The punishment for Sun Dabao was finally decided at the mining area until the end of the New Year.

He was classified as a “Soviet revisionist,” sealing his fate for a life of hard labor.

Huang Huacai, his wife, cried herself half to death, most distressed about having “nowhere to take her plea.”

She had saved up a huge sum of five hundred yuan but was unable to spend it on securing Sun Dabao’s release.

But the worst news was brought by Sun Ainan.

“What? What do you mean Director Jiefang’s position is going to be revoked, and what does it mean that our farm is getting a new director?” Hearing the news, Huang Huacai was so shocked she jumped up.

Sun Ainan was upset for more than one reason: “Mom, from what Director He implied, this new director might be someone unfriendly to us.”

“Who else could be the director of our Mulan Farm other than Jiefang? Let’s be honest—your sister is still managing the warehouse, Fusheng is in the personnel department, and every one of us in the Sun family opposes changing the director. This won’t do. I need to go to District Chief Gao and discuss this matter.”

“Enough, Mom. Stop going to Wumayi all the time. Although Chief Gao may tolerate you out of respect for my older sister, he has no real bond with her since he just transferred from Daqing. If you keep bothering him, he’ll start to avoid us, which wouldn’t do any good.”

“Then what do you suggest?”

“My guess is that it’s my sister-in-law, the new wife he married, Chen Lina.

You haven’t seen her, Mom, but she’s quite well-dressed when visiting District Chief Gao’s house. She’s a university student, after all.

She probably sees our farm as her own personal experiment for fulfilling her life goals.” Her tone was laced with sarcasm.

“Whether it’s that Chen Lina or some Mountain King, whoever dares to take the director’s position, I’ll make sure they leave, or I’ll change my last name if I can’t!”

“Technically, your last name is Huang, not Sun,” Sun Xiangnan muttered.

Desperate to find out if Chen Lina was really a “stinky intellectual,” Sun Ainan scoured for information, asking everyone.

The base was like a fortress—no information got out. It was frustrating.

As spring began, the weather in Wumayi was as fickle as the desert—scorching by midday, making one’s scalp tingle, then freezing by night as the wind cut through the air.

It was the busiest time at the newly opened Base 3, and Nie Bozhao had been out for two weeks without returning.

With a sunburned face, Chen Lina escorted two agricultural experts from Yili Farm to the security station for reporting, then waited by the roadside.

Her car, with license plate number 0002, provided her with incredible convenience.

For instance, everyone heading to Urumu needed to pass through multiple layers of security checkpoints, but she was rarely stopped.

The only downside was the poor road to Urumu.

Fortunately, her little car was sturdy, and the frozen ground hadn’t thawed enough to collapse.

Otherwise, a trip from Urumu to Wumayi would have been unimaginable.

The three children spent their days traveling around with her.

There were always strangers—older men dressed in shabby clothes who looked as if they were fleeing from famine—who got rides in her car.

As soon as they got in, they’d start telling stories about their farm labor days: how to roast field mice to taste just right, what sparrow meat was like.

The children listened with fascination.

Another guest heading to the security station for registration was sitting with their mother.

They were waiting in the car outside.

“Mom, I’m hungry. I want some ‘dalieba’ bread.”

The supply store sold delicious dalieba—a golden-brown, crispy-crusted bread filled with layers of walnuts and raisins, soft, fluffy, and sweet.

This was a recipe passed down from the Soviet Union.

Their car was parked right in front of the supply store, and Erdan’s face was practically glued to the window, drooling.

“Erdan, it’s not that Mom doesn’t want to buy it for you, but we’ve already gone over this month’s budget. These uncles and big brothers have used up a lot of Mom’s money.”

“Then why are we helping them? Wouldn’t it be better to keep the money for ourselves?” Nie Weimin was puzzled.

“Because they’re all good friends of your father. Besides, next year or the year after, they’ll bring us fresh fruits, and our base will have more than enough dalieba and cotton. By then, I can even clear out the storage room to make you your own bedroom.”

Nie Weimin’s interest was piqued.

He was growing up, soon to be a first-grader, and a private space sounded appealing.

“We could do it now too. Our child support money is thirty yuan a month, and you’re in charge of it,” he suggested.

“Young Comrade Nie, do you think thirty yuan is a lot? Don’t you know your little leather shoes cost ten yuan per pair?” They could only afford one pair of shoes for Nie Weimin because of the price.

Shoes, after all, could be passed down from one child to the next, just like clothing.

But with the New Year over, all three brothers’ clothes were getting tight, and new ones were needed.

Chen Lina hadn’t managed to get any fabric yet.

“Three years new, three years old, three more years with patches”—they’d just have to make do.

Since they couldn’t afford dalieba, after dropping off Professor Qiu from Northern Agricultural University at the farm, Chen Lina turned the car around to head back.

