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

After Yang Zheng and Zhao Jintao paid the money, the two of them loaded the sweaters onto the large truck used for delivery.

Zhao Jintao greeted Qiu Zhongyou and went to school with Yang Zheng.

When the two met, they had so much to talk about.

"Are you still in contact with County Magistrate Guo?" Yang Zheng asked.

"We've been exchanging letters. Most of the communes in their county have distributed land to individual households. The crop yields have improved, but County Chief Guo is still under a lot of pressure."

"For their province, County Chief Guo was the first to take the plunge. Our province is much better off; with Uncle Zhou standing in front and connections in the central government, no one dares to say anything," Yang Zheng said proudly.

"Uncle Zhou's old leader and senior officer have passed away. Uncle Zhou is much more composed now than before, which is heartbreaking to see," Zhao Jintao said.

"Oh, Qiaomei didn't tell me."

"Telling you won't help; it will only add to your sorrow."

"The old revolutionaries are leaving the stage of history one by one. We must grow up quickly and shoulder the mission of reform and opening up," Yang Zheng sighed.

"You've grown so fast already, you're top of your class, and you can even make prosthetics. You're running so fast, I can't keep up with you anymore," Zhao Jintao teased.

"Zhao Jintao, don't be modest. Qiaomei told me that if you weren't still in school, Uncle Zhou would love to put you in the position of Minister of Agriculture of Tonggang County right away. You can't compare to me in industry, and I can't compare to you in agriculture."

"No, it was Uncle Zhou who took care of me."

"Uncle Zhou is protective of his own, but he only protects those who are capable. You are still a student, but the important task of escorting supplies for the Ministry of Agriculture is entrusted to you. My Minister Zhao, your future is bright."

"You, even you are laughing at me."

"I'm telling the truth, I'm not making fun of you. Jin Tao, is Feng Lin feeling any better?"

Yang Zheng then shifted the topic to Feng Lin.

"She's been much happier since we got together. She goes to work every day and makes little things to sell, which is quite fulfilling. With all those sweaters I brought back this time, she'll be busy."

"Being busy is good; only by being busy can you realize your self-worth. If those defective sweaters sell well, give me a call, and I'll go to the factory manager and take over all the defective sweaters. Then Fenglin will always be busy."

"We'll see. She works during the day and then has to work on sweaters at night. I'm worried it'll be too hard on her."

"Okay, okay, whatever you say. Come on, the cafeteria's open. You're allowed two meat dishes for lunch." "You're on paid leave while you're studying, only two meat dishes? That's stingy."

"Just two. If you eat too many, I'm afraid you'll get diarrhea."

"How did you know? Did Qiaomei tell you? Oh dear, how embarrassing, you've brought this all the way to Shanghai."

"Ha ha ha ha……"

In the cafeteria, Yang Zheng did not follow the standard of two meat dishes and one vegetable dish. He ordered five meat dishes in total, some with sugar and some without.

"That's enough. No matter how much you order, I can't eat much. It's either too sweet or too bland. I still prefer the food from Huailin." Zhao Jintao stopped Yang Zheng from wasting food.

"Okay, okay, I'll have to make do with this. The cafeteria food is at least filling, but restaurant food is truly inedible. Professor Dong treated me to chicken noodles, and guess what?"

In front of outsiders, Yang Zheng still referred to his domineering mentor as Professor Dong.

"Are the noodles sweet?"

"I'm truly impressed by Shanghai chefs; they even put sugar in their noodles."

Yang Zheng and Zhao Jintao are both from rural areas. They have worked in the fields with their parents since they were young, doing manual labor and eating vegetables that were very salty.

Their fathers told them that eating salt gives them energy.

But when they arrived in Shanghai, their understanding was completely overturned. Sugar was so expensive, so why eat sugar?

For beauty? Shanghainese are indeed beautiful.

While eating food that didn't suit his taste, Zhao Jintao said, "Wenhui asked me to buy a bicycle and a sewing machine and deliver them to Dashui Village."

Yang Zheng paused for a moment, then smiled wryly: "He's very thoughtful. He's done everything that I, as his son, should have done."

"Wenhui is a thoughtful person, so don't blame yourself. He can arrange a car, but you can't expect Uncle Zhou to get a car to send the things back for you, can you? Even I wouldn't ask him to."

"Yes, I am grateful that Wenhui thought of my parents."

"There's no need to feel guilty. His kindness to his aunt and uncle is his kindness to Qiaoqiao. You treat each other with sincerity, and as for me... Yang Zheng, are you going home for the New Year? You've been away for almost a year, don't you miss home?"

Zhao Jintao changed the subject, saying that it was better not to mention his mutually draining family.

"I'll definitely go back for the New Year. My master writes me a letter every week, never mentioning missing me, but every sentence is about missing me. After his accident, I didn't stay for more than a few days before returning to school. Having suffered such a major change, he misses me and wants to talk to me about his feelings." Yang Zheng lowered his head.

"Have all the prosthetics been completed at your studio?"

"Where can we finish this? Next year's schedule is complete, 10 in total. Prosthetics can't be mass-produced industrially, they can only be hand-crafted. If even a small detail isn't done right, the patient will be uncomfortable wearing them. Hey, Jin Tao, when I go home for the New Year, I'll take Wen Hui's measurements. I want to make him a new pair of lightweight and comfortable prosthetics." Yang Zheng's eyes lit up.

Zhao Jintao smiled leisurely: "I just said that Wenhui is meticulous, but you are the same."

"When we were discussing marriage, I was the one who was most opposed. Jin Tao, I really wanted Qiao Mei to marry you, but Qiao Mei said that even if you were willing, your mother wouldn't agree."

"Yang Zheng, let's not talk about the past. Qiao Mei marrying Wen Hui is the best way to honor her kindness. Feng Lin, such a shrewish woman, what kind of life did she have with me? If I had known my mother was so mean, I shouldn't have gotten married. Anyone who comes to my house will suffer."

Zhao Jintao took a bite of cabbage, and a hint of sweetness unexpectedly entered his mouth, causing a jolt in his bitter heart.

Life is too bitter, so we need to eat some sweetness.

"Only after weathering the storm can we see the rainbow. Jintao, we must all look forward."

"After Fenglin moved to the city, she started a business and became more cheerful. Once I take these sweaters back, she'll be busy again. It's good to be busy; when you're busy, you have something to strive for and won't think about those painful memories."

"You've been living here for a few months now, are you going back for the Lunar New Year?"

"I'll probably go back too. I'll send Fenglin directly to her parents' house, and I'll go back to my own home. When my mother sees Fenglin, she'll definitely make a few sarcastic remarks. I can't give my mother that chance again."

Dashui Village is not just home, but also the root of our being.

Even if you are covered in wounds, there are still people and landscapes you cherish.

Zhao Jintao was lonely. He dared not reveal the pain in his heart to Feng Lin, but could only speak of it to Yang Zheng.

Yang Zheng was the best listener. He understood Zhao Jintao's helplessness, and he was willing to let Zhao Jintao pour out his pain. He was willing to accept all of his friend's emotions, whether sad or joyful.

After finishing his meal, Yang Zheng escorted Zhao Jintao to catch the bus when the cafeteria closed.

At the departure station, Yang Zheng waved goodbye, while Zhao Jintao relaxed and natural.

After a brief reunion, they must return to their respective battlefields.