“Why are you so nervous? I was just asking if it ever happened, not if it’s happening now.” Jiang Qiuyue had only asked out of pure curiosity. After all, Lin Zhengrong was good-looking—it was only natural that someone would have had a crush on him when he was younger.  

Lin Zhengrong wiped his mouth and looked at her seriously. “I barely even spoke to her. There was really nothing between us.”  

“Alright, alright, I get it. Remember to wash the dishes after eating. I just heard Wang Youren say he’s going to town this afternoon to buy fertilizer. I’m planning to stop by the supply and marketing cooperative.” Now that Jiang Qiuyue had Lin Zhengrong’s bankbook in her hands, she had no intention of holding back. Money in her possession was meant to be spent.  

Hearing they were going to town, Lin Beibei immediately put down his chopsticks and clung to Jiang Qiuyue’s arm, pressing close to her like a little puppy. “Mom, can you take me with you?”  

He had never been to town before but had always heard others talk about how great it was. He’d been wanting to go for ages.  

Lin Nannan was just as eager, her big eyes fixed pleadingly on her mother.  

Faced with the children’s adorable begging, Jiang Qiuyue couldn’t resist. Since she had nothing else to do today, she might as well take them along.  

“Fine, but you’ll have to walk on your own.” She couldn’t carry them.  

Lin Beibei happily agreed. “What about Dad? Is Dad coming too?”  

“I…” Lin Zhengrong glanced at Jiang Qiuyue. “I’ll do whatever your mom says.”  

Jiang Qiuyue thought it over. Lin Zhengrong was strong—if they bought anything, he could carry it back, saving her the effort.  

“Then you should come too. I’ve never taken both kids to town before. It’ll be easier if we each watch one so they don’t get lost.” Jiang Qiuyue went back to the room to grab some money and fabric coupons. Her clothes were all old—it was time to make a few new ones.  

By the time she was ready, Lin Zhengrong had finished washing the dishes. When the family set off, their neighbors, Wang Chunhua and the others, still hadn’t returned.  

“How long will you be back for this visit?” Jiang Qiuyue asked.  

“A month,” Lin Zhengrong replied.  

“That long?!” Jiang Qiuyue blurted out before quickly turning away, realizing her reaction was too exaggerated. Logically, she should be happy to see Lin Zhengrong, not annoyed that he was staying too long.  

Even though Lin Zhengrong was handsome, strong, decisive, and capable, having an extra person around suddenly was something Jiang Qiuyue just wasn’t used to.  

Especially at night—there was only one bed in the house. How inconvenient.  

Her only demand for Lin Zhengrong was that he send money on time. As for playing the role of a loving couple, she felt she just didn’t have the capacity for romance.  

Jiang Qiuyue just wanted to live a laid-back life, pampering herself until she turned a hundred, without worrying about anything.  

Lin Zhengrong noticed her expression, his thick brows furrowing slightly. “You don’t want me to stay home longer?”  

“It’s… it’s not that. I just don’t want you to neglect your duties in the army. Didn’t you say you were really busy? Honestly, there’s nothing much going on at home—I can handle everything.” As long as the money kept coming, anything Jiang Qiuyue couldn’t do herself, she could pay someone else to do. “I promise I won’t hold you back. You can rest assured—work is the most important thing. I won’t cry and beg you not to leave.”

She thought she was being very considerate—not clingy, not unreasonable—so Lin Zhengrong should be quite satisfied with her attitude.  

As they walked to the village entrance, Jiang Qiuyue didn’t notice that Lin Zhengrong wasn’t smiling until the sound of a tractor rumbled behind them, making her turn to look.  

“Sister Qiuyue!” Wang Youren grinned brightly. “I heard you were going to town too, so I laid out a plastic sheet in the back. You can sit on it so your pants won’t get dirty.”  

When he saw Lin Zhengrong and the kids, Wang Youren scratched his head sheepishly. “Sorry, Brother Dazhu, I didn’t know you were coming too. I didn’t prepare anything for you.”  

Lin Zhengrong waved it off. “No problem. I’m not picky.”  

Jiang Qiuyue also felt men didn’t need to worry about such things—after all, Lin Zhengrong could wash his own clothes. But the kids had to learn good hygiene early. “Mom will hold Nannan, okay? Otherwise, your clothes will get dirty.”  

Lin Nannan loved snuggling up to her mother and nodded happily. Lin Beibei also wanted to be carried, but Jiang Qiuyue nudged him toward Lin Zhengrong. “Let Dad hold you. He doesn’t mind getting dirty.”  

Lin Zhengrong: “…” Since when did he not mind getting dirty?  

It was the kids’ first time riding a tractor, and they were thrilled. The noisy, bumpy ride took them all the way to town. Jiang Qiuyue thanked Wang Youren, and Lin Beibei chimed in with a “Thank you!” too.  

“No need to be so polite. We’re all from the same village—we should help each other out. Sister Qiuyue, I’ll be heading back at three, so you’ll have to hurry if you don’t want to miss the ride.” Wang Youren always spoke with a smile, radiating warmth like sunshine.  

