I was married off to a disabled hero in lieu of marriage; my in-laws doted on me and I aspired to gr

The next day, the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, we moved again.

Qiaoqiao and Luo Meiyun started packing clothes early in the morning. Zhou Wenhui still wanted to live in this house. He could come back for a lunch break at noon. If there was a strong wind or heavy rain, he wouldn't need to go back since it was close to his workplace.

Some of Zhou Wenhui's clothes should be kept.

Zhou Xiaowei's belongings were all being moved: the crib, the "pigsty" his uncle had made for him, and his little clothes—it filled two large boxes.

Qiaoqiao has very few clothes. The main things to move are the pots, pans, and coal briquettes from the kitchen. They will be able to cook lunch in the Western-style house.

Liu Songming arrived early, and with the help of several soldiers, half a truckload was hauled away.

When they arrived at the small villa on Songshan Road, Sister Liu and Hu Xiaomei were waiting at the door.

"Sister Liu, you're here so early."

Qiaoqiao jumped out of the car and quickly ushered the person into the yard.

"It's better to come early than late. Xiaomei is very willing to come to your house to help, so she came early this morning."

Hu Xiaomei greeted Yang Qiao in a quiet manner: "Hello, Yang Qiao."

"Sister Hu, please come in and sit down. The house is a mess, please don't mind."

Qiaoqiao felt an instant connection with Hu Xiaomei the moment she saw her, but she didn't know what her mother-in-law thought.

Luo Meiyun carried Zhou Xiaowei into the house. She was also very satisfied with Hu Xiaomei and said, "My Xiaowei is very naughty and shy with strangers. He's quite difficult to take care of."

Hu Xiaomei looked at Zhou Xiaowei meekly: "What a sturdy lad."

After saying that, he reached out to hug Zhou Xiaowei. Although Zhou Xiaowei was unwilling, she didn't cry.

"Look, you two are destined to be together. The first time I held Xiaowei, I cried with snot and tears all over my face."

Luo Meiyun was overjoyed. Could there really be such a thing as fate in this world?

Hu Xiaomei held Xiaowei with one arm and stroked his head with the other, showing her genuine affection.

"Sister Hu, if you have no objections, then it's settled. Go back and prepare, and come to work on the eighth day of the new year."

Seeing that her mother-in-law also liked Hu Xiaomei, they decided to go with it.

As for what kind of person she is, we'll have to get to know her better over time.

Hu Xiaomei looked at the messy house and said, "Since you're moving, I'll help you tidy up and cook lunch so you can try my cooking."

"Thank you so much."

Hu Xiaomei handed Zhou Xiaowei to Luo Meiyun and went to the kitchen to light the stove.

Sister Liu pulled Qiaoqiao aside and said, "Are you satisfied?"

"I'm satisfied. She speaks softly and gently, and Xiaowei likes her too. Sister Liu, how can I possibly thank you?"

"I should thank you. Hu Xiaomei used to do odd jobs, sometimes one day and sometimes not. It's so good that she can finally settle down. She lost her child and has felt guilty for over ten years. She will definitely cherish Xiaowei. In fact, people who have experienced suffering cherish hard-won opportunities even more."

"I'm just like her, someone who came from poverty. Sister Liu, don't worry, we will treat her well."

"I know your personality. Otherwise, the daughter-in-law of a high-ranking official wouldn't be friends with a vegetable seller like me. Take your friend, for example. Oh, she's so timid and hesitant. I don't like her at all."

Sister Liu has a deep memory of Han Dan.

"Actually, she has her own difficulties. Maybe she's not familiar with you and feels awkward. Sister Liu, why don't you have lunch at my house? I'll go buy some groceries."

"I'm not eating anymore. I have an elderly lady at home who's sick and needs to eat. After the eighth day of the lunar new year, I'll be transferred to the Songshan Road restaurant, so we'll have more opportunities to meet. I only knew that Songshan Road was deserted before, but I didn't expect that the people living here are all officials."

It's good to be able to come to Songshan Road. There are many officials there, so there are more opportunities to get to know them. Besides, they have a lot of meat warrants, so you can exchange them for a few more pounds of meat later.

"Okay, once you're at work and my house is all set up, I'll invite Sister Liu over for dinner."

