Sun Dabao was just in his early twenties, struggling with pimples, tall, and wearing an old combat cotton jacket.

With his hands behind his back, he said, “This is an order from the upper level. You, as a peer-level unit, Chief Engineer Wang, probably don’t have the authority to manage this.”

“Comrade Sun, adjust your attitude. You’re speaking so casually, as if you’ve forgotten your position. And besides, your Mulan Farm is part of the mining district, so we have the right to oversee this,” Chief Engineer Wang said angrily.

Sun Dabo replied, “Chief Engineer Wang, our superior is the Wumayi Mining District, not your base. We are peer-level units. Also, you’ve retired from the military, but I haven’t. You can’t treat everyone like they’re your soldiers to manage.”

Chief Engineer Wang was infuriated and said, “Listen to what this young man is saying.”

“What’s wrong, Comrade Anna? You’ve always had incorrect ideas and violated regulations by sneaking from the camp to the oil base. You’ve also been involved in inappropriate relationships. Are you planning to make me take you away now?” Sun Dabao came in and immediately began to accuse Anna, piling on accusations one after another.

Anna shook her head but remained silent.

To be honest, much like how he used to manipulate Nie Weimin, Sun Dabao could always corner these weaker people into silence.

“Anna is my friend. She has sores on her hands and feet, so I invited her to my house as a guest. There’s nothing wrong with that, right?” Chen Lina spoke up. “And even the educated youth are allowed to rest on weekends. She only came after work last night, and today is still the weekend. Why can’t she go out? Every educated youth is free to rest on weekends, and her coming to see me is just a normal social interaction.”

Sun Dabao thought for a moment.

Oh, today was indeed the weekend.

Moreover, since the educated youth often banded together, when Sun Dabao had interrogated people last night, the educated youth had tightly held their ground, admitting only that Anna had been away for the whole night but not denying that she had been there earlier.

So Sun Dabao said, “Alright, we won’t talk about yesterday. But she has to return to the camp with me today. She’s going to work tomorrow, right?”

Chen Lina shook her head. “No, that’s not happening.”

“You woman…”

“My surname is Chen, my name is Lina, and I’m also the wife of your brother-in-law, Sun Dabo. You have a position, but in front of me and Chief Engineer Wang, we are your elders. Don’t you have the basic manners of a person?” Chen Lina snapped back.

Sun Dabao was spoiled, but that was at home, on the Mulan Farm.

Outside Mulan Farm, except for people like Chief Engineer Wang, who would elevate him a little for the sake of the late Sun Zhuangnan, no one knew who he was.

“I’m taking her with me now. I know she’s under the management of our Mulan Farm. I’m the security officer, and it’s my responsibility to ensure the safety of the educated youth.”

“True, I can’t deny that. But you’re the security officer, responsible for her safety, not her health. Anna, take off your shoes and show him what your feet look like.” Chen Lina said.

Anna immediately took off her shoes.

To be honest, her hands had already suffered enough, and her feet, frozen like that, still had to work in the fields.

Chen Lina couldn’t bear to watch.

“The educated youth came here to help build the border area, and their health is the top priority for the higher authorities. If a doctor diagnoses that her feet are too swollen to work, I’m allowed to grant her sick leave, right?” Chen Lina said.

Sun Dabao was stumped.

What was going on here?

Sick leave?

Of course, he could handle that.

“Sick leave isn’t something anyone can just ask for. You need a diagnosis certificate from the hospital in Wumayi,” Sun Dabao said.

He had seen many people trying to get sick leave, but if you were sick, you had to go 30 miles to the hospital for the certificate.

And that’s when the real problem came up.

“You can walk thirty miles to the hospital to get a certificate, proving that you’re fit to move. So, what kind of sick leave did you ask for?”

Immediately, the doctor entered from outside.

Since San Dan had had a fever in the middle of the night and Nie Bozhao had driven the jeep out for a while, even on weekends, someone had been on duty in the medical office at the base.

“Who’s sick? Let me take a look,” the doctor said, wearing a mask, a white coat, and stethoscope as he walked in.

Chen Lina gave Anna a glance, and Anna immediately stretched out her hands and feet.

This doctor had a good relationship with Nie Bozhao, and since Nie had given him a heads-up earlier, the doctor exaggerated the situation, saying, “This swelling, these frostbites—if it’s not treated soon, she might have to have her limbs amputated.”

At Mulan Farm, there had been cases of frostbite leading to amputations for those who escaped in the middle of the night.

Upon hearing this, Anna covered her mouth and started crying silently.

Chen Lina, of course, couldn’t tell if the doctor was scaring her, but she asked Sun Dabao, “The doctor said her legs might need amputation if the frostbite isn’t treated. With this severity, I’ll ask you, can she take sick leave?”

“She can, but only for one day.”

“Young comrade, one day won’t cure her leg. At least half a month is needed. I’ll give her a half-month sick leave certificate, that’s the bare minimum. As for her leg, it will require systematic treatment.”

Sun Dabao wanted to get angry but couldn’t.

He stood there for a long time, took the certificate, glanced at it, and said, “Fine. After half a month, we’ll send someone to pick her up.”

Just before leaving, he added threateningly, “Anna, you might escape for half a month, but you can’t escape your fate. Do you know where you are, and who you are? Let me give you some advice: they can care for you for half a month, but not for a lifetime. If Xiao Chen were really capable, he wouldn’t stay at the oil base while letting you suffer here. Think about what I said. I’ll wait for your return.”

