Grandpa Lin knew that his wife was intentionally teasing him, but he didn’t mind.

With a smile, he said, “Even if this isn’t for me, do they really think they can bypass me and take it?”

Hearing this, Grandma Lin just wanted to say that the old man was shameless.

Wasn’t this a threat to their son?

“How should we divide this? Didn’t Qingqing leave any instructions?”

Grandpa Lin, unconcerned, picked up the rain boots to try them on. “You can handle the arrangements. Huh, there’s a letter here.”

Actually, if this were before, Grandpa Lin wouldn’t have cared about a pair of rain boots.

But after the country was thrown into turmoil, the Lin family returned to their ancestral hometown to escape the war.

They didn’t even bring any gifts, only selling off some of their property and bringing back the money.

Back then, just staying alive was hard enough.

Later, when they were in the countryside, they didn’t show off any wealth, keeping a low profile, which they called “not revealing one’s money.”

“A letter? It must be from Qingqing, let’s see,” urged Grandma Lin.

“Don’t rush,” Grandpa Lin replied, picking up the letter. “This letter is quite thick.”

Grandma Lin said, “It’s been two months. Qingqing must have a lot to say, so of course the letter is thick.”

Grandpa Lin, unable to retort to his wife’s teasing, obediently opened the letter.

As soon as he did, two photos fell out. Grandma Lin, quick and sharp-eyed, grabbed them. “Ah, it’s Qingqing’s photos! One is a family photo, and the other is just her alone. Look, Qingqing seems to have lost some weight. Though she’s thinner, she looks in great spirits.”

In the family photo, both Lin Qingqing and Lu Cheng were sitting, with Lu Haici sitting on Qingqing’s lap.

The mother and child were laughing joyously.

The man beside them wasn’t smiling, but the tenderness in his eyes was clear enough for anyone looking at the photo to notice.

Seeing this, Grandma Lin’s eyes turned red. “Good, very good.”

Looking at the affectionate way her granddaughter and Lu Haici were together in the photo, she knew her granddaughter was living well.

One’s eyes couldn’t lie about how they were doing.

Seeing her granddaughter happy made Grandma Lin happy as well.

It also confirmed that her earlier insistence was the right choice.

Trading an old ginseng for her granddaughter’s happiness was worth it.

Moreover, in these times, a girl’s wedding gift was usually only a few dozen yuan, but Lu Cheng had given 800 yuan.

Wasn’t that like giving back the old ginseng’s worth?

So, their family hadn’t lost out.

Her granddaughter was happy, and the money from the old ginseng had been well spent.

Grandma Lin’s only concern was that her granddaughter had been spoiled since she was young, and she feared Qingqing might not get along well with the child.

But from the photo, it was clear they were getting along well, so now she had no worries.

Looking at the solo photo of her granddaughter, she said, “This child, she really is mischievous. What kind of gesture is this?”

Looking at the hand gesture Qingqing was making in the photo, Grandma Lin didn’t understand it.

“Mom, stop looking at the photos, let’s see what Qingqing wrote in the letter!” urged by her daughter-in-law.

She was also curious about all the nice things wrapped in the envelope.

“Don’t rush, don’t rush,” Grandma Lin said. “Old man, hurry up and read the letter.”

Grandpa Lin opened the letter, and inside, there was a five-yuan bill.

This time, even Grandpa Lin was touched.

He handed the money to Grandma Lin, and just as he was about to read the letter, he paused in surprise. “Her handwriting has really improved… Looks like she’s been learning from Lu Cheng.”

Since Qingqing couldn’t write like the original owner, she started the letter by explaining some things.

“Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom, and all my relatives, reading this letter is like seeing me in person.”

I’m living well in the family compound now, and I’m studying high school knowledge with Lu Cheng. I plan to take the high school graduation exam and earn my high school diploma. Do you think my handwriting has improved a lot?

When Grandpa Lin read this part, could he still doubt that his granddaughter’s handwriting had changed?

