Ning Shu preferred corn flour over wheat flour; it had a distinct taste of corn porridge.

Lin Guodong picked up the corn kernels. “I’ll go too,” Er Bao followed his dad, bouncing along.

Yibao stayed behind with San Bao to play at home.

The corn flour millstone was in the village committee courtyard, and when Lin Guodong arrived, there were already many people lined up.

Today, with the distribution of grain, many people came to grind corn flour, including Lin’s mother.

Seeing Lin Guodong, Lin’s mother called out loudly, ” Third son, bring the corn kernels over here. When it’s your big brother’s turn to grind, we’ll have yours done too.”

Lin’s mother wasn’t suggesting Lin Guodong grind; it was because she was ahead in line, and Lin Guodong had just joined the line, about ten people behind her, so it would take him some time.

Lin Guodong nodded and brought over the twenty catties of corn kernels.

It was a common thing in the countryside, but it was usually between parents and children; even brothers couldn’t do it.

If the Old Lin family divided their property next year, and the Lin Guofeng family was ahead in line, Lin Guodong wouldn’t be able to cut in.

If everyone cut in, when would those behind ever get their turn?

“Third son, does your wife like to eat corn flour dumplings? Do you have enough corn flour with this amount of corn kernels?” Lin’s mother asked.

They received quite a lot of corn kernels, so after the division, if she said so, Lin’s main household could share some of their grain with Lin Guodong’s family.

After the division, she felt guilty for what she took.

These days, when she and her husband went to bed at night, they also discussed their retirement plans.

That day at Lin Guodong’s house, Lin’s Father had firmly stated that they would leave their retirement to their third son, but they didn’t really need to.

At their age, they could still earn a bit and live their own lives.

Of course, since their third son was filial, they would accept.

Lin Guodong thought for a moment. “I’ll go ask.”

Er Bao interjected, “Dad, you don’t need to ask. Mom doesn’t buy corn kernels; she buys pre-ground corn flour, the fine kind.”

The people in line: “…”

Lin’s mother: “…”

Lin Guodong: “…”

Lin’s mother quickly changed the subject with a smile.

“Exactly, without you here, she, being a city person, can’t handle the stone mill, so it’s more convenient to buy corn flour.”

And indeed, that was the case.

During those five years, Ning Shu always bought corn flour from Auntie Zhang’s house.

She couldn’t operate the stone mill, nor did she want to find someone to do it.

Since she had money, buying corn flour was more convenient.

Auntie Zhang knew she liked fine corn flour, so she would sift it again after grinding each time, saving Ning Shu a lot of trouble, and Ning Shu was happy to buy from her.

Lin Guodng left, and someone teased Lin’s mother, “Guodong really loves his wife, more attentive than you, old lady.”

Lin’s mother knew the person was trying to sow discord, but she wasn’t affected at all.

These people didn’t know how filial Lin Guodong’s wife was.

Her daughter-in-law’s filial piety was silent and unassuming, shown through her actions behind the scenes.

Unlike some people who did a few good deeds and claimed everyone knew about them.

Lin’s mother thought of the things she had overheard Ning Shu say that day and imagined Ning Shu with a halo of an angel, pure white and shining.

Then she remembered what she had heard today: Lin Guodong’s wife saying the three children were obedient because of her upbringing.

She felt even more satisfied.

Wasn’t she the one who had raised them through all their diapers and pee-poo?

“It’s natural for men to love their wives. Only when men love their wives can a family be peaceful, and we mothers-in-law can rest assured and worry-free,” Lin’s mother said.

“I’m afraid of men who marry wives and forget their mothers, spending a lot of money on their wives but not willing to spend a penny on their mothers,” this woman named Chen said.

She didn’t have any conflicts with Lin’s mother, but she was talkative and couldn’t stand others being good.

She was the type who wanted to sow discord whenever she saw someone doing well.

Different from Mrs. Jiang, who had conflicts with Lin’s mother and tried to sow discord.

Speaking of which, since Jiang Xiaoyue left, Mrs. Jiang had never caused trouble for Lin’s mother again.

Or rather, she had become much quieter overall.

Mrs. Jiang was also afraid.

Afraid that if she spoke out, someone would ask about Jiang Xiaoyue, and she didn’t want to be questioned.

“That’s right. Our Third son is good to his wife, and his wife has returned the favor. Don’t mention that we’ve eaten meat buns and soda given by third son’s wife this year. We’ve even had meat several times,” Lin’s mother boasted. “I’ll tell you, whether someone is filial or not depends on their nature.”

“Hmph…”

Chen thought Lin’s mother was silly, being bought off by a few meals.

She didn’t consider how much money and tickets her son sent to Ning Shu every month.

If you added it all up, not to mention a few meals, it would be enough for several dozen meals.

Yet here she was, foolishly laughing over a few meals.

If it were her, her son’s wages would have to go to her, and this house wouldn’t be divided.

She’d have to live in the red brick house herself.

