Chapter 87 A Way Out White Gauze
"I was thinking of coming back to study, so I didn't stay at home," Ding Wenbo said. He's still studying, but his family is already thinking about him finding a partner.
Ding Wenbo wasn't thinking about finding a partner at this time. He wanted to focus on his studies and acquire more knowledge. Finding a partner wasn't a rush; it wasn't like he couldn't find one. As long as he was good enough, the organization could find him a match. It would be terrible if he didn't study well and it became useless.
After studying under Song Fenglan, Ding Wenbo realized he wasn't as strong as he had imagined. Before taking the postgraduate entrance exam, Ding Wenbo was considered quite outstanding at school, and he thought he was pretty good. But in front of Song Fenglan, Ding Wenbo was constantly put down.
Don't misunderstand, Song Fenglan wasn't trying to put Ding Wenbo down; rather, Ding Wenbo felt there was a huge gap between him and Song Fenglan. One was a chief engineer, and the other was a student; it's normal for there to be a difference between them.
Song Fenglan, despite her young age, already knew so much, while Ding Wenbo knew very little. You can't compare people; once you do, you feel inadequate in this and that, and that you're truly terrible. Ding Wenbo was grateful to have a mentor like Song Fenglan. He was thankful he hadn't been as foolish as Duan Yue in choosing to leave his mentor, nor did he think his mentor got into the research institute through connections.
“That works too.” Song Fenglan didn’t ask any further questions.
In her past life, when Song Fenglan was scrolling through short videos and watching TV dramas, the previous generation truly possessed a strong spirit of sacrifice. For the sake of the country, they were willing to endure all kinds of grievances and hardships. Some went abroad to endure hardship and bide their time, even if they were accused of treason, to learn advanced knowledge abroad and teach batches of outstanding students. Then, they would bring those students and advanced knowledge back to China.
Song Fenglan didn't say Ding Wenbo shouldn't work so hard; working hard is good. The more hard he works, the better. Anyway, Song Fenglan didn't want to worry about her students' graduation theses or prevent them from graduating.
In Song Fenglan's previous life, she was considered one of her mentor's favorite students. However, when her mentor was unavailable, she also had to mentor her junior brothers and sisters. It was fine if she encountered good junior brothers and sisters, but the worst case scenario was encountering those who didn't have much talent, were unwilling to work hard, and wished that their senior brothers and sisters would help them solve their problems.
Some junior students even suffer from paranoia, always feeling that their seniors are trying to steal their papers. This isn't uncommon, but there are also cases where junior students haven't written their papers well, requiring senior students to spend a lot of time revising and conducting experiments. If the senior students get a co-first authorship, the junior students will accuse them of stealing their title.
How can you expect others to help you graduate without giving them any benefits?
Of course, there are also senior students who did not meet the graduation requirements and lacked a thesis, so they insisted on adding their names to the thesis of their junior students.
All sorts of situations can arise, and Song Fenglan certainly didn't want to encounter that again. In her past life, it happened once like this: Song Fenglan's advisor asked her to mentor a junior student, who then accused her of trying to steal her paper. Damn it, who would steal a piece of garbage like that? Then, when Song Fenglan refused to be listed as an author, the junior student demanded second authorship and wanted Song Fenglan to share the publication fees.
This left Song Fenglan speechless. She didn't pay any publication fees, yet her junior colleague posted her post online without her knowledge. In the internet age, apps often access phone contacts and push posts to acquaintances. Then, people Song Fenglan knew saw the post and forwarded it to her.
Song Fenglan asked her junior colleague, who confirmed that she had indeed failed and even mocked Song Fenglan for not being able to write papers. Song Fenglan hadn't told her junior colleague about publishing papers; the professor knew, and the professor wouldn't go around telling everyone how many papers Song Fenglan had published. Later, the junior colleague was called in by the professor, who gave her a severe dressing-down. Only then did the junior colleague realize that Song Fenglan didn't lack papers, but she was stubborn and insisted that while Song Fenglan had enough, she wanted to add more to her resume for future promotions and raises.
Dealing with people like this is a real headache. If you speak up, they'll think you're the one with the problem. If you don't speak up, they'll take it as an admission that you're trying to steal someone else's paper.
Song Fenglan didn't tell Ding Wenbo about this; Ding Wenbo would find out later.
