In fact, the deterrence of Nie’s mother was completely ineffective.

A bicycle, with two children sitting on the front frame of Nie Laojiu’s big bar, clothes tied on the back seat, Nie Bozhao carrying it, and Chen Lina holding the third child, followed behind.

After passing Niejia Village and arriving at Chenjiahe Village, Chen’s father, mother, and Chen Lili were already waiting on the roadside.

Hot, freshly baked oil pancakes—Chen’s mother had used five pounds of fine flour and two pounds of vegetable oil to make ten pancakes, all packed in a green canvas bag.

In addition to that, there was a basket of apples, pears, walnuts, and other items, meant to be eaten along the way.

These were all things that Chen’s mother had saved up little by little over the years.

Early in the morning, with the cold wind whistling, Chen’s mother Hu Lan’er pulled Chen Lina aside and whispered, “Your dad and I asked for a 168 yuan dowry. We’ve discussed it, and this money is for you to keep. Use it as pocket money for the journey. If things don’t work out with this person, you can come back immediately.”

“Mom, you raised me to this age, and now that I’m getting married, the dowry should come from them,” Chen Lina said, pushing the money back.

“You listen to me,” her mother replied, “It’s easy to stay at home, but it’s hard when you leave. I’ve never been far, but I know it’s tough out there. Besides, the debt for your university tuition—I’ll find a way to pay it off. I’ll work to earn labor points, or weave some mats to sell at the market. Slowly, we’ll pay it off.” Chen’s mother firmly packed the money into her bag.

Chen Lili also said, “Just take it. It’s your dowry money, and you should use it yourself.”

“How can you say such things? How can you call it selling yourself? Did I sell you, Lili?” Chen’s mother asked, and Lili fell silent.

Chen’s mother continued, “I can see you’re fond of this man, but his feelings for you may not be as strong as yours for him. If he can marry you and avoid the turmoil, that’s great. But if not, be careful. If things don’t work out, remember to buy a train ticket and come back.”

Chen’s father, not far away, was sizing up the children.

He walked over to Nie Bozhao, shook his hand, and said, “My daughter, Lina, will depend on you from now on.”

“Father-in-law, I will take care of her,” Nie Bozhao replied.

“Yes, he will,” Chen Lina quickly added.

Nie Bozhao took a few steps forward and said, “Second Brother, you ride ahead with the luggage. I’ll catch up with you in a moment.”

After Second Brother left, Nie Bozhao returned and, under the watchful eyes of Chen’s parents, pulled out an envelope from his coat pocket.

He handed it to Chen’s father.

“The dowry earlier was decided by my mother, so I won’t mention it. But this is a small token of respect from me to you. Please keep it for yourselves. If you face any difficulties in life, send a telegram to the base. If I can help, I’ll definitely do so.”

Chen’s father didn’t have the mood to check what was inside the envelope, but seeing how thin it was, he guessed it probably contained just a single bill, so he accepted it.

“Comrade Chen, the bus won’t wait for us. Let’s go,” Nie Bozhao said.

It was only around five in the morning, but the long-distance bus in the village would leave at six, and they were afraid they might not make it in time.

Chen Lina picked up the third child, grabbed the food, and followed behind Nie Bozhao as they began to move forward.

As Chen’s father watched his daughter leave, he felt uneasy in his heart, and Chen Lili kept asking, “Dad, what do you think was in the envelope Nie Bozhao gave us just now?”

“Probably just a small token of respect. See, I didn’t even look at it,” said her father, wiping his face.

He truly didn’t want anyone to see his tears.

“Oh my gosh, dad, look! It’s a remittance slip. It says three hundred yuan!” Chen Lili suddenly shouted. “Three hundred yuan! This is a remittance slip for three hundred yuan, sent from the Qisi Township Post Office. The recipient is you!”

So, besides the 168 yuan bride price, Nie Bozhao secretly left an additional 300 yuan for him?

“Good lad, no wonder he’s a graduate of Beifang Industrial University, an engineer at the oil base. This move… I don’t even know what to say to him,” Chen’s father said excitedly, his words stumbling out. “Quick, chase him down and return the money! We’re poor, but we don’t sell our daughters. Let them keep the money to start their life together.”

