It was already the weekend the next day. Normally, by this time, oilfields would follow a six-day work schedule, with one day off for the weekend.

However, Nie Bozhao couldn’t rest.

He heard that there had been some gunfire exchanges at Chelekti, so the leaders sent him off for military training.

Although northerners are generally tall and robust, and the oilfield is a place where people from various ethnic groups live, Wang Jie mentioned that even the famously strong Kazakh colleagues couldn’t match Nie Bozhao’s physical fitness during military training.

So, despite being a scientist, Nie Bozhao was the commander at the temporary military command center in the oilfield.

The military exercises at the temporary command center involved real ammunition and full-armament.

If this were a real border defense post, it would obviously be a restricted area.

However, since the exercises were being held in a desert 30 kilometers away, the families were allowed to watch, and the leaders didn’t mind.

Wang Jie even wanted to bring Chen Lina along to watch the military training, but Chen Lina politely declined.

She still hadn’t finished stitching Nie Weimin’s cotton pants.

The child had been restless all day, tossing and turning on the kang (a heated platform bed), eagerly waiting to go outside and play.

In the morning, she hurriedly finished stitching a large cotton coat.

Just as she finished the last stitches, Nie Weimin wrapped it around himself and rushed out, shouting, “Comrade Chen, thank you!”

Through the glass window, Chen Lina saw four or five boys gathered at the door.

Little Nie Weimin looked proud, pointing at his new coat and saying, “See, my mom made this!”

Wait, did he just call her “mom” in front of everyone?

When the child saw Chen Lina looking through the window, he turned red and immediately bit his lip in embarrassment.

“That’s your stepmother, right? My mom says that stepmothers are only good for three days of warmth. In a few days, you’ll see!” said a taller boy.

Chen Lina recognized him as Liu Xiaohong’s older brother, Liu Xiaogang, a boy about seven or eight years old, who didn’t have a mother.

The children of the first batch of workers at the base were mostly around six or seven years old, and since the school had just opened, they mostly spent their time idling or hanging out with the children at the nearby Mulan Farm.

Liu Xiaogang, in particular, was a troublemaker.

Little Nie Weimin seemed embarrassed and huffed, “Let’s go, let’s go, I’m not playing with you.”

He then grabbed a few boys of his own size and said, “Come on, let’s play together, okay?”

The older boys scampered off like wild dogs, while the younger ones stayed and played outside the yard.

Since Chen Lina was new, she felt responsible for the three children and couldn’t let them run wild.

While the kids were playing outside, Chen Lina felt at ease.

Everything was fine until the sound a tractor slowly grew louder, and the boys immediately ran off like birds, flapping away.

Just then, a sharp female voice cut through the air. “Dadan, Dadan, have you gone deaf? Who took my milk?”

The tractor stopped, and the yelling continued.

“Mrs. Huang, you can’t hit the child like that! What’s wrong with him that you’re hitting him?”

“He’s my grandson. Why can’t I hit him?” the woman retorted.

“Even if he’s your grandson, he hasn’t broken the law. You can’t just hit him.”

“I’ll hit my own grandson, it’s none of your business!”

Chen Lina was still inside, trying to console Er Dan, who was crying, “I don’t want Grandma!”

By the time she reached the yard, the shouting was in full swing.

The woman who was scolding was about fifty years old, wearing a Zhongshan suit, with her hair in two messy buns, and her scalp already bald in places.

The remaining hair was combed slick against her temples.

This could only be the infamous “Sun Mother” Huang Huacai, the woman whom everyone in the base feared.

With a slap, she hit Nie Weimin across the face.

The poor child didn’t protest; he just let her slap him over and over.

“What did I tell you? Your uncle needs three bowls of milk every day. That milk is his lifeline, and you’ve been stealing it! Tell me, how did your mom teach you? Do you know what your uncle is to us?”

“He’s our lifeline,” Nie Weimin replied, holding back tears.

“That’s right. Let me tell you, little brat, if you steal my milk again, you’ll be cutting off your uncle’s life. If his life ends, I’ll kill you first, and then kill myself.”

“I want cheese, cheese is good, the milk is mine!” Nie Weimin stubbornly retorted.

That was the last straw.

Huang Huacai, furious, kicked the boy in the rear, sending him flying into the snow, his new cotton coat ruined.

Chen Lina was furious.

She saw the axe left by Nie Bozhao nearby and, taking advantage of the moment when Huang Huacai wasn’t looking, she swung it toward the woman.

“Xiao Chen, you can’t!” someone shouted.

“She’s going to kill me!” Huang Huacai screamed.

Actually, it was just the back of the axe she swung, not intending to hit.

But the gesture made it clear enough—Huang Huacai realized she was up against someone who didn’t fear death.

“Why are you hitting my son?”

“Your son? Pfft, that’s my family’s boy. And don’t call him your son! He’s my oldest grandson, and my son-in-law promised my daughter he wouldn’t marry again for fifteen years. You’re shameless, sleeping in the same bed with him—you’re just a seductress!”

The verbal fight escalated as Chen Lina managed to shove Nie Weimin into the yard and slam the door shut.

The whole yard was filled with workers and their families watching the spectacle.

Chen Lina thought to herself, “If it’s going to cause a ruckus, we might as well make it a big one today.”

“Your daughter is dead, and I married into this family. These three kids are mine now. You heartless old witch, you sold your daughter, and now these kids don’t even have clothes to wear. All you know how to do is hit people. Look at you, dressed all fancy, while my three sons run around in the snow with nothing on. How dare you even show your face here!”

