Traveling Through Those Years Of Farming (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 21

Xu Panhao had been in an unusually good mood lately. Her son was about to get married, and his future wife was someone she truly liked.

It was a coincidence that Jiang Mingting came to the wood carving shop alone that day, her eyes red from crying as she told Baoli that she had no home. 

At that moment, Xu Panhao was in the utility room behind the shop, packing things for her son.

She rushed out and soon learned the full story from Jiang Mingting.

To be honest, when Xu Panhao first heard about Jiang Mingting’s family situation, she felt the girl’s background wasn’t bad—after all, not all families were willing to send their daughters to study. 

But she hadn’t expected Jiang Mingting’s family to be so influential.

Her father, a regiment instructor, and the secretary of the Youth League Committee were both high-ranking officials. Xu Panhao had never met such high-ranking figures. The highest-ranking official she had encountered in the army was Xu Hua, who had been promoted to company commander and later became the chief of the police station.

Jiang Mingting’s father was two ranks higher than Xu Hua. However, rank didn’t matter much now. The girl had fallen out with her family, and those powerful connections wouldn’t be of any use to her going forward.

Upon learning all this, Xu Panhao felt briefly disappointed, but soon she was filled with a sense of happiness.

A well-born daughter-in-law could certainly add prestige to the family, but at the same time, it could bring pressure to the mother-in-law. 

Xu Panhao knew that her personality was a bit strong. Though she wasn’t a bad mother-in-law, she enjoyed seeing her daughter-in-law being respectful, considerate, and dutiful. Jiang Mingting was so perfect that Xu Panhao knew she wouldn’t be able to maintain the usual airs of a mother-in-law.

Besides, Xu Panhao had confidence in her children. What was a regiment commander? Her own daughter was so capable. In the future, her daughter might not only rise above that rank but could become a brigade commander or even a division commander.

At that point, who would be looking down on whom?

Of course, she would never look down on her obedient daughter-in-law. The “looking down” here referred to the Jiang couple. 

What did her daughter say?

If you ignore me today, I’ll make you unreachable tomorrow.

The Jiang family had looked down on her son, and Xu Panhao, ever protective of her child, had no intention of trying to please them.

However, as her conversation with Jiang Mingting continued, Xu Panhao gradually realized that not only had the Jiang couple looked down on her son, but they also looked down on Jiang Mingting, their own daughter.

As a mother, Xu Panhao couldn’t fathom how anyone could fail to love their own children—especially Wang Juan, a mother herself. Jiang Mingting wasn’t even Wang Juan’s biological child. Could she really love her husband’s niece from the heart, or was she just trying to please her husband in hopes of earning favor?

Despite Jiang Mingting speaking calmly, with no apparent signs of distress, Xu Panhao, who had already begun to see her as her own, couldn’t help but feel pity for her.

“Your sister-in-law is truly a remarkable woman,” Xu Panhao said. “I was always worried about a troublesome marriage affecting the family, but now that your brother’s marrying her, I can rest easy.”

Baobao raised an eyebrow upon hearing her mother’s praise. Her mother wasn’t one to hand out compliments easily, so the fact that she spoke so highly of her sister-in-law spoke volumes. 

Baobao began to look forward to meeting her future sister-in-law and was curious about what kind of person she was.

As they rode a second-hand bicycle into the village, Xu Panhao greeted many familiar faces.

“It’s the child who’s made a name for herself!” people said.

Xu Panhao felt a surge of pride. Most of the villagers were friendly, but there were always a few who would make snide comments about her family. They used to laugh, thinking the two widows in the family couldn’t provide for themselves. They mocked her two children—one considered “stupid” and the other “weak.”

But now, the “stupid” one had learned a craft and earned as much as a worker. He had also married a well-educated teacher. The “weak” one was actually strong, having been selected by the army at a young age. Now, she was a promising young soldier being trained by a female commander with an outstanding military career.

Even her widowed mother-in-law was living better than most people now.

Niu Laomu, a carefree old man, had given his entire pension to his new wife to manage. As long as she lived well, he didn’t care about the money she saved to help support her grandchildren.

The children of the Niu family were also exceptionally filial. They could see how much better Niu Laomu’s life had become after remarrying. His beer belly had shrunk, his cheeks had filled out, and the man in his seventies seemed to be aging backward. 

They were all grateful for his new lease on life.

Every time they returned, they would always bring some rare food. 

The daughter and daughter-in-law of the Niu family were even more considerate, often buying cloth, soap, and facial cream for the old lady, just hoping she would take good care of the old man.

Xu Panhao, who seemed to have changed the least, now had fewer arguments with her remarried mother-in-law, no longer worried about her children, and looked more radiant than before.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see the changes within the family. 

The Zhen family, once an object of sympathy and pity, had now become one that others admired.

“When the date is set, everyone will come to the banquet.” Xu Panhao grinned widely, almost wishing she could show off a bit more and make those who used to speak ill of her take notice.

“I must go, I must go.”

“Then I must go too, to share in the good fortune and bless my boy for finding such a wonderful wife.”

Everyone offered their compliments as they watched Xu Panhao leave with Baobao.

“Humph, isn’t she just an elementary school teacher? What’s there to be proud of?” Mother Lin muttered resentfully as she watched Xu Panhao and her daughter pass by her yard.

Thanks to Lin Rui’s guidance over the years, the Lin family was doing well.

The eldest son, Lin Lei, stayed in the countryside to farm. With the help of Lin’s father and mother, he had contracted a lot of land under the responsibility system. He would take fresh fruits and vegetables to sell at the market. Though the money was hard-earned, his monthly income was nearly as much as that of a factory apprentice. In the past, their annual income had only amounted to two or three months’ earnings.

