**Chapter 50**

  "Qingshan Farm is the new name of the forest farm. At the beginning of the year, a recmation corps was assigned to open up nd for farming northeast of the forest. The logging operations will be reduced, and the focus will shift to nd recmation. That’s why it was renamed Qingshan Farm. Our side of the forest is now the First Brigade, and further north, there are the Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Brigades," Zheng Sen expined.

  "When I came, I had decided to transfer my household registration." Zheng Sen said, gncing at Da Niu. "My family situation is a bit complicated."

  Daniu looked at him but didn’t press for details. "My father is a soldier. He joined the army in 1935. Before that, he had a wife at home, arranged through a childhood betrothal. They were married for two years before he joined the army," Zheng Sen began, pausing briefly. "He returned home a few times, and in 1939, my older brother was born. My brother’s mother passed away when he was three, during the chaos of war. My mother is my father’s second wife."

  When the Daniu heard this, she guessed that his father’s current wife was not his mother.

  "When my maternal grandfather fled during the war, my mother was still young. She ter studied medicine in Shanghai and met my father at a field hospital. At the time, my father had just lost his wife, and my mother was of a suitable age; someone introduced them to each other. They married soon after. However, they were often separated due to the war. In 1944, my mother became pregnant with me. That year, Japan was in its final desperate frenzy. The field hospital where my mother worked was bombed. Because she was due to give birth and her health was poor, the unit leader arranged for her to recuperate at a local vilger’s home, which saved her life," Zheng Sen said, reflecting on how he and his mother had narrowly escaped death.

  Da Niu could imagine the situation at the time.

  "After giving birth to me, my mother’s health was poor. She rested for two months before recovering. She went to look for the troops, but unfortunately they got separated. It wasn’t until six months ter that she rejoined the unit. By the time she saw my father again, a year had passed, and he already had a new wife."

  It was such a dramatic and fast turn of events.

  "His current wife was my mother’s good friend. Apparently, during that time, they comforted each other over my mother’s presumed death, and feelings developed," Zheng Sen said with a bitter smile.

  Daniu didn’t know what to say.

  "My mother didn’t make a scene. She simply divorced my father," Zheng Sen shrugged. "They didn’t have much affection for each other anyway. Not long after, my mother married a colleague from the hospital."

  Daniu reached out and patted his arm.

  Zheng Sen turned to her and smiled. "It’s fine. I was not affected by it. After giving birth to me, my mother went to look for the army two months ter, and I was taken care of by a vilger for a month before my uncle found me. Then I went to Beijing to live with my grandfather. It wasn’t until 1949 that both my parents came to Beijing, but due to the dynamics between the two families, I continued to live with my grandfather until he passed away. By then, I was already grown and didn’t need parental love."

  "My grandfather was a wealthy man in his early years. After fleeing during the war, he became an economics professor at Beijing University due to his education. However, he passed away in 1954 due to health issues. I was greatly influenced by him," Zheng Sen said; his voice showed that he missed the old man very much.

  "My retionship with both families is average. The situation is tense now. I have two younger siblings and an older brother. Although I could have stayed in Beijing, it would have caused trouble. I also wanted to see what my grandfather’s hometown was like," Zheng Sen expined. In fact, his father had used his connections to help his older brother, leaving Zheng Sen with few options. If he wanted to stay, he would have had to rely on his mother’s side, which he didn’t want to do.

  Da Niu nodded. "Leaving isn’t necessarily a bad thing." She thought that Zheng Sen probably didn’t have an easy time at home, which was why he had developed such an independent personality. Children without protection have to learn to navigate life on their own.

  "You know the current situation. My mother had two older brothers who died during the war. My youngest uncle left in 1946. Outsiders don’t know where he went, but my grandfather told me before he died that he went to Hong Kong. They used to correspond with each other." Zheng Sen said, not eborating further on what kind of person his youngest uncle was.

