Today, she had come back with a mission.

Her father-in-law had asked about her brother-in-law’s plans.

Since her husband had been gone for nearly half a year, he wondered if there was any intention of remarrying.

If it were someone else’s husband who had been gone only for half a year, he wouldn’t inquire about remarrying.

But Lin Shu and Lu Shaotang’s situation was special—married for only three days before being separated, not having seen each other for years, and with her husband being a martyr, it was understandable if she wanted to remarry.

That’s why she asked.

She hoped Lin Shu wouldn’t remarry.

Although it wasn’t like the old society where she would be given a chastity plaque, Lu Shaotang was a martyr, and if his wife remarried, it would tarnish the family’s reputation, which would affect the Lu family’s standing.

So, to maintain the family’s honor, it would be best if she didn’t remarry.

To ensure Lin Shu wouldn’t remarry, she was willing to support her with food and living expenses, saying that every month, Elder Sister Lu Dajie should bring back twenty pounds of grain and five yuan.

This was very generous.

Elder Sister Lu Dajie had previously tried to probe Fang Dihua about it, but Fang Dihua advised her to leave matters concerning the brother-in-law’s family alone, so she came back to probe her sister-in-law.

She truly didn’t know that Lu Shaotang had returned.

She had been busy with the grain station’s inventory and accounting and hadn’t had time to visit her family.

The commune hadn’t received any official notice, and Fang Dihua hadn’t specifically mentioned it to her.

Even if others went to the town, they wouldn’t have gone out of their way to tell that her brother had returned.

After all, wouldn’t her family have mentioned it?

She really didn’t know.

Elder Sister Lu Dajie suppressed her embarrassment and handed money to Lin Shu. “Take it, don’t refuse it.”

Lin Shu refused, “Elder Sister, you gave money to my parents for the Mid-Autumn Festival. I can’t accept your money.”

If Shaotang had truly passed away, she wouldn’t refuse her sister-in-law’s assistance.

Since Lu Shaotang was well, she naturally didn’t need it.

Lu Dajie insisted on giving it to her, so Lin Shu accepted it on behalf of her mother-in-law and informed her that Lu Dage had become the accountant.

Lu Dajie, who was about the same age as Lin Shu’s eldest brother, had the deepest affection for her niece.

Hearing that her eldest brother had become an accountant, she was delighted and said with a smile, “Really? Eldest brother has achieved so much? I never expected that. I thought his cleverness was only used for eating, but it turns out he can also handle accounting!”

After chatting for a while, Lin Shu invited her to stay for lunch, and Lu Dajie agreed since she wasn’t in a hurry to go home.

While Lin Shu was cooking, she went to the medical office to find Old Man Lu.

Her father-in-law admired her father greatly for becoming a barefoot doctor and praised him for his diligence and learning.

He said he was worthy of being the Second Master back in the day.

She also felt quite proud; she remembered her father as always being impressive.

When she was young, she almost grew up in her father’s arms.

He could read, manage livestock and farming, perform acupuncture, and even braid her hair.

As the first child and daughter, she was quite pampered by her parents.

When she was little, she and her eldest brother would fight over meat.

On the table, there was a plate of braised pork, and they would both fight for the lean meat.

Since she didn’t like the fatty parts, her brother would eat the fat after finishing the lean meat.

Later, whenever there was braised pork, her father would give her more of the lean meat.

When she and her eldest brother argued, her father always favored her.

Despite their constant bickering, it made their bond stronger.

Thinking back on her childhood brought a sweet feeling to her heart.

Old Man Lu was pleased to see his eldest daughter return and took the opportunity to chat with her while he wasn’t busy. “Your in-laws are doing well.”

Lu Dajie said they were doing well and was happy about her younger brother’s safe return and Lu Dage becoming the accountant. “Father, our family is getting better and better.”

Old Man Lu replied, “That’s all thanks to your third sister-in-law.”

Whether it was his being a barefoot doctor or his eldest son becoming an accountant, it was all news she was the first to know.

By noon, when the workday ended, Old Man Lu took a small basket of eggs and returned home with his daughter.

At home, Lin Shu handed over the five yuan from Lu Dajie to her mother-in-law.

Fang Dihua said, “Just take the money she gave you. Don’t mind what she says.”

She knew her eldest daughter had a bit of a tendency to manage things, and now, influenced by her father-in-law, it had become even more pronounced.

Just then, Lu Ers came back and saw Lin Shu putting the five yuan into her pocket.

She immediately thought it was money from her mother-in-law and became upset.

Without entering the main room, she turned and went to her own room in anger.

Elder Sister Lu Da returned home with Old Man Lu and saw Fang Dihua already there. They greeted each other warmly.

After dinner, the family had to go to the team to work, so Lu Dajie took her leave.

Fang Dihua packed up some pomegranates, apples, and pears, as well as some homemade pickles and salted duck eggs from Lin Shu, and also gave her a bottle of malted milk. “This is for your mother-in-law to replenish her health.”

