Jiang Lin decided not to give Xiao Meng any more food.

She told her to eat as much or as little as she wanted and to do whatever made her comfortable.

After a while, someone came rushing in and shouted, “Tie Feng! Tie Feng! Jiang Min! Jiang Min!”

Jiang Min went to ask, “What’s going on?”

“Oh no, your mother-in-law is very ill! You should go home and check on her,” the person said.

Jiang Min was puzzled and asked, “What’s wrong with her?”

“She’s having severe chest pains!” the person explained.

Jiang Min thought her mother-in-law might be having a serious health issue.

She quickly went to find a doctor at the team’s headquarters and arranged for transportation.

She told Jiang Lin and the children to stay inside while she went home.

Xiao Meng wanted to go home to take care of her grandmother, saying, “Grandma has always taken care of me. If she’s sick, I need to go home and take care of her.”

Jiang Lin said, “Your mother will go home, you stay here with me.”

Xiao Jun laughed and said, “Grandma is just pretending. Haha, she’s pretending to scare Dad and Mom.”

Jiang Lin frowned, “You know about this?”

“Of course! Grandma does this often. She pretends to faint or says her chest hurts, and then she collapses,” Xiao Jun said.

Jiang Lin was shocked and asked, “Does she really collapse or is it just an act? What if she actually hurts herself?”

Xiao Jun stood up and mimicked his grandmother’s actions, holding his head with one hand and flailing with the other, saying, “Oh no, I’m dizzy…”

Then he fell to the ground dramatically.

Jiang Lin was taken aback.

She ran outside and caught up with Jiang Min, who was hurrying back home.

She said, “Sister, I need to tell you something.”

Jiang Min replied, “Lin Lin, stay here. I’ll be back soon.”

Jiang Lin pulled her aside and explained what Xiao Jun had said.

Jiang Min was surprised, “It can’t be. Xiao Jun is only 6 years old; he must be talking nonsense.”

“Sis, don’t you know what kind of person your mother-in-law is? She can lock doors; pretending to be sick is just a routine for her.”

Jiang Min replied, “I never thought she was pretending to be sick before. She really has health issues.

She had surgery when she was young, and her health has always been poor. In winter, she can’t breathe well, sweats profusely, and in summer, she avoids the sun because she has no strength.” Jiang Min didn’t doubt this; everyone knew that Liang’s mother-in-law wasn’t in good health.

Jiang Lin said, “Having a chronic illness and being incapacitated are two different things.” She felt that Jiang Min’s mother-in-law was probably waiting for them to arrive to cause trouble.

Jiang Min was also somewhat doubtful after Jiang Lin’s comments, “I’ll go check when I get home.”

Jiang Lin went back to telling stories to the children, recounting tales of Da Bao and Xiao Bao, which made the kids dream of adventure.

Although their grandmother warned them about the dangers of the provincial capital—bad people, tigers, and monsters that eat children—and told them not to go, especially not to let their mother go, Auntie’s stories were so fascinating.

The characters in the photos, like Da Bao, Xiao Bao, Wen Sheng, and Qin Qin, were very tempting.

They hadn’t been eaten by monsters.

Jiang Lin thought that if her sister really decided to give up, she would take the children with her.

It wasn’t about discrimination; education in the border regions could never match that of big cities in the interior.

Although a person’s achievements in life cannot be measured by their education alone, who wouldn’t want their children to see more if given the chance?

Moreover, leaving the children here would only result in them being ruined by their grandmother.

Xiao Meng would have to quit school early to take care of the family, and Xiao Jun, if he couldn’t even get through elementary school, would become a little hoodlum and fail to pass high school.

What if he grew up to be a troublemaker, harassing girls, and ended up in jail or worse?

People say that life is long and the future is full of possibilities for young people.

But for those who are decadent and incapable, life is short, and the future is bleak.

One glance reveals all!

In the past, when the family was struggling, they tried to find ways to provide for the children.

Now, neither she nor the Jiang family is in difficulty, and Cheng Rushan supports all her decisions.

She cannot ignore the children’s future and let them be neglected.

While the children were away from their grandmother, Jiang Lin took the opportunity to ask about various things and learned a lot of troubling information.

The old lady not only brainwashed the children with ideas of male superiority and made the girls sacrifice for their younger brothers, but she also taught them things like, “No matter what happens, you must always support your father, because he and your grandmother are devoted to this family. Your mother is not! She has her own parents, and her mind is on others, not just on you.”

