“Come in.”
Qin Nian immediately recognized Professor Wen’s voice. She quickly raised a hand and wiped away her tears.
She already felt embarrassed enough for crying in her mother-in-law’s arms. The person who should have been comforting others had ended up being comforted herself.
“Nian Nian’s mother-in-law, I’m Nian Nian’s teacher’s wife, and this is Nian Nian’s teacher.”
Professor Wen spoke gently while discreetly observing Yang Yufen’s expression.
“Please, come in, come in.”
Yang Yufen pulled the door fully open.
“You’ve come at just the right time. Please help me comfort that child. I’ll go make something for her to eat.”
Leading them to the main room, Yang Yufen lifted the straw curtain that blocked the wind and let them inside before turning toward the kitchen.
“Teacher, Madam Wen, what brings you here?”
Qin Nian poured hot water for them.
“The military called us. We came to check on you. Does your mother-in-law stay in this room?”
Professor Wen’s attention immediately fell on the section of the room separated by a curtain.
“Yes.”
Qin Nian nodded.
“Come to your room.”
Professor Wen signaled for her husband to stay outside and took Qin Nian by the hand.
The two women sat down on the edge of the bed and gently closed the door behind them.
“Nian Nian, I owe you an apology for this matter. If you have any thoughts or concerns, tell me. I’ll do everything I can to help.”
Professor Wen got straight to the point.
“No, this isn’t your fault, Madam Wen. My mother-in-law and I have already discussed it. She’s staying here with me and will help take care of the baby.”
“And what about your work? Raising a child alone isn’t easy. If… if Shen Xianjun doesn’t come back, and enough time passes, are you sure your mother-in-law won’t end up blaming you?”
Professor Wen spoke earnestly.
“My mother-in-law said she won’t stop me from working. Besides, I’m responsible for the data analysis section. I can manage.”
“You can manage—but what about your mother-in-law?”
Professor Wen felt Qin Nian was being too naïve.
“My mother-in-law is a very good person. Don’t worry, Madam Wen. I won’t push myself beyond my limits. Besides, I’m already married. This is a military marriage, and I’ve never thought about marrying again. Living like this is fine. My salary is enough to support the baby and my mother-in-law.”
After listening outside for a while, Director Hu stood up and headed for the kitchen.
“Madam Nian’s mother-in-law—”
“The Director wants to talk me out of something, right?”
Yang Yufen interrupted before he could finish.
“I won’t stop Nian Nian from working. Whether it’s my son or Nian Nian, both of them are contributing to the country. All I need to do is take care of things behind the scenes so they can do their jobs without worry. Don’t worry. Nian Nian is a good child—I know that very well.”
Director Hu fell silent.
He was a man with plenty of life experience. Meeting Yang Yufen’s gaze, he believed her.
If things truly were as she said, then perhaps this arrangement was for the best. Besides, as long as Qin Nian remained at the institute, they would be able to look after her.
Thinking that way, the heaviness in his heart faded, replaced by a feeling of guilt toward Yang Yufen.
“Please take this egg tea to them. I still need to feed the chickens in the backyard.”
Yang Yufen placed three bowls of brown sugar egg tea onto a wooden board she was using as a tray, then truly went off to the backyard to continue her work.
Inside, the two women were talking when they heard the door open. Both instinctively stopped and looked over.
Director Hu entered carrying the egg tea.
“Drink while it’s hot. Nian Nian’s mother-in-law has gone to feed the chickens. Honestly, Nian Nian is right under our noses at the institute. We can simply look after her more carefully.”
The moment Professor Wen saw the egg tea, she suddenly relaxed.
“That’s true. Here, drink it while it’s hot. What did the doctor say about your condition?”
She handed a bowl to Qin Nian.
“The doctor said I’m in good health and there’s nothing wrong. They drew blood and ran some tests. My mother-in-law was still worried, so she took me to see an old traditional Chinese doctor for a pulse diagnosis.”
“That’s good.”
“Should I give you a few more days off?”
Director Hu considered it.
Qin Nian quickly shook her head.
“There’s no need. Keeping busy is actually good for me. Since I’m still feeling well, maybe I can finish all the data work before the baby arrives.”
“Just don’t force yourself.”
Professor Wen added.
Qin Nian nodded.
“We came in such a hurry that we didn’t bring anything for your mother-in-law. And given your condition, it’s not suitable for you to be walking around too much. I’ll come see you again tomorrow.”
The Hu couple had arrived in a rush, and when they left, Yang Yufen insisted on stuffing a basket of vegetables into their hands.
On the way home—
“I think Nian Nian’s mother-in-law is a good person.”
Director Hu commented.
“Yes. We’ll keep watching for now.”
Professor Wen looked down at the vegetable basket in her hands.
Back at home, Qin Nian became unusually firm.
“Mom, please take this money. From now on, I’ll set aside part of my salary every month for household expenses. The military allowance probably won’t continue for much longer.”
In her heart, Qin Nian had already prepared herself for the worst.
If something had truly happened to her husband, she would never touch the compensation money. She would also take responsibility for supporting her mother-in-law.
“Fine. But don’t overthink things. That brat has been tough since he was little. Even when he was sickly, nobody could stop him from running wild. Nothing’s going to happen to him.”
Yang Yufen repeated the reassurance she had already given before and accepted the money.
The next day, Professor Wen came by herself.
Not only did she bring a tin of malted milk powder and a tin of infant formula, but she also brought a laying hen.
“This is far too much.”
Yang Yufen looked at the bundle of gifts, noticing even a few cans of preserved food inside.
“Nian Nian is pregnant. She’ll naturally have cravings. These are nutritious. The malted milk is good for people our age, and the milk powder is for helping Nian Nian nourish the baby.”
Hearing that, Yang Yufen no longer refused.
Her daughter-in-law really did need proper nourishment.
When her own chickens grew bigger, she would slaughter a couple around New Year and send them back as a gift.
After calculating it in her head, she accepted everything.
Professor Wen still had work to do and left without even staying for a meal.
With one more laying hen, there would now be more than enough eggs for her daughter-in-law.
Winter hens laid fewer eggs, even when kept in a warm coop.
Later, Yang Yufen returned the tricycle. Aunt Wang brought out a steamed sweet potato and shared it with her.
“Don’t worry too much. Children and grandchildren will find their own blessings. My son disappeared once too, but he was eventually found and is doing fine now.”
Clearly, Aunt Wang had also heard the news.
“I’m fine. Compared to worrying about my son, I’m more worried that Nian Nian’s body won’t be able to handle everything.”
Yang Yufen was telling the truth.
She accepted the sweet potato and took a bite.
Her eyes immediately lit up.
“This sweet potato is really sweet. It would probably taste even better roasted than steamed.”
“It is sweet, but it’s a bit too watery, isn’t it? My son planted several acres of them. You can’t eat that many sweet potatoes, and now they’re all sitting in the cellar. We have no idea what to do with them.”
“Give them to me!”
Yang Yufen blurted out before quickly correcting herself.
“I mean, I’ll buy them. My son’s fate is still unknown. I can’t let Nian Nian support the whole family by herself. I’m still healthy and strong enough to work. Besides, the chores at home only take a little while to finish.”
Yang Yufen spoke excitedly.
Unfortunately, Political Commissar Zhao wasn’t there to hear it. When she had applied for the allowance before, she had insisted she was old and no longer able to work.