Sister Bao spoke with a mix of fear and irritation. Though usually cheerful and generous, she showed displeasure when talking about the children.

Wen Jiajia asked, “Beehive?”

“Yes,” Sister Bao explained. “It’s on the big camphor tree. But don’t worry, it’s been burned by the logistics department. I heard that the children were severely punished by their families after recovering, and they’ve been quiet for a few months. They probably have forgotten the pain by now.”

Wen Jiajia lost interest when she heard the beehive had been burned. She wasn’t interested in honey, but in beeswax.

In those days, vanishing cream was mediocre and expensive, so Wen Jiajia preferred to find beeswax to make it herself.

Beeswax could also be used to make lipstick. During the winter, her and her nieces’ lips often cracked.

“Oh, by the way, this is for you,” Sister Bao said, handing her the item she was carrying. Wen Jiajia then noticed it was a jellyfish.

Her eyes lit up. “Hey, Sister, where did you get this jellyfish? It looks so fresh!”

Sister Bao smiled and replied, “Wenzhou gave it to me.”

Wen Jiajia responded, “Your eldest son-in-law? He’s really considerate. You’re enjoying life now, Sister.”

Bao Jie’s eldest daughter had brought home a man some time ago—a navy man, tall and strong, though a bit dark. He was very talkative and cheerful, more so than Sister Bao. Wen Chun and Wen Xuan had quickly become friends with him.

“What kind of blessing is that? My youngest child is only 10 years old. When he no longer needs me, I’ll have to help my eldest child with his baby. Wenzhou’s parents are in their hometown, and the couple have already decided to leave the child with me,” Sister Bao sighed.

She had four children and, having raised them, wasn’t particularly excited about having grandchildren around. She just wanted some peace and quiet at home.

But she couldn’t refuse… Her children all had jobs, so refusal wasn’t an option.

Wen Jiajia chuckled at Sister Bao’s words. “Yes, Sister, you’ll be busy in the future.”

Sister Bao handed her the jellyfish. “Wenzhou brought a lot of them. I soaked them in water. You just need to blanch them and mix them to eat.”

“Okay!” Wen Jiajia took the jellyfish and said, “Thank you, Sister Bao. I was craving this in the hot weather.”

Sister Bao responded, “Don’t mention it. Just pick some okra from your yard and make some soup.”

Wen Jiajia waved her hand. “Sure, pick them whenever you want. You can come tomorrow or the day after. We have so much okra this year. If you don’t pick it, it will go to waste.”

The crops in her vegetable garden had been replaced, and now the best producers were lettuce, okra, and winter melon.

Wen Jiajia had casually planted winter melon seeds, and to her surprise, they produced eight large melons. She gave away two, cut the remaining into portions, and distributed them to neighbors in Beishan. They ate some over the past few days, leaving five in the garden, indicating how large the melons were.

After Sister Bao left, Wen Jiajia put the partially cooked rice into a wooden barrel to steam and began preparing dinner.

She cut the jellyfish into shreds, blanched it, and mixed it with shredded cucumber. To balance the saltiness, she added sugar, vinegar, and chili oil, finishing with a splash of sesame oil. The result was a tangy, spicy, salty, and sweet jellyfish salad.

The yellowish, slightly transparent jellyfish shreds mixed with cucumber, and the pungent aroma of vinegar made the dish irresistible.

Next, she fried some okra. Okra can be used in various dishes—soup, stir-fry, or fried with eggs. The fried okra was slightly soupy and smooth, and her sisters, Wen Chun and Wen Xuan, particularly liked it with rice.

After frying the okra, Wen Jiajia stir-fried shredded potatoes and scrambled eggs. The potatoes were freshly dug, and she had over 20 kilograms waiting to be eaten.

Lastly, she prepared winter melon and scallop soup. Winter melon and scallop soup is often tastier than meat soups. Scallops are inexpensive and easy to find near the sea. Her family had bought half a pound two months ago, and only half was left.

She had soaked the scallops earlier in the morning, though they were slightly over-soaked and swollen. It didn’t matter since it was for home.

When dinner was ready, her two sisters came home after having fun outside post-school. Wei Dai returned at the same time, covered in mud from training, while Wen Chun and Wen Xuan were similarly muddy from playing.

The two children, carrying small schoolbags and with their heads lowered, stood nervously in the yard, hesitant to enter the house.

Wen Jiajia looked around, picked up a broom, and raised it as if to hit someone.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Wei Dai stopped her. “You need to ask what happened first. You can’t just start hitting without knowing the details.”

Wen Jiajia placed her hands on her hips and confronted the children, “How did you get so muddy? I can’t understand why you’re in such a state.”

Wen Chun shuffled her feet, wiped some mud off her hands, and said, “I fell accidentally.”

