The workshop suddenly became abuzz with discussions about housing, and Wen Jiajia quietly left the room.

That evening, Wei Dai brought back a piece of pork belly that looked particularly tender and was still warm to the touch.

“Where did it come from?” Wen Jiajia was curious. Which brigade slaughtered a pig outside of the holiday season?

Wei Dai put the meat in the kitchen, lit the fire again, and put the skin of the meat into the pot to scald it. “A pig from the village next door accidentally ran out, fell into the canal, and died. I happened to pass by, so I traded for a piece of pork belly.”

No wonder it’s so fresh.

Wen Jiajia had just returned and hadn’t had time to cook. Wei Dai steamed the rice first, then cooked the braised pork, stir-fried some vegetables, and made a bowl of soup. By the time they finished, it was already eight o’clock.

Eight o’clock was usually the time people took a shower.

After dinner, Wen Jiajia felt extremely tired, both physically and mentally.

Later that night, Wei Dai suddenly asked, “Why don’t we call Mom over? That way, we can eat earlier every day.”

Wen Jiajia wasn’t eager to live with an elder again, but there was no other way. Wei Dai was still at home, but he could be called out on a mission at any time. When he wasn’t home, Wen Jiajia would have a hard time managing on her own.

However, Wen Jiajia turned over to face Wei Dai and asked, “What about sister-in-law? Mom probably has to take care of her children too.” Her sister-in-law’s children would also need someone to look after them.

Wei Dai put his hand on her belly, feeling the fetal movement. “Why don’t we let Mom…”

He paused and continued, “Mom has a cousin.”

Wen Jiajia waited for a few seconds and then looked up. “Well, there is an aunt. So what?”

Wei Dai explained, “This cousin’s family used to run a cloth shop in our county. Later, she married an employee from the shop, but her husband died unexpectedly in middle age. One year, her eldest son was killed by falling gravel while working on a mountain road. Now, she only has one son and one daughter. The son is working in the northwest and rarely comes back, while the daughter has started a family in the county next to ours.”

“Where does the cousin live?”

“She lives in Liangshui, the commune next door to us. She’s alone now. She used to take care of her cousin’s children, but once they grew up, she lived by herself. Fortunately, because her eldest son died in the line of duty, she wasn’t assigned to labor reform by the team.”

Wen Jiajia understood.

This cousin must have been more than just a small business owner; it seemed her cloth shop was quite large back then.

“Of course,” Wei Dai said. “Mom told me that at that time, the cloth business in the county was monopolized by the cousin’s family. The large courtyard in the north of the county, which is now used as a dormitory for the printing factory, was once their property.”

Wen Jiajia was amazed. It was indeed big.

It must have been a wealthy family. She had seen that yard before, and now there were 18 families living in it, which showed just how big it was.

Wen Jiajia couldn’t help but wonder—if Wei Dai’s aunts had this kind of background, what about Wei Dai’s mother?

She had never thought about this before, but now that she has considered it, her mother-in-law is indeed a little different from ordinary people.

It was as if there was ink in her belly—the words she wrote were more beautiful than Wen Jiajia’s. In her previous life, Wen Jiajia studied calligraphy, and even though her skill level wasn’t that advanced, she had a good eye for it.

Wei Dai’s mother’s calligraphy was even better than her own calligraphy teacher’s from her previous life.

But Wei Dai hadn’t mentioned it, so she didn’t ask.

Wen Jiajia asked, “Do you want Mom to invite your aunt?”

Wei Dai nodded. “Although the cousin doesn’t have to do labor reform, she still needs to work in the fields. I’ll ask Mom first. If she’s willing, we could invite her and offer her 15 yuan a month. How does that sound?”

It would be equivalent to hiring someone, but since they were hiring a relative, on the surface, it would look like they were just asking a family member for help. Even if someone suspected the truth, they wouldn’t be able to say anything.

Wei Dai acted quickly. He was worried that he might be called out on a mission soon, so he didn’t even wait to send a letter—he called home directly.

The commune had a telephone, and today, it was Wei Xin who answered.

“Brother, what’s the matter?”

Wei Dai asked, “Why are you the one answering? Usually, it’s our parents who pick up the phone.”

