In Hegou Township, Cai Ruyun suddenly said during a family gathering around the fire, “I wonder how the third brother and his wife are doing and when they will be able to come back.”

There was no snow in Linhe on New Year’s Eve, but their hometown experienced a rare heavy snowfall. Everything was blanketed in white, a scene not seen in the past ten years. Some young villagers were worried about unusual weather patterns for the next year, but the elders remained calm.

“Don’t worry, Mom. I’m sure they’re doing well. Just look at what my second sister-in-law sent back.”

Wei Xin was particularly fond of her second sister-in-law. After all, she was the only one who could provide her with shoes from Shanghai and Pechoin cosmetics from Shanghai.

She wore her shoes every day, carefully wiping them each time she went out. After ten days, there wasn’t a trace of mud on them.

Wei Chengcai couldn’t stand it and said, “Stop wearing those white shoes all the time. What if someone steps on them? I’d be heartbroken.”

“Oh my, such white shoes, whiter than white rice. Anyone with a mischievous mind would have longed to step on them.”

Wei Xin was not pleased. “Shoes are meant to be worn, otherwise it’s a waste. I want to show off in front of them a few more times. As for anyone who dares to step on them, I’ll make them pay for it.”

Wei Chengcai had no rebuttal and just puffed his pipe, saying, “What a twisted theory. Everything you say is twisted.”

Mrs. Wei agreed, smiling, “If my feet weren’t so swollen, I’d wear them too.”

She was leaning back in her chair, her belly already bulging. After taking supplements for the past few months, she looked much plumper than usual, with a faint hint of a double chin.

But despite being plump, this pregnancy was challenging. Most people would experience edema^[1]is a medical condition characterized by an abnormal accumulation of fluid in the tissues of the body. after five or six months, or even seven months, but she was already somewhat edematous^[2]means swollen due to extra fluid. If something is described as edematous, it’s puffy or swollen because of fluid buildup. now.

Wei Xin asked worriedly, “Sister-in-law, what did the doctor say yesterday?”

“Well, they said it would be fine if I just keep it like this. I drank the milk powder that my sister-in-law sent back, and I felt pretty good after drinking it.” Mrs. Wei said happily. She truly felt better now and had fewer cramps.

Wei Xin said, “How much milk powder do you have left? After you finish it, I’ll see if I can find a milk-producing sheep.”

Mrs. Wei smiled and replied, “There are still two bags left. Eldest sister wrote to me and said she would send two more bags. It should be enough until July.”

“That’s great! I’ll look for one in the next two or three months.” Finding a pregnant ewe isn’t easy, especially since they don’t raise many sheep here. But Wei Xin had looked for goat milk before, so she was familiar with the search.

As they chatted, the topic shifted to Wen Jiajia and Wei Dai.

Cai Ruyun remarked, “The Red Army said recently that Jiajia is still a leader, and the couple both work in public jobs, so they don’t have to worry about the future.”

Parents hope their children have stable jobs, regardless of their income. At that time, being a soldier or a worker was considered honorable, and with both roles, the Wei family had become a “rich family” in the surrounding villages.

Wei Xin, eating roasted sweet potatoes, laughed. “Sister-in-law, do you remember who Wen Xuan’s father is from the second sister-in-law’s family?”

“Of course, I remember. The educated youth from Fuyang returned to the city with great fanfare. I wonder how many educated youths envied him.”

She then glanced at Wei Xin’s husband, who was peeling chestnuts for their son.

Wei Xin’s husband quickly said, “Don’t look at me. I’ve never been envious.”

“No one mentioned you,” Wei Xin replied with a click of her tongue.

She wasn’t naive; she knew which educated youth were worth dating and which weren’t. Her husband had six or seven siblings and was in the middle, with no special attention from their parents. Even if he wanted to return, he would have nowhere to stay.

“Of course, character is key.”

Like her second sister-in-law’s ex-brother-in-law, whom she had met once and who didn’t seem like a peaceful person.

Mrs. Wei had been busy taking care of her baby recently and had missed the village gossip. Upon hearing this, she quickly asked, “Any news about that educated youth?”

