At home, a large pot sat on the stove, ready to cook meals, with everyone using small ladles to serve themselves.

“Rushan, come and eat… Oh my, who’s this young man? Has he been mugged?” Xu Aimei greeted Cheng Rushan and noticed Lu Hang.

Lu Hang: “…I was supposed to be your son-in-law, and you’ve torn us apart!”

He bowed to Xu Aimei. “Aunt Xu, I’m Lu Hang.”

“Lu Hang? Are you okay? What happened? Do you need to go to the hospital?” Xu Aimei thought Lu Hang was a friend of Cheng Rushan’s and was genuinely concerned.

She didn’t immediately recognize him, as she only vaguely knew of the troublemaker from the textile factory years ago and was unfamiliar with the name Lu Hang.

Lu Hang quickly replied, “Thank you for your concern, Auntie, but I’m fine.”

Seeing Lu Hang’s polite demeanor, Jiang Xinglei opened his mouth to spill the truth.

He whispered to Xu Aimei, “Mom, this is Lu Hang, from the textile factory. He almost dated my sister before.”

“What?” Xu Aimei’s voice rose sharply.

The notorious troublemaker was infamous, even reaching her limited social circles.

She couldn’t believe Lu Hang was here and assumed he was deceiving Cheng Rushan.

A decent-looking young man, always up to no good, flirting around, and relying on his dad who was a director at the textile factory to get away with everything.

He pursued every pretty girl at the factory and beyond.

Yet, despite his antics, no one caught him red-handed and charged him with being a rogue!

She looked at Lu Hang with eyes as sharp as knives, not understanding why he was here and assuming he was fooling Cheng Rushan.

Cheng Rushan smiled, “Mom, it’s alright.”

Seeing Cheng Rushan’s reassurance, Xu Aimei let it go.

Cheng Rushan then took Lu Hang around to greet the others before preparing for the meal.

Jiang Xinglei brought two large tea cups, pretending they were wine glasses, and asked Lu Hang, “Heard you’re quite a drinker?”

Lu Hang never backed down; of course, he was good at drinking.

Cheng Rushan turned and gave Jiang Xinglei two yuan, asking him to buy more bottles of strong sorghum liquor.

Local sorghum liquor usually ranged from less than 40% alcohol content, sometimes up to 48%, and occasionally nearing 60%.

Jiang Xinglei, always eager for fun and unafraid of trouble, happily returned with four bottles of liquor, each holding one pound.

The children had already finished eating and were playing on the side.

Cheng Rushan and Lu Hang sat together at a small table meant for kids, drinking.

Jiang Lin served them cooked dishes and meat, but they were just drinking one cup after another, and Lu Hang didn’t even touch his food.

Those tea cup-sized glasses only held about four servings per bottle, leaving a bit at the bottom.

Drinking like this…

Jiang Lin signaled Cheng Rushan with her eyes to take it easy.

Cheng Rushan smiled back at her.

Seeing his smile, Lu Hang felt particularly bitter.

He lifted his glass towards Jiang Lin, “Lin… Lin, I…”

Cheng Rushan calmly said, “Lu Hang, think carefully before you speak.”

Lu Hang was already drunk.

Though his mind felt clear, his body was slowing down, and his mouth wasn’t cooperating.

But he immediately sensed the threat in Cheng Rushan’s tone.

Now that Lin Lin was his wife, what he liked before didn’t matter anymore.

He wasn’t entitled.

Why can’t I still like her?

What’s wrong with liking her?

How can such a beautiful girl like Lin Lin be liked by only you?

Can’t we both like her together?

You be the countryside guy, and I’ll be the city guy.

What’s wrong with that?

I even had my dad help find jobs for you guys. What’s wrong with that?

Waaah…

Cheng Rushan: “…”

Jiang Lin looked at Lu Hang, crying uncontrollably while holding up his glass, and nearly dropped the bowl in her hand.

The children listening to the radio gathered together, whispering to each other.

Da Bao: “He must be a fool.”

With his dad nearby, he wasn’t nervous at all and wasn’t afraid of bad guys coming to take his mom away, so he played comfortably these days.

Xiao Bao: “He must have eaten so much candy his teeth are rotten. He can’t eat anymore.”

Wen Sheng: “His mom got taken away by someone. Look how pitiful he is.”

Qinqin: “What’s wrong with him? He’s just greedy and hungry. Look, he just drank alcohol and hasn’t even eaten anything.”

Due to tight food supplies at home, Qinqin had developed a habit during meals of quickly scanning around to see who ate more or less.

Cheng Rushan didn’t let Lu Hang drink any more alcohol.

He took away his wine cup and handed him chopsticks instead, saying, “Eat.”

Lu Hang: “I’m… full…” His head tilted, resting on the small chair, and he started snoring.

Cheng Rushan: “…”

Jiang Lin gestured to Cheng Rushan, indicating she would help clean up the dishes and chopsticks.

