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

Inside the cafeteria, Zhou Zhonghai ordered three dishes and ate them with great relish.

"Is Fenglin alright?" Zhou Zhonghai asked.

"That's good. She's always loved making clothes, and she's learning from a master at the garment factory. She's very happy. She's slowly coming out of the pain of losing her child," Zhao Jintao said with a gentle smile.

"Fenglin is a good boy, but your mother is no ordinary person."

Zhou Zhonghai still feels lingering fear when he recalls Jin Tao's mother stopping and crashing into the car.

"My mother is selfish. She sees her daughter-in-law as an outsider and doesn't care how tired she is. In the end, it's my fault. I underestimated my mother's selfishness. She always thought that Fenglin's child was her grandson, so she should at least consider the grandson, right? Fenglin didn't say anything so as not to disturb my studies. Marrying me has made her suffer."

Zhao Jintao felt very guilty.

"What's done is done, there's no point in regretting it now. Jin Tao, look ahead, better days are ahead."

"Thank you for your encouragement, Uncle Zhou. We will pull ourselves together."

"During my trip to Beijing, Committee Member Pu reminded me that the country's general direction, in addition to agricultural reform, also includes industrial and commercial reform."

"How should we change it?" Zhao Jintao asked with great interest.

"As for industry, we're currently only selling domestically. To commercialize industry, we need to sell not only domestically but also internationally. Yang Zheng told me that the materials for Wenhui's prosthetic leg were obtained through connections at a chemical plant. In the future, if we need resin, we can buy it if we have the money."

"Then, what about the reinforced concrete?"

"Take it slow, we can open up sales in the future."

"That's great! Only by opening up the economy can a country truly become prosperous and strong." Zhao Jintao was very pleased.

"Jin Tao, it's so nice to chat with you. I have some good news too. We've found a market for the potatoes. They're 12 cents a pound, but the shipping cost is too high. It's 2 cents a pound."

"freight?"

"That's right. We can take the train to Beijing, but for Shanghai and Guangdong, which are neither too far nor too close, we can only use trucks."

"Uncle Zhou, an open economy means transporting our good products to other cities and bringing back good products from those cities. You can contact the supply and marketing cooperatives to bring back in-demand goods from Shanghai, and you'll make back the shipping costs, right?"

"Oh, well, I didn't expect that."

"Yang Zheng is in Shanghai. He said Shanghai has rice cookers, radios, and pretty dresses. If we contact the manufacturers and get some goods, they're sure to sell well."

"Rice cooker, rice cooker, you're right, and electric fan... No, I can't eat now. I have to go back and call the manufacturer. Even if there are only a thousand rice cookers, it's still a good thing."

"Uncle Zhou, please eat first. It's lunch break now, you won't be able to find anyone."

"Yes, yes, look at me. A Shanghai brand sewing machine, that's right, a sewing machine. Once I get it back, I'll do everything I can to get Fenglin a ticket."

Zhou Zhonghai remembered something. The most popular three-piece set nowadays is a sewing machine, a bicycle, and a watch.

Add a rice cooker and a radio, and you'll have a five-piece wedding kit, hahaha.

"Uncle Zhou, you always think of us."

"You are no different from my child. Qiaoqiao and Fenglin are like sisters. That night, Qiaoqiao kept crying and crying, afraid that Fenglin would never wake up again."

"My husband is far inferior to Qiaoqiao."

"People are reciprocal. When Qiaoqiao was at home, Fenglin protected her. Human emotions aren't formed in a day or two; they're accumulated over time. Take my son and me, for example; didn't we build our relationship through work? It's just a pity that even though I have power, I can't save that child."

"Uncle Zhou, please don't say that. I don't know how to thank your family enough. Qiaoqiao is right. Children aren't everything. Even without children, Fenglin and I still have many things we can do."

"Qiaoqiao put it very clearly. Before, Wenhui didn't want to go out and would stay in his study. His mother and I were at our wits' end. No one could have imagined that in just two years, he would be more active than me, giving speeches and working without any problems. When we have no choice, time will give us the best answer."

