Speaking of Bai Shibao, Bai Jiaojiao remembered the letter he wrote to her, asking if his comrade still wanted to exchange milk coupons for beef sauce, and asking her to make more after her exams.

She could use the excuse of sending New Year's goods during the Gregorian calendar year to get some for him and send it to him.

Thanks to their uncle and aunt, the two children have never been weaned and are now much stronger than other children their age.

The two children were named by their grandfather, Li Shiqing. The older brother is named Li Yang, and the younger sister is named Li Yun.

Although the younger sister is still a bit smaller than the older brother, they have now grown their baby teeth and can eat some steamed egg custard and rice porridge. They also babble when they see familiar people, which is extremely cute.

Bai Jiaojiao made some New Year's goods and sent them to Bai Shibao. She also asked him about his plans for the New Year, but received a reply saying that he would not be going home for the New Year this year.

Deng Min was extremely worried: "If he stays for another two years, where will he find any good girls left for him?"

Bai Jiaojiao joked, "Sister-in-law, my third brother is a good catch, I don't think we need to worry about this. Maybe one of his leaders in the army will take a liking to him and bring him home as his son-in-law."

Deng Min laughed too: "Yes, yes, your third brother is so handsome and tall. Among a group of soldiers, his appearance must be outstanding."

This was the first time Bai Shibao hadn't gone home for the Chinese New Year, and Bai Zhiman, as his father, was starting to worry.

“Xiaomin, take a few ounces of down from my quilt and sew a vest for Bozi. He’s on an island right now, it’s windy, he needs a vest to protect his chest.”

Bai Zhiman is now paralyzed on the kang (a heated brick bed), and there's nothing he can do for Bai Shibao.

Deng Min knew he loved his son dearly, but she glanced at Bai Jiaojiao and said, "Father, this is a gift from my little sister to you. She has objections to this."

Bai Jiaojiao immediately said, "If I give it to Dad, it belongs to Dad. He doesn't feel cold. You can send the whole quilt to Third Brother."

Deng Min laughed upon hearing this, while Bai Zhiman snorted:

“Giving him the whole thing won’t work. If I give it all to him, what will I cover myself with? His unit definitely has stoves, and he’ll freeze to death at night.”

Bai Zhiman felt that he was already strapped for cash, and wanted to do something for his son, but he still had to use his little daughter's things to curry favor.

Bai Jiaojiao and Deng Min laughed. Deng Min said, "Dad, do you think I can just take the quilt filling out for you like this? Shiqing sewed all of this in here, otherwise the down would just move around inside. If I were to take it out, I would have to take the whole quilt apart for you."

Bai Zhiman thought about it and realized it made sense. He reasoned that with something as loose as down, it was bound to clump together after he had covered himself with it for so many days.

Bai Jiaojiao remembered and said, "Dad, last time Heng-ge caught a badger on the mountain, and he kept the pelt. He was planning to sell it on the black market before the New Year. Why don't we use this pelt to sew a new one for Third Brother?"

Bai Zhiman waved his hand: "Keep your own things, there's no need to subsidize your brother."

The old man's attitude was quite firm. He always asked his daughter to subsidize her family and be filial to him, but it was unacceptable for her to give things to her brother.

Bai Shibao has already received too many favors from the Shen family; if he continues to be ungrateful, he might shorten his lifespan.

Having no other choice, Deng Min said, "Little sister, it's alright. There's not much work to do in the fields anyway. I'll take apart Dad's quilt and separate a bit of it. It'll only take a day."

Bai Zhiman nodded: "Xiaomin, it's a little troublesome, but don't worry, we just need to mail it to him before the New Year."

Bai Jiaojiao thought so too, and in order not to add to Bai Shibao's psychological burden, she didn't say anything more.

At the end of January, Zheng Xu notified Bai Jiaojiao and Shen Heng to go to town to pick up the volunteer forms and fill them out.

Bai Jiaojiao and Shen Heng returned and checked the answers, feeling that this time it should be a sure thing.

Bai Jiaojiao applied to Peking University for Modern Medicine, while Shen Heng followed Bai Jiaojiao's advice and applied for Economics.

When they went to pick up their college application forms, they saw Yu Wenli.

Seeing the resentful expression on Yu Wenli's face, Shen Heng knew that Bai Jiaojiao's revelation had been effective.

Yu Wenli must be terrified right now. His parents' files are tainted, and he doesn't know if he can pass the physical examination and political review. He doesn't even know if he'll survive to go to university.

Shen Heng gave Bai Jiaojiao a light hug and led her past Yu Wenli.

This was more than just a fleeting encounter.

After filling out her college application, Bai Jiaojiao became anxious.

"Heng-ge, what if our scores are wrong and we don't get accepted?"

Bai Jiaojiao would ask this question every night.

Shen Heng was much calmer: "At worst, we can take the exam again. If all else fails, I won't let you go hungry."

Bai Jiaojiao nestled into Shen Heng's arms, only feeling more secure when she hugged his strong waist.

They waited and waited for the acceptance letter, but it never came. With the New Year approaching, instead of receiving good news, they were met with a bolt from the blue.

Bai Shibao participated in a rescue operation following an avalanche, but a second avalanche occurred, and he has not been found to this day.

By the time it's time to notify the family, it's probably beyond the military's ability to help.

Bai Zhiman, who usually seemed so strong-willed, fainted upon hearing the news.

"We shouldn't have told Dad, but what can we do, Hai-ge? Even if something happens to Bo-zi, we still have to..."

We need to see him alive or dead; we can't just leave Bai Shibao stranded in the north.

Bai Shihai's face was extremely ugly. The brigade knew about this news first. After Zheng Xu informed the Bai family, he told Bai Jiaojiao about it.

Bai Jiaojiao's heart skipped a beat.

Could it be that she insisted on defying fate, ultimately causing her third brother to die far from home?

Seeing Bai Jiaojiao's ashen and pale appearance, Shen Heng frowned with worry: "Don't worry, didn't you say you couldn't find her? Maybe something happened to her."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!