In these times, exposing wrongdoing was a virtue, not a fault.

Aunt He pointed at Gou Dan as if presenting evidence. “Your son stole my apricot!”

“Old lady, you must be new here,” Su Xiangwan said.

Hearing herself called “old lady” again, Aunt He’s few strands of white hair almost stood on end in anger. “Who are you calling an old lady?”

“Look at this apricot tree—it’s built into the wall. While the branches hang over your yard, the roots are on my property. This tree is mine. Got it?” Su Xiangwan explained.

Aunt He stammered, “You dare fight the county magistrate over an apricot tree? You…you just wait!”

Su Xiangwan chuckled. “The county magistrate wouldn’t bother arguing over a single apricot tree. Aunt He, have you been traveling with Magistrate Li for long? If you were, you wouldn’t act like this. Be careful, or he might just send you back home.”

County-level officials, especially women, were too dignified to engage in petty quarrels.

Aunt He clearly didn’t understand this.

Her behavior, borrowing power from others, marked her as a newcomer in her role.

Meanwhile, Song Qingshan, who was busy rebuilding the mud stove, overheard the commotion. “You’re a Women’s Federation official. Why are you arguing with a maid?”

Su Xiangwan, preparing to steam eggs for their son, Zhizi, responded without missing a beat. “Just because she’s a maid doesn’t mean I can’t speak up. Ever heard the saying, ‘The king is easy to meet, but the little devils are tricky’? If you dodge the tricky ones, how will that work? In our jobs, we deal with county leaders, but in life, we often face their staff. Setting boundaries isn’t about scaring them but teaching them fair dialogue.”

Song Qingshan remained silent.

In their household, whatever Su Xiangwan did usually had her own reasoning behind it.

Out of the blue, she said, “By the way, you know what’s going to happen? In the future, you’ll plant apricot trees along both banks of Qingshui Gorge. Do you know why?”

“Why?” Song Qingshan asked as he carried the heavy cooking pot outside.

“Because Gou Dan will get tied to a tree and almost beaten to death for stealing apricots. When you went to claim him, he was barely breathing. After that, you planted apricot trees all over the mountains to make sure he’d never go without.”

That was Song Qingshan’s love as a father.

Like his own father, he only worried about whether his children were fed and clothed.

If his son wanted apricots, he’d cover the mountains with apricot trees.

At that time, Gou Dan’s heart must have been warm.

Yet some things would eventually drive a wedge between father and son, pushing them toward estrangement.

“Where were you at the time?” Song Qingshan treated the stories Su Xiangwan shared as though they were events from a past life, a lifetime separate from their current reality.

Su Xiangwan nonchalantly cracked an egg into a bowl of cool water while cutting scallions.

She replied arrogantly, “I was living my best life, of course—lying around, having food delivered, and enjoying myself. Who cares how you and your son were doing?”

Yet despite her dismissive tone, when she noticed a brick on the stove about to fall, she instinctively reached out to stop it. “Did you not see that brick about to hit your foot?” she scolded.

Clearly, she cared more than her words let on.

Song Qingshan glanced outside at the courtyard.

Lu Dan and Gou Dan were staring up at an apricot tree, seemingly hesitant to pick any fruit.

The estate, formerly the residence of a tribal chieftain, was public property.

Technically, anyone could pluck a few apricots, but only someone as stingy as Aunt He would argue over a couple of fruits.

After some thought, Lu Dan returned and said, “Mom, I heard the county magistrate lives next door. Maybe we shouldn’t eat the apricots.”

Gou Dan chimed in, “I’m not craving them, really. Not at all.”

Song Qingshan chuckled. “Xiao Su, first you sent Gu Nan off to Haixi, then you stirred up trouble with Li Yifan’s maid, and now you’re thinking of letting the kids pick her apricots. Are you trying to make life harder for yourself, or do you think Li Yifan is just exceptionally tolerant?”

Su Xiangwan called the three boys—Lu Dan, Gou Dan, and Li Chengze—into the kitchen and lined them up. “So, are you happy to have moved to the city?” she asked.

Li Chengze, as usual, said nothing. Lü Dan shook his head. “No, not really.”

Gou Dan added, “A rotten apricot almost got me sent to the police station.”

“Exactly. The city isn’t like the countryside. Things that seem trivial back home, like eating an apricot, can cause trouble here. In the city, everything has an owner—you can’t just take what you want. Understand? Especially you, Song Chengze.”

Li Chengze nodded slightly and replied, “Got it, Mom.”

Su Xiangwan bristled. “Who are you calling ‘Mom’?!”

Calmly, Li Chengze replied, “I’m on your household registration, aren’t I? It’d be weirder if I didn’t call you Mom.”

Meanwhile, Song Qingshan, busy in the kitchen, watched as Li Chengze carried a bowl of steamed egg custard out to feed little Zhizhi, who was sitting under the apricot tree.

He smiled and said, “What a thoughtful kid, feeding Zhizhi like that.”

Su Xiangwan thought: Thoughtful? That’s no child—that’s a little wild boar!

After a simple dinner of noodles, it was time to rest.

Su Xiangwan noticed that Song Qingshan, holding Zhizhi, stayed outside and didn’t come in.

Shrugging, she made up the bed and went to sleep first.

While half-asleep, she was startled awake by Song Qingshan’s voice. “Su Xiangwan, have you ever had this before?”

