The main issue was that with so many people in the Lu family, one chicken would hardly provide enough for everyone, and Lin Shu wouldn’t give chicken legs exclusively to Tian Tian and Pan Pan.

Lin Xia felt it was a bit of a waste.

It would be better to buy some when they went back to Lin Family Village.

This way, they could give chicken legs to the two kids.

Bao’er, that silly kid, didn’t like chicken legs; he preferred gnawing on chicken heads.

So it was just right to save the chicken legs for Tiantian and Panpan.

Jiang Weidong thought for a moment, “Isn’t there a slaughterhouse at the commune? Let’s check it out.”

He took Lin Xia to the slaughterhouse at the pig station.

They found out that no pigs were being slaughtered today, but there would be some slaughtered tomorrow because a pig’s leg had been broken during handling.

Jiang Weidong went to speak with the slaughterhouse manager and ordered a pig’s hind leg, paying with two packs of cigarettes from Qianmen.

The manager gladly accepted the order.

As long as they were paid, selling to anyone didn’t matter. Even the leftover meat would be divided among the commune.

Lin Xia was surprised that Jiang Weidong bought a whole pig leg.

She quietly said to him, “A few pounds would be enough.”

Jiang Weidong smiled and said, “I want you to have more to eat.”

His third sister was smart and would understand that he wanted Lin Xia to have more to enjoy.

Lin Xia was warmed by his smile.

No one had ever been so… indulgent toward her before.

Meat was hard to come by and very expensive.

He bought a whole leg just so she could have more?

People often compare, and Lin Xia couldn’t help but think about who had treated her so well before.

After her divorce, she rarely thought about the Qian family, especially the moments with Qian Lisheng.

Compared to Jiang Weidong’s kindness, Qian Lisheng’s so-called goodness seemed insignificant.

For example, she couldn’t set regular meal times.

Jiang Weidong would directly buy her a charcoal stove and charcoal, so she could cook outdoors.

In contrast, when she lived with Qian Lisheng, after working the night shift, she still had to wash clothes.

He would say he felt sorry for her and told her not to wash them.

She would say the clothes would stink if left unwashed.

He’d respond, “It’s okay, just wash them tomorrow.”

He thought cooking, washing clothes, and tidying up were women’s responsibilities, so she had to do them or let Qian’s mother do them.

Lin Xia found Jiang Weidong different.

He would actively clean the house and not let Old Lady Jiang do it.

He would also cook.

It would be a lie to say she wasn’t moved.

Seeing her lower her head and remain silent, Jiang Weidong asked, “What’s wrong?”

Lin Xia smiled and said, “I just think you’re really a good person.”

Jiang Weidong held her hand.

The last time she had taken the initiative to hold his hand, which meant she allowed him to hold her hand.

“Let’s go.” He held Lin Xia’s hand and headed home from work.

Shen Meizhi, who was hiding and peeking, was more convinced that Lin Xia was scheming and had impressive skills.

Look how she had Jiang Weidong so wrapped around her finger!

No wonder she got divorced; she must have dumped Li Sheng for Jiang Weidong!

She wasn’t wrong at all!

When Jiang Weidong and Lin Xia arrived at the Lu family’s home, Lin Shu had just finished setting the table for dinner.

Seeing them, Lin Shu was very happy. “Jiang Ge, I was actually planning to go to the city with my sister to deliver the sanitary incense if you didn’t come these days.”

Jiang Weidong said, “I’ve been busy running around to different sub-factories lately. I wouldn’t want to trouble you with it.”

He handed the fabric and labor fee, entrusted by Han Yun, to Lin Shu. “I didn’t ask you in advance, but since she paid well, I accepted it for you.”

Lin Shu smiled and said, “Jiang Ge, you’re too polite. I’m more than happy to help. Chairman Han is generous and not picky, so making clothes for her is profitable for me.”

Jiang Weidong then took out several order forms: two hundred packs for the steel factory, one hundred for the union, one hundred for the glass factory, and another hundred for the street.

Lin Shu said seriously, “We should give Jiang Ge a commission for this.”

Jiang Weidong quickly waved his hand. “No, no, I’m just doing a good deed, supporting the brigade’s sideline business and introducing good products to brother units. If you give me a commission, that would be a mistake.”

Lin Shu didn’t insist.

If he didn’t want it, she could provide compensation in other ways.

When he marries her second sister, she would give them a big red envelope on behalf of the brigade.

Since Jiang Weidong was there, Lin Shu asked Lu Cuicui to call Old Man Lu and Lu Dage to come back early and also invited the secretary and the brigade leader to join them for dinner.

She asked Lin Xia to help and quickly prepared a couple of dishes: spicy tofu with dried meat and a dish with garlic chives added just before finishing, making it colorful and fragrant.

There were plenty of eggs at home, so the table already had steamed eggs with shrimp paste.

She also took out some homemade century eggs, peeled them, cut them with cotton thread, and added a simple seasoning of ginger juice, vinegar, and a few drops of sesame oil.

In addition, the table had several large plates of seasonal vegetables from the garden, a small bowl of tomatoes mixed with sugar—it was quite a feast.

The secretary arrived with a bottle of baijiu (Chinese white liquor), and the brigade leader brought a plate of salted peanuts.

They were all very pleased to see Jiang Weidong and his companions.

Hearing that more orders had been brought in, they were naturally very appreciative and treated him with great respect.

