Lin Lan sent her son away, asking him to buy a roast chicken from the next street.  

“Qingfeng, go to ‘Mianyun Roast Chicken’ and buy one for me. Make sure it’s freshly roasted.”  

Only three people remained at the table. Lin Lan began asking Lin Hongying about her life and work.  

“Hongying, have you settled in well since coming here?”  

Lin Hongying nodded. “Yes, it’s quite nice here.”  

Lin Lan continued, “The main reason for my visit is to help you resolve your work or education situation.”  

“I heard from the old man that you finished middle school but didn’t continue your studies. I strongly recommend you go back to school while you’re still young. If you’re interested, you can join a middle school class to review, and Qingfeng can tutor you in his free time.”  

“Most of our relatives and friends have university educations. The daughter-in-law of the Shao family absolutely cannot have only a middle school education.”  

“If you prefer to work, that’s fine too. The jobs I’ve arranged are relatively easy, and I’ll also enroll you in night classes. Either way, you must improve your education. Further studies will be essential in the future.”  

The secretary handed Lin Hongying a document.  

Lin Hongying skimmed through the jobs Lin Lan had arranged for her: high-end goods salesperson at a department store, movie ticket seller, propaganda officer at a sugar factory union, secretary assistant at the Revolutionary Committee… These were all stable, cushy jobs with official status—positions people would fight tooth and nail to get.  

Lin Lan went on and on about how Lin Hongying should attend university in the future, after which she would assign her even better work…  

Lin Hongying felt overwhelmed.  

Calmly, she said, “Auntie, I’m sorry, but I already have my own plans for work. Neither university nor returning to middle school is part of my plans for now.”  

Lin Lan disliked being interrupted. She frowned.  

Other young people begged her repeatedly to arrange jobs for them, but she always refused. Lin Hongying, on the other hand, rejected her offer without a second thought.  

Lin Lan, visibly displeased, asked, “What kind of job do you want?”  

Lin Hongying replied, “A state farm.”  

This era was harsh and impoverished, and she felt the call of destiny. Especially when she carried that emaciated old man to the hospital—his frail body little more than skin and bones—yet he still trembled as he grasped her hand and shook his head.  

Lin Hongying understood the purpose of her arrival in this era.  

She wanted to change the impoverished state of this time, to ensure that everyone had enough to eat and wear, that the elderly could live out their years in peace, the strong could contribute their strength, and the young could grow up well.  

She wanted to steadily hold the rice bowl of the Chinese people.  

Secretary Zhang gave Lin Hongying a meaningful look, smoothing things over. “Leader, it’s good that Hongying has her own ideas. Young people are like this.”  

Lin Lan sneered inwardly. What was so great about working on a farm?  

The Heilongjiang Production and Construction Corps was constantly recruiting people to reclaim wasteland, facing a labor shortage. They were even mobilizing unemployed educated youths to support the border regions. Others avoided such work at all costs.  

It seemed this country girl looked down on the jobs she had arranged and still wanted to farm—toiling under the sun day after day, wasting her time. To her, it might seem like an easy life.  

If Lin Hongying went to work on a farm, the Shao family would become the laughingstock of the entire compound! Lin Lan would never allow such a thing to happen.  

Her tone turned stern. “Xiao Lin, you’d better listen to me about work. Forget about the state farm. You’re from the south and have no idea how tough farming in the Great Northern Wilderness is. You’ll regret it…”  

In just a few sentences, her address had shifted from the affectionate “Hongying” to the distant “Xiao Lin.”  

If she were a pushover, she might have been intimidated. But Lin Hongying wasn’t scared. Instead, she smiled and said, “Thank you for your kindness, Auntie. But I know exactly what I’m doing. I’m not fooling around.”  

“Mom, what’s this?” Shao Qingfeng’s voice cut in.  

Shao Qingfeng had returned at some point, placing the greasy roast chicken on the table. His breathing was slightly uneven, his handsome face flushed, and a light sweat glistened at his temples. 

It seemed he had realized Lin Lan deliberately sent him away and, fearing she would cause trouble for Lin Hongying, had rushed back as fast as possible after buying the chicken.  

He knew his mother all too well.

Shao Qingfeng took the document from Lin Hongying’s hands, quickly scanning its contents before saying gently, “You were introducing her to work and study options? But I think you should respect her choice.”  

“Our local state farms are developing quite well. As for studies…” He paused, then added calmly, “When she’s ready, she’ll pursue them on her own. There’s no need to force her.”  

Lin Lan felt both exasperated and heartbroken. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined her son would choose such an unambitious fiancée…  

Secretary Zhang mediated, “Leader, let Xiao Feng handle this matter. I’m sure they’ll work it out.”  

She glanced at her watch. “You still have a project to approve tonight, and time is tight. We should leave now—”  

Lin Lan took a moment to steady her emotions. Lately, she had been easily provoked—why was she even arguing with a junior?  

Probably because her sister-in-law had been whispering too much about Lin Hongying’s shortcomings, unconsciously influencing her mood and making her unfairly resentful toward the girl.  

She looked at the two young people and said coldly, “Fine, handle your own affairs. It seems I’ve overstepped!”  

Secretary Zhang breathed a sigh of relief.  

Internally, she couldn’t help but give Lin Hongying a thumbs-up. Regardless of anything else, this girl was bold—daring to stand up to the leader like that!  

Most people wouldn’t even dare to breathe too loudly in front of the leader.  

Known as the “Iron Lady,” she had even made hardened men in the ministry cry with her reprimands—let alone young women.  

Shao Qingfeng was also surprised that Lin Hongying had dared to challenge his mother.  

Lin Lan checked her watch again—it was indeed getting late. Rubbing her temples in frustration, she thought to herself, This girl may not excel in much, but she sure has a sharp tongue!  

With a stern expression, she followed Secretary Zhang out of the restaurant.  

…

By the time the two returned home, Lin Hongying carefully broached the subject:  

“I think we might not be a good match. I’m willing to explain things clearly to my grandfather—the engagement arranged by the elders can be called off. What do you think?”  

She expected to see relief on Shao Qingfeng’s face, but instead, his frown deepened.  

He looked at her coldly and said, word by word, “I warned you before to think carefully, but you refused.”  

“I don’t know what changed your mind, but it’s too late now. The marriage application was submitted the day after you arrived at the military base. *You* were the one who told Grandpa you wanted to marry me. The approval will come through in a few days—prepare yourself.”  

His gaze lingered on Lin Hongying.  

She was an ordinary girl, unremarkable, like a blade of grass by the roadside.  

If not for fate’s cruel joke, Shao Qingfeng would never have crossed paths with someone like her in his entire life!  

On the day Lin Hongying arrived, after meeting him, she had called Shao’s grandfather. Whatever she said had prompted the old man to immediately phone his grandson, pressuring him late into the night—alternating between threats and coaxing—to marry her, or else he would disown him.  

Grandpa Shao had never asked anything of his grandson before—except this. Watching the elderly man, already past sixty, exhaust himself with work and still call every night to persuade him, Shao Qingfeng couldn’t bear it any longer.  

Just treat her well. That’s not hard.

But he would never love her.  

…