Meanwhile, Lu Dan shouted, “Mom, my pants are torn! My butt’s about to show! I can’t go out like this!”

Su Xiangwan went over to check and saw Li Chengze sweeping the floor.

Lu Dan’s pants were indeed ripped.

Holding the hole near his butt, he was rolling on the bed, wailing.

“These are the new pants I sewed for you. How did they rip?” Su Xiangwan asked.

Lu Dan replied, “They were itchy. I scratched them all night, and now they’re torn.”

Normally, these brothers slept with no pants on, but with a new older brother around, they felt embarrassed and kept their pants on, which made them itch all night.

“He’s got fleas on him,” Lu Dan said confidently. “The fleas from him jumped onto the bed, and that’s why I itched all night.”

“Your dad’s frying eggs. White buns and fried eggs—go change your pants quickly and feed Zhizhi. Once that’s done, we’ll eat together,” Su Xiangwan said, sending Lu Dan off.

“Didn’t your godmother ever buy you new clothes or wash your clothes for you?” Su Xiangwan pulled out two old garments of Lu Dan’s and handed them to Li Chengze.

Li Chengze bit his lip. “No.”

Su Xiaonan had only treated him as a tool—occasionally having him steal things or cook and wash dishes.

As for washing clothes or bathing, Li Chengze had figured those out himself, thanks to the remnants of a once-privileged life.

At ten years old, he was no longer a little boy.

His delicate features, high nose bridge, and deep-set eyes—a signature of his ethnic minority roots—made him more handsome than Gou Dan and Lu Dan.

Of course, his blood also carried a fierceness typical of his people.

Seeing new clothes, he grew excited and quickly started changing, not bothering to avoid Su Xiangwan.

But, having lice on his body was deeply embarrassing for his pride.

“No, these clothes are too short. I want to wear my old ones,” Li Chengze protested as soon as he put on the pants.

They were like capris, and the shirt exposed his navel.

He looked oddly trendy.

Su Xiangwan had already dismantled his old clothes, along with the bedsheets and blankets, preparing to boil them in hot water.

Seeing his awkward appearance, she couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s short, but bear with it. Who told you to have so many lice on you?”

In this era, rural lice were as pervasive as cockroaches in the future.

However, Lu Dan and Gou Dan had grown up valuing cleanliness.

Since Su Xiangwan had taken charge, she frequently boiled their clothes and gave them baths.

Their home was the only lice-free house in the entire village.

Otherwise, those pests were even more annoying than mosquitoes.

“Mom, Dad’s fried eggs don’t taste as good as yours,” Lu Dan complained during breakfast and warned the newcomer, “I, Song Xiling, can eat three fried eggs in one sitting.”

The golden fried eggs were piled high on a plate, glistening with vegetable oil.

There weren’t enough stools at home, so Li Chengze sat on a tree stump.

Despite being hungry, he held a bun but hesitated to take an egg.

Su Xiangwan tore open the bun, stuffed a fried egg inside, sprinkled some salt, and drizzled some oil from the plate onto the bun.

She guessed that, being from Yunnan, Li Chengze could handle spice, so she added a layer of chili oil—his eyes immediately lit up.

“This meal is so satisfying. Xiao Su, remember to use more oil when frying eggs in the future,” Song Qingshan said proudly, wiping his mouth.

He was convinced that his fried eggs were delicious.

“How many eggs were in the kitchen?” Su Xiangwan asked.

“About nine. I fried them all,” Song Qingshan said heartily.

“That was supposed to be Zhizhi’s food supply for ten days,” Su Xiangwan said, noticing Gou Dan sneaking white buns to the mountain. “And these buns were supposed to last three days.”

In one meal, they had devoured everything.

As for the vegetable oil, there was only about a pound left in the house, and Song Qingshan had nearly used it all.

Song Qingshan, wiping the plate with a bun, said, “No way. Didn’t I just give you food stamps a few days ago?”

