Widow Remarries in Sixties

In the kitchen, Jiang Mingchuan talked to Jin Xiuzhu about her job.

“Chef Zhang said he helped you apply for a breakfast chef job. You’ll start by helping with breakfast, and if you do well, you can switch to lunch or dinner later.”

“The salary is the same as other workers’, twenty yuan a month, with five catties of grain tickets and half a tael of sesame oil each month. Other benefits will be given out at the end of the year. But you need to get up early. You have to start working in the kitchen at three in the morning every day until nine in the morning, and then come back to prepare for the next morning from nine to ten at night.”

In terms of salary and benefits, it was comparable to urban workers. The only downside was the early mornings and late nights.

But for Jin Xiuzhu, these were not a problem at all. When she was a maid before, she often stayed up all night, especially in the deep winter. Even wearing padded jackets, she felt like she was freezing to death.

Besides, even the ladies of the Hou Mansion had to get up early every day to dress up and pay respects to the old lady. Compared to now, it was around three or four o’clock in the morning.

Jin Xiuzhu nodded unconcernedly. “That’s fine. I have nothing to do at home anyway.”

Jiang Mingchuan gave her a suspicious look. He heard from his daughter that she slept until almost noon every day.

At night, Jin Xiuzhu wanted to snuggle up to Jiang Mingchuan, but he held her hands and feet down helplessly, whispering, “Do you still want to get up early tomorrow morning?”

Jin Xiuzhu felt conflicted when she heard this, hesitating, “Then can we hurry?”

Jiang Mingchuan: “…”

Seeing him not moving, Jin Xiuzhu took the opportunity to reach out and touch his chest.

Jiang Mingchuan’s face turned red. He had never met such a shameless woman before.

Seeing Jin Xiuzhu about to climb onto him again, he hugged her tightly and firmly held her in his arms, saying, “Listen to me, go to sleep.”

The man’s voice was deep, and when he spoke, his warm breath brushed against Jin Xiuzhu’s scalp, making her feel ticklish.

Her face was pressed against the man’s chest, and she couldn’t tell if it was his high body temperature or her flushed cheeks, but she felt warm.

This kind of being held tightly in someone’s arms was something Jin Xiuzhu experienced for the first time, giving her a sense of satisfaction as if she had embraced the whole world.

And at this moment, this small, quiet cocoon was her whole world.

A night of good sleep.

***

In the early morning, Jin Xiuzhu opened her eyes right on time.

She lay on her side in bed, with the man holding her from behind.

She sighed softly in her heart, thinking that men were all the same. Even if they married reluctantly, didn’t they all sleep soundly while holding their wives?

Nevertheless, she still moved gently when getting up. Wrapping herself in a thick cotton coat, she went to the kitchen and washed her face with the water from the thermos. Then she tied up her hair and left.

Outside, it was pitch black, but luckily the moon above illuminated the path.

When Jin Xiuzhu arrived at the canteen, lights were already on inside. The canteen was brightly lit with electric lights. Chef Zhang was not there, but the four cooks preparing breakfast in the kitchen were busy with their tasks. They probably had been informed by Chef Zhang in advance. Seeing Jin Xiuzhu approaching, they weren’t surprised but rather curious.

Jin Xiuzhu had originally wondered if she would encounter any difficulties. After all, based on her past experiences, wherever she went, she had to pay her respects to the bosses.

But to her surprise, these four cooks were particularly polite to her. One tall cook even stopped his work and asked, “Master Jin, do you need anything else? We can help you prepare.”

Hearing the title “Master Jin,” Jin Xiuzhu nodded in satisfaction and glanced around the kitchen. Seeing the soaked glutinous rice and prepared red dates, she didn’t hesitate to roll up her sleeves and say, “I need red beans and osmanthus. Do you have them here?”

“We have red beans, but no osmanthus.”

“In that case, just the red beans.”

The man nodded and turned to help fetch them.

Meanwhile, Jin Xiuzhu went to check the soaked glutinous rice.

At 8 o’clock in the morning, after the morning exercise, the soldiers entered the canteen in perfect formation. Each person took a tray at the entrance and then lined up to collect their food from the window.

Normally, they would get an egg, a steamed bun, a vegetable bun, and a bowl of hot porridge. But today, it was different. The steamed bun was replaced with a red rice ball topped with red beans and dates, emitting a delicious aroma. It looked appetizing at first sight.

