Chapter 23: Zhou Die’s Secret

Normally, Jiang Qinghe wouldn’t give her a good look, but today was a happy day. He had just taken the letter from the mailbox at the door and was eager to read it.

Since the day Jiang Nian left home, he knew that even if she wrote a letter, it wouldn’t be that fast, but he still insisted on checking the mailbox twice a day. He would check it when he went out and when he came back, just hoping that his daughter would write back soon so he could know how she was doing.

He sat down in the study, took out the letter and opened it, and Jiang Qinghe’s eyes instantly welled up with tears.

Zhu Xianglan couldn’t read, so she just watched anxiously, not knowing what was written in the letter. She could only ask him anxiously, “What did An Nian write? Is she not doing well over there?”

As she spoke, she began to sob, and it was truly heartfelt.

“She’s doing well. She said she’s learning medicine over there. Although she’s very busy every day, she’s living a fulfilling and happy life. Jianglin City isn’t as bad as we imagined. It’s a bit poorer than our place, but the villagers are very enthusiastic. They even built a new house for her in the village. She used to live with the village head’s family. The old village head’s family has taken good care of her. And the intellectuals who came to the countryside with her are all very friendly…”

And, he shouldn’t be so bad-tempered and should be nicer to Zhu Xianglan and her daughter.

Jiang Nian also had her own concerns. After all, Jiang Qinghe would spend his life with Zhu Xianglan. Whether it was her, Jiang Wan Zhou, or Zhou Die, they couldn’t stay by their side forever. They didn’t have any bad intentions, and they could live a good life. Why did they have to be at odds all the time?

And Jiang Qinghe wasn’t eighteen years old, he wasn’t so easy to fool. He also knew that his daughter’s words in the letter were definitely to avoid worrying her family, so there was a lot of exaggeration, but it wouldn’t be completely false.

He felt both heartache and relief.

His child had grown up and become sensible, but it was in a place where he couldn’t see. And because of this, it made him feel even more uncomfortable.

He would rather his child not grow up, stay under his protection forever and be a carefree little girl, than have her grow up to be sensible.

But that was just a thought. He knew better than anyone that his child would eventually leave him and start her own life.

And the only thing he could do was not let her worry about home.

Zhou Die came back from work and learned about the content of Jiang Nian’s letter, but she wasn’t happy.

Because she had experienced it herself, she knew that life in the countryside couldn’t be that good.

Even if Jiang Nian really had the opportunity to learn medicine, she wouldn’t be able to avoid participating in collective labor. Maybe she was going through the hardship of participating in collective labor and then staying up late to study medicine.

In contrast, she, who had lived a second life, had taken the life that was originally hers, and she was working steadily in the factory, holding a secure job.

This was what she wanted, but Zhou Die found that she couldn’t be happy.

Jiang Qinghe was writing a reply, and Zhu Xianglan was beside him, insisting that he write down everything she wanted to say. He couldn’t be impatient.

Zhou Die was also writing a letter in her room. After sealing the envelope, she hesitated for a moment, took out her salary for the month from the money box in her cabinet, took out ten yuan and put it in the envelope.

She had only been paid for one month, only 23.5 yuan. She had just agreed to send five yuan to her family every month for food expenses, and another ten yuan to Jiang Nian, so she estimated that she would just be able to make ends meet.

But this way, at least it would make her feel better.

Early autumn had arrived, and the cold wind was biting.

When Jiang Nian received the reply, it was already half a month later.

Jiang Qinghe sent twenty-yuan, Zhou Die sent ten yuan, and Jiang Wan Zhou sent five yuan. Just the money they sent was enough for a normal worker’s monthly salary.

The letters were all about caring for her and telling her to take good care of herself. There was also a big piece of good news, which was that her sister-in-law, Zhao Hongying, was pregnant.

Jiang Nian wasn’t surprised. After all, she had prescribed the medicine herself. Besides detoxifying and nourishing the body, it also had the effect of promoting fertility. It was only a matter of time before she got pregnant.

It was Zhou Die’s letter that made her ponder.

From the moment she decided to go to the countryside, Zhou Die had been intentionally or unintentionally telling her about life in the countryside, including some advice and predictions about future developments.

In the memories Jiang Nian inherited from the original owner, Zhou Die was just an ordinary high school student before. How could she have foreseen what would happen in the future?

Perhaps, Zhou Die also had some unknown adventures.

Just like her, everyone thought she was Jiang Nian. Who could have guessed that she would be someone from ancient times?

Moreover, the dynasty she came from did not exist in the history of this world. As for why this was the case, she was also confused.

But no matter what the truth was, it seemed that Zhou Die had no ill intentions towards her. Instead, she used what she knew to give her some advice and warnings.

So, there would be a chance to restore the college entrance exam in the future, and Zhou Die had mentioned more than once that she should not forget her studies.

It was autumn of 1972 now. She didn’t know how long it would be until the college entrance exam was restored.

Jiang Nian didn’t need to rely on the college entrance exam to return to the city, but she was very interested in the so-called Western medicine and surgery in this world. If she had the chance, she really wanted to learn it.

Her medical skills could bring the dead back to life, but she couldn’t perform surgery on someone and still guarantee that they wouldn’t die.

A child’s voice came from outside the door, “Doctor Jiang, come and see the herbs we dug.”

Jiang Nian quickly went out. It was Da Wang with two children from the village, carrying the herbs she had asked them to collect.

They were all common varieties. She flipped through them and was very satisfied, “Good job. Do you want money or candy? You choose.”

“Candy.”

Children don’t have much desire for money, but even if they took the money, they might not be able to buy candy, so this choice didn’t need to be considered.

Jiang Nian took out all her few candies and divided them among them, saying, “Okay, the candy exchange ends here. I’m out of candy. But if you’re willing to continue collecting herbs, I can trade eggs and honey with you. But what exactly depends on what I have at home. Got it?”

“Got it. Can we go pick wolfberries tomorrow? We saw a big patch of wolfberries on the mountainside today, and they’re all dried up.” Da Wang asked while eating candy.

“You can. It’s getting cold, so we need to stock up on medicine. You can collect all the herbs I taught you. When you have enough, I’ll tell you.”

This was a mutually beneficial thing.

She was alone, and she had to see patients and collect herbs from the mountains, so she didn’t have enough time.

Later, she came up with this idea.

Those common herbs were everywhere. There were many children in the village, and they had nothing to do anyway. She asked them to dig herbs in exchange for candy, and they were happy.

But this only eased some of the burden. There were still some herbs that could only be found in the deep mountains, and she still had to collect them herself.

The two kittens had grown a lot, chasing each other happily.

Their mother came to feed them a few times, but she never appeared again. She didn’t know if she was still alive.

Shiliu walked past the door with her child in her arms and called to her, “Jiang Nian, someone in the village is arguing. Do you want to go and see?”

It’s human nature to love to watch the fun. Whenever they heard that a couple was arguing, or a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were fighting, they would always go and take a look.

Jiang Nian, who had been in the village for a short time, had also caught a bit of the local flavor. She got up and followed, “Let’s go. I’m free anyway. Who’s arguing again?”

“Er Da Niang’s son came back. It’s that Shugen who went to the city and insisted on divorcing his wife, and then married another woman outside. This time, he brought his new wife back, and he’s insisting on driving his first wife away…”