Liu Honghua remained unmoved, crying and accusing Cheng Yunzhi of favoritism towards the younger son and calling him names.

Cheng Yunzhi had returned from the labor camp with high hopes of a joyful reunion with his family, only to be confronted with this harsh reality.

He sighed, “I might as well have stayed at the labor camp.”

While he was away, he had imagined idealized family relationships and expected harmony among his children.

Now that he was back, he realized it wasn’t as perfect as he had hoped.

No wonder Lao Chen had warned him that returning home might not be pleasant.

Feeling disheartened, he turned to leave.

Liu Honghua continued shouting, “You come back only to side with the younger ones. It would have been better if you hadn’t come back at all!”

Cheng Ruhai tried to calm her down, then followed his father out, pleading, “Dad, please stay and have dinner here. Stay with us; your son will take care of you.”

But Cheng Yunzhi refused.

He had a rule not to interfere in quarrels between his sons and daughters-in-law.

If the eldest daughter-in-law didn’t welcome him, staying would only escalate the conflict.

Family harmony was paramount; without it, disappearing might be better.

Once outside, he looked at the dark night sky, unsure where to go.

He felt lost and uncertain.

Just then, Wensheng and Dabao Xiaobao ran out from behind the haystack with a lantern.

They had been hiding there all along.

Dabao and Xiaobao’s eyes sparkled brightly.

Dabao said, “Grandpa, let’s go. I told you that wicked old witch wouldn’t feed you.”

Xiaobao said, “We’re going to starve to death. Grandpa, hurry up.”

Wensheng said, “Grandpa, hurry up.”

Cheng Yunzhi’s heart swelled with a mixture of emotions.

They made him feel both touched and vulnerable.

He said, “Aren’t you disgusted with your grandpa being old and dirty? Grandpa can’t do much anymore. He can’t even buy you candies.”

Dabao said, “Grandpa, you won’t be dirty if you take more baths. I get dirty too, but Mom makes us bathe every day.”

Xiaobao said, “My dad buys candies, but Mom won’t let us eat too many. Now that you’re here, does Mom still get to decide everything?”

Cheng Yunzhi smiled, “Of course, your mom decides everything.”

Xiaobao’s shoulders slumped. “Can you ask Mom to give me two more pieces of candy every day?”

Cheng Yunzhi said, “Eating too much candy will rot your teeth and give you worms. It’s not good.”

Xiaobao muttered, “…Why are adults always lying like Grandpa? Candy jars never grow worms!”

Wensheng took out two candies from his pocket and handed them to Xiaobao. “Here you go.”

Xiao Bao’s eyes lit up. “Where did these come from?”

Wensheng(Nickname of Cheng Ruzhou) replied, “They gave them to me.”

He had forgotten who exactly gave them; he just played along and didn’t remember much else.

Xiao Bao happily tucked them into his pocket, feeling like he had earned back what he gave to Grandpa and his Uncle these past two days.

Da Bao said nothing.

Cheng Yunzhi held hands with Da Bao and Xiao Bao, while Wensheng carried the lantern and walked ahead.

When they reached the doorstep, Jiang Lin and Cheng Rushan had just returned from delivering crabs to the educated youth and the village trader.

They brought back plenty, more than their family could eat, so they shared it around to taste something fresh.

Seeing Cheng Yunzhi return, Jiang Lin said, “Father, it’s perfect timing for dinner.”

Cheng Yunzhi nodded, wanting to say something, but felt choked up and decided to say nothing.

He thought about how to live when not at home, and how to live upon return.

Seeing him back, Yan Runzhi laughed, “My noodle rolling skills have improved a lot. If you were late, you might have missed it. It’s so delicious!” She brought soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil over to Jiang Lin, saying, “Bao’ers Mother, see if this sauce I mixed suits your taste?”

Jiang Lin tasted it—sour and fragrant, refreshing, with the umami of soy sauce—and praised, “Delicious!”

This soy sauce wasn’t from a big factory but extracted from autumn oil when making farmhouse sauce.

It shared the same name as store-bought soy sauce but was tastier and harder to come by.

A few days ago, when Jiang Lin helped repair someone’s house and they had no money or eggs, the village needed soy sauce and farmhouse sauce.

They asked Jiang Lin if they could use it as eggs.

Jiang Lin tasted it and found it very delicious, so they took a bottle of soy sauce and a small jar of farmhouse sauce.

Farmhouse sauce is essential all year round, whether it’s directly dipping green onions, vegetables, stewing eggplants, or stewing eggs, it is delicious.

Jiang Lin liked to eat it very much, and Yan Runzhi often prepared the sauce.

Jiang Lin poured some for Cheng Yunzhi. “Dad, taste it, it’s delicious.” She also served Wensheng noodles and asked him what he liked to eat.

Cheng Yunzhi mixed the noodles, tasted them, and said, “Not bad! It’s both fresh and tasty, and leaves a lingering sweetness after eating.” He praised Yan Runzhi, “Little Run’s cooking skills have improved again.”

