Stepmother

Wan Meirong

"Who is it?"Sun Baohai asked.

"It's Wan Meirong!" Wan Meirong cried back.

"Hello, third sister-in-law what can I do for you?" Sun Baohai asked politely after opening the door. This sister-in-law was the only one who actually tried to help the original owner but unfortunately, he was too stubborn at the time. This sister-in-law was the only good one out of all the other sisters-in-law of the Zhang family. She was the one who actually saved Zhang Jinhai's kids so she probably wasn't here out of spite.

"That big mouth Zhang Shu came to recount that you made clothes for the children, so Li Ya and that old lady might do something and I just came to warn you," Wan Meirong explained straightforwardly. 

"Why don't you come inside so we can talk?" Sun Baohai said politely surprising Wan Meirong. Though Jinhai's wife was not rude to her, he was also not polite to her, so to see him inviting her to come inside surprised her.

"Me and my children were about to head to town, so I came here with them. You don't mind if I bring them in right?" Wan Meirong asked. 

"Of course, I don't mind. The kids will be coming back in a bit so they can play with their cousins." Sun Baohai replied. He lead Wan Meiron and the kids to the living room and then brought them some bread and jam with some persimmon juice.

"This seems good? Where did you get it?" Wan Meirong asked seeing her kids eating it with relish.

"I made it myself," Sun Baohai responded politely.

"Mommy! We're back!" The kids yelled out before coming to the kitchen. Sun Bahai told them earlier to say when they were back because they were so quiet hence he never knew when they were back or not. Of course, Wan Meirong didn't know all this information, all she thought about was how close the kids were to Sun Bohai.

"Say hi to your auntie and cousins and then go wash your hand so you can eat something," Sun Baohai ordered as he made his way to the kitchen to prepare some bread and jam for the kids.

"Yes Mommy," The kids answered before going to greet their cousins and auntie. They liked their cousins from the third family. They took care of them when they were back at the Zhang House. So it was not too hard for them to make small talk with their auntie and cousins. Sun Baohai came out with the kids' food a moment later and sent all the kids away to play as he could see that Wan Meirong had something to tell him.

"Sun Baohai listen carefully to what I'm about to tell you," Wan Meirong started seriously making Sun Baohai nervous. "Seeing the mistreatment of my nephews I sent a letter to Jinhai even though I knew it would take a long time to get there. He knew that his kid wouldn't be safe staying at the Old Zhang House that's why he agreed with the separation. Though he hadn't said anything to his parent he got a promotion." Wan Meirong explained.

"A promotion?" Sun Baohai asked surprised. Wasn't this husband of his just a normal soldier?

"Yes, a promotion. He was promoted from a shùzhǔ* to a chuàngzhǔ* and that means that his salary has also increased. This is his second promotion but most people call it the actual promotion. When you are promoted from a soldier to a shuzhu it just means that you can now guarantee that you won't starve to death. But when you're promoted to a chuangzhu it means that you can now take care of your family as your salary is now a tael of silver. In the letter he sent back, he said that he would send five hundred wen a month. He said that he knows it's not enough but he would appreciate it if you could bear with it for now," Wan Meirong recounted, as she handed over the money to Sun Baohai.

"Thank you, how do I write letters to him?" Sun Baohai asked.

"Well, you write the letter and go give it to the military courier department and town. You give them the name of your husband, his position, and his age. It will take a little while for it to get there and for you to get a response though." Wan Meirong explained. 

"Okay thank you, sister-in-law. I'll try my best to repay you in the future." Sun Baohai thanked as he bowed.

"If you want to thank me, just take good care of the children. Jinhai loves his kids very much and would do anything for them. I and my husband have a good relationship with Jinhai so I hope you take care of them, and if you ever need help, just come to me." Wan Meirong replied.

"Yes, sister-in-law," Sun Baohai agreed.

"Okay, I have to go now. I'll come to visit often," Wang Meirong said as she made her way to the yard.

"Okay, be careful on the way," Sun Baohai replied as he waved.

{Hidden mission: Bring at least one of the Zhang family members on your side complete. You have been rewarded two jin of rice, three bars of soap, and three points. Please collect your reward.}

'Yes, thank you.'

After he finished collecting his reward, Sun Baohai went to make dinner for the kids. Today he made egg fried rice. Egg fried rice wasn't a food that was made often in the village, so when they smelled the aroma coming from Jinhai's house they knew that he was cooking something good. Many wanted to go and ask him for some but they didn't want to be shameless. The kids also smelled the aroma and refused to go outside to play again.

After cooking Sun Baohai gave the kids their share and then went to give Aunt Lin a bowl as a thank you for watching after the kids. Aunt Lin wasn't too courteous and accepted it. When Sun Baohai was walking back home he met with many stares. He walked by the villagers as he nodded his head and smiled. 

When he got home, the kids had already finished their portions. The kids ate so much that their little bellies were protruding. He had made egg drop soup for the baby and started feeding him as soon as he got back. The baby also liked the food and acted coquettish for the rest of the evening. Another peaceful day had gone by, and Sun Baohai was thankful.

GLOSSARY

shùzhǔ-  (Local) Garrison Commander: In charge of a certain military facility (i.e. a local garrison) and responsible for the day-to-day operations of the facility.

chuàngzhǔ- The leading officer responsible for a detachment unit that has been separated from the major army for a specific reason.

Credits: nyanovels.com, all this information has been found there.