Jiang Lin felt like she wanted to confront the old lady physically.

This was also partly because Xiao Meng and Xiao Jun were still young, with Xiao Jun only 6 years old.

If he were older and had independent thinking, he might not repeat these things.

Xiao Meng, on the other hand, was too intimidated to speak up, so most of what was revealed came from Xiao Jun.

The old lady was teaching them that their mother didn’t care about them as much as their father and that they should prioritize their father and younger brother even when they grow up.

Jiang Lin said to Xiao Meng, “Aunt believes that you should always think of yourself as important. Only by loving yourself first can you truly love others. What do you think?”

Xiao Meng, having been brainwashed by her grandmother, couldn’t think of anything else and tended to follow the old lady’s teachings.

Jiang Lin continued, “Your grandmother has never left the mountain village in her life, and she hasn’t been educated like your teachers or me.

She has limited experience and wants you to be like her. Xiao Meng, do you want to grow up and live in the mountain village, complaining about aches and deceiving children like your grandmother?”

Xiao Meng blinked, looked outside, glanced at her brother, and shook her head when Xiao Jun wasn’t looking.

Jiang Lin then said to Xiao Jun, “If you keep parroting your grandmother’s nonsense about locking up girls and calling them wives, you’ll end up in trouble. If a bad man tries to capture Aunt, your uncle will send him and his whole family to prison or worse!”

Xiao Jun didn’t understand much else, but he knew about executions and imprisonment, which made him stare in fear with wide eyes.

Was the uncle so ruthless?

……

Jiang Min went with the doctor and saw Old Lady Liang lying crookedly on the kang (a traditional heated bed).

The room was a bit chilly, and the stove had gone out.

Jiang Min quickly lit the stove and asked if she had eaten.

Old Lady Liang mumbled, “Oh, where… where would I get to eat? The child isn’t at home, and I… I don’t feel like eating. Don’t waste food.”

Jiang Min was angry and said, “What are you talking about? Can a person live without eating? It sounds like you’re saying we can’t afford to feed you, and that our son isn’t giving you food.”

The doctor also said that the old lady was wrong.

After measuring her blood pressure, listening to her chest, and asking about her condition, there was no major problem, or at least it was the same old issue—neither worsened nor anything serious.

It was purely a psychological problem, or maybe she was just pretending. But the doctor couldn’t say she was faking, only that it was the old condition and used vague language.

Old Lady Liang grabbed the doctor’s sleeve, “Doctor, I’m short of breath, my chest hurts, it feels like there’s a big stone pressing on it. Please examine me carefully.” After much persuasion, she finally agreed to take some medicine.

“Why didn’t you bring Xiao Jun and Xiao Meng back?” Old Lady Liang asked when she saw Jiang Min entering with a bowl of noodles. “I miss the kids. I’ve raised them since they were little; I miss them even a moment after they’re gone.”

Jiang Min replied, “They’re playing with the little aunt. They’re doing just fine.”

Old Lady Liang asked, “Why didn’t the little aunt and uncle come to eat?”

When she was ill, didn’t the relatives come to inquire?

She was so sick she could hardly move and wanted her daughter-in-law to go to college.

No way!

Unless I die!

Jiang Min urged her to eat, “Mother, are you really sick?”

Liang’s mother-in-law sat up to eat her noodles, but then moaned and fell over again, “Oh… it hurts…”

Jiang Min put the bowl down, “You eat. Don’t extinguish the stove, or you’ll freeze.”

Liang’s mother-in-law said, “I fainted, didn’t know, didn’t add any coal…”

Jiang Min didn’t want to argue with her.

It was obvious how the stove went out. Only a fool wouldn’t see through it.

“I’ll stay at the team base tonight, and Xiao Meng and Xiao Jun will come with me.”

There had been similar situations before; she would take the children out, and Liang’s mother would always find excuses to keep the children behind.

She didn’t think much of it before, even though Liang’s mother was generally unkind to her, she was still affectionate towards the children.

Now, considering the nonsense she had fed the children, Jiang Min wasn’t willing to compromise.

She wouldn’t let her mother-in-law act and then expect her to return the children without letting them go for a whole day.

Seeing her daughter-in-law suddenly stand up to her, Liang’s mother knew it was because of the support from the maternal family.

