Lin Shu replied, “I don’t know either. I’ll ask my in-laws later.”

She checked the amount on the remittance slip, which was exactly the same as the amounts Lu Shaotang had previously sent.

The salary and allowances were all sent back.

It seemed that Lu Shaotang had been living without spending any of his own money in the army.

She suspected that Chen Yanming was trying to comfort Lu Shaotang’s parents, hoping to fulfill some filial duties on his behalf.

A close comrade might do such a thing, but… how could he live on so much?

Moreover, this wasn’t in the original plot.

In the original story, after the children were found, Chen Yanming was urgently recalled and didn’t appear again for many years.

By the time Lu Pan grew up and saw Uncle Chen, Chen Yanming had already retired and become another official.

He had lost a leg due to an injury.

In those years without contact, he seemed to have been involved in secret missions.

The book mentioned very little about this, as the main content focused on the romance between the leads, their business ventures, and their struggles with the antagonist Lu Pan.

Lin Aidi was both curious and envious, feeling a bit sour.

She had just said that no one was sending Lin Shu money, and now a large sum had arrived!!!

This was… quite something.

Lin Shu placed her thumbprint on the slip, then went home to use her father-in-law’s seal to stamp it.

She could handle it all later.

They went to the public post office to collect the money with the remittance slip.

Panpan and Tiantian were delighted, thinking it was money sent by their father.

Panpan, who was usually quite stingy, made a rare generous gesture.

He went home to get some orange candies, gave one to Tiantian, and a couple of pieces to Huahua, instructing them to split one piece among themselves.

Huzhi was very anxious, “Me, me!”

Panpan handed him the candy wrapper, “You can lick the wrapper. Don’t you see I don’t have any either? Why are men so greedy?”

Huzhi could go home and eat, but Panpan didn’t want to share with him, as he was reluctant to give up his own candy.

Tiantian felt sorry for Huzhi, considering he had been locked up in the well by the repairman and was quite pitiful, so she wanted to give him a bit of candy.

Panpan wouldn’t allow it!

Tiantian was a good child who listened to advice and ate the candy herself.

Huzhi’s saliva was dripping.

Lin Shu couldn’t bear to see Huzhi like this and gave him a piece of red sugar candy.

Huzhi was thrilled, his eyes squinting with satisfaction.

Just then, his mother called him home.

He said goodbye to Tiantian and the others and ran home, proudly showing off, “Tiantian’s mom gave me red sugar.”

Huzhi’s mother, feeling pity for the eggs given to the Lu family, pushed him towards home, “Stop showing off.”

Huzhi complained, “You keep pushing me, am I not your son? Hmph!”

He went home, feeling envious of Tiantian and Panpan’s sweet, gentle, and soft mother.

He wished he had a mother like that instead of one who always scolded him and mistreated his grandmother.

The children continued to play on the street while Lin Shu went home to prepare lunch.

She noticed Lin Aidi standing in front of the door in a daze, seemingly affected by something, and reminded her, “Aidi, aren’t you going home to cook?”

Lin Aidi forced a smile, “Aren’t you going to invite me for a meal?”

Lin Shu replied, “Of course. You should stay and have lunch with us.”

Lin Aidi sighed, “I have to go home to cook. My mother-in-law isn’t feeling well these days.”

Lin Shu gave her four ripe peaches as a return gift.

She was in the middle of making dough, so she didn’t accompany her.

As Lin Aidi left, carrying her small basket, she happened to run into Fang Dihua.

Fang Dihua had returned home early today because Aunt Li was so excited that she couldn’t help but run to tell her about the leaders coming to give out awards.

Fang Dihua wanted to come back early to see, but on the way, she met her daughter Lu Hefan, who was bringing her stepdaughter over to give to Lin Shu.

Fang Dihua had previously been upset because the third daughter-in-law flattered Zhao Meifeng and deliberately ignored her daughter, pushing the stepdaughter onto Lin Shu.

She also felt pity for the little girl, who had suffered due to her grandmother’s preference for boys over girls.

She was clearly several months older than Tiantian but looked younger by a few months.

However, now the third daughter-in-law was becoming more sensible and in better spirits.

Fang Dihua didn’t want to add to her troubles, so she sent her daughter back.

Her beloved youngest daughter was also the one who angered her the most.

You willingly choose to be a stepmother and say things like “love is priceless,” “love is selfless,” and “love can endure anything.”

You choose to make sacrifices yourself and endure hardship, but don’t let your choices cause suffering for the whole family.

Even though she sent her daughter back, she was still her own daughter and the youngest one at that.