“Dad, why did he send the money via a remittance and not just hand it directly to you? Because once the remittance is sent, it’ll take five days to process before it can be collected. In five days, he’ll already be in the borderlands. If you don’t collect it, it’ll just stay in the post office forever,” Chen Lili explained.

It had to be said, this new son-in-law was a good one.

He was thoughtful and considerate, making sure everything was done right without making a fuss, even from behind the scenes.

Chen Lina’s journey felt like she was in the middle of a battle.

The long-distance buses at that time were still the old green ones with hard seats, and it was freezing early in the morning when they boarded.

Fortunately, the three kids each had a pair of big winter boots, and the cotton jackets were pulled out and layered on, making them quite warm.

They bought three tickets in total.

Nie Bozhao held the two younger children, using one ticket for them, while Chen Lina and Nie Weimin each had their own seat.

The two sat side by side.

Nie Bozhao looked at Er Dan, then at San Dan, as if discovering something new. He said, “Why aren’t you two having runny noses anymore?”

Chen Lina, sitting behind him, turned around, and he pointed at Er Dan, saying, “Comrade Xiao Chen, these two kids aren’t running noses anymore.”

“They were probably just cold. I put on their cotton clothes, and they’ve got big boots on their feet. How could they still have runny noses?” Chen Lina, holding a cloth bag of oil pancakes, smiled as she explained.

Once the runny noses were gone, Er Dan and San Dan were still cute kids, but the oldest, Nie Weimin, was sitting off to the side, pouting and not saying a word.

The oil pancakes that He Lan’er had made were soft and fluffy.

In these times, she could barely afford to make them once a year.

It wasn’t called making pancakes; it was called serving them—taking them from the pan, piping hot and so fragrant that they almost made your mouth water.

On the bus, some people had seats, and others didn’t.

Everyone kept looking around, sniffing and asking, “Whose pancakes are these? They smell so good!”

“It smells like sesame oil, doesn’t it? Sesame oil is quite expensive now. At my place, we can only afford to use one drop of oil when cooking,” someone gestured with their finger, indicating just a drop.

“One drop? My family only uses oil-soaked paper to wipe the pan, so the smell of oil is more like rancid oil.” Another person gestured, and the whole bus burst out laughing.

“Er Dan, do you want some pancake?” Chen Lina tore off a piece and offered it.

“I want some! I want some!” Er Dan immediately reached out his hand.

“You can eat, but you have to promise not to throw up, okay? I’m worried you’ll get car sick and throw up after eating too much.” Most people in this era had never ridden a car before.

The smell of gasoline could make people nauseous, and they’d throw up with just a whiff.

Er Dan grabbed the piece of pancake, almost climbing onto his dad’s lap.

“We grew up in the oil fields. We’re used to the smell of gasoline. How could we get car sick?” At that moment, Nie Weimin, who had been silent up until now, suddenly spoke.

After a pause, he added, “Comrade Xiao Chen, from now on, don’t call me ‘Da Nie’. I have a name, Nie Weimin. Please call me by my name.”

A six-year-old kid, acting all grown-up, trying to be a little adult.

Chen Lina tore off another piece of pancake and handed it to him. “Okay, then I’ll call you ‘Little Nie Comrade,’ how about that?”

Nie Weimin seemed to be tempted by the pancake, licking his lips before reaching out to grab it.

“But from now on, you’re not allowed to teach the younger two to call me ‘Yao Po.’ You and your second aunt taught them to call me that and even taught them to sing songs mocking me.

You didn’t dare to sing it yourself, but you made Er Dan sing it for you. You not only made a mistake, but you also led the younger ones astray, which is wrong,” Chen Lina teased as she turned the pancake around and handed it to Er Dan.

Nie Weimin felt embarrassed and angrily turned away, pouting by the window. “Yao Po doesn’t care about beating kids. She either pinches or twists them, and besides the stick, there’s also the rope. Yao Po is a stepmother. Step-mother equals Yao Po. You’re Yao Po!”

Chen Lina wasn’t angry at all.

She tore off another small piece of pancake and gave it to San Dan.

Sandan opened his mouth wide and stuffed the pancake in. “Mom, mom, I want more, I want more!”

Chen Lina teased him further, “Say ‘mom’ again and I’ll give you more.”

“Mom, mom!” San Dan immediately shouted, as though he were an obedient little parrot.

