After she got her salary, she had new clothes made for herself.

Her hair was lightly curled and perfectly styled, not a strand out of place.

As long as she didn’t chatter, she was quiet, obedient, elegant, confident, and beautiful—perfect for both home and work.

The farm’s top leader, a person with real power, held a higher title than him and could stand side by side with the chief engineer.

“Still not asleep?” Ne Bozhao asked, having shaved his beard and taken a bath.

He felt his attitude was very sincere.

However, Chen Lina didn’t even look up: “Oh, okay, you go ahead and sleep. I’ll keep studying this year’s vegetable seeds.”

“Chen Lina, I think we should stick to our old routine—once a month, for our married life. It’s the ideal state for a couple. So tonight, we should have our marital relations, right?” Ne Bozhao said.

“No car keys, no marital relations. You proposed to me eight times, and only once was sincere. You still haven’t returned my car keys. Do you think I’ll agree?” Chen Lina replied.

“Car keys? Don’t even think about it.” With that, Ne Bozhao closed the door to the study and got into bed.

“Who wouldn’t get angry?” Chen Lina thought to herself.

She purposely stayed up late, then stood up, opened the door, and was ready to leave.

“Miss Chen, are you forcing me to use a belt to tie you up?”

“Go ahead, tie me up. Tomorrow I’ll sue you for assault.”

“Our country’s laws don’t consider marital rape a crime. A man with his wife is perfectly natural. Moreover, we should channel our energy into building the frontier, but we must also fulfill our obligations in daily life.”

“Not considering marital rape is an injustice of the law. You’re a graduate of an industrial university, you should understand that laws are tools to protect the people, not weapons to harm women. If you don’t know the law, it’s one thing, but to use its loopholes as weapons is even worse. You’re worse than an unscrupulous lawyer.”

“Well, you have a point. But what if I do force myself on you?”

Tonight, it was going to happen.

Ne Bozhao had calculated that, according to Chen Lina’s menstrual cycle, on this particular day, she wouldn’t be menstruating.

“If you dare force yourself on me, I’ll leave tomorrow. Whoever wants to raise your son can go ahead and do it.” With a swipe, Chen Lina took the belt from his pants and threw it out the door.

“Miss Chen, I love you. Did you see that snow lotus? I picked it for you in the snowy mountains. Isn’t it beautiful?” Ne Bozhao said, forcing a smile despite the pain in his teeth.

The “princess syndrome” was too deep, and the medicine wasn’t enough to cure it.

Ne Bozhao tried again, “When I got off the bus at the base, I saw you weren’t back. My sons are still waiting outside. I walked eight miles to the farm just to make sure you’re the first to see this snow lotus.” Surely this would be enough.

Chen Lina sighed, not wanting to deal with him, but also tired.

She still had to get the car keys back from him, so she decided to temporarily give in and torture him next time.

But she was curious: “Did you just pick the snow lotus this morning? How is it still so fresh? It hasn’t even been soaked in water, and it looks like it won’t wilt.”

“I cut it, sealed the stem with wax. That way, the nutrients and moisture won’t escape. It can last 48 hours without wilting.” He just wanted her to look at it.

Ne Bozhao thought, if this continued, he might just end up killing this woman.

But luckily, once a month, he could still handle it!

Chen Lina sat at the head of the bed, inhaling the fragrance.

“This is the female flower of the snow lotus. It’s edible, has beauty-enhancing properties, and warms the womb. It’s a secret, treasured herbal remedy from the north and south of Tianshan. You should taste it. It’s very sweet,” Ne Bozhao said, taking advantage of the moment.

Of course, as she tasted the flower, he flipped over and pinned her down.

Chen’s father and mother arrived when the May grass was growing, and the orioles were flying.

Along the way, He Lan’er kept exclaiming, “Oh my, although it’s all barren desert outside, the weather is warm. The frontier really isn’t bad at all.”

Chen Bingcang also said, “Few people here, mainly just fewer people. With fewer people, there must be fewer troubles, right?”

He had fought for a long time to get a family visit permit.

The local government kept delaying, but it wasn’t until Nie Bozhao went to the oil field in Hongyan Province last month on a business trip, personally talking to the provincial authorities, that they finally managed to get approval for the visit.