As they started eating, the first thing everyone did was to pick up the rice ball with their chopsticks. As soon as it touched their lips, they tasted the sweetness, which was so delicious that it made them want to swallow their tongues.

Some found it so delicious that they couldn’t bear to finish it in one go, deliberately saving half to eat later.

Jiang Mingchuan didn’t cook breakfast in the morning. He brought his two children directly to the canteen to eat. He exchanged three breakfast tickets. Both Fu Yanyan and He Yan had tried longfeng golden cakes before, so they didn’t eat as quickly as the first time. They delicately used spoons to eat, behaving politely.

After finishing, Jiang Mingchuan took Fu Yanyan to the kitchen and handed her over to Jin Xiuzhu.

Jin Xiuzhu’s face flushed from the steam in the kitchen. Recently, with good food and drink, she had also gained some flesh, and her skin had become much fairer and her hair shiny and black. She noticed some differences in herself but couldn’t pinpoint exactly what had changed.

She pinched off some crumbs of longfeng golden cake stuck to the gauze in the steamer and fed them to her daughter. Then, she said to Jiang Mingchuan, “You don’t need to buy an extra portion for Yanyan tomorrow. This is enough for her to eat.”

Yanyan: “…”

Yanyan didn’t really want to eat, but Jin Xiuzhu coaxed, “Be good, Mom made this especially for you.”

He Yan glanced at his sister with envy.

Yanyan couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to him.

Jiang Mingchuan said helplessly, “Don’t tease the child. You go ahead with your work. I’ll take Xiao Yan to the door.”

After finishing her work, Jin Xiuzhu took her daughter home. As she passed by the Wu family’s house, she was stopped by Qian Yufeng, who seemed to be deliberately waiting at the door.

Qian Yufeng scrutinized Jin Xiuzhu up and down with a sour expression. “You’re really unkind. I tell you everything, but you, you didn’t even mention working in the canteen to me. I had to ask your Captain Jiang to find out. Is it good to work in the canteen? I heard there are a lot of subsidies every month. Some military wives wanted to go before, but they couldn’t. You must have some ability.”

Indeed, Jin Xiuzhu had some ability. She had managed to win over Captain Jiang and now found a job.

Qian Yufeng refused to admit she was being sour. She was just angry that Jin Xiuzhu had kept it from her, not treating her like a friend.

Jin Xiuzhu had anticipated this reaction. Instead of coaxing, she deliberately frowned. “Sister-in-law, hearing you say that makes me uncomfortable. I only found out last night myself, and I left at three in the morning today. I didn’t have a chance to tell you. If you think like this, then you truly see me as an outsider. I’ve been sincere to you since I came here. Whenever I cook something delicious, I always think of you first. It’s you who always assumes the worst of me.”

After saying that, without even looking at her, she directly took her daughter’s hand and headed home.

Hearing this, Qian Yufeng felt guilty and hurriedly stepped forward to grab her, “Hey, hey, hey, what’s wrong with you? I didn’t say anything. Why are you getting angry? Alright, alright, it’s my fault. Come on in, have a seat, and drink some hot water. You must be exhausted after working all morning.”

Jin Xiuzhu gave her a disdainful glance. “Who dares to get angry with you? Otherwise, you’ll say I don’t know what’s good for me again.”

“Oh my, you have such a temper. Only Captain Jiang can handle you.”

Saying that, she didn’t hesitate to pull her inside. “My mother-in-law went visiting neighbors. We just had a quarrel in the morning, and I don’t feel like coaxing her. Let her go if she wants to go out. Come on in quickly.”

Standing beside them, Fu Yanyan watched as Jin Xiuzhu effortlessly smooth things over with just a few words, even making the other person console her.

If it were her, she probably would have apologized as soon as she heard those words.

She suddenly realized that the Jin Xiuzhu in this world was really different.

Jin Xiuzhu asked her, “Did you quarrel with your mother-in-law?”

“Me? I don’t have the guts for that. It was the eldest. I followed your advice from yesterday. When I got home, I said a few kind words to my eldest daughter and then told her I wanted her to go to school. Mom is very supportive, but we don’t have the money. If she really wants to go, she should argue with her Dad and Grandma. Arguing with them will make a difference. Tell them not to always favor Uncle’s family and to take care of her too.”

“”Who would’ve thought this kid would be so capable? She had a real argument with her dad and grandma this morning. I must say, I found it quite satisfying to listen to. Now I’ve come to my senses. Instead of spending so much money supporting Uncle’s family, it’s better to let our eldest girl go to school,” said He Yan.

