Chapter 69

The train’s speed increased steadily. Previously, it took four or five days to travel from G Province to their hometown, but this time it took less than three days. After they disembarked from the train, the temperature dropped abruptly.

The train was crowded and relatively enclosed, and even without the air conditioning, it did not feel cold, although the smell was somewhat unpleasant.

The group got off the train in the city. Because it was too cold in their hometown, they did not take a direct bus back to the county seat; instead, they went to a shopping mall first to buy winter coats.

Jiang Rou had not brought a winter coat either. During the years in G Province, she had not worn one, and she had long discarded her old winter coat, finding it unattractive.

So, she went to the mall with the others. They bought pink winter coats for An An and Li Xin, a dark blue one for herself, and a black one for Li Xiao. Once they put on their thick winter coats, they felt much warmer.

Shen He and his adoptive parents were curious about everything in this area. Unlike G Province, the winter in their hometown was covered with a thick layer of snow, a sight not seen in G Province.

Not only them, but An An also felt amazed. In her little head, this was the first time she had seen snow.

After they boarded the bus back to the county seat, An An excitedly leaned against the window, pointing outside and showing Jiang Rou, “Mommy, snow—”

Jiang Rou smiled, “Yes, it’s snow. When you were little, Daddy even made a snowman for you.”

An An’s eyes widened as she looked at Li Xiao and immediately said, “Daddy, let’s make a snowman.”

Li Xiao rubbed her red, cold face, “Alright, I’ll make one for you when we get back.”

An An smiled happily—her eyes sparkling.

By the time they arrived at the county seat, it was already noon. Jiang Rou had called Aunt Wang the previous day to let her know they were coming back today and to ask her to help air out the quilts, as they had not brought all their quilts when they first came.

The car stopped at the county bus station. The three families separated; Jin Dayou and Zhou Jian had people come to pick them up, but Li Xiao’s family had to hire a car to return home.

After Jiang Rou carried An An into the car, An An puffed up her cheeks and asked Jiang Rou unhappily, “Mommy, why is there no one here to pick us up?”

Li Xiao paused his action of getting into the car.

Jiang Rou looked as usual and touched An An’s little face, “It’s too far, and the weather is cold. Mommy didn’t have anyone come to pick us up.”

An An accepted the explanation and smiled again.

After Li Xiao settled in, he forcefully closed the door and then glanced at Jiang Rou.

The driver was a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties. He was very friendly and, upon hearing Jiang Rou speak, asked if they had come from the south, his speech tinged with an accent.

Jiang Rou laughed and replied in the local dialect, “Yes, we haven’t been back for several years. We were supposed to return last year, but it was delayed because of SARS.”

The driver sighed when he heard this, “Fortunately, that’s over now. Because of SARS, I had to stay home for several months.”

Jiang Rou empathized with him, “Everyone had a tough time.”

Then she changed the subject, “It’s been years since we came back, and the county seat has changed so much. I can hardly believe it.”

“Really?”

The driver became enthusiastic when he spoke about this. “Our county seat has developed incredibly. Two large supermarkets have opened, and the south street is bustling. Renting a shop costs several tens of thousands a year. If you’re buying things for the New Year, you should do it quickly, or prices will go up in a few days.”

“Then I’d better have a good look around…” Jiang Rou said.

The car drove all the way to the Li family’s old house. The changes here were not very significant—only the road had been widened a lot, and there was an additional gas station nearby.

After getting out of the car, Li Xiao and Li Xin went to the trunk to retrieve two suitcases. Probably hearing the noise, Aunt Wang from the next house came out to check. Seeing Jiang Rou and Li Xiao, she seemed unsure and called out tentatively, “Jiang Rou, Li Xiao?”

Jiang Rou thought their family had not changed much since before they left, but to Aunt Wang, their transformation was dramatic. Li Xiao looked tall and handsome, with a strong aura that resembled the big leaders in the county. Even though he hadn’t done anything in particular—he was just standing there, still, he looked different from ordinary people; it was hard to believe he had once been a small-time gangster.

Jiang Rou, who was beside him was beautiful and refined, her face was glowing, and her eyes were bright and smiling, giving an immediate favorable impression to whoever saw her smile.