  Da Niu nodded. "Is this the main reason you decided to settle here?"

  Zheng Sen nodded. "Partly because of this and partly because I wanted to create some distance." Perhaps leaving was better for everyone. Back home, apart from school, he spent his holidays training in the military camp. He had little attachment to the family, so leaving made him feel relieved.

  "I will be responsible for transportation at the farm in the future. It is very suitable for us at this stage," said Zheng Sen.

  Hearing Zheng Sen say "us," Daniu gnced at him but didn’t say anything. This man was quite smart; leaving the turmoil behind at this time was a good move.

  Zheng Sen looked at Daniu and thought for a moment. "If things improve in the future, it should be possible to transfer back to Beijing." In reality, his father had already gotten angry about him transferring his household registration. Originally, as an educated youth with a collective household registration, he could return to the city if job opportunities arose or the situation improved. But now, things were more complicated. And if he were to marry Daniu, it would be even harder to transfer their jobs.

  "Let’s talk about the future when it comes," Da Niu replied. At least for now, it wasn’t worth thinking about. Home was still the best pce.

  At this point in their conversation, both of them knew their pns for the future and were more open with each other.

  Zheng Sen drove the truck to a furniture factory in the city. The timber on his truck was needed by the factory.

  After registering the timber and getting the receipt, Zheng Sen left the unloading to the factory workers and took Daniu with him.

  "This furniture factory is the rgest in our area. Many of the furniture they make are shipped to Harbin," Zheng Sen said.

  Da Niu nodded. "I’ve heard of it before, but I didn’t expect it to be so big."

  Zheng Sen said, "I’ll probably be running this route often in the future. Let’s go, I’ll take you around."

  Mo City wasn’t a rge city, but due to the presence of mines, it was retively prosperous. In the city center stood a two-story building, the heart of Mo City—the department store. Zheng Sen didn’t take Da Niu into the store but pointed across the street. "Let’s go take a photo first." Daniu looked over and saw a photo studio. "This studio can take outdoor photos."

  "Really?" In those days, photo studios usually only took indoor photos. The st time Daniu had her photo taken was during the New Year for a family portrait. With so many people in the family, she hadn’t had the chance to take a solo photo.

  The two went into the photo studio, but since it was the weekend, there were others ahead of them. Daniu saw what "outdoor photos" meant—it was just standing at the entrance with the department store as the background. They could also use the roundabout intersection as a background. If a car happened to pass by, it would make the photo even better.

  After waiting for a while, it was their turn. "Master, we’d like to take photos both indoors and outdoors. How much for a four-inch photo?" Zheng Sen took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and handed one to the photographer. Daniu noticed that Zheng Sen rarely smoked, but he always carried cigarettes with him.

  The photographer took the cigarette and gnced at it. It was a high-quality brand, rarely seen in their area. He tucked the cigarette behind his ear. "Four-inch photos cost 85 cents per negative, which includes two prints. Two-inch photos are 54 cents. How many would you like?"

  Zheng Sen pointed to the department store. "Use that as the background. Take two individual photos for each of us, and then one group photo and one individual photo indoors." When Zheng Sen mentioned the group photo, he gnced at Daniu, but she didn’t object. He smiled. "Master, how big can you enrge the photos here?"

  The photographer said, "The rgest we can go is ten inches, but it’s quite expensive—5.60 yuan."

  Zheng Sen nodded but didn’t mention enrging the photos. "We’ll decide when the photos are ready."

  Daniu wasn’t wearing her uniform that day. Instead, she had on a white shirt, light blue pants, and a pair of low-heeled leather shoes. Her long hair was tied into a thick braid.

  Outside, with the department store as the backdrop, they each took a full-body individual photo. "Let’s try to do this every year. When we’re old, we can look back and see how time has changed."