The world is a big place, and there are all kinds of people.
“Then you can go to the lab,” Song Fenglan said. “Remember, don’t forget the graduation requirements.”
Don't wait until Ding Wenbo is about to graduate to tell her that he hasn't written enough papers for his graduation thesis. Song Fenglan can't possibly list these people as authors on her own thesis. To graduate, you have to rely on your own abilities. If you're not capable enough, your advisor can help a little, but not too much. If that still doesn't work, then you can postpone your graduation and wait to drop out.
"I haven't forgotten," Ding Wenbo said.
"Alright, let's go do the experiment," Song Fenglan said.
Because of the New Year's Eve dinner incident, Li Hui was still sulking, feeling that Guo Peng didn't value her enough. Even after Guo Peng bought her a gift, Li Hui remained unhappy.
Li Hui loved to dance, and when she met a young man who could play the flute and other musical instruments, she became very close to him. She didn't pay any attention to what others said.
“There are so many people, it’s not just him and me,” Li Hui said. She was dancing and chatting with people in the square inside the residential compound, not bringing him home.
Li Hui didn't pay attention to boundaries. She thought that since Guo Peng had long hair and smelled of other women, she could also get closer to other men. After all, it couldn't be Guo Peng who betrayed her. Li Hui found a reason for herself, even though it wasn't a very valid one.
Someone spoke to Guo's mother about Li Hui, but Guo's mother didn't take it to heart. She couldn't speak ill of Li Hui outside, for fear of upsetting Li Hui and Guo Peng.
Guo's father has already returned to his hometown; he needs to prepare for farming and other matters. Fan Yani and the others asked him to stay in Nancheng a little longer, but he declined.
When the store was quiet, Guo's mother talked to Fan Yani about Li Hui.
"I wonder if your older brother knows," Guo's mother sighed.
“They live so close, and my brother works for the grain bureau. They must know a lot of gossip.” Fan Yani’s implication was that Guo Peng likely knew these things, but Guo Peng didn’t question Li Hui about it.
What's there to question? Li Hui can't have children; she couldn't possibly have a child with another man. Without being caught in the act, Li Hui can simply deny it and even turn the tables.
“My brother often has to work and work night shifts, so he doesn’t have time to be with my sister-in-law all the time,” Fan Yani said. She wasn’t making excuses for Li Hui; the people from the grain bureau had to transport grain and had all sorts of other things to do.
Fan Yani dislikes Li Hui. Li Hui doesn't know how to take care of her adopted daughter and is so heartless towards her in-laws. If the Guo family had made things difficult for Li Hui and she hadn't been nice to them, that would have been one thing. The key point is that the Guo family has already been very good to Li Hui, but it's Li Hui who doesn't want them to come to her house.
"If they continue like this..." Guo's mother sighed again. She didn't know what would become of her eldest son and daughter-in-law.
"What's wrong with that?" Fan Yani said. "Everyone makes mistakes. Big brother likes sister-in-law so much..."
Fan Yani didn't even want to talk about it anymore; Guo Peng's tolerance for Li Hui was exceptionally high.
Guo's mother had to admit that Fan Yani was telling the truth; her son was deeply in love with Li Hui. Every time she thought of Li Hui, she wished Guo Peng had married Fan Yani instead. If Guo Peng had married Fan Yani, and then Niu Cuihua and her husband had opened the shop, it would have been perfect.
Unfortunately, Guo Peng married Li Hui, and everything started to go in a bad direction.
“My brother knows a lot of people, and they’re bound to say something,” Fan Yani said. “It’s not that he doesn’t know, he’s just pretending not to. Sometimes, it’s better for a couple not to know too much. Knowing too much can hurt feelings.”
"..." Guo's mother gently shook her head. She really had no way to talk to her eldest son.
“Mom, you don’t need to worry about them. They’ll find their own excuses,” Fan Yani said. “Life has to go on.”
“We have to keep going,” Guo’s mother said.
"Boss, I'd like to buy some cookies." A customer has arrived.
Fan Yani quickly went to weigh the cookies for the guests. Her cookies were delicious, and she also added some dried fruit.
"How many?" Fan Yani asked.
"Half a pound, please," the customer said. "And half a pound of this cake too."