She pretended to be helpless and got up to eat noodles. “Then go ahead. Let Xiao Liang come back early tonight. Tomorrow, have the relatives come for a meal. Kill a hen and stew mushrooms. I collected a lot of hazel mushrooms from the mountain last year.”

Jiang Min said, “Alright.”

She then went back to the team base with the doctor.

Jiang Lin was outside playing games with Xiao Meng and Xiao Jun.

They were drawing on the cement floor with talc.

She had drawn a map shaped like a big rooster.

Thanks to a year of studying architecture, her hand-drawing skills had improved, and it looked quite good.

“This big rooster is our map. You are here, and Da Bao and Xiao Bao are here.” Jiang Lin marked the locations on the drawing.

This farm was at the top of the rooster’s head, very close to the border.

Xiao Meng’s eyes widened in amazement. It was a novel experience for her.

She pointed to the areas below and to the east and west.

Jiang Lin explained to them one by one and added, “Besides our big rooster, there’s the Soviet Union to the north, and then there’s India and North Korea…” Jiang Lin mentioned a few neighboring countries.

Xiao Meng started singing, “Brave and mighty, we cross the Yalu River… Our teacher taught us that we went to help North Korea fight the American devils.”

Xiao Jun, who had been causing trouble and bullying Xiao Meng, was now being punished by Jiang Lin.

Without his beloved grandmother and father around, and his mother absent, his usual tantrums and cries were ineffective.

He had to stand in the corner quietly.

When it came to talking about wars, he couldn’t help but pretend to shoot.

Jiang Lin gave him a stern look and told him to be silent, so he sulkily stood still.

Seeing Jiang Min come back, he immediately called out.

Jiang Min, however, ignored him and only said to Jiang Lin, “It’s fine.”

This was acknowledging that the old lady was pretending to be ill.

Jiang Lin smiled and said, “Don’t worry about her in the future. With an old lady like that, the wolves might come.”

Xiao Jun was anxious, “I know the wolves are coming.”

Only then did Jiang Lin lift his punishment and let him come and play. “Still playing tricks?”

Xiao Jun shook his head.

“Rolling around?”

Xiao Jun shook his head.

“Bullying your sister?”

Xiao Jun looked down, glanced at Xiao Meng, and shook his head.

“Alright, I’ll teach you how to draw. There’s so much to learn in college, and there are special art students who can draw things exactly like they are. Do you want to know?”

“Want to, want to! I want to draw!” Xiao Jun eagerly raised his hand.

Jiang Min also taught them when she had time, but when she wasn’t home, the old lady thought these things were useless and had the kids do what she considered useful.

In the evening, around five o’clock, Jiang Min prepared to steam rice and waited for the men to return from hunting.

Around 6:30, the jeep returned. Along with the three of them, there were also the team leader and others from the team base.

Jiang Xinglei burst into the house with a rifle on his back, excitedly gesturing, “Sister, my brother-in-law is amazing! He shot a lone wolf in the head with one shot. If it weren’t for his good marksmanship, Xiao Gao would have had his throat bitten by the wolf!”

There were wolf packs in the ridge, and these solitary wolves, when they couldn’t find food, would come out of the ridge and attack nearby villages.

They usually stole sheep, but they could also attack people.

Everyone knew this, so solitary wolves were shot on sight, and their skins were taken, but not the meat.

Jiang Xinglei, excitedly recounting the event, set up his rifle and mimicked Cheng Rushan’s pose, but poorly.

Jiang Lin said, “Don’t let that gun accidentally go off. Put it away.”

Jiang Xinglei’s shoulders slumped, “There are no bullets. What’s there to be afraid of?” Neither Cheng Rushan nor Liang Tiesheng allowed him to handle a loaded gun, so he could only enjoy the thrill of handling an unloaded one.

When Cheng Rushan and Liang Tiesheng returned, they had shot two roe deer, as well as some wild rabbits and pheasants, which they took to the kitchen to process.

They kept some for themselves, and hung the rest in the kitchen to be added to the cafeteria’s meals tomorrow.

Cheng Rushan rolled up the wolf skin and threw it in the corner, saying to Jiang Lin, “Take care of this and use it as a blanket. A wolf skin blanket will keep you warm even in the snow.”

Liang Tiesheng added, “I’ll find someone to process it later.”

Jiang Lin noticed that Liang Tiesheng’s attitude had improved a lot.

Cheng Rushan had this knack of getting along with people no matter who they were, but she had a very poor impression of Liang Tiesheng, which was worsening!

