Jiang Zhen’s five senses had been sharpened in the apocalypse, and her observation was swift. In those few seconds while passing by, it was enough for her to judge: Qi Junshan’s aura, body shape, the look in his eye, the downward curve of his mouth and the cracked lines at its corners—he was one of the bandits involved in hiring someone to murder “Jiang Zhen.”
If they could kill once, they could kill a second time. The first attempt had been to stop her from searching for relatives. Now that she had already cut ties with “Jiang Zhen’s” former husband, theoretically there was no longer any reason to hire assassins.
But “Jiang Zhen” had gouged out one of Qi Junshan’s eyes. That score would be settled on Jiang Zhen’s head. A ruthless bandit like Qi Junshan, who even wanted to vent his anger on a corpse, would certainly seek revenge.
After they passed each other, Jiang Zhen said,
“I’m sure now. Qi Junshan is the bandit whose eye I gouged out. He won’t give up on revenge. To protect myself and the four children in our family, can I deal with him first?”
Speaking of killing a bandit as calmly as if it were nothing—she really didn’t sound like an ordinary civilian. Gu Liancheng had strong composure; his steps remained steady and his posture straight, not letting Qi Junshan see any flaw.
“We’ll discuss it after we get home. He’s a bandit—we need a plan. New China has laws. I’ll buy you a few books on criminal law to read later.”
“Alright,” Jiang Zhen understood instantly.
She felt that Gu Liancheng and the department he belonged to might already suspect her identity and had probably investigated it. Yet her current situation and freedom were unchanged, which meant everything was fine. And if nothing was wrong, that was good news.
…
Through those few seconds of observation, Qi Junshan still couldn’t judge several things.
First, Jiang Zhen had gouged out one of his eyes. Seeing a man wearing an eye patch, she should have been afraid. But a woman as ruthless as her not being afraid was also normal.
That day he had covered his face. Even if Jiang Zhen hadn’t recognized him, such a hidden danger couldn’t be left alive. Besides, he had no intention of returning the money he had taken for the hired killing. Jiang Zhen had to die.
At that time, in the midst of intense pain, he had swung his sickle. It seemed like he had cut Jiang Zhen’s neck. So how was she completely unharmed now? Had he missed?
But after he swung the sickle, that woman had rolled down the slope. Whether there had been blood or not—during the violent shaking of the earth, when no one could even stand steady—he hadn’t seen clearly.
Now Jiang Zhen had married into the house next door to his. There would be opportunities slowly, sooner or later.
“Qi Junshan, my sister is willing to marry you now,” An Qihui said, unable to smile at all, coming downstairs to call the Qi family up to fetch the bride.
Qi Junshan laughed. Could it be that An Xiuqing thought that by marrying him she could still seduce his younger brother? Did she really think he was Wu Dalang?
He cupped his hands politely.
“Don’t worry, Big Sister. After the wedding I’ll treat your younger sister well, so she won’t regret marrying me.”
…
An Qihui only felt that she had become a joke. Before her sister left the house, she asked one last time, nagging anxiously:
“You really won’t regret it?”
“No regrets.”
An Xiuqing had thought carefully just now. She might not be able to marry Doctor Qi now, but in the future she could. In her previous life, Doctor Qi had married his elder brother’s widow. Then in this life, if she became his sister-in-law, the one Doctor Qi married would be her.
Qi Junshan would die eventually. She just had to wait. As long as she refused to consummate the marriage, could Qi Junshan really force her? She didn’t believe it.
…
Before the Qi family and the neighboring Gu family returned from fetching their brides, Qi Junhai was still pleading bitterly with his mother. His elder brother was incapable in that regard. He had accompanied him to see doctors in other places, and nothing could be done. Under such circumstances, marrying an unmarried young girl was truly immoral.
“Mom, we can’t do this. With Big Brother’s condition… aren’t we ruining that girl’s life?”
Ji Fengmei slapped her youngest son across the face.
“How can you talk about your brother like that? If An Qihui’s sister hadn’t schemed against our family first, today’s situation wouldn’t have happened. Our family didn’t force anything. Your brother and I gave her a choice—if she didn’t agree, she could break off the engagement. But if she still chooses to marry in, then our family can’t be blamed.”
…
When Jiang Zhen arrived at the Gu family home, she was warmly received by the Gu relatives. The wedding banquet was held at home. In the winter of ’49, everything was just beginning again after devastation, so there wasn’t much good food available. But the Gu family had tried their best to obtain half a pig.
Cabbage and potatoes stewed with pork were served. Each table had two charcoal braziers with hotpots—half meat, half vegetables. Everyone ate steaming bowls of food, and the atmosphere was lively.
Even if this world was difficult, the food was far better than in the apocalypse. Jiang Zhen still remembered the raw sweet potato Gu Liancheng had handed her—it had tasted incomparably sweet and delicious. She knew meat would taste even better. Since arriving here, she had only eaten a little cabbage fried with pork scraps in the canteen, and even that had felt like a delicacy.
