Chapter 25.1

At the beginning of January, the school started its holiday break.

Aunt Wang, who had complained a few days earlier that her daughter was a waste, had begun to mention her daughter returning home and had started tidying up the house.

Perhaps it was because An An was bored staying at home all day, so she wanted to go out to play every day. Now that Jiang Rou had taken her to visit their neighbor, it no longer satisfied her. She turned her head to look across the street, wanting to go somewhere farther.

That day, Jiang Rou took An An to visit Zhou Jian’s house. The weather had turned colder recently, and it had even snowed a few days earlier. The streets were cleaned by someone, so they weren’t slippery, but thick white snow was piled up on both sides, with some children’s footprints visible, showing that they had deliberately walked through the snow instead of using the main path.

Before going out, Jiang Rou wrapped An An in a thick coat and then covered her with a small quilt. She wore a pink knitted hat that was a bit too big, bought by Li Xiao from the city mall, and a pair of small gloves. However, An An didn’t like wearing gloves; with so many layers of winter clothing, her hands were stuck inside the sleeves, making it impossible for her to wear them.

Dressed like this, An An was a bit too bundled up. Although she was only a bit over two months old, carrying her was quite tiring for Jiang Rou. Fortunately, Zhou Jian’s house wasn’t too far away from theirs. They arrived after walking nearly two streets.

An An was held in Jiang Rou’s arms, so her view was limited. But she was very alert, and she knew they were out. She stretched her neck to look outside.

Jiang Rou had a pushcart made by Li Xiao at home, but it didn’t have a modern windshield. She was worried that the cold wind might make her sick, and the current road conditions weren’t very good either.

Jiang Rou wasn’t in a hurry. She stopped when she saw something interesting, changed her position holding An An, and pointed things out to her.

For example, when they passed by a restaurant and saw a large yellow dog tied up at the entrance, she lifted An An slightly and said, “This is a dog. What sound does a dog make? Woof woof.”

An An would curiously open her big black eyes and look at them,  her chubby face full of wonder.

The large yellow dog lying on the ground glanced at the mother and child. Seeing that it was boring, the dog lay down again.

Jiang Rou continued to walk with An An, but An An seemed reluctant to leave. She turned her head, trying hard to look back, making “ah ah” sounds as if saying she wanted to see more.

Jiang Rou didn’t pay much attention and continued walking.

The wall in Zhou Jian’s yard was very low. When Jiang Rou arrived, she immediately saw three-year-old Zhou Hong and a few other children building snowmen in the yard. They looked like they were all about the same age, with their cheeks and hands red from the cold. They were excitedly playing in the snow, their sleeves and knees completely wet.

Several parents were sitting at the door eating melon seeds and chatting without even looking at their children.

In the end, it was Zhou Hong who had sharp eyes and saw Jiang Rou coming with An An. He turned and ran into the house, shouting, “Mom, Aunt Jiang is here.”

He was much livelier than other people’s children.

Wang Yan initially didn’t react. She was in the kitchen, getting some steamed sweet potatoes from the morning. These sweet potatoes weren’t worth much, as they were grown by her family and stored in a cellar. Recently, the water in the river and pond had frozen, so she couldn’t catch any fish, and her business had come to a halt. She had simply moved to the county town.

Although her elder brother and sister-in-law were very nice, her father was concerned about her face, and she felt it embarrassed him for her to stay at home. Fortunately, Zhou Jian and his mother-in-law were good people and allowed her to manage the house.

A few days ago, her elder brother had sent over a lot of vegetables, including these sweet potatoes. She had steamed some in the morning and planned to take them out for the guests when they arrived.

When she heard her son call out “Aunt Jiang,” she wondered who it was.

It was Zhou Jian’s mother, who was lying in the next room, who realized and asked, “Is it Little Xiao’s wife who has come?”

Upon hearing this, Wang Yan quickly put down the bowl she was holding and hurried outside.

In the yard, Jiang Rou was holding An An and looking at the snowmen built by the children. She had even made a small snowball to show her. “Isn’t it pretty? When you grow up, your dad will help you build one.”

