Liang Laopo suggested ” And It would be Gould if you have another children with little Tiefeng.”

Jiang Min’s voice grew firm as she said, “Mother, let’s not discuss this anymore. It’s not negotiable.”

Liang Laopo pouted and said, “I’m just saying this because I worry about you both. You’re working every day, aren’t you tired? Look at the women in the village—they’re at home playing mahjong, smoking pipes, eating melon seeds in the winter. It’s a nice life. Xiao Meng is growing up and can help with the children if you have another one.”

Jiang Min wasn’t happy to hear this but chose not to argue.

She wasn’t afraid of her mother-in-law but dreaded the endless nagging.

If Liang Laopo wasn’t satisfied with a response, she’d find new ways to keep talking.

Noticing Xiao Meng’s coat was starting to split under the arms, Jiang Min took out a needle and thread to repair it.

Liang Tiefeng came in from outside, bringing hot water for Jiang Min to soak her feet.

Liang Laopo commented, “Look at how good our Liang is. He takes such good care of you.”

Liang Tiefeng replied, “Mother, why are you still up?”

Liang Laopo chuckled, “I can’t sleep if you’re not back. Now that you’re here, I can finally sleep peacefully.”

Their house had one large main room divided into three smaller rooms: the outer part was the kitchen, while the bedroom was divided into two areas.

Jiang Min and Liang Tiefeng slept in the outer room, while Liang Laopo and the two children slept in the inner room, separated by a straw curtain.

While Jiang Min mended clothes, she soaked her feet and then went to wash up.

The house was always warm with the stove and heated walls, and hot water was always available from the kettle on the stove.

As she was about to change into her pajamas, Liang Tiefeng restrained her, and despite her silent resistance, he was unusually forceful.

Jiang Min had no choice but to yield.

In the darkness, Liang Tiefeng whispered, “Let’s have another child.”

Jiang Min didn’t want to engage in the conversation but still said, “Family planning policies are in place. We shouldn’t violate them; it could lead to serious consequences.”

Liang Tiefeng persisted, “It’s not that strict here. Even if there were consequences, we could just go back to farming. I’m serious about this.”

……

The next morning, Liang Tiefeng got up to make breakfast.

Jiang Min prepared to visit Jiang Lin with the children in the evening.

Old Lady Liang looked on with anxiety and surprise. “What’s going on? Why are you still tidying up clothes and bedding?”

Jiang Min replied, “Mother, my younger sister and brother are coming. I asked Xiao Meng and Xiao Jun to check, and they’ll stay at the headquarters for the night.”

Old Lady Liang frowned, “It’s good that relatives are coming, but why didn’t you invite them to stay here?”

Jiang Min said, “There isn’t enough space.”

“Where isn’t there enough space? Every family has two beds. When people come, the men can sleep on one bed and the women on another. How can there not be space?”

Jiang Min didn’t respond.

Old Lady Liang asked again, “What are they coming for?”

Jiang Min glanced at her, “Just to visit.”

Old Lady Liang was somewhat alarmed, suspecting that Jiang Min might be angry about her hiding the notice.

Could it be that they were coming to take her daughter-in-law back to her family to go to school?

That wouldn’t do; the mountains were high and the roads long, and it would take several days by train. If she went, would she even come back?

Moreover, Jiang Min had a previous suitor who had said several times he would wait for her, and if he didn’t marry her, he’d remain single for life.

If she returned to the city, and they met, could there still be any hope?

She looked at her son.

Liang Tiefeng said, “They’re just coming to visit. It’s been many years since we last met.”

Old Lady Liang felt relieved upon hearing her son’s words but noticed his displeased expression and felt some worry.

Honestly, if her son hadn’t set his sights on Jiang Min, she wouldn’t have insisted on this daughter-in-law.

Her son was tall and strong, a platoon leader.

He could choose any girl from the regiment, but he was uninterested.

Since Jiang Min arrived in 1967, he had been fixated on her and refused to marry anyone else.

This had dragged on for several years.

If Jiang Min hadn’t had an accident with her leg, gone back to her family, and then returned, giving him a chance, it would have been quite difficult.

Old Lady Liang smiled, “We should also invite the relatives over for a meal. Even if they don’t stay, it’s important to have a meal.”

Jiang Min agreed.

Old Lady Liang immediately woke up her granddaughter and grandson and began whispering instructions.

Jiang Min heard her say, “Tell your aunt and uncle well about your parents. Back then, your mother went up the mountain to haul wood, and because her leg hurt, she lagged behind. No one knew, and she froze in the snow. Just in time, your father saved her, and that’s how you came to be.”

Xiao Jun said, “Grandma, I already know. You’ve told us many times.”