Wei Xin sounded annoyed. “I just happened to be at the commune. Can’t you just tell me what’s going on?”

Wei Dai hesitated before saying, “…Fine, just pass a message to Mom for me. Ask her to check with Aunt in Liangshui to see if she can come to the army to help look after Jia Jia.” He didn’t mention the payment, knowing there were other people around who could overhear.

Wei Xin thought for a moment, then realized, “Okay, but why don’t you just call Mom yourself?”

Wei Dai sighed. “Our eldest sister-in-law just had a baby recently, and in the last letter, Mom said that Wenying is still getting sick on and off. How can Mom come?”

“That’s true,” Wei Xin said with a sigh. “Sister-in-law had an easy delivery with Wenying, but who would’ve thought Wenying’s health would be worse than her brother’s? She suddenly had a fever the night before last, and they had to call Uncle Ming to come check on her in the middle of the night.”

Wei Dai advised, “You should take her to the hospital. If that doesn’t help, go to Jinbu Commune and find Doctor Fang. He’s the one who helped your second sister-in-law with her health back then. His medical skills are excellent.”

Wei Xin sighed again. “I’ll tell brother.”

She suspected that it was probably because of her elder brother that her niece’s health was so poor. Having been to school, she knew that only good seeds could produce good fruit.

The call was expensive, so they didn’t chat for long. Wei Xin asked about Wen Jiajia’s situation, and after learning that everything was fine, they hung up.

Wei Xin then went home and relayed the message to Cai Ruyun.

Cai Ruyun was drying vegetables. When she heard this, she paused and sighed, “Your brother’s call came at just the right time.”

Wei Xin asked, “What do you mean? I haven’t seen this cousin in many years. I just remembered that her family background wasn’t great. But the eldest cousin always sacrificed for the public, so no matter how much trouble he caused, it wouldn’t be her fault.”

Cai Ruyun replied, “Bring me the basin.”

Wei Xin hesitated. “Mom, please stop fussing with the dried vegetables. The book says we should eat less pickled vegetables.” Despite her protest, she finally handed over the vegetable bowl next to her.

Drying these vegetables was quite a chore.

Fresh vegetables needed to be chopped with a knife and then dried. One day wasn’t enough; it often took two, three, or even a whole week. Drying and harvesting them every day was time-consuming.

Cai Ruyun responded, “So, you don’t want to eat pickled vegetables? If you really don’t want them, I won’t send any this year.”

“Well, go ahead and send them,” Wei Xin conceded without much resistance. “But you still haven’t told me what happened with Aunt.”

Cai Ruyun explained, “Oh, it’s nothing. It’s just that her health isn’t great. She can’t work in the fields anymore. Someone mentioned yesterday that she almost collapsed out there some time ago. She’s almost 50 years old. If she really falls, how would she manage living alone?”

Her son lives far away, in conditions much worse than theirs. As for her daughter, she has a small home and lives with her parents-in-law. It’s not practical for her to rely on her daughter.

So, she’s just been toughing it out on her own, and Cai Ruyun only recently learned about her situation.

“Alright, I’ll go talk to her later. The sooner this is arranged, the better. I can’t leave here—otherwise, I’d have gone myself. Your second sister-in-law is due to give birth by the end of the year, and she’s still working. Someone really needs to help out at home; otherwise, your sister-in-law will struggle when your brother goes out on a mission.” Cai Ruyun dusted off her hands after hanging up the last pot of dried vegetables.

In the afternoon, she arrived in Liangshui.

Cai Ruyun parked in front of her cousin’s house and called out a couple of times, but no one answered. Then a neighbor came out and said, “Are you looking for Aunt Zhao? She’s in the mountains, chopping wood. Wait a bit; she went out this morning and should be back soon.”

“Okay, thank you.” Cai Ruyun sat down in the yard.

Most people in the countryside didn’t lock their doors, but her cousin lived alone, so the door to the main room was locked.

Just by looking at the yard—clean and tidy, with all sorts of wild vegetables and Chinese medicinal herbs drying—you could tell her cousin often went up the mountain.

As the neighbor said, her cousin returned shortly.

“Sister, what brings you here?” She was surprised but carried two loads of firewood into the house.