An looked at the snowball in her mother’s hand with her big black eyes and then tried to move her arms in the quilt, making some baby noises, as if she also wanted it.

However, she couldn’t manage to pull her arms out.

Jiang Rou smiled and then threw the snowball as she walked into the house. She didn’t know the aunts who were guests in the living room, so when they looked at her, she just smiled back.

When the aunts saw that there were guests in the Zhou family, they didn’t chat anymore. When Wang Yan came out, they took the children to say goodbye and left. 

Wang Yan invited Jiang Rou inside, into the room where Zhou Jian’s mother was sleeping.

As Jiang Rou entered, she noticed how much more capable the new daughter-in-law was. She remembered that when she came to Zhou Jian’s house before their family engaged in business, although she hadn’t entered the house, she could see from afar that it was quite messy, with the yard filled with clutter. Now, the yard was clean and tidy, and everything in the house was well organized.

In the room, Zhou Jian’s mother lay on the bed, looking quite well. When she saw Jiang Rou enter, she sat up.

Wang Yan moved a chair for Jiang Rou and then went to the kitchen to bring back steamed sweet potatoes and a cup of hot water.

Zhou Hong, who had become much fairer recently, followed her and kept busy.

Jiang Rou smiled and waved at him. “Come here; Auntie brought you some food.”

She pulled out a bag of crispy peanuts from her pocket. These were simple to make—eggs, sugar, flour, and starch were mixed together and coated over the peanuts before frying. They tasted delicious once done.

Li Xiao had taken a lot of them when they were fried that morning.

Zhou Hong glanced at the peanuts eagerly, still remembering the meat slice this auntie had given him last time. It tasted really good.

However, he was still a little shy and didn’t dare to approach. He looked up at his mother.

This time, Wang Yan didn’t hold back and gently nudged him to go over and take it.

Zhou Hong remained rooted to the spot, too shy to move forward.

Zhou Jian’s mother, still sitting on the bed, looked at him and laughed. “This child is shy. Zhou Jian was just like this when he was little. Go on, take it. Your Aunt Jiang isn’t a stranger.”

Jiang Rou waved again. “Come here, come and see your little sister.”

Zhou Hong hesitated but then approached after seeing his beautiful little sister in Jiang Rou’s arms.

Jiang Rou handed the peanuts to him and lowered An An a bit so he could see better. “Do you remember your sister? ”

Zhou Hong saw his sister looking at him with her big eyes, and he nodded obediently, saying softly, “An An.”

He remembered his sister’s name.

Jiang Rou smiled. “Yes, she’s An An.”

Zhou Jian’s mother also smiled and said, “You’ve raised this child well.”

She was plump and well-fed. She hadn’t seen a girl raised with so much flesh before. Having come from tough times, she had seen many poor girls who were abandoned right after birth, and even if they weren’t abandoned, they were often dressed in rags and emaciated.

It can be seen that Li Xiao and his wife really love their daughter.

Only if they are raised carefully can they grow so white and tender.

An wasn’t afraid of people at all. When she saw Zhou Hong eating, her eyes locked onto him, and she instinctively opened her mouth, drool spilling from the corners.

Zhou Hong glanced up at Jiang Rou, who calmly wiped the little one’s drool. “You go ahead and eat; she can’t have these. Just ignore her.”

An had already drunk a lot of milk before they left.

Zhou Hong continued eating but paused after two bites as if he had just remembered something. He turned and ran to Zhou Jian’s mother, who was lying on the bed, and tried to tiptoe to give her the peanuts. “Grandma, you should eat some too.”

Zhou Jian’s mother saw this and her heart melted. She was touched and said, “You sweet child.”

Jiang Rou spent the entire morning at Zhou Jian’s house. When she was about to leave, Wang Yan and Zhou Jian’s mother, concerned for her, insisted that Wang Yan escort her back.

Jiang Rou didn’t refuse. On the way back, she stopped by the vegetable market since she had no food at home.

