Widow Remarries in Sixties

Chapter 27.1



Jin Xiuzhu quickly prepared a pot of noodles. In the morning, she had intentionally kneaded more dough, planning to use it for breakfast over the next couple of days. Now she used it all, adding mushrooms and meat to the noodles.

Once it was ready, she had Jiang Mingchuan take the pot outside to eat. He seemed famished, eating rapidly without saying a word. He didn’t care about burning his mouth.

The two children sat on either side of him. He Yan, concerned, said, “Dad, eat slower and blow on your food. Have you not been eating well recently? You’ve lost weight. I almost didn’t recognize you…”

He kept chattering, but Jiang Mingchuan had no time to respond.

Finally, his sister couldn’t stand it and sternly said, “Be quiet.”

He Yan fell silent for a moment.

Sitting across from Jiang Mingchuan, Yang Yingxiong looked at him with a mix of anxiety and hope. Noticing this, Jin Xiuzhu asked, “Has Captain Yang returned?”

The disaster relief effort had mobilized most of the troops, including Jiang Mingchuan and Yang Yao.

Yang Yingxiong felt grateful and glanced at Jin Xiuzhu.

Jiang Mingchuan also noticed Yang Yingxiong but didn’t think much of it, assuming he was just there to play with He Yan. He took a moment to look up and said, “He should be back, but I don’t know if he’s home yet.”

Yang Yingxiong hesitated.

He Yan kindly asked, “Do you want me to go back with you and check?”

Yang Yingxiong instinctively looked at Jin Xiuzhu.

Jin Xiuzhu made the decision for him, “Don’t rush. There’s nothing for you to do at home anyway. Listen to Auntie, wait until after dinner, and I’ll take you back. I can also ask your dad for the infusion money and talk to him about a few things.”

Yang Yingxiong, initially conflicted, felt relieved upon hearing this. He wanted to see his dad but was also afraid he might not be home yet.

Hearing Jin Xiuzhu’s plan alleviated his burden.

Jiang Mingchuan glanced at Jin Xiuzhu, who then explained what had been happening at home.

After listening, Jiang Mingchuan frowned and told her, “I’ll go with you tonight.”

Jin Xiuzhu thought about it and agreed, feeling more confident with him by her side.

Captain Yang often couldn’t see things clearly, and she needed to give him a good reminder.

Jiang Mingchuan finished the entire pot of noodles. He Yan dutifully took the pot to the kitchen to wash, while Jin Xiuzhu fetched a razor and a basin of hot water to shave Jiang Mingchuan’s beard.

In the bedroom, Jiang Mingchuan lay on the bed with his head resting on Jin Xiuzhu’s lap, closing his eyes in contentment. Jin Xiuzhu leaned over to shave him.

Sunlight streamed brightly through the window. Jin Xiuzhu worked gently, and soon enough, Jiang Mingchuan began to snore softly.

Seeing him sleep with a furrowed brow, Jin Xiuzhu, after shaving his beard, massaged his head’s pressure points.

He Yan had finished washing the pots and was intending to play with his dad. When he reached the doorway of the room, he saw a touching scene.

He didn’t really understand what “warm and romantic” meant, but he felt that having parents like this was really nice—dad treating mom well, and mom treating dad well too.

He covered his mouth, retreated quietly, and returned to the living room where Yang Yingxiong was drawing with his sister. He whispered, “Dad fell asleep on Mom’s lap.”

Fu Yanyan began packing up the drawing paper, preparing to go back to her room to sleep.

Seeing his sister ignoring him, He Yan complained to Yang Yingxiong once they were alone, “Sometimes my sister isn’t cute at all.”

Yang Yingxiong felt He Yan had misunderstood. In fact, his sister was very cute. She stayed in the living room with him when no one else was around so he wouldn’t feel lonely.

Every member of He Yan’s family was good, creating an image of a loving family in his mind.

Jiang Mingchuan had slept for a long, long time. When he woke up, he felt weak all over.

After getting dressed, he went out.

Jin Xiuzhu was talking with Fang Min at the door. Fang Min mentioned that the political commissar had returned, so she wouldn’t be coming over for dinner tonight.

She also had a can of tea leaves in her hand, saying it was something the commissar had been reluctant to drink and thanking them for their recent care.