With a glint in her eye, Chen said, “Guodong’s mother, isn’t your daughter Xiaojing turning 19 after the New Year? She’s becoming an old. Does she have a boyfriend?”

The fact that Lin Xiaojing didn’t have a boyfriend did worry Lin’s mother.

If this were any other girl, she would have been engaged at 18.

But her daughter was only in her final year of high school this year, an awkward age.

It was awkward because she was still a student and not suitable for engagement.

So they had been planning to discuss it after graduation.

But who knew her daughter would get an opportunity, land the job from Ning Shu, and secure a steady job.

Plans had to change.

Initially, even though her daughter was a high school student, being from the countryside without a job, finding a rural boy would have been acceptable, as long as he was literate and had good character.

But now that her daughter was a worker, marrying a rural boy who worked in the fields, even if he was literate, Lin’s mother felt he wouldn’t be good enough for her daughter.

That’s how selfish people think.

So her plan was for her daughter to find someone in the county town.

She didn’t insist on him being from the city, as long as he had a job in the county town like her daughter.

But Chen’s words made her uncomfortable.

“It’s not like before. Many used to marry and have children at fifteen or sixteen, but nowadays, who graduates from high school at eighteen and gets engaged and married? You’ve been living in the countryside for so long, you don’t understand the thoughts of educated people. The country advocates breaking free from feudal ideas. Your thinking shouldn’t be so outdated,” Lin’s mother said, even though she couldn’t read, she had her own way of reasoning.

Mrs.Chen thought Lin’s mother was stubborn: “Just you wait. When your daughter Xiaojing is over 20 and still unmarried, you’ll feel bitter.”

“That’s impossible. You go ask around. Someone like my daughter, with a steady job, will have suitors even at 25,” Lin’s mother said confidently, though the men might not be up to her standards.

Who wouldn’t want a daughter-in-law with a steady job? Just because she hasn’t found one yet doesn’t mean she won’t.

“Someone will want her at 25? Will she go be a stepmother?” Chen scoffed.

The thought of Lin Xiaojing becoming a stepmother made Chen laugh so hard she’d wake up from her dreams.

But she didn’t dwell on it long because someone was unhappy.

“Chen Auntie, what do you mean by that? What’s wrong with being a stepmother? We don’t bully the children from the previous marriage, nor do we gossip about others. I’ve been in Qinglin Bay Brigade for five or six years now. Who can say I’m not a good person?” Meihua’s Stepmother, who had been quietly watching Lin’s mother and Mrs.Chen chat, She didn’t expect the conversation to turn to stepmothers.

But now that it had, she had to speak up for herself.

Chen Auntie hadn’t noticed Meihua’s stepmother and hadn’t expected to offend her.

Meihua’s Stepmother, in the entire Qinglin Bay Brigade, had no one speak ill of her.

When she first married in, Mei Hua was only three or four years old and had just learned to walk.

Meihua’s stepmother took her everywhere, to work, to gather wild vegetables, keeping her clean and tidy, never hitting or scolding her.

Everyone said she was good, even better than a birth mother.

Some even said, “Even a birth mother wouldn’t be this considerate.”

Meihua’s stepmother had thought it through.

Mei Hua was her only daughter.

When she reached the right age, she would give her a modest dowry and marry her off.

She would find her a good husband, someone who could support her, maybe even help out YouFu a bit.

It didn’t bother her, nor did it bother YouFu. Why make things difficult for a young girl?

Er Bao stood next to his uncle, guarding the family’s corn, listening to everyone talk.

He loved gossip and would tell his mother everything later.

Hearing his grandmother and the others talk about stepmothers, Er Bao curiously tugged at Lin Guofeng’s clothes and asked, “Uncle, what’s a stepmother? Is there also a front mother?”

Seeing Er Bao’s little head, Lin Guofeng had no interest in discussing the topic with him.

So he said, “Uncle didn’t study much, so I don’t know what a stepmother is. Ask your dad when he comes.”

“Okay.” Er Bao looked at Lin Guofeng a few more times, thinking, Uncle doesn’t know much, compared to Auntie Chen, this old lady knows a lot.

Uncle said he didn’t study much, so he doesn’t know.

It looks like you have to study for many years to know many things.

Seeing his nephew still looking at him, and his expression somewhat perplexed, Lin Guofeng asked, “What’s wrong?”

Er Bao wanted to say Uncle, you’re so dumb, but considering that his uncle was an adult and probably didn’t want to lose face, he changed his question, “Uncle, can adults go to school?”

Er Bao added, “I want to ask Grandma to let you go to school.”

Lin Guofeng: “…Thank you so much, good nephew.”

Lin Guofeng hadn’t even finished primary school.

He only reached the third grade.

As the eldest son, he was naturally the hope of the family.

But he himself had no ambitions and didn’t want to continue studying after the third grade.

Seeing that he wasn’t suited for studying, Lin’s father had no choice.

“Adults can’t go to school. Don’t think about it. Go see why your dad hasn’t come back yet.” Lin Guofeng decided to send him away. He had experienced his nephew’s chatter before and was wary of it!