I was reborn after my cousin stole my life.

Yuan Xiu glanced at the two bottles of fermented glutinous rice in the basket, then took them out and placed them on the stone table in the garden. "I made these myself. I didn't know you were pregnant. If I had known, I wouldn't have sent them."

Fermented glutinous rice contains alcohol, so it is not suitable for pregnant women to consume.

Teacher Shen's eyes lit up. "Did you make this? I haven't had fermented glutinous rice in ages!"

She really liked it, and even opened it to smell it. "This is the smell! Thank you so much. You're too kind. It's just some textbooks, and they're all old ones that I've used. You're still sending me this thank-you gift. I'll accept it."

Yuan Xiu: "Teacher Shen, you can't eat this because you're pregnant."

"I don't eat it, but my partner does. He loves it too and often talks about it to me. It's a pity I don't have the skill to make it."

Seeing that she liked it, Yuan Xiu didn't say anything more. She planned to remind Jiang Zhou when she got back, and have him tell Political Commissar Wang that pregnant women shouldn't eat fermented rice, so that the men wouldn't be unaware.

Teacher Shen enjoyed chatting with Yuan Xiu. She had initially thought that since Yuan Xiu came from the countryside, she would inevitably have some habits that Teacher Shen disapproved of. However, she was surprised to find that Yuan Xiu was not like that, and the two actually got along very well.

"You love reading and learning so much. I heard from Instructor Liu's wife that you also read books on traditional Chinese medicine. I thought to myself, someone who loves to absorb knowledge from books like this must be someone I can get along with."

Yuan Xiu: "Enriching oneself and broadening one's horizons is never a bad thing."

"Yes, I completely agree with that statement!"

Teacher Shen did not forget to divide the flowers and trees for Yuan Xiu.

Yuan Xiu didn't let her do it, saying, "You give the orders, I'll do the work."

When Yuan Xiu left Teacher Shen's house, the canned goods in the basket were gone, replaced by flowers and plants, some of which were larger, which she carried in her hand.

Before leaving, Teacher Shen invited Yuan Xiu to go to the Xinhua Bookstore in the city together sometime.

Yuan Xiu readily agreed. Teacher Shen was a teacher who had taught both junior and senior high school students, so she definitely knew better than anyone what learning materials would be useful.

Yuan Xiu left happily, and after returning home, she quickly transplanted the flowers and trees into the yard.

When Jiang Zhou returned from get off work, a row of small flowers and trees had already been planted in the yard.

"These...were they given to you by Teacher Shen?"

Yuan Xiu nodded and said, "You guessed right. I went to deliver some fermented rice wine to her today and complimented her on the beauty of her flowers and trees. She gave me these on her own initiative. Her garden is planted with so many flowers and trees. It's really, really beautiful! I'm afraid I'll be living in a pile of flowers when spring comes."

Jiang Zhou smiled and said, "So you like flowers? I thought..."

"What did you think? Did you think I'm just a country bumpkin who only likes to grow vegetables in the fields?" Yuan Xiu glanced at him. "I also like pretty things. Flowers are so beautiful, of course I like them too."

"What I mean is, if I had known you liked them, I should have planted some flowers in the yard sooner."

Yuan Xiu smiled. "Oh, right, there's something else I need to tell you. When you see Political Commissar Wang tomorrow, remind him that pregnant women shouldn't eat fermented rice."

Jiang Zhou was taken aback. "Who's the pregnant woman?"

"It was Teacher Shen. I found out today. She and Political Commissar Wang didn't tell anyone. You shouldn't tell either. Although I don't know exactly why, they don't want too many people to know, so we can't say it out loud."

Jiang Zhou nodded. "So that's why Political Commissar Wang has been looking both happy and anxious these past few days."

People below were all speculating, guessing that Political Commissar Wang was either going to be promoted or transferred, and some even guessed that he was going to transfer from the military to the political sector.

Some speculated that there might be trouble at his home again.

"Political Commissar Wang and Teacher Shen weren't originally married, were they?" Yuan Xiu asked.

"Yes, you noticed?"

"I met Political Commissar Wang on our wedding day. He looked to be over forty, while Teacher Shen was no more than thirty. He was supposed to be his first wife, but the age gap was quite large."

Before liberation, many soldiers delayed their marriages because of the war. Given Political Commissar Wang's age, the war had already ended when he was young. How old was Teacher Shen at that time?

Surely it's not that Political Commissar Wang never got married and only found a wife when he was over thirty.

"Commissar Wang's first wife passed away many years ago, and he married his current teacher, Ms. Shen, a few years ago."

Yuan Xiu had heard many stories about stepfathers, stepmothers, stepchildren, and stepsons, and with a little thought, she could roughly guess the reason.

How many children did the first wife leave behind?

"Two, a son and a daughter. The son is serving in the army in the south, and the daughter is in the cultural troupe of our army."

"Teacher Shen, have you been married for several years without having children?"

Jiang Zhou nodded. "I know a bit about their family situation. Their two children are already adults. When they first got married, those two children caused quite a bit of trouble. Political Commissar Wang had no choice but to send his son to serve in the army in the south, while keeping his daughter by his side. She was in the cultural troupe and didn't come back often. The couple never had children, probably because they were afraid that their two children wouldn't be able to adjust. They probably thought that their children were adults now and should be sensible, which is why they had children."

Yuan Xiu: "...Did Political Commissar Wang's ex-wife have a difficult life while she was alive?"

Jiang Zhou glanced at her and nodded. "Political Commissar Wang wasn't always a political commissar. When he was young, his rank wasn't high enough, so his family couldn't accompany him to the military. His wife and children lived with his parents back in their hometown. His wife was gentle and kept everything to herself. She wouldn't tell Political Commissar Wang even when her in-laws tormented her. Every time he went back to visit his family, he would say it was fine, but later..."

At this point, Jiang Zhou paused, "Later, in the dead of winter, I was ordered to go down into the icy river to catch fish. I accidentally fell into an ice hole, and when I was pulled out, I was frozen solid."

Yuan Xiu felt a chill run down her spine. No wonder...

No wonder Political Commissar Wang's children are so extreme.

They must hate their father, and also Teacher Shen, the woman who took their mother's place and stood beside their father.

Chatting with Ms. Shen, it's easy to see that she is a very opinionated person. She even compromised for this marriage, having children only after several years of marriage.

It was somewhat different from what she had imagined.

"What about Political Commissar Wang's parents?"

There should be a price to pay for taking a life.

Otherwise, is there any justice left in this world?

Jiang Zhou: "It seems he has passed away. Anyway, I haven't seen Political Commissar Wang return to his hometown in all these years."

Yuan Xiu sighed.

"What's wrong?"

Jiang Zhou noticed that her mood had clearly dropped.

Yuan Xiu shook her head. "I just feel sorry for the wife of Political Commissar Wang."

Jiang Zhou nodded: "She is indeed pitiful. Political Commissar Wang often says that he feels sorry for her."

He patted her on the shoulder: "Don't think too much about it. By the way, what are we having for dinner tonight?"