When Xiaoluo heard them call him sister, he got anxious and immediately showed them his little brother, indicating he was a boy.

Xiaobao exclaimed, “Oh dear, you’re still wearing split pants! Big boys don’t wear split pants; I stopped wearing them a long time ago.”

Yan Runzhi quickly interjected upon hearing this, “Xiaobao, your older brother also wore them when he was your brother’s age.”

Xiaobao widened his eyes in surprise, “Really? Did I really wear split pants and show my little bird when I was little? No way.”

He pulled open his waistband to check inside and saw his little bird calmly resting there, relieved. “Phew, thankfully, wearing split pants didn’t let the big white goose take away my little bird.”

Xiaoluo, seeing his serious expression, thought it was a scary thing and his mouth puckered as if he was about to cry.

Dabao said firmly, “No crying!”

Xiaoluo immediately stared back at him with teary eyes, full of surprise. Why couldn’t he cry?

Dabao solemnly explained, “If you cry, the candy in your mouth won’t taste sweet anymore.”

Xiaoluo quickly held back his tears and smiled.

Xiaoke had already been seen as a stupid deer and couldn’t say a word.

Qinqin was a very picky little girl who had high demands for her younger brothers.

Seeing that Dabao and Xiaobao were more sensible than her own brother, she generously said, “Come over and listen to the radio.”

They had a radio at home, assembled by Dad and Second Uncle from parts at the factory.

The children immediately rushed into the room to listen to the radio.

Wensheng sat there listening to the buzzing around him.

He didn’t pay much attention to what others were saying, quietly stealing glances at Jiang Lin, then staring at her.

If she turned and smiled at him, he felt ecstatic and smiled even more gently.

He really wanted to talk to Mom, but Grandma said he had to act.

He couldn’t mess it up.

Jiang Lin felt that Wensheng, though very well-behaved and sweet-smiling, always seemed a little aggrieved.

She quickly washed an apple and cut it into pieces for the children, handing half quietly to Wensheng.

Wensheng looked at her, hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should eat the apple.

Jiang Lin said softly, “Sitting for a while can be tiring. Eat a piece of this sweet and sour apple.”

Guoguang apples were sweet with a hint of sourness, tasting quite good.

Wensheng smiled and took the apple, opening his mouth wide and taking a big bite, puffing up his cheeks.

One of the children saw Wensheng and curiously asked Dabao, “Who’s that person? He looks strange.”

All the children stared at Wensheng.

Sensing this, Wensheng immediately closed his mouth and stayed still, the apple bulging in his cheek.

Dabao quickly explained, “That’s my uncle.”

Xiaobao added, “Yes, my uncle knows how to sing operas. He’s practicing.”

The other children found Wensheng odd, feeling that although he was big, he had a bit of a silly look.

But hearing Dabao and Xiaobao say he was acting, they weren’t surprised anymore.

The children then started talking about acting themselves.

Yan Runzhi saw Song Lijuan and Xu Aimei preparing meals and hurried over to help.

Song Lijuan tried to stop her, “Auntie, sit down and chat. I’ll cook. When guests come to our house, I do the cooking.”

Yan Runzhi quickly brought out the things her son and nephews had brought, “Dongsheng, where are our roosters?”

They had brought two roosters, tied up and fed along the way.

They even fed them for two days at the provincial military headquarters.

When anyone saw them, they wanted to buy them, and no amount of money made them willing.

Cheng Rushan brought them over from the side.

Xu Aimei and the others saw them and exclaimed, “Oh my, such beautiful roosters! They must be worth quite a bit.”

They then glanced at the things their son-in-law had brought: cured meat, salted fish, pastries, canned goods, and powdered milk.

They must have spent quite a bit on all of this.

Seeing this, Xu Aimei felt that her in-laws were truly good to her daughter.

It’s no wonder her daughter felt close to them, and the slight bitterness in her heart faded away.

Jiang Dongjian gradually asked how to slaughter the chickens.

Xu Aimei replied, “Let Lijuan do it, she’s good at it.”

With chicken to eat, Song Lijuan became enthusiastic, “Dad, leave it to me. Should we slaughter one and keep the other?”

Xu Aimei said, “Stay a couple more days, son-in-law. We’ll slaughter one chicken and keep the other. We can eat it in a few days. We won’t eat much these two days, just some millet and sorghum maize will do.”

Today, they also bought pork and lard.

With some extra side dishes, they had enough to eat.

They slaughtered the chicken, drained the blood, scalded it with boiling water, plucked its feathers, and borrowed a larger iron pot from a neighbor to stew it on the stove.

Since there were many people and it was late, they skipped frying and directly stewed the chicken with vegetables: potatoes, mushrooms, cabbage, and green beans from home.

Worried it might not be enough, Xu Aimei borrowed some stored vegetables from neighbors on both sides and found that asking them wasn’t as difficult as she’d thought.

In addition to the chicken, they cleaned and stewed a large grass carp, making it convenient and delicious.

