◎ First Update ◎ 

Zhou Yun glanced at her third son’s family, who had been chattering around her all morning, and felt too lazy to pay them any attention. 

Zhou Yun and Xu Heng had two sons and a daughter. The eldest, Xu Mingxia, married a repairman from the tractor factory in the neighboring city and they rarely see each other. The second son, Xu Mingyuan, who was Xu Shengjie’s father, died in an accident years ago. The only one still in the city was her third son, Xu Mingliang. 

The eldest son, Xu Mingxia, married a repairman from the tractor factory in the next city, who was a fifth-level technical worker. They had two sons and two daughters and lived a comfortable life. While Xu Mingliang worked at the steel factory and take over Xu Heng’s position. He was the only one in his family with a formal job. They had two sons and a daughter. Both sons were temporary workers at the steel factory; the eldest was already married, the youngest was not yet engaged, and the daughter was married off. Their life was barely getting by. 

Today, her third son’s family—Xu Mingliang, Feng Juan, and their unengaged younger son Xu Shengkai—came to visit. 

“Mother, when Shengjie and his wife come back, let Juan’er take care of things. Since Second Brother and his wife left early, we need someone to manage the household.” 

“Yes, Mother, if you don’t have a mother-in-law to pressure her at home, be careful that your new daughter-in-law will bully you.” 

Xu Mingliang just heard this morning that his nephew got married, and he got married three days ago. He was really embarrassed as a third uncle. It seemed that his mother still hated him for not even informing him of such a big event. 

Previously, the two wanted to introduce Feng Juan’s niece to Xu Shengjie, but Zhou Yun refused. They had been looking for another opportunity to persuade the old lady, but Xu Shengjie got married without saying a word! 

So, he brought his wife and son early this morning to inquire and to meet the country girl who was supposedly unattractive and unrefined. They strongly disapproved of city people marrying country girls! 

“Grandmother.” Liang Baozhen, who had heard it from afar, couldn’t help but speak up. 

“Baozhen.” Zhou Yun, who was already feeling annoyed, brightened up when she saw her granddaughter-in-law returning. She quickly led her away from the third son’s family. “Why are you carrying so much? Where’s Shengjie?” 

“He’s running late at the factory, so he went directly.” Liang Baozhen opened the bag. “My mother asked me to bring some vegetables with me, so we can mix them up and eat them later.” 

“Really? Your mother is so kind-hearted. She always asks you to bring things over to us?” 

Xu Mingliang’s family of three stared at the young girl who suddenly appeared before them, dressed in a fashionable dress and looking very delicate with a fresh face. They wondered where this beautiful girl came from. 

“Mother, who is this?” 

Zhou Yun shot her son a glance but didn’t say much. She only introduces them to Baozhen. “Baozhen, this is Shengjie’s Third Uncle and Third Aunt.” 

Only then did Liang Baozhen have the chance to look at them properly. Xu Mingliang was a man in his early forties with a square face and a shrewd look in his eyes. Xu Shengjie resembled his third uncle somewhat, with the high nose bridge typical of the Xu family. While Feng Juan openly scrutinized her with disbelief. 

“Third Uncle, Third Aunt.” 

“This… Is this the country girl Shengjie married?!” Xu Mingliang asked loudly in surprise. Not only him but the whole family couldn’t believe it. The girl’s appearance was not inferior to the girls from the city and even seemed better. She didn’t look like someone who worked in the fields all day. 

“You keep calling her a country girl. What’s wrong? Do you have any objections?” Zhou Yun threw the melon pulp in her hand, splashing a few drops of water into the water tank. “This is Xu Shengjie’s wife. You’ve seen her, so you can go back where you came from.” 

After Zhou Yun’s husband passed away, the family was divided, and she lived with her children. The eldest daughter was very filial but had married far away. 

Initially, it was agreed that their elderly mother would live with each child for six months, with the brothers taking turns to support her. However, her third son Xu Mingliang who seemed to be a good person when he was young, turned out to be a petty person when he grew up. He schemed against his family members and even took the money for his mother’s medical treatment and medicine. It was not until his second brother Xu Mingyuan beat him up that he became more restrained. 

Later, Zhou Yun continued to live with Xu Mingyuan’s family. At that time, the relationship between the two families was pretty good. Even if Xu Mingliang and his wife had some minor problems, it didn’t matter. After all, they were blood brothers and could not be separated. 

Not until Xu Mingyuan and Wu Huacui died unexpectedly after work, Zhou Yun was so sad that she almost followed with his second son and his wife. On the other hand, Xu Mingliang and his wife wanted to cheat the pension given to them by the State Cotton Factory, and they also wanted to take over the work positions of Second son’s family. In difficult times, their hearts become more apparent. 

