“If you’re saying the money was for helping out old professors, I’ve got to tell you—every single one of those people you secretly sent money to is now living on my farm. And if you’re saying it went to that male classmate or the widowed female classmate, then don’t even think about taking the train to Beijing tomorrow morning.” Chen Lina said.

“Chen, you’re being overly jealous here. I’ve got three kids already. If I had extra money, wouldn’t I save it up to raise them instead of sending it to some female classmate?”

“Then it must’ve gone to someone back home. Don’t tell me you gave it to your biological parents?”

After a moment of silence, a twitch crossed Nie Bozhao’s poker face.

Chen Lina picked up on it right away.

She pinched him again, forcing the truth out.

“Fine. My youngest sister—our fourth—she got married, didn’t she? She was so young, I don’t know what the rush was, marrying some guy from Zhao Family Village. When she was giving birth, she nearly didn’t make it. So, I gave 200 yuan to Second Brother Nie.”

“There it is,” Chen Lina said. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Second Brother came by train at the time, but you happened to be at the farm, so I didn’t let him in. I just gave him 200 yuan and sent him off.”

“What was he here for?”

“He wandered around the farm, saw that your parents were doing pretty well out on the frontier, noticed that your sister and Wang Hongbing were living fine too, and then—well—he got the idea of moving to the farm himself. I turned him down.”

“You gave him money and sent him away? Do you think they’ll just leave it at that and never come back?” Nie Bozhao, with no practical experience in such matters, was clearly underestimating the determination of his biological parents, Second Brother Nie, and family.

“I don’t know if your sister’s marriage or her difficult childbirth is true or not, but I know one thing: Second Brother Nie came here, saw how well my parents are living out here, and with the lump sum of money you handed over, he’s bound to move his entire family over here sooner or later. Mark my words.”

“So what do you think we should do?” Nie Bozhao asked.

“I don’t know.” Chen Lina replied.

“And tonight’s… uh, marital relations?”

“Canceled.” Click. The light went out.

Nie Bozhao was furious. “Comrade Chen, we already only do this once a month, and now you’re telling me you’re going to start a cold war?”

“Of course, a cold war is inevitable. I don’t love you anyway. Besides, it’s my choice to fulfill or not fulfill marital obligations.” Chen Lina replied.

“Even when Sun Zhuannan and I had the worst fights, she’d never use this kind of thing as a weapon.” Once every two weeks was already bad enough, but now a cold war?

This was just adding insult to injury.

Well, for the first time in his life, Nie brought up his ex during a fight.

Chen Lina was instantly enraged. “Next month’s is canceled too—until you realize your mistake!”

“Comrade Chen, do you know what happened in the world during the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union?” Nie Bozhao asked.

“What happened?” A perfectly good fight had somehow been dragged into an international history lesson.

“America landed on the moon. The Soviets even launched a satellite and landed on Venus. So, if you want a cold war, fine! During this cold war, I, Nie Bozhao, will accomplish something earth-shattering in my laboratory to contribute to the cause of international communism!”

“Sure, I’d love to sleep. Let’s go to bed.” With a casual remark, the person turned over and fell asleep.

Nie Bozhao pondered deeply and suddenly realized that his long-standing habit of not strictly adhering to his once-a-month routine was a significant mistake.

Fine, from now on, he decided to focus on his career.

As for married life—he’d leave it to fate.

Early the next morning, Liu Xiaohong was already up, preparing breakfast.

“Da Dan(Nie Weimin), Da Dan! My mom had a baby brother!” Chen Tiantian called out excitedly from outside.

Nie Weimin and Er Dan immediately dashed out.

Shortly after, they returned with an update: Chen Zili’s family had a “little mouse.”

“What do you mean by ‘little mouse’? It’s a baby brother, okay?” Chen Lina said with a laugh.

“It really looks like a little mouse—red, wrinkly, and squeaks when it cries!” Er Dan gestured dramatically with his hands, mimicking squeaky cries.

Nie Weimin added, “The doctor said the baby was premature because the mother fell last night.”

Liu Xiaohong worked quickly and efficiently in the kitchen.

Early in the morning, without needing Chen Lina’s help, she chopped the greens into fine pieces, cracked an egg, and mixed it with fine flour.

Before long, soft and fluffy pancakes were ready.

She made soup with just five eggs, but Chen Lina counted the people at the table and added another egg.

She tapped Liu Xiaohong’s forehead and said, “Xiaohong, do you understand what it means to be a lady? Do you know what ‘ladies first’ means? In this house, the two of us come before everyone else. Why are you only serving them eggs but not yourself?”

“Auntie, pancakes are enough for me. I never eat eggs in the morning.”

“I don’t care about what you do elsewhere. In my house, it’s all or nothing—either everyone eats, or no one does. Since you call me ‘Auntie,’ I need to tell you something from the heart. Do you understand what self-respect and self-love mean?”

Liu Xiaohong bit her lip, smiled, and shook her head without saying a word.

Chen Lina continued, “To others, it might sound like I’m scolding you, but I’m not criticizing or saying you’re bad. Your family background has instilled a sense of inferiority in your character. But if a girl becomes self-deprecating, she loses perspective. Without perspective, there’s no confidence. A girl without confidence will never truly shine. You must be confident and open, like Tiantian—that’s the quality of a truly good girl.”

