“I’m Kuang Guomei! Do you remember now?” Kuang Guomei glared at Jiang Lin.

Kuang Guomei?

Jiang Lin took a closer look at her.

Sure enough, with a square face, wide chin, and broad shoulders, she had a very angular appearance.

If she weren’t wearing curly hair, she would look quite square and rigid.

Kuang Guomei looked at her with smug satisfaction. “Remember now?”

Jiang Lin replied, “No, I don’t.”

Kuang Guomei grew angry. “Jiang Lin, don’t act all innocent. I don’t believe you don’t remember. Back then, when Bian Haitao didn’t want you, didn’t you cry and make a scene? How shameful!”

Bian Haitao?

Jiang Lin remembered. “Oh, you’re the daughter of the school principal.”

While Jiang Lin didn’t know Kuang Guomei personally, she was aware of the principal’s daughter marrying Bian Haitao and the connections they used to get into the military.

Jiang Lin felt a shiver seeing Kuang Guomei’s look of disdain, as if she was still pining over that ‘excellent man.’

Kuang Guomei said, “I don’t know what tricks you used to get here, but I warn you to stay away from Bian Haitao. He’s long since moved on from you and now…”

“Be quiet!” Jiang Lin interrupted. “Why bother with something so outdated? If you want fresh tofu, why settle for scraps? Do you think the leftovers are so wonderful?”

Kuang Guomei was momentarily stunned, not knowing how to respond to Jiang Lin’s retort.

Jiang Lin didn’t give her a chance to recover and continued, “With his kind of character, abandoning his marriage partner to climb higher, treating you as a stepping stone, do you feel honored to be stepped on by him? I’m not afraid to tell you, he could betray you for a promotion just as easily as he betrayed me. You’re just a stepping stone, and he’s just trash. There’s nothing to be proud of. Go somewhere else and don’t bother me.”

Kuang Guomei had originally planned to provoke Jiang Lin, to humiliate her and gain a sense of superiority.

However, Jiang Lin’s retorts left her face looking very unpleasant.

Jiang Lin’s words hit too close to home; Bian Haitao didn’t take her seriously at all.

When they had just married, he would flatter her to placate her.

But after moving to the army base far from home, her father’s influence waned, and Bian Haitao increasingly disregarded her.

In the past, she used to argue with him, saying things that poked at him and accusing him of thinking about Jiang Lin.

Initially, he would talk about how marriage and relocation had nothing to do with them.

But as her father’s influence diminished, Bian Haitao grew more arrogant, even promising that if Jiang Lin was willing, he would bring her out of the countryside and support her for life after getting promoted.

She had protested before but eventually stopped because she feared Bian Haitao would divorce her!

Seeing Kuang Guomei’s changing expressions from green to white, Jiang Lin thought she might explode and said, “I don’t even remember you. You came here to cause trouble first.”

Kuang Guomei hated Jiang Lin with a passion, as she was her husband’s first love, and he had always cherished her.

What made it worse was that Jiang Lin wasn’t like other flirts who were merely flirted with and forgotten.

Now, coming to insult her, Jiang Lin claimed not to know her, which was the greatest humiliation.

Da Bao and Xiao Bao had been sitting quietly beside, drinking sweet water and speaking softly.

Seeing Jiang Lin not speaking, and the fierce-looking woman, Da Bao suddenly lost his temper. “Why do you always come to bother my mom? My mom doesn’t want to deal with you!”

He suddenly threw his bowl at Kuang Guomei.

Caught off guard, she was hit, and she screamed as the bowl fell into the dirt, rolling without breaking.

Jiang Lin was startled.

Though Da Bao was usually serious, he had a good temper, was polite, and was generally well-behaved.

Why was he suddenly acting out today?

Kuang Guomei snapped back to reality and immediately stomped her foot, cursing, “How can a wild child from the countryside be so uncivilized?”

Da Bao rushed forward and threw a punch at Kuang Guomei’s stomach, shouting, “Get lost, and don’t come bother my mom again!”

Kuang Guomei quickly stepped back, startled by the sight of the angry seven or eight-year-old boy glaring at her as if he were about to breathe fire.