Now this was real pork, stewed from half a pig.
Jiang Zhen couldn’t help asking Gu Liancheng, “Can’t I sit down and eat?”
Gu Liancheng held back his laughter.
“Big Sister saved some for you. You can eat after we finish the toasts.”
After the toasts were finished, the banquet would practically be over. But no one left. Everyone sat chatting about the affairs of the Qi and An families.
The two families had argued all morning before Qi Junshan finally brought An Xiuqing back. Only then did the Qi family’s wedding banquet begin.
Jiang Zhen heard Gu Liancheng’s elder sister complain to her husband:
“Even though I guessed it would happen, it’s lucky I didn’t interfere and warn them. Look—she knew she was being tricked and still insisted on marrying. If you had gone that day, you’d have been scolded and the Qi family would’ve held a grudge.”
“Yes, yes, you understand better,” her husband admitted immediately, unable to argue.
…
Gu Liancheng had been standing watch at the door. After estimating that Jiang Zhen had eaten enough, he came inside and saw that she had indeed finished.
Smiling, he said, “The time’s about right. Let’s go out and see the guests off.”
Thanks to Gu Liancheng’s coordination, she had been able to quietly eat the same dishes served at the banquet. They tasted incredible. No wonder the guests were so happy—being able to eat meat that they normally never had was reason enough for celebration.
She finished the remaining soup and smacked her lips.
“Part of the reason An Xiuqing chose to marry might be because the Qi family has meat to eat, right?”
Gu Liancheng: …“Maybe partly. But more likely she wants the chance to see Doctor Qi sooner or later. That’s what everyone’s saying.”
The Qi family probably thought the same. After marrying in, An Xiuqing would face suspicion from her husband, disdain from her mother-in-law, and avoidance from her brother-in-law. Her life wouldn’t be easy.
Only a few people like Gu Liancheng knew another reason: An Xiuqing was relying on knowledge from turning back time and had taken a risky gamble—without realizing she had fallen into a bandits’ den.
…
After the toasts, the leftover cabbage and potatoes were divided among the relatives. The relatives who had helped cook were each given a little of the precious pork scraps and lard. The Gu family had handled this wedding beautifully.
As for the rumors outside that Gu Liancheng and Jiang Zhen had only formed a partnership marriage—looking at Jiang Zhen linking her arm through Gu Liancheng’s, holding Gu Pan’s hand, with Gu Pan holding Jiang Tang’s hand, while the two boys stood beside Gu Liancheng—it didn’t look like a mere partnership at all.
So people whispered among themselves:
“Probably at the beginning they said it was a partnership just to keep the An family from causing trouble, to make them feel more balanced.”
“Right, it must be that. The Gu family is kind-hearted. Unlike the Qi family—they really did something disgraceful.”
Gu Liancheng’s elder sister felt that those words had spoken straight to her heart. Yes, yes, it must have been a story her younger brother and Xiao Jiang had agreed upon beforehand. Young people were full of passion, and both of them were good-looking. A partnership agreement, my foot. At this rate, they might even have a new baby by next year.
But the Qi family was truly annoying. Gu Jiaoxia and her husband were troubled.
“Unfortunately, the only place our family has is this old house for them to live in after the wedding. Even if they wanted to move, there’s nowhere else. Doesn’t he qualify for housing in your family compound?”
For someone like Gu Liancheng, whose family already had a house locally, he couldn’t apply for one now. If he took one fewer unit, another comrade could reunite with their family sooner.
Besides, someone needed to observe An Xiuqing and the Qi family. For Gu Liancheng to remain living here was actually an unexpectedly good arrangement.
“Didn’t Xiao Jiang say it already? Whoever lives worse will be the one feeling bitter. Look at her and Liancheng—they seem even closer than we do as a married couple. Don’t worry about it so much.”
Gu Jiaoxia glanced over. Jiang Zhen’s hand was still hooked around her younger brother’s arm. Newly married couples who were this intimate right away weren’t common. The two of them clearly had feelings for each other.
Good. Very good.
…
To give her younger brother and Jiang Zhen time to make their relationship real, Gu Jiaoxia discussed it with the four children.
“Gu Pan, Gu Hui, Tangtang, Jiang Zhao—how about you come stay at my house for a couple of days?”
Jiang Tang and Jiang Zhao didn’t want to, but they felt too embarrassed to say it. Gu Pan spoke on behalf of their little four-person team.
“Auntie, our small family wasn’t easy to form. We all want to stay here. You can’t break it up.”
Gu Jiaoxia couldn’t help laughing and scolding lightly.
“You’re the most mischievous one. Then behave yourselves and don’t make your little aunt angry.”
Xiao Jianzhou watched the sun setting in the west. He still needed to return to hear Xiao Qingfeng’s report, so he said to his wife:
“Let’s go. Don’t delay their rest.”