“Actually, it’s quite a coincidence. One of the two educated youths assigned to our commune after the autumn harvest knew him. He said they were from the same school.”

When Mrs. Wei heard this, she sat up, holding her belly, her eyes lighting up. “That’s a coincidence! We should ask that educated youth for the address of Wen Jiajia’s second brother-in-law so we can figure out how to handle the child support.”

Wei Xin’s husband said, “Actually, finding the address is easy. It’s all on record at the Youth League Office in the county.”

Mrs. Wei asked, “Why didn’t the Wen family look for him back then?”

“I don’t know.”

Wei Xin explained, “It’s not that Wen’s family didn’t try. They went to the Youth League Office, but his file was transferred away. We only know the city his family lives in, but not the specific street.”

Her husband shook his head. “The Youth League Office must be bluffing.”

Mrs. Wei responded, “What’s the point in discussing this now? He’s become a worker; we should get the money from him as soon as possible.”

Wei Chengcai, who had been listening for a while, said angrily, “You can’t get money from a ghost. It’s not like I can’t support my aunt.”

Wei Xin smiled, “Even if I ask now, there’s no money. They say they’ve lost their jobs… It’s strange. Aren’t jobs supposed to be stable? How can they be lost?”

Mrs. Wei felt regretful. “Without a job, people can’t afford to spend even a few dollars.”

Cai Ruyun sighed, “People should avoid doing things that make them feel guilty. We should write a letter to inform Jiajia about this; it might make her happy.”

It was already past the fifteenth day of the lunar year when Wen Jiajia received the letter. 

But she wasn’t happy at all, having almost forgotten about the man. The letter was soon forgotten, but who knew it would cause trouble many years later?

After the Lantern Festival, the factory became busy again. 

Wen Jiajia was working on a new machine, said to be a new product developed by Haishi, and the doctors were to try it first.

The factory didn’t actually want it. They preferred foreign products but hadn’t purchased them yet due to budget constraints.

However, Teacher Yan and his group insisted on trying it, saying that having it was essential.

Regardless of its quality, they needed to test it in the front-line workshop to understand its advantages and disadvantages.

Wen Jiajia thought this made sense. After all, a dog doesn’t dislike a poor home, and a child doesn’t dislike an ugly mother. No matter how bad the products were, they were still their own.

She was in a tough spot. As a liaison, she had to run back and forth between the factory and Haishi.

According to Director Gao, there was only one trip for now, but there might be two or three more.

Director Gao was also embarrassed. “I have too much work at the factory and can’t leave. How about I give you a vacation after you finish this task?”

Wen Jiajia was surprised. “Really?”

At that time, annual leave didn’t exist. It was easy to ask for leave in the workshop, but it was difficult in the office, where everyone had specific jobs that were hard to replace.

For example, if you were organizing a document and suddenly asked for leave, the work would pile up, and colleagues might not be able to help.

“How could I lie to you? I’ve put you through so much, and I don’t know who I’ll find to help me in the future.”

There were only two or three capable people in the department, and Wen Jiajia was the best among them. Director Gao was genuinely worried she might quit.

Wen Jiajia immediately agreed, “Yes, I’ll go! You have to give me at least three days off after I finish this task!”

“Not just one day?”

“No, three days. It would be great to have four days off, including Sunday.”

It was such a relief.

Director Gao agreed, and Wen Jiajia returned to work with renewed energy.

She first organized the information and asked Teacher Yan and others to clarify any unclear terms.

The next day, Wen Jiajia and Dong Qi went to Haishi to collect the glass forming molds and cutting machines from the machinery factory.

They compared the parts one by one and worked until midnight.

The following day, they transported the equipment to the train station and loaded it onto a truck. Wen Jiajia was very nervous, fearing the equipment might get bumped or scratched.

Later, they needed to receive a batch of raw materials, which were quite important. Wen Jiajia had to count them package by package.

After working non-stop until the evening, the train finally started. Even though Wen Jiajia was extremely tired, she kept her eyes on the goods.

When they were almost halfway through the journey, they woke up Dong Qi, who had been sleeping soundly, and continued to watch over the goods. Dong Qi wrapped her head in clothes and fell back into a deep sleep.