Dai Guohua stepped on the brake, and Cheng Rushan opened the car door and jumped out, bending down to catch Wen Sheng and Da Bao Xiao Bao who were running towards him.

He instructed Wen Sheng to go to the back of the car, then lifted Da Bao and Xiao Bao up.

This time, before Jiang Lin could climb onto the car, he had already helped her up, and then he got on himself.

Da Bao and Xiao Bao eagerly squeezed into his arms, eager to tell Dad all about what they had been up to these days.

With two little reporters, Jiang Lin didn’t need to say a word.

She also noticed that Da Bao wasn’t as introverted as she had thought before.

Depending on his mood and the person he liked, he could be quite talkative.

Xiao Bao, on the other hand, was naturally outgoing and sweet.

After a while of cuddling, Cheng Rushan handed Da Bao and Xiao Bao over to Wen Sheng, then wrapped his arm around Jiang Lin’s waist, pulling her close to him.

Da Bao and Xiao Bao then led Wen Sheng in playing with the little frogs on the car, bouncing and jostling all the way, playing until they were sweaty.

At the entrance to Shuicai Village, Dai Guohua parked the car and helped Cheng Rushan unload his things, including rice and some local spices that Dai Guohua had bought for him.

The provincial capital was well-connected with transportation in all directions, and there was a canal passing through, making supplies abundant.

Cheng Rushan waved goodbye with his family as Dai Guohua drove off.

After unloading the rice, he had Wen Sheng carry the rest of the items.

Da Bao and Xiao Bao helped with the snacks and candies, while Jiang Lin carried the handbag.

The whole family headed home.

Along the way, they encountered some children who, upon seeing Da Bao and Xiao Bao holding candies, immediately started drooling.

Xiao Bao asked Jiang Lin, “Mom, can I give them some?”

Jiang Lin smiled and replied, “It’s up to you guys to decide.”

Da Bao quickly said, “No, don’t give them any!”

Xiao Bao reasoned, “They’re not scolding us now, so let’s correct the mistake and praise them a bit.”

Da Bao retorted, “But they didn’t give us any to eat.”

Xiao Bao insisted after a moment of murmuring, reluctantly letting Da Bao grab a few pieces to share with them—one piece each for those who looked okay, and two pieces to those who didn’t.

He refused to give any to the one he disliked!

In total, there were six children, but the youngest of the other family’s sons missed out and cried with longing.

Xiao Bao immediately cheered up and said to Da Bao, “It’s more fun than hitting them, haha.”

Jiang Lin：“……”

When they arrived home, Wen Sheng, with his long legs, ran inside first, shouting, “Grandpa, Grandma, Dad’s back!”

Cheng Yunzhi and Yan Runzhi hurried out, coincidentally with Shang’s wife and Qingxing also in the western wing doing needlework, all coming out upon hearing the news.

Cheng Rushan greeted them and brought the goods into the main hall.

Da Bao and Xiao Bao distributed a piece of candy to each person at home.

When he came to Qingxing, he gave her two pieces, saying, “One for Guoqing.”

Qingxing blushed a bit, saying, “Thank you.”

Jiang Lin noticed that since Wen Sheng arrived, Da Bao had become more sensible, looking more like an older brother.

He was still sharp but no longer prickly, becoming more friendly towards people, which was a good thing.

She took out the money and distributed it to several people, including Shang’s wife.

Shang’s wife grinned broadly, “Dongsheng’s wife, why are you in such a hurry to give out money?”

Jiang Lin smiled, “As soon as we sell, we distribute.”

She took out the account book, “Every item sold and every payment is recorded here, whether paid or unpaid.”

“We trust you,” Shang’s wife said happily.

Qingxing held the money she earned in her hand, feeling a bit at a loss.

Besides selling eggs, their family had no other income, yet she had earned so much?

For some people, a coin might not seem like much, but for her, even a cent was precious—it could buy three eggs.

She remembered, “Jiang Zhiqing, my mother said she still owes you money.”

Jiang Lin said, “You take this first. The debts are all recorded here; it’s not a big difference.” Giving her the money made Qingxing happy for a moment, encouraging her to do better in the future.

As Shang’s wife saw Cheng Rushan returning, she exchanged a few pleasantries before taking her leave along with the others.

