Chapter 36 

Since Xiao Lin didn’t treat him as an outsider, Yan Lei decided to reciprocate the gesture.

Why did he have such a good relationship with Old Zhao? It was a bond forged on the battlefield. Mrs. Zhao had always taken good care of him. Ironically, after he got married in recent years, there was a bit of a distance.

Now, with Qiao Wei and Mrs. Zhao getting along, the two families seemed to be warming up again, and Yan Lei was quite pleased.

Uncle Yan didn’t consider himself an outsider. He pointed and gestured at his eldest niece, starting a paternal lecture: “Let me tell you, behaving like this won’t do. Your loud and boisterous mannerisms make it obvious that you’re not a city girl at a glance.”

“What’s a city girl like? Someone particularly stable?”

“If you don’t know how to behave, just observe your Aunt Qiao. She’s a genuine city dweller who has even attended high school.”

“This dress… Is this your Aunt Qiao’s? Whenever your Aunt Qiao wears this dress, she stands there without saying a word, steady and reliable. Anyone can tell at a glance that she’s a genuine city girl.”

“Look at you; it’s just not right. Even in your dressing, one can tell you’re from the countryside, which is very obvious.”

He waved his big hand and said, “Learn a bit. If you don’t understand, ask your Aunt Qiao.”

He was quite open with the younger generation, hoping that the children of his comrades could do better. Since she had come to the city to rely on her uncle, she needed to shed some of the rural traces.

Lin Xixi was completely stunned by his words. When she finally reacted, she almost jumped, clapping her hands to scold him.

Luckily, she restrained herself in time. After all, this was a future high-ranking official and a wealthy person. She naturally had a kind of innate respect and didn’t dare to really jump and scold with both hands pointing at his nose.

But she was genuinely irritated.

Because of Lin Xixi’s whole life, she detested being called a country girl. Due to being a rural person, she had been looked down upon and bullied by urban mothers-in-law her entire life.

Was this Yan Lei blind?

Lin Xixi gritted her teeth, resisted her anger, and forced a smile, saying, “Everyone says I’m fair; she doesn’t look like a country girl.”

“It has nothing to do with looks,” Yan Lei insisted, “It’s mainly about a person’s spirit, temperament, you know, temperament. Really, you really should look more at your Aunt Qiao. I’m not boasting, among the families of comrades in our area, I don’t see anyone surpassing your Aunt Qiao.”

“Hey, what’s your education level?” Yan Lei suddenly asked, “Did you go to school?”

Lin Xixi said, “I went to primary school.”

At this time in the countryside, it was considered quite good for a girl to have gone to primary school, knowing how to read, not being illiterate, and even being able to do some basic arithmetic.

But Yan Lei said seriously, “Discuss with your uncle; if you can go to school, go back and study. You’re still young; it’s the age to acquire knowledge. There’s really no need to, so early, you know… ha, understand? No need; it’s okay to wait a few more years.”

Lin Xixi felt like this wasn’t a conversation between a man and a woman at all. It felt more like a subordinate being lectured by a leader.

She said, “I’m a woman; why do I need so much education?”

She restrained herself from saying that, in a few more years, the schools would be chaotic and no one would really be studying. Moreover, if she went to school in the city, the old three categories would target the rural areas.

What was the point of going to school in this era?

Even the resumption of the college entrance examination would take more than a decade.

“How can women not have education?” Yan Lei strongly disagreed. “Ask your uncle to find a way to transfer your household registration. Continue to study for a few more years, and let your uncle arrange a job for you.”

“Work as a laborer! Let me tell you, there’s nothing more honorable than being a laborer.”

“You have no education; it’s difficult to be a laborer.”

Lin Xixi felt like rolling her eyes. Finally, she couldn’t hold back and retorted, “What’s the point of being a laborer for a lifetime? It’s better to marry well than to work well.”

Until the Miaotu Movement swept through China in 2017–2018, the consensus in society for girls was that marrying well was better than working well.

Lin Xixi was a person from the 1990s, and this thought was deeply ingrained in her.

Yan Lei was actually considering a class issue, not a marriage issue. He wanted to say more, but Qiao Wei came out and said, “What’s the noise? Oh, Xiaolin, this dress looks good.”

Lin Xixi reluctantly called her “Aunt Qiao” and said, “I’m here to return the stool. I’m leaving.”

After saying that, she quickly ran away.

She couldn’t stand this man’s set of words for scolding people.