It was at this time that Zhou Yun completely gave up on her third son. Even after she settled down with her second son’s family, she had no desire to interact with them anymore. 

“Mother, what are you talking about?” Feng Juan put her arm around her mother-in-law affectionately, her face full of smiles, and she laughed like a silver bell. “We are all family, and we should not have different opinions. Shengjie is getting married, and we, as the elders, must express our gratitude.” 

As he spoke, Xu Mingliang fished out a handful of loose change from his pocket, spit on his thumb and index finger, and took out a crumpled dime note. He pushed it in front of Liang Baozhen, “Niece-in-law, your name is Baozhen, right? Come here. Third uncle doesn’t have much to give you. Take this money to buy something for yourself and Shengjie as a wedding gift.” 

Liang Baozhen did not move. She felt uncomfortable inside. However, Zhou Yun, who was standing beside her, harshly pushed her son’s hand away. “Take this money back; we don’t want it.” 

“Grandma, please don’t say such angry words.” After being silent for a long time, Xu Shengkai spoke casually. “This is what my parents wanted.” 

“We appreciate the kindness, but we don’t want the money.” Zhou Yun sneered and said firmly. 

The old lady usually had a kind demeanor, and it was the first time Liang Baozhen had seen her grandmother angry. 

“Third Uncle, Third Aunt, we won’t be accepting the money. Shengjie and I have already married, and there is no need to accept any more gifts. The sun is also getting hot, so you should head back and rest. We won’t keep you here.” 

“You!” Feng Juan’s breath was stuck in her throat. It’s one thing if her mother-in-law said those words, but how dare a new daughter-in-law act so high and mighty in front of her family? “You have only been in the Xu family for a few days. Do you really think you are the head of the family? I’ve been married for over twenty years in this family, you think you have the right to speak here?” 

“Who said Baozhen has no right to speak? She is the head of our family. What are you talking about here?” Zhou Yun pulled Liang Baozhen and protected her behind her. She criticized her daughter-in-law without holding back. “Third daughter-in-law, you should go back as soon as possible. Do you remember what you said back then? After my second son and his wife died, you said that everyone should take care of their own business and asked us not to come to your house to beg for food.” 

Xu Mingliang listened to his mother’s angry words without feeling embarrassed. He simply said, “Mother, why bring up things from over ten years ago? It was just a moment of anger back then; it’s not worth mentioning.” 

He stepped forward to pull Zhou Yun, trying to show some mother-son affection. 

But Zhou Yun was stubborn and pushed his son away. Feng Juan and Xu Shengkai also came up to talk to her. The whole family surrounded Zhou Yun and made a commotion… 

“You’re giving me a headache!” 

Zhou Yun pushed a few times, but her son held on tightly. Liang Baozhen saw that her grandmother was upset and wanted to help her leave. Several people pushed and shoved, and chaos broke out. 

Xu Shengkai was confused, and in the chaos, he and his father nearly pushed Zhou Yun into the wall. Fortunately, Liang Baozhen acted quickly; she used one hand to support Zhou Yun and the other to steady herself against the wall. 

“Grandma, are you okay?” 

“It’s okay, it’s okay.” Zhou Yun took a few deep breaths. 

Liang Baozhen was so angry after seeing this family’s behavior. She raised her voice, “I saw the patrol with red armbands outside when I came back. Now we’re being attacked, and especially for someone your age, it’s easy to feel dizzy and uncomfortable. Grandma, wait here, I’ll find someone. They’ll definitely handle it.” 

After saying that, Liang Baozhen gave Zhou Yun a meaningful look. 

“Ow, ow.” Zhou Yun immediately understood and placed a hand on her forehead, slowly sitting down while clutching her chest and complaining about feeling unwell. ” I feel so uncomfortable. My heart hurts so bad, like it’s turning over… oh…” 

“Third Uncle and Third Aunt, Grandma is having a heart issue. She needs to be taken to the hospital immediately.” Liang Baozhen spoke urgently to the people around her. “The examination and hospital stay will cost ten yuan. I just got married and have no money, and Grandma doesn’t have any either. Please give me ten yuan to take Grandma to the hospital.” 

“Ten yuan? Why don’t you go rob someone?! Don’t try to scare us!” 

Liu Nianhua was sewing clothes in the house when she heard the commotion outside. She put down her needle and thread and went out to take a look. 

There weren’t many people in the courtyard. Most of them had gone to work or to the vegetable market to buy vegetables. Only the area in front of Xu’s house was crowded at this time. 

“Aunt Yun, Baozhen, what’s going on?” 

