Captain Yang looked at Madam Ji and said sincerely,
“Sister-in-law, you should ride the horse. The mountain road is difficult, and it’ll be much easier that way.”
“Brother Ji, please help your wife onto the horse.”
Madam Ji quickly waved her hands.
“No, no. I can still walk.”
The words had barely left her mouth when she stubbornly took a step forward.
Her legs instantly gave way.
Her body swayed violently, and she nearly fell face-first onto the ground.
Father Ji hurried over, caught her in time, gently lifted her onto the horse, and carefully adjusted her seat to make sure she was comfortable and secure.
Ji Junyao gritted her teeth and endured the soreness throughout her body, managing only a dozen more steps.
Seeing this, Ji Junshan immediately crouched down.
“Little Sister, I’ll carry you.”
“I can walk.”
She stubbornly refused.
“Enough.”
“Stop being stubborn.”
Without waiting for another protest, he hoisted her onto his back.
Lying there, Ji Junyao’s eyes turned slightly red.
Her heart was full of warmth.
The group continued onward, stopping to rest every so often.
Along the way, Captain Yang shared stories about Suluo’s history of suppressing bandits.
Listening to his stories, everyone gradually learned more about the place where they would soon settle down.
Their exhaustion seemed a little lighter.
About forty minutes later…
They finally reached the educated youth residence.
It was a large traditional courtyard occupying roughly five hundred square meters.
Two rows of buildings stood opposite one another, containing ten rooms and two bathing rooms.
The walls were built from local stone, with gaps sealed by yellow clay mixed with lime.
In the center of the courtyard stood an ancient well.
The kitchen was built right beside it.
“This is the educated youth compound.”
“There are eighteen educated youths in our village, and all of them currently live here.”
“Now that your whole family has arrived, I’ll arrange for some of them to stay with local villagers.”
“That should free up four rooms for your family.”
“Since there are so many of you, I’ll also see if we can convert one of the storage rooms into a few extra bedrooms.”
Captain Yang explained.
Father Ji quickly replied,
“Thank you for all your trouble, Captain.”
Captain Yang waved him off.
“It’s nothing.”
“The other educated youths are all out working and haven’t returned yet.”
“They usually cook together.”
“With your whole family joining them, meal times might become difficult to coordinate.”
“You’ll have to discuss that among yourselves.”
“For now, hurry and cook something.”
“And another thing.”
“The bathing rooms usually require people to line up.”
“Since no one’s back yet, you should take advantage of the empty bathrooms.”
“Alright.”
“Thank you.”
Pulling Captain Yang aside, Father Ji lowered his voice.
“Captain…”
“My daughter-in-law is pregnant and her health isn’t very good.”
“Could you make an exception and let her stay home instead of working in the fields?”
Captain Yang frowned awkwardly.
“Brother Ji… that’s difficult.”
“If she doesn’t work, she won’t earn work points.”
“And without work points, she won’t receive grain.”
“Most pregnant women continue working until just before giving birth.”
“Some even deliver their babies right in the fields.”
“We all have to endure hardship.”
Father Ji sighed.
“My daughter-in-law’s health is too weak.”
“She really can’t handle that.”
“What if something happens?”
Captain Yang tried to reassure him.
“Working in the fields is actually good for the body.”
“I’ve heard women in the cities all give birth in hospitals.”
“But us country folk deliver at home all the time.”
“We’ve always managed.”
After hesitating for a long time…
Father Ji finally explained the Ji family’s situation—that this unborn child represented the family’s only remaining bloodline.
Captain Yang immediately understood the seriousness of the matter.
After a long silence, he finally nodded.
“Alright.”
Father Ji spoke earnestly.
“Please keep this confidential.”
“If word gets out… my other sons will become the laughingstock of the village.”
Captain Yang nodded.
“I understand.”
“You’ve all had a tiring day.”
“Get some rest.”
“You’ll need your strength for tomorrow’s work.”
Just as Captain Yang was about to leave…
Lin Ranran quickly took out a large piece of pork weighing about a pound.
“Captain Yang.”
“This is just a small token of appreciation.”
“Our family will be relying on your care from now on.”
Captain Yang was startled.
“No, no.”
“I can’t accept this.”
Lin Ranran smiled.
“Please don’t be polite.”
“Your children must be craving meat too.”
“Take it home and let them enjoy a good meal.”
“Who knows when the production team will distribute meat coupons again?”
Thinking about his children constantly asking for meat…
And how he himself hadn’t eaten any for a long time…
Captain Yang finally accepted.
“Alright.”
“When the production team distributes meat, I’ll return the favor.”
“Safe travels, Captain.”
Lin Ranran’s gesture earned everyone’s admiration.
None of them had expected her to understand the importance of building relationships.
