Xiao Chunlan was unwilling to go over and ask. This was an embarrassing matter. Her family had good conditions and high standards. Several matches had been introduced to her, but among the ones her parents approved of, she disliked their looks, and among the ones she liked, her parents disapproved of their family background. So it dragged on until she was twenty-five, and the more she chose, the harder it became.
Then Mu Chengfeng arrived at the island’s military hospital from a field hospital. She fell for him at first sight. Her father, a deputy director, was his colleague, and after observing him for a while, approved of his character. The only drawback was that he was a widower with three children. A twenty-nine-year-old man, if not widowed, would not have remained single. Her family could accept that, but they could not accept the three children.
Mu Chengfeng’s stepmother was willing to take care of the children for forty-five yuan a month, which covered both her labor and the children’s food. Her family was very willing, even saying they could cover half the cost.
Everyone in her family thought it was practically guaranteed. She was an unmarried young woman with education, looks, and a good family background. If she was willing to marry a widower, how could he refuse?
They asked the hospital director to act as a matchmaker and speak to Mu Chengfeng, but he flatly refused, saying he would never hand his children over to their step-grandmother to raise. Fortunately, it had not been made public, just a casual inquiry through the director. Since he was unwilling, the matter was dropped, and there was no awkwardness in meeting afterward.
Her aunt was only thirty this year. Because she had given birth to only one daughter and had been unable to conceive again, she was looked down upon by her husband’s family. Hearing Mu Chengfeng’s reason for refusal, that he insisted on raising his children himself, her aunt felt she met the conditions. She sought him out and said she was willing to raise several children, and if he agreed, she would go back and divorce immediately.
Doctor Mu rejected her on the spot and even called in the director and her father, laying out the whole matter. He said he would never bear the blame of destroying someone else’s family, and if any rumors spread, he would make today’s events public.
Her aunt’s face flushed red with anger on the spot, and her father was mortified, saying he had never seen someone so shameless. When they returned home, he lost his temper, and the family strictly forbade anyone from spreading the matter, preventing any rumors.
No matter who the pretty young girl with the eldest daughter was, Xiao Chunlan would not ask. To avoid suspicion, she would keep her distance.
But her aunt could not suppress her curiosity and insisted on asking. Xiao Chunlan stomped her foot and could only follow along.
Gao Hehua assumed that since the pretty girl seemed so close to the eldest daughter, she must be a relative from Mu Chengfeng’s side, his stepmother’s side, or his late wife’s family. Smiling, she asked, “Damei, is this older sister of yours a relative from your family?”
This was a teacher from Damei’s school, who taught the class next door. For a time, she had frequently watched Damei closely, scolding her at the slightest mistake. When her father came to pick her up, he saw it and angrily reprimanded the teacher.
Her father said it was not her fault. That Teacher Gao had wanted to marry him but, after being rejected, had taken it out on her. He even apologized to her, promising to handle it, and he kept his word. After that, Teacher Gao never scolded her again.
Mu Jinzhi leaned closer to Jiang Xiaoyu. “Hello, Teacher Gao. This is my new mother.”
Jiang Xiaoyu freed one hand to rest it on Damei’s shoulder and smiled as she greeted them. “Hello, I’m Mu Chengfeng’s newly married wife. My name is Jiang Xiaoyu.”
Gao Hehua was stunned. Yesterday, Mu Chengfeng was still single, and today he already had a beautiful wife. Earlier, when her unmarried niece had been proposed, he refused on the grounds that the children had to be raised by him personally. When he rejected her, Gao Hehua had been told he would not destroy another family. So it turned out he just wanted someone younger and prettier.
Furious, Gao Hehua turned and boarded the bus that had just arrived.
When Xiao Chunlan suddenly heard that Mu Chengfeng had a wife, she also felt a surge of anger. This bus was heading to the military hospital. Her aunt wanted to complain to her mother, and she also wanted to know what was going on, so she followed them onto the bus.
Jiang Xiaoyu took Mu Jinzhi onto the next bus, which was heading back to the family quarters. Only after boarding did she ask the child, “Damei, those two people just now were very rude. I introduced myself, but the one asking questions didn’t even respond. We won’t associate with people like that in the future. But who are they?”
Mu Jinzhi looked troubled and explained their relationship. “They’re family members of the deputy director at Dad’s workplace. The director once helped pass along a proposal, but Dad didn’t agree. Mom, are they angry?”
“If they’re angry, let them be. It has nothing to do with us.” Jiang Xiaoyu knew that in the story, Mu Chengfeng would eventually become the director.
Before she arrived, with Mu Chengfeng’s personality, he had already offended those he would offend. The leaders who still valued him were broad-minded. As for those who didn’t, one more incident today made no difference.
“That’s just them having a bad temper. It has nothing to do with us. Damei, when you go back to school, if that Teacher Gao dares to scold you without reason again, tell me. If I can’t handle it, we’ll tell your father together. What do you think?”
Mu Jinzhi did not know how much of what her stepmother said was true, but she agreed with not telling her father for now. If he knew, he would confront Teacher Gao, who was related to his superior. She did not want to cause trouble for him at work because of her own matters.
…
Gao Hongfen and Qian Chunmei had entered medical school together, graduated together, and were assigned jobs together. Even their spouses had been introduced through internal matchmaking events. Gao Hongfen was a deputy chief physician, her husband a deputy director, while Qian Chunmei was a department chief and her husband the director. In every aspect, Gao Hongfen felt she was one step behind, and she had long felt stifled.
