Chapter 102: Are You Short of Money?

When Lin You finally came to his senses, he realized something unusual about himself. He tried to act as though nothing had happened, maintaining a calm and composed demeanor. His face was serene, and he even managed a hint of surprise. "Why are you up so early? It's not even dawn yet."

"I... I wasn't really up. I just saw you didn't have your blanket on and wanted to cover you..." Xia Yan, feeling guilty, tugged at the blanket she held in her hands.

Lin You took the blanket from her, wrapped it around himself, and turned his body away from Xia Yan. Only when his back was to her did he finally exhale in relief. "Let's sleep a bit more."

Seeing that Lin You seemed not to notice her earlier, rather indiscreet gaze, Xia Yan finally relaxed. She too pretended nothing had happened, straightened the bedding over them both, and lay back down.

She meant to doze for a while longer, but her mind was full of the images from just moments ago. Her friends liked to say, "There are only exhausted oxen, never ruined fields," but the size of this 'ox' was truly excessive... Even if she were a field left fallow for decades, she couldn't withstand such tilling.

She lifted her hand, measuring... Was that really possible?

Perhaps fatigued by her thoughts, she drifted off again without realizing it.

Later, Lin You was the first to wake. He sat up carefully, slipped out of bed, and pressed the blanket gently over Xia Yan. Looking down at his smiling wife, he couldn't help but curve his lips in affection...

When Xia Yan awoke again, Lin You had already prepared breakfast, and the two children had finished eating and gone off to school.

She stretched lazily, watched the busy figure in the kitchen, and walked over to hug him from behind. "Good morning."

Her playful greeting and sudden embrace caught Lin You off guard.

"Morning. I saw you were still asleep, so I didn't wake you. I made some porridge, just eat what you can..."

"Porridge in the morning is wonderful."

Xia Yan returned to the living room, scooped a bowl of white porridge, and paired it with pickled radish she’d gotten from the neighbor. A few mouthfuls and the bowl was gone.

"Lin You, aren't you going to the base today?"

"I'm going in the afternoon. Bao Guo is on duty this morning, and I already requested leave from the commander yesterday..."

Lin You emerged from the kitchen, holding a plate with two steamed buns. "Careful, they're hot."

"Lin You, when you have time off this week, could you help me sort out the clay in the yard? I want to build a heated brick bed. Aunt Wang said it could be used to hatch chicks..."

Lin You had meant to ask about that pile of clay, but his recent injury had made him forget.

"Why bother with all that? If you want to raise chicks, just buy them in town. Besides, we already have plenty at home. Once they grow, we'll have enough eggs." Lin You looked puzzled.

Xia Yan smiled, "I'm just thinking of ways to get rich."

Lin You paused, his hands stilling. "Are you short on money? If you need more, just tell me."

But that didn’t make sense—he’d already handed over all the family’s savings to Xia Yan, and she wasn’t the type to spend recklessly. How could she be short?

"It's not about money. I'm just idle and want to earn a bit for household expenses. If I don't do something, staying home all day makes me feel listless."

Lin You responded, "How about I find you a job? That way you could meet different people."

Hearing him say that, Xia Yan was intrigued. In her previous life, she was a career woman. Though farming, feeding pigs, and raising children were all jobs in their own way, after a while, it did get tedious.

She nodded, "If you could ask around, that'd be great. Best if it's something I can do with the kids, otherwise there's no one to look after Nuannuan."

Lin You agreed, and acted quickly. That afternoon, after returning to the regiment headquarters, he reported Xia Yan’s desire to work to the Organization Department.

Director Wu Tiejun, upon receiving Lin You’s request, was troubled. Xia Yan was among the best of the mountain families, but lately, many family members wanted jobs. There were queues, and every position was filled unless someone left.

He pondered for a while, then went to the Propaganda Department, which was responsible for writing posters and promoting Party culture—Xia Yan would be well suited. But as he reached the door, he saw Chen Meixia, the department head, coming out.

He called out, "Director Chen, just the person I needed!"

Chen Meixia immediately guessed his purpose. "Director Wu, we really have no positions left in the Propaganda Department. If you insist on placing someone, you'll have to replace me."

Wu Tiejun, seeing his request blocked before he could even speak, flushed red. "This is for Captain Lin's family. It’s the first time he’s asked me for something. I agreed to help… You see..."

"Director Wu, our station isn’t like the district headquarters below the mountain. We have only two positions, and one is taken by Captain Sun's family. Am I supposed to drive her out?"

Wu Tiejun could only sigh heavily. "Alright then, I'll ask elsewhere."

Just then, Chen Meixia seemed to recall something and called him back. "Wait, Director Wu, I do remember there’s a job we can offer Captain Lin's family."

"Oh? What job?"

"I was at the infirmary recently and saw Teacher Yuan from the school there. I heard she had a miscarriage and will need to rest for some time. Captain Lin's wife is a high school graduate, right? She should be fine teaching primary school."

Wu Tiejun's furrowed brow finally relaxed. "Director Chen, thank you so much. I'll go ask at the school right away."

He went to the school and explained his purpose to Principal Li, who excitedly grabbed his hand. "Director Wu, I'm so glad you thought of us! You have no idea—Teacher Yuan suddenly said she had to leave yesterday, and I really didn't know where to find a suitable teacher."

With his task accomplished, Wu Tiejun was overjoyed. The matter was settled. He immediately went back to tell Lin You about the school job.

Lin You was pleased to hear she’d be teaching at the school.

That evening, he returned home and told Xia Yan about the job. She hadn’t expected things to move so quickly—she’d only mentioned it that morning, and now there was an answer.

"When should I start?"

"Principal Li said the sooner the better..."

"Alright."

Xia Yan was satisfied with the job. "By the way, when I visited next door this morning, Aunt Wang asked me—now that we’ve got our marriage certificate, when will we invite everyone for a meal? Should we handle that while I’m still at home?"