When she left, Yan Lei closed the courtyard gate again. Turning around, he saw Qiao Wei trying to hold back her laughter.

How could she be smiling so happily? Yan Lei was puzzled. Since she returned from the provincial capital, Qiao Wei has become particularly fond of smiling.

“Why are you laughing?” He was confused.

“Cough.” Qiao Wei said, “The official demeanor is quite grand.”

Yan Lei, in the family, was a husband, a father, and a man. To be honest, this was the first time Qiao Wei had seen another side of him.

He was a battalion commander, and this rank was not low. Under his command were company commanders, platoon leaders, squad leaders, and many soldiers. Qiao Wei had crossed over for almost a week, and it was the first time she saw him showing the mannerisms of a leader.

The scolding was quite effective, leaving Lin Xixi, a reborn woman, bewildered.

“Don’t meddle in other people’s business,” Qiao Wei said, “You’re not her father.”

“I don’t care. At least call me ‘Uncle’ and exchange a few words when you see me.” Yan Lei said, “She’s young and doesn’t understand; she doesn’t realize that studying is the best thing in the world.”

Qiao Wei originally didn’t want Yan Lei to interfere with Lin Xixi. Lin Xixi belonged to her grandmother’s generation, and those people’s thoughts were too stubborn and hard to change.

Her mother’s marriage was a mistake.

If it weren’t for her grandmother’s determined opposition, her mother could have divorced before having children, correcting that mistake. If she had remained single without children, the road ahead would have been smoother.

But her grandmother was too stubborn, adamantly refusing to let her mother divorce, feeling that she couldn’t afford to lose that person. Later, her grandmother passed away, and her mother finally divorced and found liberation.

“There’s no way to talk to them,” her mother said, “They just won’t understand.”

But Qiao Wei remembered that Yan Lei truly liked intellectuals. He had appreciated the original host for going to high school and agreed to many seemingly excessive demands when marrying her.

“You didn’t go to school in your hometown,” she asked, “Why do you like studying so much?”

“Of all things, learning is the best.” Yan Lei said without hesitation.

Qiao Wei coughed, “That ideology is not correct.”

That was an old mindset; now the proletariat is above all.

Yan Lei glanced at the courtyard gate and then at Yan Xiang inside the house. He said, “Didn’t I only tell you?”

Qiao Wei said, “Be careful in the future; don’t get used to speaking old-fashioned words.”

She was pleased with his high political consciousness. He said, “You can rest assured.”

He paused and said, “When I first joined the army, I was actually only fourteen years old. I lied about my age to enlist. I had a good leader who told me to study, to learn, to have an education.”

No wonder Yan Lei insisted on marrying a high school graduate.

So, Yan Lei had someone like that in his life. It seemed like it wasn’t mentioned in the original text, or did she overlook it or forget?

Just as Qiao Wei was about to ask more, Yan Lei continued, “He sacrificed.”

“Oh…” Qiao Wei responded.

Initially, Qiao Wei’s impression of Yan Lei was based on the original text’s description – cold and stern. But now she knew that this steel-like man also had delicate emotions that couldn’t be summarized by simple adjectives.

She reached up and gently rubbed his neck.

At this moment, Yan Lei could feel that their emotions were mutually understood.

Her gentle rubbing expressed understanding and comfort for his nostalgia.

The evening breeze brushed against their faces, making it indescribably comfortable.

The vegetable field in the courtyard, the mud by the river, and the warmth of his wife’s hands, all made one feel comfortable.

It made people want to close their eyes and savor the moment.

Qiao Wei withdrew her hand. “In any case, don’t bother too much about Old Zhao’s niece; it’s annoying.”

Yan Lei clicked his tongue.

Qiao Wei actually understood Lin Xixi’s thoughts very well because, like her, she knew the future situation. Sending Lin Xixi to school was an unrealistic thing.

“She’s not useless.” Qiao Wei covered for Lin Xixi, “When she was at home, she learned some culture from the educated youth.”

But Yan Lei lifted his eyelids and asked, “Educated youth? Where did the educated youth come from?”

Qiao Wei was taken aback, “Well… the ones who went to the countryside? From her hometown?”

“Nonsense.” Yan Lei said, “I still don’t know where Old Zhao’s home is, but there’s no educated youth from there. The educated youth are in the Northern Wasteland, Xinjiang, and Hainan.”

Qiao Wei had a slight sweat on her forehead, “Really? It seems that Xiaolin, Xiaolin, she exaggerated things to me.”