“Actually, it was last month,” Su Xiangwan corrected him.

Song Qingshan realized he was in trouble.

They had to survive at least five more days before the army would pay him.

“How about you punish me again?” Song Qingshan joked with a smile. “If you do, I’ll figure out a way to bring back more food tomorrow.”

They were heading out soon.

While other supplies might be hard to come by, hunting some wild animals was still doable.

“Catch a wild boar, then get a big vat and thirty pounds of salt. Since it’s summer and meat doesn’t keep well, we’ll cure it. There are plenty of wild yams and ducks on Xiling Mountain. Catch some ducks—they can lay eggs later,” Su Xiangwan suggested.

“You’re so capable, what should I do?” Song Qingshan felt he had skills but no place to apply them.

Su Xiangwan said, “Cultivate more hobbies, like cooking. The eggs you fried this morning were pretty good. If you practice more, when the policies change and I’m gone, you’ll still be able to take care of your four children, right?”

The implication was that whether or not he faced punishment, she was still going to leave if given the chance.

Song Qingshan didn’t dare ask further, quickly picking up the bowl and heading to the kitchen to wash the pot.

Originally, he had cooked the meal with the plan that Su Xiangwan would wash the dishes, but she had a way of winning without a fight.

“So, will there be any more ‘harsh punishments’ tonight?” Song Qingshan asked as he prepared to leave, adding, “We’ll probably leave tomorrow. Before we go, we should have some sort of farewell ceremony, right?”

Su Xiangwan looked at him with deep meaning: “Sure, I’ll change the position, something really seductive, honestly.”

She thought to herself, “Dream on.”

Song Qingshan believed her: “Su Xiangwan, you’re like my grandmother, but don’t try to pull tricks. Even if you don’t change positions, as long as you can last two hours, I’m happy to oblige.”

Suddenly, seeing Li Chengze outside as though he were listening, Song Qingshan quickly became serious and said, “We shouldn’t talk about such things in front of the kids.”

Su Xiangwan immediately retorted, “Who’s the one making dirty jokes?”

Lu Dan and Gou Dan, after eating too much, couldn’t bend over and had to carry a schoolbag made from old cloth scraps stolen from the city as they headed off to school. “Goodbye, Mom, goodbye, Dad.”

Su Xiangwan stopped Lu Dan and asked Li Chengze, “Have you ever studied?”

Li Chengze immediately became proud: “I can recognize at least three thousand Chinese characters.” He could even draw the Renminbi by hand, a true genius.

Soon, people from Qing Shui County would arrive, trying to control his family fortune by manipulating him.

Raising this little brat was a big risk, but since Song Qingshan had already brought him here, Su Xiangwan couldn’t just kick the child out, no matter how uncomfortable it made her.

As for those who wanted to control Li Chengze, Su Xiangwan would have to deal with them herself.

Su Xiangwan thought to herself, “If only I had some real power now. Unfortunately, I’m just a small village official, and the police can’t respond easily out here. It’s not like in the city.”

Having crossed over, she started considering moving to the city.

“Here’s the plan: You two go to school first, and come back early after class. This older brother can’t leave the house; he has to stay here. If anyone in the village asks, tell them he’s the child of your second aunt’s family. Got it?”

Lu Dan and Gou Dan, though small, stood confidently like older brothers, watching Li Chengze. “Don’t worry, we’ll protect you.”

Li Chengze was obedient.

As soon as the two kids left, he reached out to pick up Zhi Zhi.

Zhi Zhi immediately cried out, saying two full words: “Bad brother.”

Su Xiangwan also said, “You’re not allowed to touch her.”

Seeing the child’s confused face, Su Xiangwan realized the trouble was caused by Su Xiaonan, and it had nothing to do with this child.

“Did you see our vegetable garden?” Su Xiangwan pointed, “The beans all need trellises now. If you know how to build one, go ahead. If not, I’ll teach you.”

