Fang Dihua carried the chickens and two ducklings home, planning to have Lin Shu tie the hens to the coop for a couple of days before letting them go, so they could recognize their new home and not try to return to their original place.

She saw Lin Shu sitting there, with her head drooping, chopping wild vegetables with a mechanical rhythm, looking lifeless.

Fang Dihua was startled!

“Third Daughter-in-law?”

Lin Shu, who was lost in thoughts about how to deal with Song Chunfang, was startled by her mother-in-law’s loud voice. “Ah, Mother, you’re back?”

Fang Dihua was now afraid to raise her voice, worried it might upset her. “…The wild vegetables you chopped, I brought them back.”

Lin Shu responded, “Oh, right, I forgot. Mother, the meal is ready.”

Fang Dihua arranged the chickens and ducks and noticed that one of her hens was sitting in the nest, not laying eggs but seemed to be brooding.

She picked up the hen and checked, finding that it wasn’t laying eggs but was indeed brooding.

She asked Lin Shu to get some hemp rope and tied the hen to a tree to prevent it from sitting on the nest.

Typically, after a couple of days, it would lose interest and start laying eggs again.

While Lin Shu fetched the rope, she rubbed her eyes, and her big, watery eyes were red around the edges with wet eyelashes.

Fang Dihua felt a pang in her heart, worried, “Third family, are you wanting to go back to your parents’ house?”

Without a man and no one to confide in at her in-laws, it must be tough, right?

Lin Shu slightly lowered her head, her thick eyelashes hanging down.

Her elder sisters were in the provincial city, respectively, and her grandmother was gone.

There was no one to confide in at her parents’ home; she would only face her mother’s nagging and be the subject of gossip.

She shook her head. “No, I don’t want to go back.”

Fang Dihua asked, “Then who do you want to talk to?”

“Speak up? How about I give you five dollars to visit Auntie in the city?”

Lin Shu shook her head.

Fang Dihua suggested several things, but Lin Shu continued to refuse.

Fang Dihua was at a loss.

Lin Shu kept her head lowered, avoiding eye contact with Fang Dihua.

She felt a pang of discomfort as she spoke, “Mother, whether or not my husband comes back, I will never remarry. I will always be your daughter-in-law.”

Fang Dihua was taken aback.

She didn’t expect her daughter-in-law to say this.

She felt a strange emotion welling up inside her.

Both she and her husband had thought Lin Shu wouldn’t be able to stay faithful and would want to remarry, but Lin Shu was clearly stating otherwise.

If Lin Shu had said she wanted to remarry, Fang Dihua would have been unhappy.

But now that Lin Shu said she wouldn’t remarry, it didn’t sit well with her either.

A young woman staying single for a lifetime seemed too old-fashioned.

She said, “Shaotang will definitely come back. If he doesn’t return in a year or two, we can talk about something else.”

Lin Shu nodded. “Mother, some people in the village… are saying unkind things. Don’t listen to them.”

— Oh, Mother-in-law, you should listen and then take it out on me!

Fang Dihua frowned. “Who’s talking nonsense? What are they saying? Tell me.”

Lin Shu replied, “It’s nothing. They’re just saying I want to remarry.”

— They’re spreading rumors that you hit me! That I’m unfaithful! That the children aren’t Shaotang’s!

Fang Dihua felt a bit uneasy.

She and her husband had talked about it. She said, “It doesn’t matter. It’s not the old society anymore. No one has to stay faithful for a lifetime. Just ignore it.”

She didn’t want Lin Shu to dwell on the topic of remarriage, so she changed the subject. “Now we have plenty of eggs from the chickens and ducks.”

The eggs don’t need to be sent to the supply and marketing cooperative; we can have better meals every few days.

If it weren’t for the grandchildren and Lin Shu wanting more chickens, she wouldn’t have bought extra hens.

Since she bought them, she might as well eat the eggs.

In the summer, the chickens find their own food, eating insects and grass seeds.

With sufficient protein, they lay an egg every day.

With five chickens, they collect at least four eggs a day.

In winter, with less feed, the chickens lay eggs less frequently, maybe every three to five days.

Eggs are precious and should be saved for cooking. While it’s wasteful to fry them, they’re still good for stews and soups.

