Chapter 7

“Sister-in-law, the sun is out today! Can you see it?” Chen Guilan pushed the door open with her shoulder and called out before stepping inside.

“I saw it. It stayed on the ceiling for a while and then disappeared,” Hu Xiu replied while changing Guoguo’s pants.

Chen Guilan had long been used to her sister-in-law’s meticulous nature. She carefully knocked the snow off her shoes before removing her coat and entering the house.

As soon as she saw Hu Xiu, she frowned and snorted. “Look at you. If I didn’t know better, I’d think Lin Ting was some miracle worker.”

Hu Xiu rolled her eyes. “Speak properly.”

Chen Guilan pouted. “Am I wrong? You just got the news yesterday, and now you look so refreshed.”

She spent every day with that silly girl Meihua, yet nothing good ever happened to her. It was frustrating.

Hu Xiu knew her second sister-in-law was just being petty. Her health had improved, but not because of Lin Ting. However, she didn’t feel like arguing. Instead, she handed Guoguo, who had just changed his pants, to her. “Watch him for me. He wet his pants just now.”

Before Chen Guilan could respond, Guoguo, sitting in her arms, protested in his baby voice, “It wasn’t me! The bird did it. It wouldn’t listen. Be good, Guoguo.” ^[1]He is imitating what adults say, either to scold himself or to shift blame to the bird.

The well-cared-for three-year-old had fair skin, chubby cheeks, and big dark eyes like grapes. His wronged expression melted hearts.

Not only did Hu Xiu burst into laughter, but even Chen Guilan, who adored the twins, pinched his nose playfully and kissed him. “Yes, yes. Auntie believes you. It’s the bird’s fault, not yours. Your grandma is just talking nonsense.”

Guoguo nodded, satisfied. “Grandma is wrong.”

Chen Guilan grinned. “Yes, you’re right.”

“Don’t teach the child nonsense,” Hu Xiu said, smiling as she got off the kang, holding Guoguo’s wet pants to wash them.

Miaomiao, who had been playing with puppets, glanced at her twin brother and bluntly stated, “Guoguo wet the bed.”

The little boy, who had just been coaxed, pouted again.

Hu Xiu remained unfazed, but Chen Guilan, who adored the twins, couldn’t sit still. She got off the kang with the baby in her arms and went to fetch some candy.

Just as she pulled out two pieces from the high jar, a familiar voice called from outside. “Aunt Xiu, are you home?”

Chen Guilan frowned. “Why is Wang Xiuqin here again?”

The Wang family lived at the village entrance, while the Huos lived in the middle of the village. It was snowing heavily—this wasn’t just a casual visit.

Hu Xiu was equally puzzled but didn’t want to be rude. She gestured for Chen Guilan to open the door.

Chen Guilan never liked nosy people. She opened the door slowly and sized up Wang Xiuqin.

The cold made Wang Xiuqin shiver. She quickly slipped inside, sneezing twice from the sudden warmth.

Seeing this, before Hu Xiu could react, Chen Guilan was already upset.

She stepped back but found it wasn’t enough. Adjusting her position to shield the child in her arms, she spoke sharply, “Qin girl, what’s wrong with you? You have a cold and you’re still running around? Don’t you know my sister-in-law isn’t in good health and there are two little kids in the house?”

“How could that be? I just got overheated. If I really had a cold, I wouldn’t dare come over,” Wang Xiuqin replied. Though she was not yet twenty, she had been dealing with in-laws for ten years. Such minor criticisms didn’t bother her. She took off her coat, hung it at the door, exchanged a few pleasantries, and walked inside.

Unexpectedly, Chen Guilan reached out again. “Hey, hey, hey, you’re a grown woman. Why are you so careless? Clean your shoes before coming in! Don’t dirty my sister-in-law’s house.”

Wang Xiuqin’s smile stiffened as she looked down at her feet. Her shoes weren’t very dirty since she had already stomped them clean when someone knocked on the door.

She glanced at Chen Guilan’s shoes—they were spotless, a stark contrast to hers. But she had been entering like this recently, so why was she being called out today?

Then again, the floor was indeed clean. After all, except for the old secretary’s house, this was the only home in the village with red brick flooring.

Tsk, tsk, tsk… The Huo family is well-off. Besides Huo Xiao’s monthly allowance of dozens of yuan, Aunt Xiu’s famous midwifery skills brought in a steady income.

Looking at the refined furnishings in the room, it was clear this was a level of wealth only city officials could afford. Even with ten more years of experience, Wang Xiuqin had never met anyone richer than the Huo family.

But as she thought about marrying into this family and making all these luxuries her own, her irritation disappeared instantly. Putting on an apologetic look, she stepped back to carefully clean her shoes.

Chen Guilan, whose pride was as sharp as a needle, felt ignored. Her irritation grew, and she immediately braced for battle.

