The two of them walked all the way to the county town.

 

The road was not easy to traverse and was covered with snow. With each step leaving a footprint, Jin Xiuzhu wears a pair of cotton shoes that quickly became wet, and after a while, her feet were freezing, causing a sharp pain.

 

They didn’t know how long they had been walking. The originally misty sky had already brightened by the time they arrived at the county town.

 

Perhaps because of her good physical condition, Jin Xiuzhu surprisingly didn’t feel very tired. In the past, she would have worn her feet out long ago. Over a decade of living in comfort had not only changed her physique but also her mindset. She knew she couldn’t complain now, so she remained silent, just following closely behind the man.

 

Fortunately, the man seemed to sense something and deliberately slowed down a bit, then turned back to say to her, “Walk in my footprints.”

 

Jin Xiuzhu was slightly stunned, then nodded her head in acknowledgment. Her heart felt warm. This was the first time she had been cared for in this way.

 

The former Marquis had treated her well too, but it was like how one treats kittens or puppies, finding them cute, so there was a bit more fondness, but deep down, he looked down on her.

 

Of course, it was the same with others. When he was ruthless, even his concubine of twenty years would be killed without hesitation.

 

But this man seemed different.

 

Jin Xiuzhu suppressed her thoughts, how to proceed on the road ahead. Having stayed in the Marquis’ mansion for so long, she had already developed a habit of thinking three steps ahead. There was no other way; she had no children and no one to rely on, so she could only be cautious and cautious again. It was precisely this caution that had kept her safe and in favor for over a decade.

 

However, all her thoughts dissipated when they reached the county town. Jin Xiuzhu found herself feeling as if she had been transported to a completely unfamiliar place.

 

Although she had previously found the clothing and hairstyles of the people here somewhat strange, she hadn’t thought much about it, assuming that people in the countryside dressed like this for convenience in their work. Just like when she was poor growing up, her mother would roll up her sleeves and trouser legs when working in the fields, until she entered the Marquis’ mansion and learned that it was improper.

 

But here, the men and women on the streets were all dressed in similar clothes. The men had close-cropped hair, while the women mostly had two braids or short hair that reached their ears. On the wide streets, occasionally, you could see people riding on two iron wheels.

 

But this place doesn’t seem very prosperous. The houses on the street are low and dilapidated, scattered sporadically. It couldn’t compare to the bustling scene of the Dajing Dynasty, let alone seeing someone wearing gold and silver.

 

Jiang Mingchuan walked with Jin Xiuzhu towards the county police station. When they reached the entrance of the police station, he said, “Wait for me here for a moment. I’ll go in to handle something and come out soon.”

 

Without explaining too much, he handed the child in his arms to her.

 

Although they hadn’t spent much time together, Jin Xiuzhu still trusted the man in front of her very much. Her intuition told her that he wouldn’t abandon her, so she nodded and took the child from him.

 

The child was still asleep, seeming to smell a familiar scent, and subconsciously nuzzled into Jin Xiuzhu’s embrace.

 

Jiang Mingchuan walked into the police station.

 

Jin Xiuzhu curiously looked around at everything. She saw people coming in and out across the street, eating steamed buns and pastries in their hands, and suddenly felt a bit hungry herself. Above the door across the street were the words “State-owned Restaurant”. She didn’t recognize the first word, but according to Jin Xiuzhu’s memories, she knew that this was where wealthy people ate lavish meals, and the items inside were very expensive.

 

However, Jin Xiuzhu was not one to treat herself poorly. Before leaving, she took all the private savings she had accumulated over the years. In total, it was more than seventy yuan, ten kilograms of grain coupons, and five feet of cloth coupons.

 

In her eyes, it wasn’t much, but for Jin Xiuzhu, it was a lot. It was what she had stolen from people’s pockets while they slept every time Fu Jianguo came back.

 

Fu Jianguo was naive, and even if he noticed the money missing, he didn’t suspect her. Perhaps he had suspected, but he never confronted her about it.

 

So when Jiang Mingchuan came out after borrowing money, he saw Jin Xiuzhu holding a child in one hand and eating a steamed bun in the other, and he was speechless.

 

He hadn’t expected her to still have money on her. He had given all his money to the Fu family and the Jin family. He couldn’t even afford the ticket back home and had to borrow from his comrades, planning to pay them back later.

 

When Jin Xiuzhu saw him come out, she specially handed him a steamed bun.

 

Jiang Mingchuan glanced at it. He was indeed hungry. After hesitating for a moment, he took it and began to eat, while also taking the child from her arms. Seeing the child still sleeping, he couldn’t help but ask, “Is it okay for her to sleep like this all the time?”

 

Jin Xiuzhu misunderstood his meaning and explained, “I saved two buns for her to eat when she wakes up.”

 

Jiang Mingchuan nodded silently.

 

The two fell into silence.

 

Jiang Mingchuan walked ahead, while Jin Xiuzhu habitually lagged two steps behind. He felt somewhat uncomfortable, thinking that since they were going to live together in the future, there were some things he needed to tell her in advance. So, he spoke seriously, “I’m thirty-one years old this year. My parents passed away early, and I was adopted by my father’s comrade-in-arms since childhood. I have been living in the military camp all year round. If you follow me, you can only follow the army. I will try my best to take care of you and the child. As for you… you need to restrain your other thoughts.”

 

The last sentence carried a bit of weight.

 

Upon hearing this, Jin Xiuzhu glanced at him with a guilty conscience and subconsciously coquettishly replied, “I understand.”