Xu Mingliang’s family rarely visited the big courtyard, so Liu Nianhua had hardly seen them and thought troublemakers had come from outside. 

“What are you doing? Are you causing trouble? If you continue like this, I’ll call the neighborhood office.” 

Seeing someone suddenly arrive in the courtyard, Feng Juan laughed awkwardly, “This must be a neighbor, right? Don’t be so suspicious. This is my mother; we’re not bad people.” 

“Sister Hua, you’re just in time.” Liang Baozhen took a few steps forward and pulled her over. “Grandma is feeling sick again after all the commotion they made. Didn’t you help take her to the hospital last time? She spent ten yuan on hospitalization. Now that Sheng Jie is not at home, we don’t have much money. I wanted my uncle and aunt to pay for the medical expenses… but they didn’t believe it!” 

Liu Nianhua was confused. When had she ever taken Xu’s grandmother to the hospital? It wasn’t until someone pinched her arm that she came to her senses. “Yes, yes! It cost ten yuan last time. Your grandmother is old, and it’s hard for her to see a doctor. Her third uncle, there’s no man in the Xu family now; you should pay for your mother’s medical expenses.” 

Looking at his mother, who was holding her chest and breathing heavily, and the panicked daughter-in-law next to him, Xu Mingliang became more worried about losing his money. He frowned, “You two don’t understand. My mom just needs to rest, she will recover once she calms down. There’s no need for a hospital, they’ll just empty your pockets.” 

He then turned around and reassured Zhou Yun, “Mother, if you are not feeling well, we will go back first, and you can recover on your own.” 

At first, they couldn’t be chased away, but now they quickly took small steps out of the courtyard, afraid that they might have to spend some money. 

Seeing that the people had left, Liu Nianhua hurried to check on Zhou Yun, “Aunt Yun, how are you?” 

Zhou Yun had been holding her chest and complaining about how uncomfortable she felt. Now she let go of her hands, squeezed her plump cheeks, and smiled happily, “I’m fine, I’m fine. I was just pretending to make them worry!” 

“Let’s take it easy for a bit longer.” Liang Baozhen stopped Zhou Yun from getting up and made her sit back down to rest. 

“That’s good. I was so scared that I thought something really happened.” Liu Nianhua spat, looking down on these people. “If everyone hadn’t gone to the vegetable market today and there weren’t many people in the courtyard, I definitely wouldn’t have let them go like this.” 

“No worries, Nianhua, thank you for today.” Zhou Yun and Liang Baozhen thanked Liu Nianhua and gave her two fresh tomatoes before heading back inside. 

Liang Baozhen gave her grandmother a cup of water and watched her drink it. Only after confirming that Zhou Yun was alright did she relax. 

“What are you looking at? I’m really fine. I’m not that weak.” Zhou Yun looked at her delicate granddaughter-in-law with satisfaction. Even though she seemed delicate, she wasn’t easily bullied. She knew when to be tough and was smart. “Did someone push you just now? My third son and his wife are so rude and unreasonable.” 

Liang Baozhen shook her head, she quietly clenched her left hand into a fist, and hide it under the table, “I’m fine.” 

“Grandma, why did Third Uncle and Aunt suddenly come to our house?” Liang Baozhen didn’t know much about their family, but from what she heard, it was clear that their family relations were not that good, and Grandma and her third son might have even turned against each other. 

Zhou Yun briefly explained the matter. “He was thinking about the job left by Xu Shengjie’s parents. Our family has a job quota at the State Cotton Factory. Feng Juan knew that Shengjie was going to return from military service and wanted to introduce her niece to him. She was clearly aiming for that job. But I knew all along that her niece is just as ill-natured as she is.” 

As for the Xu family’s affairs, Liang Baozhen felt disgusted and wants to criticized Xu Shengjie’s third uncle but she’s still Zhou Yun’s biological son, so she didn’t say much. 

“When Shengjie comes back later, tell him. If they come to our house every other day, we won’t have a peaceful life.” 

“Right.” Zhou Yun had a plan in mind, “I’ll talk to him tonight. Wait until you get familiar with the house and the courtyard first. After that you can take over that job.” 

Liang Baozhen was surprised. “You want me to take the job?” 

It is difficult to find a job in the city, especially a formal job in a large state-owned factory. Many people are desperate to get in. 

“Yes, Xiaojie and I talked about it after your engagement. When you get the job back, Xiaowei and Xiaoya will still be in school and won’t need it. You taking the job will save us from worrying all the time.” 

The author has something to say: 

Best Actress in Film and Television Academy: Zhou Yun & Liang Baozhen 

“On the acting skills of veteran actors” & “The road to advancement for outstanding young actresses”