Jin Xiuzhu politely declined but accepted the tea and asked if they had any vegetables at home that they could share.

“We do. I bought some this afternoon.”

“That’s good.”

Fang Min went home feeling relieved. Though the commissar often went on long business trips, this time felt different, and seeing him brought a sense of peace.

Jin Xiuzhu saw Jiang Mingchuan coming over and called him to eat. Dinner was ready, with dishes laid out on the table—three dishes and a soup. She had just been about to go to the room to call him.

Having eaten a lot at lunch, Jiang Mingchuan wasn’t very hungry now. So, he began telling his family about the situation with the snow disaster outside.

He was responsible for the old houses in the city. The snow had blocked all the roads and knocked down electric poles. Many residential roofs had collapsed.

“Families of ten or more squeezed into makeshift shelters. We had to evacuate the area first. There are also elderly people who can’t endure the cold and have frozen to death…”

His voice trailed off, and Jiang Mingchuan’s tone turned somber. “The city isn’t as nice as you think.”

When they had gone to the department store in the city to buy sweaters, Jin Xiuzhu had said the city was better—higher wages and convenient shopping. But she had only seen the well-off families in the city; more families were struggling, barely making ends meet.

Jin Xiuzhu snorted, “You just don’t have money.”

Jiang Mingchuan: “…”

He Yan, overhearing this, chuckled as he held his bowl.

Jiang Mingchuan looked at him irritably. “What are you laughing at? You’re worse off than me.”

Mimicking after his mother, He Yan snorted too. “I have money.”

Jiang Mingchuan raised an eyebrow. “Where did you get the money?”

“The money Mom used to give me to buy candy. I saved it all. Among everyone in the family, you’re the poorest.”

“…”

Jiang Mingchuan didn’t respond, but everyone else laughed, including Yang Yingxiong, who was quietly eating. He secretly smiled, thinking the He family was so interesting. They never quarreled, and even when they bantered, it was amusing.

After dinner, Jiang Mingchuan and Jin Xiuzhu took Yang Yingxiong upstairs.

As they left, Jin Xiuzhu told Yang Yingxiong, “You don’t need to say anything later. If your father asks how you were at my house, just tell the truth. Auntie won’t harm you.”

Yang Yingxiong tightly gripped Jin Xiuzhu’s hand and nodded firmly.

Unlike He Yan, Yang Yingxiong hadn’t experienced much, so he saw things more simply. When Auntie said she would go upstairs with him and talk to his father, he knew she was going to support him and make his father treat him better.

Upstairs, Jiang Mingchuan knocked on the door.

It opened immediately. Yang Yao stood at the door, dressed neatly, as if about to go out.

Seeing Jiang Mingchuan, Jin Xiuzhu, and his son at the door, he was momentarily surprised. “What’s this?”

Jiang Mingchuan stepped forward and politely asked, “Are you going out?”

Hearing this, Yang Yao felt a bit embarrassed and nodded. “My mom and wife had a fight. I’m going to bring her back.”

He then looked at his son. “Why did Uncle and Auntie bring you back? Did you cause trouble?”

Yang Yingxiong lowered his head in disappointment, not saying a word.

Jiang Mingchuan frowned at this and was about to speak when Jin Xiuzhu, feeling he was too polite, coldly interrupted, “Captain Yang, when did you come back?”

Yang Yao sensed something was wrong from Jin Xiuzhu’s tone and looked at his son again. Seeing only the top of his son’s head, he honestly replied, “Around three or four in the afternoon.”

Jin Xiuzhu nodded. “Three or four in the afternoon. It’s seven in the evening now. Several hours have passed. You haven’t been home for over a month, and the first thing you do is go looking for your wife. That’s fine, but what about Yang Yingxiong? Isn’t he your child?”

Yang Yao realized Jin Xiuzhu misunderstood and quickly explained, “What’s wrong with Yingxiong? My mom said he hasn’t been going to school and has been playing with friends, sometimes coming back late.”

Jin Xiuzhu’s face only grew colder at his explanation. “Captain Yang, I don’t mean to sound harsh, but some things need to be said.