 

She understood that he was concerned about last night’s matter.

 

Jiang Mingchuan frowned at her, not accustomed to others speaking to him like this, but ultimately said nothing.

 

Jin Xiuzhu didn’t even comb her hair when she got up in the morning. Her hair was messy, scattered over her shoulders. She seemed unaware of it. When she saw him looking over, she shyly lowered her head slightly.

 

Seeing her behaving obediently, Jiang Mingchuan looked ahead again and continued, “Last year, I adopted the child of a comrade-in-arms, named He Yan. He is a bit introverted and sensitive. His father used to be my squad leader, and he was a good person.”

 

He paused for a moment before adding, “If you have no objections, we will go back and report our marriage.”

 

At his age, it was indeed time to get married. He wasn’t usually at home, often sending He Yan next door for meals. Although he gave money, he knew it wasn’t good for He Yan to continue like this for a long time. He had been adopted since childhood and didn’t want the child to suffer like he did.

 

So when the wife of the regimental commander introduced him to someone with a child, he agreed after some thought. In his current situation, it was indeed not easy to find someone. Only when both parties had children could they understand each other. He just didn’t expect such a thing to happen on this trip.

 

He looked at Jin Xiuzhu again, and a hint of surprise appeared on her face. It wasn’t because he had a child; at his age, it was common for grandchildren to be born even. She was just surprised that he was kind enough to raise someone else’s child, something she couldn’t do.

 

But when she thought about it, it made sense. After Fu Jianguo died half a year ago, none of their relatives came to visit. Yet he made a special trip over on the first day of the lunar new year, bringing rice and money.

 

She smiled, “I love children the most. I will definitely treat him as my own.”

 

She genuinely meant what she said. In her previous life, she had been longing for a child, but unfortunately, her body was poisoned, and she couldn’t conceive.

 

Jiang Mingchuan nodded, unsure if he believed it or not.

 

Leading Jin Xiuzhu towards the bus station, the two were fortunate enough to arrive just as a bus to the city was departing. Jiang Mingchuan skillfully purchased their tickets and then found seats side by side for himself and Jin Xiuzhu.

 

Jin Xiuzhu had never ridden this type of bus before, and although the environment inside wasn’t great, she had experienced hardship before and didn’t complain. She simply looked curiously at everything around her. When the bus started moving, she couldn’t help but exclaim softly, watching the scenery outside rapidly retreat. She turned her head, her eyes sparkling, and looked at the man beside her.

 

Jiang Mingchuan suppressed a smile and reminded her sternly to sit properly.

 

Jin Xiuzhu snorted softly, turned her head back, and continued to gaze outside, finding it much more comfortable than riding in a horse carriage and finding it quite interesting.

 

Upon reaching the city, Jin Xiuzhu followed behind Jiang Mingchuan as they got off the bus. The train station was adjacent to the bus station, and Jiang Mingchuan took her to buy two train tickets for the train departing at two in the afternoon. Seeing that it was almost noon, the two of them had a meal at a nearby state-owned restaurant.

 

When they got off the bus, Jiang Mingchuan’s child in his arms had awakened at some point. He had been worried that the child would cry, but unexpectedly, the child was well-behaved, looking at him with a pair of calm, dark eyes. Through those eyes, it seemed like the child was having a silent conversation with an adult. Jiang Mingchuan furrowed his brows keenly, about to take a closer look, but then he saw the child had already turned his head to look outside.

 

He breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like he must have been mistaken.

 

Jin Xiuzhu was famished. According to her usual diet, a small bowl of bird’s nest porridge and a few small dishes would have been enough for breakfast. However, now, she found herself still hungry after devouring a large meat bun.

 

Jiang Mingchuan ordered two bowls of chicken noodles and a bowl of egg soup, all in large portions. Jin Xiuzhu wasn’t picky either, picking up her chopsticks and eating eagerly. Although she ate quickly, her movements were graceful, giving her a delicate appearance.

 

Jiang Mingchuan glanced sideways and felt that perhaps she wasn’t as bad as he had thought.

 

Seeing him looking at her, Jin Xiuzhu thought she might have been too rough with her eating. She quickly pretended to wipe her mouth and then flicked her hair, giving him a sweet smile.

 

The man paused for a moment, then said, “Hurry up and eat.”

 

Then he lowered his head and slurped a mouthful into his mouth.

 

Jin Xiuzhu: “…”

 

What a clueless guy.

 

Sitting next to him, Fu Yanyan obediently ate her egg soup. Seeing this scene, a slight ripple appeared in her calm eyes.

 

After finishing their meal, they went to the train station to wait. At one fifty in the afternoon, the family of three boarded the train.

 

Jiang Mingchuan knew it was Jin Xiuzhu’s first time taking a train and was afraid she wouldn’t understand, so he let her carry the luggage and walk ahead.

 

As Jin Xiuzhu walked, she looked around curiously. If cars had amazed her, this train was even more shocking. She had never seen such a long, large vehicle that could hold so many people without needing horses to pull it. It only emitted steam, which was simply unbelievable.

 

So much so that she didn’t notice her hips swaying as she walked.

 

Jiang Mingchuan, carrying the child, saw this from behind and couldn’t help but remind her, “Walk properly, don’t sway around, it looks uncomfortable.”

 

Jin Xiuzhu heard his words and turned to look at him, meeting his furrowed brow. Feeling a bit guilty, she quickly straightened up her posture.

 

In her mind, she cursed him for being such a stubborn fool.