Maintaining a good relationship with the team leader would undoubtedly make life in the village much smoother.
No matter how powerful the Pei family was…
Their influence surely couldn’t reach such a remote place.
Soon…
The Ji family busied themselves carrying luggage into their assigned rooms, cleaning, and organizing.
The Ji men were all hardworking.
With three soldiers among them, organizing and arranging things was second nature.
The women barely had anything to do.
So they simply began preparing dinner.
Madam Ji said,
“Ranran, leave the cooking to me.”
“Yao Yao, heat some water for your sister-in-law so she can bathe first.”
“Okay!”
Ji Junshan suddenly walked over.
“I’ll do it.”
“Our little sister’s skinny arms won’t be able to carry that much water.”
Ji Junyao immediately protested.
“Don’t underestimate me!”
“Alright, alright.”
“I know you’re amazing.”
“Now go rest.”
He laughed.
“Sister-in-law!”
“Third Brother is bullying me!”
Ji Junyao complained.
Lin Ranran smiled.
“Then go help feed the chicks and ducklings.”
Her eyes immediately lit up.
“Okay!”
“Sister-in-law…”
“The chicks and ducklings can’t stay locked inside the cage forever.”
“And that old hen can’t stay tied up either.”
“Should we let them out?”
Ji Junyao asked.
Lin Ranran looked around the yard.
“We definitely should.”
“But there’s no chicken coop.”
“If we release them now, they’ll just run away.”
Ji Junxiao walked over.
“Then let’s build one.”
“There’s plenty of old wood and scrap lumber outside.”
“I’ll bring it over.”
Lin Ranran looked at him with sparkling eyes.
“Husband!”
“You know how to build a chicken coop?”
He smiled.
“That’s nothing difficult.”
“You pick the location.”
“I’ll start immediately.”
“Okay!”
“My husband is amazing!”
She praised him happily.
His ears instantly turned red.
Father Ji and the younger brothers all came over to help.
Following Lin Ranran’s suggestion…
They chose a corner of the courtyard for the chicken coop.
By then…
The water had finished heating.
Ji Junyao carried it into the bathing room for Lin Ranran.
“Go take your bath.”
After several days without washing…
Combined with today’s long hike…
Lin Ranran felt sticky and miserable.
She happily ran off to bathe.
When she returned…
The Ji men had nearly finished building the chicken coop.
Having so many capable men around really did make work much faster.
By the time Madam Ji finished cooking…
The coop was complete.
The chicks, ducklings, and old hen all settled into their new home.
Lin Ranran then took out loofah and grape seeds.
“Husband.”
“Plant these beside the coop.”
“You even bought seeds?”
Ji Junxiao and the entire Ji family stared at her in surprise again.
None of them had ever lived in the countryside.
Father Ji and his three soldier sons had spent nearly their entire lives in the military.
Even during missions…
If they had no food…
They only knew how to dig wild vegetables.
Daily farming knowledge was completely foreign to them.
Lin Ranran smiled.
“Of course.”
“Don’t forget.”
“I’m a country girl.”
“When it comes to rural life…”
“You can all just listen to me.”
Ji Junyao asked curiously,
“Why plant loofahs and grapes next to the chicken coop?”
“There’s plenty of empty land outside.”
Lin Ranran explained patiently,
“The vines climb very well.”
“Once we build a trellis, they’ll become a natural green canopy.”
“They’ll provide shade for the chickens and ducks.”
“And the poultry manure will fertilize the plants.”
“That way…”
“We’ll have vegetables…”
“Meat…”
“And fruit.”
“Isn’t that perfect?”
Ji Junyao sighed admiringly.
“Sister-in-law.”
“You know so much.”
Ji Junyong joked,
“At this point I almost think you used to work in agriculture.”
She laughed.
“You’ll understand these things too after living in the countryside long enough.”
Madam Ji smiled proudly.
“Our Ranran really is amazing.”
“Come.”
“Let’s eat.”
The whole family happily gathered around the table.
Lin Ranran quickly noticed that Madam Ji had cooked only a tiny amount of meat.
Worse…
All of it had been placed in front of her.
No one else even reached for it.
“Husband.”
“I’ve eaten so much meat these past few days that I’m tired of it.”
“I only want two pieces.”
“Share the rest with everyone.”
Madam Ji immediately objected.
“Ranran!”
“The baby needs nutrition.”
“You have to eat more meat.”
Ji Junyao nodded.
“That’s right!”
“We’ve already eaten well these past few days.”
“We can skip the meat.”
“You need it.”
Father Ji added,
“Ranran.”
“Be good.”
“Eat it.”
She stubbornly shook her head.
“If you won’t eat…”
“Neither will I.”
Ji Junxiao knew there was no changing her mind once she made a decision.
