Li Ping'an

After a while, Lu Yu returned with the water bottle, sat down beside Jiang Nian, unscrewed the lid, poured some warm water, and handed it to her: "Drink some to quench your thirst."

Jiang Nian took the lid and drank two sips. Hearing the little boy's laughter, she looked up. Lu Yu also heard it and narrowed his eyes to look opposite. When he saw the child, his brows, which had been relaxed, suddenly furrowed. Jiang Nian finished drinking, returned the lid to Lu Yu, and was slightly stunned to see him frowning.

In Jiang Nian's eyes, Lu Yu rarely showed such emotions outwardly. Could it be that he also found the child opposite very familiar?

"Do you want more?" Lu Yu withdrew his gaze and took the lid from Jiang Nian's hand.

Jiang Nian shook her head: "No more."

After the train started moving, the carriage gradually became lively. The little boy fell asleep not long after boarding. Jiang Nian lay on the inside, looking at Lu Yu sitting beside her, and gently tugged his sleeve. Sensing the tug, the man looked down at Jiang Nian, who was blinking her eyes. His heart softened, and he gently stroked her cheek: "What's wrong?"

Jiang Nian looked at the two women opposite. The middle-aged woman went out with a thermos, while the young mother sitting beside her was eating cornbread. Seeming to notice Jiang Nian's gaze, she looked up, met her eyes, was briefly stunned, and said, "Do you want some? I still have a few cornbreads left."

Jiang Nian shook her head: "No need, thank you, sister."

She didn't answer Lu Yu's question either, only saying, "I'll sleep for a bit."

Lu Yu replied, "Okay."

Jiang Nian slept for a long four hours. When she woke up, it was completely dark outside. The little boy's giggling echoed in the carriage. She opened her eyes sleepily and turned her head to look at the opposite sleeper. The child was clinging to the ladder of the bunk, playing. His face when he smiled made her feel even more that she had met him somewhere before.

Lu Yu took a package of biscuits and pastries from his bag: "Eat something."

Jiang Nian nodded, stood up to wash her face to wake up, and then came back. Just as she sat down on the bed, she saw the little boy happily eating a biscuit. Seeing Jiang Nian looking at him, the child even gave her a shy smile.

She ate some dinner and told Lu Yu to sleep for a bit, but he said, "I'm not sleepy."

Traveling from Yuan City back to their hometown required an overnight train ride. In the middle of the night, Jiang Nian fell asleep again, only to be awakened by Lu Yu at dawn. She composed herself, waited for the train to stop completely, and then got off with Lu Yu. Lu Yu walked ahead, telling the mother and daughter to wait for him at the exit of the train station, saying he would be back shortly. The two women didn't understand what was going on, only holding the child and standing there silently.

Lu Yu led Jiang Nian to the nearby Supply and Marketing Cooperative to buy a lot of snacks, as well as malt extract and milk powder. In addition, he bought two sets of new clothes for the little boy. The items stuffed Jiang Nian's small cloth bag until it bulged. Seeing Lu Yu carrying the bag, she asked in confusion, "Are all of these bought for that child?"

Lu Yu nodded: "Yes."

Jiang Nian knew Lu Yu would never show kindness for no reason, let alone have any reason to buy these things for a strange child. Thinking of the child's forehead and bridge of the nose, Jiang Nian vaguely guessed something and asked, "Do you know whose child that is?"

Lu Yu was silent for a moment: "It's the child of Li Fangda and Wu Ying."

Jiang Nian widened her eyes in surprise. At this moment, she finally remembered that the child's brow bone and the bridge of his nose were very similar to Li Fangda's. Previously, she and Lu Yu had even taken care of this child. More than a year had passed, and counting by age, the child was indeed over two years old, which matched perfectly. However, she clearly remembered that the child had been taken away by his grandparents, and the two women on the train did not look like the previous ones.

Lu Yu noticed her confusion and explained, "Those two are the aunt and the grandmother of the aunt's husband. Li Fangda's mother passed away last year, and only his old, frail father is left in the family, unable to take care of the child. This child is the only bloodline of the Li family, so his aunt took him back to raise."

So that was how it was. Jiang Nian felt even more that Li Fangda's family had come to the mortal world to suffer. It was only hard on this child, whose parents were both dead and whose grandmother was also gone. But fortunately, he still had a loving aunt. Through a night of contact on the train, she could see that the aunt treated the child very well. The clothes on his body were clean, and the child smiled often, though he was shy and liked to hide behind his aunt. Initially, she had thought the young woman was the child's mother.

Jiang Nian looked up at Lu Yu: "How did you know all of this?"

Lu Yu said, "While you were sleeping, I asked around a bit."

She knew Lu Yu was always sharp. Even at first glance, she had found the child familiar, let alone Lu Yu, who had been close to Li Fangda. She had intended to ask him after getting off the train, but unexpectedly, he had already found out everything.

Jiang Nian asked, "Do you think they will wait outside the station?"

Lu Yu replied, "Not sure." But he felt there was a high probability they would, because on the train he had revealed a bit about his relationship with Li Fangda to the aunt.

As soon as the two of them reached the station exit, they saw them still waiting. The middle-aged woman said to the younger one, "Are they really Fangda's comrades?"

The young woman replied, "He could accurately state Fangda's unit number and previous residence, and he even knew how Fangda was injured and passed away. It shouldn't be wrong."