"No, no, let's just chat at the grocery store. Your father-in-law is too imposing; I'm scared," Sister Liu said frankly.

"My father-in-law is a soldier. He looks scary, but he's actually a very nice person."

"I'm scared too, Qiaoqiao. You go ahead and do your work, I'll be going now. Tell Xiaomei I'm catching the bus."

"Then I won't insist you stay. I'll take you to the station."

"What are you delivering? You have a lot of things to do at home. Let's go, Qiaoqiao..."

Sister Liu said goodbye with a smile, and Qiaoqiao saw her off to the outside of the courtyard.

In the kitchen, all the pots and pans that hadn't been put away were tidied up. Hu Xiaomei easily lit the coal stove, and Luo Meiyun brought the dishes for lunch to the stove one by one.

Actually, there wasn't much food: a pig's head meat brought back from Dashui Village, a piece of pork belly, cabbage, radish, and two pieces of tofu that Sister Liu gave us yesterday.

Luo Meiyun rummaged through the box and pulled out a handful of sweet potato noodles. She said to Hu Xiaomei, "Let's make some braised pork belly with sweet potato noodles for lunch. We haven't had time to buy any vegetables yet."

Hu Xiaomei said softly, "Yes, there's a lot of smoke here. You go ahead and do your work, I'll tidy it up."

"Xiaomei, I'm a few years older than you, so just call me Sister Luo," Luo Meiyun said with satisfaction.

"Okay, Sister Luo."

Luo Meiyun put down her work and came out of the kitchen. Seeing Qiaoqiao peeking inside, she asked, "Has Comrade Liu gone back?"

"Yes, I wanted to invite her to stay for dinner, but the house is a mess. Let's invite her next time. Mom, Sister Hu is busy in the kitchen. Could you go upstairs and tidy up my clothes for me?"

The mother and daughter went up to the third floor.

When we moved, we had a lot of stuff, but after everything was arranged, the house felt empty.

Qiaoqiao's bedroom has a wardrobe prepared by her parents-in-law when she got married, and there is also a large wardrobe given by Liu Songming. The room is still quite spacious.

"I never imagined that a country girl like me could live in such a luxurious house," Qiaoqiao said happily as she lay down on the bed.

"It breaks my heart to see you suffer so much by following us."

"That's not suffering, it's just being ostracized. My family used to be ostracized even more. My brother is so talented, he wanted to teach at the village primary school, but the brigade secretary just wouldn't agree. He said we were from a 'lackey' class and we wanted to be teachers? It was just a pipe dream. Mom, now our dream has come true, my brother got into university." Qiaoqiao said proudly.

"Gold will always shine, no matter what the environment. I wasn't surprised that your brother got into university, but I was quite surprised that you did."

Qiaoqiao rolled over and sat up in bed, whispering, "Mom, do you understand your son? My head hurts whenever I see those books. It's Wenhui who used coercion and bribery; he's really good at it. He made me read books even during my postpartum confinement. During the last two months of intensive study, my brother and Jintao studied at my house, burning the midnight oil. They were incredibly diligent. Maybe it was their study atmosphere that influenced me."

Qiaoqiao was radiant; although she was accusing Zhou Wenhui of going too far, her eyes were full of love.

"This time when I went home, my mother truly felt that Wenhui had grown up and matured."

"The year before last, on the Mid-Autumn Festival, you and Dad left early in the morning. When Wenhui woke up, he seemed to know something. We rushed to the military headquarters, but you and Dad had already left for the front line."

Wenhui was heartbroken and didn't speak all day. The next day, he suddenly became sensible and started writing his novel diligently. Later, when his father was injured, Zhou Wenhui, who wouldn't even go to the vegetable shop, traveled all over the country giving speeches. I was worried about him working too hard and told him to travel less, but he said, "You and Dad have protected me for 28 years; it's my turn to protect you."

Qiaoqiao's eyes reddened, and Luo Meiyun was deeply moved: "He appears cold and aloof, but in fact, he loves us."

"Yes, he loves Mom and Dad very much. Men, you know, are always reluctant to say it. Mom, I feel so happy that our family is together again. Last year felt like a lifetime. Just thinking about Dad makes me so sad."

Qiaoqiao linked arms with Luo Meiyun, smiling beautifully. Yes, having gone through life and death together, they were reunited—what a great happiness!