“Okay, I’ll weigh it for you right away,” Fan Yani said. “It’s a generous amount.”
"I love buying from you. The portions are generous and the taste is great," the customer said. When she went to buy from other places, they didn't give her the correct weight, and the pastries there didn't taste very good, which made her feel bad and that she was wasting her money. She felt that the things from Fan Yani's place were much better.
Everyone who lives nearby knows that Fan Yani is a down-to-earth person, and also knows that Niu Cuihua's shop has good food, good noodles, good wontons, and good stew.
"Here you go." Fan Yani handed the weighed items to the customer, gave him change, and then turned to Guo's mother, "Mom, are your clothes old? They don't look very warm."
"No need to buy!" Guo's mother saw through Fan Yani's thoughts. "These clothes are still wearable. The weather is getting warmer, and we can't buy new clothes at this time."
“It’s easier to buy clothes when the seasons change, and they’re cheaper then,” Fan Yani said. “It’s not just you; the kids need clothes too, especially larger ones. If you buy them when they’re cheaper, they can all wear them when the season comes.”
Whether or not Li Hui and her husband buy clothes for the elderly is their business. Fan Yani never interferes in Li Hui and her husband's affairs; what does it have to do with her what other people's business is?
Guo Peng knew that Li Hui was getting close to other men. He asked her about it, and Li Hui just said it was about dancing, saying that with so many people around, she couldn't possibly be with other men in broad daylight. They were just ordinary friends, singing and dancing together; music and dance are inherently mutually reinforcing.
Li Hui had various reasons, and nothing Guo Peng said mattered. Li Hui wouldn't listen to Guo Peng, and Guo Peng wouldn't threaten her with divorce. If Guo Peng asked a few more questions, Li Hui would say that Guo Peng was seeing other women, and that it was Guo Peng's problem, not hers.
To avoid arguing with his wife, Guo Peng tried to say as few words as possible.
At the research institute, Duan Yue was also there with his mentor, and he would sometimes run into Song Fenglan. Song Fenglan would stride straight over in a flurry, accompanied by other people. Seeing how imposing Song Fenglan was, Duan Yue didn't dare to approach her.
Seeing Duan Yue's actions, Ding Wenbo found it laughable. Why was Duan Yue so guilty? Ding Wenbo thought his mentor would never pay attention to Duan Yue; who was Duan Yue anyway? Some people just like to create drama, thinking others will notice them or remember them.
Actually, no. Song Fenglan didn't ask why the agreed-upon two graduate students became one, nor did she ask the names of the students who didn't want her as their advisor. Although Song Fenglan didn't ask, others mentioned it to her a few times, but Song Fenglan didn't take those words to heart.
Students and mentors choose each other, and each other's opinions should be respected.
Duan Yue's actions were seen not only by Ding Wenbo, but also by others. Someone asked Duan Yue: "Are you making way?"
The person who said this was relatively kind; they didn't speak ill of Duan Yue. A few others, knowing that Duan Yue had originally intended to be Song Fenglan's student, wondered: "Is he regretting it? Has he missed a great opportunity?"
Duan Yue couldn't admit that he had missed a great opportunity; if he did, it would be tantamount to offending his mentor. Others would think he was speaking ill of his mentor, implying that his mentor was inferior to Song Fenglan.
Regardless of his mentor's actual abilities, Duan Yue had already offended Song Fenglan, so he couldn't afford to offend his mentor as well.
Song Fenglan ignored Duan Yue's little tricks, and Ding Wenbo didn't specifically talk to Song Fenglan about it.
“There’s an exchange meeting in a couple of days, you should go too,” Song Fenglan said to Ding Wenbo.
"Okay," Ding Wenbo replied, willing to broaden his horizons.
Song Fenglan went home, and Qin Zihang was about to say goodbye to his friends, who were the children of the neighborhood. Qin Zihang's school was some distance from his home, and he usually played with his friends at school, and then played with another group of friends after returning home.
"Come visit my house another day," Qin Zihang waved to them.
"Goodbye Zihang, goodbye Auntie." When the children saw Song Fenglan, they still knew to greet her.
"Goodbye." Song Fenglan smiled and waved to the children.
Song Fenglan didn't even need to find Qin Zihang any friends; Qin Zihang knew to find friends to play with on his own.
