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

The wooden gate to Qiaoqiao's yard wasn't bolted; it opened with a push.

Han Dan didn't go inside; instead, she busied herself in the vegetable garden.

The dried vegetables were burned in a fire, and Han Dan began digging the ground.

As the hottest period of the year, known as the "autumn tiger," began, Han Dan was soon covered in sweat.

Today we need to turn over the soil and let the sun disinfect it. After the National Day holiday, a cold front will arrive, and then we'll start planting autumn vegetables.

Qiaoqiao and Zhou Wenhui were in the study, one writing a novel and the other organizing and copying the manuscript, unaware that Han Dan was rummaging through the floor outside.

The publisher called, preparing to publish "The Silent Hero," and the book must be completed this year.

It's almost October, and with three months left, Zhou Wenhui and Qiaoqiao are working overtime to finish their manuscript.

The first part of the novel describes the happy and joyful moments Zhou Wenhui spends with his comrades.

The latter half describes the sacrifice of comrades, conveying a sense of oppression and pain.

Zhou Wenhui can only write four thousand words a day; otherwise, he will become so immersed in the novel that he will become depressed and unable to continue.

To help Zhou Wenhui relax, Qiaoqiao also tried to find some topics to distract him.

"My brother wrote a letter. Master Chen Yan said that a prosthetic leg can be made."

Prosthetics are the topic Zhou Wenhui most wants to hear about; they give him hope to embrace life again.

"Will it start after the Mid-Autumn Festival?" Zhou Wenhui put down his pen, took a sip of water, and asked.

"Yes, do you think Mom and Dad will come back for the Mid-Autumn Festival? I want to tell them this good news."

"My parents haven't called for more than three months." Zhou Wenhui frowned.

"Didn't Lin Jie say there wouldn't be any more wars?"

"I don't know, they rarely go three months without making a phone call."

"How about we call and ask?"

"No, military discipline is paramount. Calls from the military are never for casual conversation; they're all about state affairs. We shouldn't cause trouble."

At this moment, Qiaoqiao was even more grateful for the last time when Commander Zhou came back to save her brother.

With iron discipline in mind, Zhou Wenhui made the call without hesitation for his brother's sake.

"Have you really decided to come back to my house?"

Qiaoqiao hesitated before asking, "The Mid-Autumn Festival is only a few days away."

"How am I supposed to use the toilet at your house?" Zhou Wenhui said casually.

"How about we take the chamber pot and commode chair back with us?"

Qiaoqiao suggested that there was an unspeakable awkwardness to it. If the son-in-law went back to his wife's home with a chamber pot and a commode chair, wouldn't that make him a laughing stock among the villagers?

Zhou Wenhui is a person with such a strong sense of self-esteem.

"I'll visit my parents again after I get my prosthetic leg, okay?"

Zhou Wenhui lowered his head, looking like a child who had done something wrong, which was heartbreaking.

"Okay, then I'll have Yu Fulai take care of you. I'll be back after lunch and spend the evening with you for the holiday."

"Okay, do you have enough money? I have a bankbook for the disability allowance from the government, but I don't know where Mom put it. Can you look in the drawer?"

"No need, that's enough. We cook at home and save a lot of money. I've saved up some meat coupons and cured ten catties of salted meat to take with me, as well as salted eggs."

I'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative in a couple of days to buy a thermos and some towels. It'll get cold after the Indian summer heatwave, and I also want to buy some warm clothes for my family.

"Qiaoqiao, do your family members in your hometown like your long, grass-green cotton-padded coat and white shirt?" Zhou Wenhui asked hesitantly.

"I like it, of course I like it. Wearing the grass-green clothes makes me look as majestic as a soldier, of course I like it."

In the village, anyone who owns a piece of clothing that looks like a military uniform is incredibly proud.

Zhou Wenhui pointed to the bottom shelf of the study and said, "Go and look at the clothes inside. There are new ones and old ones. If you can, take some back and give them to the neighbors."

