A lonely, unlucky military officer with a stubborn fate insisted on marrying me.

On the other side, Lin Yinyin cursed and ran the whole way.

I only managed to catch my breath once I reached my doorstep, swallowing my frustration.

As soon as she opened the door, she heard her sister Lin Huizhi's voice coming from inside.

"Mom, Jianying, dinner's ready!"

Lin Yinyin walked into the main room and immediately saw that Old Mrs. Li and her sister-in-law Li Jianying were sitting at the table with their legs crossed, waiting for Lin Huizhi to get the chopsticks without offering to help at all.

A surge of anger welled up in Lin Yinyin's head instantly. "Sis! I'm back!"

She ignored Li Jianying's gaze fixed on her clothes, strode over, snatched the bowl of white rice from Old Lady Lin, and shoveled it into her mouth.

I was so busy dealing with Li Jinye at the brigade commander's house that I didn't get to eat my fill.

White rice was still a precious commodity in the 70s!

"That's my food!" Old Mrs. Li slammed her hand on the table.

"Oh, then you can have another bowl."

"You! You little brat, don't you have any manners?"

"Your daughter just sits there and eats what's served to her, too lazy to even pick up a pair of chopsticks, and you think she's well-mannered?"

"This grain was bought with the money my son earned! It's none of your business, an outsider, telling me what to do!"

"My brother-in-law earned the grain, but my sister cooked the meals. If you can eat it, so can I."

Lin Yinyin was already furious and had nowhere to vent her anger, and then Old Lady Li dared to barge in. She was just hoping for a good fight, or even better, a physical one!

Li Jianying pulled her mother aside and gave her a meaningful look. She was afraid that Lin Yinyin would overturn the table. Today's meal was white rice and pork stew with vermicelli, such a delicious dish!

Grandma Li saw the look in her daughter's eyes, and after holding it in for a long time, she could only manage a single "humph".

Lin Huizhi quickly ladled out a bowl of rice and handed it to her, saying softly, "Mom, eat your rice, it's still warm."

Lin Yinyin picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks and gave it to her sister, then picked up another piece for herself, eating heartily with her rice and vegetables.

Grandma Li endured it all and quickened her pace. The meal was finished in ten minutes.

Lin Huizhi had just finished clearing the dishes and was about to go to the kitchen to wash them when Lin Yinyin pulled her into the inner room and closed the door behind her.

"Sister, I have something to tell you."

"Okay." Lin Huizhi rubbed her lower back; she had been busy in the kitchen for half a day, and her back was already sore.

Lin Yinyin looked at the weariness in her sister's eyes and felt extremely distressed: "Sis, don't you work in the cafeteria?"

"Noon is the busiest time, why are you back to cook for them?"

"I have to come back to cook every day at noon, otherwise my mother will go around saying that I am unfilial." Lin Huizhi lowered her head.

"Don't they have hands? Can't they do it themselves?" Lin Yinyin said angrily.

"There are hands..."

"If you had hands, you wouldn't need to come back!"

"Sis, would you like to come back and cook for yourself?"

Lin Huizhi remained silent for a moment, then gently shook her head: "I don't want to."

That settles it!

Don't come back to cook here again. They can eat it or not, it's up to them!

Lin Yinyin grasped her sister's hand, then suddenly remembered something important. "By the way, sister, do you still have the half of the gourd-shaped jade pendant Dad gave you?"

"Yes, Dad said this is our family's keepsake."

Lin Huizhi touched her chest, then hesitated, "But... it's not with me right now."

"Where?" Lin Yinyin pressed.

"In my mother-in-law's hands."

Lin Huizhi's voice lowered even further, "Last time she saw me wearing it, she said she wanted to give it to me to keep, and I was too embarrassed to refuse..."

"What?" Lin Yinyin exclaimed in alarm.

She turned to rush out, but stopped at the doorway, turned back earnestly, and asked, "Sister, if I get the jade pendant back, can you give it to me?"

"Yes," Lin Huizhi nodded without hesitation. "It was originally given to us by Dad."

