Jiang Liang was already flushed from Cheng Rushan’s teasing, and now she was practically burning up.

She hurried ahead, saying, “Let’s go quickly, don’t let it all sell out.”

Da Bao and Xiao Bao were right behind, urging their dad to hurry up.

At the local slaughterhouse, the stench of blood and pig manure hit them as soon as they arrived.

They headed straight to the counter where pork was being sold, but it seemed deserted with only a few pieces of meat and bones hanging overhead.

Cheng Rushan asked, “Is there any meat left?”

A booming voice echoed from inside, “All sold out.”

Cheng Rushan identified himself, “It’s Cheng Rushan. Is Zhu Junjie there?”

“Cheng Rushan?!” A burly man burst out from inside, towering over them.

He was so thickset that Jiang Lin felt the ground shake as he approached.

Just as they say a chef won’t starve during a drought, Zhu Junjie clearly managed to keep himself well-fed during lean times when others might be emaciated.

Zhu Junjie, in his twenties, was muscular with a deep tan, quite unlike someone described as “refined.”

If a child saw him on a normal day, they might cry.

Zhu Junjie was shocked to see Cheng Rushan. “Hey, it really is you! Where have you been these years, striking it rich?”

Cheng Rushan smiled. “Got sent to a labor camp.”

Zhu Junjie grinned mischievously. “You really made the best of it.” He glanced at Jiang Lin and the boys, admiringly saying, “Cheng Rushan, you really did well. Come back and immediately get yourself a beautiful wife, a big son, and even two!”

Coming from anyone else, it might sound like mockery, but Cheng Rushan didn’t mind.

Zhu Junjie had this straightforward way about him, and it was definitely a compliment.

Cheng Rushan had Da Bao and Xiao Bao call Zhu Junjie “Uncle Zhu.”

He added, “Once I finish up here, let’s go have a drink with you and Duan Chang’an.”

Zhu Junjie’s eyes lit up at the prospect of Cheng Rushan inviting him for drinks.

“Really? I’ll be waiting then. Let’s all come to my place. I’ll cook up a big pot of pig trotters and pig intestines. We’ll drink until we can’t walk straight.”

Cheng Rushan signaled to Jiang Lin for the meat tickets. “They’re in the backpack.”

Jiang Lin rummaged through and found several meat tickets in a small cloth pouch.

She checked them: there were tickets for one jin (500g), half jin (250g), and two liang (100g), each with an expiration date by the month.

She asked, “How much do you want to buy?”

Cheng Rushan replied, “You decide.”

Zhu Junjie was astonished to see Cheng Rushan being so kind to a woman.

After all, Cheng Rushan was known as a tough guy who didn’t show much gentleness, even towards women.

Jiang Lin checked the expiration dates on the meat tickets and decided, “Let’s buy all the ones for this month.”

She wasn’t sure where Cheng Rushan had gotten these meat tickets from.

Handing over a ticket for one jin and three liang of meat to Zhu Junjie, Jiang Lin’s small and delicate hand caught his attention.

Her fingers were as slender and elegant as spring onions, a far cry from the rough and tough women one might expect in the countryside.

Admiringly, Zhu Junjie remarked, “Cheng Rushan, you’re really lucky.”

Cheng Rushan glanced at Jiang Lin and smiled, “I think so too.”

Zhu Junjie looked at Jiang Lin again, then at Cheng Rushan and the two handsome boys.

He thought to himself, ‘With this family, I could eat ten bowls of rice without side dishes!’

He took a carving knife and started cutting the fatty meat specifically for Jiang Lin, knowing that sharing fatty meat was a sign of deep friendship.

Jiang Lin quickly said, “Master Zhu, just give me some marbled meat or half-fat, half-lean. No need for all fat.”

Zhu Junjie was a bit puzzled.

Such a beautiful wife, but not thinking straight?

Why not all fat?

He looked at Cheng Rushan.

Cheng Rushan shrugged, “Whatever my wife says goes.”

Zhu Junjie swiftly cut the meat, adding a bit extra, and fetched a bundle of pig intestines, a bone with marrow, and two pig trotters.

These were parts without much meat, or special cuts that couldn’t be sold with meat tickets, often reserved and used internally.

Today, Zhu Junjie wanted to impress the young woman.

He decided to give these to Cheng Rushan.

Jiang Lin said, “Master Zhu, we don’t have that many meat tickets.”

“No need, just take them,” Zhu Junjie replied firmly.

Cheng Rushan nodded at Jiang Lin, signaling her not to worry about it.

Jiang Lin thought for a moment.

Since Zhu Junjie insisted and probably wanted to do them a favor, she decided to accept everything.

