The children also cheered with joy, "Aooo! Die is amazing!" Sanwang, Xiaowang, and the others lacked any restraint as they clapped, jumped up, and cheered.
Maisui was so excited that she grabbed Erwang and Qiaoqiao's hands. Seeing Han Qingsong's victory, she immediately leaped into the air.
Tang Laoya came from a family of butchers who had passed down the pig-slaughtering trade for generations. He only washed his hands of the business when the cooperatives were established and private slaughtering was banned. However, the younger men in his family still worked in the slaughterhouse units at both the county and commune levels. In his youth, having many brothers, he was a local tyrant in Tangjia Market. Later on, his sons and nephews multiplied, every single one of them packed with brawn and bursting with muscle. They strutted sideways through Tangjia Market, and even the most formidable local thugs dared not provoke them.
Lin dage knew that the two families seemed to have some sort of past grievance, though it was hard to say who owed whom a favor. Their die and niang never spoke of it openly, so no one else knew the details.
Originally, Lin Lan’s intention in returning to her niangjia was to sit down with her sanjie and have a proper talk with Tang Hehua. She wanted to clear the air regarding the whistleblowing incident, get Tang Hehua to admit her mistake and apologize, and ensure she promised to get along well from now on without stirring up any more trouble.
Once that was done, this matter could be put behind them.
Tang Hehua was left completely dazed by the slap, staring at Lin Mei as though she didn't even recognize her.
San Wang’s bright, dark eyes brimmed with absolute excitement. Yohe, his third aunt truly proved herself to be his mother's twin!
Early on the morning of the third day of the first lunar month, Lin Lan woke up to pack and tidy the house. The older children required no fussing, but San Wang’s clothes—which he had worn for two days straight over the first and second—were in no fit state. She had washed them the previous night and dried them over a charcoal fire so he could wear them now. Then there were the gifts to bring, each carefully selected, family by family, all needing preparation. Lin Lan intended to stay at her maiden home for a couple of days, and it was impossible to leave all the children behind; while Han Qingsong, Da Wang, and Er Wang could return home, she would stay there with Mai Sui and her two youngest sons.
With Er Wang around, she didn't have to worry about Han Qingsong and Da Wang going hungry or eating cold food in the dead of winter.
Lin Lan quickly squeezed through the crowd to stand beside Da Wang and the others. "What is going on here?"
Da Wang nudged her slightly to make some room. "A duel."
Lin Lan wasn't afraid of her either. After laughing for a while, she said, "Haonan and Qiaoqiao don't have much work to do anyway. I'll take them back to my house to stay for a few days, and then I'll bring them back right before the Kitchen God Festival. Let Qiaoqiao spend some close time with Maisui, and if Haonan shows any minor behavioral flaws, we can let Dawang straighten him out."
In these times, if a child wasn't attending school, no one expected them to achieve grand ambitions. While they might not commit major offenses, they often harbored plenty of minor bad habits, which could still be quite a handful for any parent to endure.
Han Jinyu sat on the cold floor, a flashlight resting by her side, its beam cutting through a sliver of the pitch-black night ahead.
Her mind was a blank slate. Vaguely, she seemed to recall four or five masked bandits rushing over, intent on harming her, while Liu Haozhe fought with all his might to protect her. He had charged at them, only to be swarmed, knocked down, and beaten mercilessly; she had been so terrified that her mind had gone completely blank.
Lin Lan sent the children to wash up and get onto the kang, then quickly took a hot bath, wrapped herself in a padded cotton coat, and hurried back to the main room. As she was tidying up, Han Qingsong returned from outside, where the world was already blanketed in pitch darkness.
She tilted her head to look at him, wondering aloud, "Why the long face?"
Han Qingsong remarked, "Let's wait a bit longer. Since they agreed to marry, they won't go back on their word."
Setting aside the fact that he was in the public security bureau, the groom's side wouldn't dare be this negligent just based on the bride having four biological brothers. There must be something holding them up.
