Gu Xinguo’s Grandma was a kindly old woman. Although age had covered her face in wrinkles, judging by her features, she must have been quite beautiful when she was young.
The hospital room was a private one that Gu Xinguo had used his connections to arrange.
His Grandma was already unwell and had difficulty sleeping. If several other patients were placed in the room, how would she be able to rest and recover?
At that moment, she was lying with her eyes closed.
When she heard the door open, she looked over and saw her grandson entering with a pretty young woman.
Although the young woman’s face appeared tired and haggard, she was extremely beautiful—prettier than any girl the old woman had ever seen.
She wondered whether the girl was already promised to someone.
Standing beside her grandson, the two of them looked remarkably well matched.
The only question was whether her grandson possessed such good fortune.
“Xinguo, whose daughter is this? She’s awfully pretty.”
Although Grandma’s voice was weak, the happiness in her expression and tone was unmistakable.
Old people naturally enjoyed seeing attractive young people.
“If you think she’s pretty, Grandma, how about letting her become your granddaughter-in-law?”
“Stop teasing me just to make me happy.”
Grandma sighed.
“Such a wonderful girl would be losing out by marrying a divorced man like you.”
Gu Xinguo felt somewhat wounded.
He had only been divorced once. How had he suddenly become worthless in his Grandma’s eyes?
Shen Jiao secretly found it amusing.
She had never expected Gu Xinguo, who was always quiet and expressionless in front of outsiders, to behave like a child around his Grandma.
“Grandma, Brother Gu saved my life.”
Shen Jiao smiled.
“Don’t plays and stories always say that a woman should repay a life-saving debt by offering herself in marriage?”
“Besides, I’ve also been married before.”
The smile on Grandma’s face stiffened slightly when she heard that Shen Jiao was also divorced.
Although she had just belittled her own grandson, in her heart, Gu Xinguo was capable, filial, and employed as a driver for the county transport team.
His work was respectable, and he was handsome as well.
Even if he remarried, plenty of unmarried young women would gladly marry him.
Who could have expected him to bring home another divorced woman?
When the smile suddenly disappeared from Grandma’s face, Shen Jiao immediately understood.
Divorced women were considered less valuable.
Grandma probably felt that she was not worthy of Gu Xinguo.
Still, Shen Jiao did not regret telling the truth about her circumstances.
Since she genuinely wanted to live well with Gu Xinguo, she hoped to receive the sincere blessing of his only elder.
She did not want their relationship to be built upon deception.
“Grandma, we’ve both been married before,” Gu Xinguo hurriedly said to smooth things over. “Neither of us is losing out.”
Although he had agreed to Shen Jiao’s suggestion of a marriage of convenience, they both possessed favourable feelings towards each other.
That was already a promising beginning.
They intended to cultivate their relationship sincerely and hopefully turn their false marriage into a genuine lifelong partnership.
Naturally, he did not want his Grandma to develop any resentment towards Shen Jiao.
Grandma noticed that her grandson had already begun defending Shen Jiao before she had even said anything.
She understood her own grandson.
This time, he had truly taken a liking to the young woman.
He had never been this nervous about An Qing.
Forget it.
Children and grandchildren had their own fortunes.
Her illness was unlikely to improve. If she could see her grandson find someone he genuinely liked before she closed her eyes, why should she play the villain?
After all, they would be the ones living together.
However, there was one condition.
The young woman could not already have children.
She did not want her grandson becoming someone else’s stepfather.
People always said that being a stepmother was difficult, but was being a stepfather any easier?
When a child was not one’s own, it was difficult to know whether to be strict or gentle.
Raising someone else’s child was never easy.
She truly did not want her grandson enduring that hardship.
“Girl, how old are you this year? Where are you from? Who else is in your family?”
“Grandma, are you checking her household registration?” Gu Xinguo asked.
“I’m speaking to the girl. Go and stand somewhere else.”
Shen Jiao gave Gu Xinguo a reassuring smile before introducing herself.
Since they were planning to marry, it was perfectly normal for the other party’s family to ask about her background.
