The red-headed document was signed around last year’s New Year, and it was signed by Sun Zhuanman herself.

Chen Lina had found it while cleaning at home and brought it straight to the farm.

At this point, several angry people rushed up and started shouting around Sun Xiangnan, “We should call her a thief, she insulted Comrade Sun! She’s not fit to be the warehouse manager!”

“No, we should report her to the mine. Since she was appointed by the mine, they should handle it. Don’t be impulsive, comrades! Let’s deal with this rationally,” someone shouted from the crowd.

Chen Lina took her sister’s arm and said, “Alright, sis, forget about the flour here. I’ll take the stuff and cook something for you.”

What she needed to do now was stir up the situation from the bottom up, so that the Sun family could no longer stay comfortably in the farm, and then take the issue to the mine to ask for a position.

As for today, it was better to spend some time with her sister.

“It’s been a long time since I wrote to Mom. I don’t even know how she and Dad are doing. Here at the base, anyone trying to enter has to go through layers of approval, but old Nie can still get some quotas. I want to bring Mom and Dad here, what do you think?” Chen Lina said while cooking.

When Chen Lili arrived, the countryside in Qixi was already in the middle of a revolution.

The two of them managed to escape safely, but their parents got caught up in the revolution.

“How can I not be anxious, but this is something I can only worry about in my heart. I’m counting on old Nie,” said Chen Lili.

“Don’t worry, I’ll urge old Nie to ask for people from Qixi. You and your husband should be prepared to have your parents live with you for the next few years.”

“He doesn’t say much, but he’s been very diligent lately. He’s the one working in the fields and cleaning the tables, just like your old Nie taught him.” Chen Lili sighed and added, “No wonder you were determined to marry him after just one meeting. Your husband really isn’t bad.”

While Chen Lina was busy helping her sister cook, she turned around and saw her sister quietly kiss the soft cheek of her third child San Dan.

Chen Lili was around 25 or 26 and still didn’t have children.

After returning from the farm, it was soon the New Year.

Because production couldn’t be stopped, the New Year break was only three days long.

The children could eat their fill, set off a few firecrackers, and play together.

Nie Bozhao and his team had received a central government mission to install a batch of machines.

After coming home for dinner on New Year’s Eve, they left and hadn’t returned.

By the seventh day of the New Year, the holiday was over, and everyone at the base could finally relax.

That was when people started visiting relatives, gathering, and drinking.

At the base, the custom was that one day, the family would cook at one house, and the men would eat there.

The next day, the family would cook at another house, and the men would eat there. It was always bustling with activity.

Nie Bozhao, being an engineer, was different from others.

Aside from work reports, no one dared to visit his home, so Chen Lina didn’t have to cook for others every day.

However, she couldn’t ignore the need for favors, so after making some fried dough twists and snacks, she sent some over to Aunt Ha, Sister Wang, and Lu Fangfang to maintain the goodwill.

When Nie Bozhao returned from the Gobi Desert after several days, he had lost a lot of weight, and his beard was unkempt.

When he entered, he picked up his third child, and the child, thinking it was the stinky Uncle Ha from next door, cried loudly in fright.

“I can rest for three days now. Section Chief Gao and Secretary A have invited us to dinner at Umai. But I think I made a mistake.”

“What mistake?”

“Secretary A’s family is a housewife, so that’s fine. But Section Chief Gao’s family is from the base. The clothes won’t be bad. I forgot to remind you to get yourself a nice outfit.”

Chen Lina had made clothes for the kids from the only cloth they had.

She still wore the same floral cotton jacket from when she arrived, with a work shirt of Nie Bozhao’s cut into a baggy top.

In this era, the simpler, the better.

“Don’t worry, I’ve prepared the clothes. Not only do I have them, but the kids do too, right? Er Dan?”

Er Dan quickly nodded, “We’re little sailors.”

The same clothes, but Nie Weimin’s were as white as the snow on the mountain.

No matter how hard Chen Lina scrubbed them, they were still dirty and couldn’t be cleaned.

“We’ll need some gifts for the leaders. What should we give?” Nie Bozhao looked around, unsure of what to offer.

Er Dan said, “We have big chicken legs to give.”

“If we give those away, what will we eat?” Nie Weimin objected.

After all, their big chicken legs were something others could never make.

“We also have little fried dough twists, they’re delicious.” Er Dan replied.

“If we give those away, what will you eat? I only eat one every day, and you want to eat three.”

One brother was generous to the point of almost giving away everything, while the other was so petty that he didn’t want to share anything.

The two brothers’ personalities were like day and night.

“I’ve got good stuff prepared. You just say when we leave,” Chen Lina said.

Nie Bozhao was a little worried. “Comrade Xiao Chen, Secretary A and Section Chief Gao are leaders. Things like coffee and wine are good items. You can keep them for ourselves, but we can’t take them out in front of the leaders.”

She was the most capitalist person at the base, secretly indulging in luxury.

She’d buy a bottle of red wine, drink a glass before bed every night, claiming it was for beauty and good sleep.

“Giving gifts is about making everyone happy. Don’t worry, I’ve got it under control,” Chen Lina reassured him.

Even though Rao had prepared clothes for the three kids in the middle of the night, it still felt like a battle when they woke up the next morning.

By the time Er Dan was dressed, he ran out for a quick lap and came back with his clothes dirty again, needing another round of brushing off.

Nie Weimin’s pants were ironed neatly the night before, but by morning, he still felt they weren’t crisp enough.

He took the iron and began pressing them again himself.

However, this child was always careful with everything he did, so Chen Lina didn’t worry.