  Daniu nodded. "That’s a good idea. Photos freeze time in that moment. Not just for us, but if we can buy a camera in the future, maybe we can record even more." She had some thoughts of her own. Although every moment was recorded in her mind, she thought it would be a shame if only she could see these memories when she was old.

  Zheng Sen’s eyes lit up. "That’s a great idea."

  Inside the photo studio, Zheng Sen spent a long time discussing with the photographer. He asked Daniu to sit on a stool and adjusted his own position several times before finally sitting down. The photographer brought the camera close to them.

  Zheng Sen loosened Da Niu’s braid and re-braided it loosely, using a comb to tidy it up slightly. Her jet-bck hair looked soft as clouds, making her beautiful face even more captivating.

  Zheng Sen smiled with satisfaction. Daniu couldn’t help but ugh as she watched him fussing around.

  Zheng Sen sat close to Daniu, adjusted his positions, and then looked at the photographer. The two were very close when the photographer pressed the shutter, but he asked them to turn their heads slightly and took another photo.

  After the photos were taken, Daniu suddenly realized that the photo looked a lot like a wedding photo.

  Leaving the photo studio, they went to the department store. The photos would take at least a week to develop, so there was no rush.

  The city’s department store always had items that couldn’t be found in the county. However, Da Niu didn’t need to buy much, as her family wasn’t cking anything. The store had a wider variety of pastries, so she bought some. She also saw boxed Tianjin mahua (fried dough twists) and bought a box.

  After browsing around, they left the department store. "I originally wanted to take you to the movies, but they’re showing _Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy_ again. We still have some time, so let’s check out the sports stadium," Zheng Sen said, pointing west of the department store. "It’s not far."

  Da Niu nodded.

  The Mo City sports stadium wasn’t rge, but it was a trendy pce for the time. In addition to a running track, there were areas for basketball and badminton. On weekends, it was open to the public, and it was quite crowded.

  "Do you want to py badminton?" Zheng Sen asked.

  Daniu looked around and shook her head. The shoes and clothes I'm wearing today are not suitable."

  Zheng Sen nodded. They didn’t have rackets either, and borrowing them would be a hassle. He thought about buying a pair of rackets someday—pying badminton together would be fun.

  By the time they left the stadium, it was already noon. Zheng Sen took Daniu off the main road and, after a few twists and turns, arrived at a courtyard. Most of Mo City’s buildings were still courtyard-style rather than high-rises. Inside the courtyard were five single-story houses. Hearing them enter, a burly man came out and greeted Zheng Sen with a hearty ugh. "Xiao Zheng, it’s been a while! There’s one table left. What would you like to eat?"

  Zheng Sen said, "I brought a friend today. We will have a mb leg, four ftbreads, two bowls of mb soup, and a pte of smashed cucumbers."

  "Ah, unfortunately, we’re out of mb legs today, but we have mb ribs," the burly man replied.

  "Lamb ribs are fine too. Grill them tender, and add a little chili powder," Zheng Sen said.

  "Got it. I’ll get that ready for you," the man said, leading Zheng Sen and Daniu past the main house to the backyard, where there were three additional rooms. He took them inside, where the space was divided into four small private rooms. All the rooms were occupied, but as they walked through, they didn’t see any of the diners.

  Inside the room, there was a square table. "This pce only serves regur customers. There are only four rooms in the backyard, and the front yard isn’t for dining. The owner is a master at roasting mb. You’ll see in a bit. But his supply isn’t always stable, so what you eat depends on what he can get that day," Zheng Sen expined.

  Da Niu looked around. The environment was quite nice, reminiscent of a future private dining concept.

  The food came quickly. First, the mb soup and smashed cucumbers arrived, followed by the ftbreads and roasted mb ribs. The ribs were generous—six whole ribs with thick chunks of meat.

  Zheng Sen handed one rib to Daniu, then took one for himself and started eating it. "Just dig in like this. It’s authentic."