Before she could answer, something was slipped into her mouth. Groggy, she licked it. Her eyes shot open. “Liquor-filled chocolate?”

Clearly, she had.

Song Qingshan leaned in with a sly grin. “French kiss, is this how it’s done?”

He kissed her deeply, the sweetness of chocolate mingling with the warmth of his lips.

Shirtless except for a white tank top, his muscles rippled as he propped himself over her.

His heartbeat was loud and steady, and his face was flushed with effort, sweat dripping down.

Su Xiangwan stared at him incredulously. “Song Qingshan, did you swap personalities or something?”

His grin widened. “A proper French kiss is the Victory Kiss—a celebration of triumph, reaching the deepest parts of the soul.”

She blushed furiously as he continued, “To celebrate the victory at Zhenbao Island, and to honor the Republic’s soldiers, always the sharpest bayonets and strongest guns on Earth.”

Though his boastful words filled the room, the reality was far more modest.

The kiss left Su Xiangwan breathless, but the technique?

Still a work in progress.

Li Yifan’s appointment as county magistrate was specifically tied to the nuclear power project.

If the nuclear project truly materialized, Qing Shui County would become, much like Chernobyl before the explosion, the wealthiest and most prosperous area in all of Qinzhou and even the entire Republic.

Su Xiangwan woke up early, excited to meet the legendary “iron lady.”

However, she quickly learned that Li Yifan had already left for the reservoir with Song Qingshan.

Since she couldn’t meet the county magistrate, she busied herself with her own tasks.

Her priority was to get Lü Dan and Gou Dan enrolled in the city’s elementary school.

Thanks to Song Qingshan’s reputation, her visit to the nearby County First Elementary School went smoothly.

After explaining her purpose, the principal immediately admitted the two children and placed them into the second-grade class.

The two little ones wore the most beautiful clothes Su Xiangwan had sewn for them and carried small schoolbags she made from colorful floral fabrics.

As soon as they entered the classroom, they saw the new classmates laughing out loud, so they followed suit and laughed along.

The teacher on the podium was a young woman who looked no older than her early twenties.

She was lively, spoke excellent Mandarin, and immediately captivated the two brothers.

Meanwhile, Su Xiangwan had to go buy coal briquettes using ration tickets.

After all, there was no firewood in the city, and cooking required coal briquettes. Coal was supplied in limited quantities each month.

Back in her hometown, she had saved up many tickets, which she could now use to buy a larger amount.

At home, Zhizi, the youngest, had to stay with Li Chengze since they hadn’t found a nanny yet.

Su Xiangwan busied herself and hired someone on the street to help carry the coal briquettes home.

By the time she returned, she was panting heavily.

Li Chengze was studying at home, paying no attention to Zhizi, who was busy wreaking havoc.

She was tearing apart millet bread and feeding it to the chickens.

Chickens ran around the yard, and millet bread crumbs were scattered everywhere.

Su Xiangwan picked up a stick and lightly smacked Zhizi on the bottom twice. “Why did you throw the bread all over the ground? And who let the chickens out?”

Zizi pointed at Li Chengze. “Bad brother.”

Li Chengze, still engrossed in his book, used one hand to hold it and the other to wave around randomly in the yard. “Aunt Su, it’s just that Zhizi is too naughty. She keeps pulling my hair, dumping dirt on my head, and even putting chicken poop on me.”

“So you let the chickens loose to keep her busy catching them?” Su Xiangwan asked.

Li Chengze expressed his frustration, “Song Donghai and Song Xiling get to go to school, but I have to stay home doing chores every day. I get annoyed too. Besides, I’m good to Zhizi.”

Su Xiangwan observed that when she was around, things seemed fine.

But when she wasn’t, Li Chengze would show his temper.

The little fellow, dressed in his tiny suit with a thin neck and slim waist, looked like someone who had done enough nanny work and now wanted to rise to power.

“I didn’t ask you to look after Zhizi every day, did I? But I still need to work things out with the neighbors so you can go to school,” Su Xiangwan replied.

Li Chengze suddenly stuck out his tongue.

The little rascal, who usually pretended to be timid, was suddenly emboldened. “I have no problem going to school, but you, you’re in trouble. You won’t make it as a cadre.”

“Why not?” Su Xiangwan was momentarily stunned.

“I won’t say. I just don’t feel like saying it,” Li Chengze retorted.

The little troublemaker, who had always been obedient back in the village, had turned bold and lazy since moving to the city.

Something was definitely off.

It was nearing noon, and the two younger kids would soon be back for lunch.

Su Xiangwan washed two radishes, sliced them into a plate, stir-fried some marinated wild boar meat with chili peppers she had bought in the morning, and prepared a bowl of sour broth.

Then, she began rolling out dough.

Lunch was noodles, served both with broth and dry, along with some meat—enough to keep the kids full for the afternoon.

As for Li Chengze, he seemed to have gained new confidence today.

He hoped Aunt Su would soften and ask him about his newfound confidence.

However, she was busy in the kitchen and even tied little Zhizi to the counter to stop her from causing more trouble, ignoring him completely.

“Aunt Su, aren’t you curious why I’m so sure I can go to school and why no one would question me?” Unable to hold back, Li Chengze ran into the kitchen and asked while circling the stove.