Widow Remarries in Sixties

In the following days, Jin Xiuzhu became even busier. She went to the cafeteria in the morning, returned to study food in the morning, took a nap in the afternoon, then woke up to practice calligraphy, and in the evening attended classes or went to the cafeteria to prepare ingredients for the next day.

Anyway, she had no rest throughout the day, which was more tiring than when she managed the small courtyard in the Hou Mansion and dealt with business outside. Back then, she just needed to talk, and the servants would take care of everything for her.

Despite the exhaustion, Jin Xiuzhu never thought of slacking off. Every day, she tried to come up with a new dish, some of which she had tasted herself, while others were new foods she and her daughter came up with together. In addition to the assignments given by the two teachers in the afternoon, she copied texts and recited books on her own.

She found it difficult to use Jiang Mingchuan’s fountain pen. In the past, she could write beautiful small regular scripts, but it was not easy to control this hard pen to produce fine strokes. However, her handwriting was still quite good.

Compared to Jiang Mingchuan’s illegible handwriting, Jin Xiuzhu’s handwriting was at a master level.

Jiang Mingchuan’s individual characters were passable, but when put together, they were truly ugly. They varied in size, and sometimes the characters seemed to float. Jin Xiuzhu couldn’t understand how he managed it, and she couldn’t help but feel disgusted.

Perhaps Jin Xiuzhu was too enthusiastic, which made Jiang Mingchuan and He Yan nervous. They also took out pen and paper to practice calligraphy whenever they had time, using Jin Xiuzhu’s handwriting as a model, writing on discarded newspapers.

After finishing, Jin Xiuzhu would give them feedback, marking any improvements they made.

After about two weeks of after-school classes, there were significantly fewer military wives attending the literacy class, and many of them had been rounded up. The classroom, which was originally overcrowded, now looked empty.

As usual, Jin Xiuzhu arrived very early.

She didn’t really understand what these military wives were thinking. In the Dajing Dynasty, only boys could attend school. The ritual of apprenticeship and the tuition fee would almost drain half a year’s income from an ordinary family, not to mention the expenses for writing materials.

When her family sold her and her second sister, it was because the family was too poor and they also wanted to provide education for their younger brother.

She truly liked this place. Although it was poor and tough, ordinary children who wanted to study could do so, and even girls could attend.

Jin Xiuzhu reviewed the content from yesterday’s lesson in her notebook. Her daughter sat obediently on her lap, neither crying nor making a fuss, playing with the small tiger toy in her hand.

This was the first toy Jin Xiuzhu had made for her. Later, seeing that she liked it, she made a small dog and a small cat, but her daughter’s favorite was still this one.

Not long after she had sat down, Qian Yufeng and a familiar military wife came in with gloomy faces. Jin Xiuzhu recognized this person, named Li Guilan, who got along quite well with Qian Yufeng. These days, Qian Yufeng has been skipping classes at her house.

Seeing Jin Xiuzhu sitting in the front row, the two of them walked over and sat down on Jin Xiuzhu’s left side, then sighed.

Curious, Jin Xiuzhu turned her head to look at them and asked, “Why did you come today?”

Qian Yufeng shook her head helplessly and said, “Don’t mention it. That brat Xiao Jun went to his grandmother and complained, saying that I skip class every day. My mother-in-law went to her house and caught us both, forcing us to come to class.”

Finishing her words, she grumbled, “I’m already this old, why bother learning these things? Haven’t we managed fine all these years? I don’t know why Daya insists on going to school, crying and making a fuss.”

Anyway, she didn’t like it at all.

Next to Qian Yufeng, Li Guilan also sighed, “Today is really unlucky. We were having such a good chat.”

“Yeah.”

Qian Yufeng nodded, and then, as if reminded of something, she suddenly turned her head and whispered to Jin Xiuzhu, “Do you know who said your son Xiaoyan was adopted?”