The second son, Lin Jun, went to high school. Although he didn’t make it into college, he found work as a cashier at a newly opened privately contracted factory. He now lived in the factory dormitory and not only stopped asking for financial support from his family but also sent ten yuan home every month.

The eldest sister had not been good at studying and married early. The second sister, Lin Duo, seemed indifferent, but she was the best student among the five siblings. She had studied accounting at a technical secondary school. Unfortunately, her family had no connections, and upon graduation, she was assigned to a cotton mill on the brink of bankruptcy. Now, the factory couldn’t pay wages, and they were waiting for the state to intervene.

When Lin Rui was reborn, the college entrance exams had resumed. She realized it was far better to take the high school entrance exams than the technical secondary school exams. However, Lin’s father and mother didn’t agree. They thought it would be difficult for girls to get married if they were older, and they still believed that girls should take the technical secondary exams.

Finding a stable job early was also seen as a way to improve one’s prospects in the marriage market.

Lin Duo followed her parents’ wishes, while Lin Rui pursued her own path and enrolled in high school.

Thanks to her rebirth and the advantage of a more mature mind, Lin Rui’s grades improved significantly. She successfully gained admission to a normal university with free tuition and a generous living allowance.

As the first college student from the production team, excluding the educated youth, Lin Rui became the pride of the Lin family. 

Since then, her parents rarely opposed her ideas.

In her previous life, the eldest and second brothers had worked as farmers, and the eldest and second sisters had married off hastily after junior high. 

But with the opportunity of rebirth, everything was different.

“Mama!”

Upon returning home from her first semester in the provincial capital, Lin Rui, who had embraced many new concepts she hadn’t in her previous life, stopped calling her parents by their titles and instead referred to them as “Mama” and “Dad,” just like people in the city.

Mother Lin, though not quite used to this, didn’t ask her to change it. She had come to view her daughter as an impressive intellectual.

“The Zhen family is doing well now, so there’s no need to cause trouble for them.”

Her husband, in her previous life, had planned to marry another woman. Although Lin Rui had moved on from that relationship, it still made her feel uncomfortable.

She had heard that the woman Zhen Baoli was going to marry was a teacher at Xinhong Primary School. 

Lin Rui had seen her from a distance—she was very beautiful. At least when Zhen Baoli had married in her previous life, he hadn’t married someone as beautiful as that woman.

Lin Rui wondered how such an excellent woman would cope with the partiality of her husband and mother-in-law.

She hoped they would be happy and fulfilled, as over ten years had passed, and any resentment she once held had faded. After all, Zhen Baoli had once been her husband—a person she knew better than a stranger—and they had a daughter together.

She didn’t want to curse Zhen Baoli to have a miserable life, but there was a tinge of bitterness in her heart. 

If that woman and Zhen Baoli lived well, did it mean she had made many mistakes in that marriage?

To be the heroine of a book, it must be due to the author’s poor writing skills, unable to properly portray the qualities of a heroine, or the author’s own flawed values. Otherwise, even if the protagonist has some flaws, she should inherently be kind-hearted.

Lin Rui may be a little selfish and occasionally find herself at a dead end, but her nature is undeniably kind. This is evident from the fact that, despite her initial intense dislike for her sister-in-law, Zhen Baobao, she still prioritized saving her in the moment of crisis.

At this time, Zhen Baoli’s new marriage moved her, prompting her to confront her own flaws and strive to become a better version of herself.

If she had made any mistakes, she could now say goodbye to her past and fully let go of those less-than-pleasant memories.

Mother Lin couldn’t possibly know how many thoughts had raced through her best daughter’s mind in those few breaths.

She wanted to say more, but then remembered how her gossip about Liu Sanmei had caused the entire family embarrassment. People whispered behind her back, and Mother Lin, feeling the weight of her past mistakes, lacked the courage to speak further.

Looking at her daughter’s embarrassed expression, she murmured a few words under her breath, words only she could hear.

“Wow, are you my sister-in-law? You’re so beautiful!” Baobao hurried over to Jiang Mingting, her excitement evident. 

Due to her congenital condition, Baobao’s height was limited, and when standing in front of the taller Jiang Mingting, she only came up to the tip of her nose.

Baobao felt this sister-in-law looked familiar, but she couldn’t quite place where she had seen her before.

“Are you Baobao?”

Jiang Mingting had seen Baobao several times. The quirky little girl always left Jiang Mingmiao speechless, but despite not having spent much time together, Jiang Mingting adored her.

It was truly remarkable what kind of Feng Shui the Zhen family had, raising children with such unique and different personalities.

“Sister-in-law, when you get married, I’ll definitely give you a big gift!” Baobao smiled mischievously. 

The gift she was planning was inspired by Brother Baoli’s characteristics, and she believed it would help foster a harmonious relationship between sister-in-law and Brother Baoli, as well as between her sister-in-law and her good mother and grandmother.

The two sisters-in-law got along well, while Baoli sat nearby, holding a small wooden sculpture resembling a dog, grinning like a silly little dog himself.

Several months later, Huo Jun unexpectedly appeared at Baoli’s woodcarving shop.

“I have a few words to pass on to Baobao.”

The two had met on several occasions before.

“Wait here.” Baoli glanced at him before heading toward the utility room.

“You can talk now.” Baoli returned, holding a massive tape recorder in his hands, his gaze innocent and naïve. 

It was the wedding gift from his sister, a thoughtful item to help resolve conflicts at their roots.