If Jiang Min showed even a hint of wanting to leave him, she would definitely make a scene at the team base to get him arrested!

Jiang Min said, “Mother is ill. Take some meat home to have a meal with her.”

Liang Tiesheng replied, “Ill? She was fine this morning.”

Jiang Min retorted, “Who knows?”

Jiang Lin suggested, “Why don’t we go together? Since the old lady is sick, we should visit her. We haven’t visited since yesterday.”

She wanted to see what kind of person Xiao Jun’s grandmother was, and how she managed to be so influential.

Xiao Jun shouted, “I want Grandma, I want to go home, I miss Grandma!”

Liang Tiefeng said, “You all stay here. I’ll go back home to check things out. Tomorrow I’ll come and pick you up for dinner, and we’ll stay here tonight.”

He had already informed the regiment that he needed to borrow the Jeep for a few days.

Jiang Lin insisted, “What can we see during the day? I want to go in the evening to visit the old lady.”

Liang Tiefeng looked at Jiang Min, who smiled and said, “Linlin, it’s cold at night. Let’s go tomorrow. Your aunt is fine; she just has her old ailments.”

Cheng Rushan understood Jiang Lin’s intention and said, “I’ll go with my brother-in-law to check it out.”

He had just returned from hunting, still carrying the chill of the outdoors.

Xiao Meng and Xiao Jun were too scared to look at him.

Especially Xiao Jun, who was terrified of him.

He had just wanted to complain to his dad about his aunt bullying him during the day, but before he could say anything, he saw Cheng Rushan enter.

When Cheng Rushan looked at him, Xiao Jun shivered and immediately hid behind Xiao Meng, too frightened to move.

Hearing Cheng Rushan’s offer, Jiang Lin stopped insisting, “Then you two go quickly. Auntie probably hasn’t had dinner yet. If you’re not home, she might not eat at all.”

Liang Tiefeng frowned but said nothing. He gave a few instructions to Jiang Min and the children, and specifically told Xiao Jun, “Listen to your mother and don’t be naughty, or I’ll have to discipline you tomorrow.”

Terrified, Xiao Jun nodded obediently.

Jiang Lin told Cheng Rushan to put on a coat since it would be cold in the evening.

She saw them off at the door.

Cheng Rushan told her not to go out, hugged her, gave her a kiss on the forehead, and pushed her back inside. “It’s cold. Go back inside quickly.”

Liang Tiefeng glanced at them as he stood by the car, flicked his cigarette butt onto the ground and crushed it, then got into the car and watched Cheng Rushan come in.

“How did you two get married?” he asked Cheng Rushan.

Cheng Rushan replied, “It was an introduction.”

Liang Tiefeng was skeptical. “A young educated woman marrying a country man, through an introduction? Did she agree to it?”

Cheng Rushan said, “Of course she agreed. No matter how good someone is, if they don’t want to marry, it doesn’t matter how much you want them.”

Even though Jiang Lin was beautiful, if she had been unwilling to marry him, he would have never touched her again.

He realized she was marrying out of necessity, and although he initially didn’t understand why he married her, he was willing to support her.

However, their relationship wouldn’t extend beyond that.

After six years, it was only when she was willing to be with him that he accepted it.

He initially thought she would leave, but since she stayed, he was more than happy to love and cherish her.

Of course, he wouldn’t talk about their issues with others.

Every relationship has its problems, but problems are meant to be solved, not left to fester and explode.

Liang Tiefeng said nothing more and drove away.

At dinner, Jiang Lin didn’t let Xiao Meng eat too much.

Jiang Xinglei noticed that the child only ate a few bites, like feeding a bird.

Fortunately, Xiao Meng didn’t throw up after dinner.

Jiang Lin asked, and Xiao Meng said that as long as she ate only a small portion, she wouldn’t vomit.

After dinner, Jiang Xinglei was taken to play Mahjong.

By the time he came back, the sisters were still talking, seemingly having endless things to discuss.

Jiang Lin told Jiang Min what she had learned from the children, “Sister, you need to be more cautious. Don’t just assume that because people say the old lady is nice, she really is. You need to pay more attention.”

Jiang Min replied, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

After Jiang Lin went to sleep, she couldn’t fall asleep for most of the night and only managed to sleep a little before dawn.

The next morning, Cheng Rushan came to pick them up to go to Kaoshan Village for a meal.