As a neighbor, I see you as an extremely irresponsible and weak-willed man. You’re in your thirties or forties, with both elderly and young to care for. As a son, you blindly believe your malicious, unethical mother, showing no discernment. As a husband, you haven’t protected or supported your wife, forcing her to flee with her child in the middle of the night. As a father, you haven’t shielded your young, helpless son from your mother’s abuse.”

“I ask you, after living with your mother for so many years, do you really know nothing of her character? Is it that difficult to add another bed in your son’s room? Are you truly unaware of your mother bullying him?”

“If you dislike him so much or don’t care for him, why did you even have him in the first place? Did you bring him into this world just to suffer? He had to crawl downstairs in the middle of the night, burning with fever, to knock on my door. Is this what your mother calls playing with friends?”

Yang Yao looked at his son in shock. “Yingxiong…”

“You named him Yingxiong, yet you let him live worse than a bear. If you don’t want this son, give him to me. I’ll take him. My whole family likes him.”

Hearing this, Yang Yingxiong looked up sharply at Jin Xiuzhu, his eyes instantly red.

When he heard his father was going to find Aunt Zhao, Yang Yingxiong didn’t cry. When his father believed his grandmother, he didn’t cry. But now, hearing Aunt Jin say she wanted him and that her whole family liked him, he couldn’t hold back anymore.

He lowered his head and continuously wiped his tears with his arm, but the tears wouldn’t stop. Finally, he turned around and hugged Jin Xiuzhu’s waist. Initially, he sobbed quietly, but then he burst into loud cries.

The crying grew louder, interspersed with sobs and hiccups, as if he was venting all the grievances he had endured since childhood.

Maybe it was just the reassurance that someone wanted him that gave him the courage.

Jiang Mingchuan looked at the child with a complex expression and then glanced at Yang Yao. “Being filial is good, but you can’t ignore your child. If my wife hadn’t opened the door, who knows what could have happened.”

Yang Yao remained silent.

Jin Xiuzhu made up her mind; her eyes cold as she looked at him. “I’ll take the child for now. You can come and get him once you’ve sorted things out at your home.”

Yang Yao neither opposed nor agreed, merely watching as Jiang Mingchuan and his wife left with the child. He stood at the doorway until the three of them disappeared around the corner, and his son didn’t look back once.

Yang Yao stood at the door for a while, then turned back inside. As he did, he saw his mother sneaking around near his room’s door.

When his mother met his gaze, her expression faltered. She quickly pretended to clutch her chest and cry out in pain. Usually, Yang Yao would feel sorry for her, but this time, he stood coldly at a distance, just watching.

Yang Yao said calmly, “In a few days, I’ll send you back to our hometown.”

The old lady’s face changed dramatically at this, “What do you mean? Are you trying to send me away? Are you kicking me out? How am I supposed to live alone at my age? You believe whatever that hussy says… Oh, my poor husband… Why did you leave me alone? It would have been better if you’d taken me with you…”

Initially, she was only pretending, but now she was genuinely sitting on the ground, pounding her chest, and crying out loud.

Seeing his mother using her usual tactics to force him to submit, Yang Yao trembled with anger. He picked up a nearby stool and smashed it on the ground with a loud bang, scaring his mother into silence.

Yang Yao paced back and forth in the living room like a madman. He shouted, “Are you trying to drive me to my death? Do you want me dead? Do you not believe I’ll die right here in front of you? You’ve meddled in everything since I was a child. Whoever I played with, you had to interfere. Whatever I did, you had to get involved.”

“You can’t stand to see me happy. When Fangzi was angered to death by you, you said it was her stubbornness. When Xiaojun wanted to divorce me because of your meddling, you said she had ulterior motives. Now that I’ve only been married to Zhao Yun for a few months, you’ve already driven her away. Yingxiong is my son, and you torment him behind my back. Do you know how people curse me? They call me weak and irresponsible, saying they would raise my son if I couldn’t.”

“What do you want from me? I’ve lived all these years like clay in your hands, molded however you wanted. Are you proud of that? Fine, I’ll divorce Zhao Yun and abandon my son. Are you satisfied now?”

He slapped himself repeatedly, his eyes red with anger as he looked at his mother. “Is this enough? Is this enough…”

The old lady was so frightened by her son’s madness that she kept backing away, too scared to say another word.


Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.