Chapter 6

The words from Grandma Jiang were like a thunderclap, exploding in the room. Just a moment ago, Xiao Shitou and Xiao Moli were happily gathered together, munching on candy, but now they both curiously stared at Mom’s little belly.

Is there really a baby inside Mom’s belly?

Xiao Moli was both curious and delighted. The little one, now over three years old, had long been hoping that her Mom would give her a little brother or sister, so she could be like the big sister next door!

Thinking of this, Xiao Moli cheered and even forgot to eat her favorite fruit candy. She sweetly asked, “Mom, is Moli going to be a big sister?”

As soon as Xiao Moli said this, not only Grandma Jiang, whose eyes were shining, but even the usually composed Shitou widened his eyes in excitement. Jiang Chunzhao was so embarrassed her face turned completely red. She quickly waved her hands and said: “Mom! What are you thinking? I’ve just gained weight and have a little belly!”

What? So it’s just weight gain, not a baby?

Both Grandma Jiang and the two little ones felt disappointed upon hearing this. The kids were okay, quickly enjoying the fruit candy Grandma Jiang had given them and running outside to the yard.

But Grandma Jiang kept looking at her daughter’s belly, hesitant to speak: “Daughter, aren’t you pregnant?”

Jiang Chunzao, who was rummaging through her bag, twitched her mouth: “No, I’m not pregnant, not pregnant!”

“Mom, the kids’ dad hasn’t been home for half a year, how could I be pregnant?”

Ah, that’s right. Her daughter’s husband was in the army and rarely came home.

Grandma Jiang decided not to bring it up again and glanced at the items Jiang Chunzao had brought back from home: brown sugar, pastries, egg cakes, two large carp, and several pounds of pork—goodness, the table was piled high with all sorts of things.

Grandma Jiang, who was usually frugal, couldn’t help but feel sorry:

“Zao, what are you doing? You didn’t need to bring all this back when you came to visit. You’ve got so much here, you’re not living frugally! Your parents are both old, what do we need with all these nice things?”

Jiang Chunzao knew her mom was concerned about her spending too much and smiled:

“Mom, I only come back a few times a year, not every day. If people outside knew that I came to visit my parents without bringing anything, they’d say I’m unfilial.”

“Besides, in these times, you can’t find any good things outside—just brown sugar and fish, things like that. Your parents are getting old; they need to be properly taken care of!”

Hearing her daughter’s words, Grandma Jiang knew that her daughter was thinking of her parents, and it warmed her heart. However, her expression was still sour:

“You! It’s all that old man of yours who spoiled you. You’re married now, a mother yourself, and you’re still spending money so recklessly. Your husband is in the army, making money is not easy for him!”

“I won’t say anything about the brown sugar and pastries you bought, but the fish and meat—you can take those back for your in-laws. They’re not young anymore, they need to be well taken care of.”

Jiang Chunzao just smiled when she heard her mother’s words: “Don’t worry, Mom, I took care of that already. Before I came here, I sent two fish to the old house, and when I go back, I’ll send two pounds of meat.”

Grandma Jiang looked at her daughter as if she were a completely different person. In the past, whenever she mentioned the old Lu family, her daughter would explode like a firecracker, angry and full of sparks.

What’s going on today? Why is she acting so differently?

Seeing her mother looking at her as if she didn’t recognize her, Jiang Chunzao smiled and asked, “Mom, what’s wrong? Don’t you recognize your own daughter?”

“Of course, of course!”

Grandma Jiang, feeling pleased, said, “How could I not recognize my own daughter? It’s just that I haven’t seen you for so long, I didn’t realize how thoughtful you’ve become!”

At that moment, Grandma Jiang was filled with warmth and pride. She took her daughter’s hand, her eyes reddening as she spoke: “Daughter, you don’t know… The thing I’ve worried about most in this life is you. I’ve had three children in total, and I’ve never worried about Chunlin or Chunyu, those two troublesome boys.

