☆ 11. Her Deceased Husband

The man sitting beside her was helping out.

He had a lean figure, wearing a light khaki jacket, with bronze skin and a neatly trimmed beard that covered most of his face. The beard wasn’t too long, making him look quite presentable, even adding a unique masculine charm. Especially striking were his sharp, deep-set eyes, which made him appear exceptionally dignified.

Ji Meng looked at the man’s eyes, feeling a strange sense of familiarity, though she couldn’t pinpoint why.

She had only been in this world for a short time, yet she encountered someone who felt oddly familiar…

Feeling puzzled, Ji Meng instinctively wanted to take another glance.

Just then, the man stood up, lifting her suitcase, with his gaze icy and cold, like frost in winter.

Ji Meng’s heart skipped a beat. Startled, she quickly regained her composure and apologized again:

“I’m really sorry, I almost hit you just now.”

Su Cheng didn’t respond. He didn’t expect such a coincidence, that the ticket he bought would land him on the same train, in the same carriage as this woman, and he was even assigned the bunk above hers.

He had anticipated the possibility of running into her at the train station, so he had gone out of his way to disguise himself. With years of experience in covert missions, and having seen plenty of modern makeup techniques, he was confident his disguise was flawless.

However, being this close, and with someone like Qiuqiu, who knew him relatively well, nearby, there was always a slim chance things might go wrong.

Su Cheng slightly clenched his fist. After a moment, he raised his hand and effortlessly placed Ji Meng’s troublesome suitcase onto the overhead rack, then strode out of the train carriage.

“Thank you.”

The man’s movements were swift and efficient. Ji Meng hadn’t even had time to react. By the time she snapped out of it, all she could do was call out a thank you to his retreating figure.

“Qiuqiu.”

The man seemed a bit strange, but since all sorts of people can be found on a train, Ji Meng didn’t dwell on it. She massaged her wrist, still sore from pulling the suitcase earlier, and returned to her seat. There, she noticed Qiuqiu staring blankly in the direction of the aisle, prompting Ji Meng to call out to her.

“Mom.”

Qiuqiu turned around, and upon seeing Ji Meng, immediately clung to her leg, her small hands gripping her tightly in reliance.

“Mm, what’s wrong, Qiuqiu? Did something scare you just now?”

Ji Meng was now more sensitive to Qiuqiu’s emotions, and she could tell that something was off. She wrapped an arm around Qiuqiu’s small shoulders, sat down with her on the seat, and gently asked.

“No.”

Qiuqiu buried her head in Ji Meng’s embrace and shook her head slightly. After a moment, she looked up, fidgeting with her little fingers, and softly asked Ji Meng:

“Mom, do you think… is it possible for Dad to come back as someone else to see Qiuqiu?”

Ji Meng was taken aback. This was the first time the little girl had mentioned Su Cheng in front of her in all these days.

“Why are you asking that, Qiuqiu?”

Qiuqiu didn’t know how to explain. When she saw that uncle helping her mom with the suitcase earlier, she felt like she was seeing her dad.

Even though that uncle was much thinner than her dad and not as handsome, at that moment, she felt as if he was her dad.

She almost called out to him.

“Manman told me that if Qiuqiu really misses Dad, and Dad can feel it down there, he might come back to see Qiuqiu.”

Afraid of scaring her mom, Qiuqiu hesitated for a long time before finally telling Ji Meng.

The child misses her dad.

Ji Meng felt a pang in her heart. She took a soft breath and gently stroked the little girl’s head. Looking into her eyes, she spoke seriously:

“Qiuqiu, Dad can’t come back to see you, because that would frighten you, and Dad would never want to do that.”

As soon as Ji Meng said that, Qiuqiu’s eyes reddened, and her lips quivered with sadness. Ji Meng’s heart ached, and she quickly added:

“But Dad is a soldier and a hero, right? So he became the brightest star in the sky, silently watching over and protecting Qiuqiu.”

Not knowing how else to comfort the child, Ji Meng resorted to the simplest and most traditional method.

When she was little, the orphanage director used to console her in the same way.

“Dad became a star?”

Qiuqiu’s big and round eyes widened in disbelief as she looked up at Ji Meng.

“Yes, the brightest star in the sky at night is your dad.”

Ji Meng smiled and nodded, adding, “When we get to the provincial city, Mom will take you to look at the stars.”

“Mm! Then Mom can teach Qiuqiu how to find Dad.”