When Jiang Rou heard that familiar voice, she turned around and smiled, “Aunt Wang.”

“Oh—”

Aunt Wang responded loudly and quickly ran down the steps. Seeing Li Xin coming around from behind the car door, she said, “Is this Xin Xin? Oh my, I almost didn’t recognize you.”

Li Xin had longer hair now, and she had styled it into big waves for her return from school. She usually didn’t smile much, giving off a cold beauty aura.

But when she saw Aunt Wang, she immediately smiled, “Hello, Aunt Wang.”

“Yes, yes, yes, all good, all good.”

Aunt Wang was about to say something else when she noticed An An standing next to Li Xiao. An An was holding onto her father’s pants, looking up curiously at Aunt Wang.

The little girl had two pretty braids, a pink winter coat, woolen leggings, and small boots, and she was carrying a small pearl bag sling bag.

Her round face was bright and her eyes were large and sparkling.

Aunt Wang’s heart melted at the sight. She quickly squatted down and asked, “An An, do you remember Grandma?”

An An, feeling a bit shy, hid behind her father but still politely said, “Hello, Grandma Wang.”

She remembered her mother had told her on the train that the neighbor next door was Grandma Wang and that she should greet her and call her Grandma Wang.

Aunt Wang’s face was full of smiles, her wrinkles deepening, “Yes, yes, An An is also great.”

Then she smiled at Jiang Rou and Li Xiao, “You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Don’t be polite, come to our house. I’ll make you some noodles. Oh, it’s so cold in winter, come in quickly so you don’t freeze the child.”

Aunt Wang took the bag from Li Xin’s hand and led them inside.

Jiang Rou did not insist on being polite and inquired about Aunt Wang’s family situation.

Once they entered the courtyard, Jiang Rou noticed that the place was spotless, completely different from what she and Li Xiao had anticipated—which was an overgrown area.

The snow in the courtyard had been swept into the corners, and in the center, quilts were being aired out.

Aunt Wang said warmly, “I don’t have much to do usually, so whenever I have time, I come over to help clean up. I figured if you came back, you could move in directly.”

“The house is like this; if no one lives in it, it can easily fall into bad shape. Look at the house next door; the grass inside is even taller than a person.”

When Jiang Rou and Li Xiao entered the house, they found it was also clean, though a bit chilly and lacking in warmth due to the absence of people. Everything else was fine.

They exchanged glances—feeling touched. Jiang Rou looked at Aunt Wang’s graying temples and said, “Aunt Wang, I really don’t know what to say. Thank you so much.”

“Oh, there’s no need to thank me. Every year during the New Year and festivals, you always send things over and think of me and your uncle. This little thing is nothing,” Aunt Wang responded.

She continued, “I’ll bring some charcoal over later to warm up the place. It’s too cold in here, and it’s easy to freeze at night.”

“Okay.” Jiang Rou agreed.

Aunt Wang set down the bag and left, saying, “I’m going to prepare some food for you. Knowing you were coming back today; I specially cooked a hen. It will definitely be delicious. You can’t buy such good hens in the city.”

“That sounds good.” Li Xiao said.

Aunt Wang laughed.

Li Xiao put down the suitcases and looked around the house, “We’ll tidy up later tonight.”

An An, unable to sit still, ran around the house, continuously asking questions, “Mommy, what’s that?”

“Mommy, what is this for?”

An An was incredibly curious.

Li Xiao moved a ladder to go upstairs and bring down the fire buckets. When An An saw this, she looked up with curiosity and wanted to follow him.

Jiang Rou quickly stopped her, “It’s very dirty up there, full of dust. Let your dad handle it.”

So An An did not go up and instead ran outside to play in the snow.

Li Xiao brought down two fire buckets and, while searching, heard the sound of mice squeaking from above, indicating there were quite a few mice up there.

Jiang Rou pulled out the house lights and checked; everything was in good condition.

Li Xiao took the fire buckets outside to wash them by the well. When An An saw this, she immediately ran over and giggled as she watched her father press out well water, saying, “This is fun. I want to play too.”

Li Xiao said grumpily, “Don’t play with this; you’ll get your clothes wet, and your mom will scold you.”

An An pouted unhappily.