It’s just you, my oldest daughter, my Zao. I know you didn’t want to marry into the old Lu family. That old lady from the Lu family isn’t a good person, but your father-in-law and your husband, your older brother and sister-in-law, they’re all good people. And you have Xiao Moli and Shitou.

People should learn to be content. Look at your life now, it’s so good. If you’re living well, even if I die, I can rest easy.”

Grandma Jiang’s heartfelt words made Jiang Chunzhao’s eyes grow warm. Yes, in her past life, she had never known contentment.

All she had was bitterness and resentment. She hated Grandma Lu, hated Lu Lin, hated Shitou, hated everyone around her, and even more, she loathed that society at the time.

In her past life, whenever Jiang Chunzhao couldn’t sleep at night, she would think to herself—if it weren’t for the Lu family and the society at the time, she could have gone to university and lived a carefree life. Instead, she was stuck in a desolate mountain village, living a life of obscurity, day in and day out.

In her past life, Jiang Chunzhao always believed that it was Lu Lin and the children who blocked her from having a better life, taking everything away from her. But at the moment she took her last breath, she finally understood—Lu Lin and the children were everything in her life.

Jiang Chunzao held Grandma Jiang’s hand with a serious expression: “Mom, in the past I was ignorant, but I’ll listen to you now. From now on, I promise I’ll live a good life with your son-in-law.”

Really?

Happiness came so suddenly that Grandma Jiang didn’t immediately react. After carefully studying her daughter’s face and seeing her sincerity, the weight in her heart finally lifted.

“Zao, hearing you say that, I can finally relax, truly relax.”

“This is a good day! We should celebrate as a family. Zao, you wait right here, I’ll go kill a chicken in the yard, and your dad can cut up two pounds of meat. Tonight, we’ll all have a nice meal!”

Grandma Jiang excitedly stood up, pacing around the room. Jiang Chunzao saw how overjoyed her mother was and quickly smiled:

“Mom, we already have meat and fish, don’t bother buying anything else. Dad’s the one who slaughters the pigs, why do we need to buy meat?”

Grandma Jiang turned to look at the meat and fish on the table, laughing:

“You’re right, I was being silly. Zao, come help me make the meal, let’s finish making the dumplings first!”

“Okay! Mom, I’ll help you with the dumplings.”

Jiang Chunzao happily agreed and followed her mother outside. In the small courtyard of the Jiang family, Shitou and Xiao Moli were busy picking flowers, their little bottoms sticking out as they bent over.

After washing their hands, mother and daughter entered the kitchen. Only then did Jiang Chunzao realize that she hadn’t seen her father or younger brother since she came home, so she asked her mother about them.

Grandma Jiang scooped a ladle of flour from the dough bin and spoke to her daughter:

“Your dad hasn’t come back from the fields yet. That little rascal, Chunyu, ran out early this morning, and he’s probably at the village entrance fishing right now.”

Jiang Family Village, like Lujia Village, was a small village nestled between mountains and rivers, with a stream running through the village. Jiang Chunzhao knew the stream near the village entrance was shallow and couldn’t drown anyone, so she wasn’t worried. She asked her mother again:

“Mom, how is Chunlin doing in the army?”

When Grandma Jiang talked about her eldest son, who had just enlisted, her face lit up with pride:

“This little rascal may be a new recruit, but I can see he’s really grown up. The letter he sent not only included his salary, but he also reminded your dad and me to take care of our health,” Grandma Jiang said proudly.

“Really?”

“Mom, Chunlin is really growing up.”

Hearing this, Jiang Chunzao was also happy for her younger brother. Grandma Jiang smiled warmly, looking at her eldest daughter with satisfaction:

“It’s all thanks to your son-in-law. If it weren’t for him, Chunlin wouldn’t have thought about joining the army.”

“That little rascal thought he’d have an easy life working under his brother-in-law. But your son-in-law? He’s a capable man!”

Jiang Chunzhao, hearing her mother’s words, thought of Lu Lin’s stern but handsome face, and warmth spread through her heart.

