After Sun Zhuanman and Nie Bozhao got married, they moved to the oil field base, which was near the Mulan Farm.

At that time, during the famine years of 1958 and 1959, Sun Zhuanman’s family, which had many children, moved there to avoid starving.

Sun Zhuanman was a career-oriented woman, balancing her work but unable to take care of the family properly.

In the end, after many arguments, both of them had to work, and so they had to rely on her mother to take care of the children.

However, Sun’s mother had a bad temper, her cooking was poor, and she couldn’t manage the children well.

When Nie Weimin was one year old, she even argued with him.

Because of this, Nie Bozhao thought that they should have just one child, but to his surprise, they ended up with Er Dan.

After Er Dan was born, Nie Bozhao was very cautious, always using protection, but before long, they had San Dan.

After San Dan was born, just a year later, Nie Bozhao came home one day and discovered that his mother-in-law had been secretly poking holes in the condoms.

This led to a huge argument between him and Sun Zhuanman.

On that day, Sun Zhuanman had been supposed to accompany the engineers back to the base but, in a fit of anger, decided to go anyway.

Unfortunately, the driver was inexperienced and, due to a crosswind in the desert, they overturned and crashed into a sandpit.

Then, Sun’s mother, along with her daughters, sons-in-law, and eldest son, Sun Dabo, along with some locals from Mulan Farm, surrounded Nie Bozhao and the base.

Not only did they take Sun Zhuanman’s insurance compensation, but they also took the children’s monthly allowances.

It was because of this incident that Nie Bozhao was forced to send the three children back to their hometown, as he and his mother-in-law had become enemies.

“Did they take everything? The bedding, Sun Zhuanman’s clothes, shoes, and even the pots and pans?” Chen Lina asked.

“Yes.”

It was as if a raid had happened—more thorough than the “Return to Homeland” brigades.

If it weren’t for the bloody words on the wall, Chen Lina would hardly believe a woman had ever lived in that house.

“These three kids aren’t Sun Zhuanman’s children, they’re all yours?”

“Comrade Xiao Chen, how can you say that?”

“If they’re not yours alone, Sun Zhuanman, even if she’s dead, is still their mother. And besides, the base gave you compensation—why did your mother-in-law take it? The three kids are freezing and can’t even afford warm clothes?” Chen Lina retorted.

“Well, at that time, the revolution was happening, and the chief engineer, to prevent the people from the farm from interfering with production, agreed to give the money to my mother-in-law… oh, I mean, my ex-mother-in-law. As for how to get it back, I’m afraid it still has to be discussed with the chief engineer,” Nie Bozhao said.

Chen Lina thought for a moment, then licked a piece of tangerine. “Fine, you don’t need to worry about it. I’ll take care of it.”

“You?” Nie Bozhao raised an eyebrow, looking at her as she ate so happily, wiping her dry lips, in disbelief.

“Yes, me. Nie Bozhao, let’s make this clear from the start. I’ll raise the kids and manage the household, and you earn the salary for me to spend. If things get ugly, you don’t have to help me, but please don’t help your ex-mother-in-law. If you do, I’ll leave with the introduction letter right away.” Chen Lina said this while peeling an apple, which she quickly turned into mush.

This time, Nie Bozhao didn’t dare to speak.

Taking the initiative, he said, “If there’s anything that needs to be done, just say the word, I’ll take care of it.”

Chen Lina pointed outside, “It’s freezing out, and I’ve just managed to dig up half a bath basin of soil to plant some garlic sprouts and vegetables, but the basin is too big for me to move inside. Can you carry it in and put it in the living room? I’ll use it as a greenhouse to grow vegetables.”

The large, broken bath basin, buried under a pile of junk in the backyard, was dug up by Chen Lina.

While it was now beyond repair, she urgently needed vegetables.

After adding the soil and watering it, she hoped that over the winter, the garlic sprouts and greens would be enough to eat.

Nie Bozhao went outside, but the basin was too big for him to move alone.

So, he went next door and called over Xiao Chen, who was tuning his radio.

Together, they managed to move the large basin into the living room.

That night, Nie Bozhao returned to the small bedroom.

