After everyone left, Ren Bocheng stood alone at the stairway, feeling like a clumsy fool. When he saw Jiang Lin coming up, he was so embarrassed he wished he could disappear on the spot, like he was holding a hot potato.

He panicked and handed something to Jiang Lin.

Jiang Lin noticed he was so flustered he almost fell down the stairs and kindly warned him, “Be careful, don’t hurt yourself.”

Ren Bocheng, still in a state of panic, ran off, accidentally bumping into a wall, and quickly bowed to her before leaving.

When Jiang Lin passed by the infirmary, she saw Guo Yanqiu busy and greeted her.

Guo Yanqiu handed Jiang Lin a pack of condoms. “They’re free. Many people come to get them. Why didn’t you come earlier? They’re for you.”

Jiang Lin was shocked. “Is this a new gift-giving trend this year?”

Guo Yanqiu gave her a playful smile. “Come back if you need more.”

Jiang Lin replied, “I don’t need them. I’m pregnant.”

Guo Yanqiu responded, “Take them and use them to make balloons for the kids.”

Some families with tight finances use free condoms, provided by family planning offices, to make balloons for their children.

Jiang Lin said, “You and Lu Hang should keep them.”

Guo Yanqiu smiled and patted Jiang Lin on the shoulder. “Where are you going?”

Jiang Lin said, “I’m looking for Sun to take care of something.”

Guo Yanqiu replied, “I’ll go with you.”

She added, “Sun isn’t very easy to deal with, especially with pretty girls. He tends to think that if someone is attractive, they’re not trustworthy.”

The family planning office had two main staff members: Comrade Zhang and Comrade Sun.

Comrade Zhang was a friendly and easy-going man, while Comrade Sun(Clerk Sun) was harsh and difficult, with a bad temper.

When Jiang Lin came in, Comrade Sun frowned and said, “I advise you to cooperate and not resist. Right now, it’s early in your pregnancy, so having an abortion won’t affect your body much.

You could also get sterilized at the same time. Take care of your body over the winter break, and you’ll recover quickly. Otherwise, if you wait until your belly grows, even if you want to keep the baby, I will still insist…”

Jiang Lin interrupted, “Comrade Sun, you are a family planning office worker, not an executioner. You misunderstood me. I’m not here for sterilization; I’m here to submit proof. My pregnancy is legal.”

Comrade Sun’s face changed at Jiang Lin’s blunt words, and she looked even more displeased with her.

Jiang Lin and Zeng Hongjie had submitted suggestions to the municipal party committee, hoping that the family planning office would clarify their rules and not rely on personal opinions.

The municipal party committee had taken their suggestions seriously and informed the family planning office to act with restraint, avoid exacerbating conflicts, and follow proper procedures.

The family planning office had held a meeting and issued notices to its subordinate units.

Comrade Sun was particularly unhappy, knowing that Jiang Lin and her friends were behind the suggestions.

Seeing that Comrade Sun was about to lose her temper, Comrade Zhang quickly intervened and asked Jiang Lin to hand over her documents.

He examined them carefully and said to Comrade Sun, “The documents are complete and legal; there’s no problem.”

Comrade Sun didn’t believe him and grabbed the documents to inspect them herself, scrutinizing them as if using a magnifying glass.

When he saw that the head of the political department of the military district had personally signed and approved them, he was stunned.

He read it again with wide eyes and was momentarily speechless.

he immediately put the documents down, forced a smile, and said to Jiang Lin, “Student Jiang Lin, it was a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding.”

At that time, the influence of the military district was still significant.

Jiang Lin was puzzled. “Didn’t you check my file before? Don’t you know my husband is in the military district?”

It seemed a bit ridiculous now, considering someone had previously acted like they were going to be a harsh judge.

Clerk Sun was annoyed but couldn’t blame Jiang Lin directly. “It’s because you listed your husband as being with the ‘outside transport team,’ which is quite vague. The transport team is a big organization with many low-level roles. It doesn’t really carry any weight.”

He had to say, “Different systems handle their own matters, and the local household registration decides. Your registration is with the school, not the military district. Since there’s this document, it should be fine. You’re all set.”

He acted like she was being very generous and giving Jiang Lin a break.

Jiang Lin didn’t say much in response and left since the issue was resolved.

Sun then reminded Guo Yanqiu that she mustn’t cover up for pregnant women and that all situations had to be reported accurately.

Guo Yanqiu didn’t want to listen and said she had work to do, then walked away.

Jiang Lin, with two packs of condoms in hand, decided to head home and ran into Jiang Xinglei and Jiang Min looking for her.

