Political Commissar Zhao looked at Shen Xianjun with reproach in his eyes.
"I agree, Mom, it's just a small matter..."
Shen Xianjun thought his mother was upset because he mentioned no longer sending his allowance home and wanted to explain, but Yang Yufen didn’t give him the chance.
"Commissar, you’ve heard it. With your testimony, I trust our troops. I won’t take up any more of your time."
After saying this, Yang Yufen hung up the phone, unwilling to listen to her son’s excuses.
Timing it carefully, she took out one yuan—phone calls were expensive, outrageously so.
Shen Xianjun rubbed his nose. Clearly, his mother was angry about his marriage. She had never interfered with his allowance before.
"A real man keeps his word. Since you’ve promised Aunt Yang, you must follow through. From now on, Comrade Qin Nian will collect your allowance on your behalf."
"Yes, sir!"
Shen Xianjun immediately saluted, a common practice in the military.
He had already planned to hand over his allowance to his wife after marriage—he’d just be the middleman. Now, even that step was unnecessary. His mother had taken care of everything.
"Captain, could you ask your nephew to buy me a train ticket to Beijing in seven days?"
Yang Yufen didn’t want to delay. Last time, she had rushed, but this time she allowed seven days to prepare. The grain at home was dried, and everything else could be sorted. She would bring it all to Beijing. Her daughter-in-law must have gotten pregnant right after the wedding, so her timing was perfect.
While phone calls could be made at the brigade office, telegrams had to be sent from the post office. She would send the telegram to her daughter-in-law on the day of departure.
Yang Yufen handed her keys to her close friend Miao Guixiang, then left carrying a shoulder pole and a bamboo basket.
Beijing
"I have an urgent mission. We’ll hold the wedding banquet when I return. My mother has a strong personality—she called and demanded a third of my allowance. Don’t take it to heart. It’s understandable she’s upset since we got married so suddenly without telling her."
Shen Xianjun was pleased with his new wife. She was gentle, cultured, and well-educated. If not for the high-ranking official’s introduction, he might never have married someone like her.
But he was no slouch either. In six years of service, he had earned multiple military honors. If not for his short time in the army, he wouldn’t still be just a platoon leader.
Qin Nian’s entire family had sacrificed themselves for the country. Though she had no living relatives, her background made her the perfect match for someone like him, who lacked deep roots.
"Understood. I have my own salary too. Be careful on your mission. I’ll stay at the research institute for now and move in after you return."
Qin Nian responded softly. Her husband had been raised single-handedly by his mother. If she wanted her son’s allowance, Qin Nian, as a newlywed daughter-in-law, had no grounds to object. Still, her husband’s repeated warnings about his mother’s strong personality made her worry about their future relationship.
Her work also meant she couldn’t revolve her life around her husband and household like other women. What if her mother-in-law disapproved...
Qin Nian shook off these thoughts, packed Shen Xianjun’s belongings, and saw him off before returning to her small courtyard at the institute.
Yes, despite being single before, her position had earned her a private courtyard. She disliked the newly built apartment buildings—too crowded.
After sending the telegram, Yang Yufen squeezed onto the train.
Qin Nian, having spent just over ten days as a newlywed before her husband left on duty, returned to her solitary routine, buried in work. When the telegram arrived, she was stunned.
Her mother-in-law was coming to Beijing—and was already on the train! But Shen Xianjun was away on a mission with no set return date. The telegram had been delivered directly to her institute, and by her calculations, her mother-in-law was arriving today!
"Dean, I need to request leave."
Qin Nian took the telegram to her mentor, Dean Hu of the research institute.
"Are you unwell?"
Dean Hu had been a classmate of Qin Nian’s mother.
"No, my husband’s mother is coming to Beijing. She sent a telegram—her train arrives today. I need to pick her up. Xianjun is away on duty."
"I see. I’ll grant you two days’ leave, but no more after this."
The dean spoke sternly.
"Understood. I’ll arrange everything as quickly as possible."
Qin Nian knew they were approaching a critical phase in their research, but she couldn’t neglect her mother-in-law either. Taking a deep breath, she rode her bicycle to the train station.
Yang Yufen stepped off the train and immediately spotted Qin Nian in the crowd.
Qin Nian’s heart raced. She had never met her mother-in-law, and her husband didn’t even have a photo of her. Worse, her mother-in-law was illiterate. Only upon arriving at the station did Qin Nian realize she had no way to identify her, leaving her flustered.
Yang Yufen strode forward with certainty. Qin Nian sensed something—when their eyes met, she knew this tall woman must be her mother-in-law. Her imposing stature was just like her husband’s.
Yang Yufen stood over 1.7 meters tall, a former member of the women’s militia. Now middle-aged but still robust from years of farm work, she took one look at her petite, delicate daughter-in-law and immediately started planning how to fatten her up.
"I’m your mother-in-law, Yang Yufen. You must be Nian Nian."
Qin Nian nodded quickly, then remembered to greet her properly.
"Mom."
"Mm. Lead the way."
Yang Yufen nodded, adjusting the load on her shoulder pole and gesturing for Qin Nian to guide her—even though she had been here once before.
"Um, Mom, let me help you?"
Qin Nian reached out, but Yang Yufen sidestepped her. Qin Nian bit her lip unconsciously.
"You can’t carry this. Just show me the way."
Used to hard labor, Yang Yufen didn’t find the load heavy, but she knew her frail, scholarly daughter-in-law wasn’t cut out for such work.
"Oh, okay."
Qin Nian withdrew her hand and walked ahead. The silence grew awkward, so she brought up her bicycle, realizing it couldn’t possibly carry both her mother-in-law and all her belongings.
"Xianjun is away on duty. I came by bicycle."
Her words came out stiff.
"Mm. Take me to the institute. Later, collect his allowance and give it to me. Show me to the bus stop—I’ll wait for you when we get off."
Yang Yufen’s tone wasn’t exactly warm, but it wasn’t hostile either. Qin Nian exhaled quietly in relief.
After seeing her mother-in-law onto the bus, Qin Nian pedaled hard to the next stop, where Yang Yufen was already waiting.
Fortunately, the bus went straight to the institute’s residential area. Pushing her bicycle, Qin Nian led Yang Yufen to her courtyard without much delay.