Zhou Zhonghai had said this to Yang Zheng before.

Fenglin is still an apprentice and doesn't receive a salary, but she studies more diligently than anyone else. Her master says that she will be able to make clothes next month.

Fenglin gets off work at 5:30 every day, rushes to the vegetable store to buy groceries, goes home to cook dinner, and waits for Jintao to come home.

Jin Tao works in the fields, which is even harder than in Dashui Village. He eats lunch at the canteen, but he can't bear to eat expensive food. He must have a good dinner.

Jin Tao earns 32 yuan a month. His place is rent-free and has no utilities. 32 yuan is enough for the two of them to live on. However, they are not registered residents of the provincial capital and do not have meat or vegetable coupons. The vegetable coupons that Feng Lin has are ones that Jin Tao exchanged for at school with his meal coupons.

Uncle Zhou gave us two jin of meat coupons, so we should eat them sparingly.

The foreman at the garment factory said that once she became a full-time temporary worker, she would receive half a jin of meat coupons per month.

It's very difficult for rural people to eat meat in the city.

Fenglin bought three cents' worth of fatty pork, a bunch of cabbage, three eggs, and a small bunch of chives.

Stir-fried cabbage with fatty pork is delicious, and stir-fried chives with eggs is good for Jintao's nutrition.

Back home, Fenglin busied herself cooking, and soon after, Jintao returned.

"Go and rest for a while, dinner will be ready soon." Feng Lin couldn't bear to let Jin Tao do even the slightest bit of housework.

"I'm not tired, I'll serve the dishes."

"No need, no need, there's tea on the table, please have some tea."

"Fenglin, Uncle Zhou came to the school to see me today."

"Is something wrong at home?"

Fenglin was a little scared; she was afraid her mother-in-law would scold her for losing the child.

"Uncle Zhou didn't go back to Dashui Village; they were talking about work. Fenglin, are you terrified of Dashui Village?"

"No, it's my mother-in-law..."

"She is her, and you are you. You are simply my wife, Zhao Jintao's wife. Fenglin, you don't need to care about anyone else's opinion."

"But if I just leave like that, won't Grandma look for Qiaoqiao?"

"Qiaoqiao can handle it, Fenglin. If you're happy in the provincial capital, Qiaoqiao will be happy too."

"Yes, Uncle Zhou, Qiaoqiao has gone to great lengths for me."

"We'll repay them when we're able to."

"Once I learn how to sew, I'll make a beautiful dress for Qiaoqiao. I'll use my first month's salary to make her a dress."

"it is good."

There were two dishes. Jin Tao put an egg and some fatty meat on Feng Lin's plate, but Feng Lin wouldn't eat them and wanted Jin Tao to eat more.

"Fenglin, Uncle Zhou said today that the country is going to undergo major reforms and will loosen economic restrictions. I've made up my mind, I'm going to set up a bicycle repair stall in the fall and winter."

"You know how to fix cars?"

"That's no big deal! Uncle Zhou said that you can get two yuan for pulling a rickshaw in Beijing. I can use it to haul goods too," Zhao Jintao said, getting more and more excited.

"Isn't this too tiring?"

"I'm not tired. I want Fenglin to eat meat every day."

"Jin Tao, I'm happy even if I'm just eating porridge with you."

"I am your lover, and I have an obligation to make sure you have a good life."

"Jin Tao, you're so good to me."

"Uncle Zhou said he's going to Shanghai to pick up goods, and he'll give you a ticket for a sewing machine when he does."

"Are there really any tickets available?"

"Maybe. Before long, Gu Quan and I will go to Shanghai to stock up on goods. We'll get a subsidy of 100 yuan, which will be just enough to buy you a sewing machine."

"Jin Tao, it feels like a dream. The city is so wonderful."

"With a sewing machine, you can make a dress for Qiaoqiao at home, and you can make one for yourself too."

"Okay, I want you to make some beautiful clothes."

"OK."

The two looked forward to their future life, their happiness written on their faces.