Jiang Min knew that Old Lady Liang was speaking to remind her to be grateful and not forget the favor.

But who said that saving a life meant one had to be indebted?

If it weren’t for Old Lady Liang’s scheming…

Jiang Min felt a surge of anger, but then took a deep breath to suppress it.

She had already made peace with herself, agreeing not to dwell on the past, and to live well in the future.

However, she didn’t expect that her sister and brother’s arrival would stir up many old memories and bring her many hopes, causing her emotions to rise again.

When their family of four arrived at the regiment, Jiang Lin, Cheng Rushan, and Jiang Xinglei had already gotten up, taken a walk, and gone to the dining hall to buy large meat buns and boiled eggs.

Because the air here was so cold, Jiang Lin’s appetite increased significantly.

She ate two large buns and a boiled egg, twice her usual amount.

“Auntie, Uncle!” Xiaomeng and Xiaojun ran over, with Xiaomeng pulling out some dried sour jujubes from her pocket to share with Jiang Lin.

The sour and sweet taste was much to Jiang Lin’s liking. “Delicious,” she said, patting Xiaomeng and Xiaojun.

Xiaomeng was as old as Dabao and Xiaobao, but she was thin and small, while Xiaojun was chubby and fair. “You two are so cute.”

Xiaojun pointed at Xiaomeng and laughed, “She’s so ugly, with a flat nose. She’ll definitely never find a match.”

Jiang Min was taken aback and scolded, “You little rascal, who taught you that?”

Xiaojun replied, “Grandma said so.” Xiaomeng tried to pull him to stop, but didn’t manage to in time.

Jiang Min shot a reproachful look at Liang Tiefeng, who was somewhat embarrassed. “Mom was just joking. She loves Xiaomeng the most, right, dear?”

Xiaomeng sweetly said, “Yes, Dad. Grandma loves me a lot.”

Xiaojun pinched Xiaomeng and laughed, “Come here, I’ll take care of you.”

Jiang Lin took their little hands and said, “Don’t bully your sister, and don’t be too rambunctious. Your uncle never dares to bully your aunt.”

Xiaojun asked, “Why?”

Jiang Lin replied, “Because I’d beat him up!”

Xiaojun stuck out his tongue and said, “Auntie, you’re a tigress.”

Jiang Lin said, “I’m even fiercer than a tigress.”

Jiang Lin led the two children inside to get some candies and snacks that weren’t available locally.

The kids were very excited.

Xiaojun took one small snack and kept the rest for himself, saying, “These are all mine.”

Xiaomeng, being well-behaved, didn’t try to grab any, taking it as a matter of course.

Jiang Lin took half of what Xiaojun had and gave it to Xiaomeng. “Let’s share it like this.”

Xiaojun started crying loudly, “Bad auntie, bad auntie! Grandma said you came to steal my mom away. You’re a bad auntie. Go away, I don’t like you. Don’t come to my house.”

Jiang Min felt both angry and embarrassed as she heard Xiao Jun. “Xiao Jun, what are you talking about?”

Xiao Jun replied confidently, “Grandma said so! What Grandma says is right! Grandma said if you…”

“Xiao Jun!” Jiang Min slapped him. “You’re getting more and more impudent.”

Xiao Jun started crying, “I want to go home! I don’t want to play with you!”

Xiao Meng quickly tried to calm him down.

Jiang Min sighed, “Grandma has spoiled him.”

She was about to send him to stand in the corner as punishment, but Liang Tiefeng heard the commotion and came in, lifting Xiao Jun. “You little rascal, you need a good talking to!”

He pretended to be stern and then told Xiao Jun to play with his sister.

The camp had other children as well.

Jiang Min didn’t want to correct him in front of everyone, so she took Jiang Lin’s hand. “In winter, people here mostly stay indoors, playing mahjong, eating seeds, and chatting. Do you want to join? I’ll take you.”

Jiang Lin smiled, “I didn’t come here just to play mahjong. Let’s talk inside. We should have visited Aunt today.”

Jiang Min replied, “We can do that tomorrow. Stay a bit longer.”

Jiang Lin said, “Sis, the final exams are in a month.”

Jiang Min was silent for a moment. “In that case, you should head back earlier to review. Don’t fall behind.”

Meanwhile, Liang Tiefeng told Cheng Rushan and Jiang Xinglei, “I have some free time these days. I’ll take you hunting. I know people at the forestry bureau. We can drive to the northwest hills.”

Cheng Rushan asked, “Can we hunt freely now?”

“It’s fine. I know people at the forestry bureau. We’re just going for fun. We won’t hunt much, maybe just a roe deer and some wild rabbits or chickens.”

