After hearing this, Xu Mo suddenly realized, “Oh right! Married people are supposed to live in the same house. Brother-in-law, does that mean you won’t talk to us tonight?”

Lu Xiaotang cleared his throat and replied, “You three brothers can chat. I’ll go to bed early tonight and make dumplings for you in the morning.”

Not long after Xu Ning returned to her room, she saw Lu Xiaotang walk in with a smile. “Are you here to get your clean clothes? I’ve already packed them for you,” she said.

Lu Xiaotang walked over, pinched her cheek gently, and looked at her with warmth, saying, “You really want me to sleep over, don’t you? But I only want to sleep here.”

Xu Ning felt a bit embarrassed under his gaze and said, “Go wash up quickly.”

The three brothers had been talking until late the previous night, and by the time Lu Xiaotang finished making the dumplings, none of them had gotten up. Seeing that there wasn’t much time left, and knowing Xu An and Xu Mo had school that day, he called all three of them up.

After thinking it over, Lu Xiaotang decided to wake Xu Ning up. Xu Yang was going back this time, and it was uncertain when he would come again, so he thought it would be best to have her see him off. Otherwise, she might get upset.

Xu Mo hurriedly ate a bowl of dumplings before heading back to the cow shed.

Xu An and Xu Yang took Old Chen’s horse cart to the city together.

Xu An was going to school, while Xu Yang took a bus to Qishi to catch a train.

As they watched the ox cart slowly move away until it was out of sight, Lu Xiaotang turned to Xu Ning and said, “Let’s go back.”

Xu Ning sighed and suggested, “Why don’t we go to the city today?”

Lu Xiaotang nodded in agreement. “Sure, is there something you want to buy? It’s quite windy today; how about I go get it, and you stay home?”

Xu Ning then shared with him about Grandpa Wang and Grandma Wang, saying, “They have treated me well and are people of great loyalty. If their son doesn’t return in the future, I want to take care of them in their old age.”

Lu Xiaotang smiled and said, “Alright, in our family, you call the shots.”

Xu Ning smiled and said, “Then I’ll take you to see them today.”

As they entered the city, neither of them wore military uniforms; instead, they were dressed in simple, plain clothes.

Xu Ning brought some vegetables and meat for the elderly couple. Once they arrived in the city, she told Lu Xiaotang, “First, let’s go to Sister Hongying’s place to pick up the coal strips. We can have Grandpa Wang haul them back later.”

Lu Xiaotang suggested, “Let’s also stop by the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some snacks. It wouldn’t be good to visit empty-handed for the first time.”

“Isn’t this food enough?” Xu Ning replied. “I won’t buy snacks today. I didn’t bring any ration tickets either. In a few days, I’ll make some egg cakes and brown sugar steamed buns. You can ride your bike and deliver them to them. They love those.”

“Alright, I’ll do as you say.”

Since they had brought items with them, Lu Xiaotang waited outside the supply and marketing cooperative.

Xu Ning went in alone. As soon as Su Hongying saw her enter, she hurried over with a smile. “I was just saying you should be coming by these days. Here, take this—it’s a ticket for 500 jin of coal. Hurry up and bring it back; coal is a bit tight this year.”

Xu Ning smiled and said, “Thank you, Sister Hongying! I’ll come by to chat with you again soon.”

As she spoke, she winked at her, and Su Hongying instantly understood; Xu Ning planned to bring her some bed sheets in the near future.

The two of them walked to the alley where Grandpa Wang lived. Seeing that there weren’t many people around, Xu Ning went straight to knock on the door.

When Grandma Wang opened the door and saw Xu Ning with a young man, she immediately realized this was her husband.

She quickly opened the door wider to let them in, and at that moment, Grandpa Wang also came out of the room, hurriedly welcoming the two inside.

Once they entered the house, Xu Ning smiled and introduced Lu Xiaotang, saying, “Grandpa Wang, Grandma Wang, this is my partner, Lu Xiaotang.”

