It really is a snow lotus, a white snow lotus flower, with petals that are both stretched out and fresh, without a single bit of wilting or wrinkles.

It’s March, a time when spring is still in transition.

The Gobi Desert is still devoid of any green, the snow has mostly melted, leaving only an endless stretch of desert.

Seeing such a beautiful snow lotus bloom really makes one feel a sense of freshness and joy.

Looking at it, one can imagine the joy of the nomadic hunters from thousands of years ago, who, after spending a long winter, would see such a flower on the snow-covered mountains and feel ecstatic.

At home, there’s a wild chicken that Wang Hongbing caught on the Gobi Desert.

The children like to pluck its feathers to make shuttlecocks, and the tail feathers are already gone, leaving it looking more like a common chicken.

It hasn’t been eaten yet.

Chen Lina had been saving it up for a long time, waiting for her husband to return before cooking it.

She planned to stew the wild chicken with the snow lotus.

But since her husband was angry, she didn’t dare to ask him for it.

He placed the snow lotus in an empty bottle and set it in the study.

Not knowing whether she should water it or not, Chen Lina thought to herself, “What if it wilts?”

Upon entering the house, Nie Bozhao first shaved his beard.

All his razor blades were used up on the Gobi Desert, and there were no new ones available, so he could only sharpen the old blades.

“Weimin, Weimin,” he called from outside.

No one responded, so Nie Bozhao called again, “Little Nie, Little Nie.”

With a clatter, the little one rushed in through the door, followed by several others—Qian Gaodan, Qin Kangkang, and Xiao Jinbao—all rushing into the Nie family yard.

“Have you been listening to your mother lately?” Nie Bozhao asked.

“Yes, of course. I’ve been chopping the firewood recently,” Nie Weimin proudly said, raising his little hands.

Since his stepmother came six months ago, the boy had become much more cheerful.

“What about Er Dan? How come he’s still so dirty?”

“He’s a goldfish, only has a three-second memory. I told him three seconds ago not to play in the dirt, but in that short time, I didn’t remind him, and he forgot,” Nie Weimin explained.

“He’s your brother, how can he be a goldfish?”

“My mom said he’s a goldfish,” Nie Weimin insisted confidently.

“What about San Dan? Why’s he drooling again? Don’t you have a handkerchief from me? Why don’t you wipe his mouth?” Three-year-old San Dan could never stop drooling.

Nie Weimin hurriedly pulled out the handkerchief and wiped it quickly, saying, “Hurry up, I still need to go lead my troops.”

“You stand there, I haven’t finished asking. Didn’t I give you cloth coupons? There should be some velvet at the supply and marketing cooperative. Why are you still wearing these white clothes? Look at Er Dan, that’s not white, it’s gray,” Nie Bozhao scolded.

“Mom made me new clothes. He wants to wear them, so what does it have to do with me?” Nie Weimin grumbled, suddenly running into the kitchen.

He said, “Comrade Chen, I think my dad’s acting strange.”

“What’s strange about him?”

“I’m here with my troops, and he keeps asking all sorts of things,” Nie Weimin said seriously, his little face turning red with anger. “He needs to give me some respect when my troops are here.”

“You’re not really an officer, though,” Chen Lina teased.

“Doesn’t he notice he’s not talking to me?” Nie Weimin fumed.

“How could you fight with him after he just came back?”

“Ask him yourself,” Chen Lina said, standing up from the stove, where she was cooking the wild chicken.

The snow lotus could only be looked at, not eaten, so she added a bit of dried “red herb” to the stew.

San Dan had been drooling a lot recently because he had eaten too much during the New Year celebrations, and, combined with the cold weather, it had weakened his stomach.

The “red herb” was a medicine for improving appetite and digestion, given to Chen Lina by an old professor from the farm.

She cooked the red herb and mixed it into the meal, using it as a medicinal dish to help the children’s stomachs.

Two of the three kids needed to strengthen their stomachs.

