Unable to endure the hardships of rural life, she returned home to arrange a marriage with a militar

"Hello, Chen Jianhua. I've heard my husband mention Xiao Gu's new wife several times before, and I've been wanting to find an opportunity to visit her. How is she? Is she settling into life in the family compound?"

Chen Jianhua greeted Shu Yun with a smile. She wore a white shirt and black straight-leg pants, looking simple and capable.

Hu Lantou has fair skin, almond-shaped eyes, and deep nasolabial folds on both sides of her cheeks when she is not smiling. She looks serious and unapproachable, but when she smiles, the folds smooth out, making her look more friendly. Even the fine crow's feet at the corners of her eyes make her look much more peaceful and approachable.

Shu Yun smiled and shook hands with her, "Hello, sister-in-law, do you know me?"

Chen Jianhua chuckled mischievously, "How could I not recognize you? I've heard your name, even if I've never met you in person. Your Xiao Gu went to great lengths to marry you. I was always curious about what kind of person could make Xiao Gu settle down, but now that I've met you, it's no surprise. If I were a man, I might even try to steal you away from Xiao Gu. Who would you choose then?"

Shu Yun was a little overwhelmed, and her face turned red several times that morning. The group of military wives who were watching the fun all laughed out loud. Shu Yun could only laugh along. She found that everyone liked to joke about her, probably because they could tell that she was thin-skinned.

She fanned herself with her hand, trying to steer the conversation back to a more serious tone, "I haven't thanked my sister-in-law for the porridge she gave me this morning; it was delicious."

Chen Jianhua waved his hand, “Your fried dough sticks are also very good. My son wanted more after eating them. He wanted me to fry some for him all morning. If I didn’t make them, he would throw a tantrum and ask for salted duck eggs. He was jumping around like a mud monkey early in the morning. I had a headache. I gave him a meal of bamboo shoots and pork and he behaved.”

Bamboo shoots stir-fried with pork? Shu Yun blinked, and it took her a while to realize what it meant. She sighed for poor Tie Niu, who was destined to get a beating from his mother, not even for a day less.

Those traveling with her were deeply moved upon hearing this. Apart from Shu Yun, everyone in the group had been married for many years and had more than one child. Take Chen Jianhua, for example; Tie Niu was her third child, her eldest son had been sent to the countryside as an educated youth, and her second daughter had graduated and been assigned a job last year.

Therefore, every mother has a deep understanding of what it means to have a naughty child. In their view, it's just a matter of getting an itch in the bottom, and a spanking will make them behave. If they don't learn their lesson after one spanking, they'll spank them again. There's always a time when they'll be disciplined by beating.

"Dr. Chen, are we going out?"

Chen Jianhua nodded to the person who came in, and Tian Xiufen leaned closer to her, "You didn't expect that, did you? Our sister-in-law Jianhua is an internist at the hospital. If you have any headaches or colds, you can always go to her."

Shu Yun nodded. She hadn't overlooked that Chen Jianhua had a characteristic that almost all doctors share: fair skin!

The group chatted and laughed as they arrived at Jinshui Village. Along the way, Shu Yun learned the origin of the village's name.

Originally, Jinshui Village was called Jintian Village. The village chief back then was educated and knew that the Taiping Rebellion had taken place in Jintian Village, which shared the same name as their village. The village chief felt that the name had a bad connotation, so he applied to change the village name. Coincidentally, there was a mother river running through the village, which had nurtured generations of villagers, so the fields were changed to water, which was quite fitting.

It wasn't lunchtime yet, and the villagers should have been working in the fields. But when the group passed by, the fields were empty, with only a few scattered farm tools and no one in sight. "They must have gone fishing. We need to hurry."

When they arrived at the riverbank, it was indeed very lively, with a large crowd of people. Shu Yun looked at them and saw that it seemed to be the entire village, young and old, all of them. The village leader was directing the able-bodied men to fish, while the women behind them carried buckets and took over. A group of children were playing and laughing nearby.

Although there were many fish, the entire river belonged to the collective, including the fish. Anyone who stole fish and took them home would be violating the collective's property. Therefore, everyone had no selfish motives and carried out the fishing work in an orderly manner according to the captain's instructions.

When Shu Yun and the others arrived, the fishing work was already coming to an end. The brigade leader clapped his hands and said loudly, "Alright, now move the fish to the brigade headquarters. Men, you're in charge of carrying them. Women, go home and get your own buckets. We'll distribute the fish at the brigade headquarters later. Each production team leader is in charge of their team. Don't fight over the fish. Everyone gets some."

Upon hearing this, the whole audience cheered, and everyone's faces were filled with joyful smiles, making it even more lively than the Chinese New Year.

Each household received fish according to their contribution and family composition. If someone wanted more fish, they could buy them from the brigade or use their share to offset the cost. Everyone received their share and left laughing and joking.

Shu Yun's arm was tugged, and Tian Xiufen said, "Come with me later, we're going to exchange the fish."

Since they weren't part of the village, they naturally didn't get any fish. However, some families had more fish, so they could exchange them with them. Tian Xiufen would come here every few months to exchange for agricultural products, such as free-range eggs, cabbage, and carrots. She had built good relationships with many villagers. Shu Yun nodded, picked up her empty bucket, and followed the people.

They arrived at a house with blue bricks and tiles. In the yard, there were several plump hens and two goats. A large yellow dog was tied with a rope under a big tree at the door. Compared with the mud-brick houses of most other villagers, it was much more impressive, and the family was well-off.

Tian Xiufen knocked on the door and called out. There was no one home, as there was no response for a while. Tian Xiufen and Shu Yun stood at the door waiting, and Tian Xiufen then introduced the family to her.

"This family's surname is Han. It's just an elderly couple living there. Their daughter married far away and doesn't live in the area, while their son works and has settled down in the city. Although their children aren't around, they are both very filial and give the elderly couple money every month. So, their family isn't poor, and they usually don't lack meat to eat. If you ask them to exchange, they'll definitely agree."

Shu Yun nodded to indicate that she understood. She stood to the side and looked around. Coincidentally, her eyes met those of the big yellow dog, which had just woken up. The big yellow dog stood up, bared its teeth, arched its back, and let out a howling warning growl.

Seeing that Shu Yun was still standing there, it kept circling around, barking fiercely, and baring its teeth as if it wanted to run towards Shu Yun. However, it could not get close because of the rope around its neck. It could only pull the rope very taut. Shu Yun suspected that if it were not tied by the rope, it would pounce on her.

Tian Xiufen pulled Shu Yun behind her, "You don't need to be afraid of it. This guy is just like a paper tiger, it'll break if you poke it. Don't be fooled by its fierce appearance now, it's just taking advantage of your weakness. If you put on a stern face, it will be so scared that it will tuck its tail between its legs."

As Tian Xiufen spoke, she shouted even louder at the big yellow dog. The big yellow dog was indeed frightened and whimpered a few times before slowly retreating behind a tree, only turning its rear end towards Shu Yun and the other person.

Tian Xiufen grinned at Shu Yun, who covered her mouth and chuckled. Well, she's so fat, but she's so timid.