Look at Chen Tiantian.

Her face is round and chubby, her nose is flat, and her complexion is sallow—far from the natural beauty Liu Xiaohong possesses.

But Tiantian’s loving parents and her cheerful, carefree nature make her personality warm and inviting, like a little sister hanging by the door.

She’s naturally the kind of person people feel comfortable around and easily like.

“Got it, Auntie,” Liu Xiaohong replied cheerfully as she quickly brought the soup to the dining table. Knocking on the door, she called out, “Uncle, time to eat!”

Chen Lina opened the kitchen cabinet and found eight eggs left—these were the last ones before the New Year supplies arrived.

Nie Bozhao had to travel to Beijing for a commendation ceremony.

He’d need flatbread for the journey and boiled eggs, of course—something to sustain him all the way to the capital.

After some thought, Chen Lina took out three eggs and called over Chen Tiantian. “Come on, Tiantian, let’s go visit your mom, okay?”

“Auntie Chen, I want to stay here and eat pancakes. The ones Xiao Hong makes are so delicious!”

No doubt about it.

The vegetables were chopped finely, and with just a touch of oil, the pancakes came out perfect.

Wrapped around pickled radish and cabbage strips, they were irresistible.

Nie Weimin could devour two by himself, while Chen Tiantian insisted she could eat four.

Chen Lina didn’t believe it until she saw the girl polish off four pancakes with her own eyes.

“Alright then, take one to go, and let’s head out. Auntie wants to visit your mom and meet your new baby brother.”

Er Dan, already a human “shredder” when it came to food, paired with Tiantian, was more than Chen Lina could manage.

With the household budget already tight due to Nie Bozhao’s upcoming trip to Beijing, she had resigned herself to surviving the second half of the month on cornmeal flatbreads.

---

In the next room, Sister Wang lay on the kang bed, worrying as she looked at the wrinkled little bundle in the swaddle. “I’m not sure if he’ll make it.”

“Your mom’s here to help you, isn’t she? Just focus on feeding him well. Keep him warm and away from drafts. Why wouldn’t he survive?” Chen Lina tried to reassure her.

“You don’t get it. Sometimes your own mother can be more of a hassle than a mother-in-law. A mother-in-law, at least, would tread lightly and show some courtesy. But your own mom? If she starts favoring someone else, it’s unbearable.”

Chen Lina had heard from Sister Wang before—her brother had two sons who couldn’t survive in the countryside, so they brought them here to “borrow” the base’s resources.

Naturally, they were also aiming to enroll them in the base’s school, as most rural elementary schools had shut down.

The base was the only place still running one.

“Come on now, don’t overthink it. A mother is still better than a mother-in-law—at least she genuinely cares for you.”

Sister Wang thought it over and sighed. “You’re probably right. Honestly, if I were like you and couldn’t have kids at all, life would be so much simpler. But one pregnancy after another—what am I supposed to do? Those condoms, let me tell you, are useless. I feel like marching this baby straight to the condom factory and showing them the ‘trouble’ they’ve caused.”

The reality of the times was that most children were born under such circumstances.

Chen Lina reflected on this and felt it was time to start promoting family planning.

Otherwise, young women in the farm and the base alike would be tethered to their children for life.

The sharp ring of a bicycle bell echoed outside, and Er Dan shouted from the next room, “Mom! Mom! The milk delivery!”

But it wasn’t the milkman—it was Wang Hongbing.

He leaned his old 28-inch bicycle against the wall and called out, “Where’s your mom?”

Chen Lina stepped out. “How’s my sister doing today? Didn’t you say she was really nauseous yesterday?”

“I don’t know. She’s still feeling unwell. Anyway, there’s no work at the farm in winter, so she’s just resting.” As he spoke, he pulled two warm mittens from his coat and slipped them onto Liu Xiaohong’s hands.

Then he untied the knee warmers from his legs and wrapped them around her knees. Waving his hand, he said, “Alright, you all stay here. My daughter and I—we’re heading back to the farm.”

Er Dan and San Dan immediately got anxious. “Uncle, can we keep Sister Xiao Hong at our house?”

“Why should we? She’s my daughter; why would I leave her here?” Wang Hongbing joked.

He truly doted on his daughter, even taking off his lamb wool hat and placing it on Liu Xiaohong’s head.

Er Dan protested, “Her pancakes are better than my mom’s!”

“Er Dan, this is my daughter. I don’t even let her make pancakes at home—why should she make them for you?” Wang Hongbing shot back teasingly.

“Er Dan, guess what? There’s no more flour at home today, so you’re not getting any lunch,” chimed in his stepmother, Chen Lina, clearly annoyed.

“Mom, now that I think about it, your cooking is the best!” Er Dan quickly realized his mistake.

“Too late! I’ll just send you to your aunt’s house. You can live there,” said Chen Lina, giving him a little shove.

Wang Hongbing, playing along, picked Er Dan up, ready to put him in the bike’s front basket. “Alright, Er Dan, hop on the front!”