  Da Niu didn’t hold back either. She took a bite and found the meat tender and fvorful, with a hint of cumin and chili powder. The outer yer had that distinct roasted aroma. Her eyes lit up—this was undoubtedly the best roasted mb ribs she had ever tasted. Her family had tried roasting mb once before, but maybe because the heat hadn’t been controlled well, the meat turned out overcooked. This, however, was perfect—juicy and not greasy at all.

  Seeing her satisfaction, Zheng Sen said, "I stumbled upon this pce by chance. Their mb comes directly from herders, raised on fresh grass, so the fvor is unique."

  Da Niu nodded. "It’s really good. The mb soup is excellent too."

  "I secretly learned how to make this soup," Zheng Sen whispered. "I’ll make it for you someday."

  Da Niu smiled. "Why did you learn that?"

  "Mastering something makes it your own," Zheng Sen said. Perhaps due to his childhood experiences, he always wanted to have control over things. Only by being capable could he avoid being cornered.

  Looking at Zheng Sen, Daniu felt she was starting to understand him a little better.

  After the meal, the two strolled back to the furniture factory, retrieved the truck, and headed home. Zheng Sen needed to return the truck by 5 p.m. This was their first date, marking the beginning of their retionship.

  When Daniu got home, the family had already finished dinner. Ma Hongmei was cleaning the kitchen and saw her come in. "Have you eaten? I left some food for you in the pot."

  Da Niu shook her head. "I’m not hungry yet. Mom, is my brother home?"

  "He’s talking to your grandpa."

  "I bought some Tianjin mahua (fried dough twists). We can’t buy them around here. Can Brother take some to the Zhou family and Fourth Grandpa’s family?"

  "Sure. He’s heading back to the forest farm soon. I’ll have him stop by the commune first," Ma Hongmei said and walked out.

  Da Niu didn’t know what her mother was doing, so she went inside.

  "Grandpa, I’m back," Daniu said.

  The old man looked up at her. "How did you get back so early?"

  "Zheng Sen is driving a truck for the forest farm now. We took the truck today."

  The old man looked surprised and turned to Da Li. "Is that so?"

  Da Li nodded. "Yes, he was transferred to the transport team st week. And he’s also registered his household independently at the farm."

  The old man frowned and thought for a moment. "That’s not bad." It was good news for their family, but perhaps because of the history between his eldest son and Zheng Sen’s family, the old man was particurly concerned about Zheng Sen. He figured there must be some issues at home for the young man to have registered his household independently.

  Daniu took out some soft pastries she had brought for her grandpa. A few days ago, during the New Year celebrations, the old man had lost a front tooth while gnawing on bones. With several teeth missing, he couldn’t eat anything too hard anymore.

  After a while, Ma Hongmei came in. "Here, this is some dried cabbage I prepared a few days ago. Take it to them ter," she said to Dali, instructing him to deliver the mahua to both families. Since Fourth Grandpa lived in the commune, his yard wasn’t big enough to grow much, so the family always looked out for him. On the other hand, he wasn't as close with the two brothers in the same vilge, perhaps because their children were grown, though the elderly brothers still got along well.

  Their family had two gardens, one in the front and one in the back, covering two residential plots. While they couldn’t grow grain in the gardens, they could grow vegetables. Every year, Ma Hongmei pnted cabbage in the front garden. At first, she pnted them densely, then thinned them out as they grew. This batch of cabbage had grown as thick as a child’s arm, which is just right for making dried cabbage and saving it for making soup in winter. Besides cabbage, the family also dried eggpnts and potatoes, which were great for winter meals.

  The nd here was fertile, and as long as you were willing to work hard, you wouldn’t go hungry.

  Dali rode off on his bike to deliver the items and then headed straight to the farm. Only Da Niu and her grandpa were left in the front yard. Today, the old man wasn’t in a hurry to sleep and called Daniu into his room. "How are things with Zheng Sen?"

  Daniu was surprised by the question. "We’re doing well," she said. They had officially started dating.

