Returning Home 

Meng Yuanzheng didn’t get to eat the corn. He stood pitifully under the eaves, looking like a big fool. 

He was still wearing his one leather shoe. 

When Lin Miaoyin had opened her eyes earlier, she saw that one of his feet was bare. She didn’t know if he had later gone back into the water to retrieve the shoe. 

Mother Lin and Cui Fen were cooking in the kitchen and did not notice that Meng Yuanzheng did not eat the corn. 

After a while, when the sun was setting, Lin Miaoyin took a rattle made of split bamboo and shook it. There was a crackling sound. Hearing it, the three hens automatically returned to their coop. 

Father Lin and older brother Lin Miaojun also returned. They washed their hands at the well and went to the private plot to pick a few crisp cucumbers to eat. 

Meng Yuanzheng looked at the two quietly for a few seconds, then walked up to them and took the initiative to greet them, “Father, brother.” 

Father Lin hummed lightly and sat on the stone mill while smoking his pipe. Lin Miaojun ignored him completely. 

Meng Yuanzheng didn’t feel embarrassed and kept standing under the eaves, staring into the distance with a tight-lipped expression. 

The more he acted like this, the more Lin Miaoyin felt that he had some hidden agenda. 

Father Lin and Lin Miaojun had also heard from Mother Lin that Lin Miaoyin wanted a divorce. Although they didn’t like Meng Yuanzheng, they didn’t support the idea of divorce either. 

Father Lin felt that since his daughter was right under his nose, her family could look out for her more in the future. They wouldn’t let Meng Yuanzheng bully her again. After this incident, Meng Yuanzheng wouldn’t be able to work as a teacher anymore; he would have to obediently work in the fields. 

If he didn’t do his job well, it would be easy for him, as the team leader, to make things difficult for him. 

They’d see then if he behaved himself or not. 

During the meal, Lin Miaoyin asked, “Father, brother, how did the secretary decide to deal with this incident?” 

“What incident?” 

“The incident with Meng Yuanzheng and Zhang Hui’s improper relationship, and Zhang Hui pushing me into the water. I heard from sister-in-law that you decided not to punish Meng Yuanzheng?” 

“You’re a young girl. Why do you keep talking about this kind of thing?” Mother Lin stopped her chopsticks and glared at her. 

Lin Miaoyin’s expression remained unchanged. “I am responding to the call of the country. We cannot allow these corrupt and degenerate ideas to grow. We must resolutely crack down on them.” 

The degenerate and corrupt Meng Yuanzheng lowered his head and quietly ate the sweet potato porridge in the bowl, as if the person being talked about was not him. 

Father Lin coughed lightly and said, “The brigades secretary and I have our own arrangements for this matter.” 

This kind of thing happened in the brigade he managed, and it happened to two educated youths. If it got out, it would not be good for his reputation. Since nothing significant happened between Meng Yuanzheng and Zhang Hui, it was best to minimize the issue and let Meng Yuanzheng reflect on it. After all, he was his son-in-law, and he saved Miaoyin, so it could count as making up for it. As for Zhang Hui, she couldn’t escape being charged with intentional harm, and the necessary disciplinary action would be taken. 

Father Lin briefly explained his thoughts. Lin Miaoyin felt it was a pity that she couldn’t make Meng Yuanzheng parade through the streets, but she also understood it wouldn’t work. After all, Father Lin wouldn’t want a son-in-law with a bad reputation. 

After dinner, the two were “driven” out by Mother Lin. Mother Lin believed in the principle that couples might quarrel at the head of the bed but make up at the foot; she thought that if the young couple shared a bed, they might resolve their issues by morning. 

Lin Miaoyin wanted to say that she had a headache and act a bit spoiled to stay at her parents’ home, but Mother Lin not only disagreed but also insisted that since she had a headache, Meng Yuanzheng should carry her back. 

Seeing Meng Yuanzheng really coming over and preparing to carry her, she quickly said that she could walk by herself. 

The Houtouwan Brigade is poor, with only a small part of the land being suitable for paddy fields. Most of the area is comprised of steep hills, which are not suitable for growing rice. The only crops they can grow are corn, peanuts, and soybeans. But because of soil erosion and poor fertility, the yield is not high. 

The rice at this time was not the hybrid rice of later generations, and the chemical fertilizers could not compare to those of the future, so the yields were also low. 