“Mom, why are we going so slowly? Remember the night San Dan had a fever? You drove so fast it felt like the car was flying!” Erdan looked at the snowy mountains outside, feeling a bit bored with the slow ride.

Chen Lina replied, “Mom would love to, but your Uncle Xiao’s car has imported snow tires and anti-skid chains, so he’s not afraid of slipping. If we go too fast in this car, we’ll end up stuck in the sand pits!”

“Then, should we buy snow tires, too? We have money.”

“What money?”

“The support money, of course. We have support money.” Nie Weimin said firmly, “That money is yours.” He sounded very generous.

Chen Lina chuckled, “A set of snow tires costs at least a few dozen dollars. That little support money of yours won’t cover it. That money was earned by your mom with her life; it should only be used for you.”

Thinking of his mother, Nie Weimin remembered how she used to take him to visit the chief engineer’s and the district leader’s homes.

She was tall, had long legs, always walked briskly, and kept a stern face.

Yet, he loved her very much because she was his real mother.

The child fell silent, feeling melancholy.

At that moment, Sun Ainan also came out from the farm.

Her husband was only a personnel manager in the mining district, so she didn’t have a car.

She had to catch a ride on Liu Jiefang’s tractor to the base, where she’d then switch to a truck heading back to the Umai mining area.

Coincidentally, Huang Huacai was also on the tractor.

When she saw Chen Lina’s little car with the three children inside, Huang Huacai started pointing and shouting.

Although the tractor noise drowned her out, it was clear she was cursing.

The three children simultaneously broke into loud sobs.

Chen Lina stepped on the gas, leaving the tractor far behind.

The old lady was left fuming in the distance, watching the car with frustration.

“Our support money isn’t just thirty dollars,” Nie Weimin finally said after the car was far away. “I was there when the leaders mediated, so I know we had five thousand dollars, but my grandmother took it.”

Well, it seemed this kid was finally starting to understand things.

“Yes, I also heard your mom had a five-thousand-dollar pension. That money should be saved for your college fund, kept in the credit union as a fixed deposit. We’d even earn an extra nineteen dollars a year in interest. But, do you want that money?”

“Yes,” Nie Weimin and Erdan answered in unison.

Who wouldn’t want money?

“Good. If you want it, let’s go to the base now and talk to the leaders. I’ll help you get it back,” said Chen Lina.

In fact, she should have reclaimed that money last year.

But back then, both Nie Weimin and Nie Bozhao were wary of her, so she had delayed it.

She had to support these children through college, to keep them from following the path they had taken in their previous lives, getting caught up in society from their teenage years.

For that, the education fund was essential.

Regardless of how Sun Zhuannan in the afterlife might feel about this money, Chen Lina believed that the money her friend had earned with her life should go toward her sons’ education.

When they reached the base, she carried Sandan on her back and had Nie Weimin change into cloth shoes.

The kids had all grown over the New Year, and their nicest sailor suits had become too short.

The four of them then headed toward the base office building.

“I hear that Comrade Chen is about to be promoted to the head of our Mulan Farm?” Chief Engineer Wang remarked in private to Chen Lina for the first time, pointing at her.

“The saying ‘A newborn calf has no fear of the tiger’ is true, but Comrade Chen, the farm is different from the base—it’s a world of its own. Do you understand what I mean by ‘a world of its own’?”

“A world of its own means that, even though everyone knows there are reasons behind low production and that Sun Dabao rules the farm like a tyrant, no one dares to intervene.”

“Comrade Chen, let me be candid with you.

You know how things are in this country.

Sun Dabao was not only the head of security back then but also the squad leader of a revolutionary team.

You know what that means—he can ruin you with a single label, and the entire base would have to shut down.

We have to prioritize production, so we can’t afford to provoke him.”

“I understand, sir. But I believe nothing is more important than ensuring everyone has enough to eat.” Chen Lina replied.

Sun Dabao, who was the most adept at labeling people, was ultimately labeled a Soviet revisionist by his brother-in-law, trampled to the ground, and forever lost his status.

Born into a world of struggle, he met his end through struggle—a bitter irony.

“Alright, from now on, we’re equals. If you ever encounter any difficulties, come to me; I’ll help however I can. And I hope you can get the farm on track. In three years, let’s aim to ensure everyone has enough food,” said Chief Engineer Wang.

Chen Lina smiled.

The word had already spread throughout the mining district before the work was even started.

When Nie Weimin brought up the matter of the pension, Chief Engineer Wang’s smile froze. “Comrade Chen, that money was already distributed. Comrade Huang Huacai took it, so it might not be appropriate to ask for it back. Besides, the base would rather avoid any complications for the sake of peace, even Old Nie didn’t press for it.”