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

Qiaoqiao was extremely busy when she learned that Zhao Jintao and Fenglin were coming to the city.

She went to the supply and marketing cooperative with her big pregnant belly and bought a bright red kettle, a bright red quilt cover, and a dress.

After thinking about it for a long time, I bought Zhao Jintao a pair of leather shoes as a wedding gift for them.

Qiaoqiao's mother bought summer clothes for Qiaoqiao's grandparents and parents, and asked Jintao and the others to take them back.

"Jin Tao and Feng Lin are a perfect match. They're both good kids, and they're always the ones who help my family when something happens. What a coincidence! Buy some extra meat; Mom will make braised pork so Feng Lin can have a few more pieces."

When people from her hometown came, Qiaoqiao's mother was overjoyed.

"Mom, buy a few packs of fruit candy, divide them into two portions, one for Fenglin, and one for Grandpa and Grandma."

"Okay, your grandma loves candy. She can suck on one piece for half a day."

"And I also like cakes, peach shortbread, and milk."

When the family ran out of food coupons, Qiaoqiao would buy the more expensive ones.

The supply and marketing cooperative bought a lot of things and then went to the vegetable store.

Sister Liu came to greet me from afar: "Oh my, my little darling, are you about to give birth? Don't go out!"

"Not yet, my due date is next month. I have a friend coming over, so I'm going to buy some things."

Qiaoqiao has some difficulty walking, but staying at home reading every day makes her even more uncomfortable.

"What do you want to eat? I'll weigh it for you. If it can save you some money on the bill, I'll give you a discount."

"Sister Liu, thank you so much. I can't help you with anything else, but you're still so kind to me."

"What are you saying? We're friends. You can't just stop being friends just because there's no mutual benefit involved, can you?"

Qiaoqiao's family's meat ration coupons were reduced again and again. Her parents each had half a jin of meat ration coupons, while only Zhou Wenhui still had three jin of meat ration coupons.

Egg tickets and meal tickets also decreased, and there weren't many left. Fortunately, Zhou Wenhui earned a lot from his speeches, otherwise life would have been difficult.

"Buy twenty eggs, two pounds of pork belly, four blocks of tofu..."

During the Chinese New Year, Qiaoqiao bought ten catties of pork belly, but now she has to think for a long time before buying two catties of pork belly.

"Okay, wait here, I'll get it for you."

After busying herself for a while, Sister Liu weighed all the vegetables, then took out a roast chicken and said, "Here, take this, no ticket required."

"Sister Liu, how can this be? Roast chicken is such a rare treat."

"We get our roast chickens from our own supply store; you can buy one with half a jin of meat coupons. I'm giving it to you, Qiaoqiao. If you move out of the military family compound, remember Sister Liu."

"Sister Liu, you've heard about it too?"

"The rumors are rampant. Your father-in-law hasn't come back, so you'll definitely have to move out. We've been together for over a year. You're a generous person and you don't look down on us lower-class workers. You're also good to me. You're the one who takes care of me all the time. This chicken, I'm the one taking care of you."

"Sister Liu, since you've said so, then I'll accept it. Thank you."

"You're welcome. We have fewer family members here, so the vegetable shop needs to cut costs and doesn't need so many employees anymore. I don't even know where I'll end up. Qiaoqiao, it's heartbreaking to think that we see each other every day and then suddenly we'll never see each other again."

"Sister Liu, my husband's job is at the newspaper. If you worked at that vegetable shop there, I might be able to see him again."

"Really? A newspaper is great! It's the most respectable job for intellectuals. We haven't received the official transfer documents yet. The newspaper is on Xingzhong Road, right? If I can go, I'll definitely try my best," Sister Liu said happily.

"Alright, Sister Liu, Mom and I will head back now. Let me know where you're going."

"Okay, slow down, slow down."

"Your story about your in-laws has even reached the vegetable shop. I thought city people were more civilized, unlike those gossipy women in Dashui Village," Qiaoqiao's mother grumbled unhappily.

"No matter where you are, there are good people and people who will kick you when you're down. It's okay, Mom. Wenhui isn't unemployed. We can go to the newspaper office's housing; it'll be just as good."