While they were talking, Jiang Nian and Lu Yu walked over. Lu Yu handed the heavy cloth bag to the middle-aged woman: "This is a gift for the child, please take it."

The middle-aged woman hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take it. The weight of the bag surprised her, wondering what was inside to make it so heavy. The young woman holding the child expressed her gratitude. The child looked at Jiang Nian and smiled, melting her heart.

She said, "Can I hold the child for a moment?"

The young woman smiled and replied, "Of course."

She handed the child to Jiang Nian. Once in her arms, the child smiled shyly. A child over two years old already had some weight. Suppressing the sorrow in her heart, Jiang Nian asked, "What is the child's name?"

The other party replied, "His name is Li Ping'an. We don't wish for anything grand, only that the child grows up safe and sound throughout his life."

Jiang Nian could clearly see that this aunt truly loved the child. She handed the child back and smiled, saying, "This is a very good name."

The two of them still had to catch a connecting bus, so they hurriedly went to buy tickets and left first.

Lu Yu and Jiang Nian boarded the bus back to the county town. When they arrived, they happened to meet Zhao Gang driving a donkey cart back to the village. Seeing the two of them, Zhao Gang was stunned, not expecting to meet them here. Lu Yu smiled and asked, "Don't recognize us anymore?"

Zhao Gang said, "I thought you guys would only return during the Spring Festival. Why did you return so early this year?"

Lu Yu replied, "We came back to renovate the house a bit."

Jiang Nian smiled and asked, "Is your wife not with you?"

Zhao Gang replied, "She's very busy at home, couldn't make it. I came to the county town to help the youth brigade transport some goods. Let's go, let's head back together."

Jiang Nian sat on the donkey cart, watching the old streets recede into the distance. Lu Yu and Zhao Gang chatted about the events in the village over the past year, and then asked about the brick kiln. After an hour, they finally arrived back at the village. At this time, it happened to be lunchtime. The villagers carrying hoes from the fields greeted Lu Yu and Jiang Nian warmly.

"Lu Second, why are you back already?"
"How are you and sister-in-law doing outside?"

With everyone asking questions, Lu Yu nodded in response. Hearing the villagers call her "sister-in-law" one after another, Jiang Nian was still not used to it. For the past half year, she and Lu Yu had always acted as husband and wife. Now back in the village, their relationship suddenly reverted to brother-in-law and sister-in-law, making her feel a bit awkward.

Zhao Gang said, "You and sister-in-law should come to my house for lunch. Your house hasn't been lived in for half a year, it must be very dusty."

Lu Yu replied, "Sure."

They got off the donkey cart. Lu Yu took Jiang Nian to buy some things at the brigade before heading to Zhao Gang's house. As soon as Aunt Zhao saw Jiang Nian, she pulled her hand to chat, asking about her life outside. Jiang Nian smiled and replied, "Everything is fine."

Aunt Zhao saw that Jiang Nian was becoming more and more beautiful. Glancing at Lu Yu talking with Zhao Gang in the yard, she saw he wasn't paying attention and whispered, "Xu Cheng has passed away. You are still young, have you thought about finding someone else? Let me tell you, don't be foolish and remain a widow for life, it only harms yourself. I see Lu Second is also getting older. I heard he is now a big official in the military, surely there are many matchmakers. Does anyone say you are a burden to follow your brother-in-law?"

Jiang Nian paused, not knowing whether she should tell Aunt Zhao that she and Lu Yu were already married.

Seeing Jiang Nian's silence, Aunt Zhao thought she was being disliked by Lu Yu's suitors, so she snorted: "It's fine. Look at yourself, you have the looks and no children. Finding someone else will definitely not be bad, don't care about what others say."

Having witnessed Jiang Nian's hardships over the years, now that she was doing well, she was truly happy for her. Moreover, she was still young; remarrying was only natural.

Jiang Nian smiled. Just as she was wondering what to say, Zhao Gang's wife came in carrying her child, saying to Aunt Zhao, "Mom, the baby wants you."

Aunt Zhao was delighted to see her grandson, taking the child into her arms to coax him. She said to Jiang Nian, "This boy is very good. Once he's full, he sleeps, never fusses."

Jiang Nian looked at the giggling baby, who showed a few white baby teeth, looking slightly smaller than Li Fangda's child, probably about one year old.

"Are you Sister-in-law Jiang?"

Hearing the call, Jiang Nian turned her head, meeting the kind eyes of Zhao Gang's wife. She smiled: "Yes, I am Jiang Nian."

Zhao Gang's wife smiled and said, "I've heard my husband and mother-in-law mention you all the time. Now that I finally meet you, you are indeed very beautiful."

Jiang Nian also returned the compliment: "You are also very beautiful."

Aunt Zhao chimed in again: "Jiang Nian, the son of the brigade leader of the neighboring village also served in the military. He was discharged last year and is now working at the county police station. That job is very good. I heard his previous wife also passed away, and many people are proposing to him now. If you are interested, I will go ask for you tomorrow."

"What are you asking about?" Zhao Gang and Lu Yu walked into the yard, and Zhao Gang asked curiously.

Zhao Gang's wife recounted her mother-in-law's intention to matchmake for Jiang Nian, adding, "I heard he is currently an instructor at the police station, quite a big position. If Sister-in-law Jiang succeeds with him, she will become a city dweller."

Jiang Nian was stunned, instinctively turning her eyes toward Lu Yu.