Chapter 1: Husband

The morning by the Qingshui River was always lively. The water is winding and the surface of the river is filled with morning fog. The laundry women were crouched on the shore, the sound of running water and scrubbing was heard one after another.

After He Xiaoyun washed her clothes, she slung the basin on her waist and walked home along the riverside path. 

It is already mid-April, the weather is getting warmer and the rain is gradually plentiful. Yesterday, it rained a little. On the Huangshi Road, there were puddles connected to each other. She watched her steps carefully lest she steps into the mud. 

The Qingshui River is surrounded by mountains on one side and fields on the other. The plowed paddy fields are cut into pieces by the ridges. The fields are filled with water to prepare to plant seedlings in the next few days. The breeze gently stirs the water, making small waves. A few people can be seen wading through the water to pick food, 

A sister-in-law of the same clan approached, He Xiaoyun who was not very close to her only intended to nod slightly but then the sister-in-law yelled upon seeing her, "Xiaoyun, you're here. Your family's Jianwei is back! Go home now!"

He Xiaoyun felt her heart pound and sink.

The sister-in-law neared and then said to her: "Yesterday they said that Xiaojian is a man who cares for his family. No one can match your family's Jianwei. When he came back, he was commissioned as a cadre but still plant rice. Why is he still so diligent?"

He Xioayun was absent-minded and couldn't catch what the sister-in-law said and nodded her head indiscriminately.  

The other party mistakenly thought she was in a hurry to get home and joked: "Look at me, still nagging at you. Go home quickly and I'll come to visit your house later to ask for candy!"

"Then sister-in-law must come." He Xiaoyun forced a smile and staggered away from the other party, she then inadvertently stepped half of her foot into a puddle. Looking down, she saw her grey cloth shoes dipped into the water and covered the surface with mud.

In her previous life, she had never worn such shoes since she was able to earn money. 

The cancer had brought her death and had also given her a strange new life. She was now the mother of the protagonist in a book. A role that would never leave her an impression if not for having the same name and surname as her.  

It is now 1975 and the plot of the book doesn't begin until 20 years later. At that time, the male protagonist's father was already in a high position and is a big shot. But He Xiaoyun was not that happy to take over such a promising husband out of thin air.

Because the marriage was not a happy one. It was forced by the original owner to marry the protagonist's father, she pretended to fall into the water and let him save her.

What's even more troubling is before coming here, He Xiaoyun had never even hold hands with the opposite sex. But now, not only did she get a husband out of nowhere, she even got a three years old son! Every time that chubby boy called her mother, she wanted to ask herself: "Who am I? Where am I? What am I even doing?"

If it weren't for the general environment here, she really wanted to get a divorce!

But it's not without fortunate news, At least she had not lived in vain. This alone was enough for her to cheer up and prepare herself for all sorts of trouble. (T/N: I tried in this part really hard but I just don't get it. 😥)

She was never afraid of cancer even when she was dying, why would she be scared of a man? Full of energy, He Xiaoyun strode home again, head held high.

As for the sayings of "The opposite sex is more fierce than a tiger for a single death house" (T/N: ???) She conveniently ignored it.

Just as He Xiaoyun walked in front of the house, she heard a voice of a child coming from the courtyard. The rest of the family had something to do today so except for her three years old son, Wei Yuanhang, and his grandmother, there's also Wei Jianwei who had just returned from the army.

He Xiaoyun originally planned to sneak a peek at the door first but she didn't expect the child inside to be so sharp-eyed, he rushed out and grab her at once: "Mom, Dad's back. And he bought us a lot of orange candies!"

He Xiaoyun was like an ostrich whose head was pulled off from the sand. She had to bite the bullet and walked in slowly and stiffly. 

 She caught a glimpse of Wei Jianwei, a tall man with an imposing aura that ordinary people don't have. Such aura often makes people overlook his appearance but from the photos on the wall at home, his face is very handsome, how else would the original owner target him?

"Xiaoyun is back and Jianwei just arrived home. The two of you talk first, I'll get him a bowl of noodles." Wang Chunhua, the grandmother of the protagonist, said.

He Xiaoyun didn't want to stay here and talk and so she put the tub on the stone wall and said, "Mom, I'm going to make noodles."

Wang Chuanhua waved her hand and took off her apron, then put it around her waist as she quickly walked into the kitchen, "I should do it instead, I'm quick."

Before He Xiaoyun could say anything, the little kid Wei Yuanhang ran over and grabbed the hem of her clothes, "Mom, come and see, there are a lot of orange candies! So many of it!" 

He Xiaoyun has no choice but to follow his lead, passing by Wei Jianwei, she said, "I'm back." with a voice that only the two of them can hear. After completing the greetings, she felt more at ease.

Many of the bags that Wei Jianwei bought were indeed quite large, two big bags. Now that supplies are scarce, let alone sugar, even the salt needs to be saved.