She roughly knew that the movement of sending youths to the countryside was divided into several different stages, but the specific correspondence of which year to which stage was beyond her knowledge.

Originally, in this timeline, the large-scale scene of sending educated youth to the countryside that she thought of hadn’t occurred yet.

Thinking carefully, indeed, in the original text, it was mentioned that Lin Xixi got married at a different age than she is now.

Qiao Wei didn’t expect such a loophole to appear. She didn’t know if Lin Xixi realized it.

Thinking again, it didn’t matter. She could just pretend not to know where Old Zhao’s family was from.

As long as she was bold enough, Lin Xixi, a reborn person, wouldn’t dare to question her.

Qiao Wei was right; Lin Xixi had lied about knowing where the emperor’s new clothes were from. She hadn’t thought much about it afterward, until Yan Lei scolded her just now, and on her way back home, she suddenly remembered.

Oh no, what had she told this urban intellectual, Qiao Wei? At this moment, the large-scale movement of sending educated youth to the countryside hasn’t happened yet.

Lin Xixi was sweating.

As a reborn person, she was superstitious and actually afraid that others would see her as a monster, feeling particularly guilty.

Standing on the road, Lin Xixi thought for a long time. In the end, she felt fortunate that there were no televisions at this time. Unlike the 1990s, when every household had a television and everyone watched the news, information didn’t spread so quickly.

Qiao Wei obviously didn’t know much about the distribution of educated youth at this time.

She probably hadn’t exposed her lies. Luckily, luckily.

Back at the Zhao family, Sister Yang was in the courtyard. When she saw Lin Xixi, she asked, “Where did you go?”

Facing this kind of family gossip, especially from middle-aged women like Sister Yang, Lin Xixi returned to her comfort zone and became calm, answering without changing her expression, “I went to return the stool.”

Sister Yang looked deep into her eyes and asked, “Didn’t I ask Gangzi and Yingzi to go?”

“I’m their sister; there’s no work that I shouldn’t do. Why should I just watch my younger brother and sister work?” Lin Xixi justified herself confidently.

As long as she was bold enough, even if she was right, the person with a point could still feel a bit guilty.

Indeed, seeing Lin Xixi’s calm appearance, Sister Yang became slightly uneasy for a moment. After some thought, she said, “You’re a grown-up now and about to get married. Don’t go to the young couple’s yard at the Yan family too much.”

Lin Xixi agreed and adjusted her skirt, asking, “Aunt, is this dress Qiao Wei’s?”

“Yes. She gave me several at once.” Sister Yang sighed, “Although Qiao has many flaws, her vision is quite broad. She’s from the city, and that’s classy.”

Another jab at Lin Xixi’s self-esteem.

She had eagerly put on a beautiful dress to show off in front of Yan Lei, only to find out it was her sister-in-law’s old dress. A white feather that brought a torrent of criticism, it felt like a stab to the heart.

The next day was Sunday, the first Sunday since Qiao Wei crossed over.

Auntie had almost left, leaving just a small tail, but it didn’t have much impact on her anymore. Qiao Wei was fully revived, waking up early to cook porridge and putting on her new Liberation shoes.

This was the first time she had worn them since she bought them.

Yan Lei also woke up and saw her in new shoes. “Where are you going?”

“Jogging,” Qiao Wei crouched down to tie her shoelaces, “A healthy body is the foundation of the revolution.”

Yan Lei chuckled, “Wait for me, I’ll join you.”

When Yan Xiang woke up, he heard people talking in the yard.

Rubbing his eyes, he put on his clothes and sneaked down from the kang. Walking to the outer room, he peeked through the window – his mom was lifting his leg on the windowsill, and dad was stirring the porridge pot while chattering, “…your foundation for the revolution is too weak. You need to practice more.”

Mom endured for a while but couldn’t stand the man with the spoon, who kept mocking him. Irritated, he put his leg down, hands on his hips, and pointed at Dad’s nose, “Don’t get too proud. Give me some time, and I’ll improve my physical fitness. I won’t be worse than you.”

Dad burst into laughter.

Yan Xiang was still young and didn’t quite understand, but he could feel the excitement in the air. The little one peeked through the window, and in the morning light, a big grin appeared on his face.

Seeing her parents, he was called, “Come out, wash your face, brush your teeth, and have breakfast. Today is the big market day.”

The child cheered, “Going to the market!”