“You’re so late today—is everything alright?”  

Before Jiang Dahai even stepped into the yard, Li Hongying rushed out with concern.  

Lately, the factory had been slow, so Jiang Dahai didn’t need to work overtime. He clocked out at 6 p.m. sharp every day and was usually home by 6:30. But today, it was almost 7:30 when he finally arrived.  

“Nothing’s wrong. I just stopped to buy a pound of braised pig’s head meat on the way.”  

Li Hongying took the meat from him, both surprised and delighted. “Is there something to celebrate? It’s not a holiday or anything—why buy pig’s head meat?”  

“It’s been a while since the family had meat. Thought I’d treat the kids.”  

As soon as the fragrant braised pig’s head meat was placed on the table, Jiang Peng gobbled it up like a ravenous dog.  

Li Hongying and Jiang Qing, mother and daughter, also ate until their lips glistened with grease.  

In these times, having a meal with meat was even more thrilling than a holiday.  

“Moli, eat more.”  

Jiang Dahai barely touched the food himself, instead piling servings into Jiang Moli’s bowl.  

Her bowl quickly became a small mountain of meat.  

Li Hongying and Jiang Qing didn’t say anything, but Jiang Peng couldn’t take it. “Dad, why don’t you just give the whole pot to her?”  

“Eat your food and shut your mouth!”  

After scolding his son, he immediately turned back to Jiang Moli with a doting father’s smile.  

“Go on, eat.”  

Jiang Dahai’s unusual attitude made Jiang Moli uneasy. “Dad, is this my last meal or something?”  

“Nonsense.”  

Though his tone was stern, it was still affectionate. “Don’t overthink it. Eat up. After dinner, I have something to ask you.”  

Jiang Moli guessed it was probably about the rural assignment, so she relaxed and dug in.  

Li Hongying casually asked, “Didn’t we run out of meat coupons ages ago?”  

“I bought it on credit. I’ll pay it back when I get my salary.”  

Buying eggs on credit, buying meat on credit—this was the life they were living.  

The pig’s head meat had been prepared somewhat carelessly, with patches of fine hair still clinging to it.  

In the past, Jiang Moli wouldn’t have given hairy meat a second glance.  

But circumstances forced her hand. In the two full days she’d been here, she’d eaten seven meals, and tonight was the first time she’d had meat—and it was bought on credit.  

She had no room to be picky. She could only use her chopsticks to scrape off the hairy bits.  

……  

After dinner, father and daughter stepped outside.  

Jiang Peng had wanted to tag along, but Jiang Dahai shooed him back inside.  

Once they were somewhere private, Jiang Dahai finally spoke. “Moli, Comrade Gao said you went to see her and that the rural assignment issue is resolved?”  

“Yes.”  

Jiang Dahai was both relieved and worried. “How did you resolve it? We can’t do anything illegal, you know.”  

Jiang Moli told him the truth.  

She needed to secure a job placement before the educated youth registration deadline.  

As for Gao Jing, she would symbolically summon Jiang Dahai to the Educated Youth office for a reprimand to quell any gossip, and that would be the end of it.  

“You gave the job to Officer Gao without permission. Won’t Miss Lu and the others be hard to deal with?”  

“Dad, anything money can solve isn’t a real problem.”  

She planned to complete her mission within six months and claim the 100 million yuan prize.  

Then she’d take out a few thousand to split between Lu Tingting and the others, passing it off as money from selling the job.  

“You’re right. As long as you don’t have to go to the countryside, nothing else matters. Worst case, I’ll give half my salary to them from now on.”  

For Jiang Dahai to say such a thing was truly extraordinary.

After all, the Jiang family wasn’t well-off—even buying meat required buying on credit.  

Because of this, Jiang Moli decided that before leaving, she would leave one million for the father and son, ensuring they could live comfortably and securely for the rest of their lives.  

“For now, don’t tell your Aunt Hongying or Xiaoqing about this. Keep Xiaopeng in the dark too. Everyone’s watching our family. If word gets out, it’ll just stir up trouble.”  

Jiang Dahai had deliberately taken Jiang Moli outside to talk privately, wary of eavesdroppers.  