“The son-in-law is mine, the grandchildren are mine, and the money my daughter earned with her life is mine. How I spend it is my business, and it’s none of your business, you hussy!” said Sun’s mother fiercely, as if she were about to start a fight.

But Chen Lina was holding an axe, and earlier, she’d nearly swung it at her.

Sun’s mother was wary, and for the moment, she was only throwing verbal punches.

“Oh, I’ll tell you this: since your daughter died, she’s no longer part of this family. I’m the lady of the house now, and if you step one inch closer, I’ll chop you down.”

“Ha! My son-in-law promised the authorities he wouldn’t remarry for fifteen years. I don’t believe he would marry a tramp like you.”

“Well, whether you believe it or not, he married me. We’ve got an official red certificate hanging inside. I’m Nie Bozhao’s wife, and you’re just going to have to accept that.”

In truth, Chen Lina and Nie Bozhao hadn’t officially married yet, but she couldn’t let Sun’s mother have the upper hand.

“I don’t believe it. Show me the marriage certificate, and I’ll go to the authorities.”

“This is my house, and that’s my marriage certificate. Why should I show it to you? Step inside, and I’ll say you’re trespassing.”

“Then trespass I will. This is my son-in-law’s house, and that makes it my house too. Open the door,” demanded the old lady, waving around the crank handle of a tractor as if she was about to use it to break in.

Chen Lina didn’t back down, brandishing her bright axe. “Oh dear, I’ve been chopping wood all day. My hands might be a bit shaky. If I accidentally hit someone, well, that’s their bad luck.”

“You lay a hand on me, and I’ll fall down right here. You’ll owe me for medical bills.”

The old lady might not be as strong as a younger woman in a fight, but she knew how to play dead.

If she pretended to be hurt, both Chen Lina and Nie Bozhao would be in big trouble.

“Fine, come on in. I’ll ask you: is five thousand enough? The compensation money for the three kids was five thousand. I’ll give it to you if you’re that desperate. Or, you can hand it over to me right now. Look, out of respect for Engineer Sun, I’m calling you ‘auntie’ here. Now, give back the children’s support money.”

Chen Lina hadn’t forgotten that there was still five thousand yuan that the old lady had taken.

She was the fiercest woman in Qingshui County, and Sun’s mother from Zhang County was equally tough.

Sun’s mother was seeing red with anger. “That’s my son’s money! You tramp, you dare think of taking it?”

Chen Lina raised her voice, “I’m Nie’s family, and I’m here because Nie’s parents couldn’t stand seeing their grandchildren bullied by you. You’ve withheld our rice, our flour, our cooking oil, and starved these kids till they’re all skin and bones.

I’m taking it all back. My mother-in-law even said that if I lose control and hit someone, she’ll explain it to the authorities herself, and she’ll take responsibility. But no matter what, she wants the three kids to have food to eat.”

If Nie’s mother heard this, she’d probably be furious.

But right now, Chen Lina had to invoke her mother-in-law’s name to deal with Sun’s mother.

“Nie Bozhao’s mother has no say over me.”

“But she can control Engineer Nie. So what? Engineer Sun has a mother, but does that mean Engineer Nie doesn’t?”

Sister Wang chimed in, “That’s true. After all, Engineer Sun is gone. Ma’am, your grandsons are your family, but Chen is not. And besides, she’s here on orders from Nie’s mother. You should take it up with the authorities, not with Chen. She has no ties to you.”

Sun’s mother was just being unreasonable, demanding money that was supposed to go to the authorities, not to her.

Then the old lady remembered something else important—thirty yuan a month for childcare.

“Give me back the child support.”

“I’m raising the kids, so the child support belongs to me.”

“If you keep taking my milk, my cotton, and my sugar, I’ll fight you to the end. I’ll make such a scene that they’ll close down your entire base.”

Oh, so she’d been taking more than just milk—cotton and sugar too.

Welfare supplies intended for the kids had been intercepted by her.

“I’ll tell you this, I’m not stealing anything. When Engineer Sun died, that compensation was for the kids, and I’ll take it back. The milk is for the kids, the cotton for their winter clothes. And if you dare take my sugar, I’ll march to your place with my axe tomorrow and take it out on your son, Da Bao.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Your son is your lifeline. Well, sugar is mine.”

They locked eyes for a long moment before Sun’s mother, finally intimidated by Chen Lina’s fearlessness, backed down.

“You… just wait. I’ll go to the authorities, I’ll go report you to Secretary Ah in Umai, and I’ll get them to kick you out,” she shrieked, jumping up and down like she was electrified.

“Go on then, go ahead.” Chen Lina laughed. “I’d be thrilled if you did. Go right now.”

…

That evening, by the stove, Nie Weimin hung his head miserably, waiting for his new winter coat to dry.

His grandmother had beaten him earlier, and Chen Tiantian had seen it all.

The boy looked like he wanted to disappear from embarrassment.

“It’s no big deal. New coats should be washed before wearing, anyway. Once it’s dry, I’ll fluff it up, and it’ll be as good as new. Sound good?”

Outside, Sun’s mother’s wailing echoed, one pitiful cry after another, sometimes cursing Nie Bozhao’s heartlessness, sometimes lamenting her daughter’s misfortune.

What exactly she was crying about was unclear, but in the wind and snow, her voice sounded truly pitiful.