Grandma Lin looked over and said, “It really has improved. Her previous handwriting looked like a bunch of caterpillars.”

She couldn’t help but laugh as she said this.

The Lin family could all read.

Although the three sons hadn’t had the chance to study properly because of the turmoil in the country, Grandpa Lin had taught them each letter and stroke one by one.

So, the three sons of the Lin family had education levels equivalent to elementary school graduation.

Before the founding of the country, having the education level of elementary school graduation was already considered quite good.

Of course, the three daughters-in-law were a bit different.

They hadn’t received any education.

In that era, it wasn’t uncommon for girls to be uneducated.

The Lin family hadn’t specifically chosen their daughters-in-law based on their education; they had focused more on their character.

“Dad, Mom, what did our daughter say in the letter?” Lin Er (the second son) asked curiously.

Grandpa Lin had already finished reading the letter.

He said, “Qingqing mentioned a few things. The first is that she’s studying with Lu Cheng in the army and plans to earn her high school diploma.”

“No wonder she’s my granddaughter. She’s so hardworking,” Grandma Lin said, not daring to mention anything about her being smart or having good grades, since she knew her granddaughter wasn’t the brightest.

She had only been able to attend middle school back then because of Grandpa Lin’s connections.

But that didn’t matter.

Now that her son-in-law was a college graduate, even if her granddaughter wasn’t very smart, she would be influenced by intelligent people, and her brain would eventually change, just as it had now. “You all better look at this. Your sister is working so hard. Even after getting married, she hasn’t forgotten to study. You all need to study hard too, understand?”

The boys didn’t dare to question their grandmother’s words, and each one responded, “Understood.”

Now, of the six grandsons in the Lin family, Lin Yiyang, the eldest, had graduated from middle school.

As the eldest grandson, Grandpa Lin had always made sure to guide him.

After finishing middle school, Lin Yiyang didn’t pass the high school entrance exam, so he became a scorekeeper for the local village.

While working, he also learned medicine from Grandpa Lin, and he was expected to inherit his grandfather’s medical skills.

As for the three sons, Grandpa Lin had tried to teach them too, but they simply couldn’t learn.

They didn’t have the talent.

The second one was Lin Yiyang’s younger brother, 15-year-old Lin Aojun, who was in the second half of his third year in middle school and would be taking the high school entrance exam next year.

The third was the eldest son of the third uncle’s family, 14-year-old Lin Shanbin, who was also in the second half of his third year of middle school.

Originally, Lin Aojun could have been a year ahead, but he had decided to wait for his younger brother so they could attend school together.

The fourth and fifth were the second and third sons of the third uncle’s family, twins who were 12 years old, named Lin Shi and Lin Wu, and they were in the fourth grade.

The youngest, number six, was Lin Qingqing’s real brother, who was 11 and in third grade.

Grandma Lin urged, “Old man, continue.”

Grandpa Lin went on, “The second thing is, Qingqing found a job in the army, so she will be sending us five yuan a month as her way of showing filial piety.”

“What?” Grandma Lin was shocked. “Our Qingqing can actually find a job?”

If it wasn’t her own granddaughter, Grandma Lin might have asked the heavens what Qingqing could possibly do.

She knew her granddaughter wasn’t good at anything and had been spoiled from a young age—she didn’t even know how to wash clothes. “What kind of job did she find?”

Everyone else listened eagerly, afraid they might miss some important news.

It wasn’t that they looked down on Qingqing, but they had all watched her grow up and knew what kind of person she was—someone who had been spoiled.

However, perhaps after marriage, a girl matured and became more sensible.

“She’s working in the mess hall(cafeteria),” Grandpa Lin explained. “Qingqing said she often watches Grandma cook, so she’s developed some ideas on how to make food taste better. That’s how she ended up working in the army’s mess hall. Now she’s helping the chefs with their cooking, guiding them on how to prepare the dishes.”