She nudged Lu Hang, “Hey, go back to your place and sleep.”

Was this the slick-haired guy with the cocky attitude, always flaunting as the top troublemaker in the textile factory?

Was he sure he wasn’t a complete idiot?

Cheng Rushan: “It’s okay, let him sleep. I’ll take him home later.”

Jiang Lin ignored Lu Hang, “Why did you eat so little?”

Cheng Rushan patted his stomach, “I had a bowl of noodles.”

Jiang Lin chuckled, leaning on his shoulder, “Didn’t need you to eat it all anyway. Didn’t realize you were so straightforward.”

Cheng Rushan: “That’s called not refusing a kind offer.”

After dinner and a short rest, everyone prepared to sleep.

Da Bao and Xiao Bao generously continued to accompany their grandparents because they were going home the day after tomorrow.

Cheng Rushan asked Jiang Xinglei to help him take Lu Hang back.

He suggested Jiang Lin simply lock the dormitory door and he would open it himself when he returned.

They were staying in a dormitory with a small glass pane broken, allowing them to reach inside with their hands.

After Jiang Lin finished tidying up and washing up, she got into bed.

She was quite tired from the day’s work and fell asleep without thinking much.

At some point, Cheng Rushan returned from outside, crawled into bed, and pulled her into his arms.

He had taken a shower, his body carrying a damp mist mixed with a faint scent of alcohol, which smelled quite pleasant.

She nestled into his embrace and murmured, “What time is it?”

Cheng Rushan: “It’s a little past 11.”

Her blouse fell open, and her soft skin brushed against him, reigniting something that had been suppressed.

He pulled her out of his arms and kissed her incessantly…

…

The next morning, they moved.

After they went to work, Cheng Rushan went out for some errands.

Jiang Lin and Jiang Xinglei finished packing up by evening.

Neighbors came in the evening to congratulate them.

Qian Bo and Lu Hang also came over, each bringing gifts.

Lu Hang carried several bottles of wine, a few cans of food, two bottles of milk, a piece of meat.

As soon as he saw them, he bowed to Xu Aimei and Jiang Dongjian, handing over the gifts, and separately giving several bottles of wine to Cheng Rushan, “Bro, this is for you.”

Cheng Rushan: “I don’t really drink. You can take it back.”

Lu Hang: “Haha, you don’t drink, haha.” Luckily you don’t drink.

If you did, would I still be alive?

His head was spinning from the day, but he couldn’t resist stopping by.

He ran into Qian Bo, who mentioned the Jiang family was moving and invited himself over for a meal.

He had to have a proper meal! It was a matter of a man’s dignity.

After dinner, Jiang Xinglei was responsible for taking Lu Hang and Qian Bo home.

Jiang Lin and her family were preparing to return home the next day, packing up their belongings.

In recent days, Xu Aimei had also prepared many things as gifts for them: fine white cotton cloth, sewing threads, gloves, sugar cubes, and rock candy, among other things.

She told Yan Runzhi, “Good yarn isn’t easy to buy. These gloves can be taken apart for the threads to knit clothes and pants.”

In the city, many people keep various types of labor gloves just to unravel them for knitting clothes and pants.

Knitted clothes and pants fit well, look good, are comfortable, and keep warm, much better than shirts and trousers.

She also prepared various knitting needles for Yan Runzhi, who initially declined but eventually accepted.

Xu Aimei also helped Jiang Xinglei pack up.

Initially, she felt reluctant to let her son go through hardships, but later she realized that every child must walk their own path.

Her own life with Lao Jiang had been muddled without much to boast about, but having a son-in-law like Cheng Rushan meant they could move to a bigger house.

Although she wasn’t sure where her own shortcomings lay, she could see Cheng Rushan’s strengths and didn’t mind her son learning from him.

Her son-in-law was knowledgeable and treated Jiang Lin so well; he wouldn’t mistreat his younger brother-in-law.

Xu Aimei thought Cheng Rushan was capable and decisive.

Seeing how Qian Bo and Lu Hang respected him, she felt reassured.

Da Bao and Xiao Bao were busy with the radio that their elder uncles had installed for them.

The radio had four transistors and was as big as half a book—quite impressive.

The head of their village production team, upon seeing the radio Cheng Rushan brought back, had someone assemble a newer model to sell to him, which was like a small box.

Therefore, this smaller radio had greatly improved in appearance and sound quality, winning their hearts.

Its greatest advantage was being able to tune into more stations, which seemed almost magical.

Unfortunately, due to limited materials, their elder uncle could only install one for now.

He said he would install one with ten transistors when he got the chance, which could pick up foreign stations.

They might even hear English, Japanese, Chinese, and Hindi broadcasts.

Currently, Da Bao and Xiao Bao didn’t fully understand these details, but they were amazed that such a small device could pick up signals from so far away.

They couldn’t wait to use it.