Because there were many people, Yan Runzhi didn’t stay to talk with her alone and escorted them out before returning home.

Cheng Rushan was chatting with Jiang Lin and the others in the main hall.

Xiao Bao was clinging to him affectionately, saying, “Dongsheng, you don’t know how much I missed you. I couldn’t even enjoy meals or sleep well without you.”

Jiang Lin：“……He’s tired from running wild every day. After eating, he strolls around for a bit and then claims he’s sleepy. Once he’s on the bed, he’s out like a light, not even finishing half a story. That’s what you call can’t sleep? Hehe, you’re fooling yourself.”

Da Bao and Wen Sheng handed out snacks and candies to their grandparents.

Wen Sheng passed a peanut pastry to Jiang Lin, saying, “Mom, have some.”

Jiang Lin took it and handed it to Yan Runzhi without hesitation, as she wasn’t fond of such oily treats.

However, feeling a bit peckish with nothing oily in her belly, a snack like this was quite satisfying.

Cheng Yunzhi informed Cheng Rushan about the compensation from the brigade and the rectification meeting, as well as the matter of the five mu of land.

As for Wen Sheng cutting down Cheng Fugui’s trees, she hadn’t mentioned it in front of the children and planned to tell Cheng Rushan quietly later.

Cheng Rushan was sensitive, and from Cheng Yunzhi’s words, he had already guessed that something had happened.

Cheng Rushan stood up and said to Jiang Lin, “I’m going to the brigade.”

Wen Sheng and Da Bao Xiao Bao immediately wanted to follow.

Jiang Lin said, “Stay home and listen to Grandpa reading. Put the storybooks and dictionary we bought on the table.” She turned to Cheng Yunzhi, “Take them to the study.”

Xiao Bao said, “I want to go with Dongsheng.”

Cheng Rushan smiled, “Dad will be back for a few days. Starting tomorrow, I’ll play with you every day.”

Yan Runzhi added, “Your parents need to handle some important matters. You can’t go with them.”

Da Bao whispered, “Is it about that matter?” He had a hunch it was about his big brother cutting down Cheng Fugui’s trees.

Jiang Lin hadn’t expected him to be so sensitive. She hurriedly said, “Yes, Dad is going to take care of that. It won’t be a problem.”

Da Bao immediately sensibly held hands with Xiao Bao and Wen Sheng, “You guys go ahead.” Then he said to Xiao Bao, “Listen to the story, and after it’s finished, go out and tease them.”

No other children told so many stories, and they wondered how much they wanted to hear.

Xiao Bao immediately perked up, “Okay, okay.”

Now they would tell stories to the other children.

The children listened with great interest and became increasingly friendly towards them.

Several children liked them very much.

Wen Sheng glanced at Jiang Lin and Cheng Rushan, “Mom and Dad, come back soon, I miss you.”

Jiang Lin smiled, “We will.”

She and Cheng Ru Shan went out, and she suddenly told Cheng Ru Shan about Wen Sheng’s sudden change in demeanor, “The brigade cadres and the educated youth helped, and Grandma Ma from the merchants, as well as Zeng who used to work, all supported us in making a big deal.”

If it weren’t for so many people around them supporting and testifying, Cheng Fu Gui would have caused trouble recklessly, and the outcome might not have been so ideal.

This is also the benefit they gained from managing relationships with the educated youth and the brigade.

She felt grateful.

Cheng Rushan glanced at her, “Did Big Brother hurt you?”

Jiang Lin shook her head, “No, he just scared me. Dad said he wouldn’t harm his own family.”

Cheng Rushan said, “Back then, when he suddenly went crazy on the farm, Dad tried to stop him, but he had already lost control and pushed Dad into the mud pool. You’ve only known him for a short time. If he loses control again, just get out of the way and let him be.”

Jiang Lin was taken aback for a moment, then nodded, “I understand. I really don’t know what triggered him like that. Later, I even provoked him using Cheng Fugui’s name, but he didn’t react at all.”

She knew very little about mental illness, only superficially from TV about things like schizophrenia or personality disorders, and TV shows aren’t exactly professional.

So she refrained from making judgments to avoid misunderstandings.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got everything under control,” Cheng Ru Shan said, holding her hand.

Even if they couldn’t cure him, things wouldn’t get worse than before.