~

As the summer sunset bathed the sky in golden hues, Grandpa Jiang, who had spent the whole day working, came home carrying his hoe. Upon entering, he was overjoyed to see his daughter and two little grandkids, rubbing his hands together and saying he’d make delicious food for his daughter.

Later, Jiang Chunyu came home and was just as excited to see his older sister and two adorable nephews, bouncing with joy. Usually, Grandpa Jiang couldn’t stand his youngest son’s mischievous ways, but with his daughter and grandkids home, they were the only ones who mattered in his eyes.

When it was time for the family to eat, the Jiang family set up a big table in the yard, and the atmosphere was lively as they enjoyed their meal. Grandpa Jiang personally served a large spoonful of tomato and egg soup to his daughter and grandkids, constantly refilling their plates with more dishes and meat. Watching this, Jiang Chunyu couldn’t help but feel speechless.

He complained to his sister:

“Look at Dad. Ever since you and the little ones came home, it’s like no one else matters to him.”

Jiang Chunzao glanced at her younger brother and spooned a large serving of fish into his bowl:

“Alright, you little rascal, can’t you see that your sister loves you?”

“Alright, alright, I got it!” he replied, happily accepting the extra food.

Jiang Chunyu happily sipped the fish soup his sister had served him, feeling content. He thought to himself that his sister still cared for him. He recalled how, before his older sister and younger brother were born, his parents had been married for years without having any children. His grandmother would constantly berate his mother, calling her a “hen that didn’t lay eggs.”

At that time, Grandma Jiang was just a young wife, and when her mother-in-law scolded her, all she could do was cry alone in the room, hoping for the day when she could have a child to silence her mother-in-law’s complaints.

It was a strange thing. That year, early in spring, the jujube tree in Jiang Family Village bloomed unusually early, and the village elders found it curious. Everyone went to take a look, and Grandma Jiang went along too. At that time, an old woman in the village said that the jujube tree was home to a “Jujube Tree Goddess,” who was said to bring fertility and blessings to those who prayed to her, especially young wives who had not yet conceived.

Grandma Jiang, hearing this, thought to herself that she would also go and pray to the Jujube Tree Goddess later that night, hoping for a child.

At the time, Grandpa Jiang didn’t believe in such things, thinking it was just superstition. But to his surprise, after Grandma Jiang secretly prayed to the Jujube Tree Goddess, she became pregnant with her first daughter, Jiang Chunzao, that very month. In the following years, she went on to have her eldest son, Jiang Chunlin, and youngest son, Jiang Chunyu. From then on, Grandpa Jiang never mentioned it being superstition again.

~

After the family finished dinner at the Jiang house, the sky darkened, and Jiang Chunzhao decided to stay with her parents and two little ones for the night.

——————

The next morning, early in the day, Grandma Jiang packed up all sorts of delicious foods for her daughter and grandkids—Grandpa Jiang’s secret-recipe braised pig’s trotters, fruit candies and milk powder for the kids, and some fresh vegetables from the family’s garden. These goodies were so tempting that Jiang Chunzao couldn’t refuse them.

But there was no way out. If she didn’t take them, her mother would fall silent and look displeased, so Jiang Chunzao reluctantly accepted.

Only then did Grandma Jiang smile, and the family set off to return to Lujia Village. Grandma Jiang planned to help her daughter clean and air out the winter bedding, while Grandpa Jiang borrowed a donkey cart from the village to send his wife, daughter, and grandchildren home.

Grandpa Jiang drove the cart at a brisk pace, and soon the family was on their way back to Lujia Village. The group was chatting and laughing in the cart, but then Grandpa Jiang squinted and said:

“Wife, do you see that person ahead? Is that our son-in-law?”

Everyone in the cart turned their heads to look. With her sharp eyes, Jiang Chunzhao immediately recognized the tall, imposing figure standing at the doorstep.

It was indeed Lu Lin. Her children’s father had really come back?