Transmigrated & Triumphant: Defying Destiny's Chosen One-Chapter 611 - 85: The Heavy 20 Yuan

After a tug-of-war, Aunt Niu finally managed to bring the small car safely back into the room.

Previously, she only regarded this old car as a rather rare toy, but after her daughter reminded her, she realized it was a hefty 20 yuan.

The grandson and granddaughter were still in kindergarten, and the two girls brought by her eldest daughter Liu Hong were still sleeping, tired from traveling back and forth by train.

However, this couple shook off their tiredness and were now full of energy.

But Chen Jian Country was the son-in-law of their family, while his sister was technically still a guest. So, Aunt Niu politely said:

"Wen Juan, are you tired? Why not go lie down for a bit? I tidied up the west room just for you, the quilts are freshly sunned."

As for new ones...in what household? Where do you get new quilts—freshly sunned is the best sincerity here.

Da Dan glanced over—

Wen Juan?

He vaguely recalled that back in the village, the brigade leader’s daughter was also named that, but who paid attention to that back then? Each day was spent worrying about what to eat.

Plus, after six or seven years, he really couldn’t recall what she looked like, only a vague familiarity.

But this was probably psychological, after all, how could Chen Jian Country’s sister have anything to do with the village chief’s daughter?

Perhaps Wen Juan and Jian Country were just common names.

Unlike their family... Da Dan thought of this, suddenly feeling a bit proud.

...

And when he looked over, the other party suddenly showed a gentle and understanding smile, with eyelashes fluttering like two dewdrops on a small flower in the morning, soothing one’s mood unconsciously...

But Da Dan thought:

Why can’t those two strands of hair next to her ear be tied into the braid?

So unkempt.

Looking over again at Sister Niu Hong’s neatly combed, ear-length hair and rough appearance, Da Dan thought: with a sister like this who can’t manage a household, Aunt Niu’s daughter probably didn’t have it easy after getting married.

While pondering this, Chen Jian Country spoke:

"Yes, Juan, you should go take a nap first. It’s tiring traveling by train!"

Chen Wenjuan came back to her senses and quickly gave a shy smile:

"Brother, it’s okay, why don’t you go sleep first! You’ve had such a tiring journey."

Aunt Niu’s face didn’t look too pleased.

Understandably so.

The siblings were going back and forth, giving and taking—it was quite moving. But why was no one thinking of her daughter?

Didn’t anyone notice the big dark circles under her eyes?

However, after such a hard-earned return, the last time being her daughter’s wedding, given their relationship, Aunt Niu naturally couldn’t say anything.

For now, she could only look at her daughter and ask, "Hong, are you tired?"

Niu Hong let out two bitter laughs: "Mom, don’t tell me to sleep, I can’t sleep now. I haven’t been back for five, six years, I just want to talk to you more."

"Jian Country watched the kids along the way, and I took some naps."

Once she said this, Aunt Niu’s eyes turned red, and she found Chen Jian Country looked more pleasing to the eye.

She thought: It’s fine if there’s no in-laws to help, her daughter has a strong will, and the young couple are living well.

The sister seemed a bit inexperienced, but being a mature girl, she didn’t need her daughter to take care of her... It’s fine.

There’s no such thing as perfection!

She was always capable of self-soothing, and those little knots in her heart quickly passed.

Now looking at her son-in-law, she felt a bit of love, thinking: so young yet without parents.

"Jian Country, where are you planning to apply for the exam this time? Will you and your wife be in the same place?"

Chen Jian Country quickly answered:

"Same place, we’ve both applied for Beijing, since you all are here. But I didn’t do well in the exam, and the schools I applied to are just average."

To be precise, the schools the couple applied to were both average.

Considering there were only 40 days from the restoration of the college entrance examination to the actual exam,

and as educated youths sent to work in the countryside, they still had to work every day, having the courage to apply was already commendable.

"That’s good!"

Aunt Niu sighed, "As long as there’s a chance to come back, it’s good, but don’t put too much pressure on yourselves. I see many places aren’t taking exams, and they’re giving returns now."

"Beijing is better, so we can help each other... Oh, right, the materials you reviewed before were borrowed from Chu Yang, their family had 7 people taking the exam and only two sets of materials, we shamelessly borrowed a set to copy!"

Even though they were copied by exchanging one book at a time, this kind of friendship was indeed remarkable.

Chen Jian Country was truly shocked—7 people taking the exam?!

He quickly stepped forward and took Da Dan’s hand:

"Comrade Chu Yang, thank you so much!"

Da Dan raised his eyebrows, forming a new opinion about him. But hearing thanks had become so commonplace that Da Dan gave a subtle smile: "It’s nothing, as long as it helps with the results."

And Chen Jian Country, naturally, exchanged more polite words.

Da Dan looked at the sky: "Aunt, I should go back to cook, I see your small greens are growing quite well, I’ll pick a basket now!"

Aunt Niu was overjoyed: "Go ahead, choose the tender ones yourself!"

...

