He Zheng scooped the rest of the porridge into a clean bowl, leaving only a small portion in the one before Jiang Ning.
“Eat as much as you can, Sister-in-law,” he said. “But don’t force it if you’re full. You don’t want to strain your stomach.”
Having shared every meal with her for the past few days, He Zheng knew her appetite better than anyone. It was the size of a cat’s stomach. If they ate this little in the regiment, they’d starve before training even began.
Jiang Ning looked at him gratefully. “Thank you,” she whispered.
The old lady sighed. “No wonder you’re so thin, eating so little. You’re pregnant now—you’re eating for two. Eat as much as you can so the baby grows strong.”
By the end of the meal, Jiang Ning felt stuffed.
He Zheng told her to rest for a while before taking her to the military hospital for a checkup.
The hospital wasn’t far from the family compound. As the two of them left the courtyard gate, they ran into Huang Yuefang, who was coming from the neighboring yard. A teenage girl followed behind her, holding the hands of two identical little boys.
Jiang Ning recognized them instantly.
The girl was Huang Yuefang’s eldest daughter, Fang Xiaoli, a seventeen-year-old who worked at the supply and marketing cooperative. The two boys were Huang Yuefang’s four-year-old twin sons.
They will all die in the winter of 1968, Jiang Ning thought.
Huang Yuefang greeted He Zheng and Jiang Ning with a smile, then turned to her children. “This is your Brother Zhou’s wife. You should call her Sister-in-law from now on.”
Fang Xiaoli, who had inherited her mother’s outgoing nature, immediately chimed in with a friendly, “Sister-in-law!”
The two little boys followed suit, their voices shy as they repeated the greeting.
Jiang Ning smiled warmly at each of them. As she did, two small dimples appeared on her cheeks. Her delicate features and porcelain-fair skin were so striking that Fang Xiaoli stared, her eyes wide with admiration.
“Sister-in-law, you’re so beautiful!” she exclaimed.
Jiang Ning blushed, a little embarrassed by the praise.
Fang Xiaoli touched her own face. She knew she was pretty—she’d inherited the best traits from both her parents—but compared to her new sister-in-law, she felt like a plain peasant girl standing next to a celestial beauty.
“Deputy Commander He,” Huang Yuefang asked, “where are you and Zhou Du’s wife headed?”
“The hospital for a check-up,” He Zheng replied.
Jiang Ning gently interjected, “Auntie Huang, you can just call me Jiang Ning from now on.”
Hearing the woman repeatedly refer to her as Zhou Du’s wife had grown uncomfortable.
However, Huang Yuefang misunderstood. She smiled, assuming the mention of Zhou Du’s name had distressed Jiang Ning. “Of course, I’ll remember that. Now go on, Commander He, you two mustn’t be late.”
Once the couple had walked off, Fang Xiaoli turned to her mother. “Mom, is Brother Zhou’s wife pregnant?”
Huang Yuefang gave her daughter an amused look. “Haven’t you seen her belly?”
Fang Xiaoli’s expression filled with pity. “Such a good man as Brother Zhou, gone just like that. He left his wife and unborn child all alone. It’s just heartbreaking.”
She paused, then tugged at Huang Yuefang’s sleeve and jerked her chin toward the retreating figures of He Zheng and Jiang Ning.
“Mom,” she whispered, “you said Brother Zhou died saving Brother He. Now his wife is pregnant and has no one else to rely on. Do you think Brother He might marry her so the child can have a father?”
Huang Yuefang fell silent.
Huang Yuefang smacked her daughter’s forehead. “Stop spouting nonsense! Hurry up, or you’ll be late for work.”
Fang Xiaoli pouted. “What was that for? I was just talking.”
Yet her words had planted a seed in Huang Yuefang’s mind. Commander Zhou and Commander He had known each other since their early days in the military; their bond was more than just camaraderie—they were brothers.
With Zhou sacrificing his life to save He, it was certain that He Zheng would look after Zhou’s widow. Auntie Meng was a woman of deep sentiment, too. She might even match her own grandson with Zhou’s widow.
The morning rush was in full swing, the streets filled with soldiers in uniform. Many greeted He Zheng, who acknowledged them with a nod.
But many eyes also fell on Jiang Ning. As a young widow, she walked with her head bowed in silence. To the observers, her stillness was the weight of profound grief, a refusal to speak.
By the end of the morning, the entire family compound knew that Deputy Commander He’s household had gained a new resident: the widow of the fallen Battalion Commander Zhou.
Word spread that it was Zhou’s dying wish for He Zheng to take care of her.
At the military hospital, Jiang Ning lay on the exam table as the doctor palpated her abdomen and listened to the fetal heartbeat.
He then took her blood pressure and performed a general checkup. In this era, B-mode ultrasounds were nonexistent, and even basic ultrasound machines weren’t yet common in many hospitals, so Jiang Ning’s examination was limited to external checks.
When the doctor finished, he called out to the hallway, “Next of kin for the pregnant patient, please come in.”
Behind the curtain, Jiang Ning stiffened.
Outside, He Zheng paused. He pushed open the door, glanced at Jiang Ning as she emerged from behind the curtain, and then turned to the doctor.
