Widow Remarries in Sixties

It was still dark in the early morning when Jiang Mingchuan woke up. He didn’t know what time it was and hesitated whether to get up or not.

As soon as he moved slightly, he heard a dissatisfied grunt from beside him. He froze, and all the memories came rushing back to him.

The warmth of the two bodies pressed together made it hard for him to breathe.

He didn’t dare to move, and in the quiet room, he could only hear the shallow breathing of the other person.

After an unknown amount of time passed, it seemed like the other person was too tired of maintaining a certain sleeping position. They turned over, facing away from him, which finally gave him some breathing space.

Jiang Mingchuan lifted his arm to cover his eyes, and his mind was filled with chaotic thoughts until he finally remembered what happened last night.

His face flushed, and he quickly suppressed the restlessness in his heart. He got up from the bed and quietly put on his clothes.

By the time Jin Xiuzhu woke up, Jiang Mingchuan had already left. Breakfast was simmering in the pot. He Yan had finished eating and gone to school, leaving only their younger daughter playing alone by the stove, who glanced up when she woke up.

Jin Xiuzhu got up slowly, supporting her waist with her hand, and let out a soft “hiss.”

For some reason, her face flushed, and she cursed under her breath, “Pretentious.”

She couldn’t help but click her tongue inwardly. Was this what a real man was like?

She used to see newlywed brides walking awkwardly after their wedding night, and others would joke about it. Now she realizes it was because the old Marquis wasn’t up to scratch.

Catching her daughter’s curious gaze, Jin Xiuzhu felt slightly uncomfortable and changed the subject, asking, “Have you eaten?”

Fu Yanyan nodded obediently, then lowered her head to continue playing with her tiger doll.

She wasn’t a child anymore, so she naturally understood Jin Xiuzhu’s strangeness, but she couldn’t help but frown. She remembered that in her past life, Dad Jiang and Jin Xiuzhu always slept in separate rooms. Why was it different this time?

Could it be because of her rebirth? Or…

She suddenly remembered the days when she followed Jin Xiuzhu as a ghost. Once, she overheard two young girls in the hospital corridor discussing time travel and parallel universes. She knew that many people in the future liked to read time-travel novels, and one of the girls firmly believed in parallel dimensions.

Could it be that she hadn’t returned to the past but rather crossed over to a parallel timeline?

That would explain why she felt that Jin Xiuzhu was different in some ways from her previous life.

Wouldn’t that mean that everyone’s fate in this life might also become different?

Inexplicably, Fu Yanyan felt an urge to do something.

Depression had tormented her for many years. Even though she knew she had returned to the past, she couldn’t muster any enthusiasm. She lived each day in a daze, watching everything happening around her like an outsider.

But at this moment, she didn’t want to continue like this anymore.

Jin Xiuzhu didn’t know what her daughter was thinking. Today was the Lantern Festival. After finishing lunch in the morning, she took Fu Yanyan next door to ask how the Wu family was celebrating.

Aunt Wu was also at home today. Qian Yufeng was preparing to take glutinous rice to her mother’s house to grind. When she saw Jin Xiuzhu coming over, she mentioned that they were making tangyuan at home and asked if she wanted to go to the village together.

Since Jin Xiuzhu had nothing else to do today, she decided to go with her. She also brought some glutinous rice and sesame seeds from home. These were bought by Jiang Mingchuan from outside yesterday when they prepared for the banquet, along with the vegetables.

Fu Yanyan was too young to walk, so she stayed at the Wu family’s place and asked Aunt Wu to help take care of her. “Mommy will be back at noon. Be good and play with Grandma Wu and Daya.”

Fu Yanyan nodded.

As they left, Qian Yufeng praised the child for being sensible.

Jin Xiuzhu smiled and said, “Indeed, she’s sensible. She hardly gives me any trouble.”

Once they were far away, Fu Yanyan couldn’t hear what they were saying anymore. She thought to herself, do all parents in the world like to praise other people’s children as good and say their own children are bad?

In her previous life, Jin Xiuzhu was like this, and Auntie Qian was also like this.

Aunt Wu, being old, soon dozed off by the brazier. Seeing this, Daya moved closer to Fu Yanyan and asked softly, “I heard your brother started going to school too?”

Fu Yanyan turned her head to look at her, slowly realizing that she was talking about He Yan.

She didn’t have much of an impression of Daya. Her memories were mostly of later times when they lived in the apartment building. At that time, the two families didn’t live together, and Jin Xiuzhu didn’t like to interact with Aunt Qian much.

But there were many girls, like Daya who didn’t go to school. The reason she could go to school was because of Dad Jiang and also because Jin Xiuzhu liked to compare herself with others.

In her previous life, she didn’t feel happy.

The only thing she remembered about Daya was when Jin Xiuzhu and Dad Jiang were about to divorce. One evening, when she was doing her homework, Dad Jiang suddenly found her alone and gave her some money in secret.

He told her that Daya had passed away and warned her to choose a good person to marry in the future. If she was mistreated, she could use the money to find him, and he would support her. Dad Jiang’s eyes were red that night, and he said a lot to her.

