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

The mind is attuned; thinking of Lin Jie, Lin Jie arrived carrying two pounds of meat.

"Zhang Man, I knew you'd be home."

"Hey, what brings you to my house on a Sunday?" Zhang Man exclaimed in surprise.

"My wife went to see her friends, and I can't cook, so I came over for a meal."

"Why bring meat when you're just getting a free meal? It's too precious."

"I happened to have some tickets, so I bought two jin (1 kg)."

Zhang Li rushed out of the inner room, happily taking the meat: "We'll have meat for lunch, sis! I'm going to buy tofu."

"Also, bring some chili peppers and cabbage."

"Okay..."

"Please come inside and sit down. I'll make you some tea," Zhang Man said with a smile.

"Don't worry about me, just do what you're supposed to do."

"You're a guest; I can't just let you stand in the yard watching me do laundry, can I?"

"I... I just love watching you do the laundry."

"I don't like people watching me do laundry; it makes me uncomfortable to be stared at while I'm working."

"Okay, I'll go chat with my aunt."

The whole family liked Lin Jie very much. Zhang Man's mother chatted happily with Lin Jie, while Zhang Man made tea and quickly went to do laundry, taking advantage of the good sunshine.

Two pounds of meat, two pieces of tofu, and a bunch of cabbage brought happiness to the whole family.

Zhang Man cooked a big pot of rice. Lin Jie eats a lot, so she made sure he was full.

There was a figure hesitating at the courtyard gate, wanting to come in but not daring to. Zhang Man quickly got off the kang (a heated brick bed) and asked, "Who is it? Is there something you need?"

"Hello, sis, I'm your neighbor, my name is Yao Xing. Do you have any leftovers for lunch?"

Yao Xing hasn't bought a stove yet, so there won't be any rice to eat on Sundays.

"Oh, yes, come in, come in."

Zhang Man opened the door warmly and said, "I've never met you before, is that why you moved here?"

"I've been here for a while now, but I've been so busy that I haven't had time to buy a stove. I usually eat at the cafeteria, and on Sundays I go to Aunt Fang's house for a free meal, but Aunt Fang isn't home today," Yao Xing said, feeling quite embarrassed.

"If there's no rice on Sundays from now on, just come find me, and I'll cook you an extra handful."

Yao Xing followed Zhang Man into the kitchen. He glanced sideways and saw a young man, a little brother, and an old woman in the main room.

Zhang Man filled Yao Xing's bowl to the brim with rice and said, "If it's not enough, get some more."

"Thank you, sis, that's enough."

"My name is Zhang Man. If you need anything at home, just come and help me."

"Okay, thank you, Sister Zhang Man."

Although the shantytown was poor, the neighbors were very warm and honest.

Who is it?

"A child was renting in Aunt Fang's old house. It was the first time I had ever seen him. There was no rice or stove in the house, so they couldn't cook."

"But there aren't any vegetables either, are there?"

"I didn't ask that."

Zhang Man quickly got off the kang (heated brick bed), picked up two pieces of tofu, a few pieces of meat, and a chopstickful of cabbage, and said to Zhang Li, "Take this to the brother next door, and come back quickly."

"Okay."

Zhang Man's mother sighed and said, "Alas, life is hard for everyone. I don't know when this will end."

Lin Jie comforted her, "Auntie, life is so good. Zhang Man and Zhang Li are obedient and sensible."

"If I die, Zhang Man won't be all alone."

Zhang Man's mother couldn't eat when she thought about her daughter's marriage.

"Mom, who said I'm alone? Don't I still have you and my brother? It's fine not to get married; I'm free and easy."

"It's all Mom's fault for dragging you down. Comrade Lin, does your chemical plant have anyone suitable? Introduce Zhang Man to one; she's already a 25-year-old spinster."

"Mom, aren't you making things difficult for Comrade Lin? You should just focus on getting better. Don't worry about me. Everyone has their own destiny." Zhang Man quickly came to Lin Jie's rescue.

Lin Jie was caught in a dilemma: agreeing to her conditions was bad, but refusing them was also bad.

Lin Jie smiled slightly: "Auntie, don't worry, when the time is right, it will happen naturally."

Zhang Li went to deliver vegetables, but returned with a bowl of pig's head meat.

