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

School was about to start, so Yang Zheng arrived in Huailin City early. By the time he found No. 126 Songshan Road, it was already afternoon.

Hearing the doorbell ring, Hu Xiaomei, holding Xiaowei, asked through the iron gate, "Who are you looking for?"

"Xiaowei, it's your uncle, big sister, open the door." Yang Zheng greeted Zhou Xiaowei happily.

"Who are you looking for?" Hu Xiaomei asked unhappily.

"Big sister, I'm Yang Qiao's brother. You must be her family's nanny, right?" Yang Zheng hurriedly explained.

Do you have a letter of introduction?

"I'm from Huailin City Machinery Factory. I'm here to see my sister, but I don't have a letter of introduction."

"Without a letter of introduction, how can I believe you're Qiaoqiao's brother?"

"I... Big sister, Xiaowei knows me. Look at him, he wants me to hug him."

Zhou Xiaowei was so excited that he wanted to jump out of Hu Xiaomei's arms, but Hu Xiaomei held him tightly, still not trusting Yang Zheng.

"No, many people come to Minister Zhou with all sorts of excuses to do things for him. You don't have a letter of introduction, so I can't let you in."

Yang Zheng scratched his head, wondering how he could prove that he was Qiaoqiao's brother.

I can't even get into my sister's house.

Qiaoqiao, who was taking a nap on the third floor, heard Zhou Xiaowei shouting. Thinking it was that leader wanting to visit her father-in-law again, she got up, opened the window, and asked, "Sister Hu, are you looking for Minister Zhou? Just say he's not home."

"No, he said he's your brother..."

"Qiaomei, Yang Qiao, open the door..." Yang Zheng shouted from outside the iron gate.

"Brother, Sister Hu, open the door quickly, open the door..."

Hu Xiaomei asked suspiciously, "Are you really Qiaoqiao's brother?"

"Yes, didn't you hear her call me 'brother'?"

Hu Xiaomei quickly opened the small door on the large iron gate and said, "I'm sorry, there are just too many people looking for Minister Zhou."

Yang Zheng carried the package into the courtyard. Zhou Xiaowei excitedly opened her arms, and Yang Zheng hugged her tightly, saying affectionately, "Call me Uncle, Uncle..."

"Oh, oh..." Zhou Xiaowei responded enthusiastically.

Qiaoqiao ran down from the third floor, and Yang Zheng teased, "Qiaoqiao, next time I come to your house, I'll need a letter of introduction."

"Don't blame Sister Hu, she doesn't know you. Mom and Dad specifically told us not to open the door to strangers. Come in, come in. Haven't eaten yet? I'll make you some noodles."

After entering the house, Hu Xiaomei quietly went to the kitchen.

"Big sister is a bit stubborn, but she's safe," Yang Zheng teased Zhou Xiaowei.

"Yes, she's really good to Xiaowei, and Xiaowei is willing to stay with her. It's not easy to find a trustworthy nanny these days. Brother, when do you start school?"

"I reported for duty on the seventeenth of the first lunar month, but I came back early because I wanted to visit my master; I haven't wished him a Happy New Year yet."

"You're going to visit your master; I've prepared some gifts for you."

"Where is Wenhui?"

"He goes to work, eats lunch at his workplace, and comes home in the evening."

"Qiaomei, this building is even better than the military family compound."

"Hmm, it's too big, I'm not used to it. I've reserved a room for you on the third floor, it's your own room, you're welcome to come home anytime."

"Thank you, Qiaomei. Did Uncle Zhou and Aunt Zhou go back to the provincial capital?"

"Dad is completely focused on his work. He went to the provincial capital on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year. Mom will stay with him for a few days and will be back at work soon."

As they were talking, Hu Xiaomei cooked the noodles and added a poached egg.

"Thank you, ma'am."

"I'm sorry, I won't lock you out next time."

"It's okay, it's good to be safety conscious." Yang Zheng smiled憨厚ly and took a big bite of noodles.

"Big sister, your noodles are delicious! Did you put anything special in them?"