The child she once cherished the most now made her feel quite distressed, and it wasn’t the same as the straightforward satisfaction she felt when scolding Old Lady Chang.

Lin Aidi noticed Fang Dihua’s stern expression and immediately became anxious.

Here it comes!

Fang Dihua, the mean and difficult mother-in-law, is about to take her anger out on Lin Shu!

She quickly went up to greet Fang Dihua, “Aunt, you’re back! Why the sour face? Did you have a bad time outside?”

Fang Dihua glanced at her, “Why are you leaving so soon? Don’t you want to stay a little longer?”

Fang Dihua had a decent impression of Lin Aidi, as she was rare among the third daughter-in-law’s friends who was willing to come and chat without taking advantage of her or being rude.

Although Fang Dihua often reprimanded the third daughter-in-law, it was more of a way to vent her frustrations than true animosity.

After all, people are just like that—no one willingly does good deeds without expecting something in return.

Lin Aidi said, “It’s almost evening. I need to go back and cook.”

She supported Fang Dihua’s arm and whispered, “Aunt, may I have a word with you?”

Fang Dihua eyed her suspiciously, “What’s the matter?”

Lin Aidi took a few steps outside and said softly, “Aunt, I know you and Uncle are feeling sad about the loss of your son, and Lin Shu is also deeply affected. She was crying for a long time just now.”

Fang Dihua became alarmed, “She cried again?”

Unbelievable!

Who bullied her?

She knows that Shaotang is fine, so why is she still crying?

Could it be Zhao Meifeng’s meddling?

Lin Aidi noticed Fang Dihua’s genuine concern and was slightly surprised.

Could it be that this mother-in-law actually cares about her daughter-in-law and isn’t just scolding her for being melodramatic?

She said, “She’s indeed very upset. Aunt, please be more understanding with her. Her temper isn’t bad; it’s just that she’s been timid since childhood…”

Fang Dihua, seeing Lin Aidi defend the third daughter-in-law, remarked, “Not at all. My third daughter-in-law’s temper is quite good now. She’s not timid anymore. What happened in the past is in the past. People should move forward…”

The truth is, Lin Shu is not only not unfortunate, but she’s also quite well-off.

She handed the remittance slip to Fang Dihua, “Mother, look, this is the money sent by his comrade just now.”

Fang Dihua, upon hearing about the comrade of Lu Shaotang, excitedly snatched the remittance slip and, because of her slight farsightedness, held it at a bit of a distance and squinted to read it.

“Chen Yanming! Ah, this Yanming is San’er’s good comrade! They were in the same military academy, slept in the same dormitory, and even had fights. Hmm, he couldn’t beat your man.” Fang Dihua rarely showed such a joyful smile and chattered away about Chen Yanming and Lu Shaotang.

While talking, she also took down Lu Shaotang’s military photo from the frame on the door of the east room.

This photo was taken when Lu Shaotang was 18, just after he was promoted to officer.

The man is tall, handsome, and the black-and-white photo conceals his youthful demeanor, making him appear particularly aloof and sharp.

He is a very handsome and charismatic man.

Lin Shu found Fang Dihua’s story interesting, but looking at the aloof and proud man in the photo, she felt a bit of a disconnect.

This… this seemingly cold officer is the mischievous child that her mother-in-law talks about?

Unconsciously, she stared at Lu Shaotang’s photo, feeling a bit warm in the face, and suddenly a pang of sadness surged in her heart.

But he is already dead; he was written off as dead by the author at the beginning of the book.

She shouldn’t learn too much about him. What if she accidentally likes him after hearing more about him?

Is there anyone more foolish than falling for a man who is already dead?

Lin Shu, you must stay clear-headed!

Lin Shu snapped back to reality.

Fang Dihua was still happily caressing the remittance slip, reading the contents word by word, and talking about how San’er(Nickname of Third Son) was doing.

When she got excited, tears even streamed down her face.

Lin Shu quickly handed her a handkerchief.

Fang Dihua wiped her tears with her sleeve, “It’s okay, these are tears of joy.”

Lu Shaotang is using this way to tell her that he is still alive, reassuring them!

Didn’t Chen Yanming address her as ‘Mother’ instead of ‘Auntie’ in the remittance note?

Ah, it’s so good!

Her heart has finally settled.

Previously, while praying to the Deity, she couldn’t help but have doubts, but fearing that if her heart wasn’t sincere, it wouldn’t work, she didn’t dare to seriously question.

Now, she completely believes it!

From now on, she must pray three times a day, no, she should recite scriptures whenever she has time!

San’er also sent back a month’s salary.

Oh, should the 800 yuan pension be returned to the government?