Zhu Junjie fetched a few glossy newspapers and wrapped the intestines and bones in them, tying the meat with straw ropes for them to carry.

Buying meat was quite an affair—from loudly announcing “buying meat” to carrying it home, attracting envious glances along the way.

It was a process that not only made the meat taste better but also made everyone envy the experience.

Jiang Lin didn’t fully understand why Zhu Junjie was going out of his way for them, but since there was no better option than newspaper to wrap the meat, she didn’t fuss over it.

Zhu Junjie asked them to wait for a moment again and brought out a large basin of sweet melon and cantaloupe, saying, “For my sister-in-law and the two little treasures.”

Despite being older than Cheng Rushan, in their eyes, Cheng Rushan was always the elder brother.

Cheng Rushan accepted them all because Zhu Junjie had washed them.

He split one open and handed halves to Da Bao and Xiao Bao to eat.

After bidding farewell to Zhu Junjie, Jiang Lin and Cheng Rushan took the children home.

Jiang Lin whispered, “We shouldn’t take so much from them.”

Cheng Rushan handed her a cantaloupe, saying, “It’s fine. There will be chances to repay the favor.”

Jiang Lin shook her head; she wasn’t used to eating while walking.

Seeing Da Bao and Xiao Bao eating the melon, she quickly wiped their hands with a handkerchief. “You two, stop eating. You’ll get your dad all wet, and his clothes won’t clean properly.”

Da Bao was alright, but Xiao Bao not only got himself dirty but also dirtied Cheng Rushan’s clothes.

Cheng Rushan didn’t mind. “It’s okay.”

After Da Bao finished eating, Xiao Bao ate slowly and then stopped.

He stuffed the remaining cantaloupe into Cheng Rushan’s mouth. “Dad, you eat.”

Cheng Rushan opened his mouth and ate it.

Seeing Jiang Lin carrying so many things, Da Bao walked by himself, letting Cheng Rushan carry the meat and bones to prevent his mom from getting tired.

He just wanted to be close to his dad for a while; once that was done, he didn’t need to stick around.

Cheng Rushan put him down and took the things from Jiang Lin’s hands.

They encountered many people on the way, all amazed to see them carrying meat.

Villagers envied them, wishing they could have pork too.

In the countryside, if the collective farm didn’t slaughter pigs, where could they get pork?

Especially when they entered the village, children saw Da Bao and Xiao Bao with their parents, carrying meat.

They couldn’t help but drool and envy. “Da Bao, Xiao Bao, are you really eating meat at home?”

Da Bao proudly replied, “Of course! When my dad comes back, we’ll eat meat!”

Xiao Bao said, “My dad might do it. If you want meat, go back and ask your dad to buy some!”

The two brothers immediately elevated their father to the most capable position in the village, quickly stirring up envy.

The village children went home craving meat, and those with good-tempered parents earned promises of “wait until we slaughter a pig” or “eat it for the New Year,” while those with less patience got a slap and no meat.

When they returned, Yan Runzhi saw them still carrying meat and happily abandoned her embroidery to help process it.

“There’s a lot of pig intestines, huh?”

Jiang Lin said, “Mom, send some to Grandma Shang.”

The Shang family had been very helpful to them, and Yan Runzhi had a good relationship with Grandma Shang.

They had often lent a hand, and now that they had meat, it was only natural to share some.

Yan Runzhi said, “Let me tidy up before I go.” then she said to Jiang Lin, “Bao’er’s mother, many people will come looking for you this afternoon.”

She listed a few names from memory, including some from the neighboring villages.

Jiang Lin replied, “I’ll go check on Qingxing’s house first. If the tiles haven’t arrived yet, we’ll have to wait.”

All the tiles brought by Duan Chang’an had been distributed, and they had to continue waiting.

Since some families in the village started buying tiles, others began considering it too.

The demand for tiles was increasing, and Jiang Lin was finding it hard to keep up with arranging everything.

The difference between having tiles and not having them was significant.

Without tiles, roofs were covered with thatch.

Even if it didn’t rain in winter, snow would accumulate on the roof. Over time, it would melt, freeze, and corrode the thatch, making it brittle by the next year.

A strong wind would scatter it everywhere, and heavy rain would cause leaks.

People’s lives differed greatly, each household living their own way, but who could resist comparison?

The wealthy had their ways of comparison, and the poor had theirs.

“In their house, they eat meat, and they even wipe their mouths with oil before going out!”

Now that others were buying tiles urgently, the whole village was discussing it.

If their own family didn’t buy them, wouldn’t they fall behind?

Buy!

The demand for tiles suddenly skyrocketed.

Even with Duan Chang’an helping every day, it wasn’t enough.

The distance was quite far, making it inefficient to rush donkey carts with few tiles, tiring the animals.

