Someone started throwing stones, and the rest followed suit.  

Large and small stones rained down on Lin Sanzhu and Lin Xiao. Before long, Lin Sanzhu’s forehead was split open.  

Lin Xiao cried and screamed for help, “Mom, Dad, save me! It hurts so much! Third Brother and I didn’t even do anything to them—why are they treating us like this?”  

Wang Chunhua rushed over to shield her youngest son, shouting for the crowd to stop. “What are you all doing? They’re still young and don’t know any better!”  

Hearing this, some grew even angrier. “Twenty years old and still ‘young’? When I was twenty, my son was already calling me ‘Dad’!”  

Lin Fugui pleaded with Hu Haizhi, “Brigade Leader, please make them stop! If this goes on, Sanzhu and the others will be beaten to death!”  

Lin Erzhu and Qian Li didn’t dare say a word, afraid the fire would turn on them.  

Only when Hu Haizhi felt things had gone far enough did he order them to stop. “I called everyone here today to make one thing clear—our village will never tolerate criminals.”  

The crowd erupted in applause and cheers.  

Hu Haizhi continued, “Jiang Qiuyue is right. If it weren’t for Dazhu yesterday, she and her children would have been in real danger. After discussing with the village committee, we’ve decided that Lin Sanzhu and Lin Xiao will undergo public criticism here for three days before being sent to the labor farm for re-education!”  

“Good!” the crowd shouted in approval.  

Seeing Lin Fugui approach again, Hu Haizhi spoke first, “Uncle Lin, I warned you—discipline your family properly. But you wouldn’t listen. Now that things have come to this, begging me won’t help. Say no more. The decision is final, and I won’t change it.”  

Lin Fugui’s knees buckled, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.  

How had things come to this?  

Everything had been fine before. What went wrong?  

It all started when Jiang Qiuyue stole those eggs. His eyes burned with hatred as he glanced at her, but he quickly suppressed it and dropped to his knees before Lin Zhengrong.  

“Dazhu, I know you resent how we treated Qiuyue and the kids. But after all these years, even if we’ve done nothing else, we’ve at least raised you. If not for my sake, then for your mother’s—please spare Sanzhu and your sister. Don’t send them to the labor camp. I’m begging you—I’ll kowtow to you!”  

He was Lin Zhengrong’s father. No matter how badly he’d behaved, he was now kneeling before his own son. He refused to believe the villagers would still side entirely with Lin Zhenrong and Jiang Qiuyue.  

Lin Zhengrong narrowed his eyes slightly. The villagers encircled him and Lin Fugui.  

Some murmured among themselves, while a few older folks quietly remarked that Lin Fugui and his wife had, after all, raised Lin Zhengrong.  

But though they talked, no one stepped forward to persuade Lin Zhengrong or Jiang Qiuyue to relent.  

Jiang Qiuyue knew Lin Fugui was resorting to emotional blackmail again. Since Lin Zhengrong might struggle to respond—given that the Lin family hadn’t raised her—she stepped forward and said, “Uncle Lin, this isn’t something we can just dismiss with a word. Sanzhu and Lin Xiao committed a crime, and they must face the consequences. Otherwise, if everyone who breaks the law can just beg for mercy, wouldn’t that mean even murder could be forgiven?”  

Just then, a woman stepped forward. Jiang Qiuyue saw it was Zhou Cuicui again and raised an eyebrow.  

“Qiuyue, you’re blowing this out of proportion,” Zhou Cuicui said, focusing only on Jiang Qiuyue’s flaws. “Since nothing serious actually happened to you, why insist on pushing this so hard?”  

She added pointedly, “Dazhu is a soldier. Don’t let your pettiness ruin his reputation.”  

“Sister Zhou, why are you so concerned about my husband’s reputation?” Jiang Qiuyue’s tone was icy. She hadn’t noticed before, but now she saw how Zhou Cuicui kept sneaking glances at Lin Zhengrong.  

Zhou Cuicui’s face flushed. “W-what do you mean? I’m just thinking of your family! Am I wrong? You’re still family—isn’t it too harsh to drive them to ruin?”  

“Sorry, but we cut ties yesterday. If you like this kind of ‘family’ so much, you can have them,” Jiang Qiuyue retorted coldly.  

“Yes, they’re all yours,” Lin Zhengrong added, then turned to Lin Fugui, still kneeling on the ground. “I told you yesterday—the fact that I didn’t smash up your house was the greatest concession I could make. If you failed to discipline your children, blame yourself.”

With the matter settled, Jiang Qiuyue mentioned that there was still chicken soup simmering on the stove and asked Lin Zhengrong if he wanted to head home.  

Lin Zhengrong smiled and agreed. Without a backward glance, the family left.  

Once they got home, Lin Beibei asked what “labor reform” meant.  

Jiang Qiuyue explained seriously, “It’s when people who’ve done bad things are sent away to work and reform through labor. They have endless farm work every day and never get enough to eat. So we must always be good people and never do bad things, understand?”  

Lin Beibei nodded vigorously. “I’ll definitely be a good kid!” He grabbed his sister’s hand. “And Nannan too!”  

Lin Nannan nodded along with him. Just then, the rich aroma of chicken soup wafted from the pot, and both children turned their attention toward it.  

Jiang Qiuyue lifted the lid, releasing the deep, savory scent of the broth. After adding a pinch of salt, she tasted it—home-raised old hens really were different.  

“One bowl each. Blow on it before drinking.” After serving the children, she handed a bowl to Lin Zhengrong. “You worked hard last night and haven’t slept yet. Have some to replenish your energy—drink more.”  

Lin Zhengrong took the warm bowl, suddenly recalling Chen Guowei’s words: You don’t understand the joy of having a wife, kids, and a warm home. Once you go back and see your family, you’ll know what I mean.

The soup was deliciously sweet and rich. Just as he finished, Jiang Qiuyue placed a piece of chicken in his bowl.  

“Eat it while it’s hot. Later, I’ll cook some noodles using the broth as a base—it’ll be amazing.” Just describing it made her mouth water.  

She smashed two cucumbers, mixed them with chili, vinegar, and sugar to serve as a side dish, balancing the richness of the chicken noodles. She also stir-fried a bowl of pickled vegetables—since the last batch was finished, she figured a few more rounds of cooking would deepen their flavor.  

Lin Zhengrong took over Beibei’s usual spot by the stove, much to the boy’s brief displeasure—until Jiang Qiuyue called him to pick vegetables, sending him scampering outside happily.  

“Time to eat!”  

Since everyone had already eaten some chicken earlier, they weren’t starving. The portions weren’t huge—just a modest bowl each. Jiang Qiuyue, worried Lin Zhengrong might still be hungry, added, “There’s more in the pot if you want seconds.”  

The noodles were garnished with vibrant green scallions. Jiang Qiuyue mixed in a bite of pickled vegetables—the rich chicken broth filled her mouth, while the tangy crunch cut through the richness, making every bite satisfying.  

Lin Zhengrong ate heartily too, finishing his bowl in just a few chopstickfuls. With his big appetite, he went for seconds. By the time he returned, Jiang Qiuyue was already done.  

As he sat back down, she suddenly looked at him and asked, “By the way… did Zhou Cuicui ever have feelings for you?”  

“Cough—!”

Noodles caught in his throat, and Lin Zhenrong’s face turned visibly red. He shook his head rapidly. “There’s nothing between us!”