Aunt Yang stared at Ning Shu, her mouth open in surprise, still processing what Ning Shu had said.

Yet, she seemed to understand the gist of Ning Shu’s words.

“Auntie?” Ning Shu called out again when she saw Aunt Yang’s reaction.

Aunt Yang nodded, “So you’re saying that Xu Weilin’s family situation somehow involves your family?”

Ning Shu shook her head, “How could it involve our family? We only lent some money to a classmate, that’s all.”

Aunt Yang thought for a moment and realized, “Indeed, it has nothing to do with your family. No matter what, this issue won’t affect your family. No wonder you came asking about this; it’s clear now.”

“Well, that’s not quite it,” Ning Shu clarified. “The Women’s Federation head came to our house last night…” She explained what had happened the previous evening. “So I thought since you’re well-connected in the family quarters, you might have heard some rumors and could give me some information. How is this issue going to be handled now?”

Ning Shu asked again, “Since the old lady hit Xu Weilin’s wife and put her in the hospital, will there be any punishment?” Given the era, it seemed unlikely there would be any consequences.

Ning Shu felt helpless.

Even in later times, such family matters were considered private, and the police wouldn’t get involved.

If someone did report it, the police would typically tell them to resolve it themselves.

In the end, such matters were difficult for the police to handle.

If the police intervened today and the families reconciled tomorrow, the police would be blamed.

Compared to later times, people in this era had more conservative views.

“What kind of punishment could there be?” Aunt Yang replied. “It’s probably just going to be left as is. Before you came, there were plenty of cases of disputes between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law in the family quarters, and there were also many fights between women from different families. They just ended up apologizing to each other and making up. If outsiders can reconcile, so can in-laws. Besides, Xu Weilin’s wife seems like a pushover, very soft. Her daughter is more capable; she even borrowed money to help her mother. If she can’t stand up for herself, then this issue won’t have a resolution.”

Aunt Yang, whom Ning Shu knew to be quite sensible and principled, gave a reasonable perspective.

Without the constraints of a dramatic narrative, the negative gossip about the Yang family from the novels no longer applied.

Though, there were still some lingering traditional views, such as Aunt Yang’s desire for a grandson.

Despite her education of her granddaughter, as a woman of that era, she still hoped for a grandson.

What Aunt Yang said made a lot of sense.

No matter the era or the people, if you can’t stand up for yourself, don’t expect others to always help you.

People might help for a while, but they can’t help forever.

“Aunt Yang makes a good point,” Ning Shu said. “It depends on whether Xu Weilin’s wife can recover on her own.”

“Xu Weilin is actually one of our Xiao Yang’s subordinates. Since Xu Weilin’s wife is sick, I need to go check on her,” Aunt Yang said. “If there’s any more news, I’ll let you know.”

“Should I go too?” Ning Shu asked.

Since Xu Weilin is also a subordinate of Yang Vice Battalion Leader, who is Lin Guodong’s boss, and since Aunt Yang plans to visit, Ning Shu wondered if she should go as well.

Aunt Yang realized the situation: “If you didn’t know, it would be fine not to go. But since you do know, and since the women’s director visited your home last night, and even though this situation isn’t directly related to the kids, you have some connection, so it’s okay to visit.”

Ning Shu agreed: “What should I bring with me?”

Aunt Yang said, “Xu Weilin’s wife is in the hospital and needs to recuperate. I’ll bring a few eggs.”

Aunt Yang was frugal but always made sure to show proper respect and never fell short in her duties.

Ning Shu replied, “Luckily, I passed by the Moon Bay Production Team on my way back from my hometown yesterday and got some eggs, or I wouldn’t have anything to bring today. How many eggs are you planning to bring?”

Aunt Yang thought for a moment.

Since it was a subordinate’s family, she didn’t want to appear stingy, but she also didn’t want to give too much. “I’ll bring six eggs. Six is a nice number. How about you?”

Ning Shu had no objections: “I’ll bring six eggs too. When do you plan to go?”

Aunt Yang suggested, “Let’s go after lunch. What do you think?”

Ning Shu agreed, “Alright, I’ll head home now. Let me know when you’re ready to go.”

Aunt Yang replied, “Sure, I’ll call you, and we’ll prepare six eggs together.” Ning Shu is the regimental commander’s daughter-in-law, and Aunt Yang is the deputy battalion commander’s mother, so she didn’t want her gift to overshadow Ning Shu’s.

“Okay,” Ning Shu said and started to leave.

“Wait a minute…” Aunt Yang suddenly remembered something. “Given Xu Weilin’s mother temperament, Xu Weilin’s wife might not even get to eat the eggs we bring. We should cook the eggs before delivering them.”

Ning Shu didn’t like eating overnight eggs.

According to modern standards, leftover food wasn’t fresh, and overnight eggs could easily harbor bacteria.