  "Is there something going on with his family?" the old man asked, concerned.

  "There are some issues," Da Niu said, thinking for a moment before expining Zheng Sen’s family situation to her grandpa.

  After hearing it, the old man frowned. "Ah, that boy has had a hard time." After a moment of thought, he said, "If you think it’s right, you two can get engaged first and marry next spring. Your two older brothers are getting married this year, so you can wait another year."

  Da Niu smiled. "Grandpa, I’m in no hurry. I won’t even be of marriageable age until the year after next."

  "Getting married can wait, but you should get engaged first. Otherwise, what will others say with him always coming over?"

  Da Niu thought for a moment. "Let’s wait until after my brothers’ weddings."

  The old man nodded. "I’ll discuss this with your parents tomorrow."

  "Alright, you can talk it over."

  Daniu wasn’t in a rush to marry. Before traveling through time, she was almost thirty and still unmarried, so she felt that she was still young now.

  Daniu felt she was still young, but her cousin Shufen from Fourth Grandpa’s family had already gotten engaged. Shufen was engaged to a man from the Chen family in Yagou, introduced by a matchmaker from the commune. It was Fourth Grandpa who wanted to arrange a marriage for Shufen even early, but Daniu thought it was too soon. She didn’t understand why they were in such a hurry. Shufen’s older brother, Ma Tianlin, was already in his twenties, and they hadn’t rushed his marriage. Why are they in a rush when it comes with Shufen?

  When Da Niu heard about the engagement, she went to visit Fourth Grandpa’s family during her lunch break. The family seemed unchanged, and Shufen appeared quite satisfied with the arrangement. The Chen family was a rge one, with seven brothers in the previous generation, making it an even bigger family than theirs. Shufen’s fiancé was the third son in his family, which had six children—all boys.

  In those days, having many borers in a family was a sign of prosperity, and the Chen family was no exception. Even the youngest child could earn five work points, and with so many strong borers, everyone spoke highly of them.

  However, Daniu felt the family was too complicated. Shufen had a gentle personality, and with so many sisters-in-w, there was bound to be conflict.

  However, she couldn't say this directly, so after thinking about it, she went to the supply and marketing cooperative to find Ninth Aunt and told her what she thought.

  "Well, I’ve thought about it too, but the elders in that family seem reasonable, and the young man is decent. The two of them seem to like each other. Shufen is gentle, but you know how well she gets along with everyone. She’s also hardworking. When it comes to marriage, it’s about the couple living together. Besides, your uncle and I are here to support her. With our family’s standing, where else could they find a better match?" Ninth Aunt said.

  Seeing that everyone was happy with the arrangement, Daniu didn’t say anything more. Marriage was a serious matter, and it wasn’t her pce as a young woman to interfere.

  Still, she went to talk to Fourth Grandpa and asked why he was in such a hurry to find a match for Shufen.

  Fourth Grandpa thought for a long time before answering, "I did some calcutions for this child, and no matter how I looked at it, she seemed destined for a difficult period in her life. So, I thought if we arranged an early engagement and found a family with many descendants, it might help her avoid that fate."

  "Fourth Grandpa, isn’t that superstition?" Daniu asked.

  "What superstition? You don’t understand. I’ve tried to teach you, but you wouldn’t learn. This requires a lot of knowledge."

  "But isn't their family too rge?"

  "Isn’t that a good thing? Our branch of the family is small. Marrying into a rge family might bring some luck, and maybe Tianlin will give me ten or eight great-grandchildren," Fourth Grandpa said.

  Da Niu couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

  Regardless, Shufen’s engagement was settled, and a good date was chosen for the betrothal ceremony. The matter was considered done.

  In mid-August, Daniu took advantage of a Sunday off to go into the mountains to pick blueberries. She had set out the evening before after work. The blueberries in their area matured te, but they were ripe by early August. Daniu headed to a remote area further north, a pce few people visited. It was deep in the mountains, with wild animals and difficult terrain, so even those familiar with the forest rarely went there.

