She Only Cares About Cultivation-Chapter 838 - 784: Famine Era 25 (First Update)

"Eldest sister, I’m Leizi."

The nearly 8-year-old Ye Jialei was following his father. It was summer vacation, so he naturally stayed home despite being in second grade.

Ye Huan remembered that this younger brother was born in September of the year she started college, which was 1945, so he was about to turn eight this year.

From his birth until now, she hadn’t seen him many times, but this younger brother was not spoiled at all. Since all the siblings weren’t around, he helped their parents with chores from a young age, filling many of their parents’ regrets. Therefore, when she heard him call her, Ye Huan couldn’t help but tear up.

"Good Leizi, it must have been hard for you to take care of things while your sister wasn’t around."

"Sister, this is what I’m supposed to do, please don’t say that."

Afterwards, Ye Huan returned home surrounded by family, first visiting her grandparents at Auntie’s house, then Uncle’s family, and then returning to her own home, only to discover that Third Brother’s family had moved to the city.

"Third Brother’s workplace assigned him a house, and Third Sister-in-law was transferred to an elementary school in the city. Both were particularly hardworking and have obtained their high school diplomas, so Third Sister-in-law is now teaching a graduating class. Peace (Ye Jiazhe’s son) is now attending preschool in the city, he is six and a half years old now and will be in first grade this fall. He has a sister, Ye Hechang, and a brother, Ye He Feng, aged four and two, respectively, and they are both sent to kindergarten. Mom goes over to help during weekdays, and since today is the weekend, Brother and Sister-in-law took them out to play, so Mom is resting at home for a day."

Ye Huan couldn’t help but sigh. Third Brother was already the father of three children? Time flies so fast. And who would have thought the Ye family’s great-grandchildren would have the character ’He’ as their generation name? It was a good choice.

The only thing she couldn’t put at ease was Brother Five and Brother Six, "Haven’t they gone on any blind dates?"

Ye Yu shook his head, "Their situation is different from Third Brother’s. Although they also went to literacy classes and learned to read, and are also retired heroes, sister, disabilities are graded. Better or worse, no work unit wants them, and they can’t do farm work at home either. Sometimes I think it’s quite unfair."

In fact, Ye Huan had long predicted this outcome, missing a hand and missing an arm are still very different, not to mention Brother Six also missing a leg.

The Ye family nowadays was not exactly poor, but not really wealthy either. Naturally, the girls from respectable families would prefer to marry a man with all limbs intact rather than a person with disabilities.

Ye Huan sighed softly, for such a matter, it could only be left to chance, especially as she worked elsewhere and couldn’t help much.

Grandparents and parents were also not as healthy as before. Though the younger generation of the Ye family had the opportunity to receive education, they owed it only to the several brothers, who had enlisted in the army at a young age and returned crippled, although their lives were preserved, the dignity lost was irreversible. They were discriminated against wherever they went.

Now they could still help the family sell tofu, but after the sixties, they couldn’t sell anymore, and by then, they would be well into their thirties. What would they do then?

Even if it was farming, they couldn’t be counted as healthy laborers. In future communal farms, their work points might not even match those of ordinary women.

The more she thought about it, the more it saddened her, so she looked toward her parents, "Even if the betrothal gift is a bit more, we must find wives for the two brothers."

Mom knew what she was thinking, "Don’t worry, we have kept Brother Five and Brother Six’s marriage in mind, when the time comes we’ll gather the betrothal gifts together. Third Brother will contribute too. Huanhuan, you’re not young anymore, have you not thought about your own marriage?"

Ye Huan shook her head, "Mom, I’ll take care of my own affairs, no need for you and Dad to worry. I have to report to work in Beijing in July, and I’ll think about personal matters once my job is stable."

Ye Huan was the most promising child in the Ye family, destined to work in the Capital. Indeed, her personal issues were beyond the control of her rural parents, who could only advise her to be discerning when choosing a partner, ideally someone with deceased parents, if possible.

Ye Huan was amused, knowing that mother-in-law problems were probably her mother’s biggest worry. Especially since their family wasn’t of high status, her mother was afraid she might suffer grievances in the future. In those times, there were indeed many without parents, and her parents did not mean discrimination, only wishing that she would avoid pitfalls and unnecessary troubles. Truly, as the old saying goes, parents’ hearts are always concerned for their children!

In the evening, when Third Brother and Third Sister-in-law returned, Ye Huan finally took out gifts for everyone, going over to Uncle and Third Uncle’s houses as well.

There were gifts for everyone, all well thought out, even for Brother Five and Brother Six, she took out the red dragon and phoenix quilt sets she had carefully chosen.

These two quilt covers were the most expensive of all her purchases and the ones she chose with the most care. With regards to her brothers’ marriages, she couldn’t say much as a younger sister, but with her most sincere words, she blessed them to find their other halves soon.

The brothers patted her on the arm, speaking without words, understanding one another without needing to say a thing.

At the end of June, Ye Huan was sent on a train by Third Brother to Beijing, taking with her the blessings of the entire family as she headed toward her future.

On July 1, when she reported to the hospital, the hospital leadership immediately asked about her personal matters. Ye Huan, fearing being picked over like radishes, straightforwardly said she had a partner who was on the Korean battlefield, and the current situation was still unknown.

Since the hostilities ended in late July, she thought that there should be a solution to her personal issue by the end of the year.

This was an era of arranged marriages, especially as she was a military doctor, everything was based on obeying organizational orders. She would wait until the end of the year; as long as he had the intention, he should be able to find her, after all, he was a native of Beiping.