Su Rui had been working on this for half a month, and she finally completed the insoles and cotton hat.

When she went to deliver them, a young soldier at the security office told her, “Captain Fang is out on a mission.”

With the sky threatening to snow, Su Rui couldn’t help but feel a little worried.

But then she thought of Fang Chiye’s strong physique and reassured herself. Still, a certain memory surfaced, making her nearly slap herself again.

Noticing her changing expressions as if she might have a sudden breakdown, the young soldier quickly said, “Captain Fang will be back tomorrow. He’ll be coming down the newly repaired Aimin Road, so you can see him then.”

Aimin Road was the cement road that Su Rui had helped build.

Since handing the gift to the young soldier didn’t feel right, she decided to wait until the next day and go to Aimin Road herself.

Aimin Road was a two-lane concrete road. Half of it was still under maintenance, while the other half was already open to traffic.

Carrying a shovel and a basket, Su Rui felt proud—this road was her handiwork, too.

After Guo Qingwang was arrested, it didn’t take long for his crimes of embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds to be exposed. The people of Qingnan Village no longer strutted around arrogantly. Lately, they had been working cautiously, a stark contrast to before.

As dusk approached, around five o’clock, the sky darkened into a deep blue.

A bright pair of headlights approached from the distance.

People preparing to head home stopped in their tracks and turned toward the road. A convoy of military trucks pulled up, and over a hundred fully armed soldiers jumped down.

Su Rui had never seen such a grand display—not even on television.

Like the others, she instinctively moved to the side of the road, just in case any guns were accidentally pointed their way.

The leading military jeep had tires caked in mud—it was unclear how far they had traveled. Su Rui glanced down at the basket holding her gift. Now, it felt even harder to hand it over.

Suddenly, someone shouted, “Look at their clothes! They’re prisoners!”

Su Rui immediately raised her head, standing on tiptoe with Su Hongpei and the others to get a better look. What she saw shocked her.

Four or five dozen prisoners, their hands cuffed and their heads covered, stood in a row, waiting for orders.

A soldier in the front commanded them to remove their hoods. One of the prisoners, clearly on edge, suddenly screamed, “They’re taking us to be executed!”

Panicked, he tried to flee into the crowd.

Su Rui and the others had nowhere to run, but before they could react, a gunshot rang out, shaking everyone to their core and echoing through the empty mountain valley.

The prisoner, who had attempted to take a hostage, was now staring into the barrel of Fang Chiye’s gun.

The sheer killing intent in Fang Chiye’s eyes made the prisoner’s blood run cold. This was a man who had seen real combat.

His lips trembled uncontrollably, and in the next second, the cold muzzle pressed against his forehead.

“Try running again,” Fang Chiye said.

The prisoner froze in place. He knew that if he made even the slightest move, the next bullet wouldn’t be fired into the air.

A dark stain spread beneath him.

“Shackle their feet,” Fang Chiye ordered.

“Yes, sir!”

Fang Chiye concealed the cold glint in his eyes and, in an unguarded moment, met Su Rui’s fearful gaze from afar.

He smoothly holstered his gun and mouthed, “Don’t be scared.” Then, he turned away and resumed commanding his men to complete the prisoner transfer.

Shortly after he left, his orderly approached the gathered women to explain, “Everyone, please don’t worry. These prisoners aren’t murderers—most of them are petty thieves. They’re nearing the end of their sentences and will be sent back to their hometowns. Please don’t be afraid.”

“Then why did one of them try to run?” someone asked.

“That was a problem from another unit, not ours. No need to worry,” the orderly reassured them.

Hearing this, Su Rui and the others finally felt relieved.

On the way home, everyone was still talking about the gunshot—how Fang Chiye had drawn his weapon with such cold precision. He was nothing like the gentle man they usually saw.

The women whispered among themselves, marveling at how people weren’t always what they seemed. A captain who had fought on the battlefield and led troops was truly impressive.

Su Rui chimed in, “That’s how he deals with enemies—like an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves. But we’re not his enemies, so naturally, he treats us like a gentle spring rain.”

Su Hongpei shot her a knowing look and playfully echoed, “The people’s soldiers serve the people. If you haven’t done anything wrong, there’s nothing to fear.”

The women all agreed.

Seeing Fang Chiye handle a gun like that had initially frightened them, but in the end, wasn’t it all for the safety of the people? The last people who should fear soldiers were ordinary civilians.

Back in Xiaoba Village, road construction had finally come to an end. With the New Year approaching, people focused on gathering firewood and preparing for the festivities. Any remaining work would wait until after the holiday.