But at that time, Fu Yanyan didn’t understand. She also resented Dad Jiang for not treating Mom well.

Later… Many nights later, she regretted why she didn’t say a few more words to Dad Jiang at that time or look at him a little more. He was the only person in the world who was good to her.

Fu Yanyan looked at Daya and suddenly said, “Yeah, because my brother wanted to go to school. He told Mom and Dad, so they sent him to school.”

Daya was stunned when she heard this, and then an envious look appeared on her face. “Your Mom and Dad are really good.”

Fu Yanyan turned her head back to the brazier and said calmly, “You can do it too. If you want to go to school, just tell your Mom and Dad. It’s really fun to go to school, and you can learn a lot of new things.”

Daya didn’t say anything. Her dad didn’t take care of things at home, and her mom and grandma thought it was useless for girls to study. They think that running around all day couldn’t help with housework, especially since they had to rely on her dad to support her uncle’s family back home.

“Uncle was born to Grandma, but Uncle got sick and lay in bed all year round. Auntie had to take care of him and their two children. Dad had to send back most of his monthly salary to support them.”

She didn’t know why she was telling these things to her three-year-old little sister; she just felt upset.

“That’s something for adults to handle. You shouldn’t sacrifice yourself,” Fu Yanyan hesitated to say, echoing what Jin Xiuzhu had told He Yan a few days ago. He Yan was worried about burdening the family with his schooling expenses.

Daye fell into silence.

Neither of them spoke again until noon when Jin Xiuzhu and the others returned, bringing back the lively atmosphere to the house.

Jin Xiuzhu came back carrying a basket of things, bid farewell with a smile, then took Fu Yanyan home.

Upon arriving home, they took out everything from the basket one by one. Besides the glutinous rice flour and black sesame flour, there were also fresh vegetables and some dried mushrooms, even a piece of cured meat. “These are all good things. I’ll cook them for you tonight,” Jin Xiuzhu said.

Fu Yanyan felt a sudden softness in her heart as she looked at Jin Xiuzhu’s bright eyes.

Jiang Mingchuan was a bit busy today and wouldn’t be back for lunch.

Jin Xiuzhu didn’t want to inconvenience herself and the children, so she fried some vegetables with a small piece of cured meat and stewed two eggs.

Fu Yanyan: “…”

Forget it, it’s better not to dwell on it. There was no need to be too particular about whether she was treated fairly.

The two of them, one big and one small, finished their fragrant meal.

In the afternoon, Jin Xiuzhu started making tangyuan with Fu Yanyan. When they ran out of filling, Jin Xiuzhu rolled the glutinous rice flour into small balls.

When He Yan came back from school, he saw his sister squatting in the kitchen eating something delicious—small, white balls coated in red syrup, stretching out strings when bitten. He immediately ran over excitedly and asked, “Sister, what delicious treat are you eating?”

He Yan, who had been to school for two days, was noticeably more cheerful than before.

Seeing his longing eyes, Fu Yanyan had no choice but to hand him one of the small balls.

He Yan didn’t hesitate to accept it, putting the small ball into his mouth and closing his eyes in delight.

Jin Xiuzhu emerged from beneath the stove and clapped her hands. “There’s one more for you. Hurry up and do your homework. You can have it when your dad comes back.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Mingchuan came back when the sky had already turned dark.

He was soaked through, and Jin Xiuzhu, seeing him like this, hurriedly brought a basin of hot water to help him clean up. “How did you end up like this?”

Jiang Mingchuan, seeing her discomfort, explained, “Just took the troops out for training today, nothing serious.”

With an indifferent expression, he wiped his face with a towel and then directly took off his jacket, sitting down to eat in just his undershirt.

Jin Xiuzhu didn’t know what to say to him, so she went to the room to fetch a coat for him to put on.

Afraid of revealing his own discomfort to her, Jiang Mingchuan lowered his head and ate his sweet dumplings, feeling warm inside.

The two children beside him were eating voraciously, their mouths stained black.

Jin Xiuzhu chuckled at the sight. It wasn’t anything fancy, but the feeling of being together as a family was more precious than gold.

Compared to the glory and wealth of her past life, she actually preferred her current lifestyle.

When she lifted her head and met Jiang Mingchuan’s uneasy gaze, Jin Xiuzhu smiled and pursed her lips.

After dinner, Jiang Mingchuan went to the kitchen to wash the dishes while Jin Xiuzhu prepared hot water for the children to wash up. Then she heard him say, “Chef Zhang asked me at noon how you made those pastries and if you could teach him.”

Jin Xiuzhu paused for a moment, turning to look at him. “What did you reply?”

Jiang Mingchuan wasn’t sure what she meant, but he answered truthfully, “I just said I’m not really sure about these things and that I’d ask you when I got back.”

Jin Xiuzhu hmphed softly, “You’re not entirely clueless.”

Then she instructed him, “Tell him it’s a family recipe passed down through generations and can’t be shared casually outside. If he wants to try it, I can give him some next time I make it.”