But in this era, people weren’t so particular about these things.

“If we boil all six eggs, she still won’t be able to eat them all,” Ning Shu said.

She hadn’t expected Aunt Yang to be so… so thoughtful, even considering this detail.

It seemed Aunt Yang had quite a bit of sympathy for Xu Weilin’s wife, Zhang Xiaoyue.

“In this cold winter, even though eggs can be kept for a few days, with both of us having twelve eggs in total, they really can’t last that long,” Aunt Yang agreed.

Ning Shu suggested, “Auntie, you can boil your six eggs, and I’ll give my six eggs raw. At least the boiled eggs will be useful for Xu Weilin’s wife.”

Aunt Yang agreed, “That’s the only way.”

“Okay, Auntie, I’ll leave now.” After finalizing their plan, Ning Shu left.

After Ning Shu had gone, Zhao Huan approached her mother-in-law, “Mom, you seem quite concerned about Xu Weilin’s wife.” She had never seen her mother-in-law show such concern for others before.

Aunt Yang replied, “They’re all pitiful people; if I can help, I’ll do what I can.”

She added, “When Old Yang passed away, the Yang family didn’t treat us well. If I hadn’t been determined, who knows what our situation would be now. Women can’t rely solely on men.”

Thinking about it, she noted that Zhao Huan was a daughter-in-law, not her own daughter, and continued, “Of course, if a man can be reliable, it’s a woman’s good fortune. Like you, our Yang family’s Xiao Yang earns money and takes care of the family. He never argues with you and even teaches you to read. You’re lucky to marry such a good man. With him, you don’t have to rely only on yourself.”

Aunt Yang felt a bit regretful, thinking that if her daughter-in-law became independent, it might be a disadvantage for her son.

She chided herself for speaking so freely.

Zhao Huan smiled and said, “You’re right, Mom. I’m indeed lucky. When I was young, both my parents died, and no one wanted me. You took me in. Growing up, I became your daughter-in-law, married a wonderful man, and have a great mother-in-law. If you ask me, among everyone in the family quarters, my fate is the best.”

Even though her mother-in-law was in charge of the household and her husband’s money was controlled by her mother-in-law, Zhao Huan still felt fortunate.

Every day was well-organized, and wasn’t that a good life?

The only downside was… Zhao Huan patted her belly, feeling frustrated that she hadn’t been able to conceive yet.

Aunt Yang felt a bit embarrassed by her daughter-in-law’s praise. “You only have sincerity as your standout quality,” she said, before going out to hang up the bedding to air.

Though Aunt Yang had a thick skin, she couldn’t quite handle her daughter-in-law’s enthusiastic compliments.

At School

Since the moment he walked into the classroom that day, the eldest child had been keeping an eye out for Xu Duomei.

But even after class had started, Xu Duomei was nowhere to be seen.

Normally, he wouldn’t have paid much attention to Xu Duomei, but since she had borrowed two yuan from him yesterday, he was now more observant.

However, Xu Duomei didn’t come to class today, and the IOU she had given him was taken away by his father last night, who said he had something to deal with.

Oh no… He forgot to ask his father what he needed the IOU for during breakfast.

Still, the eldest child thought there had to be a connection between Xu Duomei’s absence and his father taking the IOU, though he couldn’t figure out what it was.

With this thought in mind, he waited until noon when school let out and decided to go home and ask his father about the IOU.

“Big Brother, why are you walking so fast today?” Erbao noticed that the Yibao was walking unusually quickly.

Normally, Yibao was slow, but today, the Erbao had to jog to keep up.

“I have something to ask Dad,” Yibao said.

“What’s that?” Sanbao, also jogging to keep up, asked.

Yibao looked around and whispered, “Didn’t you notice that Xu Duomei didn’t come to school today?”

Erbao said, “I did notice. But so what if she didn’t come to class? Maybe she’s skipping school or didn’t feel like coming today.” He didn’t understand why his brother seemed so mysterious.

Sanbao said, “I didn’t notice. But what’s the big deal if Xu Duomei didn’t come to class?”

Seeing his brothers’ reactions, Yibao began to analyze: “Xu Duomei didn’t come to school today. Last night, Dad took the IOU Xu Duomei gave me, and Xu Duomei’s mother is ill. So something must have happened to their family.”

Erbao blinked and then widened his eyes, “You mean if something happened to their family, we might not get the two yuan back? We need to ask for it back.” He wondered what Dad needed the IOU for.

Yibao said, “…”

Sanbao said, “So, Big Brother means Xu Duomei’s family must have had some trouble, but we don’t know what.”

Yibao nodded, “That’s right. Sanbao is smart. Erbao, you should learn from Sanbao.”

“Hehe…” Erbao grinned, “It’s enough to have two smart people in our family… Big Brother, Sanbao, do you think Xu Duomei will pay us back?”

“…..”