Cai Ruyun hurried over to help. “Huisheng, next time you need wood chopped, let me know. I’ll have the brother-in-law or Xiaoxin’s husband come help.”

Zhong Huisheng replied, “No need, I can still manage. I’m not so old that I can’t go up the mountain. Besides, I’m not in a hurry. I live alone, so I can chop wood at my own pace and have enough for winter by the end of the year.”

As she spoke, she pulled out a key from her pocket and unlocked the door.

The main room was clean and tidy, with a rolled dirt floor, but not a speck of dust on it.

Cai Ruyun followed her in, sat down, and said, “I have a favor to ask.”

“What’s the matter? Tell me, sister.” She poured a glass of water for Cai Ruyun, without sugar, knowing her sister didn’t like sweets.

Cai Ruyun explained, “My youngest son, Wei Dai, is in the army, and his wife is pregnant. I was hoping you could go help take care of her. I can’t leave here, and you know that my eldest daughter-in-law just had a baby and is struggling with her health. She needs someone to take care of her all the time.”

Zhong Huisheng hadn’t expected her cousin to bring up such a request. She thought for a moment and asked, “How long would you need me to stay?”

Cai Ruyun replied, “Wei Dai’s wife is only six months pregnant. After the baby is born, she’ll have to go back to work, so it could take three or four years. And… you know Wei Dai’s situation. Since your second son isn’t around, Wei Dai might want to keep you around. Maybe you could come back when your second son is eventually transferred closer?”

Zhong Huisheng smiled. “That sounds great. To be honest, I’m glad to leave this place. Why would I miss the hardships here when I can live comfortably somewhere else? But I can’t stay there forever. If my daughter has a baby, I’ll need to come back and help with her child.”

Cai Ruyun added softly, “I think Wei Dai will also pay you a salary, but it’s hard to discuss that over the phone.”

Zhong Huisheng shook her head. “Well, money doesn’t matter to me anymore. At our age, what’s left to worry about?”

Cai Ruyun said, “Go to the army and discuss this with Wei Dai. If she can win over that stubborn guy, she’ll have a better chance.”

Zhong Huisheng asked, “When should I leave?”

“As soon as possible,” Cai Ruyun replied.

Zhong Huisheng thought for a moment. “Then let’s do it the day after tomorrow. I need to visit my daughter’s house tomorrow.”

“Alright! I’ll have someone buy your ticket.”

After everything was arranged, Cai Ruyun returned to the commune and called Wei Dai. 

However, Wei Dai wasn’t available, so she left a verbal message.

That night, after receiving the message, Wei Dai informed Wen Jiajia about it.

“The cousin is coming the day after tomorrow, or maybe the day after that,” Wei Dai said. “How about we clean up the utility room for her?”

“Sure,” Wen Jiajia agreed. “We can move the cabinets into our room and put the medicine cabinet in Wen Chun and Wen Xuan’s room. Didn’t you build a wardrobe before? We can move that to the utility room. As for the bed, I’ll buy one tomorrow. Fortunately, I have a furniture voucher.”

Tomorrow was Sunday, perfect for tidying up the room.

The next day, the two of them planned to clean out the utility room together. However, since Wen Jiajia couldn’t do any heavy lifting, Wei Dai asked Xie Yang from next door to help with moving the clutter.

The two men worked quickly, clearing out the utility room in just over ten minutes.

Wen Jiajia then entered the room and used a long broom to sweep the walls. After sweeping off the dust, she cleaned the floor.

It took three rounds of sweeping to get rid of all the dust. She guessed that this cousin of theirs was probably very particular about cleanliness.

Finally, Wen Jiajia mopped the floor twice and wiped down the windows twice. Since it was early autumn and the temperature was still high, the floor dried quickly, so you could walk on it without any issues.

Meanwhile, Wei Dai went out to buy a bed. It wasn’t very big and could be transported back on a donkey cart.

By noon, Wei Dai was back home.

He assembled the bed and then moved the bedside tables, wardrobe, table, and chairs he had made earlier into the room.

Looking at all the new furniture, Wen Jiajia couldn’t help but say, “Your woodworking hobby really comes in handy at critical moments.”

She decided she would no longer complain about the sawdust-covered floor or the clutter that often accumulated in their house.