Qinqin, Xiao Ke, and Xiao Luo were already reluctant to part with Da Bao and Xiao Bao and wished they could stay and go to school together.

Qinqin had just learned a poem, saying, “On every festive occasion, I will miss you all the more. I will think of you all in the future.”

Da Bao: “Though miles apart, we’ll cherish our friendship as if we were near. We’ll miss you all too.”

Xiao Bao: “Come visit us during winter break! We can go ice skating, catch sparrows, spin tops—it’ll be so much fun!”

Xiao Ke and the others were very excited, asking Grandpa and Grandma if it was possible.

Xu Aimei temporarily placated them, saying they would discuss it later, not realizing children take words seriously and would eagerly await the promised visit.

Yan Runzhi got along well with Xu Aimei and was reluctant to part, making plans to meet up again in the future.

Wensheng couldn’t hide his excitement and smiled even more brightly.

The Jiang family had already learned from Jiang Lin that Wensheng had some issues, but instead of discriminating against him, they showed him more care and hoped for his speedy recovery.

Early the next morning, Dai Guohua and Duan Changan drove over to pick them up.

By the time they left the provincial capital, the sun was already high in the sky.

Despite their tearful farewell at Jiang’s home, they were now eager to return.

Though they didn’t feel particularly attached to Shuicai Village, the thought of home compelled them to hurry back, especially with their family together.

Dai Guohua noticed a jeep parked ahead with a young man smoking and waving to them.

He stopped the car and called out, “What’s up, buddy?”

He thought the jeep might be broken down.

Lu Hang immediately ran over and shouted back toward the rear.

Cheng Rushan jumped out of the car. “Is everything okay?”

Lu Hang quickly stubbed out his cigarette and crushed it underfoot, waving to Jiang Lin and the others. “Since you’re leaving, let me see you off.”

He quickly fetched a piece of cloth from the car.

It was quite heavy, but he lifted it effortlessly.

He tried to load it into the back of the car, but Cheng Rushan stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

“Cheng Ge, what do you think of me?”

“You’re the son of the textile factory director. It’s a mistake for you to handle this.”

“Isn’t this fabric intended for internal use? Those that don’t leave the factory are handled through connections.” Lu Hang was used to this and didn’t see it as a problem until Cheng Rushan pointed it out.

“Even so, you shouldn’t take it, and I won’t accept it.”

Lu Hang: “Everyone does it this way!” Lu Hang couldn’t understand.

Despite Cheng Rushan appearing shrewd, he seemed naive for refusing the fabric.

How many people would fight over it?

Cheng Rushan: “Just because everyone else does it doesn’t mean I will. Every penny and every piece of charcoal I bring home is rightfully earned by me. If you give me this fabric today, who’s to say it won’t lead to trouble for you in the future?”

Lu Hang: “You’re really cautious! We give away lots of fabric without any issues. Who’s going to scrutinize us? We have connections with higher-ups…”

Cheng Rushan interrupted Lu Hang with a pat on the shoulder. “Sorry for hitting you earlier. Now, let me give you a piece of advice.”

Lu Hang: “What?”

Cheng Rushan whispered a few words and then took out a packet of leftover pearl cigarettes from his pocket, stuffing it into Lu Hang’s left breast pocket. “Good luck.”

Cheng Rushan, born into that environment, seemed to possess a unique insight into surroundings, crises, and people’s hearts.

Since his family was rehabilitated and he joined the transport team as an auxiliary member of the military, he wasn’t just a driver and transporter as others assumed.

He observed and understood things far beyond what others could imagine.

In times of change and upheaval, subtle shifts in the military, broadcasts, and government offices could be sensed.

Especially this year, many significant events occurred, noticeable to those with a heightened political sensitivity.

However, ordinary people focused on their jobs, farming, and daily lives, unconcerned with such matters.

Lu Hang’s father served as the chairman of the textile factory’s revolutionary committee, with a fluctuating reputation.

He had risen through movements before and now, with the changing times, it was normal for him to be stepped on again.

Ultimately, they were all the same kind of people engaged in internal struggles.

Although Lu Hang didn’t have a great reputation, Cheng Rushan never judged people by their reputations, given his family’s own ups and downs.

Lu Hang’s infatuation with Jiang Lin annoyed him a bit, but after interacting with Lu Hang, he didn’t hold any grudges.

Jiang Lin had no interest in Lu Hang, and while Lu Hang liked her, he wouldn’t dare do anything to her.

At most, he would find a girl who resembled her.

Cheng Rushan didn’t care about this. Looking similar didn’t make someone his daughter-in-law.

Lu Hang stood there, holding the fabric and dumbfounded as the truck started.

Inside, Wensheng and Jiang Lin were using binoculars to watch him, both laughing at him like he was a fool.

Cheng Rushan’s words echoed in his mind: “Haven’t you listened to the radio? Go back and listen carefully. Consider who you rely on to rise, and now, who you’re following into misfortune.”