After tidying up the things Cheng Rushan and the others brought, Xu Aimei took a can of food and some sugar, asking Jiang Dong gradually, “Shouldn’t we give Director Fan a gift?”

She helped them so much.

They had never thought about such things before; they weren’t the kind to give gifts. Even getting assigned a house required connections they couldn’t make.

Jiang Dong whispered, “If we give her one, should we give the other directors gifts?”

He was afraid others might think they were bribing Director Fan to help catch the Meng family.

Xu Aimei also couldn’t make up her mind. She wasn’t good at this sort of thing, so she decided to put the idea aside for now.

Considering that her son-in-law had brought so many things, they couldn’t possibly take everything.

They couldn’t let him leave empty-handed either.

Cheng Rushan called out to Jiang Lin, “Come with me to buy a bottle of wine.”

Jiang Lin replied, “Your father-in-law just went to buy one.”

Cheng Rushan chuckled, “With so many people here, let’s go get two more bottles.”

Jiang Lin said, “I’ll go talk to Wensheng about it.”

She felt that Wensheng wanted to talk to her but was holding back, which seemed difficult for him.

She knew everyone was thinking of her, afraid that if others knew Wensheng was simple-minded, they might ridicule her.

In truth, she didn’t mind how Wensheng behaved or whether others laughed at him.

But she appreciated everyone’s kindness and would go along with it for these two days.

The children noticed that Jiang Lin talked to Wensheng in the same way she talked to Dabao and Xiaobao, thinking it was acting and learning from her.

If someone mentioned Wensheng being strange, they would explain proactively, “He’s just acting and practicing,” and everyone would disregard it.

While Jiang Lin and Cheng Rushan slipped out, Jiang Xinglei kept his eyes on his brother-in-law and quickly followed them.

He watched his brother-in-law holding his sister’s hand.

My, isn’t he shameless? Isn’t that being a bit too forward? It made him blush and his heart race.

Cheng Rushan and Jiang Lin went to the cafeteria service department at the auto parts factory and bought several bottles of canned goods and wine, without needing tickets but at a high price.

Jiang Lin sighed inwardly.

Marrying a man who spent money freely was quite a challenge for her, someone who was naturally a bit thrifty.

After leaving the service department, Jiang Lin smiled and asked, “Have you been here before? How do you know your way around so well?”

Even the factory selling high-priced goods through its own service department was a form of internal profiteering, but they had a legitimate name for it—service department—so it was considered legal.

Cheng Rushan just smiled and didn’t say anything.

He noticed Jiang Xinglei sneaking behind them, looking like he was just out for a stroll. “Jiang Xinglei, come over here,” Cheng Rushan called out.

Jiang Xinglei hurried over. “Brother-in-law, what a coincidence! You and my sister are out shopping again? Oh my, why did you buy canned goods? And wine too.”

Cheng Rushan handed him two bottles of wine and a packet of candies. “Go to Director Sheng’s house, tell them that your sister and I are back, and invite them over for some drinks and sweets.” Director Sheng was also in charge of housing allocation.

Jiang Xinglei widened his eyes in surprise. “Me?”

Cheng Rushan gave him a stern look. “Can’t go because you have no legs, or can’t speak because you have no mouth?”

Jiang Xinglei replied quickly, “I can.”

Then he turned and walked away.

Cheng Rushan handed two more bottles of canned goods and a paper bag of candies to Jiang Lin, asking her to carry them in her net bag. “Linlin, go to Miss Fan’s house and invite her to enjoy some sweets.”

Jiang Lin smiled and said, “Actually, I was thinking of having your mother-in-law prepare some cured meat and such to send to her, but this works too.” She winced a little, “How much candy did you actually buy? Was it expensive?”

How much money did that cost?

Cheng Rushan chuckled and gently patted her head, “We don’t do this every day, just this once. It’s okay.”

He asked Jiang Lin to find Fan Huiyuan, while he himself went to the factory’s Revolutionary Committee director’s house to express gratitude for the fair handling of office affairs and to arrange to rent another dormitory for a few days.

After saying goodbye and stepping outside, he waited for Jiang Lin on the road.

The dim streetlights cast warm spots on the dark road.

He watched as Fan Huiyuan personally saw Jiang Lin off, saying affectionate words.

It made him smile.

Fan Huiyuan said, “Jiang Lin, rest assured. Whoever dares to spread rumors in the future, we won’t let them off.”

“With someone like Director Fan overseeing things, we feel reassured too.”

After leaving Director Fan’s house, Jiang Lin took a few steps and saw Cheng Rushan emerge from the darkness.

She hurried over, “Let’s go, I can smell the chicken cooking.”

Cheng Rushan held her hand and they headed home.

At home, everyone was already prepared for dinner.

A large group of people gathered around the table, but with so many people and a small table and few chairs, there wasn’t enough seating.

According to tradition, the men would eat at the table while the women would set up a smaller table for themselves and the children.

