Chapter 30.1

With both younger sisters-in-law settled and her mother-in-law’s health mostly recovered, Luo Lan was living a fulfilling life. If she still hadn’t given birth in two years, she planned to adopt a child, regardless of gender, from a distant place where families had too many children. She would pretend to be pregnant and tell everyone the child was her own.

Everything was progressing as planned. At work, she appeared relaxed, but when Sister Liu came in looking secretive while mopping the floor, Luo Lan noticed a large bruise on her face.

“What happened?”

Sister Liu seemed downcast. This was the third time she had been asked today. The injury on her face was too obvious to ignore.

“I fell.”

“Sister Liu,” Luo Lan said, her tone questioning, “I want to help you, but if that’s your only answer, I won’t pry any further.”

“I got into a fight,” Sister Liu whispered, her voice very low. “He wasn’t much better off. I scratched his face pretty badly.”

“Why?”

“My mother is sick and in the county hospital with a stroke. I needed money. So I thought of asking my mother-in-law since, after all these years, my husband’s salary has always been under her control. But guess what that old woman said?”

“Once you are married into our family, you should care less about your family affairs.”

“Exactly, word for word. Sister, it seems like you’ve experienced this too. That old hag said that just when I needed help the most. I’ve tolerated her all this time, but when it comes to a crucial moment, how can she say such things? That’s my real mother who gave birth to and raised me. How could I just ignore her?”

“Did you get the money?”

“No. He sided with his mother, and we started arguing. Things got out of hand, and we both ended up fighting. The old woman said she wouldn’t give me a penny. I just told the director if I could get an advance on my salary, and he said it was fine. I’ll get a month’s salary in advance and see if I can borrow a bit.”

“But our family is settling both little sisters, so I’m short on cash…”

“You just got married, of course, things are tight for you. Don’t worry, I won’t suffer any losses. Since the mask is off, this matter isn’t over.”

“Do you need help?”

“Could you go for me? I was thinking, if you go as part of the Women’s Federation to intervene, then it becomes an official matter. That old hag wouldn’t dare act so brazenly.”

“Alright, I’ll give it a try.”

Just as they were speaking, two women wearing red armbands entered. “Who is Wang Yue’e?”

A colleague in the office stood up, her face pale, and everyone felt a shiver down their spines. “I am.”

“Does your family have overseas connections?”

“No, there’s nothing. I don’t know anything.”

“According to reliable information, your missing uncle is now in Country Y. Tell us, are you spies?”

“No, no! How could that be? Absolutely not!” The once arrogant woman, who didn’t even talk to Luo Lan, was now panicking. “He’s been missing for so many years. I’ve never even seen him.”

“Then does that mean your parents have connections?”

“No, no!”

“Don’t waste time with her. Take her away. People like her need re-education. Otherwise, who knows whose dog she might become.”

They didn’t believe her simple explanations and dragged Wang Yue’e away. In the office, there were now three people instead of four. Luo Lan and Sister Liu were fine, but the remaining colleague was trembling in fear.

“Xiao Xu, don’t be too scared. Worst-case scenario, you just go to the farm to work. It’s not a big deal,” Luo Lan comforted.

“Sister Luo Lan,” she said, remembering that she was a month younger than Luo Lan. “My uncle has also been implicated. Will I be affected?”

“Don’t be afraid, it won’t help anyway. At most, you’ll just go to the farm to work. The sky won’t fall.”

“I’ve never farmed in my life. I was born in the city and have no idea how to farm.”

“Farming is simple. Haven’t you heard the old saying? Even the dumbest person can farm. Anyone can do it. If you don’t know what to do, just watch others and do what they do. Farming is really quite simple.”

Xiao Xu sighed, fearful that she might be next. Luo Lan had no issues with her background. Her family was identified as poor peasants for eight generations and had no connections to seek out. Everything was well-documented, with a clean slate. So she wasn’t scared. Even if she had to go back to farming, she felt it was nothing to worry about.

Her workstation was next to Sister Liu’s, and she quietly asked, “Does your family have any issues?”

“There shouldn’t be any?”

“What did your parents and in-laws do before?”

“My parents farmed in the countryside, and later my dad became a worker. My in-laws were also farmers, but my husband went to college.”

The two exchanged glances, each considering their circumstances. Lunchtime was tight, so after work, she accompanied Sister Liu home. When they entered the house, she handed an apple to Sister Liu’s mother-in-law, who happily gestured for her to sit.

“Look at this girl, so pretty. Here, this peach crisp is freshly bought. It tastes so good, have a piece.”

“No, thank you, Auntie.”

The elderly woman was usually stingy but offered Luo Lan a piece of peach crisp to eat. Luo Lan was skilled at conversing with women, regardless of age, and soon made the old woman laugh and smile with her compliments. Only then did she get to the main topic.

“It’s time to enjoy life. Let the children handle their own matters. Don’t you agree, Auntie? My mother-in-law doesn’t bother with anything now. She just takes the living expenses and helps buy some rice and cooking oil, and she doesn’t ask about anything else.”

“Yes, that makes sense.”

“By the way, Auntie, have you heard?” Luo Lan teased, wanting to spark her curiosity before moving on.

“What is it?”

“This movement, anyone who has studied will be labeled as ‘stinky old nine.’”

