Chapter 78: Pan Yue, the Cowardly and Brave
Mother Sheng closed the heavy iron box and carried it back to her bedroom, securing it away before Wanyan could get a closer look at her future inheritance.
Pan Yue held the new passbook her mother-in-law had pressed into her hands like it was a scorching hot potato. The Sheng family had just transferred a staggering amount of wealth to them, and she was practically shaking with anxiety at holding it.
Although she hailed from an elite background in the capital, the Pan family had a large household with multiple brothers and sisters to support; consequently, their liquid savings didn’t flow quite as freely as the Sheng family’s current treasury. More importantly, it was incredibly rare in this era for a mother-in-law to instantly surrender financial control to a new bride the second they were married. Having never been the head of a household before, Pan Yue felt profoundly unprepared for the responsibility.
Terrified of making a mistake, she hurried over and tried to press the passbook back into Mother Sheng’s hands.
“Mom, I… I’ve never managed this much money before,” Pan Yue stammered, her voice trembling. “I’m genuinely afraid.”
She truly was scared. She was afraid the sudden influx of wealth might tempt her to be wasteful, or that someone might exploit her naivety and trick her into making a disastrous financial decision.
“What on earth is there to be afraid of?” Mother Sheng asked gently, pushing the book back. “You’ll just use it to cover your daily living expenses.”
Pan Yue shot a desperate, pleading look at her husband. Sheng Wanze considered the situation for a moment before making a decisive executive call.
“Mom, Xiaoyue is right,” he stated. “We will take exactly six hundred yuan with us tonight. You keep the rest of the funds secured here at the apartment for us, and if we ever run into a major emergency, we will contact you to withdraw it.”
He continued laying out his logic. “I am frequently deployed on extended field missions, which means Pan Yue will be alone at the apartment for weeks at a time. The military district compound is packed with people. If word gets out that we have a massive treasury sitting in our quarters, it would be dangerous; I don’t want anyone keeping an eye on our assets.”
“Furthermore, our combined state salaries total ninety yuan a month. That is more than enough to comfortably support our new household.” Even after they dispatched their mandatory fifteen-yuan retirement stipend back home, the couple would still retain seventy-five yuan in disposable income every single month. In the 1970s, a young couple clearing seventy-five yuan a month was practically living like royalty; their daily life would be exceptionally comfortable.
“Yes, Mom, please hold onto it for us,” Pan Yue agreed eagerly. “There are simply too many dependents wandering through the military compound; it isn’t a safe place to hoard cash.”
She wholeheartedly supported her husband’s assessment. Since Wanze was the only son of the Sheng clan, she harbored zero fear that her mother-in-law would somehow swindle them or unfairly funnel the assets to Wanyan. Had Sheng Wanze possessed older or younger brothers, Pan Yue would have absolutely secured the passbook to protect her own interests. But the Sheng family only had two children, and the elders had just demonstrated flawless, transparent fairness in dividing the family estate. Knowing the treasury was secured in her in-laws’ hands brought her immense peace of mind.
While the military family compound was located within a secure zone, it was a massive, bustling community populated by all sorts of people. As a young, inexperienced newlywed, Pan Yue didn’t know the first thing about hiding valuables from professional sneaks or desperate neighbors. What if a seasoned thief targeted their quarters while Wanze was away?
Listening to her daughter-in-law’s earnest reasoning, Mother Sheng realized the logic was flawless. The local steel plant’s residential compound was chaotic enough, and a massive military housing block would be far worse. Besides, the young couple would be earning a highly lucrative monthly income; she could simply safeguard their nest egg and wire the funds the moment they needed to purchase major appliances or face an emergency.
“Alright, that makes perfect sense,” Mother Sheng agreed with a nod. “You will take the six hundred yuan cash tonight, and I will formally deposit the remaining two thousand yuan into this passbook under your names. If the two of you ever run into trouble or need to make a large purchase, just send a telegram back home.”
She looked at the couple seriously. “From this day forward, you must focus entirely on looking after your own family. Your father and I only have a few more years left on the clock before we officially retire. You do not need to worry about our monthly state wages anymore; those funds belong entirely to us to secure our old age.”
“I am drawing the line in the sand right now! We are distributing the assets clearly so there can never be any accusations of bias or favoritism in the future.”
Mother Sheng had intentionally chosen to distribute the inheritance now because she knew human nature was deeply unpredictable. While the family was completely united today, massive sums of money could poison the strongest bonds down the line. She couldn’t guarantee that everyone’s intentions would remain pure forever, so she had chosen to preemptively lock down the balance to preserve the harmony of the household. She didn’t want anyone secretly eyeing their retirement funds.
“Mom, you and Dad earned every single cent of your wages through decades of grueling labor,” Wanyan chimed in smoothly, leaning forward. “You deserve to enjoy every bit of it. In the future, it will be our absolute privilege to honor and provide for you and the grandparents.”
Wanyan’s sweet, filial declaration made Mother Sheng’s heart swell with profound happiness. Only a daughter possessed the emotional intelligence to voice such thoughtful, comforting sentiments without sounding rehearsed or overbearing.
A daughter-in-law was still too shy to speak up so boldly, and a son was inherently too clumsy with his words, usually just standing there looking anxious. This was exactly why having a clever daughter was an absolute blessing!
“See? That’s my good girl talking!” Mother Sheng beamed.