After Da Dan left, Chen Jian Country finally inquired:

"Mom, this family next door..."

"Oh," Aunt Niu quickly said, "I forgot to tell you, the family next door moved here last year. The homeowner is an officer in the army and rarely comes back. His nephew, niece, and sister live here."

"This time, with the reinstatement of the college entrance exams, everyone in the family applied."

Niu Hong was surprised: "Is this family so impressive? And that kid earlier, he looks like he’s just in his teens, did he apply too?"

Aunt Niu scolded her: "What are you talking about? Chu Yang just graduated from high school this year, 18 or 19, it’s perfect timing!"

Then she gave a mysterious smile, "But I think the kids in their family haven’t fully matured yet; they probably registered their ages a bit older."

In these days, there are even people who go their whole lives without household registration, let alone registering two years older, it’s no big deal at all.

Niu Hong also laughed: "I knew it!"

However, Chen Jian Country shook his head: "A whole family taking exams? And they’re all kids, they’re probably just joining in on the fun!"

At this, he was filled with regret: "They just caught the good times, graduating right as the college entrance exams were reinstated. If I had graduated back then..."

Niu Hong laughed at him: "Come on now, back when you graduated, wasn’t it an honor to hand in a blank paper? Restored exams would have been even more confusing for you!"

Chen Jian Country awkwardly smiled, saying nothing more.

Aunt Niu glanced at him, then at her carefree daughter—

Alas!

Already a mom, why does she still talk like this?

Can’t she save some face for her man?

But what the elder son-in-law said wasn’t entirely wrong: "Jian Country, don’t underestimate them. The kids in that family go to school in the city. The worst performer, just like that Chu Yang, has never dropped out of the top 20 in their grade."

"The youngest one in their family is always first."

As she said this, Chen Jian Country’s cheeks flushed: "That impressive?!"

Niu Hong was also full of disbelief.

And Chen Wenjuan, who hadn’t spoken, suddenly said, "Then doesn’t that mean He’an and Bai Niao can choose freely? With such good schools, they can choose jobs all over the country once they graduate. They could even become officials directly!"

"Is this family really that impressive? What’s their situation?"

Chen Wenjuan asked a bit eagerly, but Aunt Niu didn’t catch the key point in her question and continued speaking at her own pace—

"Exactly!"

With such a family, having a good relationship made her feel a sense of pride, her tone becoming proud.

Then she advised her daughter: "It’s not easy to get into a factory job now. Hong, if you don’t do well in this year’s exam, don’t be discouraged. Mom will borrow study materials for you, and you can take the test again next year."

Niu Hong was reassured: "That’s exactly what I plan to do!"

"At my age, without exams, it’s hard to get into a factory. The kid is still young, so I have to give it another try."

She looked at Aunt Niu: "Mom, if it really comes to that, the kid will need your help."

Aunt Niu had a harmonious family, but if she brought her two granddaughters over, she’d need to be mindful of her own family too. So she inquired: "Now that you’re in Beijing, can you stay here long-term? What are your plans?"

Niu Hong looked at Chen Jian Country: "Don’t worry, the policy has eased now. We sorted everything out before we left. This time we came back with the intention to stay in Beijing."

"But once we’ve settled down, we still need to go back and sort out some things."

"We left in such a hurry, we didn’t dare bring much."

Niu Hong thought: She’s already married; staying at her parents’ house long-term doesn’t seem right.

Over the years, they’ve saved some money, so she asked Aunt Niu, "Mom, how much are the houses here now?"

...

Once she said this, Aunt Niu was reassured.

It’s not that she didn’t care for her daughter, but in the past, when her daughter went to the countryside, the family sent supplements every month, and the daughter-in-law never said a word.

Now, with both her son and daughter-in-law working and still giving her money every month to take care of the two grandsons,

if suddenly the granddaughters come too, without Da Hong showing some gesture, it wouldn’t be conducive to family harmony.

But if the couple plans to settle in Beijing and only needs some help with the kids’ meals from her, then it’s doable.

So she quickly said, "I’ve been looking around for you! The houses in our Huazhuang are big, and there are few sellers, but in the next village, there are smaller houses with courtyards, 100-200 square meters old houses, for 800."

"800?"

Chen Jian Country couldn’t help but exclaim.

That’s too expensive.

Where they went to the countryside, small apartment houses in the city’s family complex were only over 300. These are rural courtyard houses, not popular now, so why are they so expensive?

Aunt Niu sighed: "We’re close to Beijing! There’s one bus a day, and it takes just about an hour."

"You both need to make a quick decision. I see a lot of people around coming to study; the prices might go up."

Chen Jian Country fell silent.

He had no family support, and a portion of what he earned each month had to go to Chen Wenjuan. His family also had two daughters...

All these years, they’ve managed to save less than 900 yuan.

This was because of the monthly supplement from Niu Hong’s family.

After all, it was she who went to the countryside back then, not her younger brother, and her parents cared.

If it were any other family, they wouldn’t be so generous.

...