"Alright, the data verification must be absolutely accurate. If you’re certain there are no issues, we’ll begin preparations today."
Dean Hu spoke with utmost seriousness.
Qin Nian nodded. They didn’t have access to large-scale electronic computing machines, so most of the experimental data still had to be verified manually.
Meanwhile, Yang Yufen, armed with plenty of ration coupons, went on a shopping spree, stocking up on daily necessities. She even managed to snag some meat with Aunt Liu’s help.
"We got here early—this premium pork belly is hard to come by."
Aunt Liu was thoroughly pleased with their haul and took Yang Yufen to several places afterward.
"Winters here are bitterly cold. This is the coal yard. Based on your daughter-in-law’s position, you’re allotted twenty-five kilograms of coal per month. You’ll use less in the summer, so you can save it for winter or exchange it for gas. But gas requires special canisters, and those need coupons too."
Yang Yufen nodded. Life here wasn’t like the countryside, where firewood was readily available. Still, she wondered if this coal ration would be enough. She’d have to ask her son later if he had any extra coal coupons.
Next, they stopped by the lumberyard. Wooden planks didn’t require coupons, and there were even pre-made solid wood beds for sale. But Yang Yufen was careful with her money, so she only bought some planks, wooden beams, and a few scraps of wood, along with four stools. She arranged for them to be delivered to the research institute’s residential compound.
Afterward, they visited the supply and marketing cooperative. Yang Yufen exchanged her sugar coupons for brown sugar and White Rabbit milk candies, and she also bought a tin of malted milk powder.
"This malted milk powder and White Rabbit candies are always in high demand! Sister Yang, you’ve got such good luck. I’ve come here so many times and never managed to get any, but today, with you here, we got them all! And this flawed fabric too—this trip was worth it. Next time, I’ll definitely invite you along again."
Aunt Liu was overjoyed. Though they’d spent quite a bit today, they’d managed to buy things that were usually hard to come by.
They’d left at seven in the morning and returned to the residential compound by ten. Qin Nian’s small courtyard was sparsely furnished, so Yang Yufen borrowed a hammer, shovel, and saw from Aunt Liu or through her connections.
With a flurry of banging and sawing, in less than an hour, she’d assembled a bed and a wooden chest. She even used the leftover wood to make a chicken coop and a low stool.
"Sister, you’re quite the handywoman! Who knew you could do so much?"
Aunt Liu, holding a bunch of vegetables, sat nearby trimming them while watching Yang Yufen work.
If this had been a man, Aunt Liu wouldn’t have been so impressed.
"It’s nothing complicated. My grandfather and father were both carpenters. I grew up watching them and often helped out, so I picked it up naturally."
Yang Yufen thought she’d need to apply some tung oil to the wooden chest later to make it last longer.
After remaking the bed, she hammered two long nails into the wall, strung up a rope, and hung the flawed fabric she’d bought, cutting and sewing it into a curtain.
Aunt Liu had to hurry back to cook—her two grandsons would be coming home for lunch soon.
Once Yang Yufen finished, she swept the courtyard clean, saving the wood shavings and scraps to use as kindling.
Qin Nian still hadn’t returned, so Yang Yufen cleared a patch of empty land in the courtyard, planning to grow some vegetables.
Suddenly, her stomach cramped. She closed the gate and saw a line of people waiting for the outhouse. She sighed—this was so inconvenient. Back in the village, every household had their own outhouse.
It was manageable under normal circumstances, but for a pregnant woman, having to wait in line like this would be miserable.
At the research institute’s cafeteria:
"Qin Nian, I heard your mother-in-law is here? She’s not giving you trouble, is she?"
Her colleague Yi Mengling sidled up to her.
"Yes, she’s here. I need to get back, so I can’t chat right now."
Qin Nian ordered two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, four liang of staple food, and two steamed buns, packing them into a lunchbox before hurrying off with the bag.
Her mother-in-law had a hearty appetite. Qin Nian herself only needed about one liang of staple food, so the rest was for Yang Yufen.
Yi Mengling watched Qin Nian practically flee, pursing her lips in displeasure. They were both researchers, yet Qin Nian, who had joined the institute a year later, was personally mentored by the dean and assigned to major projects, while she was stuck shuffling between the second and third teams.
Qin Nian, unaware of these thoughts, rushed home. She’d been so busy today that she’d nearly forgotten her mother-in-law had arrived. Borrowing a lunchbox, she’d hurriedly packed food and pedaled her bicycle as if it were a pair of wind-fire wheels.
It was already August or September, but the weather was far from cool. Qin Nian was drenched in sweat by the time she got back.
"Why the rush? I could’ve cooked for myself."
Yang Yufen handed her a glass of water. Qin Nian accepted it, flustered, and took a sip without looking.
It was sweet—infused with brown sugar. Not cloying, just the right amount of sweetness.
Having her mother-in-law here… wasn’t as hard to accept as she’d thought.
The courtyard had been transformed—freshly turned soil, a clucking hen in the corner, and a section of the main room partitioned off with dark blue coarse fabric.
When she’d married her husband, she hadn’t felt much about it. She’d simply reached the right age, and since their mentor had vouched for his character, she’d agreed.
But her mother-in-law’s arrival stirred unfamiliar emotions in her.
As they ate together, Yang Yufen noticed Qin Nian avoided fatty meat—no wonder she was so thin.
"Mom, my research work is entering a critical phase. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be extremely busy and might not be back for lunch. It’ll probably last about half a month. Here—I’ll give you Xianjun’s allowance booklet. You can withdraw funds from the military district as needed. There’s a bus from the residential compound to the military area, and I’ve already given you the monthly bus pass."
Qin Nian took a deep breath before speaking.
Yang Yufen frowned. Half a month without coming home for lunch? No wonder she was so thin.
"If you’d rather not cook, you can eat at the institute’s cafeteria. I’ll give you meal tickets, and I’ll get a permit for you tonight so you can dine there directly."
Qin Nian didn’t want to give up on this round of data calculations.
"No need. I’ll cook at home. Just take care of yourself. Will you be back in the evenings?"
"Ah, yes, I will."
Qin Nian had braced herself for resistance, but to her surprise, her mother-in-law agreed.
"Good. Focus on your work, but don’t forget to eat."
Yang Yufen moved to wash the lunchbox, but Qin Nian quickly took it from her.
"Mom, I’ll take it back to the institute to wash and return it to the owner."
Yang Yufen simply nodded. Once Qin Nian left again in a hurry, she went to find Aunt Liu.
"Sister Liu, didn’t you say your stool was wobbly? Let me fix it for you."
"Sister Yang, come in! You’re so busy—it’s just a stool. It’s not like I can’t sit on it. No rush!"
Aunt Liu was free now. Her daily routine mostly involved grocery shopping and odd chores. Her two grandsons, aged seven and five, only needed her to prepare lunch—by evening, they were back with their parents.
