“…Xiaoxiao wanted to drink brown sugar water. When Grandma was preparing it, she heard a noise in the kitchen, so she set the kettle on the table and went in. Xiaoxiao tried to pour water herself, but couldn’t hold it steady—the kettle tipped over. Grandma rushed out to help her, and the hot water spilled onto Grandma’s arm.”
As Cheng Hao spoke, he gestured with his left hand to his right arm, tracing from the middle of the upper arm down to the back of the hand. “It’s all red, with blisters. Grandpa said it will leave a scar.”
Jiang Nan paused silently, then pointed to Cheng Hao’s right hand. “You’re sure it was this arm?”
Cheng Hao nodded. Jiang Nan asked again, “When did this happen?”
Cheng Hao answered without hesitation: “The day after we got our report cards!”
Because his grades had improved, his father had bought sponge cake to reward him. Cheng Hao remembered it clearly.
Jiang Nan calculated the timing and felt uneasy.
All elementary schools in the city had the same schedule: one week later, report cards were handed out and parent meetings held—just a few days before the college entrance exam. Perhaps this was why “Sister-in-law” hadn’t taken the exam.
Given the original Jiang Nan’s character, even if she had been angry at Lu Xiaoxiao, she wouldn’t have stood by while a child was scalded in front of her. She would have helped, and her hand would have been burned. It seemed the plot was indeed fixed to happen—the only difference was who experienced it, changed by her divorce.
As Jiang Nan pondered, Cheng Hao, full from eating, clamored to go boating on the lake at the workers’ club park. Some of his classmates had gone, and he wanted to as well.
Jiang Nan snapped back to reality and hesitated. “Do you know how to swim?” She herself did not.
Cheng Hao shook his head. His father had promised to teach him during the holidays, but hadn’t yet.
Jiang Nan asked, “What if we fall into the water while boating? Or if the oar drops into the lake and we can’t retrieve it? Neither of us can swim—what if we’re stuck out there with no one to rescue us?”
These were safety issues she had to consider, especially with Cheng Hao being such a mischievous child.
But no matter what she said, Cheng Hao insisted. Jiang Nan only agreed to take him to the park for a walk.
At the boat rental, they found that on weekdays no one came to row. Jiang Nan thought for a moment, then asked a staff member who could swim to accompany them. With him rowing, they circled the lake twice, leaving Cheng Hao satisfied.
Jiang Nan walked Cheng Hao to the courtyard gate, handed him the living expenses she hadn’t managed to give in June and July, plus the next two months together, and then returned to Hongshan commune. Back at school, she stayed busy for about a week until the recruitment work ended and the school closed.
Jiang Nan could no longer live in the dormitory. Since she would be going to university, most of her belongings would need to be stored at Aunt Jiang’s anyway, so she decided to stay there.
Aunt Jiang asked Li Xu to borrow a donkey cart to help move all of Jiangnan’s luggage home.
That afternoon, Jiang Nan was in her room making the bed and organizing things when she suddenly noticed Aunt Jiang silently standing at the doorway, staring at her, holding a clay pot. Jiang Nan jumped in fright!
“Auntie, what’s wrong?” Jiang Nan asked cautiously.
Aunt Jiang lifted the pot and asked, “Are you sick?”
While cleaning the pot, she had smelled a strong scent of herbal medicine. Inside was a faint black ring—marks left only by long-term decoction of herbs.
Jiang Nan’s eyes flickered. Seeing she couldn’t avoid it, she vaguely explained: “After the miscarriage surgery, I felt unwell, so I went to Doctor Yu at the farm for some restorative medicine. I took it for two months. He said I had mostly recovered, and I’ve already stopped for over a month.” In truth, she still needed dietary therapy afterward.
Aunt Jiang clearly didn’t believe her, her face stern. “Tell the truth!”
At her age, she could tell lies from truth.
Jiang Nan fell silent—she didn’t want Aunt Jiang to worry.
But Aunt Jiang pressed: “If you don’t tell me, I’ll have Third Son hitch the cart right now and we’ll go to the farm to hear it from the doctor!”
Jiang Nan sighed helplessly, took the clay pot from her hand and set it down, then invited her to sit. “Really, it’s nothing.” She added lightly, “It’s just that in the future, I probably won’t be able to have children.”
Aunt Jiang froze, stunned. After a long pause, she slapped Jiang Nan’s back and whispered urgently, “And you call that nothing!”
Jiang Nan smiled, unconcerned. “What’s the big deal? It’s not like I don’t already have a child. Besides, childbirth is painful, raising children costs money and effort. Not being able to have more—I’m glad.”
Aunt Jiang bit her lip, swallowing back the words that rose to her throat, afraid of hurting her niece’s feelings. Not being able to have children and not wanting them—were those the same thing?!
Alas, Xiao Nan’s marriage prospects had just become even harder.
Aunt Jiang sat silently for a while, then left.
Jiang Nan opened her mouth but said nothing, nor did she try to persuade Aunt Jiang. She herself accepted it well, but Aunt Jiang—deeply influenced by the thinking of the times—would need time to digest it.
That evening, Aunt Jiang prepared a large table of dishes, a welcome feast for Jiang Nan. Everyone ate until their eyes squinted and their stomachs were round, satisfied and comfortable.
After dinner, Jiang Nan and Li Xu tidied up the bowls and chopsticks, then the family sat together to chat.
