Chapter 247
What other reaction could they have? Lin Guozheng and his wife stayed awake for half the night, guessing why their daughter-in-law was unhappy.
"Why do you think Second Son's wife suddenly got upset?"
Fan Shuting was also feeling anxious. Truth be told, this sudden change was quite scary. "I don't know either. Why don't you write a letter to Second Son and ask if he made his wife angry?"
Lin Guozheng smacked his lips and came up with an idea. "Let's not just write a letter, let's send them some things too. Doesn't Second Son's wife like mountain delicacies? Send her some wood ear mushrooms and other wild mushrooms. Maybe that will make her happy."
Fan Shuting replied, "We don't have much left at home. I'll go ask the eldest son's family for some. I'm really afraid she'll come back angry and tear the house down."
Originally, they had reserved these mountain delicacies to add to the New Year's dishes, but now they couldn't care less about that. Coaxing this little ancestor into a good mood was the real priority.
The letter was sent directly to the military district, and naturally, Lin Han received it. He was quite surprised. Since when did his family write letters so frequently?
When he unfolded the letter, the expression on Lin Han's face became indescribable. How rare, how incredibly rare! His parents had actually written nearly half a page!
The beginning was full of reproaches directed at him, asking if he had angered Nan Sheng. Then it went on to tell him that it wasn't easy to marry such a good wife, telling him to care more about his daughter-in-law, and so on.
Lin Han suddenly felt a bit mischievous. He picked up some stationery and penned a few lines. He wondered if, once they knew the real reason his wife was unhappy, the next letter from home would exceed a whole page. It was actually quite something to look forward to.
Little did he know, while the letter was sent to him, the mountain delicacies from home were sent to the county town. Father Lin and Mother Lin certainly understood what differential treatment meant.
When he returned to the county town on his day off, he smelled the aroma of meat as soon as he opened the door.
He asked his son, "Is that chicken stew?"
Sizhe confirmed his father's guess. He was starving, but in order to eat a few more bites of meat, he hadn't dared to touch any snacks.
Lin Han walked to the kitchen and saw his daughter hugging his wife's leg. His wife was turning off the stove, and the chicken was already done. He quickly carried his daughter out of the kitchen to stop her from causing trouble.
"Honey, what made you think of stewing chicken today? Aren't you tired after working all day?"
"Mother-in-law sent some red mushrooms and wood ears. I've been craving them for days. I wasn't too tired today, so I put the stew on. Wait just a moment, I'll stir-fry the wood ears."
The wild wood ears from the mountains were thick and chewy, countless times more delicious than the farmed ones from later generations. Nan Sheng especially loved using them in cold salads or stir-fries.
The two children were outside, staring eagerly at the chicken. Sizhe really couldn't hold back and took a bite of white rice just savoring the aroma, and Siqi followed suit, taking a big bite as well.
Finally, the wood ears were stir-fried. Lin Han brought the plate out, and the family of four settled down properly before officially starting dinner. It was already approaching seven o'clock.
The drumsticks had been halved, making exactly four pieces. Lin Han picked the largest piece and placed it in Nan Sheng's bowl, taking a relatively smaller one for himself. The two children didn't need any looking after and ate with great relish.
After finishing her half a drumstick, Nan Sheng took a bite of a red mushroom, feeling as if her soul had ascended. "No wonder chicken stew with mushrooms is a famous northern dish. It really tastes amazing."
The two children gave a thumbs up as well. The chicken was indeed fragrant, tasting much like the ones raised back in their hometown. Lin Han knew his stuff. "This is a free-range chicken, right? Did you trade for it at a villager's house?"
Though they called it trading, it actually meant buying with money. No one really cared about these private transactions, but most people wouldn't sell anyway. After all, the number of poultry a family could raise was limited, and they had to save them for their own family to eat.
"I had a subordinate go to a nearby village to trade for it. Farm-raised ones always lack a bit of flavor."
After dinner, Lin Han brought out the letter. Nan Sheng felt like laughing after reading it. "I was wondering why they suddenly sent things. So it was because of this. I forgot all about it after writing that letter."
Sizhe and Siqi came over to join the fun. "What does it say? We want to see too."
Sizhe, impatient with how slowly his sister read, picked up the letter and read it out loud. After reading it through, both children looked at Nan Sheng. "Is Mother angry at Father? How come we didn't know?"
Nan Sheng explained it to the two children, and they couldn't help but laugh out loud. "What should we do then? Should I write a letter back home saying you've coaxed me into a good mood?"
Lin Han touched his nose, feeling quite embarrassed. He said weakly, "No need, I already replied. I told them you were unhappy because they wrote so few words in their letters, making you feel like Father and Mother didn't care about us."
Nan Sheng was speechless. Her husband had certainly found an opportunity to mess with his parents, but he was using her as his excuse!
Since Nan Sheng submitted the materials, she had started focusing on her own work, completely unaware of the shockwaves she had sent through the scientific research community.
The materials she handed over didn't just cover agriculture; they even touched upon weaponry. The ideas mentioned within had a high degree of overlap with the latest foreign technologies. The relevant personnel treated it like a priceless treasure. The problem, however, was that the materials were incomplete, which was absolutely agonizing for them.
Without Nan Sheng knowing, the number of people lurking around to protect her had increased. The government had a thorough understanding of her living habits. Knowing that the couple would reunite on weekends, they were especially careful not to be discovered on those days, fearing that Lin Han would notice.
Nan Sheng's personal background was dug into thoroughly. Her identity and family background were clean, with absolutely no possibility of her colluding with the enemy. The only point of criticism was that she seemed very soft-hearted and was unusually kind to the rusticated personnel.
After much speculation, the higher-ups in the government leaned more toward the idea that she was a genius. Through just a few years of interaction with the rusticated experts, she had unlocked her own path of brilliance.
"Although mental simulation experiments sound absurd, the world is vast and full of wonders. Scientists themselves are absurd existences; their IQs far exceed those of ordinary people. I believe that rather than letting our technology fall behind and leaving ourselves at the mercy of others, we might as well trust her this once. We will know whether what she says is true or false by looking at the results!"
And so, Nan Sheng once again welcomed Comrade Tong.
"Director Nan, I have a presumptuous request..."
Comrade Tong was inviting Nan Sheng to visit a certain mysterious experimental base this time. It was inconvenient for him to disclose the specific research direction; he only mentioned that it was related to one of the items in the materials she had submitted.
"Can I choose not to go?" Nan Sheng asked curiously.
Comrade Tong said tactfully, "A plane has already been arranged for you."
Nan Sheng could only call the military district as quickly as possible. If a plane was involved, the destination had to be very far away. Nan Sheng was already prepared not to return for ten days to half a month.
But she wasn't afraid. She had Tongtong, the ultimate cheat code, and Tongtong was a mobile database. She had to make sure to catch up on that small step of technological lag at this crucial point in time.
When Lin Han learned that Nan Sheng was leaving, his words were full of concern, but he also knew that this was a secret trip and he couldn't interfere too much.
"Honey, don't worry. I'm here at home, and I'll definitely take good care of the two kids. Take good care of yourself, and remember to call me when you're done with your work!"
Nan Sheng murmured in agreement, though they both knew perfectly well that she most likely wouldn't be able to contact the outside world.