Chapter 57

The voice belonged to Zhao Guifen.

Zhao Guifen lived next door to the Zhou family, and their courtyards were close together, separated by a low wall roughly 1.8 meters high.

Zhao Guifen had the personality of a nosy neighbor—she was warm-hearted, eager to eavesdrop, and always ready to offer her opinions.

If she saw anything she couldn’t stand, she would be the first to step in.

Her lively personality meant she spoke her mind freely, without any hidden agendas.

Having such a neighbor was quite pleasant.

It was also thanks to Zhao Guifen’s brave assistance during that stormy night.

Earlier, she had heard voices coming from the neighboring courtyard and had perked up her ears, but she wasn’t really eavesdropping.

Instead, she had dragged over a chair, stood on it, and leaned over the wall, exposing her head in a completely open manner to listen in.

Unfortunately, Jiang Rou and Lin Yulan were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn’t notice an extra person at the wall.

Zhou Xiaochuan, however, caught sight of Zhao Guifen peeking over several times but he didn’t show any hostility towards her. The little wolf cub knew that this auntie was nice, often sharing treats with him and Xiao Hua.

Zhao Guifen had listened in on their conversation and was now eager to catch the most interesting part.

However, Lin Yulan, being a well-educated woman, was thin-skinned and too embarrassed to bring up such a topic.  

Since Lin Yulan couldn’t say it, Zhao Guifen decided she would.  

She was just a village woman—her face was thick-skinned enough for anything.  

And so—  

That was how the blunt question came to be.  

Loudly asking Jiang Rou if her waist was sore or if her legs ached.  

They were all married women.

Who didn’t know how rough and unrestrained those soldier-type men could be when it came to such matters?  

Especially someone like Zhou Chongshan, who had been starving for so long.  

Hearing Zhao Guifen’s words, Jiang Rou glanced at Lin Yulan, whose face had suddenly turned bright red, and she finally understood everything.  

She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.  

Who said people in the seventies were conservative?  

They could yell about such spicy topics at the top of their lungs—this was anything but reserved!  

Jiang Rou had now truly witnessed the way married women talked.  

Immediately, a wave of heat surged up her face, turning it completely red—even her ears were burning.  

Zhao Guifen stood a bit further away, but her eyesight was sharp.

The moment she caught sight of Jiang Rou’s shy expression, she burst out laughing.  

“Hahaha! Our little bride is blushing! Sister Rou, if you’re already this red now, how will you handle things when you’re on the kang?”  ^[1]kang is a traditional heated brick bed used in northern China.

Her hearty laughter was as bright and open as the sunshine on the island.  

No matter what, Jiang Rou was still an untouched young maiden.  

She truly couldn’t bring herself to respond to the conversation these sisters-in-law had started.  

Seeing her discomfort, Lin Yulan quickly waved a hand at Zhao Guifen.  

“You know Sister Rou is shy—why do you keep talking about this? Stop it already.”  

She then turned to Jiang Rou to reassure her.  

“Zhao Guifen is just like that. Don’t take it to heart. Whatever she says today, she’ll forget by tomorrow.”  

“Sister Yulan, I know.” Jiang Rou replied softly, her face still slightly flushed.

Then, she added: “We still have children at home.”  

Her words carried a double meaning.

It was a reminder to Lin Yulan that it was inconvenient to discuss this matter in front of the children.  

It was also a hint to Lin Yulan that with one room, one bed, and two children present, even if Zhou Chongshan truly wanted to do something with her, it would be inappropriate and inconvenient.  

Lin Yulan was a smart person and understood immediately.  

She lowered her voice and leaned close to Jiang Rou’s ear.  

“Regiment Commander Zhou yesterday… didn’t?”  

“No.”  

Jiang Rou’s face flushed with embarrassment, but she still shook her head.  

She couldn’t leave it unexplained and let everyone think Zhou Chongshan was incapable.  

Lin Yulan wasn’t prying into Jiang Rou and Zhou Chongshan’s private matters; she was simply worried that Jiang Rou was still young and might not understand certain things.  

It was Yang Aiping who had reminded Lin Yulan about this.  

Since Jiang Rou had married without her parents around, naturally, no one had taught her these things.  

If the young girl got frightened or hurt, over time, it could affect the couple’s relationship.  

Yang Aiping, being an elder, found it difficult to bring up the topic directly. She thought that since Lin Yulan was younger, perhaps she could talk to Jiang Rou more easily.  

They had worried about many things.  

Who would have thought that Jiang Rou and Zhou Chongshan hadn’t even reached that stage?  

That rough man was truly patient!  

Lin Yulan had grasped the general situation and understood, but she still felt uneasy and gave Jiang Rou a reminder.  

“Sister Rou, it’s really not a big deal. Just endure it, and it’ll be over.”  

Zhao Guifen was still lying on the wall, laughing heartily.  

Jiang Rou, who prided herself on being a modern woman, was utterly embarrassed by these two sisters-in-law.  

Fortunately, she was quick-witted.  

She immediately changed the topic.  

“Sister Yulan, the Chinese toon sprouts you gave me before were delicious. The children loved them too. Can you take me to pick some?”  

Before Lin Yulan could respond, Zhao Guifen shouted first.  

“I want to go too! I want to go too! Last time we went up the mountain, I didn’t pick enough. Now that the weather is warmer, the mountain is full of wild vegetables.”  

Lin Yulan nodded and said, “Alright. I’ll ask the other sisters in the courtyard for their opinions, and we’ll go together. Let’s pick a good weather day, maybe tomorrow or the day after.”  

“Alright.”

Jiang Rou was absolutely delighted.  

She had been thinking about picking Chinese toon sprouts for a long time. She had to act quickly—only then could her “Tao Duoduo Mall” balance escape the embarrassment of being in the single digits.  

After some casual chatting, Lin Yulan took her leave.  

Before leaving, she turned back to look at Zhou Xiaochuan and Zhou Xiaohua once more, bidding farewell to the children.  

This time, Jiang Rou noticed Lin Yulan’s gaze—it was especially gentle and affectionate.  

People in this era tended to have children early.

Based on Lin Yulan’s age and the year she got married, her child should already be school-aged.  

But…  

Jiang Rou knew that Lin Yulan had no children.  

Not only did she not have any now, but she wouldn’t in the future either.  

Yet the way Lin Yulan had just looked at the children was exactly like that of a loving mother who adored kids.  

According to the original text, Lin Yulan’s inability to conceive was due to poor health, making it impossible for her to get pregnant no matter what.  

But the Lin Yulan Jiang Rou saw now, though a bit thinner than the average person, had a rosy complexion and an abundance of energy. She didn’t look frail or sickly at all.  

And then there was a previous example…  

The Song Qingqian Jiang Rou had encountered was different from the one described in the original text, as if the author had only allowed readers to see a partial version of her.  

So what about Lin Yulan?  

What was her full story?  

Could she have secrets that the original text never mentioned?