"There's no big yard to grow vegetables, and I don't know if Mom will be able to get used to it."

What Qiaoqiao's mother couldn't bear to part with was the large courtyard. As soon as spring arrived, she turned over the vegetable garden and planted some vegetables, so she didn't need to buy any more vegetables for the family.

Back home, Qiaoqiao was so tired that she lay down on the bed, while her mother went to the kitchen to busy herself.

Zhou Wenhui said that he would rest after this speech, as Qiaoqiao is about to give birth and the family can't function without someone at home.

Zhao Jintao and Zheng Fenglin set off early in the morning and didn't arrive at Qiaoqiao's house until 1 p.m.

They planned to stay at Qiaoqiao's house for one night, go to the city the next day to buy things for their wedding, and catch the last bus back in the afternoon.

After returning home for the Mid-Autumn Festival last year, Qiaoqiao had not gone back to Dashui Village. She was overjoyed to see Zhao Jintao and Zheng Fenglin.

"Qiaoqiao, your belly is so big, you're about to give birth, aren't you?" Zheng Fenglin grabbed Qiaoqiao's hand and jumped up and down happily.

"My due date is next month. She kicks me every day and is so restless that I can't sleep well," Qiaoqiao said with a happy smile.

Zhao Jintao took out some local specialties from his home and said, "Qiaomei, this is dried mugwort and houttuynia cordata that Grandma asked me to bring back. Grandma said she'll use them after you give birth. There are also some mushrooms and dried bamboo shoots that Fenglin picked, saying you'll like them. This is millet and kidney beans that my mother brought."

"Thank you so much, you're so kind. I love all of these foods."

Although they are ordinary things, they have a strong hometown flavor.

Qiaoqiao's mother put the things away and said, "Let's eat. I've prepared everything and am waiting for you."

"Auntie, don't wait for us. Qiaoqiao is heavily pregnant and can't go hungry."

Only Qiaoqiao and her mother were at home, and Fenglin was not reserved, helping to serve the dishes and rice.

"Is there still no news from Commander Zhou?" Zhao Jintao asked cautiously.

"No, they called during the New Year. The surgery was successful, but he's still unconscious. Brother Jintao, I heard you were fired from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Is that related to my dad?"

"What does it matter? Don't overthink it. Didn't Yang Zheng say that the college entrance examination might be reinstated? I want to take it, I want to apply to an agricultural university."

"Really? That's great. You'll definitely pass the exam after graduating from high school. By the way, my family has a lot of review materials. Go take a look and bring some useful ones back. My head hurts just looking at those books. My brother is still forcing me to take the exam. How can a junior high school student possibly pass?" Qiaoqiao complained.

"Whether you pass the exam or not, you should at least give it a try," Zhao Jintao encouraged.

"Qiaoqiao, Jintao is right. You already have good grades, and you have a lot of study materials. You're sure to pass the exam."

"Feng Lin, why don't you give it a try?"

"I won't take the exam. Jin Tao said that once he learns the technology, he will provide the technology, and I will raise rabbits. It's a perfect match."

Zhao Jintao blushed, while Qiaoqiao smiled and said, "You're right. Knowledge is important, but practical experience is equally crucial. You two are the perfect couple."

Looking at Qiaoqiao's smiling face, Zhao Jintao felt an indescribable emotion welling up in his heart. He had loved her, loved her passionately, but he had never expressed his feelings.

Qiaomei is doing well and is very happy. She should be able to let go of the past. Zhao Jintao, however, cannot let go and still cares about her so much.

Of course, Zhao Jintao still wouldn't say it out loud: he had been cowardly and lost Qiaoqiao, and he couldn't let Fenglin down again.

Fenglin ate two large bowls of rice and several pieces of braised pork. Even during the New Year, her family never had such a lavish meal.

After dinner, Fenglin chatted with Qiaoqiao, while Zhao Jintao went straight to his study.

So many books, so many materials. Zhao Jintao asked Qiaoqiao for a notebook and copied down all the key points of the five high school subjects.