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As a result of the mountain trip, each man returned home carrying a bag of things on his shoulder. Fortunately, Wang Qian had stored some extra grapes in her space; otherwise, there would have been even more to carry.
Upon returning home, Zhang Lan packed up the things belonging to Zhang Qiang and Guo Xing for them to take back. She also packed some chestnuts and walnuts they had picked that day to take home to their families. She packed fewer grapes, as the men didn’t like sour things, so she only gave them a few grapes to taste.
Zhang Lan left the rest to her youngest daughter. She didn’t know how to make wine, but Wang Qian said she did, so she entrusted the task to her daughter. Her youngest daughter had been quite reliable so far, and whatever she said was usually accurate.
Meanwhile, Wang Qian directed her siblings to wash and crush the grapes they had gathered. She took charge of the rest.
Since sugar was relatively expensive, and she was reluctant to spend that money, she had Zhang Lan buy some saccharin from the supply and marketing cooperative. Although the taste might be slightly inferior to that of rock sugar, the sweetness was almost the same.
After sealing all the jars, she processed the grapes she had stored in her space and then sealed them as well. She also wanted to see if there was any difference in taste between the grapes stored in the space and those stored outside.
With the autumn harvest over and no major events in the production team, Zhang Lan took the opportunity to buy seeds and replant them in her space with her daughter.
She also took out some flour from her space. This time, in addition to sorghum, they received flour, millet, sorghum rice, rice, and yellow corn. However, compared to the amount of sorghum, these were much less, only about ten to eight pounds per family. Although there was a variety, the quantity was a bit less.
At night, Wang Zhenhe mentioned that the team needed to send people to the city to collect manure. Zhang Lan knew that every year after the autumn harvest, the production team would send people to the city to collect manure for use in the fields in the coming spring. Currently, the manure produced by the production team was simply not enough. However, there was a benefit to going to the city to collect manure: they would receive more public distribution points and have food and lodging provided.
Wang Qian didn’t quite understand. “Dad, when you go to the city to collect manure, where do you stay at night?”
Wang Zhenhe smiled and patted his daughter’s head. “Qianqian, our production team has a place on the outskirts of the city specifically for storing manure. After the manure and mud are properly fermented, we use a truck to bring it back to the mountain. This way, we’ll have enough fertilizer for planting next year.”
Wang Qian understood the importance of manure for crops, but she was reluctant to see her father leave home. It was the first time he had left them.
“Dad, be careful when you’re out working. Eat more and don’t be stingy with food. Wear more clothes and don’t get cold. Don’t push yourself too hard if you’re tired. Your health is the most important,” she advised.
Watching her daughter, who was even more talkative than herself, Zhang Lan couldn’t help but smile. In the past, when she said these things to her husband, Wang Zhenhe found her nagging, but now there was someone even more adept at it.
Facing his daughter’s comprehensive instructions, Wang Zhenhe hugged her and smiled as he promised, “Qianqian, take good care of your mom when I’m not at home. Your mom isn’t well, so there are some things you’ll need to take on. When I come back, I’ll buy you all some delicious treats.”
Wang Zhenhe was genuinely worried about leaving home. His wife was unwell, and the children were still young. If it weren’t for the extra public distribution points they would receive from this trip, he would have been reluctant to leave home.
The children were reluctant to see their father leave and kept offering various instructions. Wang Zhenhe patiently listened to each one and promised to follow their advice. Mingyuan even brought out his slingshot and said, “Dad, take this to defend yourself. If you encounter bad people, use this to fight them.”
Wang Zhenhe was amused and touched by Mingyuan’s gesture. “Good son, I’m going to work, not get into fights. Besides, if we need to fight, we can use a shovel. It’s more effective. Keep the slingshot for self-defense. If anyone bullies you, let me know, and I’ll take care of it when I come back. Behave and listen to your mom. I’ll be back soon.”
Zhang Lan began preparing her husband’s luggage. They only had one set of bedding for the two of them, and now it was being taken by Wang Zhenhe. She and the children could manage with what was left. If the family’s finances improved by the end of the year, she planned to make another set of bedding, which would also be useful if they had guests.
The next day, Wang Zhenhe left with the people from the village in the production team’s vehicle. The sudden absence of a family member made the siblings feel a bit uneasy, but fortunately, Mingcheng and the others still had to attend classes, so the impact was not too significant. The most affected was Zhang Lan. With the head of the household gone, she had to consider everything, even being extra vigilant at night, fearing that someone might intrude.