Unaware of this, Wang Xiuqin finally entered the house and sat down. She quickly took out two hard candies from her pocket, smiling as she handed them to the little one. “Guoguo, is that you? Auntie brought you some candy.”

Chen Guilan blocked the gesture. “You put them in your pocket without a wrapper, touching them with your hands? Don’t let the child get sick.”

Wang Xiuqin stared blankly. Is this ever going to end?!

Everyone kept loose sugar this way. This was a rare treat!

_

Chengdu.

Lin Ting waved goodbye to her sisters-in-law, who warmly saw her off.

Escorted by Guard Xiao Zhang, she boarded the train to Shanghai.

Perhaps her luck had changed.

During the four-day, three-night journey, none of her fellow passengers had smelly feet. Feeling grateful, she laughed at herself for being so easily satisfied.

Happiness truly comes from comparison.

In the past, she would have complained about lying on a hard, narrow bed for so long. But after enduring the discomfort of a hard seat on the way here, this return trip felt luxurious.

Especially with the books left by Huo Xiao to pass the time.

So, when the conductor announced their arrival at Shanghai station, Lin Ting was momentarily disoriented.

Even more thankfully, before boarding, Xiao Zhang had informed the conductor that she was a military wife and asked them to assist her upon arrival.

As a result, the conductor carried her heavy bags for her, not letting her lift a single one.

Most people in this era were warm and sincere. The phrase “Serve the People” ^[2]a slogan promoting selfless service in Communist China. was ingrained in their hearts.

At this moment, Lin Ting realized she shouldn’t always view this place so critically.

Apart from her initial struggles, everything was improving.

To live well, she needed to fully accept this new world and identity.

With this new perspective, Lin Ting felt like shopping.

After storing her luggage at the guesthouse, she asked the friendly waitress, Ms. Liu, about places in Shanghai where shopping didn’t require ration tickets.

She set off for the department store with light steps.

Daily necessities were essential. As Sister Fengying advised, traveling far was rare—who knew when the next trip would be?

As for explaining why she bought so much during a funeral trip… she’d think about that later.

The only lingering concern was her original family.

Would they notice her changes?

Getting married seemed like a good decision. At least she wouldn’t have to stay with them for long.

_

After another three-day journey, the train arrived in Ice City, now covered in white snow.

Before she got off, Lin Ting spotted her brothers waiting on the platform.

She had five siblings and was the fourth—two older brothers, an older sister, and a younger brother.

She hadn’t expected both of her brothers to come.

Her eldest brother was honest and kind, while her second brother was always cunning.

Feeling nervous, Lin Ting gritted her teeth and waved from the window.

Though it wasn’t snowing, the wind was fierce. Standing in the -20°C cold, with only their eyes visible, Lin Wei stomped his feet to keep warm.

At least their wait wasn’t in vain—his little sister had really come back.

He nudged his older brother, who was still scanning the crowd. “Brother, Tingting is over there.”

Having said that, he walked toward his sister’s carriage with a dark expression.

It would be strange if he looked happy!

God knows, after learning that his sister had run away with money, Lin Wei went to the Huo family’s house to check her belongings.

When he discovered that besides clothes and money, all the letters from his ex-girlfriend—once treasured by his sister—were gone, he felt dizzy.

If his sister hadn’t called him in time, Lin Wei would have asked her classmates for the address and gone to Tibet himself to catch the man.

Unexpectedly, his guess was wrong.

But!

Even if he really had gone to his brother-in-law’s army, he wouldn’t have been forgiven easily!

Doesn’t that reckless girl have a mouth?

If she wanted to go, couldn’t she have asked him to accompany her?

Who is she worrying about?

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became!

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became!!

Lin Wei pushed aside the smiling, good-natured eldest brother and stretched out his hand to his sister with a stern face. “Jump down from the window.”

Lin Ting glanced at the crowded platform, followed local customs, dropped her package, and climbed out the window.

After being half-carried and placed on the ground, before she could say anything, she felt a sharp pain on her cheek.

Lin Wei pulled off his gloves, grabbed his sister’s face, and tugged. “You little troublemaker! Do you know how worried I was? I thought you ran off to see that guy.”

Lin Ting also had a biological brother, Erxiao, who was born after their mother unexpectedly became pregnant and paid a fine.

She had been bullied by her brother pinching her face since childhood and had an instinctive reaction to it.

As the familiar pain came, Lin Ting instantly forgot the strangeness and awkwardness, subconsciously frowning and retaliating.

Just as she raised her hand, she was startled by his words and stopped.

Seeing this, Lin Wei narrowed his peach-blossom-shaped eyes, which looked very similar to hers, and asked, scrutinizing, “Am I right?”

Lin Ting was clearly a victim, yet at this moment, her eyes wandered with guilt…