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Having just helped her husband slaughter a pig, Lin Pandi was still covered in pig bristles and blood, carrying with her the unpleasant stench of raw pork—but she didn’t mind.
There were benefits to marrying a butcher; at the very least, it meant there was always some fatty meat to be had.
She tucked away the pig offal and lard her husband had secretly passed to her, placing them in a jar in the corner of the kitchen. Then, after washing her hands clean, she opened the package her younger sister had sent.
Glancing at the neat and elegant handwriting on the paper wrapping, Lin Pandi couldn’t help but smile.
“Look at that, you’ve improved. Didn’t even graduate from primary school, yet your writing’s quite pretty… ah!”
Talking to herself, she froze mid-sentence when something slipped out from inside—ration coupons for grain and oil.
Two hundred jin worth of grain coupons, twenty jin worth of oil coupons, along with fabric and sugar coupons. This… this… how much was this worth? This was enough to feed the whole family for more than half a year!
Just then, a neighbor came by to borrow a whetstone. Lin Pandi hastily hid the items away, her heart thumping wildly.
The person who delivered the package was the cousin of her brother-in-law, saying it had been entrusted to him by her younger sister.
What was that girl playing at now?
At the same time, over at Li Yuetang’s maiden home, they too opened a paper-wrapped parcel and found grain and oil coupons inside. Though not as shocked as Lin Pandi had been, they were still somewhat surprised.
“Dad, how about I run over to the train station and return these coupons to Auntie? Their days ahead will surely be harder than ours…”
Li Guanyu looked at his father, Li Yuehai, as he spoke.
But Li Yuehai waved a hand. “These coupons can only be used in this city. Returning them would be useless. Keep them—there are over a dozen mouths to feed in this family, and we’re already on the verge of running out of food.”
“The thirty jin worth of grain coupons you were supposed to send over were originally lent to us by your aunt. I thought we could take this chance to return them, but now… it seems we just keep owing them more and more!”
Looking at the grain and oil coupons laid out before him, Li Yuehai let out a breath of relief, the furrow between his brows easing at last.
Patting his young grandson on the head, he said, “The days ahead will be easier now—at least the children won’t have to go hungry and suffer anymore… Wait—what did you just say? This came from Zhanjin’s wife?”
Li Guanyu nodded quickly. “Yes. It was my sister-in-law who gave it to me. Judging by Auntie’s reaction, she probably has no idea what was inside.”
Hearing this, Li Yuehai couldn’t help but sigh.
“Before, all the relatives said that Zhanjin was unlucky to have married that Lin girl. But now it seems she’s a capable one who can get things done. Guanyu, remember this—our family must find a way to repay this kindness.”
By this time, Lin Wanjun had already boarded the train, heading with the Song family to the desolate Gobi Desert in the northwest, more than two thousand li away.
The green train rumbled out of the city and crawled slowly across the vast, boundless plains.
Lin Wanjun sat by the window, with Song Zhanjin in the aisle seat beside her. Across from them sat Li Yuetang and Song Mingcheng, with a small tea table in between. The four of them sat in silence.
As she gazed at the scenery outside, Lin Wanjun’s thoughts drifted.
Her eldest sister and her uncle’s family should have received the grain coupons by now. With these coupons and oil stamps, life would surely become much easier for them.
Those coupons—valid only within the city—had been acquired through trades on the black market. She had originally planned to keep them as part of her emergency reserves, but after emptying out the supply and marketing cooperative, they’d ended up being unnecessary.
Her eldest sister had brought eggs and flatbreads to her late at night, and her cousin had delivered national grain coupons before dawn. That kind of family affection was invaluable and should never be forgotten.
She wasn’t afraid of the matter being exposed, because her eldest sister was illiterate and couldn’t write letters, and her uncle and cousin would never put such a fortune into writing.
By the time both sides met face-to-face after returning to the city, she would be long gone.
Lin Wanjun blinked, a faint ache in her chest.
In the original plot, it was said that after returning to the city, Song Mingcheng and Song Zhanjin were both reinstated to their former posts, and Song Zhanjin and his destined match, Dong Yingying, held a grand wedding and lived happily ever after.
Just thinking about Song Zhanjin and Dong Yingying on their wedding night made Lin Wanjun feel a little annoyed.