"I added a chopstickful of lard, some MSG, and soy sauce."

"No wonder! The lard smells so good, and the soy sauce smells so good too. My family has never bought MSG before; this is the first time we've tried it."

Yang Zheng sincerely praised her, and Hu Xiaomei, holding Xiao Wei, smiled happily.

After taking her brother's luggage to the third floor, Qiaoqiao started checking his clothes. If they weren't enough, she would go to the supply and marketing cooperative to get more tomorrow.

The Yang family was poor, but they always made careful preparations for their children when they went out to work.

Both sets of thermal underwear were made of new fabric, and even two new pairs of shorts were prepared.

The socks were knitted with white yarn, and the stitches were neat and beautiful.

Looking at the clothes that her grandmother and mother had painstakingly prepared for her brother, Qiaoqiao's heart flew back to Dashui Village.

There was no sweater in the travel bag, just the one she was wearing. Qiaoqiao was planning to buy her brother a sweater and two white shirts so he could wear them in the spring.

Shanghai is a metropolis, and my brother is 24 years old; he can't dress too shabbily.

Oh, and buy a pair of white shoes. We have some new military-style cloth shoes at home; get a pair for my brother. Two pairs of shoes will be enough.

As he was pondering this, Yang Zheng came in, smiling, and said, "Don't worry, Grandma and Mom have prepared everything. I'm on paid leave while I'm studying, and I get 35 yuan a month. If I need anything, I'll buy it myself."

"A meal costs over twenty yuan, and then there are extracurricular books to buy. How much money can we possibly save?"

"The school cafeteria is cheap, and although it's not paid, the school subsidizes their meals by 17 yuan. Aren't they able to eat their fill?"

"The school subsidizes meal expenses? Does that mean tuition is still required?"

"No, please, all government subsidies!"

"Brother, you're losing out. Wouldn't it be great if you could stay in Shanghai?"

"It's worth it. With you and my master in Huailin, I'm willing to come back. After Uncle Zhou fell into a coma, the municipal party committee investigated the employees who had entered the factory through the back door. It was Director Tang who protected me. The machinery factory has been kind to me, and I'm willing to return after completing my studies to repay their kindness."

"Is that so? You... why didn't you mention it?"

"You even failed the political background check, you're in the same boat. Let me tell you, you're just as anxious as I am. Qiaomei, if we want to get ahead, we have to have real skills. When you get to university, you have to study hard. Even if you become a teacher, you'll still be respected."

"I understand. I used to feel inferior in front of Zhou Wenhui, but now that feeling is gone. I'm a college student now." Qiaoqiao smiled happily.

Yang Zheng urged Qiaoqiao to take the college entrance exam because he was afraid that she would become so immersed in the mundane details of daily life that she would lose herself.

Zhou Wenhui kept moving forward, and Qiaoqiao couldn't keep up. No matter how good their relationship was, they eventually had nothing to say to each other.

"Brother, I prepared a bottle of face cream for Master's wife. Remember to bring it tomorrow. Also, here are some candies, biscuits, and canned goods that I bought a couple of days ago. Master loves pickled vegetables. Last year we didn't have any land, so we didn't plant any vegetables. This year I've planted all the empty space in the yard, especially cucumbers."

"Snow cream? Honghong will definitely like it."

"Is Honghong Master's daughter?"

"Yes, she'll be in the second year of junior high soon, and she said she wants to get into a university in Shanghai too."

"That's ambitious. It's not easy for a girl to get into a university in Shanghai."

"She's different from you. She's clever and daring, while Gangzi is very honest and simple. Their personalities are completely opposite."

"That's a sign of her confidence, unlike us, whose family backgrounds are not good, and who are timid and hesitant when we meet strangers."

"Qiaomei, I've already written a report to clear my name. I'll have Father give it to Gao Bing. My family will soon be free of our stigma. Those days of being treated as inferior will never come again."

"That's great, Grandpa will be so happy."

My grandfather, a scholar who valued his reputation above all else, bent his back for ten years, losing all his pride as a scholar.