He was steady and knew what he was doing.

Once all the kids were strapped into the car, Chen Lina could finally get herself ready.

“Dad, why isn’t Mom out yet?” Nie Weimin became anxious after waiting for a while.

Nie Bozhao, always in his old-fashioned liberation-style clothes, black-rimmed glasses, and a Parker pen tucked in his pencil case, smiled and said, “Women are always a bit more complicated when they go out. Let’s wait.”

After about ten minutes, from the car window, Erdan saw Qian Gaodian rush out like a small cannonball, shouting something, and running off like the wind.

“Dad, it must be the projection team coming. They’re probably going to show a movie. I want to go see.” Er Dan yelled.

“You’ll see the movie tonight. What’s there to see now? Stay put,” Nie Bozhao replied.

“Dad, I want some water,” San Dan started calling again.

“Once we get to Wumayi, Auntie Abo will have soda for you. Hang on,” Chen Lina replied.

They were still stalling, and if they delayed much longer, it would be afternoon by the time they reached Wumayi.

“She’s finally out!” Nie Weimin was so happy he nearly jumped up but then sat back down.

He whispered, “Dad, I have to say, Mom is really pretty.”

“You always call her ‘Mom’ in front of me, but why don’t you call her that when you’re with her?” Nie Bozhao found it amusing.

Nie Weimin blushed and didn’t answer.

She was wearing a khaki-colored coat with a turn-down collar, a handmade wool sweater underneath, and a cool floral shirt inside.

If you looked closely, you could see that the shirt had been modified from one of Nie Bozhao’s old work shirts.

Her hair was curled into large ringlets, but it was tied up neatly.

She wore the same khaki pants, not bulky like others’ cotton pants but clean and neat—four words summed it up: crisp and beautiful.

“Going out with such a mom must bring you a lot of pride, right?” Nie Bozhao teased his son with a smile.

The little one turned red and looked out the window.

They arrived first at Secretary A’s house.

Secretary A’s house was a standard two-bedroom apartment with two living rooms—one upstairs, one downstairs.

The living room was filled with beds.

San Dan, at that age when he was still innocent and didn’t understand anything, was holding a big orange and toddled off toward the bedroom.

Nie Weimin couldn’t get him out, so Chen Lina went in and found an elderly woman sitting in the bedroom, her hair completely white and her teeth all gone.

She seemed to be missing one hand and was curling her remaining fingers to touch the child.

San Dan looked at her hand with only two fingers left in curiosity.

“This is my grandmother, 98 years old, still healthy,” said Secretary A’s spouse, a woman not very old but very overweight. Her name was Alai.

Alai laughed as she spoke.

Chen Lina couldn’t help but sigh, “Housing is really tight.”

“Great-grandmother sleeps with the kids, I sleep with my mother-in-law, and the men sleep outside,” Alai lamented. “Compared to this, I’d rather live in the base; at least I can turn over at night.”

Back in those days, houses were in short supply.

At least in the countryside, every family had a large kang (heating bed), but in the city, some people had to cram ten people into an eight-square-meter room.

Chen Lina had experienced this herself.

She had brought a scarf she had knitted herself and a small woolen vest as a gift.

Although simple, the yarn was multicolored, and the pattern was beautifully woven.

To be honest, if she had brought fruits, vegetables, or a fat lamb, Alai would have refused.

People who visited usually brought gifts with ulterior motives, often reporting cases of corruption.

But when she saw the beautiful flower-patterned scarf, Alai couldn’t resist.

She immediately wrapped it around her neck and ran out to ask Secretary A if he thought it was nice.

At noon, they had a meal at Secretary A’s house, with the three kids’ pockets full of oil cakes, candy, and peanuts that Auntie Alai had stuffed in.

Then, they had to head to District Chief Gao’s house.

Nie Weimin packed two bags but ate very little.

Er Dan’s mouth never stopped, but his bags were already empty.

“I really want to visit relatives every day. Dad, do we have any relatives to visit tomorrow?” Erdan asked.

Nie Weimin, noticing his face covered in sugar, wiped it off with his handkerchief. “If you stay this dirty, we’ll kick you out of the car and leave you in the desert to feed the wolves. Stop thinking about visiting relatives.”

“District Chief Gao’s wife, Helan Mountain, is the director of our refinery. She graduated from Harbin Institute of Technology, a typical strong woman. She used to be good friends with… Weimin’s mom. When we get there, don’t talk. We’ll sit for a while, have dinner, and leave. Got it?” Nie Bozhao finally said as they arrived at the building.

There was only one car downstairs, a Shanghai-brand sedan, which was District Chief Gao’s.

With a sharp turn, Chen Lina maneuvered the car so quickly that the kids didn’t even notice the car had stopped until it was steady.

“Is this a trap? Old Nie, you weren’t like this before. You were gentle and considerate, always thinking of me,” Chen Lina joked.

“After all, District Chief Gao is a superior, and we should maintain these connections. I’m not afraid you won’t come,” Nie Bozhao replied.

“So, you’re asking me to fight a losing battle?” Chen Lina lightly brushed her hair, which she had just ironed. “If you had told me earlier, I would’ve dressed more beautifully.”

“You’re already very beautiful. In fact, there’s no one in Wumayi more beautiful than you…,” Nie Bozhao faltered and then added, borrowing words from Harbin Institute of Technology: “You’re Avarguli.”

Her perm, if she were in the mainland, would certainly be considered a sign of moral decay and she’d be arrested for it.

However, in the frontier, where people with naturally curly hair are common, this was more leniently tolerated.