The donkey cart, loaded with a full two thousand pounds of grain, was so heavy that the poor donkey was panting all the way. At this moment, Song Xiangdong was feeding the donkey some corn stalks and the donkey was enjoying it.

Just then, Liu Hongmei, who had come along with the Song family to help carry the grain, bounced over.

“Big Brother, what are you doing?”

Before Song Xiangdong could answer, Song Xiangdang, who was following behind, popped out like a big fool, grinning widely.

“Hongmei, are you dumb or what? Can’t you see? Our big brother is feeding the donkey with corn stalks. Isn’t it obvious?”

Liu Hongmei was so frustrated by this response that she nearly exploded. She glared at Song Xiangdang, wishing she could slap her own husband for being such an idiot.

Wasn’t it obvious that Big Brother was feeding the donkey? She just wanted to ask why. After all, the donkey wasn’t even theirs!

Why waste their family’s corn stalks to feed someone else’s donkey? They could save those stalks for burning in the stove during the winter.

Liu Hongmei prided herself on being thrifty and good at managing household affairs. Just as she was about to launch into a detailed argument with Song Xiangdong, he glanced at her coldly.

“What is it? Do you have a problem with me feeding the donkey with corn stalks, Sister-in-law?”

Whoa, that tone was intimidating. Liu Hongmei shivered and instantly became as timid as a quail.

“No, Big Brother, don’t misunderstand. I was just asking. Just asking. Anyway, Mom told me to help Xiangdang carry the grain. I won’t bother you with the donkey. I’ll go carry the grain now.”

After saying that, Liu Hongmei hurriedly followed behind Song Xiangdang and scurried off to help with the grain, feeling a bit sheepish.

Song Xiangdong remained as serious as ever, not thinking there was anything wrong with his stern tone. He had always had an intimidating presence since he was young and he spoke with such seriousness that he could easily scare timid strangers.

The entire Song family huffed and puffed as they carried the grain back home. Meanwhile, Chen Juhua with her two daughters-in-law had already cleaned out the storage room in the backyard to prepare for the grain. The three women stood at the gate, looking towards the village entrance and when they saw the family returning with the grain, they rushed to greet them.

“Xiangguo, put the grain over here.”

“Wenzhe, be careful not to drop it.”

“Eldest daughter-in-law, the sack on the east side is leaking. Quickly tie it up!”

“Second daughter-in-law, tidy up the west side.”

“Third daughter-in-law, what are you doing, you troublemaker? Hurry up and carry the grain!”

A dejected Liu Hongmei muttered under her breath…

After a chaotic flurry of activity, the Song family finally managed to move the two thousand pounds of grain into the house safely.

Having worked hard all night, the family was exhausted but content. Chen Juhua looked at her yawning family and nodded with satisfaction.

“Alright, it’s almost four in the morning now. Everyone should get some sleep. We still have to work in the fields tomorrow. You three brothers have worked hard these past few days. Take a good rest at home. Tomorrow, I’ll make dumplings with meat for you all.”

The three Song brothers grinned widely upon hearing this. Their mother really knew how to take care of them.

The family who had been worn out just a moment ago, now beamed with happiness at the thought of meat dumplings. With this joyful anticipation, everyone headed to their rooms to rest.

Song Xiangdong and his family also returned to the main house. The Song family had three sons, and the main house was on the east side. The east room was originally a large room, but they had hired a village mason to build a wall, dividing it into two rooms.

The large room was where Song Xiangdong and his wife lived with their two sons, Song Wenxue and Song Wenjie. The smaller room was Song Wanyue’s little bedroom.

Since Song Wanyue was the apple of Chen Juhua’s eye, unlike her four brothers and little cousin who shared a big bed with their parents, she had her own room from an early age.

As Chen Juhua herself said, “The boys can sleep in a pigsty for all I care. But my little girl is different; she must live like a little princess.”

Because of this, the little girl, with her rosy cheeks, was already sound asleep in her small room, wrapped in her cozy blanket.

In the main room, Zhao Xiuying heated some water. Song Xiangdong quickly washed his hands and feet, feeling refreshed.

After his wife joined him in bed, Song Xiangdong pulled her into his arms and gave her a kiss.

“I’ve missed you so much these past few days,” he said with a cheeky grin.

Zhao Xiuying’s pretty face flushed with embarrassment. Only in front of her would her husband be so shameless.

“What are you saying? You’re not young anymore, and you’re still acting like this.”

Song Xiangdong just chuckled.