She forgot to continue her confrontation, and with a resentful look, she turned and left.

Da Bao shouted at her retreating figure, “If you come back to bully my mom, I’ll beat you!”

Xiao Bao immediately ran outside to retrieve the bowl, examining it with care.

He said to Da Bao, “Da Bao, why did you throw our bowl?”

Da Bao seemed to realize he might have done something wrong, hanging his head in silence but stubbornly refusing to admit fault.

Jiang Lin was momentarily stunned.

Lacking experience in disciplining children, she had only ever dealt with well-behaved kids before, and even their minor mischief was manageable.

She had never encountered such a situation.

She hesitated and asked Da Bao, “Da Bao, why did you suddenly hit someone?”

Da Bao: “I’ve wanted to hit them for a long time!”

Hit Cheng Ruhai, Liu Honghua, Meng Yiyi, Bian Haitao, all the scoundrels who tried to bully them, and all the troublemakers who wanted to drive her away!

Jiang Lin: “……”

Xiao Bao tugged at Da Bao’s hand, “Da Bao, even when you’re angry, you shouldn’t hit people. The teacher says hitting people is wrong.”

Da Bao: I just want to hit, I just want to hit, I want to beat them all!

Jiang Lin smiled and patted Da Bao’s head. “Why are you so angry? The first thing to remember is not to be angry. When it comes to hitting people, you have to consider if you can beat them. If you can’t, that’s just losing out.”

Da Bao: Even if I lose, I’ll hit!

Jiang Lin: “Sometimes, a mother has to hit bad people when she can’t control herself. But Da Bao is a good child who wouldn’t hit innocent people, right?”

Da Bao nodded, “Of course I wouldn’t.”

“Then it’s no problem, but remember, even when fighting enemies, you have to protect yourself.”

Da Bao had expected his mother to scold him and was ready for punishment or a spanking.

However, he was surprised when Jiang Lin did neither.

He felt a bit embarrassed and asked, “Mom, aren’t you going to punish me?”

Jiang Lin replied, “Why should I punish you? If you were hitting someone for no reason, I would punish you. That woman today deserved to be hit, so I won’t punish you. But I still want to emphasize that hitting people doesn’t solve all problems; you need to use your brain.”

Although Jiang Lin had found hitting people, like Liu Honghua and Wei Qiongfang, sometimes effective, she certainly couldn’t teach her children to handle things that way!

Da Bao didn’t understand much about reasoning.

Children are naturally impulsive and hot-tempered.

Even if adults explain things, children often don’t grasp or remember them.

Until they figure things out for themselves, adult advice often goes in one ear and out the other.

In any case, if that bad man came to bother his mom again, Da Bao would hit him!

Even if he couldn’t win, he’d still fight!

Jiang Lin thought Da Bao had understood and cheerfully concluded the discussion, even joking with them, “Old people say that seven or eight-year-olds are like dogs, they’re troublesome. That’s because seven or eight-year-olds start to rebel, don’t listen to adults, have their own little ideas, and are impulsive, picking up some uncivilized behavior. You can’t be like that, okay?”

Xiao Bao grinned and said, “Dabao is not a dog. Linlin doesn’t mind.”

Jiang Lin: “……”

Ah, it’s hard to explain the scope of “dogs” to children.

At that moment, Cheng Rushan rode up on a motorcycle.

Xiao Bao immediately grabbed Da Bao and wanted to run over, but Da Bao didn’t move.

Xiao Bao ran over by himself, climbed onto the motorcycle, and said, “Dad, you’re amazing! You can drive a car and ride a motorcycle.”

Cheng Rushan lifted him by the arm and placed him in the sidecar. “When you’re older, I’ll teach you. Don’t touch the keys.”

He dismounted and walked over, glancing at Jiang Lin and Da Bao.

The atmosphere felt a bit awkward. “What’s going on?”

Jiang Lin smiled and said, “It’s nothing.”

She told Da Bao, “Come and help Mom with the things. We’re going to visit Grandpa and Grandma.”

Da Bao glanced at Cheng Rushan and said, “Dad.”

Cheng Rushan patted Da Bao on the head and gave him a gentle pinch, “What’s wrong?”