“You just know how to fool little kids with these capitalist candy-coated tricks,” Nie Weimin said, giving her a serious look, like a little elder. “But I’m not a little kid. You can’t recruit me.”

Alright, Nie Bozhao is an old cadre with a bit of a childish streak, while Nie Weimin is more like a young rebel.

Chen Lina tore off half a pancake and took a big bite, sighing that it was really delicious.

She quickly closed the canvas bag.

The long-distance bus was much slower than Chen Lina had imagined—bumpy, stopping and starting, and gradually, the bus filled with snoring sounds.

Some people couldn’t hold it anymore and opened the windows to vomit.

At this point, Chen Lina felt thankful that none of Nie Bozhao’s three children were prone to motion sickness.

If they had been, she honestly didn’t know what she would have done.

It wasn’t until 2 p.m. that they finally arrived at the provincial capital’s train station.

Nie Bozhao’s train ticket had been bought for him by workers from the Umai Oilfield in Hongyan Province.

At that time, trains were incredibly crowded.

People had to queue for five or six days in advance to get tickets, so he had managed to get his ticket after waiting for the long-distance bus.

There were just two hours left until they could board the train.

With three kids, two adults, and large and small bags, the train station was full of people like them.

Luckily, Chen Lina was quick on her feet and managed to grab three seats in the waiting hall.

Otherwise, most people were sitting on the floor.

The train station was bustling with people, especially since it was during the revolutionary period.

Even though it wasn’t a holiday, there were still many young workers traveling, wearing their green army clothes.

They didn’t need tickets and could travel anywhere.

Of course, there were also a lot of unsavory characters, with their eyes darting around.

In places like this, luggage was important, and so were the children.

Many kids ended up being carried away by strangers while their parents rushed to catch the train.

The three children seemed to be experienced.

They clung to Nie Bozhao’s woolen coat like little chicks clinging to their mother hen, not daring to wander far, afraid that someone might snatch them away.

“You kids eat your pancakes here. I’ll go out and get us some stuff. Comrade Nie, Comrade Xiao(Little) Nie, is that alright?” Chen Lina deliberately emphasized the “Comrade Xiao Nie.”

Little Nie Weimin immediately stood up straight, trying to act like a grown-up. “I think it’s fine. Dad, what do you think?”

“Comrade Chen, train stations are always chaotic. Why don’t you stay with the kids? I’ll go,” Nie Bozhao said, still worried she might get lost.

Chen Lina shook her head. “No, I need to buy some things myself. You just watch the kids.”

With two hours to spare, Chen Lina dashed around in the crowded train station, almost like a whirlwind, constantly apologizing as she went.

When she looked back and smiled, she looked lively and pretty.

The shy, naive college student from before had disappeared.

As soon as she turned around and left, Nie Weimin immediately tattled. “Dad, she didn’t give me any pancakes.”

“But I also heard you call her ‘Yao Po.’ I asked your second uncle last night, and ‘Yao Po’ in our Qisi Township is an insult. ‘Old Yao Po’ is a term used to demean rural women,” Nie Bozhao replied, not taking his son’s side.

But he still tore off a piece of pancake for his son. “Hurry up and eat, drink some water. We still have to get on the train. You can’t be hungry.”

“I won’t eat her stuff,” Nie Weimin grumbled, turning his face away.

“Then stay hungry,” Nie Bozhao said bluntly, blowing on the enamel cup of water to cool it before gently coaxing the younger two to drink.

Nie Weimin swung his legs, watching the people coming and going.

On the east side, someone was shouting, “Big boy, big boy, where are you?” and on the west side, someone else shouted, “Child’s mother, child’s mother, where are you?”

Suddenly, he got an idea, pulling on Nie Bozhao’s sleeve. “Dad, Dad, why don’t we just leave her behind and go on our own?”

“Leave her? Then you’ll go back and let your grandmother take care of you. How about that?”

Before Nie Weimin could answer, the second child Er Dan started crying, “Grandma doesn’t want me! Grandma hits me! Grandma makes me bad food every day!”

Although the child was only three years old when they left, the experience of eating rotten until he vomited was unforgettable.

He cried and shook his head. “I don’t want Grandma.”

“Dad, can’t you just take us? We don’t want anyone else. We only want you.” Nie Weimin began to act pitiful, his eyes full of tears.