  Zheng Sen had known about her pns and, since he was free that day, decided to join her. To ensure they could return the next day, they traveled through the night. Zheng Sen even got a small wheelbarrow that could barely be pulled through the woods, and in some pces they had to carry it.

  They rested for four hours in the middle of the night and set off again at dawn. By 8 a.m., they reached the spot. Seeing the vast expanse of ripe blueberries, Zheng Sen was stunned. "These blueberries are amazing! Are they really wild?" He picked one and tasted it—sweet, tangy, and juicy. It was the best blueberry he had ever eaten.

  Da Niu smiled but didn’t expin. She had pnted these blueberries herself. The sunny, well-hidden location had naturally good soil. The blueberries here grow well, so she pnted some branches when she went into the mountain. Over two years, they had grown into this rge patch. She had also watered them with spiritual water a few times, which made them thrive even more.

  "Let’s start picking," Daniu said. Her mother and a few aunts from Third Grandpa’s and Sixth Grandpa’s families had gone into the mountains earlier to pick wild blueberries and had made a lot of blueberry wine. Originally, her mother had wanted to come to this pce with her aunts, but Daniu didn't agree, as time was tight, and she didn’t want them to wander in the forest without her guidance.

  Daniu used straw baskets to avoid crushing the blueberries. As she picked, she ate some, and by noon, she wasn’t even hungry. "Blueberry wine made from these will taste amazing," Zheng Sen said as he picked.

  "When we get back, we can also make blueberry jam. It’ll be great spread on ftbread. By the way, can you get some gss bottles?" Da Niu asked.

  "What kind? Like canning jars?"

  "No, the kind used for IV drips, big or small, with rubber stoppers. After making the jam, we can put it in the bottles, steam them, and seal them while hot and store them in the celr, and it will st until the winter without going bad. I have some bottles at home, but not many."

  Zheng Sen thought for a moment. "I’ll see what I can find. You know, IV bottles are highly sought after. Many women use them to hold hot water to warm their beds at night."

  "If you can’t find any, it’s fine. We have some wine bottles at home. I can seal them with wax to preserve the jam," Da Niu said.

  They only filled four baskets with blueberries, as it would be troublesome to carry them back if they harvested more. "We can come back next week for another round," Da Niu said.

  They arrived home in the middle of the night, and Zheng Sen stayed over and left before dawn the next day.

  After Daniu went to work, her family started processing the blueberries—washing them and letting them dry in the shade, waiting for Daniu to return to finish the job. The one made by them never turned out as well as Da Niu’s.

  When Da Niu returned in the evening, she brought a lot of rock sugar, which was needed for making blueberry wine. The process was simple: yer the blueberries and sugar in a jar, then pour in some distilled liquor. The only difference between Daniu’s method and her mother’s was that Daniu added a bit of spiritual water while yering the blueberries.

  After sealing the jars, the blueberries would normally ferment for two to three months. However, perhaps because of the spiritual water, the fermentation took four months. The resulting wine has a rich aroma and a unique fvor. The sweet wine was particurly popur with the women in the family. Ma Hongmei drank a gss every day, ciming it made her feel more rexed and energetic.

  The best blueberries were reserved for the wine, and the remaining ones were set aside for other use. Zheng Sen acted quickly and brought fifty canning jars with lids and some tape to seal them two days ter.

  Daniu started making blueberry jam right after by boiling blueberry juice and sealed the jars after it was done. Previously, she had considered using wax to seal them, but steaming the jars again would allow water vapor to enter, which wasn’t ideal. This time, using tap to seal the jars worked better than expected. After a month in the celr, the blueberry jam tasted exactly the same as when it was first made.