Elder Sister Lu Dajie declined the malted milk. “They won’t finish it anyway, and I’ve already brought some for you during the Mid-Autumn Festival, so I didn’t bring any more.”

The fruit was good, and she accepted the pickles, which she hadn’t tried before.

When Elder Sister Lu Dajie returned home, her father-in-law, Ding Jiachang, was listening to the radio, keen on various current affairs and policies.

Seeing Elder Sister Lu Dajie come back, he smiled and asked, “How is your family?”

Elder Sister Lu Dajie smiled and replied, “They’re doing well. My parents sent some fruit and pickles we haven’t tried before. They also wanted to send malted milk, but I thought it might be better to leave it here.”

Ding Jiachang was pleased. “You did the right thing. If we are in a better position, we should support our relatives more. Your parents are not outsiders; they are family. Don’t worry about us being unhappy. We will only be glad that you are so filial.”

Hearing her father-in-law say this, Elder Sister Lu Dajie was happy.

She was relieved that her father-in-law was open-minded and did not object to her taking things back to her family.

She was aware of her limits and would not overextend herself in supporting her family.

She only did what she could.

“It’s rare to find someone as open-minded and generous as my father-in-law. My parents praised you. By the way, the team praised me. I know it must be because of you.”

Ding Jiachang replied, “Supporting them is the right thing to do. The public grain they provide is also good. It’s just a matter of lending a hand, so why not do it?”

Elder Sister Lu Dajie was delighted. “Father, my third brother is back! He hasn’t been martyred! My sister-in-law won’t remarry!”

Ding Jiachang looked at her in surprise. “Back… back? Really?”

Elder Sister Lu Dajie happily confirmed, “Yes! My sister-in-law said so, and my parents have seen him too.”

Ding Jiachang asked, “He’s back? Was what people said before true?”

Elder Sister Lu Dajie responded, “Before? I didn’t hear anything about it.”

Ding Jiachang explained, “I heard people talking outside. They said there was no official document, so it was likely that your in-laws were trying to deceive themselves. I didn’t dare to think positively.”

Elder Sister Lu Dajie laughed, “Who would be so idle? My parents wouldn’t deceive themselves. It’s definitely true that my third brother has returned.”

Ding Jiachang nodded repeatedly, “That’s good!”

Shaotang, it’s great that he’s fine; it will be beneficial for his grandson in the future.

Although he felt a bit uncomfortable that Old Man Lu didn’t personally come to inform him, he is someone who adds to the good things rather than complains.

Such small grievances are inconsequential.

He thought he should visit Lu Jia Zhuang in person to convey his congratulations, as it would be more formal and respectful.

A few days later, the production team distributed each person’s allocated cloth tickets and encouraged everyone to raise more pigs next year.

Selling a pig to the pig collection station would be rewarded with additional cloth tickets and other coupons. The remaining pigs could either be slaughtered for personal use or sold for money.

Since there were no young people getting married in the family, Fang Dihua gave the cloth tickets for each household to the daughters-in-law, and kept the tickets for herself and Old Man Lu for Lin Shu.

She asked Lin Shu to buy more cloth to make clothes for herself and the children, as their third son would be coming home for the New Year.

The next day, Fang Dihua borrowed a bicycle and took Lin Shu to the supply and marketing cooperative to exchange their cloth tickets and other coupons for goods.

Each production team was distributing dividends and coupons, and everyone flocked to the cooperative to buy New Year’s supplies.

By the time they went, there would be a shortage of everything.

If you have money and tickets, it’s best to get what you need first.

While they were busy shopping at the cooperative, Zhou Weimin happened to come out of the post office.

Seeing Lin Shu, he excitedly called out, “Lin Shu, I was just looking for you. There’s a call for you at the post office. Your second sister has come to the city.”

Lin Shu informed her mother-in-law and went to the post office to return the call.

Her second sister was likely calling to share good news, perhaps she passed the level three electrician exam or is pregnant?

Local calls don’t require many transfers, so it was quickly connected.

On the line, Lin Xia’s surprised voice came through, “Third sister, why are you so fast?”

Lin Shu explained she was at the cooperative buying things, and asked, “Second sister, is there some good news?”

Lin Xia happily said, “Yes, I passed the level three electrician exam and got promoted to team leader at the factory. My salary has increased by six yuan!”

Lin Shu was so excited she jumped up and down, “Second sister, you’re amazing!”

Passing the electrician exam is very difficult, especially for women.

She then asked if Qian Lisheng had been promoted to deputy director and if her second sister was expecting a baby.

Lin Xia hesitated before saying, “Your brother-in-law hasn’t been promoted.”

She changed the topic, asking about their parents and the children, “Third sister, I just wanted to share this good news with you. There’s nothing else. The phone call is quite expensive, so we’ll hang up now.”

After hanging up, Lin Shu felt something was off.

Her second sister was acting very strangely.

Since there was nothing urgent at home, she decided to ask her sister-in-law to accompany her to the city again.

On the other end, after hanging up, Lin Xia didn’t want to worry her younger sister.

Not only was she not pregnant, but she might also be facing a divorce from Qian Lisheng.