Upon hearing Yin Chuan's words, An An felt sowhat apologetic, realizing she might have touched on a sensitive topic.
She thought that if he was a descendant of scientists, his family mbers probably didn't have an easy life when scientists were persecuted.
Yin Chuan didn't seem to mind discussing these matters and shared his family's story with An An. His ancestors, who were scientists, were killed. While his parents' generation survived, they endured great hardships.
His parents later beca elentary school teachers, and life beca a bit more peaceful.
However, Yin Chuan's parents passed away early, leaving him with no attachnts. This led him to move far away and live on his own.
The war lasted for half a year, finally ending at the beginning of spring.
For Wen Qian, this was just another piece of news. She felt that her life had truly been colorful, especially if she were to be considered a witness to history.
An An usually shared her experiences with her mother when she returned ho, so she also told Wen Qian about Yin Chuan's past.
After hearing this, Wen Qian believed that what he said was probably true, though she suspected there were so parts about himself that he hadn't disclosed.
His words were likely all true, but incomplete. Thus, it wasn't lying, but it wasn't the whole truth either.
Wen Qian thought that since they weren't particularly close, if he and An An maintained contact, she might learn more later. If not, there was no need to pry further at this point.
It must be said that Wen Qian's intuition was remarkably accurate, despite having only t Yin Chuan a few tis.
She sensed that these two young people were interested in each other. It wasn't just because a new young face had appeared, prompting her to pair them up.
Rather, the reasons for their etings seed very reasonable on the surface, but upon closer inspection, they appeared quite deliberate.
Later, the two indeed confird their relationship. An An went ho to tell her mother, who didn't seem surprised, which made An An feel a bit embarrassed.
As the two grew closer in their relationship, they could be seen together in the bustling marketplace that had co back to life.
People who knew them comnted that they were well-matched in both height and appearance.
The couple dated for nearly a year before deciding to get married, with Yin Chuan bringing his belongings to live at Wen Qian's house.
An An, considering that she didn't want to leave her mother, had discussed with Yin Chuan about taking care of Wen Qian together after their marriage.
Yin Chuan didn't mind where they lived. To him, both places were fine, and since his wife wanted to care for her mother, he naturally followed her lead.
Conveniently, Wen Qian's property was quite large, and they built a new house next to the storage room.
An An moved out to live with Yin Chuan in the new room, separated from Wen Qian's original bedroom by the storage room.
Wen Qian, being an elderly lady, didn't want to hear the young couple's noises, so she didn't let them live right next to her bedroom.
An An gained a new appreciation for her mother's stockpile of building materials. Yin Chuan was also surprised by this, realizing that such a large amount of materials must have been accumulated over ti.
In the second autumn after Yin Chuan's arrival, they held their wedding, inviting nearby neighbors to join the feast.
The young couple prepared plenty of ingredients, and the younger neighbors who ca helped with the cooking.
Wen Qian sat with a few elderly neighbors, watching the others work while chatting.
For them, as they grew older and less mobile, they attended fewer and fewer of these lively gatherings.
They all congratulated the newlyweds on starting their family and brought gifts – not expensive, but full of good wishes.
They also thought that Wen Qian could now be at ease, believing that An An's unmarried status had been her greatest concern.
However, Wen Qian's main worry had always been An An, regardless of her marital status.
When An An was single, she worried about her being lonely and having no one to support her through difficult tis.
Now that she was married, Wen Qian worried about her potentially marrying a bad person, which would not only fail to provide support but could bring storms into her life.
If soone's concern for their child ends when the child gets married, either they're too naive, believing marriage guarantees happiness, or they simply don't care about their children, thinking their duty is done once the child is married, regardless of how well they fare.
But most people probably relate to the saying: "Parents worry about their children for 99 years out of 100."
Wen Qian was no exception.
As winter approached, it was no longer just An An going to the cabin for the hunting cycle; Yin Chuan would accompany her.
Wen Qian thought this was good, as it allowed the young couple to have so ti alone, away from her, though it would be sowhat tiring.
After all, walking in the snow during winter was no easy task.
In autumn, they had already placed sun-dried quilts in the cabin, along with chopped and stacked firewood, and so simple, powdered dry rations.
Now, as winter passed, they only needed to bring so at and sweets, ensuring both nutrition and warmth.
This was Yin Chuan's second winter here, but his first ti doing these tasks.
When he first arrived, he had built a house and hunted in his own area. During winter, he mostly stayed indoors, at most setting small traps near his ho.
The art of trapping sables was sothing An An would have to teach him slowly. In fact, Yin Chuan needed An An to teach him hunting as well, as he couldn't yet be considered a qualified hunter.
Yin Chuan felt that An An knew everything, probably taught by her mother. When he first chatted with An An, he discovered that he could talk about most things with this girl.
Later, when he formally t her family before the wedding, he found that they had many books at ho.
He believed that even if Wen Qian wasn't a scientist, she must have been soone who loved reading and learning.
He was interested and curious about many of these books, so An An specifically recomnded a few to him, all about how to survive well in this place.
Yin Chuan felt that his wife was reminding him that living here required more survival skills than he currently possessed.
Going out together was a nice feeling, having soone for company. Although An An and he had been dating, being married still felt fresh.
Wen Qian stayed at ho by the fire, waiting for the children to return from the mountain. An An had originally wanted to leave soone at ho to take care of her, but Wen Qian thought the young couple should keep each other company.
At her advanced age, she hardly left the house during winter. She spent her days at ho eating, drinking, and knitting sweaters.
This winter, she planned to knit sweaters for two young people. Initially, she had thought about knitting children's clothes, but later realized this might seem like she was pressuring them to have kids. So, she decided to knit adult sweaters instead.
Wen Qian felt that as long as An An was safe and well, it didn't matter whether they had children or not. An An was already married, so it was up to the couple to decide. This wasn't sothing she needed to worry about.
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