“Exactly, Mom. You just focus on enjoying your retirement,” Sheng Wanze echoed with a relieved sigh. He was incredibly grateful for his younger sister. Whenever their mother grew stern or emotional, Wanyan possessed a magical ability to instantly defuse the tension and make her smile. As a military man, he was notoriously poor at expressing his feelings; thank heaven he had Wanyan around to handle the emotional heavy lifting.
With the financial matters settled and her mood soaring, Mother Sheng moved to the pantry to retrieve the massive care packages she had prepared for the couple.
“Xiaoyue, look here,” Mother Sheng instructed, laying the goods on the table. “I have packed exactly ten jars of our rich meat sauce, ten kilograms of premium marinated pork, and three fully dried pheasants. You are to take all of this with you.”
She pulled out a thick, heavy garment. “This is the custom cotton-padded jacket your grandmother sewed for the two of you. She used brand-new, high-grade cotton, so it will be exceptionally warm.”
“And make sure you pack the new quilt and pillows, as well as the matching sweaters your sister knitted for you. That way, you’ll be perfectly shielded against the winter chill. The second you settle into your new apartment, remind Wanze to purchase two coal stoves immediately; you must keep one burning in your bedroom so you don’t freeze at night.”
Mother Sheng issued her instructions one by one, constantly fretting that she hadn’t provided them with enough provisions to survive the season.
“I’ll remember it all, Mom,” Pan Yue promised, her heart aching with gratitude.
Mother Sheng quickly folded the garments and expertly packed the provisions, stuffing them securely into Sheng Wanze’s heavy canvas luggage.
“Tomorrow morning, the two of you will come with me to the bank to withdraw the cash. Once you arrive at the military district, you’ll use the funds to buy whatever furniture and supplies you need.”
“Understood, Mom.”
Suddenly remembering something crucial, Mother Sheng hurried back toward the kitchen pantry and emerged carrying five solid kilograms of premium brown sugar. When the bitter winter truly set in, Pan Yue could brew hot brown sugar water to nourish her blood and keep her core temperature up.
“You must take these five kilograms of brown sugar with you,” Mother Sheng insisted, pressing the heavy bags into Pan Yue’s arms. “Xiaoyue, make sure you drink a hot bowl of brown sugar water regularly throughout the winter. A woman must meticulously guard her internal health and never allow the cold to settle into her bones.”
Hearing this, Pan Yue was deeply moved. Her mother-in-law truly anticipated every possible need and protected her with the ferocity of a biological mother.
“Mom, please, leave the brown sugar here at home,” Pan Yue urged gently, trying to hand the bags back. “You, Grandma, and Wanyan need it far more than I do.”
Pan Yue knew for a fact that this was the absolute last five kilograms of brown sugar the Sheng household possessed. If she took it all, what would the family use for their own health? She was young and robust, but her mother-in-law and grandmother were the ones who truly required the nutritional supplements. In the 1970s, brown sugar was a profoundly precious commodity; she couldn’t even fathom how many months Mother Sheng had spent hoarding the rare state coupons to acquire such a massive quantity.
But Mother Sheng refused to listen. An old proverb stated that a mother’s worry for her children was a relentless tide; she was simply terrified of sending them into the harsh north under-supplied.
“Sister-in-law, just take it,” Sheng Wanyan chimed in smoothly. “We still have a thick stack of brown sugar coupons tucked away in the drawer. I’ll simply stop by the supply and marketing cooperative tomorrow to restock our pantry.”
Mother Sheng shot her daughter a sharp, subtle look. There wasn’t a single fraction of a brown sugar coupon left in this entire apartment. Her daughter was truly developing a frighteningly flawless talent for lying with a perfectly straight face.
“Exactly,” Mother Sheng agreed instantly, matching Wanyan’s breezy tone. “We have plenty of coupons left!”
Sheng Wanyan, who was lying through her teeth: “…”
“Just take it, Xiaoyue,” Sheng Wanze commanded quietly.
He had caught the brief exchange of looks between his mother and sister; they possessed the exact same micro-expressions when they were lying to protect someone. He knew his mother would be consumed by anxiety if they refused the gift. He mentally resolved that the moment he arrived back at the base, he would trade favors with his comrades to secure a fresh batch of sugar coupons and immediately mail them back to Chengdu.
Since her husband had issued the final word, Pan Yue had no choice but to accept the heavy bags. However, she secretly planned to have a serious discussion with Wanze that night; brown sugar was simply too rare and vital. They had to find a way to quietly sneak the bags back into the pantry before they departed the following morning. The elders desperately needed the nutrition, and it was unconscionable for the young couple to hoard all the premium goods.
Just as the matter seemed settled, Mother Sheng hurried back into her bedroom and emerged carrying two massive tins of premium malted milk powder and a large bag of White Rabbit milk candies.
The moment Pan Yue saw the luxury items, she immediately threw up her hands, shaking her head vigorously. There was absolutely no way she could accept these. These specific items were the luxury nutritional supplements Sheng Wanze had painstakingly transported all the way from the Capital to honor his elders. If the grandparents were deprived of their malted milk, how could they possibly maintain their strength through the winter?
“Mom, absolutely not! These are meant for your daily nutritional routine!” Wanze protested, his face darkening with genuine distress. He constantly felt a deep, gnawing guilt that his military service prevented him from remaining by his parents’ side to fulfill his filial duties. Taking away the very supplements he had purchased to sustain their health felt like an act of profound, unforgivable rebellion.
“Nonsense. My health is perfectly robust, I have absolutely no need for these powders!” Mother Sheng dismissed, waving a hand.