Jiang Lin originally wanted to do the same, but Cheng Rushan had already borrowed some tables and chairs from neighbors to make space.

He insisted that Xu Aimei and Yan Runzhi take a seat first.

Xu Aimei and Yan Runzhi settled down, then they gestured for Cheng Yunzhi and the others to hurry up and sit down.

Seeing Song Lijuan still busy at the stove, Jiang Lin pulled her over to sit down.

Song Lijuan smiled and said, “Little sister, you go ahead and eat. I’ll tidy up a bit, and it’ll be ready in a moment.”

Despite her knack for taking advantage of small opportunities, her family’s tradition dictated that when guests arrived, women shouldn’t sit at the table, especially with many guests and few dishes to go around.

She didn’t want anyone saying she lacked manners just to take a few bites and spread ill repute.

Moreover, she wasn’t unfair to herself either.

She brought Luo Xia to eat below while ensuring there was extra meat.

Jiang Lin pulled her over to sit beside her eldest brother, with the second brother sitting next to Wensheng.

Jiang Lin and Cheng Rushan sat among the children.

Qinqin really liked her uncle-in-law!

He was tall, handsome, and generous—giving her and her brother the same amount of candy.

When her grandma, grandpa, uncle, and aunt gave things, her brother always got more than she did, which made her angry.

During the meal, Song Lijuan quietly asked Jiang Lin, “Does your eldest brother-in-law have a girlfriend?”

Jiang Lin nodded, “Not yet.”

Song Lijuan looked a bit puzzled.

He seemed a bit like her brother-in-law, but their characters were different—this one was too simple, like a child.

If he were from the city, she’d happily introduce him to someone, but it was harder in the countryside.

Wensheng sensed her looking at him and smiled at Song Lijuan.

His smile was sincere and gentle, his eyes focused on her, capable of melting a woman’s heart.

Song Lijuan thought to herself, “Oh my, why is my heart pounding like this?”

She glanced at her own man quietly; he was handsome too but never smiled like that, always seeming wooden with eyes that seemed veiled and a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Looking at Cheng Rushan and Wensheng, their smiles were dazzling, their eyes shining brighter than the stars in the sky.

She nudged Jiang Big Brother with her elbow, “Dad to Qinqin, you should drink a few more with your brother-in-law.”

Jiang Big Brother nodded, “Hmm.”

Song Lijuan pursed her lips.

She had always known he was quiet and not much of a talker, and she didn’t mind.

But seeing how well her little brother-in-law treated her little sister, she couldn’t help feeling a bit unsettled and raising her standards.

“Pour me a cup too,” she said to Jiang Big Brother, pouting.

Jiang Big Brother replied, “There are no cups left.”

Song Lijuan insisted, “Yours will do.”

She watched Cheng Rushan even pour his own wine glass to feed Jiang Lin wine, letting her taste something better than the local diluted sorghum wine.

She wanted that too!

Jiang Big Brother hesitated for a moment, “You go get a bowl.”

Across the table, Jiang Lin reacted with surprise, “!!!!”

Jiang Lin laughed and responded warmly to the atmosphere, “If he didn’t have a face, how could he have found a wife? He really should have stayed single.”

Song Lijuan was also amused by her husband’s remark, feeling a bit choked up herself.

She wasn’t fond of drinking; she preferred eating meat!

The young rooster was plump and fragrant, its meat tender and delicious.

Despite average cooking skills, the meal showcased its delightful flavors.

The potatoes, mushrooms, green beans, and cabbage stewed in chicken broth all exuded their own distinct tastes.

The children dipped their mantou bread in the chicken soup, their mouths oily with delight.

Daobao and Xiaobao praised, mouths smeared with honey, “Grandma and Auntie made such delicious food. Haven’t had something this tasty in days.”

Although they subtly hinted that Grandma’s cooking might be even better for this chicken.

Everyone chuckled.

Xu Aimei remarked, “At the guesthouse, as long as it’s cooked through, who cares if it’s good or not?”

Song Lijuan added, “I’m not a good cook either. This stewed chicken just happens to turn out well.”

Yan Runzhi, the culinary prodigy, sealed it with approval, “It’s really delicious.”

The choice parts of chicken meat were generously served to the children, who happily ate their vegetables, savored the oily soup, and nibbled on chicken bones and skin, all with relish.

Two bowls of dishes and one of fish were completely emptied by the end of the meal, not a drop of soup left.

After dinner, they relaxed for a bit.

The adults chatted while the children listened to the radio, enchanted by its magical sounds.

Approaching ten o’clock, Cheng Rushan suggested it was time for bed.

Xu Aimei said she would go borrow a blanket.

Cheng Rushan replied, “Mom, I’ve already borrowed one, and it’s enough.”

Jiang Dongjian was about to praise his son-in-law for being thoughtful, but Song Lijuan beat him to it, saying, “Our little brother-in-law is truly one in a thousand, so caring and thoughtful. I’ve never seen anyone like him before.”