The fact that Jiang Qing had found a boyfriend and Jiang Moli was preparing to marry her childhood fiancé—neither he nor Li Hongying had breathed a word about these matters to outsiders.  

Now that they’d been reported, Jiang Dahai privately suspected the Zhou family next door.  

Since both families shared the same courtyard, it was hard to avoid conversations being overheard.  

Once home, Jiang Dahai dug out his late wife’s pearl earrings and silver-pearl necklace and gave them to Jiang Moli.  

“I didn’t give them to you before because I was afraid you’d lose them carelessly. But now that you’ve grown up and become more sensible, I can rest easy.”  

This was him formally passing the items down to her.  

It showed just how relieved and happy Jiang Dahai was that Jiang Moli had resolved the rural assignment issue.  

…

That evening, there was an open-air movie screening at People’s Square. Jiang Peng wanted to go, and since Jiang Moli had nothing better to do, she tagged along for the fun.  

“Sis, what were you and Dad whispering about outside for so long?”  

“Grown-up matters. Don’t ask too many questions.”  

Jiang Peng chuckled awkwardly. “Well, if you won’t tell me your secrets, then it’s only fair that I’ve kept some things from you too, right?”  

Jiang Moli smirked. “If I don’t tell you, it’s for a good reason. If you’re hiding things from me, it’s definitely because you’re up to no good.”  

Jiang Peng: “…”  

After the siblings left, Jiang Dahai also slung his tool bag over his shoulder and headed out.  

Besides being skilled in mechanics, he also knew plumbing and electrical work. During his free time, he took odd jobs repairing pipes or wiring to earn extra money for the household.  

Once all three of them were gone, Li Hongying looked at her daughter, who was silently scrubbing clothes, and tried to console her:  

“Don’t be upset. That jewelry belonged to Moli’s mother. It’s only right that your Uncle Jiang gave it to her.”  

Jiang Qing’s face twisted with scorn. “Even if it was Ruan Rou’s keepsake, didn’t Jiang Dahai pay for it? You’ve worked tirelessly for years, taking care of all three of them—has Jiang Dahai ever bought you so much as a single piece of jewelry? Face it, he’s never really cared about you.”  

Li Hongying stammered, “Don’t talk about your Uncle Jiang like that. What use do I, a housewife, have for jewelry? It’s not like you can eat or drink it.”  

Jiang Qing was furious at her mother’s meekness and self-deprecation. She didn’t want to say another word.  

At any rate, Jiang Moli’s days of comfort would soon be over.  

Whether it was jewelry, money, or ration coupons—with Jiang Moli’s foolishness, she wouldn’t be able to hold onto any of it once she went to the countryside.  

There was no need to envy her.  

That night, Li Hongying lay awake—a rare occurrence.  

She had always considered herself fortunate. As a rural woman with a child from a previous marriage, marrying a capable man like Jiang Dahai, moving to the city, and living off state rations instead of toiling in the fields—the women back in her village had envied and resented her for it.  

But her daughter’s words had left a bitter taste in her heart.  

Besides the jewelry, Jiang Dahai had also kept all of Ruan Rou’s clothes, personal belongings, books, and even the love letters they’d exchanged.  

As a woman, how could she not envy her husband’s enduring love for his late wife?  

After all these years with Jiang Dahai, while he’d never stinted on food or daily necessities, he’d never shown her the affection a man should have for his wife. Even their intimate moments had been few and far between.  

The more she thought about it, the more her heart ached. Tears silently rolled down Li Hongying’s cheeks.  

…

After learning about Jiang Moli’s family background and her notorious reputation, An Hui erupted at her husband:  

“Old Lu, has Xiao Cheng lost his mind? And you’re just letting him run wild—are you trying to drive me to an early grave so you can marry some young floozy?”  

“What nonsense are you spouting? Don’t jump to conclusions. I agreed to this marriage for Xiao Cheng’s own good.”  

“Bullshit! Marrying him to a disgraced girl, making him the target of public scorn—that’s for his own good? Seems to me you just want to ruin him!”  

“Just listen to me first…”  

Upstairs, the entire Liu family pricked up their ears.