“But, the current director of Mulan Farm is Liu Jiefang, the younger brother of Engineer Sun’s wife. He hasn’t really made any big mistakes, so this matter puts me in a bit of a difficult position. The base still needs a cashier, Comrade Xiao Chen. That job is nice; it’s leisurely and doesn’t involve exposure to wind and rain.”

In order to get Chen Lina the job she wanted, Nie Bozhao steeled himself and said, “Comrade Chen studied biological sciences, and her interests lie in this field. Chief Gao, in Daqing, they’re also handling both agriculture and industry together. Wouldn’t she be better able to use her expertise there?”

“Well, what do you think, Director He?” Chief Gao, in a dilemma, passed the issue to his wife.

Director He was the director of the oil refinery.

If Chen Lina actually became the director of Mulan Farm, though it wasn’t an official title, they would be of equal rank.

She said, “Comrade Chen’s primary work would still involve taking care of Engineer Nie’s daily needs and looking after the child.”

“I can take good care of my younger siblings,” said Nie Weimin, clenching his little fist and sitting in a military posture.

The sweat from earlier playing around hadn’t even dried yet, and he looked very serious.

At this critical moment, he was the most supportive.

“Old Gao, let’s give Comrade Chen a chance. If she can’t handle it, then let He Min take over,” Director He said.

He Min—Chen Lina noted the name.

She guessed that this person was definitely a relative of Director He’s family.

Leaders putting their own people into positions was a common tactic.

Chief Gao then said, “Alright, Xiao Chen, go back and wait for news. I’ll do my best to get this done for you. But let’s be clear upfront: if the production doesn’t go up, I’ll still need to replace the director.”

“Don’t worry, leader. I’ll definitely do a good job,” Chen Lina said.

Leaving Chief Gao’s home, it was at least nine o’clock.

The cold wind howled as Nie Bozhao carried Er Dan, who looked like a little meatball, and Chen Lina held the youngest one.

Apart from Nie Weimin, the other two had fallen asleep.

They slept until they reached the base, and only at the door of the house did Er Dan wake up.

By then, the open-air movie had already ended.

Goudan led the way, using his hand as a toy gun, making shooting sounds as he ran.

Erdan rubbed his eyes and immediately started crying, “The movie’s already over; what am I going to do?”

“Battle of Shanggangling was so good! Erdan missed it, Erdan missed it!” Qian Goudan teased and hopped back to his own home.

“It’s okay; the film team is staying at the base for one more day. There will probably be another movie tomorrow,” laughed Engineer Qian as he closed his door.

“Will there really be one tomorrow? Dad, do you know?” Er Dan answered

“As far as I know, no. Now, hurry home and wash up. You ate too much candy today, so make sure to brush your teeth well,” Nie Bozhao said.

Erdan went to bed, worriedly wondering if there would be another showing or not.

Nie Weimin, on the other hand, brushed his teeth and washed his face.

He had one pocket full of candy and the other too, with all the best sweets, even a few pieces of Soviet chocolate.

After counting them one by one, he found he had three chocolates and eight candies in total—a pretty good haul for a kid his age.

He left two chocolates and two candies in his pocket and hid the rest.

Instead of hiding them anywhere else, he directly opened the sewing machine’s compartment where they kept needles and thread, stashing them in there one by one.

This spot, Erdan would never think to look.

As for Chen Lina, she never ate candy, or at least, Nie Weimin had never seen her eat it.

“The candies left in your pocket, are you planning to eat them at midnight or give them to Chen Tiantian?” Chen Lina asked, curious.

Nie Weimin shook his head, clamping his mouth shut.

Alright, he was currently losing two of his upper front teeth, leaving a gap.

Kids usually looked a bit ugly during the tooth-losing stage, but this little handsome guy hadn’t lost any of his charm.

With his delicate peach-blossom eyes, he looked like he’d grow up to be the type girls would really like.

“You little miser, not willing to give away even a needle, so why do you always give things to Tiantian?” Chen Lina teased.

Nie Weimin chuckled and finally said, “She enjoys it.”

Indeed, Chen Tiantian loved eating.

Her round face, chubby body, and round belly—it was only after the New Year that her figure nearly matched Erdan’s.

“Are you sure you can secure the director position at Mulan Farm?”

Nie Bozhao, who hadn’t been home over the New Year, was eager to prove himself.

Late at night, he started with mopping the floor, a concrete floor that required at least three wipes to meet Chen Lina’s standards.

“I can’t secure it.”

“Then why did you make such a request to Chief Gao without saying a word? It’s such a big farm, with twelve large teams and over a thousand educated youth. How are you planning to manage it?”

“My brother-in-law was the director of the hydroelectric plant. He’s done excellent work in management, so I could ask him to be the deputy director to handle administrative management for me.”

“So you’re getting the director position for your brother-in-law? Chen Lina, Mulan Farm belongs to the Sun family now.

