Although the girl was from the countryside, she had been well cared for. This time, she had come to the army because her sister-in-law was about to give birth, and she was there to help take care of her and the future child. Her brother, who was a platoon leader, seeing that his sister was well-raised, wanted to introduce her to his comrades, hoping to arrange a good marriage for her. Who would have thought that the girl would take a liking to Chen Zhou, the troublemaker in the camp, and end up being publicly humiliated.
Well, that was that. After being seen by others, she lost face both publicly and privately. Once her sister-in-law gave birth, the girl hurriedly returned to her hometown.
Chen Zhou became famous overnight.
Some said he was too blunt, others said he didn’t know how to be gentle with women, and some said he had high standards. But no one said that he already had someone in his heart.
Looking at the camp’s notorious troublemaker, now acting so humble and cautious, with a mix of flattery and grievance, the staff members understood everything.
He wasn’t allergic to female comrades—he already had someone in his heart!
Later, someone mentioned Chen Zhou’s fiancée, but Chen Zhou clarified in person that the engagement had been called off.
Now.
After a long silence, Sheng Qianyu responded to Chen Zhou: “Okay.”
The prolonged silence made Chen Zhou think she might hang up. He had already prepared a script in his mind, ready to change the topic in the most natural way, when he heard her agree.
Chen Zhou blinked. Had he heard correctly?
Sheng Qianyu felt her voice might have been too soft, which was why he hadn’t responded for so long, so she added, “I said, okay.”
Chen Zhou’s hand holding the telephone receiver began to tremble slightly.
He hit his right hand with his left, signaling himself to calm down, and silently scolded himself for being so useless.
He had walked through gunfire and rain without ever panicking, faced life and death without ever breaking down—so why was his heart churning like a stormy sea now?
So useless.
Sheng Qianyu: “What was that sound?”
“Nothing.” Chen Zhou changed the subject. “If there are any more opportunities like this, you can contact me again!”
“…I’m hanging up.”
Chen Zhou twirled the telephone cord, feeling the call had been too short. But he never showed his true feelings in front of Qianyu, so he simply replied, “Okay.”
After that, Chen Zhou began contacting Sheng Qianyu frequently, to the point where almost all his salary went toward phone bills.
Every time they spoke, Sheng Qianyu said very little. It was always Chen Zhou doing most of the talking, and the calls were always short, as she was often busy in the laboratory.
After Sheng Qianyu made a major breakthrough in her research on the new-type fighter aircraft, she immediately reclaimed the achievements that were rightfully hers. With the nation’s attention, the Zhao family was brought under protection.
Originally, the deputy director had planned to make a fuss, but as the state began investigating the intricate network of relationships behind him, he found himself too busy dealing with his own troubles.
Sheng Jiandang married late, mainly because the Sheng family was well-off, with his father being the director of a meat processing plant. Apart from Grandpa Sheng and Grandma Sheng, everyone in the family was a worker. Not to mention Sheng Qianyu, who had been recognized halfway and was now a researcher at the fighter aircraft design research institute.
However, after Sheng Qianyu started working, the Sheng family didn’t take a single cent of her salary. Instead, they used their own wages and savings to buy things for her. Seeing this, she stopped refusing their kindness. Whenever she received her salary and money and coupons, she would use them to improve the family’s living conditions, buying appliances and other items. Some brands were foreign and required foreign exchange certificates. As the director of the meat processing plant, Sheng Qiang could only ensure the family had enough to eat and wear—foreign exchange certificates were hard to come by, even with connections.Sheng Qiang sometimes remarked to his wife with emotion that he never expected it would be this daughter, recognized halfway through life, who would bring them the blessings of children and grandchildren ahead of time.
His eldest brother, who married at twenty in 1969, wasn’t unwilling to marry—it was just that the Sheng family’s status was too high, and there were too few families of matching standing. It took a long time before he found the daughter of another factory director.