The doctor handed He Zheng a slip of paper. “The baby is in the correct position, and the heart rate is good. However, the mother is a bit frail and anemic. Make sure she gets plenty of nutritious food to build up her strength and blood, or there could be complications during delivery.”
Jiang Ning opened her mouth to protest that she wasn’t his wife, but He Zheng cut her off. “What should she eat to build up her strength?”
“Peanuts, soybeans, brown sugar, red dates, and eggs,” the doctor replied. “All of these are good for nourishing the blood.”
He Zheng took the slip and thanked the doctor.
The doctor smiled. “Your wife’s belly is quite large; I’d guess the baby is very healthy. Just make sure she goes for plenty of walks—it will make the birth easier.”
Jiang Ning stared blankly.
“Doctor,” she murmured. “We aren’t married.”
The doctor froze.
He Zheng had been so focused on the diagnosis—the weakness, the low blood pressure, the anemia—that he hadn’t even registered the word wife. Now that the doctor had repeated it, the fact finally sank in.
He cleared his throat awkwardly. “She’s my sister-in-law.”
The doctor was speechless. I thought you were a couple.
He Zheng then took Jiang Ning to get her forehead wound redressed. The doctor inspected the injury and gave them a final set of instructions. “It’s healing well. Try to keep it dry. I’ll give you an ointment—apply it twice a day, and it should be fully healed soon.”
While He Zheng went to pay for the appointment and collect the medicine, Jiang Ning waited in the exam room.
After picking up the ointment, the two left the hospital. He Zheng saw Jiang Ning home and then headed to the regiment headquarters.
When the old lady heard that Jiang Ning was frail and anemic, her heart ached with worry.
The old lady kept three hens, each laying an egg a day.
She planned to save them all for Jiang Ning.
She would also send Xiao Zheng to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some brown sugar. As for the red dates, she would need to visit the nearby production teams, find a family with a date tree, and buy enough to brew a nourishing soup for Jiang Ning.
Watching Jiang Ning’s frail figure, the old lady’s heart ached. “Ningning, go inside and rest a while. The sun is at its peak—it’s too hot out here.”
Jiang Ning didn’t refuse; she was indeed exhausted.
Ever since she had occupied this body, she seemed to be sleeping more. She suspected it was the pregnancy. Between the hospital bed and the train, she hadn’t slept soundly once since her arrival. Now, lying on a clean, quiet bed, the drowsiness washed over her.
Her eyelids fluttered shut, and she was asleep in an instant.
***
Inside the regiment headquarters, He Zheng handed the application form to regimental Commander Fang.
The commander glanced at it and said, “I’ll submit it soon. We’ll see what the higher-ups say.”
He paused. “But I don’t think your chances are very high. There are no vacant apartments in the family compound right now, and you’re far back in the queue. While you were away a few days ago, we discussed this in a meeting. From what the organization hinted, they might approve another plot of land for new housing. If all else fails, Zhou Du’s wife will just have to wait until the rest of this batch is built, right?”
He Zheng nodded. “Understood. I’ll let my sister-in-law know.”
Commander Fang opened a drawer and pulled out a thick envelope and a bankbook. “Inside the envelope is Zhou Du’s pension and five months’ salary—eight hundred and fifty yuan in total—along with some ration coupons. The bankbook is also Zhou Du’s. Take these back to his wife. Also, tell her that the organization will continue to issue a monthly pension to his family.”
He Zheng nodded, tucked the envelope containing the money away, and left the regiment headquarters. He glanced toward the family compound before turning and heading for the supply and marketing cooperative.
His sister-in-law needed to recover her strength, and he had to prepare. He couldn’t risk anything happening to her or the baby.
The afternoon heat was stifling, and most people were inside for their midday naps. The family compound was quiet and nearly deserted. He Zheng carried a large wooden bucket piled high with supplies. Pushing open the courtyard gate, he saw the doors to his grandmother’s and sister-in-law’s rooms closed. They must be sleeping.
He set the bucket’s contents on the courtyard table and carried the empty tub to the well to rinse it out. He had bought it so his sister-in-law could bathe.
The compound’s public bathhouse was only open twice a week, and with her advanced pregnancy, it was too dangerous for her to go. A single slip or fall would have unthinkable consequences.
As He Zheng poured water into the tub, he suddenly heard a low, muffled sob.
His body tensed. He straightened up and looked toward Jiang Ning’s room.
The sound—a faint, choked weeping—was coming from inside.
His sister-in-law was crying.
After she learned of Brother Zhou’s death that afternoon, she had been silent for a long time in her hospital bed. Since then, she had barely spoken and hadn’t smiled once. On the drive from Minyue City to Xinyang City, she had spent every waking moment staring blankly out the window.
This was the first time he had heard her cry.
Listening to her sobs, He Zheng felt a dull knife carving into his own heart. If he had been more vigilant, perhaps she and Brother Zhou wouldn’t be separated by life and death.
He didn’t go in to disturb her. Instead, he stood under the eaves, gazing at the vegetable garden ahead. When she was still crying half an hour later, he worried she might collapse. After a moment’s hesitation, he walked to her door and knocked.
The sobbing inside paused. “Who is it?” she asked.
“It’s me, He Zheng,” he replied from outside.