“Director Chen,” Qin Sheng said, “The comrades from the Armed Forces Department probably made a mistake. They caught someone and thought he was a spy, which startled everyone. Who would have thought he was actually…”

He laughed a little and said, “I have to tell you, Comrade Nie is very meticulous and wouldn’t make a mistake. You can’t let him kneel on the washboard when you get home.”

“It seems like Sister Lu often makes Captain Qin kneel on the washboard,”

Chen Lina responded. “Don’t talk nonsense. Sister Hu is also a professional in the industrial field. She probably came to the lab to have a look at night but didn’t expect our security here to be so strict.”

Hu Su was still crying and wouldn’t get up.

Of course, her husband died while trying to save the country’s interests.

Although she received a large amount of compensation and could work at the Daqing Oilfield, her life was worry-free.

But, just like Chen Lina in her past life, when a person dies, it feels like the light goes out.

Even if she were to live again, she wouldn’t be able to find the same person, and the grief was unimaginable.

“Hu Su, I beg you to get up. Please stop crying, let’s go home and talk, okay?” Nie Bozhao was frantic.

After all, the comrades from the Armed Forces and the security team were all watching.

The base was so small, and as a highly respected engineer, this incident had a very bad impact.

The more Hu Su cried, the more those outside would think there was something between him and Hu Su.

But in fact, Nie Bozhao had a good relationship with her husband, who was a military friend, while he and Hu Su were not close.

Her ability to learn and understand was far below his, and they hardly spoke when they were in school.

“Comrade Chen, what should we do?” When Chen Lina arrived, Nie Bozhao seemed to have grabbed a lifeline.

Chen Lina said, “It’s fine, you go back to work, I’ll handle this.”

As soon as Hu Su saw Chen Lina, she buried her head even lower and continued crying without stopping.

“You probably think that because you’ve lost your husband, you deserve to be protected by others, to have someone bear your pain.

Right now, you feel very miserable, confused, lost, unable to find a way out. But the truth is, in this world, being weak doesn’t mean you are right.

Being weak doesn’t give you the right to vent your negative emotions endlessly on others and make others bear your pain.”

Her words were direct, like a needle that hit the mark.

Hu Su, who had been crouching on the floor, suddenly stood up. “Comrade Xiao Chen, you’re still young, so it’s easy for you to speak thoughtlessly.

I forgive you. But what do you mean by saying I’m weak and have the right to vent my negative emotions?

Nie Bozhao and I are high school classmates, university classmates. We’ve known each other for a long time.

He’s my senior, and he’s also my husband’s good friend. I was just seeking some comfort from him.”

“His wife spends every night putting the kids to sleep, then has to go to the farm for the night shift.

On average, she works fifteen hours a day, so she needs his care and comfort more than you do.

His two sons are in elementary school, just starting their education, and need his guidance to adapt.

The oil wells are now in the water-containing extraction phase, and workers are in danger of drowning at any time.

They urgently need his research results to address the dangers and challenges in oil extraction. The oil workers need his care more than anyone.”

“Let me say this: We are all adults with our own families, and we have to work hard at our own jobs. No one has extra time to care for others.”

These words made Hu Su feel embarrassed.

Of course, she was in deep sorrow, but she couldn’t hold back and retorted, “So, are you saying that someone like me should just die?”

Ah, children use crying to guilt-trip others, while adults use death to scare people?

“No, I just want to tell you that the pain you are experiencing can only be internalized by you, not vented onto others.

When you feel comforted by someone else’s warmth, which reminds you of what you once had, you shouldn’t have any unreasonable thoughts of trying to take it away.”

Chen Lina had also been widowed in her past life.

Yes, she cried, she searched, and she went crazy looking for Old Nie.

But at that time, she didn’t go looking for other married men to seek comfort and warmth, because she knew it was immoral.

“You’re still a young girl. You actually misunderstood that I wanted to interfere in your marriage.

