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

Yang Wenjin noticed a strange phenomenon: every day when he went out to work, no one in the village wanted to team up with him.

Yang Weiguo yelled at the other villagers, but while he appeared respectful to them, he was actually full of sarcasm and ridicule.

Today, some people carried manure to fertilize the fields, while others sprayed pesticides. The villagers chose their own groups, either in pairs or in groups of three, and no one wanted to be in a group with Yang Wenjin.

Yang Weiguo said, "Uncle, I'm in a dilemma too. You're a saint, and I don't know where to put you. How about this, the sow in the team has given birth to piglets, so you can go feed the pigs. It's an easy job, and I'll still give you ten work points."

Yang Wenjin was an experienced farmer, and he was a little at a loss when he was suddenly asked to feed the pigs.

"Uncle, go feed the pigs. Do some work if you want, and rest when you're tired. You'll get plenty of work points anyway. You're working with everyone else; they're under a lot of pressure."

"Why? I know how to fertilize and spray pesticides." Yang Wenjin retorted, dissatisfied.

"I knew you could, but these villagers can't keep their mouths shut. What if they say something and end up like Wu Xia, locked up for two years? Who wouldn't be afraid?" Yang Weiguo said with a sarcastic smile.

"What did you say? What does Wu Xia's matter have to do with me?"

"Look, you're getting anxious again. Wu Xia was sentenced to two years in prison for insulting a military family member just for speaking a few words of truth. If these uneducated people in the village blurt out something nasty, they'll also be locked up for two years. Who wouldn't be afraid?"

"Uncle, please let them go. Go up the mountain to feed the pigs. Even if a whole litter of pigs starves to death, I won't blame you." Yang Weiguo said with a lewd smile.

"You, you, I won't feed the pigs, I'll just clear the weeds instead."

Weeding was a job for women, and they only earned seven work points.

There's no need to team up for weeding; everyone can do their own thing.

Yang Weiguo bowed and scraped, saying, "Uncle, it would be much better to go feed the pigs. It's quiet on the mountain, and the work isn't heavy. Why are you making things difficult for me?"

Yang Wenjin turned around and started weeding. Yang Weiguo shouted, "Uncle, I didn't bully you! You wanted to weed, so don't worry, I'll give you ten work points no matter what you do!"

As he spoke, a smug smile appeared on his lips.

Yang Wenjin found a secluded cornfield and began weeding in silence.

His heart ached as if it were being cut by a knife. He endured Wu Xia's humiliation of his daughter.

Now that Wu Xia has been sentenced, they're dumping this mess on his head, and he's powerless to refute it.

When it was time to tally work points at the end of the day, Yang Weiguo announced loudly, "Yang Wenjin, weeding, seven work points."

Yang Wenjin didn't say anything and turned to leave, but Yang Weiguo called out to her: "Hey, Uncle, come back, come back! I misspoke. No matter what you do, you'll get ten work points. I'll add them for you right away."

Yang Weiguo's confidant shouted from the side, "Captain, this is unfair! Weeding is worth seven work points!"

Yang Weiguo feigned difficulty in explaining, "His family is different; they are military dependents, and we have to take care of them. You've got a loose tongue, and if the police arrest you, I won't be able to save you."

"If you're so capable, why don't you just stop working and embezzle collective property? Shameless!"

Each word pierced Yang Wenjin's heart like a needle, infuriating him so much that he pointed at Yang Weiguo and said, "You, I only want seven work points, only seven work points..."

Yang Wenjin trembled all over, her lips turning blue. She didn't look at Yang Weiguo again, turned and left. Turbid tears dripped, one by one, onto her tattered coarse cloth shirt.

When they got home, Qiaoqiao's mother saw that Yang Wenjin looked pale and quickly asked, "Did something happen again?"

Yang Wenjin forced a smile: "I'm fine. How's Mother doing today?"

"I'm fine."

After Qiaoqiao's grandmother fell ill, Qiaoqiao's mother stopped working and stayed home to take care of her.

Grandpa Qiaoqiao also didn't go to work; he was frightened and hadn't recovered.

Yang Wenjin couldn't talk about the grievances he suffered at home, for fear that it would upset his parents and harm their health.

