When they got home, the two kids took charge of performing these tasks for Lin Shu.

Chen Yanming, watching from the sidelines, thought it was like watching a play.

How could the Lu family’s visit be so involved with such a grand scheme?

Lu Shaotang glanced at Lin Shu and briefly explained the relationship between Old Lady Xie and Lin Shu.

Chen Yanming looked at Lin Shu, who was setting up frames in the vegetable garden, and suddenly felt she seemed… exceptionally tall.

She was just an ordinary laboring woman, albeit a bit more beautiful and intelligent, yet she possessed a unique wisdom of life.

For men like him who are away from home for long periods, most wives would complain or even threaten divorce.

But she managed to live a fulfilling life even without a husband around.

He felt Lin Shu was very different from other women.

He had been to other people’s homes before.

Some women were shy and timid, avoiding eye contact, eager to offer all their best things to please him, afraid of embarrassing their husbands.

Others were wary, fearing he might ask for money or eat too much, trying to appear generous while being stingy.

She was different; she was casual and natural, like an old friend.

There was no pretense or defensiveness.

She made him feel that she considered him part of the family, allowing him to relax and be at ease.

Brother Lu was really fortunate.

He couldn’t help but think about himself.

How would she handle his parents if she encountered them?

How would she deal with his family’s situation?

Her approach with Old Lady Xie wouldn’t work with his parents, because his parents would rather starve themselves than not provide for Eldest Brother.

His parents were the kind who, if there was a famine with no food, would boil all their family members to feed Eldest Brother, and then boil themselves for Second Brother too.

But her strategy was useful, not for his parents but for siblings.

One peach can still kill three warriors.

The fundamental issue was that he couldn’t be harsh with his parents, much like how Lin Shu couldn’t be harsh with Old Lady Xie.

She felt that no matter how capable and successful she appeared on the surface, she was still that child who was despised by his parents and desperately trying to win their approval.

She just masked it well, so no one else knew.

The two kids were still reporting to Lin Shu.

Panpan: “Don’t worry, Mom, my second grand-uncle and second grand-aunt went to help my grandfather with the private land.”

In the spring, during the land reclamation and planting after Qingming,

Second Uncle Xie and his wife took the time to help with plowing and planting, without even waiting for Lin’s father to ask.

He didn’t even want to go to Lin’s mother’s house for a meal.

However, someone from Linjiatun saw him and immediately informed Lin’s mother.

Lin’s mother quickly prepared a meal and brought it to the field to ensure that her second brother and sister-in-law ate their fill.

Lin Shu smiled and said, “Who wouldn’t like relatives who help each other? If someone only wants to take advantage without giving anything back, no one would welcome them.”

Tiantian and Panpan pointed towards the east, at Lu Shaocai’s house, and laughed.

Chen Yanming lowered his gaze.

He really envied Beother Lu, and even… felt a little bit jealous.

It was strange; Brother Lu had a higher salary, got promoted faster, received more awards, and was more popular.

He felt no jealousy over these things.

But seeing that Brother Lu had such a good wife and children, he felt a bit…

uncontrollably jealous.

Of course, this jealousy wouldn’t harm their brotherhood.

This feeling of jealousy only made him realize one thing: his family, including himself, might be fundamentally selfish.

He sent money home, but his parents, brothers, and sisters didn’t welcome him back warmly or think highly of him.

They asked him to arrange jobs and bring nephews and nieces into the army, which he didn’t agree to.

Brother Lu’s family treated him so well, and he wasn’t completely grateful; instead, he felt a bit of jealousy.

He was indeed his parents’ son, inheriting their shortcomings.

He scolded himself harshly, thinking that as a grown man, he shouldn’t wallow in self-pity but should strive for change!

He decided to buy more delicious food and toys for Panpan and Tiantian in the future.

In these days, Old Man Lu focused most of his attention on Chen Yanming.

He went to the county to get many expensive herbs and planned to make plasters and decoctions for Chen Yanming to help him recover quickly.

To prevent the skin from rotting due to prolonged use of the splint, Old Man Lu also took it off every other day to let it air out, applying a mixture of precious Sanqi herbs for inflammation, bruising, and pain relief.

Usually, he used inexpensive herbs for the commune members, but for Chen Yanming, he used whatever was best.

He used herbs like Eucommia, earthworm, and bone-setting herbs that were suitable for bone healing.

He also prescribed a formula to replenish blood and expel cold, which Lin Shushu brewed for Chen Yanming every day.

In just two or three days, Chen Yanming’s complexion improved significantly, looking radiant and spirited, almost like a newlywed groom.

As a result, not only Lu Jinling but also other unmarried young women from the village and female youth from the brigade came up with excuses to visit the Lu family.

What if they caught his eye?

Then they could have a good match like Lu Shaotang!

Some of them sought Lin Shu to make clothes, while others asked Lin Shu for somethings.

People who wanted to learn how to grow vegetables went to Lin Shu to ask for sunflower seeds, and some even just chatted with her, saying they wanted to be inspired by someone as advanced and beautiful as her, the model military wife.

Lin Shu understood what was happening.

She asked Aunt Li to spread the word: Chen Yanming was not looking for a partner here.

After that, things quieted down.

Chen Yanming was originally scheduled for a follow-up at the hospital, but with Old Man Lu, a specialized family doctor, he didn’t feel the need to go.

Old Man Lu and Lu Shaotang were almost like medical experts from their frequent injuries.

They had developed a unique way to heal and sense wounds.

Chen Yanming knew he was recovering well and didn’t need hospital treatments.

The key was rehabilitation after the wound healed.

Unlike Lu Shaotang, who could jump back into work and rehab simultaneously, Chen Yanming needed proper rest.

Under Old Man Lu and Lin Shu’s careful care, and the kids’ comforting, Chen Yanming’s injuries improved a lot in just eight or nine days.

He could walk without crutches now.

Old Man Lu said, “It takes a hundred days for bones and muscles to heal. Even if you’re recovering well, don’t be careless. You need to rest properly for another ten or twenty days.”

Because of this, Lu Shaotang couldn’t take Chen Yanming with him on missions and had to let him rest at home.

Lin Shu went all out making delicious food for Chen Yanming and occasionally had Zhou Weimin buy black fish from the reservoir for him.

Seeing how well his wife treated Chen Yanming, Lu Shaotang felt a bit jealous.

He thought, “Chen Yanming is really lucky to get such treatment, even more than my own brother.”

Spring planting was over, and the materials for making incense were ready.

Lin Shu began teaching Fang Dihua and Lu Erge how to make incense.

Although Lin Shu wasn’t an expert in making incense, she had developed many hobbies due to her past health issues, including flower arranging, sewing, cooking, baking, and gardening.

She was familiar with the incense-making process: choosing materials, handling them, grinding them, blending, and curing them.

She mainly taught the techniques and encouraged Fang Dihua and Lu Erge to experiment and find their own methods.

Xu Erzhu mainly helped out.

These days, while Lu Shaotang was away and Chen Yanming was still recovering, he brought Panpan and Tiantian to help them.

Lin Shu didn’t mind their disarray and assigned them to help with sorting materials.

For excess tree bark and branches, Xu Erzhu ground them into powder using a stone mill.

For smaller amounts, Chen Yanming and the children used a medicine grinder to crush them, then sifted out the larger particles and ground them finer.

To produce fine incense, the incense mixture needed to be ground as finely as possible.