Chapter 34.3

The Lantern Festival was approaching. This time, Jiang Rou went to the market and bought some glutinous rice balls, but only the ones with sesame filling.

She didn’t buy much tangyuan; she focused more on buying meat, chili peppers, and flour. With Li Xiao leaving, Jiang Rou prepared a lot for him.

In addition to clothes, shoes, and socks, she also made some chili sauce for him to take along, as well as buns and steamed bread for the journey. The weather was cold, so these things would last a few more days.

From what she understood, the weather in the south at this time of year was not as cold as it was here, so he wouldn’t need heavy winter clothing and could travel more comfortably.

On the Lantern Festival, Jiang Rou cooked a variety of delicious dishes. Li Xiao seemed a bit reluctant to leave, as he was holding An An close all day long.

Before bed that night, instead of putting An An back in her cradle, he placed her middle of the bed instead of returning her to the crib.

An An was delighted. She turned her head to look at her mother, then her father, and grinned widely.

It seemed she was about to grow teeth, with small white spots on her gums.

Watching him play with An An, Jiang Rou couldn’t help but say, “Why don’t you just stay? I think it’s nice to be at home.”

Li Xiao looked up and replied, “What’s so good about it? Ending up like Zhu Qiang?”

The disdain on his face was unmistakable.

Jiang Rou frowned at him. “Why are you bringing him up out of nowhere?”

Besides, wasn’t Zhu Qiang his brother?

Even though they had fallen out, Jiang Rou believed that if Zhu Qiang came looking for him in the future, Li Xiao wouldn’t ignore him.

Li Xiao pinched his daughter’s chubby hand and said calmly, “I don’t need to be rich, but I want us to at least have enough to eat and drink and enough money for the family to buy what we want. When An An goes to school, she should have what other children have. And in a few years, when you talk with your classmates, you shouldn’t feel like you’re worse off than they are because of what their husbands do.”

He didn’t want An An to endure the hardships he had faced during his own childhood.

He also didn’t want her to only share in his struggles.

As a man, it was his responsibility to earn money and support his family.

Jiang Rou glanced at him and hummed softly.

Although she didn’t care about those things, she felt that everyone had their own pursuits, and working hard for their own pursuits was actually a very beautiful thing.

She smiled at Li Xiao, “Then you should work hard; I’ll be waiting for you to make our lives better.”

Li Xiao smiled upon hearing this—it was as if he received an affirmation. His eyebrows lifted, and his face showed a bit of brightness and ambition. “I will.”

-o-o-o-o-o-

The next morning, Jiang Rou woke up before dawn and prepared a bowl of Li Xiao’s favorite oil-splash noodles for him.

While he ate, Jiang Rou held An An and checked his bag to make sure nothing was missing.

As Li Xiao took a bite, he glanced over at the mother and daughter.

An An had just woken up. Although she was usually awake at this time, Jiang Rou and Li Xiao would still be lying in bed, so she wasn’t used to getting up this early. Being picked up today made her a bit excited, and she twisted her head to look around curiously.

When Jiang Rou was sorting through the bag, An An reached out to touch it, but her tiny arms were too short to even graze the edge.

Li Xiao ate slowly but eventually finished.

After washing the dishes in the kitchen, he came out, took the baby from Jiang Rou’s arms, and pinched her small hand.

Jiang Rou picked up his bag. “Let’s go.”

Li Xiao carried An An out and stopped at the gate of the yard. Jiang Rou set the bag down and took the child back from him.

An An, not understanding what was happening, smiled happily—her mouth open as she was passed around, her face full of innocence.

Li Xiao reached out and touched her cheek. Jiang Rou usually wouldn’t let him do this, saying it would make the baby drool, but this time she didn’t stop him.

After lightly brushing her face, Li Xiao turned his gaze to Jiang Rou. He pursed his lips and said, “I’ll call you when I get there.”

Jiang Rou nodded. “Take care of yourself out there. Make sure to eat on time. Your health is the most important thing—making money comes second.”

Li Xiao listened in silence. After Jiang Rou finished speaking, he didn’t move for a while, then suddenly drew her and the baby into his embrace, lowering his head to press a kiss on Jiang Rou’s forehead.

In a deep, steady voice, he said, “I’m going now.”

With that, he picked up his bag, turned around, and strode away.

An An, still confused about what was happening, looked after Li Xiao’s retreating figure, making little “ah ah ah” sounds, waving her small arms, and then looking at Jiang Rou.

Jiang Rou raised her hand to touch the spot on her forehead where he had kissed her. She then looked up at Li Xiao’s retreating figure, feeling a sudden emptiness in her heart.

She remembered what he had said that night—he had said he loved her. At that time, she hadn’t felt it, but now it seemed real.

Li Xiao never looked back. He knew Jiang Rou and An An were watching him from behind; he was afraid that if he turned around, he would change his mind and stay here.

When he reached the end of the street and turned a corner, Zhou Jian was waiting beside a tricycle, smoking a cigarette.

Seeing him approach, Zhou Jian called out, “Brother.”