“What’s this? Old Nie, am I some kind of ghost that you have to freeze yourself in the next room?” Chen Lina had washed her face and was applying snow flower cream, asking.

Nie Bozhao, shivering with cold, sat up with an air of authority. “I’m not cold. Really, I’m fine. You should go sleep with the kids.”

“You probably suspect I’m a Soviet spy, right? Just think about it, what if I send out your coordinates? Soviet helicopters are always circling above, aren’t you worried I might send out the coordinates of your base? They could come with a big bomb and wipe out a machine or even an oil well—think of the losses. And what if I accidentally blow up your refinery…”

Nie Bozhao did a somersault and jumped up: “Comrade Chen, you can eat whatever you want, but don’t talk recklessly. I beg you, close your mouth and go to bed.”

“What if I don’t want to?”

“You had a pen pal from the Soviet Union in high school, and you even hosted a Soviet inspection team. You could identify the model of Xiao Chen’s car. Now you’re casually talking about military terms like coordinates. I can help cover for you at home, but outside, be careful with what you say and do.”

Chen Lina had been joking, but seeing the serious expression on Nie Bozhao’s face, she knew his temper.

Even though he now had the air of a middle-aged revolutionary, he didn’t scare people easily.

She quickly said, “Alright, I was just joking, are you trying to scare me?”

“Although the oil field is more lenient, recently, the border friction with the Soviets has increased. Border patrols could come for political checks at any time and monitor radio transmissions. It’s fine if you listen to something, but don’t play with the radio. That thing can be monitored at any time, and if they hear coordinates and trace it back to the oil field, none of us will have a good time.”

“Is it really that serious? I was just joking.” Chen Lina was slightly scared.

In her past life, she had been through all kinds of hardships in the mainland, even participating in public humiliation with a high hat.

She thought the oil field would be a peaceful place, but it turned out to be just as strict as everywhere else.

“Alright, the border patrols generally won’t come, and even if they do, I’ll handle it,” Nie Bozhao softened when he saw how scared Chen Lina looked.

“You? Do you doubt me too?” Chen Lina smiled slyly, noticing the redness in the man’s face.

Hmm, he secretly hides tangerines for her and even gets embarrassed.

This man was starting to get interesting.

“I know why you’re here. As long as you don’t cause any trouble, everything will be fine,” Nie Bozhao said.

At this point, he hadn’t decided whether to tell her about her pen pal’s whereabouts.

She likely thought her pen pal was still alive, and it might be better for her to think so for now.

Besides, it was better for her to focus on helping him with the children.

Chen Lina thought he looked so serious, speaking with righteous authority like a revolutionary cadre from the old days. It almost made her laugh out loud.

He probably thought she was some Soviet spy, but couldn’t bear to drive her away. She quickly imagined a plot in her mind.

She was the beautiful spy, and he was the righteous, resolute border guard who couldn’t be tempted.

“Let’s sleep together. I won’t eat you,” Chen Lina said.

“Why are you mashing an apple? Is it for tomorrow morning?” Nie Bozhao turned over, looking more curious than Er Dan.

She was just like the girl from the fairy tale The Snail Girl, somehow turning a bare home into something full of good food.

“Yeah, tomorrow morning, I’ll turn it into a big bowl of apples for you,” Chen Lina smiled and said, then lay down, ignoring him.

Nie Bozhao, freezing and enduring a battle of thoughts, eventually quietly sneaked back into the big kang (heated bed).

After all, the three kids were between them, so he didn’t touch her—everything was fine, right?

At least it was better than Sun Zhuannan, whose name had “man” in it, and who behaved like a man himself.

Even in the cold winter, he didn’t use any oil on his face.

When Nie Bozhao went on business trips, he would bring her expensive face cream, but she would pass it on to her sisters.

Every night before bed, Chen Lina would apply the face cream.

Even though they had been at the base for just a few days, her skin had already become noticeably fairer.

After a full day of hard work, Nie Bozhao still spent a long time before he fell asleep.

The next morning, Xiao Chen arrived promptly at Nie Bozhao’s door, ready for breakfast.

That day, Chen Lina made porridge with the last bit of rice, and some soft pancakes.

