The two mischievous kids ran to her as soon as they saw her.

“Come on, let’s go pick up your dad from work,” Chen Lina said, leading the two children toward the office building.

She was holding a big fish, obviously freshly caught from Baiyang River, a big and fat carp.

Nie Guozhu followed her closely, stepping in time with Nie Bozhao.

When he saw the fish, he immediately took a step forward and grabbed it. “Come on, Lina, let me carry the fish.”

“Dad!” Erdan and Sandan both yelled at the same time, almost frustrated.

Nie Bozhao, too, was helpless.

Alright, he rolled up his sleeves and got ready to try again.

Back home, when they opened the door, the three kids who usually made chaos upon entry were surprisingly well-behaved.

Nie Weimin grabbed an axe, Erdan held some firewood, and Sandan skipped around, saying, “Dad, hurry and chop firewood so Mom can cook.”

Alright, Engineer Nie picked up the axe, ready to chop the firewood, but Nie Guozhu stepped forward, placed a tree fork against the log, and with one swift motion, he split it cleanly in half.

“This is good, the fork splits easily. Cousin, remember to chop a few more,” Chen Lina said.

With a guest at home, especially a cousin she hadn’t seen in three years, they were going to have a special meal.

With the seasons in transition, they made a pot of millet pancakes and a stew with potatoes, onions, and that big carp—perfect dishes for the occasion.

“Dad, you have to work hard,” Nie Weimin said. “Hurry and start the fire.”

Alright, Engineer Nie was eager to try, washed his hands, and got ready to go into the kitchen to start the fire.

“Lina, how can you kill the fish? Let me do it,” Nie Guozhu said, grabbing the big carp and throwing it onto the ground.

In front of the wide-eyed family of four, he began scaling the slippery fish with one swift motion.

“Dad, I think we can’t compete with him,” Erdan said, drooling as he watched.

When it came time to light the fire, the tree fork that usually needed gasoline to start was lit in one go by Nie Guozhu.

He crouched by the stove, struck a match on the wall, and immediately, the fire started roaring.

“Dad, he can light the fire without using sulfur and phosphorus? How did he do that?”

Nie Weimin’s eyes nearly popped out.

He had just witnessed someone break the rules of chemistry and knowledge.

“Well, there’s a little phosphorus on the stove, and he’s quick enough. Let him do the fire,” Nie Bozhao finally admitted defeat.

When it came time to eat, Erdan still wanted to compete with Nie Guozhu in terms of who could eat more.

Of course, Nie Guozhu, a soldier who had undergone extensive training, ate quickly and efficiently, and every fish bone that he spit out was as clean as if a cat had licked it.

Nie Guozhu was so focused on cleaning his bones that even a cat would feel inferior in comparison.

Er Dan continued licking, making sure the bone was thoroughly clean.

“By the way, Guozhu, tell me about your wife. Is she the daughter of Director Gong?” Nie Bozhao asked.

Nie Guozhu responded with a simple “yes,” and with a sudden movement, he kicked the chair and stood up, ready to clean the dishes, as if preparing to wash them himself.

Nie Bozhao felt a bit defeated by this.

His little princess sat there proudly, as if saying, “I’m the princess, and knights should be fighting to please me.”

Fortunately, he still had three sons.

Nie Weimin said, “Uncle, please sit down. I’ll wash the dishes.”

Er Dan also said, “Usually, Dad washes the dishes, but today his hand is injured, so we’ll do it.” He was quite good at saving his father’s dignity.

Nie Guozhu marched back to the living room.

“Lina, these three kids are pretty well-behaved.”

“Of course, even though they’re boys, they usually peel onions and garlic, carry coal, and chop firewood—nothing like spoiled girls. They’re also more obedient when asked to do things,” Chen Lina said. “The only downside is that they love climbing high, and they always want to make the loudest firecrackers.”

Nie Weimin had even learned to make his own firecrackers, and one day, he even set up a landmine to catch mice.

His father found out and gave him a good thrashing.

“That’s good. As a stepmother, you’re doing a great job raising them. After all, Mrs. Huang in the village always says…” She always said the three kids were unruly and hopeless.

Well, Nie Bozhao felt the kids were still well-behaved and considerate of their cousin.

With that, the early morning he had seen his cousin running with children, carrying food, trying to catch the early bus, felt a little less bitter.

“Guozhu, tell me about your wife. Is she the daughter of the brigade commander?” Taking the coffee from Chen Lina, Nie Bozhao handed it to Nie Guozhu and said, “Here, have a cup.”

“Yes.”

Chen Lina and Nie Bozhao exchanged a look, and Lina asked, “Our mining area is technically not under your military jurisdiction. What order did she receive to come here for work?”

“Well, it’s an order from above. As for who gave the order, your Secretary of the Party knows.” There was no need to guess; Nie Guozhu was nothing.

The real trouble was that Gong Hongxing, holding a special decree, was the one to be concerned about.

Chen Lina had heard of Gong Hongxing from her previous life, but only after Nie Guozhu hadn’t married her.

He had deliberately beautified her image, claiming she was very capable and also quite beautiful. “A woman three years older, marrying her would bring wealth,” he would say.

If she had followed her, things would have been different.

However, when the reforms started in 1984, Chen Lina had specifically asked around, but no one in Hongyan City had heard of Gong Hongxing.

Well, what’s unattainable always seems the best.

In her previous life, Chen Lina had been curious about Gong Hongxing and wondered what kind of person she really was.

And now, here she was, coming to see her.

“Thank you, cousin, for giving me a heads-up and telling me about your wife. Can you tell me how she plans to start her work?” Chen Lina asked.

Nie Guozhu replied, “She should be at the mining area right now. She wants to transfer a group of people from the mining area to audit the intellectuals at the farm.”