Chen Lina immediately retorted, “She’s sick physically, not mentally. Besides, to get better, she needs the doctor’s care. Once she’s treated, she’ll naturally return. Comrade Sun Dabao, Anna needs re-education, but you can’t use threats and intimidation like this. She’s sick and needs care from the organization, not threats.”

Sun Dabao was left speechless, unable to assert his authority over Chen Lina.

He glared at Anna for a long time before leaving angrily.

After the doctor finished prescribing medication for Anna, they discussed the situation.

Chen Lina felt Anna should stay at her house, but Nie Bozhao thought it was better to send her to Xiao Chen’s house.

After all, Nie Bozhao had three children.

Anna needed to have her leg treated, and with the kids running around on that small bed, it would be troublesome.

To avoid causing more trouble for Chen Lina, and for his own convenience, Anna voluntarily decided to stay at Xiao Chen’s house.

In the afternoon, there was a faint sound of artillery from outside the window.

No need to say, the families had just received their artillery, and the children had already started playing with it.

“Weimin, Weimin,” Nie Bozhao called out from the window.

After calling for a while and hearing nothing, he turned to Chen Lina, “Have you seen the children? How come it’s been so long and I haven’t heard a sound from them?”

“Don’t worry, your son won’t go far. He’s probably just around the yard. I haven’t seen him leave,” Chen Lina replied.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with him. He never takes Er Dan far, but today, they’re definitely not in the yard.”

“That’s not right. The sister is also missing.”

“Sister? What sister?”

“Their rabbit. The rabbit’s called Little Sister.”

Nie Weimin and Er Dan were really easy children to take care of; they never ran off far, and even when they went out to play, they’d come back after a while to check in.

Today, it was indeed strange not hearing anything from them.

Nie Bozhao went out searching but didn’t find them.

He returned and asked Chen Lina what they should do.

Chen Lina was in the kitchen cooking.

She called out, “Er Dan, Er Dan, the yogurt is ready.”

Soon, two kids came running from the neighbor’s house, one in front of the other, pretending to drive a little train, “Wooo-whoo,” and came over.

Er Dan was holding the rabbit cage.

“Why didn’t you come back earlier?”

“Report, comrade, we had to protect Little Sister. We couldn’t let the enemy capture her,” Nie Weimin said seriously.

“That’s not right. We couldn’t let Uncle catch her,” Er-Dan corrected.

Chen Lina said, “Alright, go eat the yogurt. After you’re done, we’ll go to Wumayi before it gets dark and pick up our welfare benefits.”

The annual supplies issued by the unit hadn’t been brought back yet.

Moreover, the road to Wumayi was really difficult.

Only with her skills could she manage to drive an old Hongqi (Red Flag car) all the way to Wumayi.

As for the large truck drivers from the base, they either had their cars overturned by the wind or broke down halfway.

Nie Weimin and Er Dan both loved the yogurt that Chen Lina made, with raisins, nuts, fruits, and cooked oats.

Every time, she would add something different to it.

Each person had a bowl, and when they scooped it up with a spoon, Nie Weimin would mutter, “Oats, again, oats.”

The golden fried oats, mixed in with the yogurt, tasted especially delicious.

After quickly feeding San Dan half a bowl and seeing that he wasn’t eating anymore, Chen Lina took a short break to adjust her sewing machine.

“Come with me to Wumayi and pick up the welfare supplies for us,” she said.

Nie Bozhao firmly replied, “I can’t go. I have to finish my writing and earn some writing fees.”

“You’re always writing. Can’t you write fewer pieces?”

“The articles I’ve agreed to write can’t be postponed. Besides, it’s twenty yuan per piece. I have to earn that, otherwise, what will you live on?” Nie Bozhao didn’t even look up.

“You’re not earning money, you’re earning tickets. How nice would that be?”

With money, a car, free gas, and even a sewing machine, why would she still want tickets?

It was something that Nie Bozhao could never accomplish.

He could earn money, but tickets were distributed by the government, and no one could bypass that rule.

“There’s nothing we can’t buy with money. We’re not short of money. Why do you always think about tickets? If it’s really not enough, I’ll take on more freelance jobs from other newspapers,” Nie Bozhao said in a domineering tone.

“Your attitude is just right. Earning money to support the family is your responsibility. But no matter how much you earn, those middlemen can just jack up the prices. I’m really worried about your health, old Nie,” Chen Lina said with concern.

Hearing her express concern for his health made Nie Bozhao happy. “Xiao Chen didn’t say he wanted to ask you to work? You could be a cashier or a teacher or something, just to supplement the family. At least you’d get more grain tickets and cloth tickets. Why don’t you go?”

Chen Lina teased him, “A cashier or teacher? How could those jobs possibly match the uniqueness of Base’s license plate number 0002 and my identity as Chen Lina? I have a better job waiting for me, just waiting for me to take up the position. Don’t worry about it.”

“Since jobs are supposed to be chosen by people, our little Comrade Chen is really impressive—able to choose jobs. But can you leak a little inside information? What kind of job are you eyeing? Come on, tell me…” He looked at her eagerly, preparing to get involved in her grand plans.

“I, Chen Lina, am the most beautiful wife in this base. I married the most valuable man in this base, and of course, I must also be the one who creates the most value for this base. There’s a job waiting for me. Just wait and see,” she said confidently.

Complimenting each other, her words made Nie Bozhao feel elated, and he voluntarily offered to take care of the two little ones, allowing Chen Lina to go with Nie Weimin to pick up the welfare supplies.

Chen Lina thought to herself, “Old Nie, old Nie, one day, I’ll make you regret this.”

Having adjusted her sewing machine and resisting the urge to make a skirt right away, she stood up and set off for Wumayi to bring back fruits and vegetables.