  Seeing so much blueberry jam and wine in the celr, the whole family was delighted. Ma Hongmei felt a sense of pride. In the entire area, no other family had as much variety in their food storage as theirs. Not only did her daughter frequently go into the mountains to gather wild goods like mushrooms and edible pnts, but their vegetable garden was also more abundant than anyone else’s.

  However, her pride faded when she saw the family’s sugar jar. Whether making wine or jam, sugar was essential. The sugar ration tickets they had saved up over several months were all used up in one go.

  Thinking about her eldest son’s upcoming wedding, although getting married is simple these days, retives and old friends still have to be invited, so they needed to buy Sugar.

  Just as she was pondering this, Zheng Sen hurried in while sweating profusely. He tossed a paper-wrapped package onto the table and went straight to the water jar to drink.

  "Where have you been? Why are you so sweaty?" Ma Hongmei asked.

  "I ran here. The truck is waiting for me at the intersection," Zheng Sen said, catching his breath. "Auntie, this is some white sugar I bought in the city. I have to go now."

  "Wait a moment," Ma Hongmei said, her heart warming at his thoughtfulness. Where else could she find such a considerate son-in-w? She quickly took out some cornmeal ftbread she had made that morning and spread a yer of blueberry jam on it.

  "Take this to cushion your stomach," Ma Hongmei said, and handed him the ftbread.

  Zheng Sen took a bite and smiled. "Auntie, can you make another one? I have a colleague waiting at the intersection."

  "Sure, wait a moment," Ma Hongmei said, and swiftly spread jam on another cornmeal ftbread. Zheng Sen, no longer in a hurry, picked up a scallion, dipped it in the jam, and ate it, finishing the ftbread in a few bites.

  After wiping his mouth, he took the second ftbread Ma Hongmei had prepared. "By the way, Auntie, I’ll be going on a long-distance trip with the fleet tomorrow, so I won’t be able to come over this week."

  "What time are you leaving tomorrow? Should I prepare some dry rations for you?"

  "No need. There are seven or eight trucks in the fleet, and food and lodging are all arranged. Besides, we won’t take this route tomorrow."

  Ma Hongmei nodded. "Then be careful."

  "Got it, Auntie. I’m off," Zheng Sen said, quickly leaving.

  The truck was waiting at the intersection. Zheng Sen walked to the driver’s side, opened the door, and said, "Master, you can sit over there. Here’s some cornmeal ftbread. I’ll drive back."

  The man in the truck was Zheng Sen’s driving instructor, Lin Aiguo. Zheng Sen had been learning from him for both short and long-distance trips. Only after his master deemed him ready could he drive independently.

  Master Lin didn’t stand on ceremony. He sat in the passenger seat, took a bite of the ftbread, and said, "Hey, there’s blueberry jam in this. You must have used a lot of sugar—it’s really sweet." He stopped eating after that. The ftbread was clearly made with more white sugar than cornmeal, and there was plenty of jam inside. He decided to save it to take home for his daughter to enjoy.

  Zheng Sen gnced over. "My girlfriend made this. Next time, I’ll bring you a jar. If it weren’t so hard to pick blueberries around here, we’d make more."

  Master Lin chuckled. "This stuff uses a lot of sugar. If you don’t put in enough, it will be too sour. If you put in too much, it’s wasteful and spoils easily. My wife makes a little every year, but we didn’t pick much this time. The outer areas of the forest were picked clean early on." He added, "Blueberry jam from our area is really popur. The blueberries here have a stronger fvor than those from other pces. The jam your girlfriend made tastes even better than the ones from Harbin’s food factory."

  "Really?"

  "It’s a local specialty. If you can transport it to the south or even Beijing, you can trade it for a lot of things," Master Lin said, sharing this with Zheng Sen for the first time.

  In reality, it was common for people in the fleet to bring back goods, but it was an unspoken rule that no one talked about it openly.

