded.

That night, after everyone had washed up, Zhenzhen sat under the oil lamp, combing her long hair.

Chen Qingmei timed it and came over, first shooing Danling off to play with Xingguo, then sat at the edge of the bed and said, “Zhenzhen, I have something to talk to you about.”

Zhenzhen turned to glance at her, then after a moment said, “Sister-in-law, I won’t remarry.”

Before the conversation even began, Zhenzhen cut her off. Chen Qingmei was momentarily at a loss for words.

Before she could say anything else, Zhenzhen put down her comb and said quietly, “If you all find me a burden and don’t want me staying with the Shi family, I can go back to my parents’ home.”

“Zhenzhen, that’s not what we mean at all,” Chen Qingmei quickly explained. “We’d love nothing more than for you to stay.”

She furrowed her brow and instinctively leaned forward. “But haven’t these past five years been hard on you?”

Zhenzhen shook her head and answered plainly, “No, they haven’t.”

Her brother- and sister-in-law and mother-in-law all treated her kindly, and her niece and nephew liked her too. She truly didn’t feel that life had been hard.

Chen Qingmei reached out and took her hand. “Zhenzhen, listen to me. You’re still young—beautiful, capable, and kind. It wouldn’t be hard for you to find a good man. But if you keep waiting, it might become difficult later.”

Zhenzhen lowered her gaze. “Then I just won’t remarry.”

Chen Qingmei couldn’t help taking a deep breath.

After a moment, she asked, “Do you really want to live like this for the rest of your life?”

Zhenzhen looked up at her. “Why can’t I live like this, Sister-in-law?”

In her eyes, Chen Qingmei saw a quiet but stubborn resolve.

She paused, not knowing how to answer, when Shi Danling suddenly came in from outside.

Without hesitation, Danling squatted down and clung to Zhenzhen’s arm, glaring at Chen Qingmei. “I don’t want Auntie to remarry!”

Chen Qingmei gave her a side glance. “What does this have to do with a little girl like you?”

“I don’t care,” Danling tightened her grip. “I just don’t want her to remarry!”

Zhenzhen turned her head and stroked the girl’s hair. “Don’t worry. Auntie’s not going anywhere.”

Danling smiled and rubbed her fluffy head against Zhenzhen’s arm.

Chen Qingmei had wanted to say more, but the moment was lost.

She looked at Danling, then back at Zhenzhen, finally letting go of her hand. “Forget it. I don’t think I can convince you. Just think about it carefully, okay? This is a decision that affects your whole life.”

Zhenzhen nodded. “I will, Sister-in-law.”

Seeing that nothing more could be said, Chen Qingmei dropped the subject.

She stood up, smiling, and ruffled both Zhenzhen and Danling’s hair before heading back to her own room.

Once she lay down in bed, Shi Huaizhong asked her, “How did it go?”

Chen Qingmei shook her head. “She still doesn’t want to. Let her think about it a little more.”

Shi Huaizhong sighed softly. “I just worry she’ll regret it in the future.”

Chen Qingmei replied, “Then we’ll deal with that future when it comes.”

In Zhenzhen’s room, she and Danling had also gone to bed.

Ever since Shi Huaiming left, Zhenzhen had shared a bed with Danling.

Back then, Danling had been only five or six years old. Now, she was just past ten.

As if afraid Zhenzhen might vanish, Danling clung to her aunt’s arm as she drifted off to sleep.

But Zhenzhen lay awake, blinking in the dark, her thoughts filled with Huaiming.

Even after five years, she still remembered his face clearly.

On their wedding day, he wore a neatly pressed Zhongshan suit.

His hair had been carefully combed, his posture upright. He had looked spirited and handsome.

At dawn, when the morning star rose in the eastern sky, the household got up.

After breakfast, Danling and Xingguo slung their schoolbags over their shoulders and left for school. Zhong Minfen, now older and unable to do heavy labor, stayed home to manage some light housework.

Since Zhenzhen wasn’t going to the market to sell bean sprouts today, she went with Chen Qingmei and Shi Huaizhong to work with the production team.

Before heading out, Zhong Minfen quietly pulled Chen Qingmei aside and asked, “So, how did it go?”

Chen Qingmei shook her head, and Zhong Minfen let her go without pressing further.

