As they ate their meal and chatted, they heard Yang Xiaomei shouting from outside, “Xu Ning, Xu Ning, come quick! Wei Lanlan is about to give birth!”

Upon hearing this, Xu Ning immediately put down her chopsticks and said to the three of them, “I’ll go take a look. You all can eat slowly; don’t wait for me.”

After saying this, she ran toward the youth compound. Just as she reached the door, she saw Chen Xiangdong, drenched in sweat, riding his bicycle from the direction of the village, with the village midwife, Aunt Fang, sitting on the back.

She quickly stepped aside to let them pass. Chen Xiangdong didn’t even pause to greet her as he parked the bike in the yard and hurried inside with Aunt Fang.

Xu Ning noticed Yang Xiaomei standing at the door and asked, “Didn’t you say it wasn’t time yet? How come she’s in labor?”

Yang Xiaomei glanced at Gu Wenjing, who looked bewildered, and whispered, “Just now, Wei Lanlan was resting at the door after having her meal when she was bumped into by Gu Wenjing, and that’s when her labor started.”

The two stood outside the door, a bit worried as they heard Wei Lanlan’s cries.

About half an hour later, the sound of a baby’s wailing echoed from inside, and shortly after, Aunt Fang came out with a smile.

She said to the people outside, “She’s given birth! It’s a big, healthy boy, and both mother and child are safe.”

Xu Ning and Yang Xiaomei both breathed a sigh of relief, while Gu Wenjing was overwhelmed with joy, crying tears of happiness. If something had really happened to Wei Lanlan, Chen Xiangdong wouldn’t let her off easily.

Yang Xiaomei and Xu Ning ignored Gu Wenjing and went straight inside. Wei Lanlan looked weak but smiled when she saw them enter.

They walked over to the kang and looked at the baby wrapped in a swaddle. Then they asked, “How are you feeling? Is anything bothering you?”

“I’m fine, just a little weak,” Wei Lanlan replied.

She then asked Chen Xiangdong, “Where’s that dead girl, Gu Wenjing?”

Just as Gu Wenjing was about to enter, she froze in place upon hearing Wei Lanlan’s words.

Xu Ning said, “You should focus on resting. We can deal with everything else after your confinement. I’ll go home and bring you some eggs and brown sugar. We can have Chen Xiangdong cook them for you. Getting your strength back is the most important thing.”

Chen Xiangdong hurriedly replied, “No need for that; we have plenty at home.”

Yang Xiaomei added, “I’ve prepared some for Wei Lanlan as well, so don’t worry about it. Right now, let’s just take care of her, and we’ll step outside for a bit.”

The two opened the door and saw Gu Wenjing still standing there, while Jiaohua and Wang Juanjuan were talking to her.

Yang Xiaomei walked Xu Ning to the door. After discussing how to give Wei Lanlan a gift, they both went their separate ways home.

Xu An eagerly asked when Xu Ning returned, “Sister, did Sister Lanlan give birth?”

Xu Ning smiled and replied, “Yes, it’s a big, healthy boy. I’m just back to get some eggs to take to her.”

The next afternoon, when the three of them went to school, Xu Ning picked some cucumbers and green beans for the others to take home.

Both families were very understanding; every time the two children came to play, they brought along some food, snacks, or canned goods.

On the day Wei Lanlan celebrated her baby’s full moon, she dragged Gu Wenjing and gave her a thorough beating, making Gu Wenjing scream in pain.

When Wang Juanjuan and Jiaohua rushed in to break it up, they also got caught in the scuffle. Seeing his cousin being beaten so badly, Gu Wenping tried to intervene but was stopped by Chen Xiangdong.

In the chaos, Jiaohua’s face got scratched by someone, and Wang Juanjuan lost a strand of hair. As for Gu Wenjing, her condition was even worse.

Standing in the yard, Xu Ning heard Gu Wenjing’s screams from the youth compound, sounding like a pig being slaughtered, and she couldn’t help but laugh, feeling a sense of schadenfreude.