Jiang Nan took out fifty-five yuan, placing thirty in front of Aunt Jiang. “Auntie, this is my living expense for the next two months.”
This time, before Aunt Jiang could speak, Uncle Jiang refused. “Xiao Nan, take it back. We’re family—why be so formal?”
Jiang Nan laughed. “Uncle, if you don’t accept it, then I won’t stay here! Tomorrow I’ll have Li Xu take me back to the commune, rent a room, and eat at the state-run restaurant every day. At that rate, thirty yuan a month won’t be enough.”
Uncle Jiang knew Jiang Nan was stubborn—she really would do such a thing. He was momentarily at a loss for words.
Aunt Jiang said nothing, quietly accepted the money, already planning to use it to buy chicken, duck, fish, and meat to nourish Jiang Nan’s health.
Jiang Nan didn’t know her intention. Seeing her accept it, she was pleased. Then she handed the remaining twenty-five yuan to Li Xu. “This is for the books and exam syllabus. Zhao Rui used a favor I may never repay, but money must be given.”
The Li family didn’t understand, so Jiang Nan explained.
Aunt Jiang immediately said sternly, “Third Son, take it over! We must be clear—your sister did use those books. Even if you’re close to Zhao Rui, you can’t take advantage of him for free.”
Aunt Jiang had always been clear about right and wrong. Even though she felt sorry for Jiang Nan spending so much at once, she believed it was necessary.
Li Xu looked around at his family, realizing everyone agreed—no one sided with him. He lowered his head, picked up the money, and went to the Zhao household.
When he entered, Mother Zhao saw him first. “Li Xu, here to see Zhao Rui? He’s in the main hall listening to the news!”
Li Xu knew his Brother Rui had recently developed this habit—listening to the news for half an hour every day before handing the radio over to Mother Zhao and Xiao Ze for songs or storytelling. So he answered Mother Zhao and went into the hall.
Inside, Zhao Rui was listening while jotting notes in a notebook. Seeing Li Xu, he asked distractedly, “What is it?”
Li Xu placed the twenty-five yuan on the table. “My sister gave this for the books. I told her not to, but she insisted—said she couldn’t repay your favor, but at least she had to pay the money.”
Zhao Rui said nothing, nodded, and handed the money to Mother Zhao, who had followed Li Xu in. Accepting it was fine—it spared people from worrying about how to repay. For him, it had been a casual effort, not worth remembering so long.
After Li Xu finished, Zhao Rui continued listening to the news, his hand never stopping.
Li Xu didn’t disturb him, just said “I’m heading back” and turned to leave. But Mother Zhao stopped him, asking: “Li Xu, I saw you picking up your sister today. Where did you bring her back from?”
Li Xu, unsuspecting, thought it was casual chat. “From the commune. My sister teaches at the commune middle school.” Then, remembering something, he added with a smile: “Brother Rui knows too. On her first day reporting, he helped carry her things. Later, he even went with me to deliver books. And now, this money I’m bringing you is exactly what my sister asked me to give for those books.”
“I see…” Mother Zhao listened, her thoughts drifting far away. She had been searching for a match for Zhao Xu for months. Too young was unacceptable, but those of similar age or slightly older were also rejected. She didn’t know how to find the right one.
Actually, Zhao Rui felt quite helpless. Most of the people around his age he already knew—either their character wasn’t good, or their families had problems. Even those without issues, he knew who they eventually married, and he even had decent relationships with some of them. For him to go on blind dates with these people—even if in this life they were still unmarried—gave Zhao Rui a sense of betrayal. So whenever his mother brought up potential matches, he refused.
From the matchmaker’s first visit until now, several months had passed, and Zhao Rui hadn’t met a single candidate.
Mother Zhao was troubled until today, when she saw Jiang Nan again. Suddenly, she had an idea: Xiao Nan—wasn’t she divorced too? And she was someone they knew well, with a suitable age! So she asked Li Xu a few more questions to clarify Jiang Nan’s situation, planning to ask Li Xu’s mother tomorrow whether Jiang Nan had any interest in matchmaking.
The next day, Aunt Jiang was secretly called out by Mother Zhao, who asked her opinion of Zhao Rui and whether he would be a good match for Jiang Nan. Aunt Jiang was stunned.
Although she often asked matchmakers for information, she had never considered Zhao Rui as a candidate. After all, they had been neighbors for decades. Zhao Rui had grown up playing with her Third Son, like brothers. He was too familiar, so she had filtered him out.
But thinking carefully, Zhao Rui was indeed a good choice. He was tall and well-built, hardworking, and good at earning money. His divorce had happened openly in front of the whole village—though it was embarrassing, it was cleanly resolved. Most importantly, he had a child!
Ever since learning yesterday that Jiang Nan couldn’t have children, Aunt Jiang hadn’t been able to let go of the thought. She believed that if Jiang Nan married someone who already had a child, the in-laws wouldn’t criticize her for her condition, and life would be smoother. Wasn’t Zhao Rui just right?
Moreover, Mother Zhao no longer worked in the fields and was diligent. If Xiao Nan and Zhao Rui really married, she wouldn’t need to raise the child herself—she could focus on her studies. But there was a problem…
Aunt Jiang hesitated. “If my Xiao Nan gets into university, she’ll have to study, and she won’t be home for long periods. Your family might not be able to accept that.”
Mother Zhao also hesitated, but she valued Jiang Nan highly. So she said, “Let’s each go home and ask our children’s opinions first.”