Grandma Lin nodded, “That makes sense. Qingqing always had a good appetite.”

From a young age, whenever there was something delicious, it was always saved for her.

If she had thoughts about food, Grandma Lin could believe that. “I never expected, though, that this child would end up finding a job through her love for food.”

Grandpa Lin added, “It’s also because the person in charge of the mess hall is helping her out because of Lu Cheng.”

He believed that to be the case. “The third thing is that since she has a job now, she’ll be sending us five yuan a month as our pension.”

“No, no, she gives us money every month. What if Lu Cheng gets upset? What kind of girl gives money to her family every month after she gets married?” Grandma Lin was worried that her granddaughter’s actions would anger Lu Cheng.

And honestly, it didn’t seem right.

Grandpa Lin said, “Don’t worry. Just tell Lu Cheng that every month, he also gives his aunt ten yuan for her pension. Because Lu Cheng has a good salary, giving ten yuan a month doesn’t affect their living. So, he wouldn’t mind. But since she now has a job, her salary is low, so she can only send us a little, like five yuan a month. Lu Cheng agreed to it.”

When Grandma Lin heard this, she stopped worrying.

Since Lu Cheng already sent ten yuan to his aunt every month, it was fine for her granddaughter to send five yuan.

Besides, the money was being saved for the future, which could be used to provide more security for the granddaughter.

As for the food business, Lin Qingqing didn’t mention it to her family—it was her own private work.

“The fourth thing is how to distribute the items she sent.” Grandpa Lin felt like he could finally speak his mind as he reached the most important part. “Two pairs of rain boots. One is for me, the other is for the second son. As for the eldest and third sons, she didn’t know your shoe sizes, so she asked you to write to her. When she gets another pair of shoe tickets, she’ll buy them for you and send them.”

Eldest Uncle Lin : “No need, no need. As long as Qingqing remembers us, that’s enough. She just started working, and she probably spent Lu Cheng’s money to buy all this. There’s no need for her to buy us anything.”

Third Uncle Lin : “Exactly. If I need a pair of boots, Dad, I can borrow yours.”

Grandpa Lin snorted: “You wish! I’ve lived a long life, and I’ve never seen you buy me anything. Now you want to wear the rain boots my granddaughter bought for me? Keep dreaming.”

Third Uncle Lin : “…” Is this really something Dad would say?

“And there are other gifts,” Grandpa Lin continued. “The clothes—one for me, one for my wife, one for the second son and his wife.

Each piece has a tag with our names on it.

The eldest son’s couple, the third son’s couple, and Yi Yang’s couple each got a piece of cloth.

Qingqing said she didn’t know your sizes, so she just bought cloth for you to make your own clothes.

As for others, they got a Liberation bag, a pencil case, and a book. That’s all. Oh, and two extra pieces of cloth are for your little uncle and his wife, and this package of milk candy is for their kids.”

The little uncle is naturally Grandpa Lin’s younger brother, their Granduncle.

When Grandma Lin finished listening to Grandpa Lin read the contents of the letter, she said, “You all take the cloth. Qingqing has written names on them, so just find yours.”

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone started looking for their own items.

Each piece of cloth had a tag sewn onto it, making it easy to find.

“Mom, who is this milk powder for?” Lin Mother asked.

She was thinking that since their son Lu Ming was still young, maybe it was for him.

Grandma Lin heard this and looked at Grandpa Lin: “Old man, you didn’t say who the milk powder is for.”

Grandpa Lin replied, “I forgot. The milk powder is for us, to supplement our health.”

Grandma Lin quickly grabbed the can of milk powder and held it tightly in her arms. “It’s not for you, so don’t think about it. Your father and I are old now, and we don’t need your supplements. The children are all grown up, so I won’t give them to you. If the child were just born, I would definitely share it. I’ll hide the milk powder and send it to Qingqing when she has her baby. Giving her milk powder will also make her proud.”

What Grandma Lin didn’t know was that these days, things also have expiration dates.