As the days went by, Yang Weiguo would humiliate Yang Wenjin every day. Zhao Jintao tried to reason with Yang Weiguo several times, but he was just an ordinary commune member. With the help of Yang Weiguo's lackeys stirring things up, Yang Wenjin was in so much pain that he coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed in the cornfield.

Yang Weiguo not only refused to send Yang Wenjin to the hospital, but also ordered her not to work for a month.

Zhao Jintao, Zheng Fenglin, and several villagers with a sense of justice took Yang Wenjin to the hospital. Fortunately, it was just a sudden attack of anger and there was nothing seriously wrong.

When Qiaoqiao's grandmother heard that her son had been so angry with the team leader that he vomited blood and almost had another heart attack, she was shocked.

After inspecting the soldiers' training, Zhou Zhonghai returned to his office, where Liu Songming brought him lunch.

A box of braised pork, a box of shredded potatoes, and a box of pumpkin.

Zhou Zhonghai grinned from ear to ear: "Xiao Liu, is the cafeteria serving braised pork today? Don't give me pumpkin next time, I don't like it."

Liu Songming chuckled: "The cafeteria doesn't have braised pork. It was brought over by Director Luo. Director Luo said that the pumpkins are at their sweetest right now, so we should eat some for a balanced diet."

"Director Luo came? Why did you just glance at me and leave?"

"Director Luo didn't go into the division headquarters; he left it with the gatekeeper, and I went to pick it up."

"Little Liu, you still need to get married. Only with a wife will someone care about you. You're not young anymore, are you? Hasn't your family found you a wife yet?" Zhou Zhonghai's happiness was evident in his words.

"No rush. We can talk about marriage after the fighting stops and we're transferred to civilian life. What if I go to the front lines and don't come back? Wouldn't that be a waste of a girl's life?" Liu Songming said with a shy smile.

"The situation is unclear right now, and it's hard to say whether we'll fight or not. But your idea is good. I'll leave you half of the braised pork. Even if you don't have a wife to pamper you, you'll have Director Luo to pamper you, it's the same."

Liu Songming had been with Zhou Zhonghai for many years and had also taken care of Zhou Wenhui in the logistics department for more than a year. Zhou Zhonghai treated him like his own son.

"Don't keep half, just keep two or three pieces to satisfy your craving."

Liu Songming didn't refuse; what young man wouldn't crave braised pork?

Zhou Zhonghai ate heartily, but refused to eat the box of pumpkin.

"Commander, I..." Liu Songming stammered, as if he had something to say.

"What's wrong? You're stammering like a woman." Zhou Zhonghai glanced at Liu Songming.

"My mother wrote to me, asking me to give you my regards," Liu Songming said.

"Thank you, Mother. Please thank your mother for me in your reply. Qiaoqiao and Wenhui's marriage is all thanks to her."

My mother also said...

"What's wrong?"

What's wrong with this kid today?

"Commander, let me tell you a story. Could you give me some advice on what to do?"

"Okay, go ahead and say it."

"There was a girl who, perhaps for some benefit, married a disabled soldier."

Zhou Zhonghai glanced at Liu Songming and said, "You're just talking about my family, aren't you?"

Zhou Zhonghai didn't interrupt him, and Liu Songming continued, "One day, a female educated youth, in front of the girl's parents, ridiculed them for disregarding their daughter's happiness for the sake of power, saying they were shameless. Anyway, she said a lot of nasty things, and the girl's grandmother had a heart attack on the spot."

Zhou Zhonghai was taken aback, stopped eating, and listened attentively.

Liu Songming said, "The team leader took Grandma to the hospital in time, and she was saved, she was saved."

Zhou Zhonghai listened with a dark expression.

"When the girl's best friend found out, she was furious and wanted to settle accounts with the female educated youth. However, the female educated youth had a rather ambiguous relationship with the brigade secretary. The girl's best friend didn't dare to retaliate openly, but secretly spread the word. When the brigade secretary's wife found out, she went to catch them in the act."

"They caught him right away. How could the brigade secretary's wife swallow this insult? She went to the commune to make a scene."