Wen Nan frowned.

Eighteen?!

She thought Zhao Xiaomai was only fourteen or fifteen.

Zhao Xiaomai was only a year younger than her. Based on their physical condition and what Zhao Xiaomai had said on the donkey cart, Wen Nan felt that the original owner’s aunt had been truly kind to her. She hadn’t had to wear patched-up clothes, hadn’t been deprived of food, and had been sent to school. Even though her uncle would grumble, her aunt had always been good to the original owner.

Thinking about the original owner’s aunt’s situation and her uncle’s behavior, Wen Nan felt sorry for her aunt.

They crossed the stone bridge and Zhao Xiaomai led Wen Nan to a meadow. Several people were already there, harvesting pitcher plants. Xiaomai took a sickle from her basket to harvest them. In the distance, two more women with baskets approached. Wen Nan recognized one of them—the woman with long hair she had seen the previous night hiding behind the tree.

“Xiaomai, your mother made you earn your dowry again?”

The woman with long hair spoke sarcastically.

The other woman nudged her arm, wanting her to say less, but the woman with long hair ignored her and continued to tease Zhao Xiaomai, “If you were a boy, it would be great. You’d be like your brother, a little emperor at home.”

Zhao Xiaomai bit her lip, bent down, and quickly harvested pitcher plants, without uttering a word in reply.

This woman was Lin Meizhen, the wife of Kang Lianchang, who lived next door to the Zhao family. She was from Xinghua Village and had married Kang Lianchang three years ago. She hadn’t had any children in those three years and had a hard time at home. Her mother-in-law constantly found fault with her, implying that she was a hen that couldn’t lay eggs. Lin Meizhen, full of resentment, targeted the bullied Zhao Xiaomai. Whenever she was upset by her mother-in-law, she would take it out on Zhao Xiaomai.

Zhao Xiaomai was unloved by her parents and had no one to support her. She had suffered many grievances in the family quarters.

Especially since this time, some of the pitcher plant harvesting work had been given to Zhao Xiaomai, meaning Lin Meizhen earned less work points, so she resented Zhao Xiaomai.

Lin Meizhen also saw Wen Nan next to Zhao Xiaomai. At first glance, she thought the woman was beautiful, but she looked like a vixen. The whole family quarters had heard that Camp Commander Chen had a cousin staying at his grandmother’s house temporarily.

Everyone knew what Auntie Hou’s sister was up to—trying to get her granddaughter married to a soldier.

She disdainfully glanced at Wen Nan, “You’re Camp Commander Chen’s cousin?”

Wen Nan looked down at Zhao Xiaomai skillfully harvesting the plants and ignored her.

Lin Meizhen’s face darkened, and she coldly snorted, “What’s there to be proud of? Just because you’re Camp Commander Chen’s cousin? Just because you’re pretty? You’re still relying on relatives for food and lodging.”

Wen Nan: …

She was insulting her, but also complimenting her beauty.

Zhao Xiaomai, bending over to harvest pitcher plants, whispered to Wen Nan, “Ignore her. She’s just venting.” She was used to it.

Seeing Zhao Xiaomai’s pitiful acceptance of the abuse showed how she had lived all these years. If her family had supported her, others wouldn’t dare bully her.

Wen Nan whispered, “Who is she?”

Zhao Xiaomai said, “She lives next door to us. She’s Kang Lianchang’s wife, Lin Meizhen.”

Seeing the two whispering together, completely ignoring her, Lin Meizhen was furious. Her mother-in-law had scolded her at lunch, and now she had been angered by Zhao Xiaomai, and that freeloading vixen!

Just as Lin Meizhen was about to unleash her anger, she heard the little vixen say, “You’re Kang Lianchang’s wife?”

Lin Meizhen was startled and glared at her, “So?”

Wen Nan picked a blade of grass, twirled it around her finger, and looked at her sarcastically, “So what? As a military family member, your thoughts and actions are improper. This is a new society, advocating for gender equality. You’re using feudal ideas to bully military family members. Is this the behavior of a military family member?! If I report this to the political commissar, your husband, as a company commander, can’t even manage his family affairs, let alone his soldiers.”

Lin Meizhen’s face froze, her eyes twitching.

She hadn’t thought of this. The Zhao family’s preference for sons was known throughout the family quarters. When she was angry, she would vent on Zhao Xiaomai. But today, she had been caught by Camp Commander Chen’s cousin. What she said was true, and if it really reached the political commissar, her husband would be criticized, and her mother-in-law would skin her alive!

She hadn’t expected this little vixen to be so eloquent.

Her companion pulled Lin Meizhen’s sleeve and whispered, “Okay, don’t say anything more. If she really reports you to the political commissar, you’ll regret it.”