Li Chengze shook his head.

It was clear he had never worked in the fields.

But when Su Xiangwan found some bamboo branches and started putting up a row of supports, Li Chengze smoothly followed her lead and began building the trellis himself.

“Don’t you want to ask where your godmother is?” Su Xiangwan suddenly asked.

Li Chengze smirked: “I’ve been trying to persuade her, but I knew she would cause trouble sooner or later.”

Liking to write a diary was not a good thing.

Li Chengze had secretly read Su Xiaonan’s diary and decided he would never keep one himself.

Su Xiangwan thought to herself, “This little brat really is a villain with no conscience.”

“As long as you’re here in my house, I’ll give you food and drink. My children won’t go hungry, and I won’t let you starve. Recently, Song Qingshan is going to Zhenbao Island. Before he comes back, you must listen to me obediently. As for your godmother, she’s dead in my eyes. Don’t bring her up. Understand?” Su Xiangwan said firmly.

Li Chengze didn’t speak, following Su Xiangwan as she walked, building the trellis.

He worked meticulously and evenly.

Su Xiangwan then grabbed some iron wire, but didn’t use pliers; Li Chengze seemed to know how to handle it, using his little hands skillfully to twist and bend the wire.

“I’m taking Zhi Zhi to work. You stay at home. You can go outside, but don’t leave the village. Got it?” Su Xiangwan asked.

The child answered promptly: “Got it.”

However, once Su Xiangwan left, Li Chengze ran to Dashan. “Dashan, Dashan, wake up!”

He wanted to take the dog with him: “Let’s go, let’s go.”

Dashan lazily rolled over and barked a couple of times.

Living well and being well-fed, why would Dashan want to leave?

So Li Chengze tugged on him desperately, but Dashan refused to move.

Li Chengze had already opened the gate and was about to step out, but suddenly realized his clothes didn’t cover his belly button, and the pants barely reached his knees.

He was so embarrassed by the shabby clothes that he squatted down with a loud cry.

How could he go out like this?

Reluctantly, he returned to work.

That evening, when Su Xiangwan returned, she found the child had done well.

Not only had he cleaned the kitchen thoroughly, but he had also built a beautiful garden wall with bricks where there had been none.

And he hadn’t used any cement—he had simply stacked the bricks by hand with cleverness and skill.

And Dashan had become very attached to him, refusing to bite him.

The resentment from Lu Dan and Gou Dan was beyond measure.

In the evening, Song Qingshan indeed returned with a wild boar, but since the village now had pigs, although people hadn’t yet eaten any, they no longer craved meat as they had before.

Su Xiangwan decided not to share the boar with anyone.

She shut the door, took up the knife, and began skinning and cutting the meat herself.

Once Song Qingshan returned with the coarse salt, she called the children over to crush the salt into powder using glass bottles.

While she fried the meat on one side, the children brought her the crushed salt, which she layered alternately with the meat in a large jar, preparing salted meat for storage.

Song Qingshan not only dug up plenty of yams but also brought back two large sacks of fresh potatoes from a village near the reservoir, along with some corn.

With these coarse grains, the family had just enough food to sustain themselves.

This time, Song Qingshan had to leave.

According to him, he’d be gone for at least half a year.

That evening, the family enjoyed another meal of wild boar ribs, followed by a bowl of tangy soup to whet their appetites.

The kids, nicknamed “Lu Dan” and “Gou Dan” were overjoyed.

Song Qingtuan, preparing to go to the battlefield, felt like he had finally unlocked the door to a new world that evening.

Though his discovery was brief—lasting no more than five or six minutes—it was enough to leave him elated and his blood pumping with excitement.

The only regret was that it ended too quickly.

Before the “victory drums” could even sound, the opponent had already surrendered, retreating in disarray and declaring a truce.

Lying in bed for a long while, Song Qingshan resolved to study and learn more.

He was determined to master the life he desired.