After Li Xiao finished washing the fire buckets, he took them next door to the Wang family. Jiang Rou and Li Xin carried gifts, including clothes, shoes, and supplements for Aunt Wang and Uncle Wang.

Aunt Wang had already prepared the meal, putting an entire hen into the pot. Each bowl had a lot of meat, especially An An’s bowl, which had two large chicken legs on top.

Seeing the gifts brought by Jiang Rou and the others, Aunt Wang kept saying they were too polite. Jiang Rou smiled and asked her to try on the clothes and shoes to see if they fit.

Aunt Wang, feeling embarrassed to try them on, picked up An An’s large bowl and began to pick apart the tender chicken to feed her.

Li Xiao glanced over and said, “She can feed herself.”

Aunt Wang was surprised, “Is she that capable? The child next door from the Wu family, who is two years older than An An, still needs to be fed.”

An An, feeling proud, looked up and smiled, “Grandma, I’ve been eating by myself since last year.”

Aunt Wang smiled and patted her head, “Our An An is really smart. Here, the meat is too big; Grandma will feed you.”

An An, became even happier and opened her mouth wide.

Jiang Rou then asked about Uncle Wang.

Aunt Wang said, “At the vegetable market, business has become tough. The county opened a supermarket two years ago and another one this year. The number of people going to the vegetable market has decreased significantly. The small shop that your uncle and I run barely covers our living expenses. But it’s not too bad. Minjun now has a job, and she’s married with a child. Your uncle and I don’t have much pressure.”

Jiang Rou knew about Wang Minjun’s situation. She was currently pursuing a master’s degree while working as a teacher at the university. Last year, she had a child, and her husband was also a teacher at the same school. Their families were of similar economic standing, and they had pooled their money together to buy a house in the city where they worked. They were living fairly well.

Minjun’s school also provided housing, although it was not very spacious. Originally, she intended to bring Aunt Wang and Uncle Wang to live with them. However, the old couple returned within a month. They even called Jiang Rou, saying that living in the city was not as comfortable as at home, with all the unfamiliar people, hard to understand words when having small talk, and expensive goods.

The couple had returned to their old home.

Jiang Rou took a bite of noodles and nodded, “It’s quite good. The old home has been improving, and it’s comfortable to live here.”

She then asked, “Who is taking care of Minjun’s child now?”

“Her mother-in-law.”

When Aunt Wang mentioned this, she couldn’t help but pout. “She insisted on taking care of the child herself, but she didn’t do a good job. She enjoyed herself every day, and the child wasn’t properly cared for. Minjun initially wanted me to help with the child, but her mother-in-law caused a scene. In the end, I had no choice but to come back.”

“I disagreed with her marriage from the start, but she insisted on it.”

Jiang Rou comforted her, “It’s only a few years. Once the child starts kindergarten, things will get better. The most important thing is that the couple has a good relationship, and the husband knows how to cherish her.”

Aunt Wang’s pout deepened upon hearing this. “That’s not certain. With her mother-in-law’s temperament, she probably won’t be willing to give up the good life in the city.”

She sighed and remarked, “My son-in-law is caring, but his temper is too soft. He listens to his mother’s demands. He doesn’t compare to Xiaoxiao. If he had even half of Xiaoxiao’s strength, I wouldn’t worry so much.”

“Forget it. Your uncle says that at my age, I don’t need to worry about these things. Whatever happens, it’s her own choice. I’ve given all the advice I could. We have to endure. Whose life isn’t like this? I endured much more hardship when I was young.”

It wasn’t that Aunt Wang didn’t want to come to terms with it; it was that she had to. She had hoped that after her daughter graduated from university and found a job, she and her husband would be able to enjoy a comfortable life too. They hadn’t expected to live in a big city house, but at the very least, they wouldn’t have to endure hardship anymore. Instead, her daughter found a husband whose family conditions were even worse than theirs. Although it was said that the house was bought with money from both families, it was actually their family that contributed the majority, while the other side added only a few thousand yuan. The property certificate still had both children’s names on it. They had spent most of their life’s savings, which made them feel a pang of regret.

In the end, they lived in a shabby little house at the school while their daughter’s in-laws lived in the big house they had bought. How could she not feel aggrieved? When she visited her granddaughter, her in-laws acted as if they were the head of the household, which made her even angrier.

