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It was unclear how much time had passed when Jiang Cong returned after washing up. He turned off the light and lay down beside Qin Man.
Jiang Cong felt stiff, his whole body straight and tense. It was a different feeling now. Before, he could pretend that the person lying beside him was just a child. But now, the woman next to him was no longer a child—she had the awareness of an adult.
Qin Man was still awake. She could sense Jiang Cong’s nervousness—he was keeping his distance from her. There was still enough space between them to fit another person. The bed wasn’t even that big, so was he sleeping right at the edge?
She didn’t know when she fell asleep, but when she opened her eyes the next morning, he was already gone.
Qin Man got up and stretched lazily. Sunlight had already poured into the room. Jiang Cong had left for town, the two children were playing in the courtyard, and Jiang’s mother was scrubbing clothes on a washboard.
“Oh, finally up? The sun’s already shining on your butt!”
Qin Man had just stepped out when she heard her sister-in-law, Song Mei, making a sarcastic remark.
She rolled her eyes subtly, not bothering to argue.
“There’s food left for you in the pot. Wash up quickly and eat,” Jiang’s mother said.
To her, Qin Man was still like a child.
“Thank you,” Qin Man responded politely before turning to get some hot water to wash her face.
The pot had warm food waiting—some hot rice, vegetables, and even a boiled egg. Though there was no meat, Qin Man found it quite satisfying.
Last night, Jiang Cong had mentioned saving up money to find a job in the city. Since she was here now, she couldn’t just sit around doing nothing. She needed to find work, to secure a stable income. After all, a woman’s dignity lay in her independence.
It was August now. She recalled that she and the children often played in the back mountain, where there were a few persimmon trees. The fruits were already growing—big and beautiful—but they wouldn’t fully ripen until September. It was only early August, so the persimmons were still a bit astringent. But she had a way to make them ripen early.
If she could take the persimmons to the county market and sell them, she could make some money. Two trees’ worth of persimmons, sold at five cents each, could bring in around ten yuan. Given the current cost of living, a few dozen yuan would be enough to rent a place and afford basic meals.
Once she had an idea, she acted on it. Qin Man found a large basket at home and prepared to head to the back mountain.
Seeing this, Jiang Li and Jiang Yu quickly threw down their sticks and ran after her.
“Mommy, where are you going? We want to go too!” Jiang Yu clung to Qin Man’s hand, acting spoiled.
How could she refuse such an adorable child? She agreed at once.
“Mommy is going to the back mountain. If you both want to come, let’s go together.”
She affectionately patted their heads, then took one child in each hand and stepped out of the house.
When they arrived at the persimmon trees, some of the fruits had already started turning red, while most were still green. The mix of colors looked beautiful.
These wild persimmons were well-exposed to sunlight, growing large and full. Even though they were still astringent, their taste was already better than the cultivated ones in later years. Village kids often came to pick persimmons to snack on, but since they weren’t fully ripe yet, she had the chance to get to them first.
“Mommy, do you want to eat persimmons?” Jiang Li looked up and asked.
“I plan to sell them to make money. You two stay down here and don’t run around, okay? I’ll pick them.”
With that, Qin Man had already started climbing the tree while the children watched her intently.
“Be careful, Mommy! You can do it!” Jiang Yu cheered in her sweet little voice.
Qin Man instantly felt energized. In no time, she had climbed up and started picking persimmons, quickly filling an entire basket.
One basket held about forty to fifty persimmons, weighing over thirty pounds. It was a bit heavy for her, but still manageable.
The three of them went back and forth a few times. The children couldn’t help much, only managing to carry four or five persimmons each time.
Jiang Yu, in particular, kept dropping them. She’d walk a few steps, drop one, then run back to pick it up, only to drop another one a moment later. Qin Man couldn’t help but laugh—she was just too cute.
In total, they picked about 800 persimmons and piled them up in a corner of the house. Jiang’s mother was puzzled when she saw them.
“Manman, why did you bring back so many wild persimmons? They’re not even ripe yet! They’re so astringent!”
“You’re such a grown woman, still greedy like a child. These persimmons are just taking up space!”
Song Mei, as usual, had to voice her complaints.
Qin Man didn’t like hearing this and immediately shot back, “Does it bother you? None of your business.”
She had a fiery temper and wasn’t one to suffer in silence. Before, she had held back out of courtesy, but did Song Mei really think she was easy to bully?
“You two, stop fighting. Stay civil!”
Jiang’s mother quickly intervened, playing the peacemaker between the two daughters-in-law.
“You’re the older sister-in-law, so I respect you. But your constant snide remarks are uncalled for,” Qin Man said directly, walking right up to Song Mei.
She was taller than Song Mei by a whole head, overwhelming her in presence. Song Mei immediately shut up.
She was the type to bully the weak but fear the strong. Before, Qin Man had been simple-minded and never talked back, so Song Mei had taken advantage of that. Who would have thought that now she was not only sharp-tongued but also tough?