Every year around this time, Sister Zhao would distribute some small handicraft work for everyone to do. Those who were willing could take it on.

That evening, the women gathered at the grain-threshing ground while listening to the broadcast. They thought it would be the same as previous years—an introduction to handicraft work. Unexpectedly, they received a huge piece of news.

“The government has implemented equal pay for men and women. Starting now, our People’s Commune is issuing ten work points per woman. However, for the past two years, Guo Qingwang has been lining his own pockets, only giving us eight work points each while pocketing the remaining two for himself.”

Sister Zhao’s words immediately caused an uproar among the women. Guo Qingwang was truly despicable. He had always acted high and mighty in front of them, yet behind their backs, he was stealing their hard-earned wages.

Sister Zhao handed over two years’ worth of work point records to Su Rui and asked her to read them out loud. The records listed the work points for each household. If no one had objections, they would be compensated accordingly the next day.

Su Rui skimmed through the accounts and saw the red stamp of the statistical department on them, confirming their accuracy. Following Sister Zhao’s instructions, she began verifying the records with each household.

The women all trusted Sister Zhao. Even if they didn’t trust Guo Qingwang, they had complete faith in Sister Zhao. Moreover, commune officials were present to supervise, ensuring that every penny of the people’s hard-earned money was returned to them.

One by one, they lined up to sign their names in confirmation, eagerly awaiting the return of their rightful earnings the next day.

That night, after dinner, Su Rui estimated she would receive around a hundred yuan. The thought made her even happier.

The next morning, frost covered the wild grass, creating a hazy white mist. The air was crisp and chilly.

Su Rui was searching for eggs in the chicken coop when she heard footsteps on the stone-paved road.

As Aunt Song and a few others passed by her house, they called out, “Hurry and go get your money. I couldn’t even sleep last night, I was so excited.”

With faint dark circles under her eyes, Su Rui shamelessly replied, “I slept just fine.”

Su Hongpei handed her a sweet potato and even stuffed a boiled egg into her pocket before patting her on the back. “Go help Sister Zhao. I’ll come after I finish up here.”

“Alright.”

Su Rui thought she was early, but when she arrived at the grain-threshing ground, a large group of women had already formed a queue.

A van was parked nearby, and Guo Jiarong sat beside it, looking haggard as he smoked.

Seeing someone approaching, he quickly stubbed out his cigarette, stomped on it, and rushed forward with a piece of paper.

Su Rui was startled. After just a few days, Guo Jiarong had lost a significant amount of weight. His face was sickly yellow, his shoulders hunched, and he no longer carried his former arrogance.

When he recognized Su Rui, he hesitated for a moment. Then, hearing a harsh cough from inside the van, he hurried back to say a few words.

A short while later, Guo Qingwang stepped out of the van, handcuffed, with two police officers following closely behind.

“Cadre Su Rui, please wait,” Guo Qingwang called out. He looked as though he had aged twenty years overnight. His dark complexion had turned sickly pale, his lips were covered in sores, and his entire body trembled as he walked toward her. However, before he could get too close, the officers restrained him.

“What do you want?” Su Rui asked.

Guo Qingwang suddenly became uncharacteristically polite, squeezing out a fawning smile as he pleaded, “Cadre Su Rui, I only withheld the work points for your own good. I was afraid you would spend the money recklessly, so I kept it aside for village development—”

“We would spend recklessly?” Su Rui found it laughable. “Are you saying we should thank you for keeping our money safe?”

Guo Qingwang hurriedly waved his hands. “No, no! I originally intended to use the money to build roads for you. I never dared to spend a single cent. I’m returning everything today. Considering how well I’ve treated you all, could you help by signing the leniency letter? If you forgive me, I will serve you all for this lifetime and the next.”

“Road construction is handled by the government and the military. What does it have to do with you?”

Su Rui remained unmoved. “Stop justifying your corruption. You reap what you sow. Last year, when Old Five’s wife needed surgery and asked you for an advance on her wages, what did you say? That she was wasting money? When Old Lady Ah Xi’s roof collapsed in winter, why didn’t you help? Corruption is corruption. Stop making excuses.”

Guo Jiarong held the leniency letter in his hands and suddenly fell to his knees before Su Rui with a thud. He looked completely lifeless, no trace of the joy a groom should have.

Su Rui took a step back. “Don’t try to guilt-trip me. It’s not me who is punishing you. It’s the law.”

Tears welled up in Guo Qingwang’s murky eyes as he sobbed, “I have dedicated my life to the village.”

“You dedicated yourself to Qingnan Village, not to Xiaoba Village. That has nothing to do with us,” Su Rui retorted.