To avoid upsetting Lin Shu further, Fang Dihua quickly washed her hands and gathered the corn cakes.

At this time, Panpan and Tiantian returned from outside, ready for lunch and a nap.

After Fang Dihua left with the food and pickled vegetables, Lin Shu fed the children, put them to bed with mosquito nets, and they quickly fell asleep.

Panpan sucked on his thumb and fell asleep instantly, while Tiantian, holding onto Lin Shu’s clothing, also soon drifted off.

Lin Shu covered them with a cloth and continued to make shoes.

Fang Dihua took Lin Shu’s words to heart and, when she went out with the food basket, specifically stopped by Aunt Li’s house to have a word.

Aunt Li didn’t go out to work in the fields and usually did housework at home. Her family was in the rear village, so she was well-informed.

Fang Dihua asked Aunt Li to keep an eye out and handle any gossip about Lin Shu, especially if anyone was speaking ill of her.

It was rare for Fang Dihua to personally ask someone to help with a task, which made Aunt Li very proud.

She repeatedly promised to keep watch.

Aunt Li would finish her housework and then carry a basket to chat with other women in the village, often doing some work like making shoe soles or twisting rope.

The village women, who often sat outside chatting, were well-informed about the latest news.

To improve her previously timid and shy image in the village, Lin Shu took her two children to the riverbank in the afternoon to collect grass seeds.

She planned to have her sister-in-law help clear the area around the chicken and duck coop and scatter vegetable seeds for free growth.

This way, the chickens and ducks could eat bugs and grass without wasting space.

On the way, Lin Shu greeted the village elders confidently, no longer shy and hesitant as she used to be.

Seeing her and the children leaving, the elderly villagers began to gossip.

“Whose daughter-in-law is that? She’s really pretty!”

“You old fool, isn’t that the third daughter-in-law of the Second Master’s family? Shaotang’s wife.”

“Shaotang’s wife? His wife was a short woman with a high-pitched voice and didn’t look very good. This one is pretty and seems taller. Did Shaotang’s wife pass away, and he got a new one?”

“You old fool, be quiet. You’re really getting senile.”

The old man of 93 wasn’t really senile, was he?

The villagers all noticed Lin Shu’s changes and each came up with their own explanations for her transformation—some said she was possessed by a spirit, others thought she was mentally affected, while some believed she had grown up and matured.

Lin Shu didn’t care how they thought of her, as long as her in-laws saw her as sensible and not troublesome, that was enough.

Now that “she” was alive, the children wouldn’t be lost, her father-in-law wouldn’t have to suffer from falling off a mountain, and her mother-in-law wouldn’t face any issues.

The family would develop step by step, and soon her children would lead the family to prosperity!

Just thinking about it made her feel happy.

…..

Southwest dense forest.

Chen Yanming led his soldiers in a thorough search of the border forest.

He followed Lu Shaotang’s secret signs to this area, but they had vanished.

From Lu Shaotang’s previous information, there was a traitor within, and he could only make temporary adjustments.

The coded mark was a secret phrase they had jokingly agreed upon when they were at military academy.

Both had entered the academy at the age of twelve.

From initially disliking each other to developing a deep bond and becoming comrades who fought side by side through thick and thin, their relationship was something that others could not fully understand.

This time, Lu Shaotang was leading a team on a confidential mission.

To protect key personnel and secret documents, he personally diverted the enemy and ultimately fell into a ravine.

The search by the troops lasted two months without success, and finally, a document declaring Lu Shaotang’s death was issued.

However, Chen Yanming was unwilling to give up.

Sure enough, this time, a secret mark left by Lu Shaotang was found in a hidden location!

“Woof woof!” The hunting dog suddenly let out a low growl.

Chen Yanming was excited and said in a deep voice, “Go and check it out!”

“Instructor, we’ve found the target!!”

Chen Yanming’s large strides caused him to slip, but he quickly steadied himself and rushed over. “Contact the helicopter! Hurry!”

“The helicopter is ready! The helicopter is ready!”

The helicopter, already on standby, roared as it flew in.

It soon carried them swiftly over the dense forest, heading towards the PLA General Hospital.