She immediately asked them how the exams went.

Jiang Min said, “It went okay, not too hard.”

Jiang Xinglei looked at her. “It wasn’t hard?”

Jiang Min replied, “Was it hard?”

Jiang Xinglei said, “…Not really.”

He hoped she hadn’t done better than him; otherwise, he’d be too embarrassed to face anyone.

Jiang Lin laughed and remarked that while her older sister had tested into a vocational school despite being at the undergraduate level, Jiang Xinglei had gone to a vocational school despite being at the secondary school level.

The difference in their grades would become evident with time.

They all took the bus home together, and Jiang Xinglei updated Jiang Lin on Lu Hang and Qian Bo’s recent activities.

Qian Bo had found a partner and was likely to get married after the New Year.

The school didn’t allow male and female students to get married while still studying, but if they went home and married someone outside of school, it was permissible.

Many older students planned to marry over the holidays.

Their families were anxious, and many of the men, who were in their late twenties and previously felt hopeless about their futures, were now eager and full of energy after getting into university.

The prospect of marriage became appealing again.

Jiang Lin joked, “Lu Hang and Dr. Guo are probably close to that too?”

Lu Hang, though often seen as a mischievous character, was more bark than bite.

He wasn’t like Huang Xiangyu, who was a real troublemaker.

Guo Yanqiu was waiting for him to propose marriage, but he didn’t have the courage to do so.

During this time before the New Year, Lu Hang was busy running business errands.

His vocational school attendance was inconsistent, and he didn’t take his studies seriously.

He didn’t have much interest in studying and thought getting into that vocational school was pure luck.

However, at that time, getting into a vocational school and being assigned a job afterwards was a good opportunity, even if it wasn’t as prestigious as a university degree.

It was still highly regarded, especially in rural areas where having a vocational school graduate was considered an achievement.

When they arrived home, they saw Da Bao and Xiao Bao leading a group of children in playing a game of “Liberation Army vs. Bad Guys.” Da Bao and Xiao Bao were the commander and vice commander, respectively, and every child had a role.

However, nobody wanted to play the bad guys, so roles like spies and bandits were reluctantly assigned to the children.

When it was Xiao Jun’s turn to be a spy, he refused, crying loudly and even rolling on the ground.

Xiao Meng tried to persuade him, but it didn’t work at all.

Da Bao didn’t criticize him. “No one wants to be the spy. Let’s just break up the game,” he said.

Since no one was taking on the roles, the game couldn’t continue. They were all senior staff, so who would they play against?

The meeting was postponed for a break.

When Xiaojun heard the game was breaking up, he panicked and said, “I want to play!”

Xiaobao replied, “If it’s your turn to be the spy and you refuse, how can we continue?”

Xiaojun realized that if he didn’t take on the role, the game would end, so he agreed to be the spy to keep playing.

The other kids who were also supposed to be spies complained, “Come on, hurry up. When you were playing the soldiers, you had so much fun!”

So, they resumed playing.

When they saw Jiang Lin and the others returning, Dabao immediately called out, “Capture the position, and then disband.”

Xiaobao added, “My mom’s back, disband, disband.”

They met their mothers and went home together.

Jiang Xinglei, finding it boring without his brother-in-law at home, went to the duty room to hang out with He Liang and the others.

Yao Runzhi was outside sunning the blankets.

The weather was nice, with plenty of sunshine in the sheltered yard, making it warm and perfect for drying.

Cheng Yunzhi accompanied Wen Sheng to the theater for a performance.

They hadn’t returned yet.

Jiang Min chatted with Yao Runzhi about Xiaomeng.

A few days ago, Yao Runzhi had taken Xiaomeng to the Rejuvenation Hall, where Dr. Lan examined her, prescribed some medicine, and made a medicinal soup with no side effects.

Along with the psychological support from Dabao, Xiaobao, and others, Xiaomeng’s condition had stabilized, and she hadn’t vomited since.

Jiang Lin went to the cupboard in the north and took a few pickled plums to eat.

The honeyed sour plums were from Dr. Lan. Yao Runzhi had made a large jar based on the recipe provided by Dr. Lan, so it was almost ready to be finished.

With the pickled plums to eat, which help with digestion and stop nausea, Jiang Lin felt much better.

These days, they were really helping her get through the exams.

After finishing the plums, Jiang Lin said, “Sis, I have some clothes that I won’t be able to wear for a while. You can take them and wear them.”

She and Jiang Min looked similar enough that exchanging clothes wasn’t a problem.