Zhang Lan had not been sleeping well these days, and Wang Qian quickly noticed that her mother was not feeling well. Considering her mother’s already fragile health and her increasingly pale complexion, she realized that her mother might not have been resting properly.
“Mom, why don’t we ask Grandpa Zuo to come and sleep with Zuo He? That way, you’ll have someone to look after you. If you keep losing sleep like this, it could harm your health. What will we do then?”
She truly cherished her mother, Zhang Lan. Despite her poor health, she managed to provide the children with a complete home and selfless maternal love. Wang Qian didn’t want anything to happen to her mother.
Zhang Lan was aware of her condition and didn’t want to force herself. “Qianqian, go and talk to Grandpa Wu and Grandpa Zuo Zhanshan. Our family needs someone in charge, and you kids are too young.”
With her mother’s consent, Wang Qian hurried to inform Grandpa Wu and Grandpa Zuo about the situation at home. Coincidentally, Zhang Qiang and the others were conveying the instructions from the higher-ups to the elderly men. Upon hearing about the situation at the Wang family, they felt it was necessary to lend a helping hand. After discussing with Guo Xing, they agreed to help the Wang family and sleep there at night, while continuing to work in the team during the day.
After obtaining permission, the two elderly men happily packed their belongings and moved to the Wang family’s home. They shared a kang with Mingyuan and the others, providing a sense of security and support.
With the addition of the elderly men, the tense atmosphere at the Wang family eased, and Zhang Lan was able to rest well. The elderly men could also enjoy some good food, and they took care of each other.
That night, the elderly men escorted the siblings back from their studies and told them stories about battles before turning off the lights to rest.
Coincidentally, in the middle of the night, a figure appeared outside the Wang family’s courtyard, acting suspiciously. After lurking by the courtyard wall for a while, the figure stealthily climbed over the iron gate. The gate wasn’t very high, so it wasn’t difficult for the figure to enter. In rural areas at this time, there were rarely any thieves or bad people around. The iron gate was more for the peace of mind of the homeowners and to show respect.
Zhang Lan and the others never expected that someone would target their home just a few days after the men had left. The women were sleeping on the kang when Zhang Lan heard the kitchen door being shaken. Startled, she couldn’t help but ask, “Who’s there? Who’s outside?”
Her voice woke up Wang Qian, who was sleeping beside her. A deep male voice outside responded, “Open the door and let me in. We can talk inside.”
The two elderly men, who were also awake, heard the commotion and quickly got up, put on their clothes, and went to the door. Zhang Lan and the elderly men lived in separate rooms, so they each went to their respective doors. The intruder, startled by the noise, attempted to flee when he realized there were others in the house. As he tried to climb over the iron gate, Old Zuo and Old Wu brandished their wooden clubs and went after him.
“Ouch!” Although the intruder was hurt by the blows, he managed to climb over the gate and escape before the two elderly men could catch him.
“Damn scoundrel! If this Old Man sees you next time, I’ll break your damn legs!” Old Wu, frustrated at not catching the intruder, shouted angrily.
Inside the house, Wang Qian found the voice familiar, but different from the one she had heard outside. She felt that the intruder had deliberately disguised his voice earlier, but the shout was genuine. However, she couldn’t recall whose voice it was. Lying on the kang, she felt relieved that the two elderly men had come. Otherwise, with only a woman and a group of children in the house, something bad might have happened.
“Niece, are you okay? We scared the person away. You can rest assured and go back to sleep. We’re here to watch over the house,” Old Zuo reassured from outside the window.
Zhang Lan’s heart, which had been pounding with fear, finally relaxed a bit. “Uncle, I’m not afraid with you here. You should rest too,” she said.
Carefully lying down, she held her children close and slowly drifted off to sleep. With these two men in the house, she felt at ease. However, Wang Qian couldn’t sleep. She continued to search her memory for the owner of the voice.
Since coming here, she rarely went out to play, and she didn’t have many acquaintances. None of the neighbors had that voice. She even thought about their relatives, but after going through each one, she couldn’t recall anyone from the village. Suddenly, a person came to mind. Yes, the voice sounded like that person’s. Although it had been a long time since they had seen each other, she couldn’t forget such a despicable person. It was unbelievable. Being related to such shameless people was truly unfortunate. They were capable of doing such disgraceful things.
After confirming her suspicions, she decided to talk to the elderly men about it in the morning. She couldn’t let that person off so easily. Who knows what other schemes he might have in mind.