Jin Xiuzhu didn’t want to pay her any mind at first, but upon hearing this question, she subconsciously turned her head to look at her, “Who?”

She had sensed something was off before. The matter of her working in the cafeteria and Xiaoyan being adopted, only the military wives knew about it. That child named Zhou Guowen was from the production team. Someone must have told him something.

Fu Yanyan, sitting on Jin Xiuzhu’s lap, also turned her head synchronously to look at Qian Yufeng. They resembled each other, one big and one small, with similar expressions, a mix of displeasure and anger in their eyes.

Qian Yufeng found it amusing and suppressed her voice, “Who else could it be? Liu Hongyue. Remember when you first came here and went to Captain Yan’s house for dinner, and you were bullied? When you asked me who that person was, it was her. Don’t you remember?”

With Qian Yufeng’s explanation, Jin Xiuzhu knew who it was. But she was puzzled, “Isn’t that all in the past?”

Even Captain Yan’s wife, Wang Ling, had been friendly towards her. Some time ago, she had asked Jiang Mingchuan to bring some pastries to Captain Yan’s house, and later Wang Ling had sent four salted duck eggs to their house, saying the pastries were delicious. These days, the two families have exchanged quite a few things.

Li Guilan couldn’t help but interject, “What’s past is past? It’s not the same. No matter who works in the cafeteria, she won’t be happy about it.”

“She’s the kind of person who can’t stand others being well off. Remember Liu, who lived next door to her? Just because her family bought a bicycle and she saw it, she picked faults every day, saying that the child in their family was noisy and kept her from sleeping, or that the smoke from their cooking chimneys drifted into her house… I wonder how her husband puts up with her? Would she also find it too crowded sleeping in the same bed at night?  Hehehe.”

After finishing speaking, she covered her mouth and smirked.

Qian Yufeng also laughed with a mischievous expression.

Sitting on Jin Xiuzhu’s lap, Fu Yanyan felt embarrassed, thinking they were talking about inappropriate things, especially with children around.

Only Jin Xiuzhu frowned, “That’s troublesome.”

If there were conflicts between two families, they could find ways to resolve them. But when someone was envious and constantly watching, they didn’t know when the person would resort to tricks.

Unable to resist, she asked, “What about her husband?”

Qian Yufeng shook her head, “I don’t know. Captain Qi hasn’t been seen much.”

The three fell silent. Unexpectedly, the military wife sitting on Jin Xiuzhu’s right suddenly leaned over and whispered, “Are you talking about Captain Qi Min? I know about it.”

Hearing this, all three heads turned towards her.

The woman had two braids, a round face, and big eyes. Although her skin was a bit dark, her teeth were very white when she smiled. She lowered her voice sneakily and said, “He was tricked into marriage.”

Jin Xiuzhu and the others widened their eyes in surprise, with Qian Yufeng eagerly asking, “What happened?”

The woman was pleased with their reactions and continued, “Originally, her husband was interested in her cousin, who was beautiful, intelligent, and still in high school. But on the wedding day, he found out he was marrying her instead. The groom’s family had been kept in the dark, and they wanted to back out when they found out, but the bride’s family insisted, especially since so many relatives and friends had come. They were afraid of becoming a laughingstock, so he married her out of embarrassment. Not to mention complaining about sharing a bed, they didn’t even sleep in the same one.”

It seems she heard the entire conversation just now.

Jin Xiuzhu was shocked. It was the first time she had heard of such a thing.

Li Guilan was also surprised and couldn’t help asking, “You knew about this?”

The woman raised her eyebrows smugly. “Of course. My man used to have meals with her man all the time. Her man told me himself.”

The three of them were astonished, and for a moment, they couldn’t help but reflect on the unexpected connections.

Before Qian Yufeng could ask anything else, Teacher Chen came over, startling them into sitting up straight.

After two classes, Jin Xiuzhu had learned a lot of new things. As she was getting up, Qian Yufeng and Li Guilan had already left. Jin Xiuzhu took her daughter to find Fang Min, who was still standing at the podium.