Jiang Lin’s clothes were all designed with Yao Runzhi, and they were classic and elegant styles—trench coats, women’s suits, shirts, skirts, and so on.

These pieces were timeless and wouldn’t go out of style even in twenty years.

Yao Runzhi smiled, “Try them on quickly. If something doesn’t fit, we can make adjustments before the New Year. Once January starts, we won’t be able to do any sewing.”

She and Jiang Min took the clothes to the west room to try them on and make adjustments.

Jiang Lin was tidying up in the east room when she heard the children outside shouting, “Dad/Uncle is back!”

Looking out through the glass window, she saw Cheng Rushan, dressed in military uniform, coming back.

He was tall and handsome, walking with long strides, and quickly reached the main hall, followed by a group of children.

Jiang Lin happily hurried outside and said with a smile, “You’re finally back.”

What was supposed to be a two-day trip had turned into nearly a week.

Cheng Rushan quickly walked up to her, pulling her into an embrace.

His gaze was tender but slightly resigned as he looked at her. “I’m back now. Why the hurry?”

Jiang Lin replied, “I’m not in a hurry.”

Cheng Rushan chuckled and tapped her nose. “You’d fly if you were any more impatient.”

Yao Runzhi and Jiang Min came out of the house and exchanged a few pleasantries.

Cheng Rushan then set down his luggage, took out a book bag, and pulled out a selection of candies, handing them to Jiang Lin.

The children immediately lined up in order of height, their eyes eagerly fixed on Jiang Lin.

Xiao Jun was especially well-behaved.

Jiang Lin smiled and tossed the candy to Da Bao. “Da Bao, you’re in charge of distributing these. Any leftovers should be kept in grandma’s room.”

Da Bao took the candy and led the children to the west room, while Yan Runzhi and Jiang Min smiled and went back to altering clothes.

Cheng Rushan and Jiang Lin entered the east room, and he asked her about her exams.

Jiang Lin replied confidently, “Do you even need to ask? The real question is whether I’ll be first or second.” She chuckled.

Cheng Rushan laughed and patted her face, noticing she seemed a bit thinner, and frowned slightly. “Why have you lost weight?”

Jiang Lin said, “Don’t be silly. I’m not thinner. I feel like I’ve even gained some weight around my waist because Mom keeps making me delicious food every day.” In truth, her chest had grown a bit!

Although she hadn’t gained any weight, due to severe pregnancy nausea, she tried to eat light and in small portions to avoid feeling too sick.

She liked to act spoiled around Cheng Rushan when she felt good, but when she felt bad, she didn’t want them to know to avoid making them worry.

Seeing that she looked well, Cheng Rushan didn’t press further.

Since he had just come back by train, he went to wash up.

He grabbed his clothes and a bucket of hot water and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower.

When he returned, he asked if she had any laundry that needed washing.

Jiang Lin beckoned him over, “Don’t start working as soon as you get home. Come here and give me a hug.”

Cheng Rushan reached out and enveloped her in a hug.

His gaze drifted to her school bag, and out of habit, he noticed something.

He pulled out two packets of condoms, feeling a bit embarrassed. “Honey, why do you have these in your bag?”

Jiang Lin turned her head and saw the condoms, her face instantly turning bright red.

When Ren Bocheng and Guo Yanqiu had given them to her, she hadn’t blushed, but now she felt embarrassed.

“…A classmate gave them to me.”

Cheng Rushan looked down at her, his voice slightly stern, “A classmate? Honey, do the boys in your class have this much personality?”

Giving my wife these things, is that okay? Why do I feel like punching him?

Jiang Lin laughed so hard she was shaking, “Ren Bocheng gave balloons to Dabao and Xiaobao, and Guo Yanqiu gave me a bag of free condoms. I didn’t even have a chance to refuse.”

Cheng Rushan kissed her with a hint of frustration, “Next time, I’ll go to your school to give a disciplinary talk.”

Their department planned to organize some training sessions for new graduates and future officials.

The aim was to teach them to adhere to professional ethics, obey the law, prioritize national and public interests, and resist the temptations of capitalism, ensuring they don’t harm themselves or others.

Training for officials needed to start from the ground up, so they could keep their principles intact in the face of temptations of beauty and material gain.

Jiang Lin, leaning happily against him, asked, “There’s a dance party at the auditorium in a few days. Are you going?”

Cheng Rushan’s voice was soft, “Do you want me to go?”

Jiang Lin teased, “Well, you know, people who attend school events usually bring their husbands and kids along…”

Before she could finish, he kissed her deeply.