Guo Qingwang struggled to kneel before Su Rui, hoping for her forgiveness. He knew that among the younger generation, Su Rui had influence. She was lively and outspoken, and people liked to listen to her.

But the officers quickly held him back and sternly warned, “Signing a leniency letter is voluntary. Stop forcing her.”

Aunt Song and a few others hurried over when they saw Guo Qingwang and his son speaking to Su Rui. They grabbed Guo Jiarong and pulled him up.

“Su Rui’s words don’t matter. Even if she forgives you, we won’t. Do you think our money just falls from the sky? Your father favored sons over daughters and bled Xiaoba Village dry just to benefit Qingnan Village. It’s been going on for years. If you want someone to sign that leniency letter, go ask them. Why come to us?”

Thinking about the past, Su Rui clenched her teeth in anger. Life was full of ups and downs. Guo Qingwang had no one to blame but himself.

Guo Jiarong looked ashamed and finally admitted the truth. “My father and I went to Qingnan Village yesterday, but no one was willing to sign.”

Aunt Song was surprised. “After all the benefits they got from your family, they wouldn’t sign? Even if not a leniency letter, at least a petition for reduced sentencing?”

Guo Jiarong muttered, “They’re angry that my father hid money from them instead of sharing it.”

Su Rui fell silent. It was fortunate that Guo Qingwang hadn’t distributed the money to Qingnan Village. Otherwise, recovering it would have been impossible. Those people were just too greedy.

Su Hongpei and Yan’er arrived and saw that Guo Jiarong was still begging the women to sign.

Noticing that Su Rui had already gone to discuss the money distribution with Sister Zhao, Su Hongpei felt relieved.

Guo Jiarong turned to Yan’er and pleaded, “Comrade Yan’er, please sign the letter and forgive my father. We didn’t spend a single cent of your money.”

Yan’er shouted angrily, “No forgiveness! Why should we forgive him? If something hadn’t happened, would your father have taken out the money? Wasn’t he saving it all for your family to live in luxury while no one cared whether we lived or died?”

Guo Jiarong was utterly disheartened. His forehead and knees were covered in dirt from kneeling and kowtowing to others, yet the women refused to soften their hearts. It was as if they had swallowed iron weights—none of them were willing to forgive Guo Qingwang.

He had inquired about his father’s situation. The amount involved in the case exceeded five thousand yuan, which constituted a huge embezzlement. If things went badly, he could be sentenced to death. However, if he could obtain forgiveness from the victims, there was a chance for a lighter sentence.

But now, it was over. Everything was over.

Following the original plan, Sister Zhao, along with the public security officers, verified the signature list and then began distributing the money household by household.

Su Rui’s small hands were almost cramping from counting the money. She counted for one family and handed it over before moving on to the next. The line of people stretched so long that it could circle the grain milling field twice.

“Guo Qingwang was really something, huh? He didn’t spend a single penny?” Aunt Song counted the wages she received—seventy-seven yuan. And this was despite missing work on several occasions due to family matters.

As for someone like Su Rui, who worked from dawn to dusk without missing a single day except for farm slack seasons and holidays, she received more than one hundred and twenty yuan.

After handing out the last of the money, Su Rui shook her hands and smiled so happily that her eyes squinted. She stuffed the rolled-up bills into her pocket, feeling incredibly fortunate.

During the distribution, Guo Qingwang came again to plead for forgiveness, but no one was willing to grant it. In the end, the public security officers forcibly escorted him into a van and took him away.

Guo Jiarong slumped on the open ground, smoked an entire pack of cigarettes, and then left in despair.

The women, overjoyed with this unexpected sum, expressed their gratitude to the government and the Party. Su Rui also felt deeply thankful that a corrupt parasite like Guo Qingwang had finally received his deserved punishment.

After doing some calculations in her head, she gritted her teeth and decided to set aside five yuan as her New Year’s fund while saving the rest—all of it to be her future husband’s fund.

As the twelfth lunar month arrived, snow finally began to fall.

The village committee was officially established, and Sister Zhao assigned responsibilities to the six village officials. Su Rui was placed in charge of labor protection and logistics.

Though the countryside had early holidays, ideological work could not be neglected.

Starting from this Monday, they were to conduct a week-long “Remembering Bitterness, Thinking of Sweetness” campaign.

This involved reciting quotations, singing revolutionary songs, eating coarse food, and engaging in self-criticism and mutual critique sessions.

Everything else was manageable, but the thought of eating coarse food…

Everyone instinctively turned their hopeful eyes toward Su Rui.

Standing before the women, Su Rui waved her small hand and declared, “Comrades, leave it all to me.” With her assurance, the women felt relieved.