Jiang Chengzhou ran out of the family residential building with his younger sister and told his aunt about it as soon as they got home.
The ones they saw at the pier...
Lin Zhilan's expression turned serious. "Chengzhou, Auntie doesn't like those two. From now on, whenever you and your sister see them, you must stay far away. Can you do that?"
"Auntie, did you get into a fight with them?" Jiang Chengzhou asked, puzzled.
"Yes, we argued," Lin Zhilan nodded, then asked, "So, are you on my side?"
"Of course!"
Jiang Chengzhou patted his chest, striking a fiercely loyal pose. "Next time you argue with them, call me over. I'll help you."
Lin Zhilan was feeling frustrated and distracted by Zhou Jianjun's ridiculous behavior. Suppressing her annoyance, she rubbed the children's heads and told them to go play by themselves.
Su Lang keenly sensed that something was off with his wife.
He approached and led her upstairs.
"Zhilan, wasn't your reaction to Zhou Jianjun a bit much? Is there anything I can do?"
Lin Zhilan had no way to explain to him that this world was actually just a book.
And that her daughter was merely a foil meant to highlight the female lead's happiness, that he would sacrifice his life in a few years, and that Jiang Chengzhou would refuse to return to the capital, eventually becoming a local hooligan on the island.
From her very first day transmigrating here, Lin Zhilan had never treated anyone in this world as just a paper character.
She deeply cherished her daughter, her eldest nephew, her godmother and godfather...
And she also cherished the husband standing right in front of her.
But the ending written in the book was like a pre-set alarm clock. You could try your best to turn it off, but you could never be entirely sure if it would still go off when the time came.
Lin Zhilan was working hard to live her life. She had even thought that, even if Su Lang did sacrifice himself, she would still have the ability to provide a good education and material foundation for the two children.
However, who would ever want to lose their lover and family?
The anxiety hidden deep in Lin Zhilan's heart was undoubtedly magnified after Zhou Jianjun and Song Fang showed up.
Meeting her husband's caring gaze, Lin Zhilan's eyes grew hot, and she reached out to wrap her arms around his neck.
"Su Lang."
"I'm here." Su Lang kissed his wife's cheek.
"You have to live well. The only way you're allowed to die is of old age! Even if you end up paralyzed, crippled, blind, or deaf, you still have to live! Don't worry, I'll definitely find a way to cure you."
"Okay," Su Lang replied with a smile. As he stroked his wife's back, he thought to himself:
Only allowed to die of old age...
What a simple and unadorned wish. This was probably the kind of sweet nothing only a doctor could say.
After their afternoon nap, Lin Zhilan finally regained her usual composure. Su Lang put his worries to rest for the time being, though he still looked into Zhou Jianjun privately.
...
Qian Changling didn't arrive in the capital until the first day of the Lunar New Year.
Because Section Chief Jian had returned a step ahead of him, the entire Capital Pharmaceutical Factory, and even the staff family residential building, knew that Vice Factory Director Qian had ulterior motives.
Vice Factory Director Qian's wife, Yao Meixin, was nearly angered to death by her husband.
Their two sons were already married and settled, but their youngest daughter hadn't even received her high school diploma. She could only leave school with a certificate of completion, which coincided perfectly with the movement of sending educated youth down to the countryside.
She had hoped her husband could figure out a way—even finding her a temporary job would do. As long as they could secure their daughter's grain and oil rations, she might be able to avoid being sent to the countryside.
But then Qian Changling suddenly pulled a stunt like this, practically blocking off all their options.
At the dinner table on the first day of the New Year, the whole family looked displeased.
The eldest daughter-in-law complained, "Dad really is something. Going on a business trip so far away right before the New Year, he couldn't even make it back in time for the holiday."
"The factory director requested it. What could your dad do?" Yao Meixin frowned. No matter how angry she was, she wouldn't let her daughter-in-law criticize her husband without reason.
The second daughter-in-law placed a piece of lean meat in her mother-in-law's bowl and asked softly, "Mom, is Dad really planning to transfer to the island?"
As soon as she said this, everyone except the two oblivious children stopped what they were doing and focused their gazes on Yao Meixin.
Although Qian Changling had failed to secure the position of Factory Director, being the Vice Factory Director of the Capital Pharmaceutical Factory was still a highly prestigious title out in the world.
What on earth was the Island Pharmaceutical Factory?
Nobody cared about it, and no one in the family supported the move.
Yao Meixin looked grim. "How should I know? We'll find out when he gets back."
Speak of the devil, Qian Changling walked in from outside.
"Meixin, I'm back!"
Having just gotten off the train, his padded coat was crumpled into a ball, and his hair looked like a bird's nest. If you didn't look closely, you would think he was a beggar from off the streets.
Yao Meixin anxiously hurried over, brushing the snowflakes off him with a mix of disgust and heartache. "If you were coming back today, you should have said so earlier. You could have sent a telegram, and I would have asked our eldest to pick you up at the station."
"I'm freezing, so stop fussing," Qian Changling said, deflecting her hands. "Help me get that military overcoat out of the wardrobe."
Yao Meixin asked, confused, "Why do you need a military overcoat when you're already home?"
Qian Changling called out toward the door, "Aren't you coming in?"
The whole family curiously peeked over.
A young soldier walked in from outside.
He was tall with long legs, handsome, and still looked a bit childish.
The padded jacket he wore wasn't exactly thin, but it clearly couldn't withstand the capital's weather. He stood perfectly straight, but his teeth were chattering non-stop.
"Oh, my heavens, why are you wearing so little?" Yao Meixin exclaimed, quickly pulling him into the room to warm up by the fire.
"Thank you, Auntie."
"It's nothing, it's nothing," Yao Meixin replied instinctively. Only after she finished speaking did she remember to ask, "Old Qian, who is this?"
"He's here to keep an eye on me."
"What?!"
Mentioning this, Qian Changling felt quite helpless. A few specific leaders in the military region were quite wary of him, afraid that once he had the prescription and returned to the capital, he would turn his back on them.
Just for this reason, they had specially sent a young soldier back with him. They called it protecting his safety, but in reality, it was to let him know that the military region was keeping a close watch on him.
Hearing this, the family members didn't dare say another word.
Yao Meixin pulled her husband into the bedroom and asked him in detail what had happened.
Qian Changling recounted the entire sequence of events and then added, "Meixin, I'm only in my early 50s. I still have the energy and stamina. I can't just sit on the bench at the Capital Pharmaceutical Factory.
The island belongs to the military region, there are troops stationed there, and building a pharmaceutical factory has policy support. I've pretty much finished all the paperwork.
If you support me, I'll go! If you don't want me to go, I'll help finish the paperwork and go back to sitting on the bench."
Yao Meixin glared at him. "Qian Changling, don't play this game with me. Don't think I don't know what you're really thinking!
If you want to go to the island, fine. But you have to solve our daughter's job problem first. The neighborhood committee is about to organize the second batch of educated youth to go down to the countryside. Figure it out."
Qian Changling found himself in a difficult spot.
Nowadays, jobs were all allocated by state-level plans. One of the main reasons for organizing educated youth to go to the countryside was to alleviate employment and population pressure in the cities and towns.
How could it be so easy to arrange a job for their daughter?
Qian Changling asked, "What does our daughter think?"
"What else could she think? She'll just follow the arrangements."
Qian Changling paced around the room for a moment. "Meixin, I definitely can't arrange a job for her, but I can go to the neighborhood committee and try to get her assigned to a place closer to the island."