Er Dan had grown into a little chubby kid, and it was too late for him to lose weight, so they just let him grow freely.

“When will the chicken soup be ready? Why is there only dry bread in the house?” Nie Bozhao finally asked, his hunger getting the better of him.

“Nothing’s left at the supply depot, only mice. Want to eat those?” Chen Lina teased him.

“Roast field mice? Sure, I’ll go dig up some red mud for us,” Er Dan immediately drooled. “Mom, where are the field mice? I’ll cover them with mud, I’m really good at it.”

They would gut the field mice, season them, cover them with mud, and roast them in the oven for two hours.

Afterward, they would crack the mud open, and the skin would come off easily, leaving the meat fragrant and tender.

However, the adults didn’t eat this, and Chen Lina had been more lenient recently.

The older kids were the ones coming up with these ideas.

“No eating field mice, that thing makes me feel nauseous just by looking at it. But Nie Weimin, where is the thing you’re supposed to find for me?”

“It’s here, it’s here.” Not long after, Nie Weimin, looking like a little cannonball, rushed in, holding a bunch of wild duck eggs in both hands.

“Bro, where did you find these duck eggs? Why didn’t you take me along to get them?” Er Dan, seeing several large duck eggs, got anxious.

Nie Weimin replied, “Every time I bring you, the wild duck eggs never safely make it back to the base. Of course, I don’t bring you. Even Qian Goudan is more careful than you.”

“Can they leave the base now?” Nie Bozhao was shocked.

He had only been gone for a couple of months, but Wei Min seemed to have grown at least a year older.

He was whiter, fatter, and more sensible.

With his sharp eyes and small, handsome face, he looked like the kind of kid who would be the leader of the group.

“Yep, they can. They go to the White Poplar River, since the ice has melted there, and the wild ducks have started laying eggs recently.”

“Letting them wander out of the base might not be too good, especially since there are wolves in the desert.”

“I knew about it when your son had already been out three times. But recently, the people from our farm have been digging well pits by the White Poplar River. The hunger has made them desperate enough to eat wolves, so the wolves don’t dare come.”

By March and April, the entire border was really something.

Aside from tractors on the ground and white clouds in the sky, everything else had been eaten.

“Mom, what should we fry the wild duck eggs with today?” Er Dan, following behind, kept muttering.

“No, I can’t let them go to waste. I have to call Tian Tian over.” She was the little princess of their three brothers.

“Go ahead, and take two raw ones to Tian Tian’s mom. As long as they don’t break, I’ll let you have an extra bowl of rice tonight.”

She moved the wild chicken soup to the coal stove, cleaned the pot, and added oil.

She had already run out of clear oil, so Chen Lina had to add a half spoonful of lamb fat.

The lamb fat was refined from lamb intestines, and though it had no strong odor, once the dish cooled, it would solidify, making it unappealing to look at.

She scrambled some tender wild duck eggs, then stewed a pot of soup.

The usual three dishes—spicy eggplant, pickled peppers, and stir-fried veggies—were served, and when the meal was on the table, Nie Bozhao’s eyes were so hungry, they looked red, like a wolf.

“Chen, Chen Chang, someone’s looking for you again.” Outside, Qian Goudan shouted loudly, then curiously ran to the Nie family’s door, sniffing the air. “It smells so good. My family is having wild duck eggs tonight too.”

When you leave the base to get wild duck eggs, it also means you have to endure a beating.

Qian Goudan limped in.

Chen Lina coughed twice and pushed the bowl away. “You guys eat first. I’ll go check.”

Sun Ainan, Sun Xiangnan, and Sun Duoyu all came together.

This time, Sun Xiangnan didn’t dare be careless.

Instead of a handkerchief, he handed over a bulging brown paper envelope, not even sealed, with stacks of ten-yuan bills tied together.

“Chen Chang, this time it’s five thousand yuan. Can you promise not to investigate the finances?”