"Why did you bring back another bowl?"

"Brother Yao Xing has a box of pig's head meat. He said he'd share it. It's so delicious; I ate several pieces on the way here. Brother Lin, you should try some."

"Okay, I'll give it a try..."

A small bowl of braised pig's head, a bowl of tofu and pork belly, and a bowl of cabbage—the four of them ate very happily.

After dinner, Zhang Man found nails and a hammer. The windows of the three low-ceilinged houses were all broken and rattled loudly in the wind. Since there were men in the house, she helped to fix them.

Lin Jie only has one hand. He helped Zhang Man hold the stool, and Zhang Man climbed up and stood steadily. A girl doing a man's job, she was quite capable.

Lin Jie felt a pang of sadness. Zhang Man was generous, capable, gentle, and kind; she deserved a better life.

Unfortunately, I'm short of money; otherwise, I would have completely renovated the house. It's so old and leaky everywhere.

After ordering the windows, Zhang Man nodded in satisfaction: "Great, that'll do us another year."

She smiled, the sunlight shining on her face, creating the most beautiful picture.

Hardship did not defeat this girl; she always greeted the new sun with high spirits.

"Will Han Dan be back soon? To avoid her nagging again," Lin Jie said goodbye to Zhang Man.

When they got home, Han Dan didn't return; Zhao Weiguo was guarding the door.

"Zhao Weiguo? What are you doing guarding my door?" Lin Jie asked, somewhat angrily.

Why are you angry? Perhaps it's the anger of being taken advantage of, or perhaps it's the anger of giving in without any principles. It's hard to say.

"Section Chief Lin...Is my...is your sister-in-law home? Can I say a few words to you?" Zhao Weiguo stammered.

Lin Jie opened the door and said, "Come in."

Han Dan did not return. The living room was tidy and orderly. Lin Jie poured Zhao Weiguo a glass of water, and the two sat down on the simple wooden sofa.

"Section Chief Lin, thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?"

"You saw it all today, and you didn't stop me," Zhao Weiguo said, his head bowed.

Lin Jie's eyes were like knives as he resolutely said, "There will be no next time!"

"Yes, I was wrong."

As he spoke, Zhao Weiguo took out a square, unidentified object wrapped in newspaper from his clothes and placed it on the coffee table.

"What are you doing?" Anyone with eyes could see that it contained money, and it was so thick that it must have been a considerable sum.

"Section Chief Lin, this is a thousand yuan, just a small token of my appreciation," Zhao Weiguo said meekly, bowing low.

"You, you dragged me into this mess, didn't you? I'll let you off the hook today for the sake of our past friendship. We're even now. Take the money, but if I ever run into you again, I won't hold back," Lin Jie said sternly.

"Section Chief Lin, I will never do this again. This is the last time. Please take the money and buy some fruit for the children."

"No, absolutely not, take it away!" Lin Jie said righteously.

"Section Chief Lin, money can be a curse or a good thing. Shanghai has excellent prosthetic technology. With this money, you can get a prosthesis, which will make your life more convenient." Zhao Weiguo sincerely thought of Lin Jie's best interests.

"Prostheses? Prostheses for hands too? Can they move as freely as a normal person?"

After seeing Zhou Wenhui's prosthetic leg last time, Lin Jie really wanted to have a prosthetic hand.

He sacrificed a hand for the country; in a sense, it is an honor to have no hand at all.

Personally speaking, who wouldn't feel inferior if they were missing an arm?

Zhou Wenhui also felt inferior and found it difficult to accept, otherwise he wouldn't have attempted suicide repeatedly.

Heroes are human, not gods.

"There's definitely a difference compared to a real hand, but you can do simple tasks. Like carrying a bowl of rice, opening a door, or sweeping the floor. You also have your upper arm; with long-term training, you can do some heavy work too," Zhao Weiguo explained earnestly, indicating that he had already inquired from various sources.

"It must cost a lot of money, right?"

"Money is not the problem, the main issue is that it's hard to find experts who can make prosthetics. If you're interested, I can help you inquire."

"Then...you should keep an eye out and ask..."

With hands, Zhang Man wouldn't have to climb so high. With hands, he would be a healthy person. Zhou Wenhui lost both legs but could live a normal life, so why can't I?