He silently divided the meat equally among everyone.
Father Ji smiled.
“Then let’s all eat.”
“This is your sister-in-law’s kindness.”
Everyone quietly ate their two small pieces of meat.
Their hearts were filled with gratitude…
And sadness.
Would life really be this poor from now on?
Would meat become something they saw only once a month?
Was that why Sister-in-law had insisted everyone eat so well during the journey?
After dinner…
Father Ji announced,
“I’ve already spoken with Captain Yang.”
“Ranran won’t have to work.”
“Our family can support her.”
Everyone immediately agreed.
The fact that Lin Ranran had willingly followed them to the countryside was already more than they had ever hoped for.
Even now…
It still felt like a dream.
They feared she might someday regret everything.
If that happened…
The Ji family bloodline would truly end.
But Lin Ranran shook her head.
“Dad.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“A little farm work will actually make childbirth easier.”
Madam Ji quickly interrupted.
“No.”
“You’re carrying the Ji family’s precious grandson.”
“You’re our family’s hope.”
“If anything happened to you…”
“How could we go on living?”
“But if I don’t work…”
“I won’t earn work points.”
“People will gossip.”
“Aren’t you worried?”
Father Ji replied firmly,
“People can say whatever they like.”
“We’ll ignore them.”
Madam Ji nodded.
“Exactly.”
“If anyone dares gossip about our Ranran…”
“I’ll deal with them myself.”
Ji Junxiao gently added,
“Ranran.”
“Just focus on taking care of yourself.”
“I’ll cook after work every day.”
The younger brothers also chimed in.
“We’re all grown men.”
“How can we let a pregnant woman work?”
“You just stay happy every day.”
Deeply moved, Lin Ranran finally smiled.
“Alright.”
“Then I’ll stay home, cook, and bring meals to all of you.”
“Deal.”
Everyone took turns bathing.
The men simply rinsed themselves with cold water.
After several days without washing…
They all smelled terrible.
Madam Ji and Ji Junyao heated warm water instead.
Soon afterward…
The other eighteen educated youths returned from the fields.
As soon as they arrived…
They began preparing dinner together while introducing themselves to the Ji family.
Among them…
One woman stood out immediately.
Xia Zhiyuan.
She was beautiful.
Elegant.
The kind of person who drew attention wherever she stood.
No wonder…
In the original story…
She had eventually captured the male lead’s heart and borne him three children.
Seeing her…
Lin Ranran couldn’t help feeling a little jealous.
She gently rubbed her pregnant belly.
This time…
I’m not giving my husband away.
The moment Xia Zhiyuan learned the Ji family had arrived…
Her gaze locked directly onto Ji Junxiao.
She couldn’t look away.
That’s my husband from my previous life…
In her last life…
He had arrived alone because he’d already divorced.
He’d been distant and cold.
She had spent over half a year trying to win his affection.
Only after a long time had he finally accepted her.
Eventually…
They married.
But this life…
Why had he arrived with his wife?
She glared resentfully at Lin Ranran.
She stole my husband.
Lin Ranran glared back.
I’m the legal wife standing right here.
And you’re openly staring at my husband?
Planning to steal him in front of me?
Suddenly remembering something…
Xia Zhiyuan hurried back to her room.
She returned carrying a leaf-wrapped bundle of wild berries.
Stopping Ji Junxiao and Lin Ranran just as they were heading back to their room, she smiled.
“Brother Ji.”
“My name is Xia Zhiyuan.”
“I picked a lot of wild berries in the fields today.”
“I’d like to share some with you.”
Lin Ranran nearly exploded.
Does this heroine think I’m invisible?
Flirting with my husband right in front of me?
I suddenly have the urge to punch someone.
Ji Junxiao politely declined.
“I’m sorry, Comrade.”
“My wife doesn’t allow me to accept gifts from unfamiliar women.”
“She’ll get jealous.”
Lin Ranran secretly gave him a huge thumbs-up.
That’s my man.
Perfect husband behavior.
Xia Zhiyuan’s face immediately turned awkward.
Fortunately…
Everyone else was busy cooking.
No one seemed to notice.
Otherwise…
She would have been utterly humiliated.
“I was only welcoming the new comrades,”
she hurriedly explained.
“Husband.”
“Squat down.”
Lin Ranran suddenly said.
Ji Junxiao had long since gotten used to listening to his wife.
Without hesitation, he crouched down.
Taking advantage of the moment…
Lin Ranran leaned forward…
And kissed him on the lips.
Ji Junxiao’s eyes widened.
His wife had actually kissed him in front of other people.
He felt incredibly embarrassed…
Yet secretly delighted.
“You… shameless!”
Xia Zhiyuan’s face flushed bright red as she blurted out angrily.