The brigade leader was particularly enthusiastic towards Jiang Weidong, asking about the steel factory’s workload, and chatted about the grain harvest, the electric power situation, and the pyrethrum seeds sent by Chen Yanming, which had already been planted in various places in the brigade, including the riverbanks and around the village.

They would be able to harvest a batch of flowers in the fall.

He warmly engaged with Jiang Weidong…

He reciprocated the warmth, chatting lively with everyone about harvesting wheat, planting corn, and growing sweet potatoes, showing his genuine understanding of farming.

The village leader liked him even more.

What a great guy! He helps the village get orders and doesn’t mind that he’s an uneducated, country bumpkin!

After a few drinks, the village leader started making promises. “Factory Director Jiang, when you marry my second aunt, you won’t need to buy things like the bed, wardrobe, or dining cupboard. We’ll give you a set, all made from good wood by skilled carpenters.”

Jiang Weidong didn’t seem displeased; he thanked him with a smile.

Since the village leader made the offer, he was confident it would be well done, and he would just pay for it later.

Everyone enjoyed the meal and had a good time.

The next day, Lin Xia had a day off.

After breakfast, she took Tiantian and Panpan to help Jiang Weidong buy the pork and also stopped by the supply store to pick up soap, toilet paper, and other essentials.

Lin Shu was surprised, “Second sister, Brother Jiang, where did you buy such a large pig leg?”

And how could you buy just one? Did they even sell that?

Jiang Weidong smiled, “I told them I’m a relative of the third sister, and they sold it to me.”

Lin Shu didn’t believe it. “Stop fooling me. With my connections, I could only buy a couple of pig trotters and a bit of meat, but a whole leg?”

Since they couldn’t eat that much meat all at once and it could spoil in summer, Lin Shu decided to cure part of it and also cut four pounds to hang with straw ropes.

“Second sister, why don’t you and Brother Jiang visit our parents and bring them some meat?”

Jiang Weidong’s eyes lit up, though he was a bit anxious.

He hadn’t changed clothes or bought any treats like malted milk or sweets.

Would it be inappropriate to visit his partner’s family without these things?

But he also feared Lin Xia might refuse.

Lin Xia responded naturally, “Sure, but they’ll probably nag me. Why don’t you, Tiantian, and Panpan come with us?”

Lin Shu laughed and said, “They won’t. Mom and Dad are very different now.”

Everyone at home was busy with harvesting wheat and making incense, so no one was cooking.

Lin Shu stayed home to cook, so she sent Tiantian and Panpan with her second aunt and soon-to-be second uncle.

Lin Shu packed a basket of seasonal vegetables, a small basket of eggs, two bottles of white liquor, two packages of peach pastries, a bottle of malted milk, and two cans of food.

Previously, when the honey apricots were ripe, Lin Shu had cycled back to deliver a basket.

These apricots didn’t last long; birds pecked at them from the moment they ripened.

If not picked quickly, they would fall to the ground overnight.

There weren’t many left on the tree now.

Some were left to feed the birds, and Lin Shu had made some into dried apricots, but hadn’t finished drying them yet, so she didn’t give any more.

Lin Xia looked at the basket Lin Shu prepared.

Picking up so many things, she whispered, “Isn’t it too much to bring all this?”

Lin Shu replied, “Of course not. It’s not what you gave to your parents, it’s what Jiang Ge gave to them. The more he gives, the better he thinks of you. Even though he bought a whole pig leg, it would have been too conspicuous. It’s better for me to add some other gifts to make it more appropriate.”

Lin Xia pursed her lips.

She didn’t understand much about social etiquette, as her family was ordinary and they didn’t have much to give when visiting relatives.

In the past, when she and Qian Lisheng visited her family, Qian’s mother would say, “There’s no need to bring such heavy things; we can’t keep them anyway. Qian Lisheng agreed, saying he would give a few bucks to his parents, and not bringing gifts was fine.”

Yet, they still brought two bags of pastries to her family, and when they left, her parents had to give extra return gifts.

She thought if her mother-in-law said not to leave anything for her parents, then whatever she brought should be left behind.

However, Qian Lisheng said that it wasn’t proper to visit relatives empty-handed, but also not to leave empty-handed.

That was the custom and etiquette.

Lin Xia found it strange.

Wasn’t this just visiting her own family?

Why was it like visiting relatives?

Qian Lisheng said that once a daughter is married, visiting her parents’ home is like visiting relatives, because her parents’ home becomes her brother’s home.

At that moment, Lin Xia felt a deep sadness.

Going to the city felt like going to her in-laws’ home, not her own, and returning to her parents’ home also felt like visiting relatives, not her own home.

She felt like she had no home.

Now that both she and her Lisheng had divorced, she felt that her parents’ home was once again her home.

Jiang Weidong wanted to borrow Lu’s bicycle to take Lin Xia there, thinking it would be very romantic to ride with her to her parents’ home.

But he quickly changed his mind.

Riding through the village, people would be surprised to see him with Lin Xia and wonder why she had a different man.

He didn’t think Lin Xia and her family would publicly talk about her divorce, but there might be gossiping tongues spreading rumors.

If people knew about her divorce, they might compare him with her former husband and speculate about their new relationship.

He could endure it himself, but thinking about how Lin Xia might feel made him uncomfortable.

Driving was better.

With a press of the accelerator, they could leave those gossipers in the dust!