Fang Min was also waiting for her. Jin Xiuzhu had heard that Fang Min earned money by writing poetry and articles at home, but Qian Yufeng didn’t know the specifics.

Jin Xiuzhu had to tactfully inquire about it from Fang Min, saying she wanted to see the poems and articles she wrote. Fang Min didn’t refuse and promised to give them to her tomorrow.

Fang Min took out two newspapers from a book. “My pen name is Forgotten Worries. If you like them, I’ll bring more next time.”

Jin Xiuzhu smiled. “Thank you, sister-in-law.”

Fang Min shook her head, waved to her, and left.

Jin Xiuzhu carefully folded the newspapers and put them in her bag.

Fu Yanyan watched silently. For some reason, she saw a strong vitality in the current Jin Xiuzhu, as if she were enriching herself eagerly and enthusiastically.

In her heart, she couldn’t help but think that if she had encountered the current Jin Xiuzhu in her previous life, even if she had been forced to study every day, she probably wouldn’t have felt too tired because Jin Xiuzhu worked much harder than her.

Just like He Yan, in his previous life, he hardly studied at all. It was only later when he decided to strive hard to enroll in a military academy. But now, he diligently does his homework and studies every day, consistently ranking among the top few in his class.

When the mother and daughter stepped out, they saw He Yan waiting not far from the door. Jiang Mingchuan wasn’t home; he had taken the soldiers out for training these past few days.

Jin Xiuzhu was surprised that he came over and waved to him.

He Yan dashed over, and when he got close, he reached out to hold his sister’s hand. Fu Yanyan hesitated but didn’t shake him off, considering Jin Xiuzhu’s presence.

Jin Xiuzhu told him about what she had heard before class and then asked him, “What do you think we should do?”

He Yan pondered for a moment with a furrowed brow, shook his head, and then looked uncertainly at his mother and sister.

Jin Xiuzhu met He Yan’s clear eyes, softened her heart, suppressed the evil thoughts in her mind, and smiled. “Let’s not follow their example. A gentleman should uphold noble principles and good deeds. We should strive to be upright and virtuous. We shouldn’t learn from their bad behavior.”

He Yan nodded in confusion, roughly understanding Jin Xiuzhu’s meaning—that they shouldn’t do bad things behind people’s backs and should strive to be good people.

Fu Yanyan remained silent as she walked beside Jin Xiuzhu, then loosened her grip on Jin Xiuzhu’s hand.

Later that night, when Fu Yanyan and Jin Xiuzhu were lying in bed together, Fu Yanyan couldn’t sleep. Finally, she mustered the courage to ask in a calm voice, “Why does Mom tell me not to be soft-hearted to anyone but teaches my brother to be a gentleman?”

This question almost exhausted all her courage and strength.

She didn’t understand. Even in her previous life, why did “Jin Xiuzhu” always insist on comparing her with others? For He Yan, there were never such demands; she would praise He Yan as smart and capable to everyone, while she was treated as useless, scolded when she couldn’t keep up, never helped, made to wear other people’s old and dirty clothes every day, and then criticized for being ugly, embarrassing…

Jin Xiuzhu was taken aback.

She hadn’t expected her daughter to ask such a question. She opened her eyes and looked at the little figure lying beside her. She reached out and gently touched her daughter’s head, smiling indulgently as she said, “Despite being small, you have quite a lot on your mind.”

She didn’t hide anything and directly explained, “Actually, before Mom said that to your brother, I was thinking that we should retaliate, make your brother go to school and talk about their family’s troubles, make their family suffer too. But at the moment that thought occurred to me, I felt it wasn’t right because your brother is still young. He has a long life ahead of him, and there’s no need to focus on these trivial matters or these malicious intentions. Being a gentleman is better than being a villain. It’s also easier to live that way.”