After finishing breakfast, Xu Ning went to the village to pick up her farming tools for work. Today, she was assigned to weeding in the cornfield. Yang Xiaomei brought over two tomatoes and handed one to her. They found a shady spot and sat down to eat.

Xu Ning asked, “Why are there only a few people from the youth commune working today? Did they all take leave to go to the city?”

Yang Xiaomei scoffed, “Gu Wenping and Lin Miao went to the city, and Wang Juanjuan found herself a partner. I heard he’s quite capable; it seems he works at one of the county committees. He came to pick her up this morning to take her to the city.”

Xu Ning paused for a moment and asked, “County committee? That’s a pretty good position. How did they meet?”

Yang Xiaomei replied, “I heard that last month, Wang Juanjuan went to the city to make a phone call and got bumped by someone on a bicycle. That guy turned out to be her current partner. Now, Gu Wenjing and Jiaohua often go to the city with her to hang out.”

Xu Ning laughed and said, “Isn’t that great? Gu Wenping and Lin Miao are married, and Wang Juanjuan found a good partner. The camp should be much quieter now.”

“Quieter? Just wait and see; there’s bound to be more trouble ahead,” Yang Xiaomei replied.

When Xu Ning returned home, she walked around the house and put away anything that shouldn’t be visible in the space, placing a book of leadership quotes in a prominent spot.

Now, she went to the city every two weeks, bringing out some fine grains and meat each time. The grain she received last year was running low, and the house was starting to look a bit empty.

Noticing the time, she thought Xu Mo should be back from school by now. She picked up a carrying pole and a bucket, preparing to fetch some water.

As she walked by the cow shed, she coughed a couple of times. Xu Mo opened the door and peeked outside, glancing around. Seeing no one was around, he went to the well and squatted down, pretending to play with some ants.

Looking down, she asked, “Sister, what’s going on?”

As Xu Ning drew water, she said, “Xiao Mo, Wang Juanjuan found a partner from the city who works at one of the county committees. I heard he’s a minor official.

You should ask Dad and Uncle Lu to gather up anything in the house that shouldn’t be there and bring it over to me tonight. Also, have Mom and Aunt Lu put some extra patches on the clothes.

And tidy up in Grandpa Qi’s room, too. For the time being, don’t come sleep over at my place; just stay with Grandpa Qi.”

Xu Mo poked at an ant hole with a small stick and replied, “Sister, I understand. I’ll tell Dad and the others when I get back. You be careful, too.”

Xu Ning nodded lightly and continued carrying the water. After playing for a little while longer, Xu Mo eventually headed home.

After hearing her suggestions, Father Xu and Uncle Lu said, “There’s nothing out of the ordinary at home. Since it’s hot now, let’s gather those heavy coats, cotton clothes, and the hot water kettle from our place and send them to Xiao Ning tonight. We can cook up some fine grains for dinner.”

After Xu Ning filled the water tank, she went over to Wei Lanlan’s place and first played with her son, Xiao Pang.

She whispered to Wei Lanlan, “Yang Xiaomei told me that Wang Juanjuan’s partner works at one of the county committees and has some power. When you hit Gu Wenjing last time, you also got her in trouble. I wonder if she holds a grudge. Just be cautious in your words and actions lately, and check around the house to see if there’s anything inappropriate.”

Wei Lanlan felt a chill run down her spine upon hearing this. “I hadn’t even thought about that. Thank you, Xu Ning!”

When Chen Xiangdong returned, Wei Lanlan shared Xu Ning’s warning with him.

Chen Xiangdong searched through the house, flipping through a few books in the cabinet before burning them.

He then called Sun Hao outside for a quick chat.

After thinking it over, Sun Hao said, “I’ll ride Yang Wenli’s bicycle into the city tomorrow to buy a few books of leadership quotes to keep in the house. I’ll also drop a hint to Liu Shaojie and Zhang Hairong. Those two often read nonsense; we should get them to tidy up their things quickly.”