MAC’60s Chapter 69.2

Besides, Tian Youfu was also afraid that someone might not know the corn had been treated with pesticide and would take it back to eat, which could end in tragedy. He didn’t hesitate much before making arrangements.

The brigade required each household to send someone and organized a duty roster for people to sleep in the fields to guard the seeds.

Even for the private plots, although there was no official duty, several households teamed up to take turns watching over them.

Stealing seeds—if such behavior was tolerated, the brigade’s corn harvest this year would be lost.

It was a tough situation for the Xu family. Old Lady Xu lived alone and needed to send one person. Xu Shuang and Wang Ying together also had to send one.

This was the downside of having a small household. Larger families could rotate people, but for Wang Ying and Xu Shuang, both of them had to go.

Fortunately, the night shifts were only for about a month, so their household would only have to go four or five times.

Wang Ying thought it was bearable.

Xu Shuang leaned in close and whispered in her ear, “Once it’s midnight, you go home to sleep and come back in the morning.”

He could handle it alone—if any small-time thief came, it would be like delivering free food to him.

But Wang Ying refused, “What’s the big deal? Just treat it like camping.”

Summer nights without light pollution were quite comfortable as long as it didn’t rain.

Wang Ying didn’t compromise on comfort. She took down the mosquito net from home, had Xu Shuang find a few poles to set it up, sprayed peppermint water around, laid a bedsheet on the sun-dried wheat straw, and the two of them lay down in the field, watching the stars.

The surrounding crickets chirped incessantly, the smell of wheat straw still lingered in the air, and the stars above twinkled just like those scenic images from her past life. A long stretch of the Milky Way could be seen crossing the sky.

At one point, several shooting stars flashed by. Wang Ying, like an excited child seeing something new, couldn’t sleep at all and pulled Xu Shuang into chatting.

They talked late into the night before eventually dozing off.

—

Meanwhile, at a southern garrison far away—

After a stifling summer night, heavy rain began to fall. But rather than cooling the air, the rain seemed to press the muggy atmosphere down to the ground. There wasn’t a breath of wind. The rain fell like a curtain, and even with the windows open, the room remained oppressively hot.

Zhao Jun tossed and turned on the upper bunk, eyes tightly shut as if trapped in an endless dream.

Suddenly, Zhao Jun opened his eyes.

His gaze, dazed and unfocused, scanned his surroundings: a cramped dorm room, neatly arranged desks and stools, green windows and doors already leaking slightly…

Zhao Jun was shocked—this was the dorm he stayed in when he joined the army. A place he had recalled many times.

He sat up abruptly, inspecting himself. A much younger body, fresh scars on his thighs—everything pointed to the fact that he had returned to his twenties!

Zhao Jun sat frozen on the bed like a ghost.

Was this a dream? It must be, right?

He wasn’t someone who had nothing. Nor was he the kind to fantasize about going back in time to fix everything. He had a career, sensible children, money, and family… he had never yearned for a second chance at life.

Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced his head.

It felt like his brain had been forcefully pried open and a segment of memory shoved inside.

Everything around him started to seem absurd and ridiculous.

It was as if his life’s timeline had split into two paths half a year ago.

In this alternate path, he didn’t marry Wang Ying but instead married Wang Lingling…

Wang Lingling had abandoned her family and sought him out while he was injured in the county hospital, offering to be a stepmother to his children…

Wang Lingling moved into his home without asking for anything and treated his two children as her own…

Encouraged by Wang Lingling, he had split from the extended family…

Zhao Jun pressed his lips into a tight line. Years of being in a high position had taught him to mask shock with silence.

Amid the torrent of thoughts, Zhao Jun tried to sort through everything.

He had been reborn—of that he was sure. He didn’t know why, but he had a gut feeling that there would be no going back.

Zhao Jun rubbed his forehead. If it were just a rebirth, he would be surprised but not overly troubled.

As long as things followed the same path as in his past life, he could still move forward and even fix some of his past regrets.

For example, his mother, due to health reasons, would pass away a few years later.

He could return home earlier this time to get her treated.