Wen Jiajia asked, “How can you fall on such a large road?”

“Yes, I fell while running,” Wen Chun admitted, looking up at her aunt before quickly lowering her head again.

“Don’t dodge the issue. Did you fall while running or playing? There’s a difference. School ended a while ago, and you came back covered in mud after I prepared dinner… What happened? If you lie, I’ll hit you three times!”

Wen Jiajia sneered, and the children stepped back in fear.

Wen Chun quickly confessed, “It was while playing.”

With tears in her voice, she extended her hands for punishment.

Wen Jiajia didn’t hold back, using the bamboo stick made by Wei Dai to give each child ten swats. Because Wen Chun was talking throughout, Wen Xuan received a couple of extra swats.

After their punishment, the children felt the worst was over and no longer feared. They saw their aunt preparing their clothes for washing and felt relieved to eat.

The two children, trying the crispy, shredded jellyfish for the first time, were delighted and quickly forgot their sore palms. They finished the entire plate of jellyfish.

Wei Dai smiled and shook his head, thinking the children were still too naive.

Wen Jiajia wasn’t fully satisfied with just the ten swats to ease her frustration.

Not one to discuss others at the dinner table, she waited until the children finished their meal and left for comic books. Then, she picked them up, one in each hand, and carried them to the yard. “Go wash your clothes. You’re doing it yourself today.”

Wen Chun and Wen Xuan: …

“Is the punishment not over yet?” Wen Xuan asked innocently.

Wen Jiajia asked Wei Dai to bring out the wooden basin and then fetch the aprons.

“End? Humph, it’s only over after the clothes are washed.” Wen Jiajia tied aprons on them.

We happened to have two aprons at home, so there was no concern about their newly changed clothes getting wet.

Then, she filled the wooden basin with water, placed the washboard inside, and clapped her hands. “Wash quickly while it’s still light. Your uncle and I are going to the room to sleep. It will be dark soon, and no one will be outside to keep you company.”

The yard was dark… Just the thought of it scared the two children. They quickly stopped feeling wronged and began scrubbing their clothes with their little hands.

Wei Dai leaned against the door frame and laughed. Wen Jiajia turned around, unable to contain her amusement, and blinked at Wei Dai, silently signaling him not to help.

Wei Dai pulled her into the house, touched her palm, and whispered, “I’ll help you.”

Wen Jiajia blushed. “In broad daylight, please don’t say such things.”

It was easy to make people blush and have their hearts race. Without the darkness to cover it, Wen Jiajia felt embarrassed.

She pushed him away and said, “There’s still hot water. Go take a shower too. Don’t use cold water.”

Wei Dai nodded. “No need.”

Every time he took a cold shower, his wife would scold him.

Wen Jiajia went to wash the dishes. When Wei Dai came back today, he looked very tired.

At night, insects took advantage of October to make noise, knowing that November’s weather would not be suitable for their survival.

The sky had few stars. Looking up, the bright moon resembled a pointed boat.

The lights in the room were on. Wei Dai was lying on the bed. Seeing Wen Jiajia rummaging through her backpack at the desk, he asked, “What are you doing?”

Wen Jiajia held something in her hand, walked to the bed with a smile, climbed onto the bed, and opened her palm, revealing a folded newspaper. “Guess what’s inside?”

Wei Dai asked, “So mysterious?”

He wondered if it was gold. Wei Dai sat up, took the newspaper, and started to open it.

“Hey! I asked you to guess first,” Wen Jiajia said, her eyes full of expectation. “If you guess right, I’ll agree to one condition of yours.”

Agree to a condition. Wei Dai became serious. After thinking carefully, he couldn’t guess what it might be.

It must be gold or money. What else could be wrapped in newspaper?

Wei Dai hesitated and guessed, “Gold.”

Wen Jiajia’s smile froze. “Gold? How did you guess that?”

“What is it then?” Wei Dai asked.

Wen Jiajia handed him the newspaper and urged, “Open it and see.”

Wei Dai opened the newspaper under her expectant gaze and found that there was nothing inside.

Since there was nothing wrapped inside, the answer must be in the newspaper itself.

He looked closely, and after a few seconds, his eyes widened. “Isn’t this the article you wrote?” He raised his voice. “The sulfa series—it’s your work!”

Wen Jiajia laughed so hard her lips almost split. “Yes, it’s mine. What do you think? I’m amazing, right? You couldn’t guess it even if you racked your brains!”

Wei Dai pulled her close and kissed her several times, his admiration for her reaching new heights. “Amazing! You’re amazing! Our ancestors’ graves must be smoking with pride. We’ll have to sweep the grave next year.”

“…”

Well, that might be a bit too exaggerated.

Wen Jiajia’s face turned red again.