Why should she have to follow the male lead through days of coarse grain and hardship? Why should Dong Yingying get to swoop in and enjoy being the wife of a high-ranking military officer?
Getting some payback in advance didn’t count as cheating, did it?
No one was answering? Well, then—it didn’t count as cheating. In that case, she was going to have some fun with this.
“Mom.”
Across the tea table, Lin Wanjun took Li Yuetang’s hand, calling her “Mom” in a voice that sounded close to tears.
“What is it, girl? Are you sad about leaving?”
Li Yuetang hurried to comfort her daughter-in-law. “Once we see how things go, as long as there’s a chance, your father and I will find a way to get you back to the city first. Don’t be afraid!”
Lin Wanjun shook her head, sniffled a few times, and glanced at Song Zhanjin.
Instantly, Song Zhanjin felt a bad premonition—this troublemaker was about to stir things up again.
Sure enough, Lin Wanjun’s next words confirmed his suspicion.
“Mom, Song Zhanjin and Dong Yingying haven’t completely cut ties. When we were having our tickets checked, Dong Yingying even chased us all the way to the train station!”
Leaning forward over the tea table, Lin Wanjun rested her cheek in Li Yuetang’s palm, her shoulders shaking as if she were crying her heart out.
“If you can’t bear to part with Miss Dong, just say so. It’s not like I’d cling to him no matter what—I can always just get a divorce. Is there really any need to treat me like this?”
Song Zhanjin’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Come on, troublemaker—with how fierce and combative you are, who’d dare bully you?
When Dong Yingying came out of the women’s restroom earlier, she looked like she was on the verge of tears. One look and it was obvious she hadn’t gotten a single ounce of advantage over you!
Li Yuetang patted Lin Wanjun soothingly, her voice gentle. “Jun-jun, don’t be sad. Mom knows you feel wronged. I’ll deal with him for you and make it right!”
Song Zhanjin couldn’t hold back. “That’s not what happened at all! What’s she even wronged about? Don’t listen to her nonsense!”
“Mom, look at him—he did something wrong and still won’t admit it! Now he’s even calling me a liar!”
Lin Wanjun knew she was beautiful, and that when she cried, she was even more pitiful. Mm, one should always know how to make full use of their advantages!
Sure enough, Li Yuetang’s fiery temper flared. Without warning, she smacked Song Zhanjin on the forehead.
“What do you mean ‘nothing happened’? Let me ask you—did Dong Yingying chase you all the way to the train station?”
Song Zhanjin’s mouth opened and closed a few times before he mumbled a reluctant, “Mm.”
“And answer me this—did you meet her or not?”
“…We met.”
The next second, his dear mother’s Invisible Palm and Whirlwind Kick landed together, raining down on him like a violent spring storm.
Through her spread fingers, Lin Wanjun peeked with a sly, wicked smile—only to be caught red-handed by the freshly-beaten Song Zhanjin.
Song Zhanjin felt rather helpless, yet not the least bit angry. In fact, there was even a hint of indulgence and fondness in his heart.
Quarrels, chaos, a bit of rough-and-tumble—wasn’t that what daily life was all about?
Thinking of how, in the days to come, he’d have such a lively, spirited, and charming wife by his side day and night, the heaviness in his heart seemed to lift.
“Next time you try to rat me out, just see how I deal with you!”
Taking advantage of the moment when his parents were dozing, Song Zhanjin leaned close to Lin Wanjun’s ear and whispered.
Lin Wanjun shot him a glare and opened her mouth to call for her mother.
Song Zhanjin hurriedly clamped his hand over his wife’s mouth. “Ancestor! Great-aunt! Can’t you give it a rest? Are you trying to murder your own husband?”
His dear mother really had hit him—hard. The back of his head still throbbed.
Seizing the chance, Lin Wanjun bit down on his palm. Her eyes sparkled with sly mischief, coquettish and teasing, like little hooks that caught hold of the man’s heart.
His palm was damp, tinged with a faint pain, and an indescribable feeling spread from that spot—slowly, bit by bit—into the depths of Song Zhanjin’s heart.
Looking at the teeth marks in his palm, he couldn’t help the quiet curve of his lips…