  When Daniu heard that Zheng Sen had gone out of town, she wasn’t surprised. She had expected this day to come. She suspected that the reason he joined the transport team was to have the opportunity to travel. Zheng Sen was someone who couldn’t sit still and was always on the move. For some reason, Daniu felt confident in him. She believed he was capable and always had a backup pn, and he would never put himself in danger.

  She didn’t have much time to think about this, as the station had been very busy tely. There were study sessions and reports to write, which kept everyone occupied. Fortunately, no major cases had occurred recently. Daniu had also taken two exams in the city. Originally, due to her achievements, she had been offered a chance to study in Mo City, but it was canceled for some reason. However, Director Yang arranged two exams for her. After passing these, she will study full-time and take another exam next year. If she succeeds, she will earn a technical secondary school diploma. It was an internal exam, and Daniu performed exceptionally well, scoring perfect marks.

  There was no helping it—she couldn’t forget anything she had read, and she couldn’t deliberately answer incorrectly when she knew the right answers.

  However, her perfect scores almost caused trouble. One day, while she was writing a report in the office, a few people came in. Director Yang was with them, but his expression wasn’t good.

  "Are you Comrade Ma Shun?" asked the man at the front. He was young, with a slightly sharp face.

  "Yes, I’m Ma Shun," Da Niu replied.

  "We need you to come with us for an investigation," the man said.

  The others in the office looked on with concern.

  Da Niu’s mind raced with possibilities, but she quickly calmed down. She had nothing to fear from an investigation. The only potential issue was Zheng Sen, given his family’s overseas connections. If someone had reported him, there could be trouble. But she didn’t think that was the case.

  Da Niu nodded and said, "Alright."

  Da Niu followed the men into the interrogation room. As she entered, she frowned—this didn’t feel friendly at all.

  "Comrade Ma Shun, you participated in the qualification exam on the 20th, correct?" the man asked, while another person beside him scribbled something on paper.

  "Yes," Da Niu nodded.

  "You scored a perfect 100 on all three subjects, right?" the man pressed.

  "That's correct," Da Niu confirmed.

  "Before the exam, did you see or were you given the answers to the test questions?" the man asked.

  Da Niu suddenly understood. "No. Are you suspecting me of cheating?" she asked, an involuntary smirk forming on her face.

  "Yes, someone reported that you cheated on the exam by obtaining the questions in advance. We’ve looked into it. This qualification exam is meant to improve the cultural level of our internal staff. Candidates are carefully screened and recommended before they are allowed to take the exam. You’re only 19 years old and have only been working for six months. Normally, you shouldn't be qualified. Additionally, we found that the recommender from the county bureau was Comrade Ma Yunting, your uncle within five generations of kinship. Therefore, we have reason to doubt your exam results," the man expined clearly.

  Hearing this, Da Niu remained calm. "Regarding the exam qualification, it was our station director who recommended me. Although I’ve only worked at the station for six months, I previously had two years of experience at the Forestry Bureau. My transfer was also reviewed and approved by higher authorities. At the Forestry Bureau, I worked as a forest ranger and participated in several operations with the county and even the city bureau, making significant contributions. These can be found in my records."

  She paused briefly before continuing, "Moreover, although I’ve only been at the station for a short time, my work capabilities have been recognized by everyone here. I’ve even earned commendations this year. While I shouldn’t boast about past achievements—after all, we serve the people—my abilities fully justify my qualification for this exam."

  "As for the fact that my uncle is from the county security bureau, I don’t deny it. However, to my knowledge, he had no involvement in this matter. The decision was made entirely by other leaders at the county bureau. You should be able to verify this through meeting records or other documentation."

  "All of this requires investigation by the organization, and I believe I will be given a fair judgment," Daniu concluded.

  "What about your scores? The exam was very difficult, and your results are suspicious," the man pressed.

  Da Niu smiled and shook her head. "Does this really need an expnation? These are my genuine scores. For me, the questions were very simple."