Chen Lina and Nie Bozhao exchanged a smile and shook their heads.

To be honest, people in the mining area had a certain attachment to the Mulan farm and its old professors.

No matter how high-ranking a team leader from Hongyan was, or how much authority they held, they couldn’t interfere with personnel changes in the mining area—whether it was grain or money, who would listen to them?

So, this Gong Hongxing didn’t seem too frightening.

“Alright, when she comes to our base, we’ll just prepare well and entertain her,” Chen Lina said.

“It’ll probably take a while. She still has work in the mining area. Chen Lina, she’s your sister-in-law, and she has a much more abrasive temper than you. I’m not worried about her; I just worry that you won’t be able to handle her sharp words. She doesn’t have any bad intentions; you just need to bear with it,” Nie Bozhao said.

“Don’t worry. I’ll handle it, even if her temper is tough,” Chen Lina assured him.

Well, it was time to sleep.

Nie Guozhu suggested that he and Nie Bozhao sleep on the big kang (a traditional heated bed), while Chen Lina should sleep on the small kang with the kids.

Usually, the kids were overjoyed to sleep with their mother.

But tonight, it was different.

San Dan said, “No, my dad and mom always sleep together. Uncle Nie, you smell so nice. I’ll sleep with you tonight.”

Er Dan also said, “Yeah, you smell so nice. Let’s sleep together.”

Actually, they were just pretending, because Nie Guozhu really smelled terrible.

His feet, especially, had a horrible odor.

In fact, Nie Guozhu had a bad habit—he snored so loudly that it drove Nie Weimin nearly crazy.

Eventually, Nie Weimin stuffed two paper balls in his ears and sneakily wrapped Nie Guozhu’s feet together, just so he could fall asleep.

“Tomorrow, the reporters from Beijing will be here. What do you think of me wearing this liberation suit?” Chen Lina was preparing her clothes in the big bedroom.

“Change into the khaki one. It makes your skin look even fairer.”

With Nie Bozhao’s intense gaze, even an old sow would feel like a beauty, let alone Chen Lina, who was still in her twenties.

“Alright, I’ll wear the khaki one. But you know, with the reporters coming, what should I talk about? Where should we take the photos? Honestly, even though I was a small boss in my past life, I never made it to Xin Qingbao. I feel like I should share something with them, like agricultural production methods or the use of soil films and greenhouses, but I’m not sure how to organize it. Can you come up with an outline for me? That way, I’ll know what to talk about when the time comes.”

Nie Bozhao seems to have a complicated relationship with his wife and his feelings of jealousy.

His wife, who has a tendency to act coquettishly in front of the camera, seems to forget what she is supposed to say, much to the amusement of the reporters who are eager to get her statement.

However, Nie Bozhao is quick to offer his own advice, jokingly telling her that he’ll help her present her thoughts without breaking any rules.

While he is laid back and seemingly detached in his own way, Nie Bozhao expresses frustration over their financial situation, pointing out that his salary is meager, barely enough to cover the basic necessities of their family.

He sarcastically remarks that the family only survives because he is the one supporting them.

At the same time, Nie Bozhao’s thoughts seem to be consumed by jealousy over his wife’s previous relationship with Nie Guozhu.

Despite being angry, he also contemplates the idea of reincarnation, wondering if his wife had been involved with Nie Guozhu in a past life as well.

The jealousy and frustration build to a point where he has trouble sleeping, consumed by thoughts of his wife and the situation.

Meanwhile, Nie Guozhu is oblivious to the tensions in the other room as he sleeps soundly, while Nie Gong wrestles with his emotions.

The narrative also shifts to a humorous scene where Nie Guozhu, always physically active, begins his morning routine, leading his son, Erdan, to follow suit.

The tone of the passage is somewhat exaggerated, blending absurdity with emotional turmoil, and making use of both comedy and drama to develop the relationships between the characters.

The morning dew had just risen, and spring apricots were scattered across the fields.

Tractors and plowing machines were busy working on the smooth fields.

Snow-white plastic soil covers were laid out in neat rows across fertile lands, reflecting the sunlight so brightly that it was almost blinding.

Secretary A’s car sped along the cement road, the glass shining brightly, and as it passed, the farm members in the fields waved their hands in greeting without thinking.

Guo Bin, a special correspondent from Xin Qingbao, and photographer Jin Liang were personally escorted by Secretary A’s car to the farm for an interview.

“The new, industrialized agricultural model sounds impressive. But, 900 jin per mu (an area measure)—this is the funniest joke I’ve heard since the Great Leap Forward. Teacher Jin, this is the kind of thing that even the military farms in the desert could never achieve. How could a small farm like Mulan possibly do it?”

“I think the enthusiasm of these workers looks so fake. The farm director probably wants to show off, desperate to claim credit with the central government. When we get there, we better keep our eyes open so we don’t get tricked by this director,” Guo, the reporter, whispered from the back seat.

Photographer Jin Liang was just there to take pictures but nodded frequently in agreement: “Alright.”

“I’ve seen too many officials who want to show off and climb the ranks by using the people as tools, taking credit for the people’s sweat to boost their own positions. At least here, I won’t let them succeed,” Guo was a seasoned professional.

He slowly lowered the window and waved to the workers in the fields.

“That’s Director Chen’s car, isn’t it? It’s the weekend, and she’s here at the farm? Hey, hey, move aside, let the director see how skilled I am at driving the plowing machine!” Sun Duoyu was in the field.

As the car passed by, he enthusiastically started operating the plowing machine.

Plowing machines, with their iron blades, were much harder to handle than tractors.

If you weren’t careful, the machine could flip and, in the worst case, cut off a leg.