Let me tell you, I’ve known him for seven years. If I wanted to pursue him, I would have done it long ago, not waited until today.

Your narrow mind is comparable to Sun Zhuangnan’s,” Chen Lina said dismissively.

Her tone implied that if she wanted to pursue him, she would have done so long ago, and there would have been no chance for Hu Su.

“I’m not a little girl. And whether I’m interfering or not, sneaking around at night to meet a married man is immoral.

There’s no such thing as being magnanimous or understanding in marriage, and there’s no difference between a narrow or broad mind. I am his wife.

Together, we’ve built a family. I’ve given my youth, my body, and the best years of my life to him.

But I’ve never gone to talk to another man in the middle of the night, and he shouldn’t, either. That’s what a fair marriage is.”

Her words left Hu Su speechless.

“I really didn’t intend to interfere in your marriage. I just thought your kids were adorable, Old Nie was kind, and you…”

“I see apples hanging in the orchards by the roadside. They’re big and round, and I can imagine the crisp, juicy sweetness when I bite into them.

But I won’t reach out to steal them. I’ll go home, buy a fruit tree, plant it myself, water it, and wait for it to bear fruit. Then, I’ll sit under the tree and enjoy it,” Chen Lina said.

After all, she was highly educated.

Though she had once been confused, when she saw a happy family, she also thought, “What if that woman were me?”

However, rationality eventually returned to her mind.

“Sorry, Comrade Chen. The transfer order to Daqing Oilfield actually came yesterday. I’m leaving tomorrow. I hope you and Bozhao can forget the impulse of tonight forever.”

“We’re all busy, and so many things happen every day. No one will remember today’s events,” Chen Lina replied.

Back at home, Chen Lina was supposed to sleep with Hu Su on the large kang, while Nie Bozhao would sleep on his small steel bed.

However, he still seemed very agitated.

After Chen Lina had gone to bed, he knocked on the door and said he needed to talk.

Hu Su quickly said, “Comrade Chen, don’t argue with him. Bozhao is a very meticulous person. He hasn’t spoken much to me.”

“Alright, you sleep,” Chen Lina thought.

If she didn’t know the man’s character, would she have entrusted her youth to this desert?

In the small study, an agitated Nie Bozhao had both hands on the desk, bent slightly forward, staring at his wife.

He had a high brow, deep-set eyes, and a high nose bridge.

His eyes looked like the night sky—serious, stern, but handsome.

He was truly handsome, especially when he didn’t smile.

His features were sharp and handsome.

“So, do you want to confess something?” Chen Lina asked deliberately.

Nie Bozhao stomped his feet, cleared his throat, and then glanced at the calendar on the wall.

On the calendar, there was one day marked with a red circle each month.

That day was calculated by Nie Bozhao as the day when Chen Lina wouldn’t have her period.

But recently, he dared not mark it anymore; it was torn up.

Why?

Because one day, Nie Weimin stared at the calendar and said, “Dad, I noticed that on this day every month, you always come home, and you take a bath too.”

He said this with a meaningful glance at him.

Nie Bozhao was startled.

Having a son who was good at summarizing things and enjoyed finding patterns was truly a frightening thing.

Chen Lina, wearing a small tank top, had a figure that was stunning.

To be honest, every time Nie Bozhao arrived at Base 3, which was near the desert, just seeing the undulating mountains reminded him of his lover’s body.

However, the lights-out policy was a routine, so up to this point, he hadn’t actually seen his lover’s body in its true form.

“I have nothing to confess. I haven’t done anything wrong. I think Hu Su probably won’t leave recently, but tomorrow is the day we should have our intimate life. What should we do?”

The veteran revolutionary soldier was clearly exhausted: “If it’s not possible, we can do it a day earlier. Let’s do it today.”

“But the bed will creak.”

“I’ll make sure Hu Su knows that we’re a loving couple, and we have an intimate life. Look, I’ve made the bed thick enough, and I even reinforced the springs, so tonight, it shouldn’t make too much noise.”