The bitter winter cold arrived, turning dripping water into solid ice. The commune members quickly reverted to their winter hibernation mode; if they could avoid stepping outside, they absolutely would not leave their homes.
Naturally, there were still men who loved to gather in crowds, and no environment could stop them. During the busy farming season, they would gather to rest, and during the slack season, they would gather wherever it was convenient.
Caihua was taken aback, a sudden surge of irritation rising in her chest. She had not expected Yanyan’s temperament to alter so drastically in the span of a single day.
Quickly masking her annoyance, she forced a smile and said, "Alright, alright, I won't speak of it further. I know you're innocent and kind, always assuming the best of everyone. Come along, I still need to tutor you. You've missed so many lessons these past few days."
Dacang's face turned completely pale from the agonizing pain.
He had first been struck squarely on the mouth by a stone launched from Dawang's slingshot, causing blood to seep out instantly, and was then dealt a fierce kick straight to his chest. The pain was so intense that he nearly lost consciousness, leaving him entirely incapable of articulating a single word.
Hearing Lin Lan's words, Yanyan was instantly jarred awake. She erupted in fury, pointing directly at Liu Wenhu and cursing, "You've always wanted to take advantage of my family! The moment the grain was distributed, you'd claim you didn't have enough to eat, then you'd come over to eat our meals and borrow our food. My father was an honest man who refused to believe you were just trying to exploit us, always saying that biological brothers ought to help each other out. He wanted to help you, but this is how you help him? You scumbag! You ungrateful, white-eyed wolf!"
"Don't even think about taking our house, and don't even think about dividing our money and grain! My mother, my younger brother, and I aren't dead yet! Don't you dare think about plundering the estate of the heirless—we are not heirless!"
Sanwang even tried to rope Maisui in, smiling as he said, "Jie, you should join us for morning drills from now on. Taking a plunge straight into the river is incredibly refreshing—it even saves you the trouble of bathing."
Maisui was not about to fall for it. "I'm not stupid. Don't you think I know how freezing it is?"
The school bell rang. The moment the exam was announced, tense expressions immediately washed over the children's faces.
Han-laoshi Han Qingping and the other teachers distributed the test papers categorized by grade level. Xiaowang was still taking the first-grade exam, Sanwang the second-grade, while Maisui and Erwang took the third-grade test. Dawang, however, was sitting for the fourth-grade exam—provided he could score at least fifty points.
Sometimes, what brought her joy was not that her sons were going to do some grand deed or achieve great success, but rather that they were throwing their whole hearts into something they truly loved.
She felt that genuinely loving something, learning for it from the bottom of one’s heart, practicing repeatedly, and improving was an incredible achievement in itself.
Later, Luo Haicheng made another trip to personally interrogate Qin Zaixiang. Since she was the daughter of a capitalist roader, being interrogated was completely normal.
Luo Haicheng was curious; she was beautiful and possessed a unique temperament, making her an easy target for unwanted desires, so she shouldn't have been having a particularly comfortable time. Yet, she was actually like a fish in water at the labor reform farm—completely free to do as she pleased except for leaving the farm at will, which couldn't help but point to an underlying reason.
Han Jinyu's "match is off" announcement was much like the boy who cried wolf; after happening so many times, absolutely no one believed her anymore.
It wasn't just that others didn't believe it—even she herself couldn't suppress her own restlessness. Following her explosive argument with Liu Haozhe, she had initially assumed he would come to apologize, bowing and scraping to coax her back. Who could have foreseen that he wouldn't come at all?
By the time Lin Lan brought Haonan and Xiaowang back home, it wasn't even noon yet—just the perfect time to start preparing lunch.
During the bright light of day, young children with playmates never spared a single thought for home. Holding hands, Haonan and Xiaowang carried a small basket out to the vegetable garden to harvest greens, catch insects, and chase grasshoppers.