Chen Lina looked at the money.

Five stacks, each with a hundred bills, probably with a few tricks in between, but Sun Xiangnan likely wouldn’t dare play around with that.

She just pocketed the money.

However, she returned the money to Sun Xiangnan. “Where’s your mom? She hasn’t come yet. Also, where’s your brother, Sun Dabao?”

“My brother is still in labor reform. My mom agreed, but she’s too old and doesn’t want people to make fun of her.

Besides, if we give you the money, that’s the deal. We’ll still be working on the farm, and we’ll try our best to improve.

We can’t push people to the brink, Chen Chang. A desperate dog will jump over the wall.”

In fact, after Huang Huacai got better, she used Sun Zhuannan’s martyr certificate to catch a train to Beijing, determined to see the leader and petition.

Of course, her passbook was kept safe, but a few daughters secretly stole it, canceled the old one, and got a new one, so the money was still there.

In today’s society, women like Huang Huacai wouldn’t suffer no matter where they went.

She certainly wouldn’t be at a disadvantage, but whether the petition would achieve the desired result was another story.

In any case, the five thousand yuan was returned intact to the three children.

…..

Late at night, when Dad just came back, everyone inside and outside was sweeping and mopping.

The coal was carried in, and the water was fetched.

Little worker Nie Weimin didn’t have to do anything.

He even pulled two handfuls of peanuts and some particularly sweet chocolate from his dad’s bag, and the three brothers each ate one, laughing excitedly and not wanting to sleep, running back and forth.

“Weimin, what time is it? Why haven’t you put your brothers to bed yet?”

“I’m me, and they’re them. Er Dan doesn’t want to sleep, so I can’t help it. Here, San Dan, let me carry you and put you to sleep, alright?” He said, imitating Chen Lina, and pulled San Dan up.

He patted San Dan’s back like she would: “Good boy, sleep, sleep, and you’ll dream about Dad.”

“I’ve noticed that Weimin is a bit naughty.” Nie Bozhao was very surprised.

Gradually, his anger dissipated, and he smiled.

“I’ve never dreamt of Dad.” San Dan broke free and pointed at Chen Lina. “I only dream of Mom. Mom drives a little car and takes me to the farm.”

Going to the farm with Mom was the happiest thing.

Mom would laugh with a group of old experts, and the pretty young women on the farm would fight to hold and kiss him.

If he needed to pee, a bunch of young women would help him take off his pants.

Mom always said: “My dear San Dan, this is the peak of your life now.”

When he couldn’t go to the farm with Mom, San Dan would always dream of those happy scenes.

“Alright, hurry up and sleep.” Nie Bozhao said.

“We want Mom. We want to sleep with Mom.” San Dan started again, after all, he was used to being held by Chen Lina when sleeping.

“Not tonight. Besides, look, spring is here. Dad will add another bed for you. You’ll have to sleep separately now.”

“Okay!” Nie Weimin was very happy.

“Not okay.” The two younger ones weren’t happy.

After brushing their teeth and getting the three kids onto the bed, Chen Lina had to deal with the books from the Mulan Farm.

Nie Bozhao glanced at the brown paper envelope on the table and said, “Five thousand yuan, Chen Lina, you actually took the kids’ allowance?”

“Of course.” Now, the office desk belonged to Chen Chang, her files were on one side, and Nie Bozhao’s were on the other.

“What are you going to do with this money?”

“It’s for the three kids. My opinion is to save it in the bank for their college education. What do you think?”

“You didn’t want the best cosmetics, small fur, or daily glasses of capitalist red wine? This money is yours now. You can spend it however you like. Why do you insist on saving it?” Nie Bozhao still remembered how confident she was when she asked for money.

“I have a salary, just a little lower. Fifty bucks a month is enough to support myself. Why would I use the kids’ money?” When she talked about buying small fur back then, it was just to annoy him.

He actually took her seriously.

Her words left Nie Bozhao speechless.