A solid reason, indeed.

“So, it’s okay if Hu Su hears us?”

“It’s fine.” Once you find a reason or an excuse, it’s like the floodgates of the Yangtze River bursting open.

Old Nie had found his excuse, and this well-oiled machine had finally turned back a notch.

“Fool, do you think you can only lie flat on the bed doing push-ups?”

“Have you ever read any adult books?” Chen Lina sat down on his desk in his study, leaned back and hooked her legs around him, pulling him closer.

She said, “The first time we shared a room, there were kisses, caresses, and many positions. We made love three times in one night. Old Nie, can you tell me how you’ve changed in the last fifteen years? Don’t tell me you’re less gentle, less romantic, and not as good in bed as you were before.”

Nie Bozhao, who had been struck hard by her words, stared at her with eyes as red as a wolf, glaring at her for a long time before suddenly biting her lips.

After staring for a while, he bit her again, like a hungry wolf, as if wanting to devour her, before suddenly pressing down on her.

…

Of course, before dawn the next day, there was a creak at the gate.

When Chen Lina rushed out, Hu Su was already on the earliest truck to the refinery, heading for the mining area, and then on to Daqing.

It was Nie Bozhao who noticed she had forgotten the recommendation letter he wrote for her, so he hurriedly took an oil truck to the mining area to deliver it.

The stars were still visible in the sky as Chen Lina, after finally prying the three-year-old off her like a gecko, made soup and prepared buckwheat pancakes with winter onions from the backyard for breakfast for the kids.

Nie Weimin, older and more sensible now, washed his face and brushed his teeth in the morning, then ate with Er Dan before heading to school.

Meanwhile, she only needed to take San Dan with her to the farm.

“Comrade Chen, why don’t you go after Hu Su yourself? You have a car, why send my dad?” Nie Weimin, while brushing his teeth, complained about Nie Bozhao going after Hu Su in the morning.

“Your dad and she are classmates, besides, she’s an expert in oil refining, recently widowed, and needs care. I think they should talk privately,” Chen Lina said.

Nie Weimin wrinkled his nose, “Boring. Also, Comrade Chen, could you buy a pair of high heels?”

“Why should I wear high heels?” Chen Lina thought it was strange.

This kid kept sticking close to her early in the morning.

“Hu Su isn’t as tall as you, but with high heels, she’d be taller. Plus, her shirt is very white, and her cape is bright.”

“So, you think she’s prettier than me because of her long wavy hair, high heels, and white shirt?” The dreadful aesthetic of a straight man made Chen Lina angry.

“People are judged by how they dress. Little one, when I dress up, I can look better than her. But if I buy those things, where will your school bags come from? What about your pencils and erasers? Don’t those cost money?” Chen Lina asked.

“I don’t need pencils, erasers, or school. I want to go to the farm with you every day and see you wear high heels, lipstick, and a beautiful cape,” Er Dan mumbled as he ate a pancake.

“Silly child, labor is the most honorable. If you want to wear beautiful clothes, there will be times for that, but right now, harvesting wheat is the most important thing.” Chen Lina replied.

“But I still think high heels and dresses are more important. I think Dad would agree with me.” Nie Weimin responded.

“So, you’re afraid Hu Su will take your dad away? If both Hu Su and I choose for you, and even if she dresses beautifully and is gentle, you’ll still love me more, right?” Chen Lina asked.

“No, I just don’t want to change moms, and I don’t want to hear you two argue,” Little Nie Weimin blushed.

Well, Hu Su’s arrival had given the three children an unprecedented sense of crisis.

Fear of losing made them appreciate what they had.

Chen Lina thought to herself, “Not bad. Even though I knew once pigs grow up, they’ll follow the cabbage, at least when they were small, they depended on me and loved me.”

The day was still early.

Before it was time to go to school, they insisted on following her, so she took them to the farm.