Han Jinyu dared not speak another word. Overwhelmed with a deep sense of grievance, she clutched and pulled violently at her handkerchief, which was so thoroughly soaked with her tears that it could practically be wrung out.
Han Qinghua chuckled and said, "Exactly, jie, you make it sound far too easy. There are quite a few of us brothers and sisters. Why don't you try asking for a whole bolt of fabric? Setting everyone else aside, once you are married, if I ask you for a bolt of fabric when it's my turn to wed, would you give it to me?"
Their commune did not give summer vacations. Instead, they had wheat harvesting breaks and autumn harvesting breaks. Typically, students advanced to the next grade in August, and the curriculum was heavily concentrated after the autumn harvest. When that time came, Maisui and Erwang would be in the third grade, while the other three would be in the second grade. Xiaowang would have to remain in the first grade since he was still so young.
From the looks of it, Dawang probably could not bear being in a lower grade than his younger brother and sister. The pressure must have gotten to him.
The visual was simply too impactful. Lin Lan composed herself, "Is dog milk actually drinkable? What does it taste like?"
Hearing Lin Lan's voice, Xiaowang turned around, wiped his mouth, and smiled happily, "Niang, do you want some?"
That evening, Lin Lan told Han Qingsong about Han Jinyu going to the match-making session.
Hearing that Han Jinyu had gone to the county town for a blind date didn't surprise Han Qingsong at all. Figuring it had probably been introduced by one of her classmates, he chose not to meddle much further.
The next day, the sun shone brilliantly. Early in the morning, the cicadas chirped relentlessly, and waves of heat swept over their faces.
The newcomer was none other than Han Qinghua. Shaking off his usual roguish arrogance, he now wore an amiable and steady smile, bearing a passing resemblance to Han Qingsong.
Han Qinghua was quite good-looking himself. Pampered from childhood, he possessed smooth, fair skin and an aura of education that naturally made him more handsome than the typical country folk. It was only in the past that his overly delicate and slippery demeanor, combined with his habit of wearing a military uniform askew, tilted cap, and riding a bicycle everywhere, made him look like a total vagrant.
Han Jinyu: "!!! San-ge, do you even know how to coax someone?"
Han Qingsong: "I never lie." Whatever tiny shred of patience he had for coaxing people was entirely spent on figuring out how to please his own wife; he had no time to spare for anyone else.
In the blink of an eye, the spring planting came to an end, and within a few short weeks, the wheat harvest was upon them. As the old farming proverb went, "Three months of autumn cannot match a single stretch of summer; three seasons of autumn cannot match a summer's rush." This was because while the autumn harvest could be gathered gradually over three months, the wheat harvest allowed for no delay. The moment the ears of wheat turned golden, they could easily spoil and drop their grains within a single morning if left in the fields. The crop had to be reaped immediately and rushed to the threshing floor.
Consequently, the wheat harvest was the busiest and most exhausting time of the entire year. Though it lasted only about ten days, it was grueling enough to strip a layer of skin off everyone involved.
Zhao Guixiang sneered, "What did you just say?"
Lin Lan smiled. "I said it's understandable that you don't know the time since you don't have a watch." She raised her wrist and flaunted it. This was the watch she had stripped off Han Jinyu's wrist, and looking at it filled her with a grand sense of accomplishment.
Lin Lan wanted Han Qingsong and Sanwang to rest for a couple of days. After all, they were injured, so it was best not to do manual labor.
Naturally, Han Qingsong refused. Back in the military, the philosophy was that a minor injury didn’t remove one from the front line. Now that the work at home wasn't even tiring, he was definitely going to earn work points.
When the five lashes were struck, Lin Lan’s heart ached so terribly that she bit her finger and looked at Han Qingsong with a pitiful gaze, hoping he would spare her a glance.
She did not even dare to look at Sanwang’s backside.