Also, only the secretary’s office in the brigade had electricity; even the team leader’s home still used kerosene lamps. 

When Lin Miaoyin and her husband got married, Father Lin applied to the team to renovate a dilapidated house and use it as their new home. This was only possible because of connections. If it were other families with many sons, they might still be crowded together on one kang after marriage. 

When Meng Yuanzheng first arrived, he lived in the educated youth house, which was essentially a large sleeping area for over a dozen people. 

The family backgrounds of the educated youth varied greatly. Some adapted well to the living conditions, while others did not. For instance, Meng Yuanzheng had previously lived in a Western-style house with a private room. Now, at night, he was surrounded by the sounds of snoring, and as he kicked off the covers, he was hit by the smell of feet. As he tried to sleep, someone next to him would accidentally hit him in the face with their arm. 

Before he could fall into a deep sleep, he was awakened by the loud call of the team leader announcing it was time to work! 

Meals consisted of dry bread with pickles and watery porridge with sweet potatoes. He longed for meat and fine grains, but while other educated youth received grain and meat tickets from home, his family was overwhelmed due to his father’s issues, leaving no room for concern about him. 

He was going crazy. After two weeks, he lost ten pounds, felt unsteady when he walked, and even dreamed about eating meat while he slept. 

When working in the fields, he could not lift anything too heavy or take breaks without being scolded by the leader and mocked by other educated youths. 

Later, he was assigned to carry manure. The rubber shoes he wore were uncomfortable, and after struggling to carry a load of manure, he fell, covering himself in the foul-smelling substance and getting scolded. After that, he felt he couldn’t endure it anymore and had to find a way to change his situation, which led him to set his sights on the original owner. 

This was mentioned in the original plot, so Lin Miaoyin knew this part. 

By the time it was getting dark, every household had finished their chores early to save kerosene and was already asleep. The two of them made their way home in the dark. 

Lin Miaoyin was in front, and Meng Yuanzheng was behind. Neither of them spoke. Lin Miaoyin put her hands in her pockets. When she thought of Meng Yuanzheng right behind her, she felt uncomfortable all over. 

She walked back home in silence, entered the small courtyard where they lived, pushed open the wooden door, and, in the faint moonlight, she reached into her pocket, took out the key, and finally opened the rusty lock after a long time. When she entered the house, she felt the damp and cold atmosphere. 

The room was dark. She lit the kerosene lamp on the table according to her memory. She turned around and saw that Meng Yuanzheng was no longer behind her. 

To be honest, it was quite scary when the person behind her suddenly disappeared late at night. She went out and heard some noise in the kitchen. She walked closer and saw Meng Yuanzheng squatting there fiddling with something. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Boiling some hot water for a bath.” 

He scooped a ladle of cold water into the pot, rinsed it, and then removed it. He took out a match and, with great seriousness, lit some dry leaves, quickly stuffing them into the stove. After adjusting them with a pair of tongs, he added some thicker firewood once the fire caught, then filled the pot with a large batch of hot water. 

Lin Miaoyin stared in shock. This man had never set foot in the kitchen before. He used to be fed by others during meals, and now he was working so hard just to gain sympathy. 

She glanced at Meng Yuanzheng, who was coughing and wiping his face due to smoke. 

However, his love for cleanliness had not changed. He wanted to take a bath as soon as he got back. She had already taken a quick bath at Lin’s house in the afternoon, so she only needed to freshen up a little tonight. 

Forget it; she wouldn’t compete with him. He could bathe first, and then she would go after. 

Lin Miaoyin entered the room, thinking about how to sleep. There was one bed, two chairs, four benches, several small stools, a cabinet, two suitcases, and a large table—that was everything they had. 

Knowing Meng Yuanzheng’s personality, she figured she wouldn’t be able to fight him for the bed, so she decided to sleep on the floor instead. She rummaged through the cabinet and found two quilts that had been prepared for their wedding. 

When the hot water was ready, Meng Yuanzheng scooped the water into a large bucket, walked into the house, and said to her, “Where do you want to wash? I’ll carry it to you.” 

Lin Miaoyin was surprised, looked at him, and pointed at the bucket. “Did you boil this water for me?” 

Author’s note: 

Lin Miaoyin: You boiled water for my bath? You must be trying to win me over, but I’m not falling for that. 

Later, she found it quite nice~