Lu Xiaotang quickly greeted them, saying, “Hello, Grandpa Wang and Grandma Wang.”

The elderly couple looked at him and quickly nodded, saying, “Very good! He’s a fine young man, and he seems to match well with Xu Ning. Please, have a seat and let’s talk.”

Lu Xiaotang sat on a bench and said to the couple, “Grandpa Wang, Grandma Wang, I’ve heard a lot about you from Xu Ning. Don’t worry; you’ll have both of us looking out for you in the future.”

Grandpa and Grandma Wang held his hand, their eyes reddening as they replied, “You two are good kids. There’s no need to worry about us. Just don’t come over here too often; we’re doing fine.”

Xu Ning handed the coal ticket to Grandpa Wang, saying, “Grandpa Wang, you should go get the coal shortly. I’ve heard it’s quite tight this year; having a ticket doesn’t guarantee you’ll get any coal.”

Grandpa Wang, holding the ticket, quickly responded, “Alright, I’ll go in a bit. Let me ask Grandma Wang to prepare lunch first. You two can eat before you leave.”

Xu Ning hurriedly said, “We have things to do back home, so we won’t stay for lunch. Please take care of yourselves, and if anything comes up, just send me a message.”

As the two of them rode their bike to the entrance of the youth camp, they were stopped by Yang Xiaomei.

Xu Ning let Lu Xiaotang head back first, saying she would stay and play for a while.

Following Yang Xiaomei into the house, Xu Ning asked, “You seem all mysterious. What’s going on?”

Yang Xiaomei whispered, “Wang Juanjuan is in big trouble now. Cao Bo said Wang Juanjuan also embezzled a lot of money, and the two of them have already had an intimate relationship—almost like a married couple.

They’re requesting to separate them for re-education through labor. Wang Juanjuan’s parents have spent a lot of money and are trying to use connections to get her out. I don’t know if they’ll be successful.”

Xu Ning replied, “Even if they manage to get her out, she probably wouldn’t come back here. Since her parents have already invested money and connections, they will likely find a way to take her back to the city.”

Yang Xiaomei said, “It’s better if she doesn’t come back. If she’s here, nobody will have a peaceful life.”

After thinking for a moment, she added, “Ever since that incident with Jiaohua, no one dares to touch any books. The other day, Chen Xiangdong was reading quotes from leaders in the courtyard, and she scolded him for it.”

Xu Ning felt this reaction was normal. With such uncertainty about the future, and considering her character—timid and indecisive—Jiaohua must have felt like a startled bird after what had happened.

The two continued chatting for a while longer before Xu Ning prepared to head home to cook.

Seeing her about to leave, Yang Xiaomei hesitated for a moment and then shyly asked, “Xu Ning, did you make any spicy pickled cabbage this year? Could you give me a little? The batch I made just doesn’t seem to taste right.”

Noticing her awkwardness, Xu Ning chuckled and said, “Are you having serious pregnancy cravings?”

Yang Xiaomei blushed and nodded shyly.

Xu Ning smiled, “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I haven’t made any this year yet, but I’ll make some when I get home, and I’ll bring you some in a couple of days. Just don’t eat too much—it’s hard on the stomach.”

Yang Xiaomei, delighted, responded, “Thank you so much!”

When Xu Ning returned home, she found Lu Xiaotang cooking. There were still a few dozen dumplings left over from breakfast, just enough to boil for lunch.

Since Lu Xiaotang was at home, Xu Ning didn’t want to take any pears or apples from the space, so she decided to make a simple batch of spicy pickled cabbage.

She gathered several cabbages and used a large basin to start the pickling process, planning to send some to Grandma Wang in a couple of days.

When Lu Xiaotang returned with water, he said to her, “I just ran into Grandpa Chen. He said he took Xu Yang all the way to the station, and just as they arrived, Xu Yang boarded the bus to Qishi.”

Xu Ning smiled and said, “We should really thank Grandpa Chen. The next time I see San Dan, I’ll bring him some candy.”