That was nothing special, but there was also a big plate of pickled radish slices.

Er Dan, like a little tiger, rushed over, grabbed some chopsticks, and was about to eat when he heard Chen Lina say: “Er Dan, we have guests.”

Nie Weimin had washed his face clean, brushed his teeth thoroughly, and looked like a polite young man.

He walked up to Xiao Chen, stretched out his hand, and said, “Uncle Xiao, please have some food.”

Xiao Chen stretched out his hand from under his wool coat: “No free lunch, Comrade Chen, here are a few packs of instant noodles with eggs. Keep them for the children.”

Nie Weimin let out an exclamation of surprise, while Er Dan completely ignored the instant noodles and happily ate the pickled radish with hot pancakes: “Mom, it tastes like apples.”

A big radish was sliced, salted and sugared, then soaked in apple juice overnight.

In the morning, of course, it had an apple flavor.

This apple-flavored radish successfully defeated the instant noodles and became the kids’ favorite.

After Nie Bozhao and Xiao Chen left, Chen Lina tied her big cotton jacket around her waist, grabbed Er Dan’s hand, and led Nie Weimin awkwardly behind her.

The four of them left together.

Today, she was determined to get the three kids’ pension money back.

As they were leaving the compound, they met Sister Wang.

She said, “Comrade Chen, your method is really good. One egg, slow-cooked over a low fire. Today, Tiantian ate two rolled pancakes.”

A little girl stood next to Sister Wang and called out sweetly, “Hello, Aunt Chen.”

A group of children rushed up, chattering and calling out “Auntie, hello!”

Of course, at the oil base, it’s extremely difficult to get approval for anyone to enter.

The children hadn’t seen outsiders in a long time.

And, since she had just gotten married, it was natural for her to hand out wedding candies.

Chen Lina didn’t pretend; she had a handful of candies in her pocket.

There were enough for each child, so she handed out one to each.

The children eagerly unwrapped the candies and started licking them one by one.

At this time, there was a little girl, with dirty sleeves and snot all over her face, huddled in the corner by the wall.

She didn’t fight for candy, but instead followed the others, picking up the candy wrappers they had discarded.

Chen Lina approached her, handed her a Big White Rabbit candy and a peanut brittle, and the little girl sniffed and said, “Thank you, Auntie,” before running off.

She was a very beautiful little girl, with big eyes and a lovely face.

Chen Lina felt that she looked familiar, though she couldn’t place where she had seen her before.

“That’s the daughter of Liu Gong,” said Wang Jie. “She had a fever, and her mother was so worried she went out in the cold to find medicine. She got lost in the snow desert and froze to death. Children without mothers are like grass. How pitiful.”

Chen Lina glanced at the girl and said, “Such a pity.”

But when the Nie Weimin brothers were at home, weren’t they the same?

Because they had no mother, they were often bullied.

Just think about it—Nie Bozhao hadn’t married for 15 years, and Sun Zhuannan’s mother was so overbearing and aggressive.

If it weren’t for her, these three children would have had a miserable life at the oil base.

It wasn’t surprising then that two of the children had gone down the wrong path.

Leaving the residential area, not far away was the office building of the oil base.

The entire oil field, though not directly under military control, was still managed with military-like discipline, and the security guards outside were armed.

At the entrance of the office building, Chen Lina smiled and said, “I’m Nie Gong’s wife. I heard the base is distributing salaries these days. The children’s support money should be coming too. Comrade, may I go inside to take a look?”

Chen Lina had asked Wang Jie about it beforehand, knowing the base was paying salaries, which is why she came to ask.

Nie Bozhao didn’t hold any other position at the base, but as an engineer, and being polite and handsome, the security guard, upon hearing that she was his wife, looked at her a bit more.

“We’re paying the salary for our unit today. Tomorrow, the accountant will go to Wumayi to mail the out-of-town payments. If you’re really in a hurry, you can go now,” the guard said, letting Chen Lina in.

Inside the accountant’s office, there were two accountants, one man and one woman.

The woman was younger but obviously had a family.

Chen Lina specifically approached her: “Comrade, I’m Nie Gong’s wife. Has the support money for the three children been paid today?”