Of course, once they arrived at the Uma Yi mining area, things were much easier.

As long as the mining area’s health clinic provided a sick leave certificate, the couple could stay here long-term.

“This house is not bad. You should raise a few chickens, why don’t you?” He Lan’er said as she looked around.

“Of course, I’ll raise them, but you can’t just look at it being sunny at noon. It’s freezing in the mornings and evenings, and even if you hatch ten chicks, you’re lucky if one or two survive. The wild ducks, however, freeze by the White Poplar River every day and still don’t die.”

“If your mother-in-law comes, she’ll definitely take good care of the chicks. Don’t you still work? Have her come to help with the kids and cooking, that’d be great,” He Lan’er continued.

Chen Lina pretended not to hear.

She was in the kitchen making highland barley flatbread, stewing a large pot of fish, and frying a big plate of wild duck eggs. The smell was mouthwatering.

Her daughter was tidy and efficient, and reportedly even a farm manager.

He Lan’er was very pleased.

“By the way, you’ve been married for half a year now, how come I haven’t seen you showing yet?”

Half a year, three times. Just like a robot, Old Nie, with his strict routines, followed his patterns diligently, like the wolf howling at the moon, only coming during the full moon.

Furthermore, she was naturally infertile.

“Oh my, it’s only been a short time since you got off the train. Aren’t you feeling dizzy? Why don’t you go lie down for a while? You’re in the kitchen, and you’re blocking my way,” He Lan’er said.

“Your mother-in-law wants to come too. She sends telegrams every day asking to come help you cook and take care of the kids. Look at how busy you are,” He Lan’er couldn’t help but mention.

“I can manage, and these three kids are well-behaved and obedient,” Chen Lina replied.

“Yes, I’ll help bring coal,” Nie Weimin, the little one, said proudly, lifting an empty coal bucket and running outside to fetch coal.

“Having an older couple around is good, you just don’t believe your mother’s words,” He Lan’er said.

“Mom, I don’t care what Huang Guilan’s family is like. Nie Lao Er’s family has six daughters. If Old Nie wants to bring them here, I have no problem, but if you ask me to bring them here, don’t even think about it. Everyone should live their own life with their own abilities. If those old folks come, it will be endless.”

“Mom still thinks it’s good to have an older person around, after all, you have so much to do at home, and you still have to go to work. I see you’ve lost weight and I’m worried you’re overworked,” He Lan’er said, standing.

Suddenly, she felt something poking at her from behind, like someone was jabbing her with a little stick.

Turning around, San Dan was standing behind her, holding a tree branch and poking her.

“Go away, go away,” San Dan said.

“San Dan, how can you speak like that? This is your grandma, your mom’s mother. She’s going to live at the farm too. How can you try to chase her away? Didn’t mom teach you manners? Where did all your manners go?” Chen Lina said.

“I don’t want Grandma or anything, I just want mom. She scolds mom, I hate Grandma,” the little one said, poking enthusiastically.

To him, when two women were talking loudly, it seemed like they were arguing.

“This child, what are you saying? She’s my daughter. If you keep being rude like this, I’ll take her away,” He Lan’er said, pretending to pull Chen Lina away.

Oh my, San Dan was so angry that he raised the stick and swung it towards He Lan’er’s head.

“Alright, Mom, go lie down for a bit. I have to stew this fish. Once the fish is done, the flatbreads by the side of the pot will be ready, and we’ll have boiled fish with flatbread for dinner,” Chen Lina said.

The pot smelled so good it made one’s mouth water.

Chen Lina then took San Dan to the master bedroom. “Dan’er, I’m going to ask you, why did you hit Grandma?”

“She wanted to take you away,” the little one said.

Chen Lina picked him up and said, “No, this isn’t right. You’ve been acting strange ever since your dad came back. Yesterday, you even hit Little Jinbao from Tiantian’s house, and now Tiantian hasn’t come to our house for two days. What’s going on?”

San Dan, the youngest, had always been the most spoiled, with a big head and a skinny neck, looking like a little turnip.

He pouted, “I didn’t hit her.”

“You did hit her, but you don’t want to admit it, right?”

“Yes,” he said quietly, admitting the truth.