Knowing that this lady was weak, could not work after marriage, and had to recuperate, a bunch of people advised Old Master Zhai to marry anyone but this sick woman. Then, that person could at least take care of the family.

  But it was as though Old Master Zhai had fallen under a spell. He insisted on marrying this lady.

  Three years after the two married, she was still not pregnant. As such, there were rumors that this lady had already been plagued with illness the moment she was born. It seemed like not only would her lifespan be short, but she was also barren.

  Right at this time, the Second World War broke out. There was chaos within the country and people’s lives were particularly hard.

  It was said that Old Master Zhai made a decision to become a soldier based on one incident. Japan had invaded China and had committed countless atrocities. In particular, the ‘Three Alls’ policy generated hate from the Chinese. In Old Master Zhai’s village, there was a good harvest every year. And thus, it was only natural that it caught their attention.

  Old Master Zhai heard that the Japanese insulted Chinese women upon seeing them and his eyes burned with fury. Upon confirming the information that a small Japanese band of soldiers with guns was coming to his village to rob the villagers, Old Master Zhai made up his mind. He banded together with the villagers and wiped out all the Japanese troops at once.

  After burying these Japanese troops, Old Master Zhai took the Japanese guns and bullets for himself and organized a village militia to protect the village.

  When an officer of the Red Army heard of this, he spotted some innate talent in Old Master Zhai and wanted to put such a talent to good use. Old Master Zhai’s family was rather well-to-do in the village. When he was younger, Old Master Zhai even studied in the town’s private school. Thus, he was literate and civilized.

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  If it was not for his excellent family background, Old Master Zhai would not be so popular amongst the village girls.

  Then again, because Old Master Zhai was literate, his experiences were different from the ordinary folks’. He knew that he had to protect his country if he wanted to protect his family. Even if he was able to protect his family alongside the villagers, he knew that as long as China did not win over Japan and chased the Japanese out of the country, such an incident was bound to happen again and again.

  If he wanted to protect his family, he would first have to protect the nation.

  And so, Old Master Zhai made a decision that shocked the whole village. He decided to join the army.

  Upon hearing such an answer, everyone was dumbfounded. The lady whom Old Master Zhai had married was not in good health and neither was she delicate. But Old Master Zhai liked her. Everyone in the village knew that Old Master Zhai treated his wife like a gem. This lady had probably accumulated luck over a few lifetimes to meet such a good man like Old Master Zhai.

  But the problem was that once Old Master Zhai joined the army, there would be no one to take care of this frail and weak lady. Was Old Master Zhai really willing to leave his wife without anyone to take care of her? Was he not afraid that without his care, she would not be able to take it and would pass on just like that?

  Of course, Old Master Zhai was not such an unreliable person. Before leaving, he made arrangements for Grandma Zhai’s life. Grandma Zhai was extremely supportive of Old Master Zhai’s career and told Old Master Zhai that she had survived and lived well for eighteen years before marrying him.

  There was no reason that she would not be able to take care of herself and starve herself to death only three years after marrying him. She would much rather rely on herself. She promised to take good care of herself and await the return of Old Master Zhai.

  After the couple agreed on it, Old Master Zhai took with him only one set of clothes and two pairs of shoes that his wife had made for him and joined the army. Coincidentally, the night before he left, the woman who had become known in the village as the precious hen who could not lay eggs became pregnant.

  Fortunately, the timing could be matched. Grandma Zhai did not like to go out, and neither did she have any goings with other men. With Old Master Zhai in the army, the villagers were also willing to help take care of Grandma Zhai. All the village elders and men knew that the baby in Grandma Zhai’s stomach had to be Old Master Zhai’s.

  Ten months later, a baby was born.

  The moment Zhai Yaohui opened his eyes, there was not a single person in the village who questioned whom the father of this child might be. Just based on Zhai Yaohui’s face, which looked like it had been formed from the same mold as Old Master Zhai, alone, there would be no one who would believe that the two were not father and son.

  Grandma Zhai had survived through such arduous times. And even without her husband at her side, she brought up a strong baby all the same. Gradually, the villagers changed their attitudes toward Grandma Zhai. Although her body was a little weak, she could still have children, raise children, and take care of the family. She was really not a bad woman.

  In the days that Old Master Zhai was not by their side, everyone thought that Grandma Zhai and Zhai Yaohui were living comfortably. Only Zhai Yaohui knew just how hard it was for his mother to raise him. If it was not for him, his mother would not be in such poor health. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, she did not enjoy many years of happiness before she passed on. Thankfully, she did have the chance to see her grandchildren.

  The early death of Grandma Zhai could be said to be an old sore of Old Master Zhai and Zhai Yaohui that couldn’t be touched.

  Even after so many years, Old Master Zhai still could not forget Grandma Zhai. But he rarely spoke about Grandma Zhai in front of his whole family. As such, it was no wonder Miao Jing was so taken aback when he had suddenly mentioned it today.

  “Dad, eat more vegetables.” Miao Jing had a little impression of her mother-in-law. When she had just married into the family, her mother-in-law was already ill in bed and they saw each other at most twice a day. Every time she went to look after her mother-in-law, the smell of medicine was stinging. Of course, it was not that Miao Jing was unwilling to take care of her sick mother-in-law. But as long as it concerned Grandma Zhai, Old Master Zhai did not like others to interfere and preferred to do it himself.

  Old Master Zhai had said that because of the war, he had only had a mere three years of time that he was able to properly spend with her after marriage. Now that their daughter-in-law had married into the family and the country was at peace, he could finally stay by Grandma Zhai’s side.

  When Zhai Sheng was born and weaned, Grandma Zhai could no longer take it and passed on in the next spring.

  While Old Master Zhai fought in the war, he had accumulated countless injuries and performed well. He had become a soldier early and made great achievements. With that, the people in charge acquiesced in Old Master Zhai’s retirement and even gave Zhai Yaohui more opportunities to make up for Old Master Zhai’s early retirement.

  As Zhai Yaohui set his sights on climbing the ladder, Old Master Zhai had still not completely recovered from the pain of losing his wife. Miao Jing quietly took up the responsibility of caring for the family. She not only had to take care of her elders and her children, but when she went out, she also had to endure Qi Minlan’s ridicule and mockery. It could be said that the two to three years following Grandma Zhai’s death were the hardest in Miao Jing’s life.

  When Zhai Yaohui defeated Shi Peng, Zhu Chengqi became the youngest middle-aged chief through his own efforts, skills, and outstanding performance, thus intensifying Qi Minlan’s mockery of Miao Jing.