And his business—he had only agreed to leave the army and take a state-owned factory job next year due to health issues. Not long after returning, he had gained a foothold in the city.

Later, his brothers helped gather mountain goods in the countryside while he secretly ran a business in the city, laying the foundation for future success.

This time, he could start even earlier, leveraging his new position to build connections…

But now, there was a new variable:

Wang Lingling.

Zhao Jun’s expression darkened. Once he connected the dots, he knew why everything had changed.

Wang Lingling must have been reborn too.

Zhao Jun never had a good impression of this cousin-in-law.

He vaguely remembered that in his past life, she had married well—to a young chef in town, if he recalled correctly. The name was Xu Shuang.

But she had caused endless trouble, making a mess of the man’s life. Not only did he lose his job, but she also ended up injuring his hands.

Zhao Jun furrowed his brows tightly. He could never have imagined that this cousin, on being reborn, would immediately interfere in her sister’s marriage.

And he, completely unaware of it all, had actually married her.

It was all too unbelievable. Zhao Jun let out a deep sigh.

Wang Lingling had only been reborn a few months earlier than him, yet she had already managed to twist his life so drastically.

Now, he had already separated from his brothers, the children were in her care, and then there was…

Wang Ying.

He didn’t know what her situation was like now in the Wang family after Wang Lingling had stolen the marriage.

Zhao Jun sat there dazed for most of the night and finally made a decision in the early hours of the morning.

He went to request leave. The company commander asked him, “What’s so urgent that you need to take a whole month off?”

Zhao Jun hesitated for a moment, then simply shared his thoughts. Between the lines, the company commander immediately understood.

The commander sighed lightly and patted his shoulder.

These past two years, with the war front calming down, things were no longer as tense as they had been in the earlier years. The army was indeed slowly transitioning lower-ranked officers who couldn’t be promoted into civilian roles.

Zhao Jun didn’t meet the educational requirements, and his physical fitness was also declining. In another year or two, he’d likely be discharged and transferred to a civilian job anyway.

Now that he had taken the initiative, the organization would naturally consider his personal wishes.

After some consideration, the company commander quickly approved a one-month leave for Zhao Jun.

And so, Zhao Jun set off, staggering onto the train back to his hometown.

The train journey took several days, with Zhao Jun transferring between different lines.

By the time he reached the village entrance, he was covered in dust and grime, looking completely worn out.

Zhao Jun let out a long breath — the journey home was even longer and more exhausting than he’d imagined.

For the first time, he truly felt the reality of having returned to his twenties.

Following the memory of his past life, Zhao Jun walked from the village entrance toward home. Just as he entered the village, someone recognized him.

An older aunt pointed at him, exclaiming, “Aren’t you Zhao family’s third son? How come you’re back now? It’s not a holiday or anything. Why are you back at the brigade?”

Zhao Jun was a little unused to it — in his later life, he was used to people speaking in circles. It had been a long time since someone had spoken to him so directly.

“Auntie, I came back to see my mom and my kids.”

“Oh, I see. You must’ve heard about the grain shortage in our brigade this year, right? Aiya, you’re too filial. It’d be enough to send money — you didn’t have to come all the way back…”

Zhao Jun exchanged a few polite words before continuing on toward his home.

He felt a deep sense of anxiety — especially with Wang Lingling now messing up his life — and began to think over the words he would use when confronting her.

But before he could reach his house, he heard a burst of wailing up ahead. The noise was especially jarring at this dusk hour when everyone was busy preparing dinner.

“Wang Lingling, I’ll kill you!”

“Just wait, I’m going to report you — report you for murder! You just wait for prison! Wang Lingling, you wait and see!”

“Mom! Open your eyes and look at me! How could you just die like this?”

“Grandma! Wuwuwu — I don’t want a stepmom! Stepmom is bad!”

…

Zhao Jun froze completely. In a panic, he grabbed a villager who was running out to find someone.

“What happened up ahead?”

The villager immediately recognized him, both shocked and saddened. “Zhao Jun, you’re back? Quick, go look — something happened to your mom. She was fighting with your wife over food, and in the middle of the argument, she just collapsed and died…”

“I was just about to get the team leader and have him contact you…”