Jin Xiuzhu nodded, “Indeed, that’s the right idea.”

Only Fu Yanyan could empathize with Daya’s feelings. She used to fight against her whole family alone, but now, with her mom’s support, she naturally had boundless courage.

Because she felt that her mom loved her.

In the afternoon, He Yan came back later than usual.

Jin Xiuzhu didn’t pay much attention. She often heard Qian Yufeng complain that Xiaojun was always kept back by the teacher to memorize lessons, sometimes coming back when it was already dark. She thought He Yan might be the same.

It was during dinner that their daughter suddenly said, “Big brother was bullied.”

Jin Xiuzhu and Jiang Mingchuan both froze for a moment, instinctively looking at He Yan.

He Yan looked up as if startled and hurriedly explained awkwardly, “No, no. I wasn’t bullied.”

Fu Yanyan looked at him disdainfully, pursed her lips, and said, “Your shoes were wet when you came back, and your backpack was dirty.”

“Well… that’s because I accidentally fell down,” he stammered.

“But you have scratch marks on your neck.”

He Yan didn’t say anything. He lowered his head as if he had done something wrong, not daring to look at Jin Xiuzhu and Jiang Mingchuan.

The light in the house was dim, and He Yan was wearing a coat, so neither Jin Xiuzhu nor Jiang Mingchuan noticed. Jin Xiuzhu’s face turned cold as she reached out to pull down He Yan’s collar, revealing three blood marks on his neck, one of which had even broken the skin.

She furrowed her brows tightly. “What happened?”

He Yan thought she was angry. When he used to fight with the kids in the village, his mother would take off his pants and beat him with a stick if he lost, scolding him for being worthless and embarrassing her.

He whispered, “It doesn’t hurt at all.”

Jiang Mingchuan wasn’t too concerned, thinking it was just boys fooling around. “Putting some medicine on it later will be fine.”

Hearing this, Fu Yanyan didn’t say anything.

Only Jin Xiuzhu raised her eyebrows. “What are you saying? Being scratched like this and saying it’s nothing? Now it’s just being scratched, next time it could be getting hit on the head. Don’t you know about that uncle in the Wu family? He hit his head on a rock and was paralyzed. He lay in bed for years without being able to move.”

Jiang Mingchuan fell silent. He knew he couldn’t argue with Jin Xiuzhu at this moment.

Fu Yanyan glanced at her father, then at Jin Xiuzhu, wisely lowering her head to eat.

Only He Yan was frightened out of his wits, afraid that he might end up paralyzed in bed unable to move. He quickly explained everything in detail. It turned out that this morning, some little bullies from the second grade, for reasons unknown, heard someone say that He Yan’s mom was now working in the cafeteria

They demanded He Yan bring them some snacks. When He Yan refused, they intercepted him after school and wouldn’t let him leave.

Those kids were especially naughty. After class, they deliberately stood in front of the restroom door, making other kids squeeze past them if they wanted to use the restroom, or else they wouldn’t allow them to go.

Jiang Mingchuan frowned, realizing the severity of the situation.

Just as Jin Xiuzhu was about to teach him how to fight back, Jiang Mingchuan seemed to anticipate what she was going to say and said directly, “Tomorrow, find out where those kids live, and Dad will visit their homes over the weekend. Next time you encounter such a situation, tell us.”

He Yan didn’t expect his dad to be so busy yet still willing to stand up for him. Actually, he wasn’t the only one being bullied.

He obediently nodded, feeling a bit happy inside.

After finishing their meal, Jiang Mingchuan and Jin Xiuzhu went to the kitchen to wash the dishes. Suddenly, in the living room, Fu Yanyan asked out of the blue, “Did you pee your pants?”

He Yan’s reaction was a bit slow as he hesitated and shook his head, “No.”

Fu Yanyan looked at him suspiciously and chuckled.

He Yan blushed. He really didn’t pee his pants, but he had been too scared to move all afternoon, sitting on his seat all afternoon without daring to move.

In the kitchen.

Jiang Mingchuan was bent over washing dishes while Jin Xiuzhu was tidying up the stove nearby. She suddenly turned her head and asked him, “Do you really not trust me deep down?”

Author’s Note:

Fu Yanyan: Uh-oh, looks like a fight is brewing.

He Yan: What should I do… What should I do…

Jin Xiuzhu: Men need to be disciplined.

Jiang Mingchuan: Am I in trouble?