I still have a ton of work in the lab, and even if I didn’t, I wouldn’t want to break ties with the Sun family over this.

After all, the kids still need family. It can’t be that the district chief initially gave the position to Liu Jiefang because of me, and now, also because of me, takes it away and gives it to Wang Hongbing.

I, Nie Bozhao, am just a researcher; I don’t interfere in politics, nor am I looking to get anything out of the farm.”

“Nie Bozhao, have you ever been to Mulan Farm?”

“Not much.”

“Have you seen the frostbite on the hands and feet of those educated youth, or the shabby cotton they have for bedding?

Do you know that, besides working in the fields, those young women also have to dance with men of questionable character?

They’re just kids, most of them high school students, barely older than Weimin. If I hadn’t seen it, if I had no power to help, I’d be fine letting it go.

But I have seen it, and I do have the ability. How can I live with myself if I don’t help, knowing one might freeze to death?”

“Is it that everyone from the future has this ambition to change everything?”

“It’s not ambition; it’s within my power.”

“Within your power means taking care of the kids with my salary.”

“Are you mad because you think my going out to work will interfere with looking after the kids, or because I want to take the farm from the Sun family?

Do you, like others, think I’m just a rural woman whose life should revolve around childcare and schoolwork, who won’t amount to more?”

“It’s neither; I just don’t think you can manage a whole farm.”

Alright, now they were really arguing.

In the big bedroom, Nie Weimin perked his ears up to listen.

Meanwhile, San Dan, who’d had too much soda today, sat up, mouth wide open and ready to cry, “Mom, bathroom!”

“Shh, don’t cry. I’ll take you.” Weimin whispered, reaching out the window to grab the little chamber pot.

After Sandan finished, he placed it back outside, then gently patted his brother’s chest until he fell asleep.

In the living room, Nie Bozhao finished mopping and sat on the couch.

Despite the argument, the chores still needed doing.

Meanwhile, Chen Lina was watering and weeding the vegetables.

When the water boiled, she made him a cup of coffee and poured herself a glass of wine, ready to continue their debate.

“By myself, I can’t manage it. But I have my own ideas and need your support. You used to listen carefully and help me figure things out.”

This younger version of him was more energetic but also less understanding and considerate.

As Chen Lina spoke, her eyes reddened.

Holding her glass of wine, she looked disheartened, standing by her large bathtub. “Maybe I have the wrong person. You’re not even my husband,” she said, her words like a bomb.

“Alright, tell me what you want me to do,” Nie Bozhao surrendered instantly.

If he could meet the old Nie from his previous life, he’d ask him directly how he managed to handle this “princess.”

Clearly, she was pretending to cry, but he had no choice but to comfort her when she did.

“It’s not difficult.” Chen Lina spun around with a smile, humming Moscow Nights as she waltzed into the bedroom.

She pulled a piece of paper from the sewing machine’s compartment and handed it to him.

“These are the people I’ve listed. For example, Tian Jin, a famous breeding expert, should be working in the cowshed at the 798 Corps Farm.

Find a way to bring him over. And Qiu Hua, a professor from Northern Agriculture University, who specializes in grafting.

He’s also likely working in a cowshed somewhere. Bring him, too, along with the others on this list.

With their help analyzing soil and selecting the right seeds, I’m confident we can double the farm’s yield.”

“Xiao Chen, not only have you read Engineer Sun’s diary, but you’ve also gone through my contact list?”

All these names were in his contacts.

Though he was initially bothered when she read Sun’s notes, he wasn’t as upset now.

He felt as if he’d already lost everything in this battle.

This woman wasn’t a princess; she was like the “White Bone Demon” from Journey to the West, and unfortunately, he wasn’t a monk with a protective aura.

He had no choice but to surrender.

“You work day and night to make money, but I know you don’t give it all to me. Every month, you send these people five or ten cents, sometimes more, to help them survive, right?

You once told me how much you regretted that so many of them didn’t make it through those ten years.”

“The old me was such a noble, compassionate soul, the dream partner,” Nie Bozhao mocked himself. “By the way, what did he call you in the past? That unique nickname?”

He looked at her seriously, eyes intense behind his black-rimmed glasses. “Was it ‘darling,’ ‘honey,’ ‘cher,’ or ‘dear’?”

A moment ago, Chen Lina was fuming, but now she was laughing.

“None of those. Keep guessing,” she said as she headed off to bed.

Alright, she was about to officially take on the role of Director Chen.

“Oh, tomorrow, we need to visit some family. It’s not too far but not close either. Is there somewhere we can leave the kids?” Nie Bozhao asked, almost asleep.

“Why can’t we take them? The kids love visiting family.”

There was a certain satisfaction in dressing them up clean and neat, hearing others compliment them, that made Chen Lina proud.

It was like being a “show-off parent.”

“The visit is at a leader’s house; it’s better if we just go in the evening,” he explained.