Zhao Xiaomai paused her harvesting, looked at Lin Meizhen’s livid face, then at Wen Nan, who was playing with a blade of grass. She hadn’t expected a few words to silence Lin Meizhen.

Amazing.

Lin Meizhen coldly snorted, threw her basket on the ground, and continued harvesting pitcher plants without saying another word.

Although Wen Nan hadn’t lived through this era, she had learned about this period of history from books.

In this era, even a single wrong word could lead to serious consequences. People in the city were cautious, afraid of being accused of something and paraded through the streets.

Zhao Xiaomai harvested a full basket of pitcher plants. During this time, Lin Meizhen occasionally glared at Wen Nan’s back, but Wen Nan ignored her, chatting leisurely with Zhao Xiaomai. Zhao Xiaomai wiped the sweat from her forehead, looking at Wen Nan, whose skin was fair and dimples appeared when she pursed her lips, and gratefully smiled, “Wen Nan, thank you.”

Wen Nan said, “I was just telling the truth. If she bullies you again, use those words to retort.”

Zhao Xiaomai pursed her lips without responding.

Wen Nan didn’t continue to persuade her. Xiaomai, affected by her family, had been inherently insecure since childhood. She knew no one would support her, so she always endured, swallowing her grievances.

Wen Nan whispered, “Xiaomai, if Xinghua Village needs temporary workers, call me.”

Zhao Xiaomai looked at her questioningly. Wen Nan whispered, “I’m staying at my aunt’s house, so I can’t just freeload. I need to earn some money to help out.”

Zhao Xiaomai smiled, “I’ll ask the livestock director when I hand in the pitcher plants if they need more people.”

In the afternoon, after Zhao Xiaomai delivered the pitcher plants, she asked the livestock director if they needed more people. The director, a middle-aged woman surnamed Liu, said, “We don’t need more people for pitcher plants, but we do need a few for the cows. It won’t last long. Do you have someone who wants to work?”

Zhao Xiaomai nodded, “Yes, a woman. She wants to work too.”

Director Liu said, “Okay, tell her to come tomorrow.”

Zhao Xiaomai happily ran to tell Wen Nan, asking her to come tomorrow. Then she asked, “Wen Nan, can you cut grass?”

Zhao Xiaomai was worried she couldn’t, as she didn’t look like someone who had done farm work.

Wen Nan smiled, “Use a sickle? I can learn.”

Zhao Xiaomai nodded, “Yes, if you don’t know how, I’ll teach you. It’s easy.”

Wen Nan returned to the family quarters and saw a bicycle parked in front of the gate, with a box on the front and back carrying several letters. The postman came out, got on his bicycle, and left. Zhao Xiaomai nudged Wen Nan’s arm, “Camp Commander Chen received a letter. Is it from your grandmother to your aunt?”

Wen Nan shook her head, “I don’t know.”

She didn’t have a grandmother, only an aunt.

When Wen Nan returned home, she saw her grandmother sitting in the yard looking at an envelope. Hearing the sound, she looked up and saw Wen Nan, happily saying, “Nannan, Chen Zhou sent a letter.”

Wen Nan sat next to Grandma Chen, resting her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands, watching Grandma Chen hold the letter.

The envelope was an old-fashioned paper envelope with a small stamp in the upper right corner. In the new century, this stamp would be valuable.

She said, “Is it from your second brother?”

Grandma Chen smiled, “Yes, it’s from your second brother.” Her smile faded slightly, “That brat is disobedient, insisting on transferring to Dong Hua City. That place can’t compare to Nanyang City. Why didn’t the brothers stay together? If something happens, they have each other. Why did they have to separate?”

She opened the envelope, taking out various coupons and a letter—oil coupons, food coupons, cloth coupons, cotton coupons, two industrial coupons, and two ten-yuan bills. Grandma Chen opened the folded letter, which contained a few sentences. She looked it over and then looked at Wen Nan, “Nannan, do you know how to read? Aunt doesn’t.”

Wen Nan nodded, “Yes, my aunt sent me to school, so I know how to read.”

“Then read it to Aunt.”

Wen Nan took the letter from Grandma Chen and glanced at it, then read aloud, “Grandma, everything is fine in Dong Hua City. If anything happens at home, have my brother send me a telegram. I’ll come back immediately. Grandma, take care of yourself.”

Sincerely, Chen Zhou.

After reading the letter, Grandma Chen was silent for a long time.

Wen Nan saw the tears in Grandma Chen’s eyes and didn’t disturb her. She got up to prepare dinner. She made noodles for dinner, and Grandma Chen put the money and coupons away and went to the kitchen to help.

Dusk fell, and the small courtyard grew dark. Smoke curled above the roofs of the family quarters, and footsteps and voices could be heard outside the gate.

Tuan Commander Du and others had returned, but Camp Commander Chen hadn’t yet.