"Have you done your homework?" Song Fenglan asked.
“We did it, we did it together,” Qin Zihang said. “We only played after we finished our homework.”
"Not bad, at least you know how to do your homework together, as long as you don't just copy each other," Song Fenglan said.
"I don't copy homework, and I won't let others copy my homework either," Qin Zihang said. "Copying homework will only lead to trouble. If you don't do your own homework, all you do is copy. What will you do when you can't copy anymore? Mom, I know what I'm doing."
Qin Zihang acted like a little adult, and Song Fenglan thought that the child was indeed much more sensible.
"Mom, they asked me what my birthday is and whether I wanted to invite them to cake," Qin Zihang said. "They also invited me to their birthday parties."
“Your birthday is in May,” Song Fenglan said. “It’s not here yet, but time flies. You can tell them that you’ll invite them over for cake on your birthday.”
"Mom, will you be working overtime?" Qin Zihang asked.
“That’s not necessarily true,” Song Fenglan said. “If Mom works overtime, there’s Dad. If Dad works overtime too, there are Grandpa and Grandma. There are so many people here, so don’t worry. Someone will arrange everything properly. Mom will remember and write it on the calendar in advance and tell Grandpa and Grandma, so you don’t have to worry about Mom forgetting.”
"Mom will never forget," Qin Zihang said. His mother always made him all sorts of delicious food for his birthday.
Tang Lu stayed in Nancheng after graduating from school; she didn't even return to the capital. She didn't come back for the Spring Festival, spending it alone in Nancheng.
Tang Lu was determined not to get involved in the Tang family's affairs, not wanting to become a selfish person herself. Tang Lu didn't care about what her biological mother had; her mother could give it to whomever she wanted. It was her mother's property, and her mother had the right to decide how to handle it.
Tang's father wanted to control Tang Lu and wanted her to come back, even for a holiday, but Tang Lu refused. This infuriated her father; he was angry but helpless. He couldn't very well prevent Tang Lu from working in Nancheng. If he did, Tang Lu would find it difficult to find a good job even if she returned to the capital.
"Don't sigh." Mrs. Tang peeled an orange and handed it to Mr. Tang.
"Is the South City really that good?" Tang's father asked.
“The southern part of the city is close to the southern end, so there must be a lot of conflict there,” said Mrs. Tang.
There are many countries to the south, and those countries will take the initiative to provoke us.
The country is divided into several war zones, and the situation is different in each war zone.
It wasn't that Tang's mother didn't want Tang Lu to come back, but the current situation was such that Tang Lu couldn't possibly return.
“They’re all excuses,” Mr. Tang said. “So many people want to come back.”
“She… even if she comes back, she might not be able to,” Mrs. Tang said. “Her job situation depends on the higher-ups; it’s not something she can decide on her own. Don’t be so angry. When she’s successful, she’ll find a way to come back. Just like with the Song family…”
Mrs. Tang originally wanted to mention Song Fenglan, but ultimately decided against it. She didn't want to be summoned for questioning; that wasn't a glorious thing. Mrs. Tang wanted the Tang family to regain its former glory, but that was impossible right now. Mr. Tang was unlikely to get a promotion, and the other family members' jobs weren't exactly stellar either.
"Is your factory still hiring?" Mrs. Tang asked.
“It’s not my responsibility,” said Mr. Tang. He wanted to take charge, but others wouldn’t let him.
"I also want to ask you if my nephew can go in." Tang's mother wanted to seek benefits for her family.
“I can’t get in,” Mr. Tang said. “It might have been okay a few years ago. But now, I can’t manage it. Those people don’t let me handle these things; they just make me do some trivial logistical work.”
Mr. Tang suspected that those people were deliberately targeting him. After his promotion, he had indeed made things difficult for others, so it was perfectly normal for them to make things difficult for him now. Mr. Tang didn't want to be made things difficult by others, so he could only try to speak less.
Now, getting into the factory either requires an exam, or the relevant departments assign workers. Tang's father can't make the decisions. Even if there's an exam, there's still the issue of "cronyism," but he's no longer the deputy factory manager and isn't in charge of recruitment. If he were in charge of recruitment, he could probably pull some strings.
"That's why I said your ex-wife and those people are too heartless; none of them would lend you a hand," Mrs. Tang said. "If..."