Lin Yinyin then asked cautiously, "Sister, if the jade pendant were very valuable, would you still give it to me?"

"Silly Yinyin, the jade pendant is only half, it's worthless. Even if it were valuable, I can give it to you if you want it."

Lin Yinyin was touched; she wouldn't let her sister suffer!

On her way home, besides cursing Li Jinye, she also thought a lot. She shouldn't have been so foolish as to look for a shortcut and marry a soldier!

She can also make a name for herself!

She comes from the apocalypse, and she survived for 25 years in such harsh conditions. There's no way she could not survive in China, where there are supplies everywhere!

There's a saying that goes, "Women can be strong too!"

Li Jinye, you just wait. Once I'm strong enough, you won't scare me away!

Lin Yinyin never imagined that this had anything to do with Li Jinye!

After making her decision, Lin Yinyin asked Lin Huizhi, "Sister, when are you going to work?"

She had to wait until her sister left before confronting Old Lady Li, so as not to put her sister in a difficult position.

"I'll go after I finish washing the dishes."

"No need to brush it, leave it to me."

Lin Yinyin pushed her sister toward the door, saying, "You go to work quickly, I'll handle things here."

"Okay." Lin Huizhi listened to her younger sister.

After Lin Huizhi left, Lin Yinyin went directly to Old Madam Li's room.

She politely knocked on the door first, "Aunt Li, I need to talk to you about something!"

Grandma Li was startled. What was this girl up to now?

She was polite in the morning, so I tricked her.

"I'm going to take a nap. We can talk this afternoon. Don't come in!"

"I just need one thing. Give it to me and I'll leave right away so as not to disturb your afternoon nap."

Grandma Li's heart skipped a beat; they're even using the formal "you" now.

He tentatively asked, "What do you want?"

"Please return my father's belongings, my sister's half of the gourd-shaped jade pendant."

"What jade pendant?"

Now everyone's talking about destroying the Four Olds, who's going to keep these feudal things? Nobody does!

"Bang!" The door was kicked open by Lin Yinyin.

She immediately spotted the oil paper package on the kang table, with more than half a peach shortbread still inside. Li Jianying was holding one and stuffing it into her mouth.

Her eyes turned cold as she strode into the room, not mentioning the peach cakes at all, but simply repeating the same sentence: "I'll say it one last time, all I want are my father's belongings and my sister's jade pendant. Please return them to me."

"I said no, and that's final!" Old Mrs. Li still wanted to struggle a bit more, after all, that thing looked as clear as glass, and it looked like a good thing!

"No, you don't?"

Lin Yinyin suddenly stepped forward and slapped Li Jianying across the face!

"Snapped!"

Li Jianying's face instantly turned red on one side.

"Lin Yinyin! You hit me again!" Li Jianying screamed, covering her face.

Lin Yinyin didn't even lift her eyelids, her gaze fixed on Old Lady Li: "Is it ready this time?"

"Good heavens! This is outrageous!"

Upon seeing this, Old Lady Li immediately lay down on the bed and wailed loudly while patting the bed.

"This little brat who's staying here dares to hit someone in my house! And she even steals my things! This old woman is going to be bullied to death by her!"

Lin Yinyin stood still. It wasn't that she didn't want to hit Old Lady Li, but she was considering that her sister was still married and she couldn't let people say that they were ill-mannered and abused their elders!

"Go ahead and cry, it won't do you any good. I'm taking this jade pendant today!"

Her voice was icy. "The jade pendant was left to us by my father, it's not your family's property."

"If you don't give it to me, I'll keep hitting your daughter!" she said, raising her hand to strike Li Jianying.

This time, Li Jianying was smarter; she bent over and darted out the door.

How could Lin Yinyin possibly do as she wished?

She took a long stride and chased after him, aiming for Li Jianying's buttocks before giving her a hard kick.

With a muffled thud, Li Jianying fell heavily to the ground, wincing in pain.

Lin Yinyin simply plopped down on her lower back, pinning her down as she shouted into the house, "Aunt Li, I'll ask you one more time, are you going to return my father's jade pendant or not?"