Chapter 26: There are still people who miss him and care for him

Liu Sanjin did not go home immediately. She clutched her chest and groaned for a long time, simply waiting for Lu Mingyang to come out so she could badmouth Shen Meng. Regardless of whether Lu Mingyang and the other children were her biological grandchildren, they were currently on the Lu family household register; they were the legitimate eldest grandsons and would have to be filial to her when they grew up. Shen Meng, on the other hand, was different.

Shen Meng was an outsider who had married into the family. In her heart, she treated Lu Mingyang and the children quite well, so she firmly believed that if a conflict arose between her and Shen Meng, the children would unconditionally side with her.

However, after waiting for a long time without seeing anyone emerge, she stomped her feet and turned to leave in a huff.

Shen Meng returned to the main hall with the letter and the remittance slip. There was thirty-five yuan on the slip, which brought a surge of joy to her heart. Between what the original owner had saved, the compensation from Liu Sanjin and the production team, and this remittance, she had a total of sixty-two yuan. In this era, having this much liquid capital was quite significant.

Upon opening the letter, she found another remittance slip inside. Shen Meng frowned; there was only eighteen yuan on it, along with five ten-jin food coupons, eight feet of cloth coupons, and various other miscellaneous coupons.

Shen Meng frowned. What was going on with Lu Zhenping? Why did he send two remittance slips, and why did this parcel notification seem to have been sent separately?

While she was in a daze, Lu Mingyang walked over.

"Mother, did Father send a letter back?"

After a moment of hesitation, Shen Meng spoke: "Yes, but why did your father send two remittance slips? And this parcel seems to have been sent separately as well. What's the matter?"

"Mother, that... that might be money collected by the uncles in the army for me, Mingliang, and Mingfang." He spoke with a heavy tone, slowly lowering his head. Only in this moment did he feel that someone still remembered him, cared for him, and loved him—his father's former comrades-in-arms.

Shen Meng was momentarily astonished. Looking at the allowance Lu Zhenping had sent, he had been promoted to deputy regimental commander last year, so his allowance should have been around fifty yuan a month. The original owner had been overjoyed when she learned of his promotion but had maintained her composure and not asked about the pay, assuming it wouldn't be lacking. Yet, this month, Lu Zhenping had only sent eighteen yuan.

She suddenly understood why there was a saying about "poor soldiers." An ordinary soldier earned about six or seven yuan a month, and their food and lodging were provided by the army, but for the families of those who had fallen, life was very difficult. She imagined there must be many families like Lu Mingyang, Lu Mingliang, and Lu Mingfang.

Shen Meng was deeply moved. Suddenly, the letter, the parcel voucher, and the remittance slip felt incredibly heavy in her hands, as if she could barely hold them. She curled her lips, but she couldn't manage a smile.

"Sigh, Mother understands. I'll go collect these later. As for this letter, Mingyang, come here and take a look. Read it aloud to your younger siblings."

Lu Mingyang: "..."

*Why bring this up out of nowhere? Didn't you say yourself before that there was no point in going to school? You're getting old and becoming forgetful!!!*

"Mother, Big Brother is illiterate, and I'm illiterate too, hee hee!"

Shen Meng: "..."

*Hee hee my foot! You're at the perfect age for learning, how can you not go to school? You said 'illiterate' so loudly, anyone listening would think it was something to be proud of!*

"After autumn arrives, I'll ask around. Mingyang, Mingliang, and Mingfang are all going to school. Not a single one is allowed to miss out. Xiaokai is still young, but he'll have to go once he's a bit older."

"Mother, didn't you say school was useless? And look, many of the educated youths sent to the countryside are educated, yet they still have to work in the fields," Lu Mingliang said hurriedly. He had no desire to go to school. Daqing was in third grade this year, and he said that when the teacher made them recite books and they couldn't, the teacher would pinch their eyelids until tears streamed down their faces. He didn't want to go at all!

Shen Meng waved the letter in her hand and looked at the clearly resistant child with a smile. "If you don't go to school, you'll remain illiterate. If you're illiterate, you won't even know what your father is saying in his letters. Mother isn't very educated either, but when I go to the post office to collect things, I still have to provide a thumbprint and a signature. These past few years, the educated youths have been gradually returning to the cities through job assignments, and they'll have stable jobs with salaries. Do you want to spend your whole lives farming? Of course, I'm not saying farming is bad, but the money in my hands was collected by those uncles in the army for you. Don't you want to repay them? If you're illiterate, you won't even know which way to go when you go out, right?"

Lu Mingliang: "..."

Lu Mingyang: "..."

The other two bystanders: "..."

*She makes a very good point!!!*

"This is not up for negotiation. After the autumn harvest, you all must go to school. I'll ask the village chief to help register your names. What a headache... your Third Aunt seems to know quite a lot of words. When she comes over, I'll have her read properly to us uneducated illiterates. It's a headache every single day. Mingliang, wash the morning bowls to temper your temperament. Mother is going back to her room."

Lu Mingliang: "..."

*Why me? I'm already suffering enough by having to go to school, why do I also have to wash the dishes???*

When Xie Jinghao arrived, she saw the children looking miserable. Her heart sank, and her grip on Xiaogang's hand tightened. Xiaogang was timid and reluctant to come out from behind her; he had seen his eldest aunt hit people, and it was very scary.

"Mingyang, what's wrong with you all? Where is your mother?"

"Third Aunt, Father sent a letter. Mother can't read, so she couldn't understand what he wrote and got angry. She told us we all have to go to school after autumn. She's so angry she has a headache and went to lie down in her room."

Lu Mingyang/Lu Mingfang: "..."

*You're quite the messenger!!!*

Xie Jinghao breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Lu Mingliang's words. She had thought her sister-in-law had started picking on the children again!

"School is good. Learning to read and write is a good thing; it means a future. Your little brother Xiaogang is still young, but once he grows up a bit, let him go to school too. He can't suffer the disadvantages of being uneducated. Xiaogang, stay here and play with your brothers and sisters; Auntie is going to find your eldest aunt."

"Okay."

Lu Mingliang was a bit disappointed. He thought Xie Jinghao would take their side, but she also wanted them to study. What was so good about studying? Having to sit in a classroom every day was nothing compared to climbing mountains to catch birds, catching fish in the river, or stealing sweet potatoes to roast in a mountain hollow!

Shen Meng read through the letter. The main idea was asking how the children were doing, whether his home leave would be approved this year, telling her to take care of herself, to find someone to write to him if anything happened, to remember to show filial piety to his parents, to give three yuan to Liu Sanjin, and he shared some local customs from southern Yunnan.

Last year, Lu Zhenping had given his home leave to a comrade who hadn't been home in three years. If he didn't return this year, it would also be three years since he had been home. Shen Meng sighed. Previously, she had only heard that being a military spouse was not easy, but only when she was actually in this position did she realize the unspeakable grievances and the helplessness of it all. She couldn't quite put it into words; she had only been a military spouse for two days, but her heart was filled with a complex mix of emotions.