Seeing that Mr. Tang's expression was not good, Mrs. Tang did not ask any further questions. Mrs. Tang's family wanted her to help her nephew, since state-owned factories were more stable.
In the past, Tang's mother had helped her own family quite a bit, thinking that since she had no children of her own, she might still have to rely on her family for support in the future. As for Tang's father's children, they were unlikely to be very filial to Tang's mother. When Tang's mother married into the family, the youngest, Tang Lu, already had memories of her. They knew who their biological mother was and were very resistant to Tang's mother.
If it weren't for Aunt Song's family background, which would have made those children afraid of being implicated, Tang's mother probably wouldn't have been able to enter this door.
Not only was Tang's mother worried about her family's jobs, but Jiang's wife and her husband were also concerned about employment. Jiang's second brother actually listened to Aunt Yu's advice and went to sell stinky tofu. However, the smell of stinky tofu wasn't very pleasant, and Jiang's wife disliked the smell on her second brother. She wanted him to sell something else, but other things weren't as easy to sell.
To this day, Jiang Ersao still hasn't found a suitable job. She's thinking about becoming a primary school teacher, but the schools won't hire her. Jiang Ersao only completed junior high school, and so many years have passed. She wasn't originally from the capital; she came with her brother. The nearby primary school didn't want her and told her to look for other work.
Many people go through junior high school, and even more want to become teachers, but not everyone can become a teacher.
Jiang Ersao didn't have a job and didn't earn much money. They needed money for food, drink, and basic necessities in the capital, so they were always short of cash.
Aunt Yu used to teach Jiang Erge how to prepare ingredients, so she doesn't need to teach him much anymore. Aunt Yu doesn't work. She learned piano in her younger years, but since there was no piano at home, she only played at Song's mother's place. Aunt Yu has done housework for so many years, and she never thought about opening a piano class to teach students. She's too old and hasn't played the piano much. She's afraid that if she were to teach students now, she wouldn't be able to do a good job.
After the family split up, Aunt Yu looked at her second son's family and wanted to help, but she was afraid that they would become dependent on her and she wouldn't be able to help them for long.
Aunt Yu didn't want to say much in front of others, but she did say a few words to Song's mother. Aunt Yu didn't want Song's mother to help her second son and his wife; she simply wanted her younger sister to confide in her.
"If all else fails, have your second daughter-in-law do some odd jobs." Song's mother asked Aunt Tao to pour Aunt Yu a glass of milk.
With a large family, we keep extra milk on hand, as it's good for kids. Our fruit juice is also freshly squeezed, so we don't have to worry about store-bought juice being made from rotten fruit.
The Song family lived a very good life. Song's mother knew that Aunt Yu had a hard life, but Aunt Yu had also helped Jiang Erge and his wife a lot.
“She refused to paste matchboxes,” Aunt Yu said. “I told her that at least she could earn some money, but she said it was too tiring and bad for her fingers. Didn’t she experience hardship when she was in the countryside? Now that she’s back in the city, she’s thinking about being a pampered lady.”
Aunt Yu had many grievances against Jiang Ersao, but she didn't dare to say them in front of Jiang Ersao or Old Madam Jiang. She only mentioned them to Song's mother.
“It’s good that the family has separated now. If they hadn’t, the eldest son and his wife would have had complaints,” Aunt Yu said. “We just do odd jobs at home, don’t we? We do whatever work is available. There’s no need to be so particular. She wanted to be a primary school teacher but couldn’t, and now she’s asking me to help her. Where am I supposed to find a solution for her?”
"It is difficult," said Song's mother. "Eat an apple."
When Song Fenglan brought Qin Zihang to visit her mother, they happened to see Aunt Yu.
“Auntie,” Song Fenglan said.
"Auntie," Qin Zihang called out.
"You've arrived," Aunt Yu said.
"It's a holiday today, so let Zihang come over to play," Song Fenglan said with a smile, "and have lunch with him."
"I'm going to find my brother to play," Qin Zihang asked. "Is my brother home?"
“He’s in his room. Go find him,” said Song’s mother.
Qin Zihang went upstairs, while Song Fenglan sat in the living room.
After Song Fenglan sat down, she looked at her mother and aunt and asked, "Are you having a private conversation? Can I sit here?"
