Chapter 12

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Although Li Wenfeng was well-dressed, the middle-aged man’s greasy aura could not be concealed. If she was over thirty years old, she might have deemed this as maturity. But she was so young now, and the difference was huge. She could not accept it.

Seeing the patience in Li Wenfeng’s eyes gradually disappearing, Ding Shujuan also made a difficult decision in her heart. It wasn’t that she hadn’t considered turning around and leaving, in a deviation from her original path, but that way, everything would be out of her control. Without Li Wenfeng’s support, she would have to say goodbye to those two talented stepchildren and all the resources in the military.

Before she wrote the book, she had read many novels about transmigration. There were female lead novels and male lead novels. In the end, she concluded that regardless of whether it was men or women who transmigrated, they would never be able to return.

In other words, she only had one chance. If she missed Li Wenfeng, she would never be able to transmigrate again, and her fate as the protagonist would be unpredictable.

Just as Li Wenfeng was about to leave, Ding Shujuan gritted her teeth and finally made up her mind. She reached out and shook the man’s hand gently. “Hello, Li Wenfeng. My name is Ding Shujuan. If you like me, I’m willing to marry you and be the stepmother to your two sons.”

Li Wenfeng was stunned.

…

On the west side of Peach Blossom Town, Chu Wei sold all the mushrooms in the bamboo basket when she passed by the market. She made a net profit of eight dollars. After passing through a few alleys and an abandoned straw house, she finally returned to her maiden home.

Mrs. Chu was only forty-nine this year. After her irresponsible father abandoned them, Mrs. Chu had been living alone ever since. At that moment, she was lying on the rocking chair and basking in the sun. One of her hands was gently patting Chen Yan, who was taking a nap in her arms.

Seeing Chu Wei push the door open and enter the courtyard, Mrs. Chu asked softly, “Chu Wei, when will Chen Ji come back?”

Chu Wei put down the bamboo basket and replied, “The telegram said that if nothing goes wrong, he will be home on the tenth day of the month. Today is the eighth day of the month. It will only be a day or two more.”

“Is Chen Hu’s family still trying to split the household?” Mrs. Chu asked again.

Chu Wei smiled faintly and said, “Oh my god, you don’t have to worry about it. They can do whatever they want. There is a balance between heaven and earth, and that weight is in my mother-in-law’s heart. During this period of time, she has seen their true colours. At the critical moments, she will definitely not be as biased as before.”

Mrs. Chu nodded. When she was young, she had a good relationship with Li Jinhuan. The two of them were close friends who talked about everything. Naturally, she understood Li Jinhuan’s temper and personality very well.

“That’s good. Your mother-in-law is a righteous person. She won’t let you suffer anymore,” Mrs. Chu said.

Back then, when Chen Ji came back to propose to Chu Wei, Mrs. Chu didn’t agree to it at first. However, Li Jinhuan came to talk her into it. She even knelt on the ground and swore to her that she would make sure Chen Ji treated Chu Wei well and not let her suffer any grievances. He even said that Chen Ji’s nature wasn’t bad and that he would definitely turn over a new leaf after receiving education in the army. He said that he knew best what her son was like. Because Li Jinhuan refused to stop kneeling, Mrs Chu. agreed to their marriage.

That year, Chu Wei was only 19 years old. She was slender and beautiful. The matchmakers from the surrounding villages would come to matchmake her almost every day. It was no exaggeration to say that the young men who were wooing Chu Wei could line up from Peach Blossom Town to Qinghe County. Furthermore, they were all young men with good family conditions and potential.

Mrs. Chu had not planned to let Chu Wei get married so early. After all, the country advocated for late marriages and good breeding. They did not want Chu Wei to become a housewife before she had even seen the outside world and live a dull life. This philosophy was definitely advanced at that time.

What made Mrs. Chu feel gratified was that ever since they got married, Chen Ji would send his allowance home every month and never deducted a single cent. In addition, with the help of the elders from the two families and Chu Wei selling some mountain goods, his daughter led a good life with her two granddaughters.

The only thing that worried her was the issue of having a boy. Thinking of this, Mother Chu couldn’t help but say, “My daughter, Chen Ji will be back in the next two days. The two of you haven’t seen each other for such a long time. You have to be warm and happy. While you are still young, quickly give birth to a fat boy.”

Chu Wei rolled her eyes. “Oh my god, don’t tell me you value boys over girls too? What era are we in now? All children are equal. Every time I come back, you always talk about this. You’re already so old, yet you don’t feel ashamed about it.”

Mrs. Chu glared at her and rebuked, “What do you know? The ancient people have said that raising a child helps one with the troubles of old age. If you don’t give birth to a son, who will take care of you when you’re old and sick? After all, the girls will be married off. Once they’re married, they’ll belong to someone else. Even if they want to take care of you, they can’t..”