Their daughter was obedient, but considering they had invested most of their energy into raising her, it was somewhat disheartening that her situation wasn’t as good as Jiang Rou’s.

Jiang Rou was thoughtful, sending large packages of food and clothing every festival and calling weekly to check on their health. She was incredibly considerate. In contrast, her daughter and son-in-law, even if they didn’t come home for the festivals, only called to ask her to buy chickens and eggs to send to the city as gifts for their superiors.

To the neighbors, her son-in-law seemed successful, and she and Old Wang were enjoying their retirement. Only she knew that she was the one worrying more, and in the end, it was Jiang Rou and Li Xiao’s blessings that they enjoyed.

Knowing that Jiang Rou and Li Xiao’s family were coming back, Aunt Wang bought a lot of eggs and chickens, even more than when her daughter and son-in-law came back. She decided to treat Jiang Rou as her own daughter, regardless of any familial ties. Whoever treated her well, she would treat them well in return.

An An really liked Aunt Wang. In her impression, she didn’t have a grandmother. Many of her kindergarten friends had grandfathers and grandmothers, but she didn’t. She thought of Aunt Wang as her grandmother and was very dependent on her. Eventually, she ended up sitting in Aunt Wang’s lap, letting her feed her.

After eating, Aunt Wang turned on the TV and played cartoons. An An took a nap at Aunt Wang’s house in the afternoon since the blankets at her own home were still drying, leaving her with no place to sleep.

—o—o—o—

In the afternoon, Li Xiao went out with an axe, saying he was going to cut some firewood.

Jiang Rou went next door to wake up An An, then took her and Li Xin to the City for a stroll. They first visited the two newly opened supermarkets in the county. Although there were many items for sale, it was nothing compared to the supermarkets in G Province, so they only bought a few seasonings.

While looking at the seasonings, a surprised voice suddenly came from behind, “Jiang Rou—”

Jiang Rou instinctively turned around and saw a woman standing not far behind her, holding a child. The woman had her hair pulled back, exposing a broad forehead. The little boy she was holding resembled her quite a bit, with a similar round face.

Next to her stood a middle-aged woman with a basket in her hand, holding a bottle of soy sauce. When she saw the woman calling out to Jiang Rou, she also looked over, her expression slightly surprised, and asked, “What, do you know her?”

Her eyes scrutinized Jiang Rou and her companions.

Jiang Rou frowned, recognizing the woman as her former classmate and fellow townswoman. She remembered that not long after she had just crossed over, this person and a classmate named Zhang Ping had come to visit her.

However, the woman had been very sarcastic at the time.

If she remembered correctly, this woman’s name was Huang Qingqing.

Huang Qingqing stared intently at Jiang Rou, noticing her fair and beautiful face and her well-maintained black hair. The hands holding the child were adorned with two rings and looked delicate and unworked, very different from her own rough, cracked hands.

Seeing this, Huang Qingqing instinctively withdrew her hand that was holding the child, as if trying to hide it.

With a somewhat forced smile, she asked, “Aren’t you supposed to be in the south?”

Jiang Rou looked at her and, recalling that she was an old classmate, nodded, “Yes, I’m back to visit this year.”

Huang Qingqing pressed her lips together, seeming to recall something, and suddenly asked with a tinge of envy, “I heard your husband is making a lot of money now and has even opened a factory. Is he making tens of thousands a year?”

In the past, she had felt contemptuous and disdainful when she learned Jiang Rou had dropped out of school to follow a petty gangster, thinking Jiang Rou’s life would end up nothing more than revolving around the county. She never expected that in the end, she would be stuck in the city, while Jiang Rou not only managed to attend university but also had a successful husband.

Many of Jiang Rou’s former classmates who had once ridiculed her had now turned to praising her. They praised her for being smart and having good judgment, for abandoning her parasitic family, and for finding a capable husband. Who would have thought that the notorious troublemaker from the past could achieve such success today?

Hearing this, Jiang Rou was about to modestly downplay the praise when An An, with great pride, spoke up, “That’s not true! My dad has opened two factories and is going to start a big company next year. He’s making tons of money.”

“……”

Jiang Rou quickly covered An An’s mouth, laughing awkwardly as she said, “No, no. The child doesn’t understand and is just talking nonsense.”