"Sit down, sit down. I'll tell your mother about your second cousin's wife." Aunt Yu sighed. "She was a sent-down youth. She could endure hardship in the countryside, but now that she's in the capital, she can't. She doesn't even want to do odd jobs."
Song Fenglan thought to herself that it wasn't that her second cousin-in-law was unwilling; rather, it was that her second cousin-in-law wanted to use this opportunity to force her aunt to help her find a stable job. Many educated youth who had gone to the countryside returned without work, and even temporary jobs were highly sought after; even street sweeping jobs were in high demand.
Even if you don't have money, you still have to work to stay.
If you have no job, no money, and are disliked by everyone, then you're doomed.
"Didn't she go out to look for a job?" Song Fenglan picked up a pastry from the coffee table and ate it.
"I looked, but couldn't find anything suitable. It has to be easy and pay well," Aunt Yu said. "Such a good job, everyone else would have taken it long ago, how could she possibly get it? The restaurant closed down, so your second cousin is selling stinky tofu. Stinky tofu doesn't need that much space, so he moved to a smaller shop, and the original shop was sublet."
"It's not a big deal. My second cousin earns enough to support the family, so we can make ends meet."
Song Fenglan did not offer to help Jiang Ersao.
Jiang Ersao had a bad temper, and Song Fenglan didn't want to get herself into trouble. There were many ways to repay Aunt Yu; there was no need to introduce her to a job.
"That's the only way to put it," Aunt Yu said. "There are so many children, and they all need to go to school, so the expenses are huge."
“Education costs a lot of money,” Song Fenglan said. “It’s okay if he doesn’t attend extracurricular classes, but if he learns other things, it will cost a lot more. Zihang has been learning piano, but he’s not very good at it. It’s mainly for cultivating his temperament. Buying a piano costs money, and hiring a teacher costs money too. And this is just for raising one child. If you raise several, it will cost even more.”
“You have money, so you don’t need to worry about not having enough to raise your children,” Aunt Yu said. “You can afford to have several more.”
“It’s not a question of whether we can afford to raise them, it’s about raising children. You have to take good care of them. You can’t just have a child and then abandon them,” Song Fenglan said.
A few days ago, Fatty called Song Fenglan, saying that the child Guo Peng and his wife had adopted was still at Fan Yani's house, and Guo's mother was still taking care of the child. Guo Peng and his wife had no intention of taking the child back; they were acting as if the child didn't exist.
Song Fenglan figured that since the child wasn't Guo Peng and his wife's biological child, they naturally wouldn't care much about it.
“Your second cousin’s wife has a lot of children,” Aunt Yu said. “If she stayed home and took care of the children peacefully, she wouldn’t have anything to do even if she didn’t work. But she… doesn’t take good care of the children and is thinking about work. Ultimately, she’s anxious because she doesn’t have any money. After a while, she’ll calm down. That’s just how our family is. She can’t have more than she wants. People have to face reality.”
Aunt Yu believed that Sister-in-law Jiang was only trying to get more things because they had the Song family as relatives.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, when Jiang Ersao saw that Jiang Yufei was being treated coldly by the Song family and that Jiang Yufei had to smile apologetically, Jiang Ersao dared not ask the Song family for help anymore.
Jiang Ersao realized that the Song family had separated Aunt Yu from the Jiang family, and that the Song family did not intend to give them any face.
“It all takes time. She hasn’t been in the countryside for long, so it’s easy for her to get carried away,” Aunt Yu said. “She was a sent-down youth, not originally from the countryside, but she’s still not as good as those from the capital.”
Aunt Yu thought that since Sister-in-law Song was a country woman, she was also not used to city life, so Aunt Yu wanted to talk to Sister-in-law Song about it. Sister-in-law Song behaved very well, and Sister-in-law Song did not say anything bad about her.
Jiang Ersao is already so old; the important thing is still her own performance. The Song family is better off, with more possessions, because they're worried their children might go astray. The Jiang family, on the other hand, has fewer things, and they're afraid Jiang Ersao and her children will end up comparing themselves to others. But there's no easy way to compare; it's impossible to compare.
“It’s not as good as the capital. The capital is the central city of the country,” Song Fenglan said. “When I was in the southern part of the city, I felt that the capital was better.”