On the surface, the two maintained a decent relationship, but in reality, they had grown to dislike each other.
At noon today, Qian Chunmei had gone to the neurosurgery department and then did not return to her own department. When she came back from outside, she was beaming with joy. When asked what had happened, she refused to say. Fine, she thought, as if she cared to know.
Then her daughter and sister arrived, saying they had seen Mu Chengfeng’s newly married wife at the docks, bringing his eldest daughter along, acting quite familiar and even greeting them.
Her sister Gao Hehua said, “I ignored her. Sis, don’t you think Mu Chengfeng is so arrogant? He rejected our Chunlan, yet he can accept that kind of young girl. So hypocritical.”
She knew it was wrong for her to approach Mu Chengfeng about marriage while still not divorced, but what about Chunlan? Such a good unmarried girl, with parents working in the same hospital as him, and he rejected her without hesitation. Who did he think he was looking down on?
Gao Hongfen was displeased. She wanted to find out exactly who that girl her sister described was, and she was certain Qian Chunmei knew. After all, Mu Chengfeng needed the director’s approval for marriage registration. No wonder she had come back so happy at noon and refused to say anything. She must be pleased about Mu Chengfeng’s marriage.
Gao Hongfen immediately decided to go to the neurosurgery department.
Xiao Chunlan quickly pulled her back. “Mom, Aunt didn’t tell the whole truth. That girl’s face was unfamiliar. We didn’t know her, and she didn’t know us. She didn’t come to greet us. It was Aunt who went over to ask. Don’t go over there and say something inappropriate and make us look unreasonable.”
Gao Hongfen shot her sister with a fierce glare. “You’re a teacher, yet you spout nonsense so casually. Your promotion depends on yourself. I won’t pull strings for you.”
Gao Hehua curled her lips. “What difference does it make? Either way, Mu Chengfeng looks down on you and brother-in-law.”
Gao Hongfen was not without principles. One matter was one matter. She was upset that Mu Chengfeng rejected her precious daughter, but her sister twisted the truth to be wrong. That new wife had just arrived and likely did not know so many people. She did not approve of her sister’s reckless talk.
She glared at Gao Hehua again. “Go back first. I’ll handle this.”
Gao Hongfen went straight to the neurosurgery department to confront Mu Chengfeng. With such a good unmarried daughter, he refused, yet immediately married some random woman. Wasn’t that a slap in her face?
…
Qian Chunmei returned, all smiles, telling Mu Chengfeng that his young wife had already brought the three children home and had immediately gone to the docks to buy groceries to cook for them.
“How did she manage to bring them back? Would my stepmother agree to that?” Mu Chengfeng could not imagine it.
Qian Chunmei laughed. “Women think differently from men. You argued with your stepmother several times, made harsh threats, but she would clutch her chest and collapse, claiming a heart condition, leaving you helpless. Or she’d say to discuss it after you remarried. But you weren’t in a hurry to remarry after being widowed, so that path didn’t work either. With your busy schedule and the difficulty of finding a trustworthy nanny, things dragged on until now. But your new wife is impressive. She managed to restrain your stepmother and brought the children back in one go.”
Qian Chunmei could not help but admire Jiang Xiaoyu’s generosity.
“Jiang Xiaoyu told your stepmother that she wouldn’t have children of her own until the children grow up. That’s such a huge sacrifice. How could your stepmother have any reason to keep holding onto the children? She was afraid Jiang Xiaoyu was just placating her, so she made a written agreement in triplicate. I’m the witness. Look, everything is written clearly here.”
On the paper were the names of Mu Chengfeng’s stepmother, Jiang Xiaoyu, and the witness Qian Chunmei.
Seeing that Jiang Xiaoyu had signed such an agreement with her mother-in-law, even Xiao Baoguo felt admiration. The girl was young, yet she had such breadth of heart. She truly intended to live a good life with Mu Chengfeng to make such a great sacrifice.
Their own family could not agree to such a condition, so what reason was there to be angry that Mu Chengfeng married Jiang Xiaoyu?
Thinking of his wife’s nagging, Xiao Baoguo decided that this time, no matter what, he would not smooth things over.
Several people praised Mu Chengfeng’s young wife, saying that now they would not have to live apart, and though she was young, she had become a stepmother to three children. There would inevitably be bumps in the marriage, so he should be more tolerant and act responsibly.
Mu Chengfeng naturally felt deeply grateful. Jiang Xiaoyu not wanting children was something she had only told him privately, so while others might suspect it was a temporary tactic, he believed it completely.
Just as the praise continued, a sharp, discordant voice suddenly cut in.
“Do you actually believe this kind of agreement? With the common faults of you men, if Jiang Xiaoyu wants a child, wouldn’t it be easy? This is just a delaying tactic.”
It was Gao Hongfen. She had just arrived and overheard her husband and Qian Chunmei praising Mu Chengfeng’s young wife. Such a simple trick, yet none of them could see through it.
No, they had seen through it, they just did not want to say it aloud. Then she would say it.
“Mu Chengfeng, you’re really too naive. From this one agreement alone, I can tell your wife is extremely cunning. She writes a promise to bring the children back and win your favor, then gets pregnant, and rightfully sends the three children to their step-grandmother. You can’t possibly not see through such a scheme, can you?”