It was still early in the day, though. Gu Jiaoxia wished she could stay for dinner with Jiang Zhen before leaving. Reluctantly she said:
“Xiao Jiang, on the third day after the wedding when you return to your parents’ home, you don’t have a family to visit. Just come to my house instead.”
“Alright, thank you, Big Sister.”
“Don’t be so polite—we’re all family.”
Gu Jiaoxia noticed the Qi family was also seeing the An family out at their doorway. An Qihui’s eyes were red from crying. On such a joyful wedding day, the commotion from their family had truly brought bad luck. Fortunately Jiang Zhen was broad-minded. As neighbors after marriage, the one who would suffer certainly wouldn’t be Jiang Zhen.
An Qihui looked over with eyes full of anger, still blaming others. Gu Jiaoxia glared back dismissively and reminded Jiang Zhen:
“We’re leaving now. Close the door properly and don’t listen to idle gossip from irrelevant people.”
…
With Jiang Zhen and Gu Liancheng married, the two households had become one family. The six of them had already arranged how they would live.
Gu Pan and Tangtang would sleep in the side room. Jiang Zhao and Gu Hui would sleep in the east room. Jiang Zhen and Gu Liancheng’s new bedroom was arranged in the west room.
Gu Pan held Jiang Tang’s hand and proposed a new arrangement.
“Uncle, Tangtang and I want to sleep with Auntie. You can sleep by yourself.”
Gu Liancheng was actually fine with that. Their agreement during the matchmaking had already set the terms. He had been worried about the inconvenience of sharing a room. If Jiang Zhen slept separately with the children as an excuse, it would happen naturally.
He suggested tactfully to Jiang Zhen:
“It’s cold. How about you sleep in the side room with Tangtang and Gu Pan? The side room is warmer.”
Jiang Zhen refused without even thinking.
“How could that work? Big Sister brought several hot-water bottles. Each bed can have two. Give ours to Tangtang and Panpan. With their new cotton quilt and four hot-water bottles, they won’t be cold.”
Gu Liancheng: … “Then you explain it to the children.”
“Alright.”
Jiang Zhen turned to Gu Pan and said:
“You’ll be disappointed. Your uncle says he also wants to sleep with his own wife, so he can’t give me to you. You’ll have to sleep with Tangtang instead.”
Gu Pan huffed angrily.
“Uncle, you’re already so grown up and still need someone to sleep with you. Shame on you. I’m not being nice to you anymore.”
Gu Liancheng: … Fine. By tomorrow this story would definitely reach his elder sister’s ears, and she would surely be so happy she’d eat an extra bowl of rice.
…
Jiang Zhen and Gu Liancheng were young and strong, so they didn’t really need hot-water bottles. But Gu Liancheng’s body temperature was higher than Jiang Zhen’s—especially around his stomach, which was particularly warm. Unfortunately, the moment Jiang Zhen stretched her feet toward him, Gu Liancheng tucked them back under the quilt.
“I washed my feet,” Jiang Zhen said. “Do you have a cleanliness obsession? If you did, you should’ve mentioned it during matchmaking. It’s too late to bring it up now.”
Gu Liancheng: … Today he had already been rendered speechless several times.
“No. I just thought about our partnership agreement. When we were toasting guests and seeing them off earlier, that was in front of others, so I cooperated. But now that we’re alone and you’re acting like this, such overly intimate behavior makes me nervous.”
Jiang Zhen said, “Oh, I was just testing whether you’re really as proper as you claim.”
“And what was the result of the test?”
“A fake gentleman.” Jiang Zhen laughed. “We’re comrades on the same side. If you won’t warm my feet, at least come warm the bed. Don’t be so stingy—come on.”
…
Gu Liancheng hadn’t even had time to take off his outer clothes when strange noises came from next door. If it was supposed to be bedroom noises, they sounded far too miserable. But it really was An Xiuqing’s voice.
The latter half of the sound was suddenly cut off, as if someone had covered her mouth.
Jiang Zhen jolted upright, threw on her clothes, and started to get out of bed. Gu Liancheng quickly grabbed her.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to see what’s happening.”
Gu Liancheng hurriedly said, “No matter how vicious Qi Junshan is, he wouldn’t dare do anything too extreme to An Xiuqing. The law wouldn’t spare him. He’s not that foolish.”
Jiang Zhen replied, “Qi Junshan will definitely deal with me. To understand my opponent, I have to go take a look.”
Seeing he couldn’t stop her, Gu Liancheng asked, “Aren’t you afraid of being discovered?”
Jiang Zhen sounded very confident.
“I brought Jiang Tang and Jiang Zhao all the way here to Fan City over a thousand miles. I’m not an ordinary person.”
“Jiang Zhen” was already not an ordinary person. Jiang Zhen from the apocalypse going out to eavesdrop—there was no way she would be discovered.