Jiang Qiuyue waved goodbye, and as she turned, Lin Zhengrong asked, “Is this how you usually go to town?”  

“At first, I was too embarrassed to hitch a ride on the tractor. But later, when my health got worse and I couldn’t walk that far, I swallowed my pride and asked Youren if I could ride along. He was really nice about it. Still, I didn’t take advantage—I bring him snacks every now and then.” She took her daughter’s hand. “Come on, Nannan, let’s go buy some fabric.”  

Inside the supply and marketing cooperative, Jiang Qiuyue immediately asked for three meters of blue fabric and three meters of red fabric. Even though most people wore dark colors for practicality, she didn’t need clothes that hid stains so well. She was still young—she deserved to dress up a little.  

After using up all her fabric coupons, she went to check the prices of bicycles.  

“That depends on the brand. The cheapest is 350 yuan, the best is 480. But we don’t always have them in stock—right now, there’s only one Flying Pigeon left.” The sales clerk pointed in its direction. “If you want to buy a bicycle, you’ll need to get a bicycle ticket first.”  

Bicycle tickets weren’t easy to come by. In Taohua Village, only Hu Haizhi’s family owned a bicycle, and that was only because he had been recognized as an “Activist Party Member” a couple of years ago, earning him the precious ticket.  

Jiang Qiuyue could probably buy a ticket from someone if she was willing to pay extra, but she had no idea who might have one.  

After gathering information on bicycles, she bought some crispy pastries and sponge cakes. She couldn’t get sugar, flour, or meat—not because she didn’t want to, but because she was out of ration coupons.  

At the supply and marketing cooperative, you couldn’t buy anything without the right coupons.

Jiang Qiuyue didn’t hold back when it came to shopping—she had already used up the month’s ration coupons in half the time. Now that there was an extra mouth to feed at home, she’d have to visit the black market to stock up on meat. Glancing at Lin Zhengrong’s upright and principled face, she decided it was better to go alone and kept the black market plans to herself.  

She handed each child a piece of sponge cake and took one for herself. Noticing Lin Zhengrong wasn’t eating, she asked, “Don’t you like it?”  

“No, it’s just… I’ve noticed you seem very particular about food,” Lin Zhengrong remarked.  

“Of course! ‘Food is the first necessity of the people.’ Before, I was foolish and didn’t know how to spend money on myself. Now that I have the means, why shouldn’t I eat well and dress warmly?” Jiang Qiuyue finished her cake, then noticed Lin Zhengrong pointing at his own lips. Realizing she had crumbs on hers, she quickly wiped them away, slightly embarrassed.  

Good food kept one’s spirits high. Just as Jiang Qiuyue was about to head to the meeting spot for Wang Youren, she spotted Wang Chunhua and her husband.  

She tugged Lin Zhengrong behind a building to hide. “Why are they in town?”  

Lin Zhengrong shrugged.  

Seeing she still had time, Jiang Qiuyue leaned in to eavesdrop on Wang Chunhua’s heated argument.  

From Lin Zhengrong’s angle, he had a clear view of Jiang Qiuyue’s pink ears and fair neck. Her nosy curiosity was actually kind of cute.  

Wang Chunhua was berating someone. “What do you mean my daughter has no shame? You’re a teacher! If you don’t take responsibility for her, I’ll report your son for being a delinquent!”  

The woman being cornered, Wu Dongmei, had been dragged outside after Wang Chunhua and her husband barged into her home, accusing her son of taking advantage of their daughter—loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear.  

“Listen, comrade, stop being unreasonable. My son is a model student—he would never fool around like that. Your daughter is in my class. She doesn’t pay attention and bullies other students. There’s no way my son would ever be interested in someone like her!”  

“Pah! How dare you say he’s not interested? Look at your big nose and thick lips—your son can’t be much to look at either!” Wang Chunhua spat. “If nothing happened, why would my daughter make up such things? She even knows about the mole on your son’s back! Should I start shouting that for everyone to hear?”  

At this point, Wang Chunhua was beyond caring. Her daughter had come home in tears, saying she’d been seeing a boy at school whose parents were influential. She and her husband had rushed over immediately.  

Even if it ruined their reputation, it was better than being sent to labor reform. Besides, marrying into a town family wasn’t a bad deal. Desperate times called for desperate measures—Wang Chunhua wasn’t about to let this opportunity slip.  

Wu Dongmei hated nothing more than being called ugly. She took a deep breath, knowing reasoning with Wang Chunhua was futile, and turned to Lin Fugui. “Sir, I’m just a middle school teacher, not some high-ranking official. What can I possibly do?”  

“Your daughter’s facing labor reform—even if I wanted to help, I couldn’t!”  

Lin Fugui wasn’t buying it. “Maybe you can’t do anything directly, but as a teacher, you must have connections. And your husband—isn’t he a manager at the textile factory? Pull some strings to get my daughter out of this mess, and we won’t ask for a single cent in bride price.”