Qiuqiu nodded eagerly. She couldn’t wait to reach the provincial city so she could see the stars and see her dad.

“Are you hungry, Qiuqiu? Do you want something to eat? How about I peel an egg for you?”

Finally having comforted the child, Ji Meng sighed in relief and asked Qiuqiu again.

They had left early in the morning, barely having breakfast, and now it was almost eleven o’clock, just about time for lunch.

Qiuqiu wasn’t really hungry, but she worried that her mom was. Ji Meng hadn’t eaten much in the morning, and after carrying such a heavy suitcase, she might have felt weak, which was probably why the suitcase almost slipped just now. So Qiuqiu took the initiative to say:

“Qiuqiu can do it, Mom! Qiuqiu can peel the egg. Do you want to have a pancake too?”

There was plenty of food prepared by Fang Aihua for them.

She had made ^[1]Zongzi (粽子) is a traditional Chinese food made of glutinous rice stuffed with various fillings and wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves. It is usually shaped like a pyramid or a cone. Common fillings … Continue readingzongzi, fried potato pancakes, boiled eggs, and even exchanged for five salted duck eggs from Manman’s family, bringing them along. While packing, Qiuqiu had been right there, so she knew exactly what was in the bags.

Ji Meng was indeed a bit hungry. Her daughter was so considerate, making her heart feel warm. She smiled and replied, “Alright, then you can help Mom get it.”

The pancakes made from white flour, coated in egg and fried in hot oil, were soft with thin skin, filled with shredded potatoes and scallions, and tasted great even without reheating.

As soon as Qiuqiu took them out, the delightful aroma of the pancakes wafted through the aisle.

In the lower bunk across from them was an elderly woman in her sixties, with a somewhat harsh appearance, gray hair, and wearing a simple thin gray coat patched in several places.

She had a round, chubby little boy about five or six years old, with long braids that hadn’t yet been cut.

The little boy had been sleeping but woke up to the delicious smell. Seeing Qiuqiu eating an egg and Ji Meng enjoying a potato pancake, he immediately shouted, “I want to eat egg and a pancake too!”

The way the little chubby boy clamored for food was quite similar to Su Erhu. His voice was loud, noisy, and demanding.

Qiuqiu instinctively disliked Su Erhu. When she heard a similar voice, it felt like facing a formidable enemy. She was startled, causing her hand holding the pancake to shake a bit, and she stood in front of the bag, not sure whether to take out the pancake or not.

Ji Meng had been paying close attention to Qiuqiu and noticed the impact the little chubby boy had on her. She furrowed her brows slightly, glanced at the shouting boy, and gently called out to Qiuqiu:

“Qiuqiu, give it to Mom.”

“Mm, okay, here you go, Mom.”

As soon as Ji Meng spoke, Qiuqiu’s courage returned. She no longer looked at the chubby boy and wrapped the pancake in the vegetable leaves Ji Meng had prepared, handing it to her.

Eating the pancake alone could easily lead to choking, so Qiuqiu also took out the boiled water Ji Meng had packed.

It was stored in a military water bottle, which had some insulation, and it was still warm.

“Thank you, baby.”

What a thoughtful and caring little girl!

Ji Meng was beginning to understand why many people online who wanted to have children were hoping for daughters.

At this moment, she truly felt a sense of fulfillment having a daughter.

“You’re welcome, Mom.”

When Qiuqiu was called “baby” by her mom in front of so many people on the train, she felt quite embarrassed. She completely forgot about the chubby boy, blushed, and softly replied before quickly taking an egg from the bag, peeling it, and diving into her meal.

The warmth between the mother and daughter created their own little world, while the situation in the lower bunk across from them was not so pleasant.

The elderly woman had originally thought Ji Meng would be somewhat polite, but to her surprise, Ji Meng showed no reaction at all. The woman’s expression immediately soured, and her eyes narrowed with displeasure. She reached into her own bag to grab something, but somehow, she couldn’t find anything. Instead, she dryly tried to coax the chubby boy:

“We’ll get you some food when the meal is served.”

But the chubby boy wasn’t buying it and just rolled around on the bed.

“I don’t want to eat, I want pancakes!”

He fussed, and the old woman didn’t stop him. Her eyes kept glancing over at Ji Meng, letting him make a scene.

Ji Meng sensed it, the elderly woman was waiting for her to respond, but she didn’t react.

It was just a pancake. If the elderly woman had a better attitude and showed some courtesy, Ji Meng might have reluctantly given it to her, even if she disliked the brat.