“We’ve been all over the place these past few days, my brothers and I. The price of grain has gone up a lot. The market is really tight. We were lucky to buy this grain.”

Zhao Xiuying nodded in agreement.

“My parents also followed our mother’s advice and stocked up on grain. If there really is a famine, we can make it through if we’re careful.”

“Yeah, as long as we’re together, we can get through anything.”

—–

While Song Xiangdong and his wife exchanged sweet words, over in the west room where the third son lived, Liu Hongmei was thinking about the pile of grain they had just moved in. She got an idea and nudged the snoring Song Xiangdang awake.

“Xiangdang, Xiangdang, wake up. I need to talk to you.”

“What is it? I was sleeping so well.”

Half-awake, Song Xiangdang opened his eyes and saw Liu Hongmei looking excited.

“Xiangdang, we have so much grain at home. Our whole family can’t eat it all. How about tomorrow you talk to mom and suggest sending some of it to my parents’ house? That way, you’ll look good as a son-in-law in my family.”

Liu Hongmei smiled as she spoke.

Hearing this, Song Xiangdang’s eyes widened in shock.

What? Is this woman crazy?

“No way. Why should we send our grain to your parents’ house? If they want grain, they can buy it themselves.”

Liu Hongmei mumbled, “Well, my parents are poor.”

“Being poor doesn’t mean they can just take advantage of us. They borrowed money from us years ago and still haven’t paid it back. Why don’t they return the money?”

Song Xiangdang’s bluntness left Liu Hongmei speechless. She could only lie down, sulking and full of anger and try to get back to sleep.

—–

Life in Dahe Mountain moved at a slow pace. Before they knew it, it was the end of May and the villagers were getting worried as they looked at the sparse wheat seedlings in the fields.

What was going on? In previous years, the wheat would be lush and golden by now, swaying in the wind like waves, a sight that filled their hearts with comfort.

But this year, something was wrong. The crops looked weak. It seemed like they were going to have a poor harvest!

The villagers were anxious. What could they do? A poor harvest meant they might go hungry.

No one could bear the thought of going hungry. The villagers of Dahe Mountain had gotten used to good times and the idea of going back to hardship made their faces go pale.

While everyone was panicking, the brigade leader, Song Jiandang, returned to the village after a meeting at the commune, looking downcast. The villagers were hoping to get some guidance from him, so they all gathered around as soon as they saw him.

“Brigade Leader, what’s wrong? Has something happened?”

“Yes, did something happen?”

Gritting his teeth, Song Jiandang grabbed his megaphone and announced, “At today’s meeting, Secretary Zuo said that the whole province is in trouble this year. The provincial capital was hit by severe flooding and the crops were completely wiped out. Grain production is way down and prices have skyrocketed. Secretary Zuo said that the provincial grain supplies are being sent to the capital, so if our harvest fails, we can’t count on any relief grain. We’re on our own!”

What? Are we really going to starve?

The villagers of Dahe Mountain were so terrified by the news that many of them felt weak in the knees. They barely managed to stay upright with the help of others.

What should we do? What else can we do? The only option is to take whatever money we have and rush to buy grain from the market. Get as much as you can; there’s no time to be picky!

Realizing the urgency, the villagers dashed home to grab their money and headed to the city to buy as much grain as they could.

While the adults in the village started taking action, the children, carrying small bamboo baskets, roamed the hills looking for wild vegetables and fruits. They picked whatever they found, not caring if the vegetables were too old or anything.

There was no choice. At this point, just having something to eat was a blessing; nobody cared if it was fresh or not.

The Song family had a lot of grain but they still kept a low profile, going about their days as usual. Song Wanyue, who was on school break, joined her brothers in the hills to pick wild vegetables and fruits.

The little girl wandered around until she came across a lush peach tree laden with fresh, rosy peaches. Unable to resist, she tiptoed up and picked a big peach, peeled it and took small bites of the juicy fruit.

The little girl’s face lit up with joy as she savored the sweetness.

**This peach is so delicious! I should pick some to take home for my family.**

Seeing that the tree wasn’t too tall, she rolled up her sleeves and started climbing. Just as she reached the middle of the tree, she heard a deep voice from below.

“What are you doing?”

The little girl, who was clinging to the tree like a koala, looked down and met the dark eyes of a tall boy.

“Brother Chenchuan, you’re here! These peaches are so sweet…” The little girl’s almond-shaped eyes sparkled, and her smile was as sweet as the peaches.

“Hmm?”

“I just wanted to ask if you’d like a peach.”

Ye Chenchuan : …

He’s like a tree-climbing machine without any emotions.