During the walk, Wang Yan helped her carry An An for a while.

When they reached Jiang Rou’s doorstep, Wang Yan handed the child back to her. Probably to avoid being invited in, she quickly said, “I still have to go home and cook, so I’ll be on my way. Do visit more often in the future.”

She spoke much more slowly now, and Jiang Rou could roughly understand what she meant.

Jiang Rou smiled and said, “I’m glad you don’t mind the trouble. Walk safely.”

Then she turned to the little boy beside Wang Yan. “Goodbye, little Zhou Hong.”

Zhou Hong smiled shyly. He hadn’t expected Aunt Jiang to say goodbye to him; it made him feel special.

Summoning his courage, he looked up and said, “Goodbye, Aunt Jiang. Goodbye, An An.”

Jiang Rou watched them leave. Once they were far away, Zhou Hong turned around to look back, seeing Jiang Rou still there. He pressed his lips together and smiled.

When she could no longer see them, Jiang Rou turned and began heading home with An An. But after just a few steps, she noticed a chubby figure leaping out from behind a tree not far away.

The boy glared at her; it was obvious that he was unhappy. He wasn’t sure how long he had been waiting. His chubby cheeks were frozen red, and he kept sniffing. Finally, perhaps because there was too much mucus, he lifted his arm and wiped it with his sleeve, leaving a long trail of snot.

Jiang Rou was instantly disgusted.

The boy, with a displeased tone, asked, “Where have you been? I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”

Jiang Rou looked at him with confusion. “Why were you waiting for me? I didn’t invite you.”

The boy was taken aback by her words and wanted to get angry, but he remembered the last time Li Xiao had beaten him, leaving him in pain for a month. He didn’t dare to lose his temper.

He puffed up his chubby cheeks and said stiffly, “Third sister, second sister wants a divorce and is on a hunger strike at home. Mom asked you to go back and see her.”

As he spoke, his eyes darted repeatedly to the meat hanging from Jiang Rou’s wrist. He hadn’t eaten meat in a long time. Since the second sister started asking for a divorce, her husband hadn’t sent any meat to their home.

Jiang Rou frowned. Hadn’t her “Jiang Rou’s” mother said that her second sister was already divorced? How come it hadn’t happened yet, and now she was causing a scene by refusing to eat?

And now, they were calling her back for what?

More money, perhaps.

Jiang Rou didn’t want to deal with such troubling matters and directly said, “It should have been done a long time ago.”

The younger brother: “…”

Jiang Rou glanced at him. “You should go back. Your brother-in-law will be home soon.”

The little brother felt some fear at the mention of Li Xiao, but he didn’t want to leave immediately. He hesitated and said, “… Third Sister, I’m hungry.”

Jiang Rou felt no sympathy. She coolly said, “Oh, you should lose weight.”

“…” 

The boy was so angry that his chest heaved, and he glared at her with fiery eyes. “Jiang Rou, how can you be like this? ”

Jiang Rou didn’t bother saying another word. She really didn’t like “Jinag Rou’s” brother at all.

She opened the door and went inside, saying to the boy who wanted to follow her, “Your brother-in-law is in a bad mood lately. If you’re not afraid of being beaten, you can come in. Anyway, I won’t plead for you.”

The boy paused; he looked at Jiang Rou with resentment.

Jiang Rou didn’t feel anything at all.

It’s not like he’ll die of hunger because he missed one meal. This kind of naughty child shouldn’t be pampered; otherwise, they’d just become more demanding.

The little brother looked at her back and said harshly, “Jiang Rou, you’d better watch out.”

After gritting his teeth and saying this, he left angrily.

Aunt Wang, who heard the commotion, came out to see the plump figure running away in the distance and asked with concern, “What happened?”

Jiang Rou looked up, not wanting to say much, and changed the subject by asking, “How is Uncle Wang today?”

Aunt Wang, realizing she didn’t want to talk, didn’t press further and, upon hearing the question, replied with a hint of disdain, “He’s doing well; he always has food and drink.”

Jiang Rou smiled upon hearing this.