Qiaoqiao got up, opened the cabinet, and wow, there were so many military uniforms inside.

Taking out a coat, Qiaoqiao asked, "You don't want such a nice coat?"

"The army would issue clothes for spring, autumn, winter and summer. A cotton-padded coat could be worn for several years. Every year when a new cotton-padded coat was issued, I would not wear the old ones. My mother would wash the old clothes clean and put them in the closet. Later, after I was injured, I never wore my military uniform again, and my mother put all my clothes in the closet."

Qiaoqiao touched these old military uniforms, unable to put them down.

In winter, Grandpa and Dad would wear the same drafty black cotton-padded coat all winter long, airing it out in the spring so they could wear it again the following winter.

Zhou Wenhui's wardrobe of clothes is simply a treasure.

"Qiaoqiao, look to your right. These are all new. Give the new ones to your parents and the old ones to the neighbors."

"Okay, I'll give one to Fenglin."

"Feng Lin? Your friend?"

"Yes, she's my best friend. The letters I receive, besides those from my parents, are all from her. When those gossipy women in the village laugh at me and humiliate me, Fenglin helps me scold them."

"She's a girl? You could find some of her mother's clothes to give her; my clothes are too big and don't fit."

"This is enough. Mom isn't home, so I can't touch her things."

"What does it matter? It's just something Mom doesn't wear anymore."

"You're her son, so of course it doesn't matter. I'm her daughter-in-law, so I can't overstep my bounds. This is enough; one shouldn't be greedy," Qiaoqiao chuckled.

"Then when Mom gets home, she can clean out all the old clothes that she doesn't wear anymore and bring them back next time."

"Okay, thank you Wenhui. With so many clothes, Grandpa and Daddy will be so proud." Qiaoqiao was overjoyed.

Han Dan, who had been tilling two plots of land in the yard, was very thirsty. She went into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of cold water.

In the kitchen sink, there was a bowl of golden-yellow fried fish. Han Dan swallowed hard. It must taste delicious.

As the wife of a fellow hero, Han Dan greatly admired Qiao Qiao.

Lin Jie earns 62 yuan a month. The two of them receive six jin of meat coupons, as well as egg coupons, vegetable coupons, and meal coupons.

Lin Jie and Zhou Wenhui had similar benefits, but Qiaoqiao was living a very comfortable life while she was struggling financially.

Every time she gets paid, her mother-in-law comes right on time asking for thirty yuan. She takes four jin of meat coupons, and also shares some of the egg coupons, vegetable coupons, and meal coupons.

She and Lin Jie only had two jin of meat coupons, and her mother-in-law told her to give Lin Jie more meat to improve his health. Han Dan couldn't eat any meat for a whole month.

If she could be like Qiaoqiao, having Lin Jie give her all his salary and benefits, her life wouldn't be any worse than Qiaoqiao's.

It's a pity that people with the same fate are different.

Han Dan sat by the door to rest for a while, and when she heard Qiaoqiao's laughter coming from the study, she felt even more upset.

Han Dan had also mentioned to Lin Jie that she wanted to go to work.

It's so easy for the hero's family to get a job.

In the military family compound, the canteen and cleaning jobs are all done by family members, so she could do them too.

But Lin Jie refused, saying it would be shameful.

How is it shameful to earn money through your own labor?

Han Dan took a sip of water and continued tilling the land under the scorching sun; working made him forget his troubles.

Before they knew it, it was time to make lunch. Qiaoqiao pushed Zhou Wenhui out of the study and saw Han Dan turning over the floor. She quickly called out, "Sister Han, stop turning over the floor. It's too hot. Come inside and have some water."

Han Dan looked up, her face covered in sweat, and said with a smile, "After we finish turning this plot of land, let's take advantage of the good sun and let it dry in the sun."

Qiaoqiao didn't force him. She carried Zhou Wenhui to the toilet, then turned on the air vent of the coal stove to prepare to cook.