“Grandma, my name is Shen Jiao. I’m twenty-one years old and come from Anyuan County, north of here.”
“I don’t have much family left. My parents have both passed away.”
“My brother and sister-in-law thought my divorce was shameful, so we severed our relationship.”
“Now I’m the only person listed in my household-registration booklet.”
“You don’t have any children?”
“No.”
Those two firm words landed directly in Grandma’s heart.
No children was good.
Without children, Shen Jiao would not remain entangled with her previous husband.
She would not hurt her grandson’s feelings either.
“Xinguo, go and arrange my discharge.”
Grandma immediately became more energetic.
“While I can still hold on, hurry and organise your wedding banquet.”
“Once I know you’ve settled down, I’ll finally have the face to meet your parents on the other side.”
“Grandma, we can hold the wedding banquet whenever we want. Your health is what matters.”
Gu Xinguo looked at her seriously.
“Don’t you want to live long enough to see your great-grandchild born?”
A mist rose in Grandma’s eyes.
How could she not want that?
But people could not overcome fate.
Her ruined body could no longer endure.
Every additional day she lived meant another day of expenses and another day of burdening the children.
“That’s right, Grandma.”
Shen Jiao hurriedly joined in.
“Brother Gu and I have both lost our parents. Once we have a child, there won’t be anyone to help us look after them.”
“Would you really have the heart to make me carry the child to work every day?”
“Working in the wind and sun is exhausting even for adults, much less a little child.”
Oh, those words struck directly at Grandma’s heart.
How could her fair, tender great-grandchild suffer like that?
After hearing this, she stopped insisting on leaving hospital.
Perhaps the children were right.
Maybe one day her illness would suddenly improve.
Even if she had to die, she would wait until her great-grandchild was old enough to attend school.
Once they had persuaded Grandma, Shen Jiao could no longer suppress a yawn.
She had spent the past several days eating poorly, sleeping badly, and travelling constantly.
Fortunately, she was young and had a strong constitution.
Otherwise, she would have collapsed long ago.
“You’ve spent several days travelling back and forth. Even someone made of iron couldn’t withstand that.”
Gu Xinguo looked at her worriedly.
“I’ll book you a room at the guesthouse near the hospital. Go and rest.”
Although the young woman’s eyes had not yet begun closing from exhaustion, the way she forced them wide open made his heart ache.
His older sister had watched over their Grandma the previous night, allowing him to sleep for a while.
But what about Shen Jiao?
Considering all the terrible things she had recently experienced, she probably had not even slept peacefully.
“Why waste money on a guesthouse?”
Shen Jiao pointed towards the folding camp bed.
“Isn’t there a bed right here? I can sleep on that.”
They still did not know exactly what would happen with Grandma’s illness.
If it was treatable, it would undoubtedly cost a great deal of money.
In truth, if Grandma’s body could tolerate the journey, it might be best to take her to a major city for another examination.
That would require even more money.
Until they had another source of income, they needed to save wherever they could.
Since Shen Jiao had decided to build a proper life with Gu Xinguo, her first priority was to treat his family well and be filial towards his Grandma.
Besides, it was only a place to sleep.
Before transmigrating, when she had been poor, she had often spent nights sleeping on the chairs in railway-station waiting rooms.
“That bed isn’t comfortable.”
“I want to stay with you and Grandma.”
Shen Jiao looked at him pitifully.
“If I go to the guesthouse alone, I’ll be frightened.”
Shen Jiao did not claim that she was not tired or that it was no hardship.
When one made sacrifices, the other person needed to know.
She had no intention of silently doing everything behind his back.
A sensible and obedient woman might be easy to live with, but if a man never knew about her sacrifices, he would begin taking them for granted.
Eventually, he would become accustomed to them and stop noticing her effort and exhaustion.
Then he would no longer know how to cherish her.
The conversation between the young couple delighted Grandma as she lay in bed.
This was how a proper husband and wife should live.
Each should understand and care for the other.
It was nothing like Gu Xinguo’s previous wife, who had never known how to live as part of a family.