She also saw yesterday a child holding a candy fruit bar, breaking the fruit bar through the packaging, and then distributing a few pieces to his friends, so they will regard him as their leader. The scene can be said to be both funny and sad.

When Wei Jianwei came home, Wei Yuanhang was the happiest, mainly because of the orange candies, otherwise, how could he remember a man that only come home ten days a year? After all, children who were two to three years olds tend to be forgetful. (T/N: Damn, so his son only remembered him because of the candies? What a life.)

"Mom, can I have one?" The chubby boy was holding a candy in his hand and looking at her eagerly.

Although He Xiaoyun didn't like children very much, just like any ordinary people, when she saw a cute kid, She can't help but soften. Wei Yuanhang has a round head and a plump white face, he was rarely spoiled by his family, he has not spoiled his temper, and even if he's occasionally naughty, he was not annoying. 

Even at a young age, he understands the reasons. The other day, when he caught a cough because of the changing seasons, he can't eat sweets. He Xiaoyun won't let him eat it and he would obediently obey and wouldn't be upset. Interestingly, the little boy was being deliberate in front of He Xiaoyun today.

"I can't eat sugar, or my cough will be worse."

"Did you cough last night? If not, go take one." He Xiaoyun touched his little head and saw Wei Jianwei walking in the courtyard from the corner of her eyes, not knowing what to do.

"No cough!" Wei Yuanhang's eyes lit up. " I didn't cough today either!" 

She nodded and said, "You can eat more without the cough."

"I know that if I eat too much candy, I will cough." Wei Yuanhang said obediently.

"You are such a clever ghost." He Xiaoyun said amusedly.

Hearing the sound of clothes rustling, she turned her head and saw Wei Jianwei had taken the clothes she had put on the stone wall to dry.

"Wait..." He Xiaoyun tried to stop him but remembered they were all WeiYuanhang's clothes, it wouldn't matter if he hang them dry. It was a little surprising for her that he would take such initiative. After all, the men here only thought of earning work points, from their point of view, housework was women's business. 

However, the relationship between Wei Jianwei and the original owner seems ordinary. From the time she entered the door and to the present, the two of them did not have any communication, she didn't say any serious greetings nor had she heard him comment about it. This couple seems to represent the saying, 'Respect each other like ice.'

But thinking about the 'good' deeds the original owner had done, maybe it was better this way. 

Wei Yuanhang asked for another candy to share with the little girl next door. After the boy ran out, He Xiaoyun entered the house to avoid embarrassment in the yard. 

Wei Jianwei dried the clothes, leaned the tub in the stone wall, glanced at her back, and then went to sort out the luggage he brought back.

Wang Chunhua was cutting noodles in the kitchen, He Xiaoyun filled the pot with water and sat under the stove to start the fire. 

Wang Chunhua shook the noodles and glanced at her.

This second daughter-in-law, Wang Chuanhua was not very satisfied with her from the very beginning. Her personality was too aggressive and she always argues. At that time, she(HX) insisted on marrying Jianwei and threatened them with her life, it was simply too arrogant. Wang Chuanhua was afraid that she(HX) will really seek death and endanger her son's future in the army, so she(WC) had no choice but to agree to the marriage.

After the marriage, she(HX) settled down a little. As an elder, she turned a blind eye and went away. In the past two years, her little grandson has grown up and she then suddenly heard her second daughter-in-law wanted to separate from the family.

Wang Chuanhua thought that sooner or later the family will separate anyway. When the second son returned this time, it would be better to discuss it with the whole family together so that the second daughter-in-law won't make any trouble again, lest the outsiders found out and make a joke out of them.

But for a while, she's(HX) calmed down and her temper has cooled down considerably.

When Jianwei returned from the past, she(HX) was always the first to go through his luggage, for fear that some good things will be taken away. She also asked a lot about the allowances and wages, in fear that they will be stolen. But today, she hasn't said any words and even volunteered to boil water for her. (T/N: How sus.)

"Tomorrow, let Jianwei accompany you back home. I will start planting rice in two days and won't have the time to move around." When the water boiled,  Wang Chuanhua put the noodles in the pot and stirred them with chopsticks. 

He Xiaoyun stilled and realized that she(WC) was talking about going back home to her family. Since Jianwei rarely comes back, he rarely visits his father-in-law's house but He Xiaoyun wasn't that comfortable regarding her identity as a married woman who had a child yet. At this time, she felt strange and uncomfortable. A song then played on her mind: " A chicken in the left hand, a duck in the right hand, and a fat baby on her back!"

A sudden 囧 burst upon her heart

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T/N: I would never urge translators for an early release of chapters ever again. Now that I experienced translating a chapter myself, I got the urge to stop but I want to read up what's next ;-; 

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