"Now that you're back in the capital, live a peaceful and stable life," Aunt Yu said. "From now on, you'll have a peaceful and stable life."
"It's about peace and stability." Song Fenglan nodded. She would definitely study fighter jets more and make their country's fighter jets even stronger. Only when the country is strong can it avoid being attacked.
Even with foreign support, a weak nation will eventually become prey for others. Initially, the country might feel supported by powerful nations and fight relentlessly, borrowing money to fight, resulting in countless deaths and injuries. But later, when negotiations begin, the country becomes the prey, not the one sitting at the table—less than a dog. Begging everywhere is useless; others will only say they're crazy, that they've run out of options, and that the terms offered by the powerful nations are already very favorable, and they should just give in.
In her past life, Song Fenglan didn't frequently watch military channels, but she certainly checked out the trending topics. For single people, reading the news helps prevent becoming disconnected from society.
Song Fenglan didn't discuss the international situation with her family; she didn't know much about it anyway. All she knew was that backwardness meant vulnerability to attack. As a researcher, she only needed to focus on her own work and didn't need to worry about anything else; she wasn't a military commander.
"Before, the second son's family wanted your help, but when they saw Yufei during the meal on the second day of the Lunar New Year... they didn't say anything." Aunt Yu said bluntly, "They can still make a living, let them make a living on their own."
“Auntie, you don’t need to worry too much,” Song Fenglan said. “Life will always find a way out.”
“Yes, they will find their own way out.” Aunt Yu agreed with what Song Fenglan said, “but we can’t be too soft-hearted.”
Aunt Yu didn't want to face her daughter-in-law all the time, and the eldest daughter-in-law's family knew what kind of person she was, so they didn't say much now. Sister-in-law Jiang understood that Aunt Yu was no longer at the bottom of the family; she had her family backing her up. Sister-in-law Jiang's attitude towards Aunt Yu improved a lot. When Sister-in-law Jiang cooked something delicious, she would invite Aunt Yu to eat it instead of secretly hiding it away.
The Song family provided a lot of food for Aunt Yu, and Sister-in-law Jiang's family ate quite a bit. Sister-in-law Jiang couldn't very well hide the food she prepared; that would make her seem too stingy and unseemly.
After the Jiang family's eldest and second branches separated, they cooked separately. Aunt Yu, being from the eldest branch, naturally helped with cooking, which caused some resentment from Jiang's second wife. Jiang's second wife felt that Aunt Yu wasn't helping the second branch much, and that she was favoring the eldest branch.
"I came out to see your mother and talk to her," Aunt Yu said. She didn't come over often.
Aunt Yu knew she wasn't as well off as her older sister, and she felt a little inferior. But from birth, she had always been inferior to her sister. Her sister was born to their father's first wife, whose family was well-off, while she was born to a concubine, whose family wasn't well-off.
From childhood, Aunt Yu witnessed how outstanding her older sister was, and she always felt she couldn't catch up. Eventually, she simply gave up trying; it was too exhausting.
"It's hard to keep these words inside," Aunt Yu said.
"It would be good if we could talk," Song Fenglan said.
“If you don’t care about those things, then don’t worry about them. Come and sit for a while,” said Song’s mother. “I don’t have a job right now, so I just look after the kids and have some fun. That’s all.”
It's not that no one comes to the house trying to curry favor with Song's mother, but she doesn't want to see them; it's just too pointless. When the Song family was in trouble, those people ran away incredibly fast, but now that the Song family has prospered again, they're all coming back.
Mother Song understood why Aunt Song stayed at home. Staying at home meant fewer worries, which was fine. It was just that the Tang family was always looking for Aunt Song; they desperately wanted what she had.
As long as Aunt Song is still alive, the Tang family will never give up.
“You’ve worked so hard for so many years, you deserve a good rest,” said Song’s mother.
"I still do some work when there's something to do," Aunt Yu said. "When you get old, there are many expenses, so you have to save some money. You can't always rely on your children for it; you can't depend on them."
Aunt Yu envied Song's mother. Song's mother's children were all very successful and filial, and they didn't require any worry from her. Looking at her own children, she felt she had to worry about them all, and she wished she could tear a piece of her flesh off her.