All An Qing had cared about was eating, drinking, and dressing beautifully.
She had never concerned herself with household matters and always treated her husband coldly.
Meanwhile, the moment Shen Jiao lay down on the folding bed, she fell asleep.
Over the past several days, she had suffered not only physical exhaustion but also constant emotional tension.
She had not dared relax for even a moment.
Now that she had finally found somewhere stable, she could at last sleep without fear.
“This girl may have been married before, which I’m not entirely pleased about, but she seems like someone who genuinely knows how to build a life.”
Grandma spoke quietly to Gu Xinguo.
“Since you’re willing, I won’t be the villain.”
“But there’s one thing. Once you’ve chosen her, you must live properly with her.”
“You’ve already divorced once. You cannot divorce again.”
Gu Xinguo was no longer young.
He was twenty-six and approaching thirty, yet he still had no children.
Other men his age already had sons and daughters of seven or eight.
An Qing had delayed him for years.
Now that he had finally met someone he liked, he needed to settle down quickly, have a child, and begin living a proper family life.
“I know what I’m doing.”
“In that case, when your sister arrives later, ask her not to leave tomorrow.”
Grandma continued, “Let her work hard and care for me for one more day.”
“You should hurry back with the girl, collect the necessary letter of introduction, and register your marriage.”
“I may be uneducated, but even I know that only after receiving the marriage certificate will the state recognise you as husband and wife.”
“Once my health improves, we’ll return to the village and hold the wedding banquet.”
“All right. I’ll speak to my sister when she arrives.”
Shen Jiao, who was sleeping so deeply that she knew nothing of the world around her, did not hear the conversation between Grandma and grandson.
Had she heard it, she would have been extremely proud of herself.
Enduring the folding bed instead of enjoying a comfortable guesthouse had clearly been the correct decision.
Not long afterwards, Gu Xinguo’s older sister, Gu Xinmin, entered carrying a basket.
The Gu family home was not far from the county town. It stood in the suburbs, roughly a forty-minute bicycle ride away.
Normally, Gu Xinmin was the one who cared for their Grandma.
Gu Xinguo had only remained at the hospital over the past two days because he was on leave.
Although he usually lacked time to help personally, he gave his sister money for the care she provided.
Originally, Gu Xinmin had not intended to accept it.
However, she needed to prevent her husband’s family from complaining.
Once a woman married, she became part of another family.
Even when helping her own relatives, she still had to consider her husband’s household.
“You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”
Gu Xinmin lifted the basket.
“I brought steamed buns and eggs. I covered them with a padded cloth, so although they’re a little cold, they’re still soft.”
“Get some hot porridge from the canteen and soak them in it. That’ll be perfect.”
“The weather is cold, so I didn’t bring soup. It would have gone cold after travelling this far anyway.”
“Sister, didn’t I tell you not to bring food? The hospital canteen has everything.”
“And does the food there cost nothing?”
Gu Xinmin glared at him.
“You don’t understand the cost of firewood and rice until you manage a household.”
“You need to find a strict wife to control you. You spend money far too freely.”
“I’ll have one soon.”
Gu Xinguo pointed towards the folding bed.
“Look over there. Isn’t she right there?”
Only then did Gu Xinmin notice that there was another young woman in the room.
She was certainly beautiful.
In fact, she looked even prettier than An Qing.
“As expected of my younger brother. You move quickly.”
Gu Xinmin grinned.
“Tell me, how did you meet her? Where is she from?”
Gu Xinguo did not explain how they had met or mention Shen Jiao’s divorce.
He only said that she was from neighbouring Anyuan County.
He then explained that he planned to accompany her home the following day to obtain the letter of introduction and register their marriage.
He asked Gu Xinmin to care for Grandma for one day.
Naturally, Gu Xinmin agreed immediately.
She almost wished tomorrow would arrive at once.
When Shen Jiao woke the following morning, not only did she find herself facing her future sister-in-law, but she was also expected to return to Shenjia Village immediately to obtain a letter of introduction and register her marriage.
Leave a Reply