But if she was going to play this little game, Ji Meng would rather toss it away than give in.

Ji Meng continued to eat on her own. When she noticed Qiuqiu looking at her anxiously, she reached out to pat the little girl’s head and smiled reassuringly, encouraging her to ignore it and keep eating.

With no one to stop him, the chubby boy became even more unruly, kicking the bed board loudly, making the entire train car echo with his noise.

Someone in the next bunk who had been sleeping was disturbed and got angry, coming over to ask the elderly woman to control the boy.

The elderly woman, usually good-natured, agreed but didn’t take any action. However, a middle-aged woman in the middle bunk, annoyed by the incessant noise, banged on the bed heavily while holding who seemed to be a sleeping baby:

“Can you keep it down? You’re waking the baby, you’re responsible for calming him down!”

Her voice was just as loud as the child’s, and it was particularly fierce.

Combined with her somewhat intimidating appearance, it gave the impression that she was going to eat someone.

The chubby boy was frightened and sniffed, no longer daring to kick the bed, but he still cried softly and mumbled.

Perhaps realizing he wasn’t going to get any food from Ji Meng, the elderly woman began to feel sorry for her grandson. She looked up at the upper bunk, as if she wanted to lash out, but then she held back. She fished out a piece of sugar cake from her bag and handed it to the chubby boy:

“Alright, my good grandson, don’t cry. Let’s have some sugar cake.”

The sugar cake was coated in white sugar, soft and sweet.

The chubby boy was immediately soothed. He reached out his pudgy hand to take it, glanced at Qiuqiu, who was eating an egg, snorted heavily, and started to eat.

The chubby boy finally quieted down, but the elderly woman was not satisfied. Her usual tricks had lost their effectiveness, and she felt quite irritated. She shot a dark look at Ji Meng and coldly said after a moment:

“You sure enjoy that pancake, little sister.”

“Yes, it’s quite good. My mother-in-law made it specially for us before we left.”

Ji Meng replied with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, completely ignoring the elderly woman’s tone. The elderly woman grimaced in annoyance and retorted:

“What are you so proud of? You’re just a widow!”

“So what if I’m a widow? My husband was a martyr, I’m proud of that!”

Ji Meng’s expression hardened as she looked at the elderly woman. “Or do you look down on martyrs?”

No matter what era, soldiers were not to be belittled.

Especially now, with battles raging at the borders, soldiers were defending the people with their own blood and flesh.

At this moment, anyone who dared to disrespect a martyr would draw the ire of everyone in the train car.

The elderly woman understood the gravity of the situation, and seeing the icy determination in Ji Meng’s gaze, she didn’t dare respond further. Her eyelids drooped as she muttered after a while:

“I never said that, don’t wrongfully accuse me.”

Just a bullying old woman, ^[2]“All bark and no bite” means someone talks tough or makes threats but doesn’t actually follow through with action. It describes a person who appears intimidating or aggressive in … Continue readingall bark and no bite.

Ji Meng chose not to engage with her any further. As she shifted her gaze, she inadvertently caught sight of that tall figure reappearing in the aisle.

Ji Meng paused, suddenly recalling where she had seen those eyes before and whom they resembled.

With thin eyelids, long but not narrow eye shape, slightly upturned at the corners, and a deep, sharp gaze like a drawn sword, that pair of eyes left a strong impression after just one glance.

It was the kind of eyes she saw every day at home, which her mother-in-law, Fang Aihua, would carefully wipe clean with a soft cloth.

Her nominally deceased husband had eyes just like that.

Ji Meng’s gaze unconsciously shifted toward the man, who stood with his back to her in the aisle, in front of the window where there were no seats, seemingly admiring the scenery outside.

She hadn’t noticed before, but now she realized he was very tall, with his head just a hand’s breadth away from the luggage rack—at least one meter eighty-eight.

For someone so tall, his shoulders were broad and straight, making him stand there like a striking figure, exuding a strong presence.

For a moment, Ji Meng felt that this man resembled the hazy shadow she had seen in her previous life’s memories.

It was so similar! Almost identical, except for the face.

Height, demeanor, gaze…

No wonder Qiuqiu had asked her that question earlier.

But could there really be someone in the world who looked so much alike?

She was exactly like her original body, discovered by the system from countless worlds, but what about this man before her?

Something flashed through her mind, and without thinking, Ji Meng blurted out to Sansan:

“Sansan, do you think it’s possible that Qiuqiu’s father is still alive?”