In the end, the decision had to come from Zhenzhen herself. They could try to persuade her, but if she refused, there wasn’t much they could do.

After the autumn harvest, there wasn’t much fieldwork left in the countryside.

Now, the production team had started a winter task—digging pond mud.

They drained the ponds one by one and had the stronger male workers shovel out the sludge from the bottom, tossing it up onto the banks. Once it dried under the sun, the team members would carry it to the fields using shoulder poles.

The nutrient-rich pond sludge would fertilize the soil for a better harvest next year.

The workers toiled together for half the day.

The stronger men handled the heavy labor, while the women took on lighter tasks.

At noon, no one went home for lunch. They built fires on the pond bank and sat around in groups of three or five, roasting sweet potatoes.

Zhenzhen sat with three other young women around her age.

Two of them—Hongmei and Cuilan—were the ones who had greeted her at the village entrance the day before. The third was named Xiuzhu.

The four of them sat near the fire, roasting sweet potatoes.

Hongmei poked at the fire with a dry twig, then looked at Zhenzhen and asked, “Zhenzhen, it’s been five years since Shi Huaiming left without a word. Has Old Lady Shi never mentioned remarriage?”

Zhenzhen didn’t want to talk about it. She pressed her lips together and said softly, “I don’t want to remarry.”

Hongmei stared at her. “Are you stupid?”

Zhenzhen smiled faintly and said nothing more.

Cuilan chimed in, lowering her voice, “Zhenzhen, if Old Lady Shi gives her blessing, you should find someone while you’re still young. Don’t waste time. It’s not easy being a widow—you have to think about yourself. No matter how great Huaiming was, he’s not coming back.”

Still, Zhenzhen remained silent.

Hongmei added, “I’m telling you, you just don’t have good fortune. You got to marry someone as wonderful as Shi Huaiming, but you couldn’t hold on to him. You might as well settle for someone else—it’s better than living like this.”

Zhenzhen lowered her eyes, watching the fire crackle and pop. After a moment, she said, “I like being a widow.”

Hongmei, Cuilan, and Xiuzhu were speechless.

After a pause, Hongmei sneered. “Don’t you know how to tell when someone’s giving you good advice?”

Zhenzhen still stared into the flames. “I do. You’re saying I’m cursed, that I bring bad luck to men, that I don’t deserve a good man or a happy life.”

Hongmei: “…”

Her expression froze instantly.

Cuilan and Xiuzhu also looked a little awkward.

Trying to break the tension, Cuilan poked the fire with a twig, then pulled out the first roasted sweet potato. She wrapped it in dry leaves and handed it to Zhenzhen, saying, “Zhenzhen, you eat first.”

Zhenzhen accepted it without fuss.

She was just about to peel the sweet potato when a voice suddenly rang out, loud enough to shake the heavens:
“Auntie! Third Aunt!”

Everyone on the riverbank heard it and turned to look.

Zhenzhen, holding the sweet potato, also looked over. She saw Shi Danling, her schoolbag on her back, running wildly toward them.

As she ran, she waved her hand high in the air, holding something yellow.

Zhenzhen stood up and walked toward her.

When Shi Danling reached her, Zhenzhen asked, “Danling, what’s wrong?”

Shi Danling, bent over and gasping for breath, finally managed to say after a moment, “Auntie, my Third Uncle… my Third Uncle…”

Her Third Uncle?

Zhenzhen tilted her head slightly, looking at her.

The other villagers who had heard the commotion also turned to look, waiting for her to finish.

After catching her breath, Shi Danling straightened up. Her eyes sparkled with tears, and her voice trembled as she exclaimed clearly:
“Auntie, my Third Uncle isn’t dead! He sent a letter!”

What??

Zhenzhen froze, blinking in disbelief.

The others by the riverbank were also stunned.

Tears welled up in Shi Danling’s eyes as her voice cracked with joy, “Auntie, it’s true! My Third Uncle didn’t die. And not only that—he’s a regimental commander now! He’s an officer!”

Thump—

The sweet potato in Zhenzhen’s hand slipped and dropped onto the dry grass at her feet, rolling a few times before coming to rest.

Zhenzhen stood dazed, blinking, as if all sound had vanished from the world. All she could hear was the loud, thudding beat of her heart.