With the arrival of Zhao Guodong, Ye Ling felt that ti passed quickly. Soon it was the day they had to go into the mountains. Since it was in the wild, they didn’t know how long it would be—maybe several months. It was already early August, and it would start snowing here in September, marking the beginning of winter for that year.
After seeing off Shen Bin and Zhao Guodong, Ye Ling didn’t let herself idle at ho. During her breaks, she would go to the nearby hills with the family mbers to pick mushrooms and wild vegetables. After cleaning them, she marinated them so that in winter, she could just wash them and stir-fry them directly. She also used the good weather to request so vegetables from the company and dried so herself. After all, she already felt bad about eating the company’s food, let alone waiting around to eat their top-quality vegetables.
Over at Shen Chun’s place, since the company needed to dry the vegetables before it snowed, she had to start work before dawn and would only return after nightfall, so she rarely spoke to Ye Ling. Ye Ling thought that this mode of minimal contact was quite good.
When the first snow ca, the heated beds at ho were set up, and Shen Chun moved in with Ye Ling. Ye Ling also received a letter from her father. This was the first letter from her father since she ca here almost three months ago. Her father ntioned he was doing well and said that Ye Qian’s wedding was set for October 1st, right on National Day. Ye Ling knew that many in the military chose to marry on that day for its festive spirit.
Ye Ling replied saying that she couldn’t leave her work at the company to attend Ye Qian’s wedding. In the letter, she also ntioned that her in-laws would be attending and giving their blessings, so she wouldn’t do the sa. She also talked about life here and suggested her father could visit during his holiday.
In fact, Ye Ling never went down the mountain. She would only ask the military vehicles going down to buy so daily supplies for her since the round trip would take a whole day, returning only the next day. She disliked staying outside overnight, so she never went down.
When Shen Chun’s duty in logistics reached a break and she had no work and stayed ho, it was only ten days until October. Ye Ling got a call from her mother at the company, criticizing her for not being a good sister and not coming back for her own sister’s wedding. With many people in the office, Ye Ling held the phone with a faint smile, making others think she was hearing good things, unaware that the other end was full of scolding.
Bai Xue scolded until her mouth was dry. After a pause, she shouted again, "Why aren’t you speaking? Are you feeling guilty?"
"Mom, I’m doing well here. Since there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up." Ye Ling, knowing her mother’s temperant, lightly teased her, "Mom, I know you worry about the phone bill, always saying one call costs you half a month’s salary. Don’t fret over a few bucks. If you need money, just ask Dad."
Then, after apparently hearing sothing from the other end, she hung up the phone.
"You and your mother have a really good relationship." soone in the office comnted.
Ye Ling pulled a smile but said nothing. anwhile, Bai Xue held the phone, stunned at the empty line. She wanted to angrily call back but dared not. She understood what Ye Ling ant—that phone calls cost much, and the money ca from Ye He Ping. She could easily inform Ye He Ping, but then Bai Xue thought about how Ye He Ping would support his daughter rather than give her money.
After the last incident when she caused a scene, it took Ye He Ping two months to resu her allowance, and that was only because the younger daughter pleaded for leniency.
Holding the phone, Bai Xue cursed Ye Ling’s lack of conscience a couple of tis more. When asked to pay the phone bill, and was told it was ten yuan, she felt as if it were cutting into her flesh. When she made that long-distance call, all she did was scold and lost track of ti.
On the day Liu Zhiyuan and Ye Qian got married, Ye Ling received a phone call in the afternoon from Zhang Linong and Wang Ping, who shared stories about Ye Qian and Liu Zhiyuan’s wedding. They said Ye Qian wore a wedding dress borrowed from the Liu Family for Liu Rui. Ye Qian was unhappy and didn’t want to wear it, but Mrs. Liu disagreed. The wedding was almost called off because of it. In the end, Liu Zhiyuan also got upset with his parents. They said if it weren’t for the wedding night being their first, he would have gone back to the army.
Ye Ling was surprised, "What about my mom?"
She couldn’t believe Bai Xue would remain quiet.
"Your mom was very impressive." Wang Ping grabbed the phone and said, "She rushed to the Liu Family to make a scene. Otherwise, how would everyone know Ye Qian didn’t want to wear that wedding dress?"
Ye Ling thought it made sense. Ye Qian was too smart to do such a thing openly.
Imagining how Ye Qian always sched to fra her mother, Ye Ling thought this was a great taste of her own dicine.
After the call from Zhang Linong and Wang Ping, Ye Ling felt great. Apart from not hearing anything about Xiang Weilai, everything else was going smoothly. However, by mid-October, Ye Ling received a letter and a package from Xiang Weilai. Inside was a box full of White Rabbit Creamy Candy, making her eyes well up with tears.
She rarely ate sweet things or candy, but she could eat a few pieces of this creamy candy. Xiang Weilai actually rembered and sent such a big box. The exquisite packaging, the tin with cartoon drawings on it, Ye Ling liked it a lot and took it out to look at it every day when she got ho, but never touched the candy inside.
It happened that Wang Ping’s child, who was schooling in the city, ca up to the mountain during the holidays. In the evening, while Wang Ping brought his son over as a guest, the child, being seven or eight and quite mischievous, fussed about going out to play.
"It’s dark outside. It’s dangerous—and in the middle of winter, that’s not possible," Wang Ping refused to let his son go out.
But the child insisted and made a fuss.
Sitting on the heated bed, Shen Chun smiled, "If you’re good and stop crying, I’ll give you candy."
Ye Ling, also sitting on the bed, felt a sense of heaviness upon hearing this. She didn’t look at Shen Chun or speak up, just watched the scene in front of her with a smile, as if it had nothing to do with her.
Upon hearing that he’d get candy, the child indeed stopped fussing and stared directly at Shen Chun, "Where’s the candy?"
Given the current conditions, candy wasn’t sothing everyone could eat as they wished. It was only at New Year’s that they’d buy a few pieces or pounds of candy balls.
Shen Chun, with an embarrassed smile, looked up and glanced at Ye Ling, who neither looked at her nor spoke. Feeling awkward, she turned to Wang Ping, "Sister-in-law, I was just teasing the kid."
Having noticed Shen Chun’s glance at Ye Ling, Wang Ping knew right away that there was candy at ho. However, as a younger sister-in-law, Shen Chun had no right to make decisions. Wang Ping blad Ye Ling for being stingy—not even willing to offer up a single piece of candy—prompting the smile to fade from her face.
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