Everyone at the base was familiar with each other.

The two accountants exchanged a glance, and the woman asked, “Comrade, what’s your surname?”

“Chen.”

“Comrade Chen, about the three children’s support money: it’s been arranged that tomorrow, a car will go to Wumayi to mail it by registered letter to Loulan Farm. But the money will go to Huang Huacai, that is, to Sun Zhuannan’s mother. If you want to transfer the money to your hands, this matter might need to be discussed with Huang Huacai and Nie Gong, considering…”

Sun’s mother was known to be very tough.

After Sun Zhuannan passed away, her behavior was even fiercer than the family members of the experts who came from Beijing.

The people at the base still trembled when they spoke of her.

“We all know the situation here, Comrade. Since this money is for the three children, I think it should be decided by the children themselves. Look at them now; they don’t even have winter coats in this cold. I’m not trying to take the money for myself, but I need to buy them coats.”

Chen Lina had deliberately dressed simply today, wearing an old flower-patterned cotton jacket, while the two younger children were dressed neatly.

However, Nie Weimin was wearing a long women’s coat that belonged to Chen Lina, which nearly dragged on the ground.

The coat was too big, and the child was shivering with a runny nose.

The two accountants exchanged a look, clearly in a difficult position.

Chen Lina was straightforward: “Here’s the deal: If Sun Gong’s mother doesn’t get the money and comes to cause trouble, let her come to me and Nie Gong. I’ll take care of it.”

The accountants still seemed hesitant: “How about we ask the leaders for guidance?”

The female accountant went to consult with the leaders.

Chen Lina waited with the three children in the hallway.

“You think you’re tough? My grandma is even tougher,” Nie Weimin said angrily. “We definitely won’t get that money.”

“Comrade Little Nie, if you want the money, your attitude is very important. Tell me, do you want to eat some vegetables? Do you want to wear a new cotton jacket and go out to play? Also, we sleep on a big kang. Now that you’re older, you’re shy, and you even cover up when you take a bath. Don’t you want a room of your own?” Chen Lina asked, teasing him.

Nie Weimin glanced at his ugly women’s coat and thought about how Chen Tiantian would probably laugh at him.

He almost wanted to take it off and throw it away immediately.

But as for sleeping on the kang, he had heard his dad and Chen Lina talking about it late at night, and it didn’t seem too bad…

He turned his head away and didn’t say anything.

Soon, the female accountant returned.

After a brief discussion with the male accountant, they formally invited Chen Lina inside.

The male accountant cleared his throat and said in a very formal tone: “Our General Wang has said that the support money is for the three children, and the children’s wishes are the most important. Now, I want to ask, Da Dan, Er Dan, and San Dan, who do you want to take your support money?”

The younger children had gotten used to calling Chen Lina “Mom.”

Especially Er Dan, whose voice was loud and clear: “I want my mom to take it, to buy us good food.”

“Da Dan, what about you? Who do you want to take it?” the male accountant asked Nie Weimin.

He hated being called Da Dan, and after blushing and thinking for a long time, he finally said, “I want to manage it myself. If my grandmother takes it, she’ll just give it to my second, third, fourth, and fifth aunts, plus my little uncle.”

The two accountants burst into laughter, and Chen Lina laughed as well. “Comrade Xiao Nie, how many aunts do you have exactly?”

“Alright, the majority wins. Let Comrade Chen manage it for now, but she’ll have to account for how she spends it. If it’s not spent on the three children, you can check her books later. Is that okay?” the male accountant said, chuckling.

Clearly, they hoped that after Sun Gong’s death, the support money would go directly to the three children.

In the end, without much effort, Chen Lina walked away with the 30 yuan for the month.

However, as she was leaving, the female accountant hurried out to remind her: “Comrade Chen, I need to give you a heads-up. Sun Gong was very strong-willed, and her family is even more formidable. If she doesn’t receive the money this month, she’ll definitely come to cause trouble. Please be prepared.”

Chen Lina put the money in her pocket, held the children’s hands, and smiled inwardly.

As the saying goes, “If you can’t remove the glass, there’s always a diamond drill to fix it.” Well, she was that diamond drill—specially made to deal with shrews.