“My thoughts were quite petty, even to the extent of seeking revenge for a minor offense. But tonight, I suddenly realized that your dad was right. There are some things you don’t need to learn. I don’t want you to live as burdened as I have.”

“This goes for your brother, and it goes for you too. I wanted to teach you all the useful experiences I’ve gathered so you could avoid many pitfalls in the future. But ultimately, you are different from me. You have parents who love you. Whatever you encounter in the future, your dad and I will be there for you.”

But she didn’t have that. At the beginning, she could only rely on herself, which is why her path became narrower over time.

As she spoke, Jin Xiuzhu’s tone carried a tinge of melancholy, but mostly it was a sense of relief.

Fu Yanyan didn’t quite understand what she meant, but she could tell that Jin Xiuzhu wasn’t favoring anyone.

She felt an inexplicable sense of relief.

Jin Xiuzhu lowered her head and kissed her daughter’s forehead gently, saying softly, “Mom doesn’t play favorites. Go to sleep.”

Fu Yanyan’s eyes welled up with tears, and she obediently closed her eyes.

She thought to herself, she finally heard those words she had been waiting for.

***

The Dragon Boat Festival arrived quickly, and there were some changes in the breakfast offerings in the cafeteria, with the addition of zongzi and salted duck eggs.

Jin Xiuzhu also showcased her skills by making golden crispy cakes, emerald lotus seed cakes, osmanthus yam pastries, and sugar-steamed pastries. She couldn’t do much alone, so she ended up pulling others along to help, regardless of how much they learned.

Seeing Jin Xiuzhu being so generous, the other cooks were grateful for her kindness. Usually, they would give her the leftover ingredients, and some even made dishes for her.

It had to be said that although the work in the cafeteria had become busier, their family had indeed improved their diet quite a bit. In just half a year, He Yan had grown a lot taller, and his daughter had become rounder and more adorable, with fair and tender skin and watery eyes. She looked like the doll in a New Year painting, making anyone who saw her think she was a city child.

As for Jin Xiuzhu, her skin was so tender that it seemed like water could be squeezed out of it. When asked, she firmly claimed it was from the steam in the kitchen. Many military wives liked to steam their faces with the kitchen heat while cooking. Eventually, one military wife accidentally burned herself with the steam and came to ask what happened.

When Jiang Mingchuan learned about this, he politely sent the woman away and then lectured Jin Xiuzhu, telling her not to talk nonsense outside.

Feeling guilty, Jin Xiuzhu touched her nose.

On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, after finishing her morning duties, Jin Xiuzhu returned home with a basket of food. These could be considered rewards from the cafeteria staff, including zongzi and pastries, as well as two dishes cooked by Chef Zhang.

Chef Zhang had been busy since early in the morning, as there were leaders coming to inspect today, so the kitchen was particularly lively.

Mother and daughter ate as they walked home. When they arrived, He Yan was squatting at the doorstep, doing homework on a stool. He looked up when he heard them and brightened when he saw it was Jin Xiuzhu and her daughter.

Jin Xiuzhu waved to him, “Come over and eat.”

Although He Yan had eaten a lot of zongzi these days, he still abandoned his homework and ran over eagerly, picking his favorite jujube zongzi.

Returning home, Jin Xiuzhu took out the zongzi and pastries from the basket, then went to the kitchen to fetch plates. Apart from the salty pork zongzi and sweet date zongzi laid out for breakfast in the cafeteria, Chef Zhang also bought ingredients himself to make egg yolk mushroom zongzi and ham and fresh meat zongzi. This was the way they ate them back in Chef Zhang’s hometown, and as he grew older, he craved that taste.

The zongzi weren’t large. Jin Xiuzhu counted the number of people and put a few on each plate. Then she instructed her two children, “Go and take this plate to Captain Yan’s house. Tell them my parents wish you a happy Mid-Autumn Festival. Got it?”

Actually, it would have been best for Jin Xiuzhu to personally deliver them. However, to avoid gossip, having the two children deliver them was just fine.