Jiang Mingchuan glanced at her suspiciously, not quite believing in any so-called family recipe. He had seen the Jin family that day, and if there were such things, it didn’t seem like Jin Xiuzhu would be in charge of them.

Jin Xiuzhu didn’t care what he thought. She had already started thinking about other things.

In the evening, as soon as Jiang Mingchuan lay down, the person beside him immediately climbed on top of him, not bothering to pretend at all.

“…”

Jiang Mingchuan stared at the ceiling with wide eyes, feeling the kisses all over his body. Finally, unable to bear it, he turned over and responded.

Afterwards, Jin Xiuzhu placed a pillow under her hips.

Confused, Jiang Mingchuan looked at her. Jin Xiuzhu kindly explained, “I heard from the elders that this makes it easier to conceive.”

She added cheerfully, “You need to work hard. Let’s aim to have a baby by the end of the year.”

Jiang Mingchuan hesitated before asking, “Do you want a child?”

Without hesitation, Jin Xiuzhu replied, “Of course, two children are still too few. Let’s try to have several more, preferably seven or eight. It’ll be lively by then.”

“…”

Looking at her hopeful eyes, Jiang Mingchuan opened his mouth but ultimately didn’t say anything.

Listening to the even breathing beside him, he closed his eyes with some worry.

Seven or eight… He didn’t think he could afford to raise them all.

***

The next day at noon, Jiang Mingchuan returned with Chef Zhang.

Chef Zhang carried a basket, from which he took out two dishes. He ate while talking to Jin Xiuzhu, “Don’t be fooled by my years of experience as a chef. When I first started, I couldn’t cook a single dish. I learned everything from my predecessors. But I only learned the basics. My teacher told me that chefs used to have an inheritance. When I asked Mingchuan about you, I didn’t mean anything else.

I’m a straightforward person. I just thought that the pastry was delicious and wanted to learn how to make it to serve everyone as breakfast in the future. I didn’t think too much about it. Please don’t think badly of me.”

Jin Xiuzhu just smiled and said, “You are someone Mingchuan trusts, so I naturally see you as family. But this kind of family tradition is difficult for me. When the elders taught me, they specifically told me not to pass it on. Although the elders are no longer here, I dare not disobey.”

“But Mingchuan often says that the army is a big collective, and sometimes we shouldn’t be too concerned about personal gains and losses. Your idea is also for everyone’s good. Our family shouldn’t be too selfish. If I did it myself, it wouldn’t be a problem.”

Chef Zhang laughed upon hearing this.

Even Jiang Mingchuan could discern her little scheme, looking at her with some helplessness.

Jin Xiuzhu extended her hand and began counting with her fingers delicately, “Actually, I can also make dishes like Crispy Abalone Roll, Ju Shengnu, Jian Fengxiao, Jujube and Yam Cake, and Tofu Skin Buns. Besides these, I can also make some dishes like Milk-Fermented Fish, Sour Bamboo Shoot and Chicken Skin Soup, Oven-roasted Duck, and many more.”

Afraid they might misunderstand, she added, “I only know the recipes by heart and haven’t had the chance to actually cook them. But once I start, I should pick it up quickly.”

“…”

After finishing the meal, Jiang Mingchuan escorted Chef Zhang out. Once they were outside, Chef Zhang couldn’t help but laugh, “Your wife is much smarter than you.”

Not only smart but also thick-skinned.

Jiang Mingchuan didn’t deny it. Back in the house, he couldn’t help but ask, “Do you want to help out in the cafeteria?”

Jin Xiuzhu nodded, “We don’t have much money at home. We can’t rely on just you.”

Jiang Mingchuan listened without speaking. He divided his money into several parts every month: one part was sent to his sister, another to his foster parents, and another to the families of fallen comrades. Now, the portion for the Fu family was saved, and the wife of another comrade had found a job. “I still need to send money to my brother. My adoptive parents had another son after me, and I’m worried about his well-being. I’ve already written to my adoptive mother about this, they will understand.”

Jin Xiuzhu quickly comforted him, “Don’t worry too much, I just feel like you’re working too hard alone. What you’re doing is right. When we’re a bit better off in the future, we can always supplement the money.”

But she didn’t really think so. Hearing what Aunt Wu had said before, Jiang Mingchuan’s adoptive father owed his achievements to the glory of his parents. Now, Jiang Mingchuan had made it this far on his own, yet his own biological son was clearly prioritized.

Jiang Mingchuan frowned, “You can’t go to the cafeteria. If you do, it won’t look good among the other military wives.”

It’s not just her who wants to go.

“Why wouldn’t it look good? I’m not freeloading; I rely on my own skills. If others want to push me out, then so be it.”

Jiang Mingchuan realized that she didn’t care at all about what others thought.

Seeing him silent, Jin Xiuzhu thought he disagreed. She reached out to touch his hand and even scratched his palm, asking softly, “You’ll support me, right?”

“…”

Author’s Note:

Jiang Mingchuan: My wife really wants to seduce me.