"Here we are."
Qin Nian naturally recognized Professor Wen's voice and quickly wiped away her tears with her hand.
She felt quite embarrassed about crying in her mother-in-law's arms just now. She was supposed to be the comforter but ended up being comforted instead.
"Auntie, I'm Qin Nian's teacher's wife, and this is Qin Nian's teacher."
Professor Wen said gently, while his eyes subtly observed Yang Yufen's expression.
"Come in, come in quickly."
Yang Yufen opened the door wide.
"You've come just in time. Help me cheer up that girl, Qin Nian. I'll go and make something for her to eat."
Yang Yufen led them to the front of the main room, lifted the straw curtain to block the wind and let the two of them in. Then she turned around and went to the kitchen.
"Teacher, Teacher's wife, why have you come?"
Qin Nian started to pour hot water for them.
"The army called us. We've come to see you. Does your mother-in-law live in this main room?"
Professor Wen immediately noticed the part separated by the curtain in the main room.
"Yes."
Qin Nian nodded.
"Let's go to your room."
Professor Wen motioned for her husband to stay outside and led Qin Nian away.
The two of them sat on the edge of the bed and gently closed the door.
"Niannian, it's the teacher's wife who's sorry for you in this matter. If you have any thoughts, tell the teacher's wife, and I'll definitely find a way for you."
Professor Wen got straight to the point.
"No, it's not the teacher's wife's fault. I've already discussed it with my mother-in-law. She'll stay with me and help me take care of the child."
"What about your job? You know it's not easy to raise a child alone. If, if Shen Xianjun doesn't come back, won't your mother-in-law really blame you after a long time?"
Professor Wen said earnestly.
"My mother-in-law said she won't stop me from working. Besides, I'm in charge of the data part. I can handle it."
"What about your mother-in-law?"
Professor Wen thought Qin Nian was too naive.
"My mother-in-law is very nice. Teacher's wife, don't worry. I won't be over - ambitious. And since I'm already married, it's a military marriage. I never thought about remarrying. This is just fine. My salary is enough to support the child and my mother-in-law."
Dean Hu, who had been listening outside for a while, got up and went to the kitchen.
"Qin Nian's teacher, the kitchen is in a mess. It'll be ready soon."
Yang Yufen was making brown sugar egg water. Although the bowl was clean, she washed it again before using it.
"Qin Nian's mother-in-law,"
"I know what you're going to say, Dean Hu. I won't stop Qin Nian from working. Whether it's my son or Qin Nian, they're both making contributions to the country. I just need to be a good support for them. You can rest assured. Qin Nian is a good girl. I know that very well."
Yang Yufen interrupted what Dean Hu was going to say.
Dean Hu was a person of wide experience. Meeting Yang Yufen's gaze, she believed what Yang Yufen said.
If things were really as Yang Yufen said, it was actually a good thing. Moreover, as long as Qin Nian was in the research institute, they could take care of her. Thinking like this, she no longer felt sad. Instead, she began to feel a bit guilty towards Yang Yufen.
"Please take the egg tea to them, Dean Hu. I still have to go to the back yard to feed the chickens."
Yang Yufen placed three bowls of egg tea on a wooden board serving as a tray and then really went to the backyard to get busy.
Inside the room, the two women who were talking stopped their conversation instinctively and looked over when they heard the sound of the door being pushed open. They saw Dean Hu coming in with the egg tea in his hands.
"Have some. Qin Nian's mother-in-law has gone to feed the chickens. Actually, Qin Nian is right under our noses. We just need to take good care of her."
Seeing the egg tea, Professor Wen suddenly relaxed.
"Indeed. Drink it while it's hot. What did the doctor say about your health?"
Professor Wen picked up a bowl and handed it to Qin Nian, asking.
"The doctor said I'm in good health and there's no problem. I had my blood drawn for tests, and my mother-in-law was still worried, so she took me to see an old traditional Chinese medicine doctor for a pulse check."
"That's good."
"Shall I give you a few more days off?"
Dean Hu thought for a moment.
Qin Nian quickly shook her head. "No need. Keeping busy is good. Since I'm in good health now, I might be able to finish all the data before the baby is born."
"Don't push yourself too hard."
Professor Wen added, and Qin Nian nodded.
"We came in a hurry this time and didn't bring anything for your mother-in-law. You're not in a condition to go out and walk around casually now. I'll come to see you tomorrow."
When Dean Hu and his wife left in a hurry, Yang Yufen forced a basket of vegetables on them.
On the way...
"I think Qin Nian's mother-in-law is a nice person."
Dean Hu said.
"Well, let's wait and see."
Professor Wen looked at the vegetable basket in his hand.
Here, Qin Nian showed firmness for the first time.
"Mom, take this money. From now on, I'll set aside a part of my monthly salary for household expenses. I'm afraid the military allowance won't last long."
Qin Nian had already prepared for the worst in her heart. If her husband really had an accident, she definitely wouldn't touch the pension, and she would take on the responsibility of supporting her mother-in-law.
"Okay, don't think too much. That boy has been naughty since childhood. He was full of energy even when he was sickly. Nothing will happen to him."
Yang Yufen said again and took the money.
The next day, Professor Wen came alone. Not only did she bring a can of malted milk and a can of milk powder, but she also brought a laying hen.
"This is so expensive."
Yang Yufen looked at the bag of things, which also included canned food.
"Qin Nian is pregnant and may have a craving for snacks. These are nutritious. This malted milk is suitable for people of our age, and this milk powder is for Qin Nian to nourish the fetus."
Hearing this, Yang Yufen didn't refuse anymore. Her daughter-in-law really needed to take good care of her body. She thought that when her chickens grew up, she would kill two during the Spring Festival and send them back to Professor Wen.
Yang Yufen made this plan in her mind and accepted the things.
Professor Wen still had work to do and left without even staying for a meal.
With one more laying hen, there would be enough eggs for her daughter-in-law to eat. Chickens laid fewer eggs in winter, even in the warm shed.
Yang Yufen went to return the tricycle. Aunt Wang took out some steamed sweet potatoes and invited Yang Yufen to eat them together.
"Don't worry too much. Children and grandchildren have their own good fortune. My son was also missing before, but then we found him, and now he's doing fine."
Apparently, Aunt Wang also knew about it.
"I'm okay. Compared to my son, I'm more worried that Qin Nian won't be able to bear the physical strain."
Yang Yufen was telling the truth. She took the sweet potato and started eating it. Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
"This sweet potato is so sweet. It must taste even better if it's roasted than steamed."
"It's sweet, but it's a bit watery. My son has planted several acres of them. You can't eat too many of these things. They're all stored in the cellar, and I don't know what to do with them."
"Give them to me! I mean, I'll buy them. My son's whereabouts are unknown. I can't just rely on Qin Nian to support the family. I'm still young and strong enough to work. Staying at home, I'd just be idle. I can finish those little chores in no time."
Yang Yufen was a bit excited. It was a pity that Political Commissar Zhao couldn't hear this. When asking for the allowance before, she had said that she was too old to work.