It was best to let Duan Chang’an bring them slowly.

But in another month, deep into autumn, continuous autumn rains were likely.

Though not as heavy as summer rains, they were more penetrating.

Everyone was a bit anxious.

Cheng Rushan said, “I’ll go to the collective farm first. When I come back, I’ll help you fix the roof and arrange for the tiles.”

Jiang Lin’s eyes lit up. “Really? You can arrange that?”

Cheng Rushan nodded. “I’ll arrange for two large truckloads.”

Jiang Lin happily grabbed his arm and shook it. “That’s wonderful!”

Cheng Rushan looked into her eyes with warmth. “Let’s go to the collective farm.”

Da Bao and Xiao Bao still tagged along like ornaments, proud to be with their parents, making other village children envy them.

It was currently their proudest achievement.

They went to the collective farm, where only the accountant was tallying accounts.

The secretary and the head of the collective farm were both absent.

Wang Gang had already heard that Cheng Rushan had returned and greeted him warmly. “Rushan, you’re here.”

Cheng Rushan greeted him back and took out some documents. “Can I have the keys to the small courtyard now?”

“The keys?” Wang Gang was puzzled.

He glanced at the documents on the table and stammered, “Re-habilitation?”

He looked up suddenly at Cheng Rushan, utterly incredulous. “Rushan, you… you’re amazing! How did you manage this?”

It was unbelievable! Someone actually managed to rehabilitate their family solely through their own efforts, almost like a story.

Cheng Rushan smiled. “I applied for it during my labor reform days.”

Wang Gang didn’t know what to say.

This level of rehabilitation was thorough, directly elevating their status.

The once-classed counter-revolutionary landlord now turned into a revolutionary local elite, with property to be returned—truly remarkable!

He laughed and said, “Earlier, when you mentioned buying it back, the collective farm was a bit hesitant. Now it’s good; no need to buy, just return it to you. Wait here; I’ll call the secretary and the head of the collective farm back for a meeting.”

Cheng Rushan nodded. “Okay.”

Wang Gang immediately rode his bicycle and swiftly ran to the field.

As he approached the sorghum field, he called out, “Secretary, Secretary, is anyone here? Cheng Rushan has completed his rehabilitation and needs you to stamp his documents.”

With this shout, men and women scattered across the field heard him.

People began murmuring, “Can a landlord’s family really be rehabilitated?”

Someone asked, “If they are rehabilitated, does that mean they weren’t landlords before? Were they wrongly accused?”

“Then… all those meetings condemning them, scolding them, spitting on them, weren’t those all mistakes?”

Many people started panicking. “Back then, I didn’t want to say bad things about them. When I was young, our whole family received their help. We were never bullied. Now they want us to go talk about how the landlord’s family exploited us, I… I’ll have to make up something to fit the requirements.”

Now that they were being rehabilitated again, the higher-ups were just talking, but the villagers all knew each other.

How would they face each other in the future? Would some have to apologize? Some thought they might as well avoid interacting and just keep their distance.

They also feared Cheng Rushan’s retaliation and worried if the land would be returned to his family after rehabilitation.

Would they then become tenants? What if Cheng Rushan harbored resentment and refused to let them farm?

Some even thought back to the old days when they paid less rent to Cheng Rushan’s grandfather and could at least eat their fill.

During bad harvests, he even distributed porridge.

Unlike now, where they toiled year-round and still struggled to have enough to eat.

Many were uneasy.

Then they heard that the land might not be returned, and they breathed a sigh of relief.

Some felt that Cheng Rushan was capable—heard he brought back seven thousand yuan—and since they were now rehabilitated, they weren’t considered “blacklist categories” anymore.

It should be fine to visit and socialize with them.

Soon, Cheng Fujun and Cheng Fulian emerged from the field, asked Wang Gang a few questions, and then headed back to the collective farm together.

Upon seeing Cheng Rushan, they exchanged pleasantries and reviewed the documents, all duly stamped.

They exclaimed, “Rushan, well done!”

They immediately stamped and signed to confirm receipt, “We accept. You can go to the farm to bring your father and brother back now.”

Cheng Rushan said, “Secretary, our family’s house should be returned to us.”

Cheng Fujun happily responded, “Yes. The accountant will give him the keys.”

Although Cheng Fugui wanted that courtyard, now that they were rehabilitated, it had to be returned to them.

Cheng Rushan continued, “Secretary, the number of courtyards our family originally had is documented in the seizure records.”

Cheng Fujun’s expression changed. “Well…” If that was the case, would the big courtyard at the farm headquarters also have to be returned?

There were about ten smaller courtyards in total.

Apart from the farm headquarters, there were warehouses, production team offices, schools, and medical rooms all located there.