"Mom, please don't say that. I'll go take a look when I have time. Making adobe bricks isn't practical right now, but we can weave some straw mats to make partitions. As for doors, the red house has some; we can repair them and use them..."

Six people were sitting at the small table, making it a little crowded.

Beside her sat a man slowly and deliberately eating dumplings.

However, she was completely preoccupied with planning how to make that small storage room for the He family to live in, and didn't notice at all that the man's gaze was burning on her parted lips.

"But isn't that little storage room a bit too small? It seems like it can't fit everyone sleeping there..."

After thinking it over calmly, he originally wanted to move the He family to another location, but He Xinglan suddenly interrupted him.

"What's wrong with it? Sister-in-law, are you silly? It's just right. The two partitions are perfect, one for my parents and one for me. It's just right."

Yu Lian turned her head and glanced at the man beside her; their eyes met.

For the first time, she saw panic on the man's face.

However, Yu Lian had no energy to focus on this trivial matter. "Where's your brother?"

Before He Xinglan could speak, she saw her little nephew stand up. "Silly mom, of course you should sleep with mom."

Yu Lian raised an eyebrow at the chatterbox, "So, who do you sleep with?"

"I...I'll have my aunt or my mom give me a small bed like the ones I had when I was little."

"Ahem... Okay, then He Lin will sleep with us?"

She turned to look at the man beside her uncertainly, but this time he kept his head down and lowered his eyelids, not looking at her.

"That goes without saying. Of course, we'll leave aside all the messy things you two did before, but now that you've made up, you have to live together. We need to talk to the old man and your son about it."

"Oh? Yes, yes, young couples don't sleep in separate beds. Besides, Yu Lian is pregnant now, and there are inconvenient things at night that require someone to take care of her. He Lin is the most suitable. If you don't take care of your child, who will?"

He Lin's fate was decided without him saying a word.

He was caught up in the scheme, but He Xinglan hadn't lost her mind.

"Sister-in-law, what about Director Niu...?"

"Okay, I'll go tell them."

Yu Lian lowered her head, recalling the late stages of her pregnancy with her son, when she frequently woke up at night and her mood was also volatile.

If her mother-in-law and sister-in-law were taking care of her, she would probably feel resentful and wouldn't show her annoyance in front of them.

But He Lin is different; he's the child's biological father. Plus, she's carrying twins, so the suffering she endures is no less; she really can't do it without someone by her side to take care of her.

He was her man to begin with, but now that he's down on his luck, how much of a ego can he still have?

Taking care of oneself is a matter of course, and besides, He Lin doesn't seem as cold as he appears on the surface.

Leaving him in the dorm is a good option.

……

There are many young people on the farm, and Director Niu isn't that heartless, so the reunion dinner is held at noon, and in the evening the young people are allowed to go back to their dormitories to gather, drink, and chat.

This is the only time of year when I can relax a little; we've all been through this age.

At midday, everyone headed towards the cafeteria.

Not only farm staff, but also locals from the surrounding area.

The small cafeteria was soon packed with people.

There were seven or eight people at each table, and a total of thirteen tables were occupied.

The local herders and the cattle manager sat at a table.

As is customary, Director Niu would lead the other farm cadres to discuss some policy-related matters.

However, being far from the central government, the level of revolution they were engaged in was not as high as that in the capital.

"Okay, that's all we'll say. Remember everything. Let's start eating!"

There were ten dishes on the table, and a large plate of dumplings for each person. This New Year's meal was truly to everyone's liking.

Having eaten too much for breakfast, Yu Lian wasn't hungry yet, so she shared her dumplings with He Lin and He Xinglan beside her.

"I have no appetite, you two eat."

After saying that, she put down her chopsticks.

He Xinglan said happily, "Sister-in-law is so kind, I can eat it all, I'll take care of it."

He Lin glanced at his sister, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopped, before his gaze fell on the woman beside him.

Gradually, she noticed that her complexion was becoming unpleasant.

"Isn't it too cloying? It's uncomfortable."

These words made Yu Lian think more highly of the man. "Hmm."

But thinking back on it carefully, when I was pregnant, although he didn't like me, he took very good care of me when I was in the later stages of pregnancy.

Compared to many husbands in normal marriages, He Lin is even more responsible.

However, he doesn't think much of me. Even if I'm willing, once this hard period is over, he'll just give me some money to get rid of me.

Although he lost the handsome man, he repaid his sister's kindness, and felt at peace with himself.

With her grandfather and father by her side, she always kept a tight rein on herself and would never do anything unjust or immoral.

As they were talking, the two switched places. They sat by the door, slightly opening it so that gusts of cold wind blew into her face, which made her feel much better.

"Thank you."

He Lin figured out that this woman wasn't unable to eat; she just didn't like to eat anything other than what he cooked.

After chewing carefully, I realized that the dumplings weren't as delicious as the ones she made.

My mother told me that she got up early in the morning, before dawn, to make dumplings for the whole family.

He Lin turned his head slightly and secretly glanced at her.

With fresh air, her complexion looked much better.

"Give."

Yu Lian never expected that he would have a few dried fruits in his pocket.

Seeing her hesitate, He Lin thought of a possibility and explained, "Eating a little bit of hawthorn is fine and won't affect the baby."

"Okay, thank you."

The crisp, dried fruit, without added sugar, made Yu Lian feel much better with its sour taste, suppressing the discomfort in her chest.

She glanced boldly at the man and realized that He Lin wasn't as cold-hearted as she had imagined.

Although I don't love her, I know I have a responsibility.

Halfway through the meal, the uncle at the opposite table spoke up in broken Mandarin, "Old Niu, there are five or six children in our village who should be in school, but you know how remote this place is, nobody comes here. I was thinking you could think of a way to teach the children to read..."

As the herdsman explained, everyone understood to some extent.

The uncle now realizes the importance of learning and envies those who have a secure job and their whole family is well taken care of.

So I want my child to study so that he/she will have a chance to find a stable job in the future, instead of having to rely on luck like them.

Director Niu looked somewhat embarrassed, and lit a cigarette as he spoke.

It wasn't that he didn't want to help the local villagers; after all, the farm wouldn't have been built without the help of the locals.

"Okay, brother, I'll submit a report to the organization in a bit and see if we can set up a literacy class for the kids here, but the teacher..."

Yu Lian, with her sharp ears, immediately stood up and went over.

"Director, the teacher's question is simple; we have the answer right here."

Director Niu was surprised. "You mean...?"

"Oh dear, I won't embarrass myself by showing off, but my sister-in-law is a proper college graduate from Capital Normal University. If the policy hadn't changed, she would be a university teacher by now!"

These words frightened the He family so much that they dared not speak, and He Xinglan blushed with embarrassment.

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