“Ah?” The old woman was clearly shocked. “What should we do?”

“Just accept the re-education, it’s not a big deal. But some daughters-in-law don’t want to suffer along with it, and many are getting divorced. The civil affairs bureau has been busy every day lately.”

“Really?”

“Of course, why would I lie to you?”

The old woman was frightened by this news, and she didn’t really pay attention to the rest of Luo Lan’s words. That evening, she rushed to the neighbors to ask about the rumors, which had clearly escalated and become even more serious than what Luo Lan had said. By the time she returned home, her legs felt weak.

The next day, as soon as she got to work, Sister Liu ran over to Luo Lan. “Sister, you really have a way with things!”

“Did your mother-in-law give you money?”

“Yeah, though it wasn’t all of it, it solved my urgent needs. My husband isn’t as fierce anymore. He’s been hanging his head like a defeated rooster.”

“How’s your mother doing? She’s in the city hospital, right? I’ll go see her after work.”

“She’s getting IV treatment. The internal medicine director has been reassigned, and it’s hard to find a good doctor now.”

As they chatted, Director Liu walked in, and everyone else seemed tense, fearing they might be next. Only Luo Lan and Sister Liu seemed a bit more relaxed.

Just when Luo Lan thought this storm wouldn’t reach her, she discovered her husband had injuries after work that day. His face seemed okay, but when he took off his shirt and crawled into bed, she noticed several bruises on his arm.

“Did I see that wrong in the light?” She rubbed her eyes and moved closer, reaching out to grab the blanket covering him. Zhou Qingshan, who had only been discharged from the army for about a year, was quick to dodge her hand.

“What’s wrong?”

He held the blanket tightly around himself, looking at her with a hint of evasiveness, yet he tried to act relaxed, still smiling.

“Which woman pulls a blanket off a man? Are you trying to be a rogue?”

Luo Lan laughed at his joke. He was completely different at home compared to outside. “Let me see what’s on your arm!”

“Nothing’s there. You rogue, hurry up and sleep, and stop staring at men. Look at your face, you didn’t apply your cream evenly.”

Luo Lan had just finished washing up, and the snowflake cream on her face wasn’t smoothed out yet. With a helpless smile, she rubbed her face, evening out the cream, then undressed and got into bed. After lying down, her husband turned off the light, plunging the room into darkness.

Wow, his hands are too quick. Usually, he isn’t such a frugal person. There’s just an eight-watt bulb in here; it wouldn’t consume much electricity. Is he in such a hurry to turn it off to prevent me from seeing something?

Luo Lan turned toward him. “Hey, about the housing situation at work you mentioned, is there any progress? Once the little sister gets married, it’ll be a separate household. Daily chores will inevitably cause friction, so if we can live apart, it’ll be better. Giving mom living expenses each month wouldn’t be seen as unfilial.”

“Temporarily, it might be a bit difficult.”

“It’s okay.” She was prepared for this. “I’ll just pay more attention in the future. I prepared a whole outfit for Junhui’s wedding. Do you think I need to get anything else?”

“Mom still has some savings. I’ll have her take it out for Junhui’s wedding. Whatever needs to be bought, she’ll take care of it, so we don’t have to pitch in too much.”

“How many years were you in the army?” The money in his mother’s hands was probably accumulated from his father’s salary and his military allowances.

“Ten years.”

“Oh.” Since his money had been with his mother, Luo Lan decided not to pry further. She still had her wedding dowry and the money from the Xu brothers, which added up to a considerable amount. But he thought she had spent it all on a bicycle and had no idea about the previous savings.

“What are you doing? Didn’t you say you were tired earlier?” His voice had a hint of amusement mixed with helplessness. Her smooth foot kept rubbing against his leg, sending electric sensations through him.

“Oh, there’s no need to spell things out at a time like this. It’s too embarrassing.”

At such a moment, if she didn’t take the initiative, he wouldn’t be much of a man. They were both young and newly married, so this kind of thing had become frequent. She stretched her leg, and he immediately leaned over.

People during this time were generally quite honest, especially since he had come from the military, their intimacy was simple and straightforward. Luo Lan didn’t mind. This guy was good at it, and each time was comfortable.

The room filled with suggestive sounds, and once everything was over, they were both covered in sweat. Luo Lan thought about getting up to turn on the light, but there wasn’t a lamp. The switch was by the door, so she would have to get up to turn it on.

“Don’t move. I’ll get you some water.”

Moonlight filtered through the curtains, casting a faint glow in the dark. But he didn’t turn on the light and brought her water in the darkness. To help her get pregnant, she would lie flat for a while after they finished. Once she felt it was about time to sleep, she got up, washed herself, and then returned to bed.

“Zhou Qingshan, are you really okay?”

“I’m really fine, hurry up and sleep. I’ll go pour out the water.”

She quickly fell asleep in a daze, and when she woke up early the next morning, he had already left. Her mother-in-law said, “He said there was something at work, so he left a bit early.”

“Oh, got it.” Maybe he was busy with Zhou Junfang’s paperwork; he had been quite busy these past few days.

“Mom, if Junfang is leaving, she needs to take her bedding. Is there enough at home? I have a new set; should I take it to her?”

“No need. She can take the set she’s using now.”

“Then let me take this one for you to keep for Junfang when she comes back.”