Dawang picked up his cotton jacket and walked over to Lin Lan, looking completely unbothered by the cold.
Lin Lan felt cold just looking at him, her heart aching with worry. "Son, put your clothes on quickly. It’s freezing out, don't catch a cold." She already had two children lying sick on the kang, and she certainly didn't want Dawang to catch a cold too. With the Qingming Festival just passing, all three of his sons had ended up in the water in this bitter weather.
Xue Mingliang found the two children quite amusing and said, "Go on and warm yourselves up. I'll boil some ginger soup for you to drink."
Seeing that Lin Lan’s cutting board and knives were neatly arranged, and that the green onions, ginger, and garlic were in a small basket to the side, he took them out, peeled and sliced the ginger, and then lit the fire and washed the pot to help brew the ginger soup.
Someone called out to him, "Xingfu, do you actually dare?"
Xingfu said boastfully, "Of course I dare. I went into the water just a few days ago." As he spoke, he cast a contemptuous glance at San Wang.
When the rules were first pasted onto the door, San Wang felt incredibly uncomfortable. It felt as though his entire body was out of sorts, and he couldn't help but look at them every now and then.
However, he absolutely did not dare to tear them down.
Once the Lantern Festival passed, everyone became busy. Lin Lan figured that since the busy farming season was starting, she would only run the straw-braiding propaganda class for the girls, while the class for the regular commune members could wait until the slack season.
To her surprise, an order came down from the county stating that the entire nation was promoting commune civilization propaganda. The county hospital was even sending people down to conduct training. Regardless of whether it was the busy or slack season, if there was no time, they had to squeeze it out; conditions had to be created to ensure the propaganda went through.
On his way home, Han Qingsong thought about the suffocating depression of the old family house, contrasting it with his own warm, sweet Lin Lan and their mischievous, lovely children. Unconsciously, his pace quickened.
He had just stepped through the gate when Han Qingyun finally caught up to him, panting heavily. "Sange, why were you walking so fast? I called out to you several times but you didn't answer. I rushed all the way here, thinking you were teasing me on purpose."
"Shut your mouth!" Lin Lan stuffed a pork and Chinese cabbage dumpling straight into San Wang's mouth.
To ensure Da Wang and San Wang were well fed, they had also boiled a pot of pork and Chinese cabbage dumplings.
Hearing Hao Tian speak with such resolve brought immense relief to Lin Lan. When dealing with someone like the old lady, one simply had to be ruthless!
While Big Brother Han remained passive, Old Lady Han burst into loud, wailing sobs, crying out that her sons and grandsons were all unfilial and that life was no longer worth living.
The room fell into a deathly silence.
A few porcelain bowls rolled across the ground, clattering as they spun in circles.
Haotian looked at Dawang and the others in surprise, completely unexpected that they would butt heads with the old lady just to back Lin Lan up.
Although they hadn't said anything directly, anyone could tell at a glance that these children were acting as their mother's backbone.
In the end, Aunt Han didn't get her way. As the end of the year approached, everyone became busy preparing for the New Year, so she didn't bring her children over to stay again. Mangang was so utterly terrified that he didn't even want to visit his maternal grandmother's house anymore, deeply afraid of running into his third uncle.
Han Jinyu later went to the county town once more to look for Sun Yaowu.
What "princess syndrome" was, Han Jinyu didn't understand, but she certainly understood what "a pipe dream" meant.
With Han Qingsong brewing the medicine for her, Lin Lan was also spared any worry.
In the western room, Xiaowang was still fast asleep. Over on the northern brick bed in the eastern room, Maisui had already scrambled up to enjoy the spectacle, throwing a look of sheer schadenfreude toward Sanwang.
Lin Lan walked over holding a small notebook, putting on a grand display of preparing to take notes. "Confess everything honestly."
The children also cheered with joy, "Aooo! Die is amazing!" Sanwang, Xiaowang, and the others lacked any restraint as they cl...