Li Xiao didn’t bother with formalities and simply tossed his bag into the back before jumping on.

Zhou Jian started the engine, and as the vehicle began to move, he smiled and said, “Brother, don’t worry. I’ll come by every day and help take good care of your home.”

Li Xiao replied with a simple “Hmm,” then, after a moment of thought, added, “Your sister-in-law doesn’t like to trouble others, so just be attentive.”

Zhou Jian nodded, “Got it.”

Zhou Jian drove Li Xiao to the bus, and as the bus pulled away, he waved from the window.

Once he couldn’t see them anymore, he turned his gaze back to the window, watching the scenery pass by, suddenly feeling homesick.

Remembering something, he carefully took out a photo wrapped in a handkerchief from the secret pocket of his shirt. As he unfolded it, he found something else inside—a letter. The envelope had a line of words written on it: “You can only open this when you are too tired to hold on.”

He was momentarily stunned but then smiled. After considering it, he didn’t open the letter. Instead, he looked at the photo, which showed the three of them together—Jiang Rou holding An An and him with his arm around her shoulders.

Except for An An’s sleepy state, both he and Jiang Rou were smiling.

Li Xiao gently touched the people in the photo, feeling warmth spread through his heart, and he suddenly felt very fortunate.

-o-o-o-o-

After sending Li Xiao off, Jiang Rou began to plan the upcoming schedule for herself and Li Xin.

Jiang Rou needed to focus on her studies, so they would share household chores from now on. Li Xin also had to review the first and second-year junior high school courses, and they had borrowed books from both Jin Dayou and Wang Minjun. Although neither set of books was complete, combining them was just right.

As for An An, the two of them took turns caring for her. Knowing that Jiang Rou was pressed for time, Li Xin would often take the initiative to handle things first.

Aunt Wang frequently came by to help. Uncle Wang was much healthier now, though he could no longer handle heavy work like slaughtering pigs. Before Li Xiao left, he discussed it with Zhou Jian and decided that Zhou Jian would collaborate with Aunt Wang and Uncle Wang in the future.

Zhou Jian was making marinated meat at home, while Uncle Wang and Aunt Wang sold it. Though they earned a bit less, it was safer than in the city.

No one in the county dared to go against Zhou Jian. Aside from Li Xiao’s reputation, he personally knew many people.

Because of the collaboration with the Wang family, Zhou Jian came to their village every morning and evening and also visited Jiang Rou next door, asking if she needed anything and bringing some marinated meat for her.

Jiang Rou, not wanting to take advantage of this, so occasionally, when she was tired from reading, she and Li Xin would cook something and send some to Zhou Jian.

Thanks to the nutritious food and the herbal prescription from Jin Dayou, Li Xin began to gain weight, her cheeks became fuller, and her hair started to grow back.

The baby, not understanding much, once accidentally touched her aunt’s head. She seemed to find the sensation ticklish and amusing and wouldn’t let Li Xin wear a hat, always reaching out to touch her.

Whenever she touched it, she giggled.

It was both amusing and frustrating to watch.

Despite her young age, she had a good memory. Every evening, she would go to the door, staring outside eagerly.

If she couldn’t wait, she would get anxious. During the days when Li Xiao was away, no amount of coaxing from Jiang Rou would help.

About ten days later, when Li Xiao called back, Jiang Rou held the receiver to the baby’s ear. “Hey, is this Daddy?”

Li Xiao, confused by her tone, asked, “What’s wrong?”

Hearing Li Xiao’s voice, the baby became upset. Her little mouth puckered, and she turned away from Jiang Rou, refusing to listen.

Jiang Rou, both amused and exasperated, explained the situation to Li Xiao and added, “She’s upset now. It looks like you’ll have to do some coaxing when you get back.”

Li Xiao laughed, “How are things at home?”

Jiang Rou’s voice softened. “We’re doing well. How about you?”

Looking out at the bustling city streets, Li Xiao smiled, “It’s good here too. It’s beautiful. I’ll bring you here once you’ve finished your exams.”

“Okay, I’ll come find you after the exams. Take care of yourself over there, and don’t forget to eat.”

“Yeah.”

Before hanging up, Li Xiao couldn’t help but say, “Jiang Rou, I miss you a bit.”

His voice was low and husky, making Jiang Rou’s ears tingle. She bit her lip and, after a moment of silence, replied softly, “I miss you too.”

Li Xiao smiled as he held the phone.

After the call ended, a man in a leopard-print shirt and a gold chain around his neck approached him. The man put his arm around Li Xiao’s shoulder and asked with a grin, “How was it? ”

Li Xiao pretended to frown, shook his head, and said, “My wife doesn’t agree. She said if I became a model or something, she would divorce me.”

Then he patted the man on the shoulder and added, “Forget it. I’m not interested in that. By the way, who was that Mr. Chang you mentioned last time?”

The man seemed a bit disappointed but didn’t dwell on it. “Just a softie who relies on his brother-in-law,” he said dismissively with a look of disdain on his face.

Li Xiao didn’t join in the mockery but instead appeared lost in thought.