Lin Yu said to her two younger sisters, "You must love yourselves; that's the most important thing."
The two girls were somewhat stunned when they first heard this statement.
Wang Zhaodi only taught them to be selfless in their sacrifices for their younger brother, and most of the women around her also sacrificed themselves for their families.
Lin Yu, however, told them to put themselves first.
“Isn’t that selfish?” the girl said.
Lin Yu scoffed: "What does it mean to be selfless? Is it sacrificing yourself for others and making yourself suffer?"
"To be honest, the more you wrong yourself, the less others will love you. Because you don't even love yourself anymore."
The girl was touched and recalled her past.
Because her mother said the family didn't have enough money and was unwilling to spend money on her schooling, she gave up even though she really wanted to go.
But her mother didn't praise or compliment her.
Later, however, she insisted on going to school and, with the help of her grandmother and sister, entered high school.
Now I've passed the exam and got a job.
Her mother, on the other hand, boasts about her everywhere, praises her, and treats her so well.
She seemed to understand something, yet also seemed not to.
Lin Yu didn't say much; many things needed to be understood through personal experience.
Anyway, she planted a seed in them first; whether it grows into a big tree depends on their own abilities.
Although Erniu is younger than Daniu, she is more insightful and decisive.
Lin Yu's words made her understand: "We should be good to ourselves, stick to what we like, and not give up for others."
"Yes, that's about right. You're still young now, but you'll understand when you grow up."
Lin Yu then told them some stories, such as the story of Wang Baochuan, who gave up her privileged family background to marry a poor man and endured eighteen years of hardship in a cold cave.
"Many people tell this story to praise her unwavering loyalty. What do you think?"
Da Niu frowned. She felt uncomfortable after hearing this, but couldn't explain why.
Erniu slapped the blanket and said, "What nonsense! That's eighteen years! I can't stand eating coarse food and wild vegetables, let alone for a man. She was originally a rich young lady, how could she endure that?"
Lin Yu smiled and said, "Perhaps it's because that's her husband?"
In ancient times, there were even things like chastity arches.
The improper eating and drinking are merely a way for those in power to oppress women through patriarchy.
A woman whose husband has died must remain a widow for life.
A man can remarry immediately after his wife dies.
"If you can't make a decision right now, ask the other person if you would agree to the other person's decision if the roles were reversed."
Da Niu can write because she's good at making connections.
"For example, if a man asks his wife not to work and to stay home to take care of the children, then the wife can ask him if she is willing to stay home to take care of the children while she goes to work."
Lin Yu nodded: "Men usually think that this is like being a kept man, and that you have no dignity."
Many things become clear when you think about them from the opposite perspective.
They want women to agree to things they don't want to do.
The two girls were deeply moved; no one had ever said such things to them before.
Lin Yu's words were like opening up a new world for them.
They should think more about themselves, make a name for themselves, and not cowardly beg anyone to love them.
Lin Yu did this because Da Niu was about to enter society, and considering her gentle personality, she was afraid she would be bullied.
That's why I taught her these things.
Hopefully, her bright future won't be ruined by a relationship.
Although Da Niu didn't know her motives, she had already planted this idea in her mind.
When Lin Yu saw that she was no longer fixated on Wang Zhaodi, she knew that she had matured.
The first step to growing up is to stop begging for love from the outside world.
Once you focus on yourself, you will become stronger and less afraid of being hurt.
-
Although no formal banquet was held, the Lin family still prepared a big meal to celebrate for their eldest daughter.
The happiest ones were the children, who ate with their mouths full of oil.
Our eldest daughter is going to the provincial capital next month, and the adults are very reluctant to see her go.
Grandma Lin kept saying, "From now on, I can only go home during holidays."
Holding the young woman's hand, he advised, "You're in a new place, so you must get along well with others; work hard; don't skimp on food..."
The girl's eyes welled up with tears, and her nose tingled with emotion: "I know, Grandma, don't worry."
At that moment, everyone realized that their child had grown up and was about to leave his family.
Lin Jianguo patted his chest: "Darling, call me if anything happens, and Dad will come to help you right away."
"You're such an honest kid. If someone bullies you, don't be afraid to speak up."
He started to sob as he spoke.
Lin Yu then realized that he had just drunk quite a lot of alcohol and was now drunk.
Lin Aiguo couldn't stand it anymore and said disdainfully to his two sons, "You two should take your second uncle back. He got drunk after drinking so little. He's really useless."
As Lin Jianguo was being dragged away, he kept shouting, "Big girl, big girl, my big girl, waaaah!"
The three children, Tiedan, Keke, and Xiaobao, thought he was joking.
She covered her mouth and giggled.
Erniu and Lin Yi criticized him, saying, "He's drunk. You're not allowed to laugh at him. You have to be polite."
The three children obediently replied, "Okay."
Seeing the children getting along harmoniously, with the older ones taking care of the younger ones, Lin Aiguo felt that he was doing a good job as the head of the family.
On such a day of family reunion, one naturally thinks of the third brother and his wife, whom one has not seen for a long time.
"If the third brother were here, he would definitely make fun of the second brother."
Seeing that the elders missed their parents, Lin Yu said, "My parents haven't been home for two years. Why don't we call them in a few days and ask if they can come back for the New Year?"
The biggest change in the past two years is that the research institute in Beicheng now has a telephone number.
Researchers are allowed to speak with their families once a month.
Grandma Lin was delighted to hear this: "Great, it would be wonderful if the third son could come back for the New Year."
It was only later that the Lin family learned how big a project Lin Shengli had been involved in.
This all started with the soldiers he met when he was a child, after going to the back mountain.
He often went to deliver things to them, and among those people were several technical talents who recognized Lin Shengli's talent.
He learned his physics knowledge from them.
After Lin Shengli was admitted to university, he successfully completed several research projects and gradually attracted the attention of his superiors.
From then on, he was assigned the task of establishing Research Base 529 to conduct secret research.
Lin Aiguo had always only known that his younger brother was on a secret mission, and he would always help him cover it up.
But I never expected that the project I was researching would involve such a major issue as national security.
Lin Aiguo only received the news from his superiors after the couple were detained at the Beicheng Military Factory.
The moment he found out, Lin Aiguo was so shocked that he couldn't speak.
To be honest, who could imagine that such research was being conducted secretly in such an ordinary rural village?
Moreover, each of them was completely unaware of it.
Besides Lin Aiguo's cover-up, Lin Shengli also played a role in spreading rumors by using his own real experiences.
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