At noon, Aunt Yu stayed at the Song family's house for lunch, and Song's mother told Aunt Yu to eat more.
Instead of giving Aunt Yu more money, Song's mother decided to let her eat more, as that was more practical.
Aunt Yu went back home, but Song Fenglan is still at the Song family home.
"Your aunt has had a tough time." Song's mother and daughter Song Fenglan chatted in the room. "With such a large family, what your aunt has will eventually be taken away by them."
“Auntie can’t really ignore them,” Song Fenglan said. “If someone told me not to care about my son, I couldn’t do it either. So I still have to make sure Zihang grows up well, and doesn’t go astray. If he does, my heart can’t bear it.”
Some people are very well-behaved and sensible when they are young, but as they grow older and gain more experience, they become less sensible. They learn to be petty and calculating, even scheming against their own relatives.
"Auntie, don't worry about your retirement. If things really don't work out, I'll pay for her retirement." Aunt Yu had helped Song Fenglan so much, and even though the Song family had given her money, in those days, money wasn't everything, so Song Fenglan was still very grateful to Aunt Yu.
"Don't tell your aunt. She doesn't come over often because she doesn't want us to know too much," said Song's mother. "She doesn't want our sympathy or our help."
Song's mother knew how strong Aunt Yu's pride was; they were sisters, half-sisters. Aunt Yu spoke those words to Song's mother because she respected her as her older sister and didn't intend to keep things to herself.
“They have so many mouths to feed, it’s good that their house is big enough that they have a place to live,” said Song’s mother. “What I’m worried about is that they won’t have a place to live and will have to rent a place. With so many people, renting a place will cost a lot of money.”
"Why did my aunt marry into the Jiang family?" Song Fenglan asked, puzzled.
"In that era of war, the Jiang family was considered relatively well-off," said Song's mother. "Your aunt originally had a fiancé, but they were separated. Later, I heard from others that..."
The fiancé is dead. How can one marry when the person is not alive? Even if they were alive, if they were separated, how many people can reunite?
During the war, Song's mother's family donated money to buy medicine for the army, and some even sacrificed their lives for it. In those special times, it was impossible to talk about such things. People only saw that your family was rich, very rich, and most people didn't think about the sacrifices made by others.
"Choose the tallest among the short," said Song's mother. "The most important thing is to stay alive."
Song Fenglan fell silent. If she had lived in that era, she feared she would have had a much harder time surviving. Perhaps, in order to stay alive, Song Fenglan would have made the same choice as Aunt Yu. Only by living can one accomplish more; without living, everything is meaningless.
As evening approached, Song Fenglan planned to take Qin Zihang back home. Qin Zihang had a great time at the Song family home and even said he wanted to sleep with his cousin.
"Should I have your cousin cover you with a blanket at night?" Song Fenglan raised an eyebrow.
“I won’t kick off the blankets,” Qin Zihang said. “My brother and I can each have a blanket, and we can roll them up so we don’t have to worry about not having blankets to cover ourselves.”
"Let him sleep here," Song's mother said with a smile. "Isn't it good that the two brothers are having fun? Or are you worried they'll fight at night?"
"No, it's not..."
"Then let him sleep here," said Song's mother. "Whether our Hangbao sleeps with his brother or alone is fine, no problem."
The Song family had many rooms, and since Song Erge and Cao Fang lived in another house, there were even more empty rooms.
“Alright, let him stay here,” Song Fenglan said. “I’ll go back myself.”
Song Fenglan took a few steps, turned around, and glanced back. Qin Zihang was looking at his brother. If it were before, Qin Zihang would definitely have said: "Mom, Mom, I'll go back with you. Wait for me, don't go, wait for me."
Now that Qin Zihang is older, he's not as clingy to Song Fenglan as he used to be.
Forget it, forget it. The son is my own flesh and blood, and the mother is my own flesh and blood. Let the son stay with his mother.
“Mom has gone back,” Song Fenglan said again.
"Mom, be careful on the road," Qin Zihang said. "Don't worry, I won't go back alone. Even if I do go back alone, I won't be tricked by human traffickers on the road."
“Don’t think you’re immune to being abducted just because you’re that age. Be careful,” Song Fenglan said.
When Song Fenglan returned, she saw that Qin Yizhou's arm was wrapped in white gauze. "What happened?"
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