Men usually bond over drinking or hunting, and Cheng Rushan thought it would be good to get to know Liang Tiefeng better.

He went to ask Jiang Lin and Jiang Min, “My brother-in-law is going hunting. Would you like to join?”

Jiang Min replied, “Lin Lin, we won’t go. It’s too scary. Rushan, you take Xiao Lei and be careful.”

Jiang Lin gave Cheng Rushan a look, signaling him to have a good talk with her brother-in-law and persuade him.

Cheng Rushan understood, smiled, and said, “Well, we’ll head out then.”

Jiang Lin waved at him, “Take your coat and keep an eye on Jiang Xinglei. Don’t let him cause trouble.”

“Got it,” Cheng Rushan replied and left.

Jiang Min watched his retreating figure and smiled, “My brother-in-law treats you really well.”

Jiang Lin replied, “Sister, give me a clear answer. No matter what school you applied to before, this is the only opportunity now. You won’t have another chance next year. Think about our initial wish. If you get accepted and don’t go, won’t you regret it?”

Jiang Min slowly lowered her head, “Linlin, to be honest, I want to, but I… can’t go. This is how it is for this lifetime. Sometimes a single wrong step leads to more mistakes, and there’s no turning back.”

If she hadn’t acted out of spite or been coerced into not marrying, she might not have such regrets.

But since things are as they are, she couldn’t afford to regret it, nor would it be fair to Liang Tiefeng and the children.

“Older sister, you and brother-in-law have a good relationship. Why can’t you discuss the schooling issue properly? If you go for two years and come back for the New Year, what’s the problem?” Jiang Lin couldn’t understand.

Jiang Min refused to say much more, finding it difficult to speak.

Could she say that Old Lady Liang feared she’d actually hang herself if she got the notice from the Finance Academy?

Could she say that Liang Tiefeng was stubborn and wouldn’t let her leave the house?

She couldn’t bring herself to say it.

Whenever they argued, and she felt upset and wanted to end it, he would do something childish.

She was angry with him but also felt sorry for him.

They had saved her, and she couldn’t just refuse to compromise.

“Linlin, just think that I didn’t get accepted. I’ve resigned myself to this life.”

Avoiding the topic, Jiang Lin couldn’t argue further, and the two of them fell silent for a moment.

Jiang Min went to get some snacks for Jiang Lin.

After a while, they heard the sound of a girl crying, along with Xiao Jun and Mengmeng’s voices.

Jiang Lin and Jiang Min went outside and saw Xiao Jun dragging a pretty young girl over.

Xiao Meng was telling him not to pull, but he ignored her.

He dragged the four-year-old girl over, pushed her into a nearby room, and said triumphantly, “I’ve locked you up. Now you’re my wife.”

Jiang Lin asked Xiao Jun, “What are you doing?”

Xiao Jun smiled at them, “I’m looking for a wife.”

Jiang Min quickly went over, took the crying girl out, comforted her, gave her some treats, and let her play with Xiao Meng.

She then took Xiao Jun into another room and scolded him, “Where did you learn such behavior? Talking nonsense and seeking trouble?”

Xiao Jun stubbornly replied, “Grandma said that if a man wants a wife, he should act fast! If he’s late, other guys will snatch her away!”

Jiang Lin was shocked.

Jiang Min, both angry and embarrassed, raised her hand to hit him.

Xiao Jun protested, “Why are you hitting me? Grandma said so! She said if Dad hadn’t fought for you, I wouldn’t exist!”

Jiang Min’s face changed with anger, and she slapped him on the bottom.

Xiao Jun was wearing thick cotton pants, so it didn’t hurt much, but he had never been hit before and started crying, “Grandma said so! Grandma said that since Dad locked you up for a month, you’re my mom now! Boo hoo… If you hit me, I’ll tell Grandma!”

---

Jiang Lin’s chest ached, “Sis, let’s go to the regiment leader and clear things up!”

Jiang Min noticed Jiang Lin’s angry expression and quickly told Xiao Meng, “Take your brother over there to eat sunflower seeds.”

She then pulled Jiang Lin, who was about to confront the regiment leader, “Don’t be angry. It’s not what you think.”

Jiang Lin asked, “Then what is it? Did he not imprison you or force you?” She clenched her fists, saying that if Liang Tiefeng was an offender, she wouldn’t let him off easily!

Jiang Min felt helpless.

If she could, she would never talk about this issue again.

However, if she didn’t clarify, Jiang Lin might misunderstand and cause trouble.

When she returned to work after her injury, Liang Tiefeng knew her leg wasn’t fully healed.

He sent her some herbal medicine and encouraged her to rest, which led to them spending more time together.

However, she only felt grateful to him and didn’t have any other intentions.