Jiang Lin replied, “As long as we can be happy like this, it’s already the best.” She felt Cheng Ru Shan slow down his steps and turned to him, “Let’s go.”

Cheng Rushan pulled her into his arms, raised his hand to stroke her cheek, and rested her head on his shoulder. “You’ve been through a lot.”

Jiang Lin chuckled, “…”

Suddenly acting like this, are you trying to do something, or is it just outside? She couldn’t help but smile, “Stop teasing, let’s go.”

Cheng Ru Shan lowered his eyes to look at her, “Am I teasing? I just…” He lowered his head and kissed her forehead, “wanted to kiss you.”

Jiang Lin said, “…Let’s go quickly.”

They walked out of the alley, Jiang Lin withdrew her hand, and they went to the brigade together.

As the sun set in the western mountains, casting a red glow over the bustling yet vibrant old village, Jiang Lin felt as if she had stepped into a painting.

People greeted them along the way with warmth and hospitality.

The Cheng family’s reputation had been restored.

Cheng Fujun was no longer seen as a troublemaker but as a progressive figure.

County leaders came to hold meetings to commend him, brigade officials showed various respects, and ordinary villagers naturally followed suit.

For them, village officials were like very important officials, with brigade officials being highly esteemed.

Cheng Fu Jun was the secretary of Yanghong Brigade.

With six production teams in Miaozicun, he was considered a full-time cadre and didn’t need to work in the fields every day. However, during busy farming seasons, he practically went to the fields daily to supervise and command.

He also had to keep an eye on commune officials who came down to the countryside, making sure they understood local agricultural conditions instead of just giving empty commands.

The production teams feared that commune or county agricultural officials who didn’t understand would come down and mismanage things, repeating past mistakes.

On their way to the brigade, Jiang Lin and Cheng Rushan coincidentally met Cheng Fujun returning in his water shoes.

They exchanged greetings and then entered the brigade office to talk.

Cheng Fujun smiled, “Dongsheng, now running transportation, that’s impressive, a very respectable job.”

Cheng Rushan modestly smiled, “Secretary, you’re too kind. We’re all here to serve the people.”

Cheng Fujun asked him about his thoughts on the rehabilitation and compensation work.

Cheng Rushan replied, “Your sincerity is evident. Many thanks to the Secretary and the brigade leader. We are very satisfied.”

Upon hearing this, Cheng Fu Jun felt pleased. Although the matter had been settled before, Cheng Yunzhi didn’t handle it, and Jiang Lin was a woman.

In Cheng Fujun’s mind, it wasn’t quite official unless he had dealt with the men from their family.

Now that Cheng Ru Shan came straight to him as soon as he returned home, it was a sign of respect that made Cheng Fu Jun quite content.

After discussing the compensation issue briefly, Cheng Ru Shan redirected the conversation to Cheng Ruzhou, expressing gratitude for the support and assistance from the brigade officials.

Cheng Fujun said, “Regarding this matter, we will definitely minimize it. We don’t want any trouble. Fortunately, Secretary Zhao doesn’t want to make things ugly either. We held a meeting, and everyone’s opinions were mostly in agreement. However… as you know, their family has a temper and isn’t inclined to be conciliatory. I’ve heard they are planning to capture Ruzhou and send him to a mental hospital in the provincial capital.”

They had only heard about mental hospitals and never seen one.

Rumors made it out to be a terrifying place, and adults would scare children by saying they would be sent to a mental hospital.

Cheng Rushan replied, “Thank you, Secretary. I’ll discuss this matter with the Revolutionary Committee. We also assure you that my elder brother won’t harm innocent people.”

Jiang Lin also gave her assurance.

In fact, since Wen Sheng returned, he hadn’t gone out alone.

He was always with Da Bao, Xiao Bao, or Jiang Lin, and indeed, he hadn’t had any fits or attacks in the village.

He had learned from Da Bao and Xiao Bao to be innocent and polite, dressed neatly, and didn’t wet himself.

Other than his age not matching, he was like any other six or seven-year-old child.

That day, many people voluntarily testified for him.

Some adults in the village avoided him because they didn’t understand him, but the children liked him.

After all, he was different from the others who were erratic, violent, and abusive.

Cheng Fujun also reminded Cheng Rushan and Jiang Lin, “The other day, Jiang Qing exposed his past, and he might hold a grudge against her. Be careful.”