“I got angry.”

Cheng Rushan’s expression darkened, “Did you get angry at your mom?”

Da Bao shook his head, “No.”

Cheng Rushan said, “Everyone has their temper, but you shouldn’t take it out on your mother or your wife.”

Da Bao nodded and, seeing that Cheng Rushan wasn’t going to scold him, went to help with the things.

Da Bao and Xiao Bao settled into the car, and Jiang Lin quickly tidied up, briefly explaining the situation to Cheng Rushan.

Cheng Rushan frowned slightly, “I’ll handle this.”

He took them to the Jiang family’s home on the motorcycle.

The road was wide and clear, so they traveled quickly.

Today was Xu Aimei’s day off, and she was at home washing clothes and cleaning.

Since they moved to a larger house, the space was much more comfortable.

Plus, her daughter and son-in-law had built a heated kang (a type of traditional bed-stove) and stove for them, making the winter nights very cozy.

Jiang Erge’s health had also improved significantly; he hadn’t coughed as badly as previous winters.

When she heard the sound of the motorcycle outside, she thought it was Lu Hang.

Then she heard Da Bao and Xiao Bao calling out “Grandma” in their clear voices.

Xu Aimei happily went out to greet them. “You’ve moved over?”

Da Bao and Xiao Bao went up to her to say hello, warmly holding her hand and chatting.

Jiang Lin and Cheng Rushan came in, carrying some food.

Xu Aimei said, “Don’t bring anything when you come over in the future. Just come whenever you want. Don’t stand on ceremony.”

In the past, there might have been some lingering feelings, or the common view among neighbors that once a daughter is married, she becomes an outsider and should be cautious about coming back for meals unless she brings something.

However, Cheng Rushan had always been generous to his in-laws.

Xu Aimei had long since abandoned such thoughts and preferred they save their money, understanding that moving to the city and living there wasn’t easy.

She gave some snacks and apples to Da Bao and Xiao Bao.

Cheng Rushan asked Jiang Lin to talk with Xu Aimei while he went out for a walk.

Jiang Lin told him to go ahead.

She guessed that Cheng Rushan would visit Fan Huiyuan and a few other families, say hello, and perhaps check in on Old Lady Mo, who was particularly fond of him.

Even Lu Hang mentioned her in his letters.

Xu Aimei cut some apples and offered them to Jiang Lin, saying, “Your second brother’s health has improved a lot. In the spring, someone will be introduced to him.”

Good health leads to a better condition.

Jiang Erge, with his good background, tall stature, and good looks, would be an attractive prospect even without a formal job, as long as he is healthy.

There would be girls willing to marry him.

Jiang Lin was happy for her brother, “If it works out, that would be wonderful.”

Xu Aimei said, “It’s just that the job situation is still a problem. If he had a formal job, we wouldn’t be so worried.”

Jiang Lin replied, “Don’t worry about the job. The policies are getting better. My second brother has a good temperament and skills. He can do anything when the time comes.”

Starting from the 1980s, as long as one is diligent and persistent, even street vending could be profitable.

Jiang Lin thought that being self-employed wouldn’t be a bad option for her brother.

If he saved up some capital, he could open a shop and establish a stable life.

It doesn’t have to be a great fortune; a modest, comfortable life is always possible.

In her past life, she wasn’t wealthy or distinguished, and what mattered most to her was living happily together as a family.

Even though she had crossed over into this life, she had no desire to become incredibly rich or a billionaire.

She had encountered many people in her past life, including those worth hundreds of millions.

However, not all of them seemed happy.

Some even complained that wealth did not bring happiness.

Of course, she didn’t fully believe that.

At least having money meant having something, whereas being poor didn’t guarantee happiness.

Poverty often brought its own woes.

But it was undeniable that wealth brought more temptations, and people often couldn’t resist them.

So she thought living a modest life was quite good—no worries about basic needs, no lofty aspirations, just a steady, happy life with daily small joys.

She was very content now.

Xu Aimei smiled and said, “What you said is true. Nowadays, I see many people trying to make a quick buck. As long as they don’t make big, conspicuous moves, no one really bothers them.”