An An pulled Jiang Rou’s hand away and looked up at her, “Didn’t you say just a few days ago that we have a lot of money?”

“……”

This was because An An had come home from kindergarten saying that her classmates’ parents were very wealthy, wearing expensive clothes and shoes. To prevent An An from feeling inferior, Jiang Rou told her that they were not poor and that her father was very good at making money. She explained that although those parents could afford expensive things, they didn’t need to buy them, as their own food and clothing were very good. The so-called luxury brands were just overpriced and not worth wasting money on.

It seemed that this explanation had stuck with the little one.

Jiang Rou pinched An An’s nose with a hint of irritation, “You really are a big blabbermouth.”

Determined to be more careful with her words in the future, she thought that this child really did spill everything.

Across from them, Huang Qingqing’s expression stiffened. She finally noticed the appearance of Jiang Rou’s child. The little girl was about four or five years old, extremely beautiful with pinkish-white skin and large, dark eyes, exuding an innocent and playful charm.

It was clear she had been pampered.

Her own son was also well-spoiled at home and got the best of everything, but he didn’t look as good as this child.

Jiang Rou, fearing that An An might say something else, only nodded and carried her child away.

As they walked further, the middle-aged woman next to Huang Qingqing couldn’t help but comment, “Is that your classmate? She seems to be doing quite well.”

Apart from her attire, just her demeanor suggested that life was treating her smoothly, with no sign of worry on her face.

Huang Qingqing’s expression fell. “Who knows how long it will last? I’ve heard that wealthy men often look for mistresses outside.”

She felt that Jiang Rou’s apparent success might only be superficial, and who knew what was really going on behind the scenes?

Her mother-in-law did not engage with this comment. She glanced at Huang Qingqing, subtly pursed her lips, and turned back to continue selecting soy sauce.

Jiang Rou and her companions finished their shopping and then went to South Street.

The area was now almost entirely filled with clothing stores. As they shopped, they bought quite a few items, including cotton shoes and sweaters. They also visited the pedestrian street and bought two new blankets and a hot water bottle.

They carried many things, with An An even holding two pairs of shoes in her hands.

In An An’s memory, their family usually shopped at large malls, so she found the old streets of the City very novel. When they got home and she saw her father chopping firewood, she was even more excited and kept following him around.

She was also directed by Li Xiao to collect and stack the chopped firewood.

—o—o—o—

In the evening, the family of four went to the Wang family’s house for dinner. Aunt Wang had prepared a large variety of delicious dishes, and Uncle Wang was at home as well. He had Li Xiao open a bottle of white wine, and the two of them drank a few glasses.

The meal was very lively.

Li Xiao was usually managed by Jiang Rou—he was not allowed to drink and he had to take great care of his stomach. Tonight, was a rare occasion,  Jiang Rou didn’t stop him but did remind him not to drink too much.

Whether it was because he hadn’t drunk in a long time or because the Wang family’s white wine was particularly strong, Li Xiao was somewhat drunk by the time they returned home, and he staggered while walking.

An An was quite displeased with her father after he had been drinking. When they got home, she complained that her father smelled bad and said she didn’t want to sleep with him that night.

Jiang Rou took her to the bathroom for a bath and said, “Then you can sleep with your aunt tonight. Auntie smells nice.”

An An thought about it, comparing her smelly father to her fragrant aunt, and then nodded vigorously, “Okay.”

Actually, she preferred to sleep with her mother.

After Jiang Rou had cleaned her up, she took her to Li Xin’s room. Li Xin had already bathed in the afternoon and was now lying on the bed playing on her phone. Jiang Rou tucked An An into Li Xin’s bed and reminded her, “Don’t look at the phone too much. It’s bad for your eyes.”

“Okay.”

Li Xin tossed her phone to the bedside and reached out to hold the soft An An, who thought her aunt was playing with her, and laughed loudly.

After Jiang Rou finished washing up and returned to their room—she found Li Xiao lying on the bed motionless.

She had to nudge him several times before he reluctantly got up to shower. When he came back, he immediately burrowed under the covers.

The wooden bed started to creak, and just as Jiang Rou was about to say something, her mouth was covered.