At that time, she had a suitor who proposed to her.

She accepted, but for some reason, the farm wouldn’t approve, citing the “educated youth policy.”

He wanted to move to the provincial capital with her, but her injury led to sick leave.

If her family conditions allowed, she could have stayed in the city due to her health issues.

Unfortunately, her family was in poor condition, there was no place to stay, and they didn’t have the means.

His family was also not well-off.

The vast provincial capital couldn’t accommodate a newlywed couple.

She saw no hope of returning to the farm, decisively broke up with him, and encouraged him to seek a better future on his own.

However, he refused to give up, saying that he would rather remain unmarried for the rest of his life than live without her.

He applied to go to the Soviet Union’s border, where, although it was harsh and dangerous, he could earn more money.

She stayed at the farm, and during that period, she lived in a negative state, her leg injury not improving.

In the winter of 1970, she went with a team to haul wood again.

Her leg hurt, causing her to lag behind.

On a cloudy, snowy day, her teammates didn’t notice her, and she collapsed in the snow.

She thought she might die there and even resigned herself to the idea of dying there, thinking it wouldn’t be so bad.

She had heard that when people are about to freeze to death, they strip off their clothes because they feel hot.

She didn’t want to die looking foolish, so she wished she could just die immediately rather than freeze slowly.

Before she could freeze completely, Liang Tiefeng found her.

In the heavy snow, he took off his military coat to cover her and carried her back to his home.

She remembered his tearful expression when he found her, his dark eyes suddenly burning with life.

This scene made her grateful repeatedly and led her to compromise with them.

When she woke up again, she was on his bed, unable to move with her body exposed, lying under the covers, with only him in her view.

She was so embarrassed that her face turned red, thinking he might take advantage of the situation.

But he was even more embarrassed than she was, saying it was his mother who helped, not him.

Jiang Lin asked, “He saved you, so you married him as repayment?”

Jiang Min replied, “I suppose so.”

“What about being locked up for a month?” Jiang Lin asked.

Jiang Min explained, “Don’t listen to the children’s nonsense. I only stayed in his house for three days. You know, an unmarried woman lying in a man’s house for three days… people thought there was something going on.”

“Did your fellow intellectuals come looking for you?”

Jiang Min said, “When they realized I was missing, they went back to search for me. Later, when they found out I had been rescued by Liang Tiefeng, they went to the mountains to find me. At that time, once I was rescued, they felt relieved.”

“Relieved?” Jiang Lin was skeptical. “If one of my female classmates had been rescued by a man, we would have left someone to care for her. How could we have just left her there? I need to ask your classmates about this.”

Jiang Min didn’t expect her sister to be so perceptive now, and she couldn’t hide anything.

She had to admit, “It was his mother who locked the door. She locked us in one room together. I couldn’t move, had frostbite that needed treatment, and also…”

If it hadn’t been for her feelings of despair and self-neglect at that time, she wouldn’t have married Liang Tiefeng even if Liang Laopo had locked her and Liang Tiefeng in a room for three days, or even if he had forced himself on her.

She would have fought back, reported him, and caused a big scene rather than being forced into marriage.

It was clear that she had already given up struggling and compromised with fate.

She chose to marry him to fulfill his desires and to let her first love move on and stop waiting for her.

She and her first love had mutual feelings from high school until their separation, but they had never even held hands.

He shouldn’t have wasted his youth on her.

She wiped her tears and held Jiang Lin’s hand. “Lin Lin, don’t be angry on my behalf. If he hadn’t saved me, I would have died long ago. I’m not unhappy about marrying him; he treats me well. It’s just that he keeps worrying about this matter…”

“Worrying?” Jiang Lin looked at her in disbelief. “Why is he worried? His mother locked you two in a room and damaged your reputation. Why is he the one worried? Is he concerned that you don’t truly love him or that you might still like your first love?”

Jiang Min replied softly, “Not exactly. He feels guilty because he thinks his mother was wrong and he isn’t good at expressing himself.”

Jiang Lin asked, “If you’re not blaming him, why did you apply to our family’s school? Why that school?”

Jiang Min suddenly broke down in tears.

After a long while, she said in a hoarse voice, “I just wanted to apply. Whether I get in or not doesn’t matter. Whether I go or not doesn’t matter. I just wanted to… finish that one thing. Once it’s done, I can let it go and never think about it again.”

When they were young, they had dreamed of several universities.

The undergraduate goal was the provincial university, and the vocational goal was the Finance Academy.

Now, the promises made have been fulfilled, and the dreams of youth have been put to rest.

But how could she explain this to others? She didn’t want to talk about it, so she just applied.

As for why, she didn’t explain.