When the eldest sister-in-law first entered the household, she felt uneasy. But her family had told her the Sheng family was easy to get along with, lacked nothing at home, and she wouldn’t suffer any grievances.
After half a year, she often sighed privately with relief—her family truly hadn’t deceived her. Her life was even better than before she married.
The difficult mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships common in other households didn’t exist in her home. Everyone else in the family usually had to work, while she had no job and could only stay home playing chess with Grandpa and Grandma. Grandpa and Grandma were healthy and strong, and they even helped take care of her child. Apart from cleaning and cooking, she had her own private room.
Not to mention, whenever the second brother got his salary, he would buy plenty of candies and canned goods for her son. Although she didn’t interact much with her sister-in-law, milk powder and many hard-to-find toys piled up in her room.
She wore new clothes every year and ate meat every day. Compared to her days in her parents’ home, she had gained at least thirty pounds.
Whenever people saw her, they would say, “Oh my, the Sheng family’s eldest daughter-in-law has truly become part of the Sheng family.”
“Only Qianyu remains tall and slender.”
“She’s still the flower of our factory—who knows how many young men have their eyes on her.”
“Don’t even think about it. With Qianyu’s qualifications and abilities, the young men in our factory can only look from afar.”
At such times, the Sheng family’s eldest daughter-in-law would puff out her chest with a hint of pride.
Of course—her in-laws were absolutely wonderful. Unlike in other families, her sister-in-law and mother-in-law never gave her a hard time. Instead, they often brought things for her son, and during holidays, generous red envelopes never stopped coming.
In truth, at first, she had only agreed to the marriage to avoid being sent down to the countryside—it was just a random choice.
Who would have thought she’d stepped into a nest of blessings?
…
Sheng Qianyu didn’t use her connections to grant the Sheng family any special favors, as the political climate was still tense. The new-type fighter aircraft she had developed had already impressed foreign countries, and coupled with her achievements in sweet potato yield, the state had placed her under protection, keeping her information confidential. Even the Zhao family was left to their own devices as a result.
Zhao Daxiong wasn’t sent down, nor was he sent to the school for ideological reeducation. However, after the deputy dean’s self-exposure regarding Qin Fang’s contact with a spy, the Zhao family was placed under strict surveillance, and Zhao Xiaoyu herself began to act cautiously.
His position was stripped of real authority, and no one dared to speak with him. Even Political Commissar Chen maintained a safe distance.
Zhao Daxiong understood Political Commissar Chen’s actions perfectly. If he were in his shoes, he would have done the same. Compared to friends, one’s own wife and children were undoubtedly more important.
Qin Fang began to wear a worried expression all day long. Fortunately, she was accustomed to household chores—otherwise, her hands, once unaccustomed to hard work, would have suffered terribly, if not shed a layer of skin.
In contrast to the gloom hanging over the couple, Zhao Xiaoyu was clearly much more cheerful, like a little sun shining over the earth, comforting her parents.
Zhao Daxiong paid her no attention, so Zhao Xiaoyu directed her positive energy toward Qin Fang, saying, “Mom, think about it—if I hadn’t reminded Dad, our days might have been even harder. Now, we can still wear brand-new clothes, have food to eat, and don’t have to carry manure like those people in the cowsheds…”Zhao Daxiong glanced at Zhao Xiaoyu but didn’t expose her. After all, his loved one now needed an emotional anchor to stay steady—he just wondered who had the capability to protect their Zhao family.
After elevating fighter jet design to the highest research and development level of this era, Sheng Qianyu began delving into other military machinery studies.
A backward nation would inevitably be bullied. While sweet potato yields could solve the most basic subsistence problem—preventing starvation—the priority was to strengthen the country first before returning to address food security issues.
Fighter jets, tanks, atomic bombs…
Though Chinese architecture remained stagnant and food production only met basic needs, no foreign power dared to covet, mock, or target China anymore.
The creation of these military machines enabled China to protect its talents, gradually revealing Sheng Qianyu’s identity and achievements to the public.