Yan Runzhi glared at him, “What ‘Little Run’? We’re both old enough to have daughter-in-law and grandchildren, isn’t that making fun of us?”

Da Bao and Xiao Bao immediately paid attention to this nickname of Little Run and giggled again, poking Wensheng.

Wensheng was whispering to Jiang Lin, saying that he would eat whatever his mother gave him, a good boy who didn’t picky eat.

Jiang Lin mixed some sauce for Cheng Ruzhou and added extra vegetables to prevent him from eating too salty.

“Mom’s cooking is the best,” Wensheng said with a big mouth, eating noodles like a child.

He praised, “I love noodles the most.”

Cheng Yunzhi almost cried.

This child, when he was young, always argued with his mother.

He used to say things like “only old ladies eat plain noodles” and would set conditions even when eating birthday noodles.

Seeing the two boys whispering and giggling, Jiang Lin noticed their mischievous looks and reminded them to eat properly.

With so many people, Da Bao and Xiao Bao each had their own bowl.

Since there weren’t enough bowls, after Jiang Lin finished her noodles, Cheng Rushan took her bowl and filled it directly with noodles to eat.

Jiang Lin hurriedly said, “Let me wash it for you.”

Cheng Rushan replied, “No need.”

Seeing that no one else minded, Jiang Lin pretended not to either.

She got up to tidy up the house and brought out the bedding.

The fabric and cotton she had bought earlier had already been fluffed by Yan Runzhi.

It wasn’t too cold yet, so the old couple could get by with just one blanket each.

Wensheng was an adult, so he only needed one blanket rolled up into a cylinder, no need for a mattress.

Da Bao, Xiao Bao, and Cheng Rushan made Jiang Lin a bit worried.

After finishing their food, Wensheng, Da Bao, and Xiao Bao came into the room and climbed onto the heated kang to roll out the cotton quilt.

Wensheng said, “I want to sleep with Mom.”

Da Bao and Xiao Bao said, “We want to sleep with Mom too!”

The three of them started arranging the bedding and pillows.

Yan Runzhi came in and said, “Wensheng, you’ll sleep with Grandpa and Grandma. This kang is too small for all of you.”

Da Bao and Xiao Bao added, “Yes, and there’s also our little sister, we need to save space for her.”

Wensheng asked, “Where’s my little sister?” He looked around for her.

Da Bao and Xiao Bao said, “Silly, she’s still on the train. What if she arrives at midnight and has nowhere to sleep?”

Wensheng frowned and looked at Jiang Lin, “Mom~~”

Jiang Lin shivered and said to Cheng Rushan who entered, “How about you sleep with Big Brother in the west room tonight?”

Cheng Rushan put his arm around her waist, looking down at her. “I want to sleep with my wife.”

Jiang Lin was speechless…

Da Bao and Xiao Bao started arranging a spot for Wensheng.

In the end, Wensheng obediently made space for his little sister and went to the west room with his grandparents.

Yan Runzhi suggested Da Bao and Xiao Bao sleep with her and Grandpa, but they insisted on sharing the kang with their parents.

Jiang Lin said, “Let them stay here for now.”

Seeing Jiang Lin’s intentions, Yan Runzhi didn’t say much.

She patted her son’s shoulder and took Wensheng’s hand. “Wensheng, go wash up with Grandpa. Take care of him and make sure he doesn’t slip.”

Wensheng happily agreed and called Da Bao and Xiao Bao to join them.

After they finished washing up and returned, they played for a while before going to sleep.

They were tired from traveling these past few days and from cooking and moving in again upon their return.

Cheng Rushan was the last one to enter the room.

Jiang Lin had already settled Da Bao and Xiao Bao.

She held Xiao Bao and left Da Bao for him to hug, and he quietly climbed onto the kang and lay down.

In the middle of the night, Xiao Bao suddenly got up, mumbling, “Pee, I need to pee.”

He had eaten a lot of fruits during the day, so he often needed to use the bathroom at night.

Cheng Rushan immediately woke up, vaguely seeing his son about to pee on the kang.

He quickly got up and fetched the small chamber pots for the two children from under the kang.

Jiang Lin also woke up, lit an oil lamp, and helped Da Bao get up to pee.

Cheng Rushan held the chamber pots for them to use.

The two children closed their eyes and continued sleeping.

They stood on the edge of the kang, swaying left and right.

Jiang Lin could usually sleep through the night, but others using the bathroom reflexively woke her up.

When she went back after helping them, she found the two brothers had sprawled and fallen asleep sideways.

Now she had to sleep with Cheng Rushan.

Jiang Lin whispered, “Can you turn them around?”

Cheng Rushan, still with his eyes closed, in a deep voice said, “Come up.”

Without opening his eyes, he raised his arm over his head and accurately grabbed her arm, pulling her close enough that she almost fell onto his face.

She quickly climbed onto the kang and blew out the oil lamp.

Cheng Rushan turned over and tucked her in his arms, tightening them around her, embracing her soft and warm, “Go to sleep.”

With their bodies so close together, Jiang Lin was too tense to sleep!

Several times she tried to slip out quietly from his embrace, but she couldn’t succeed.

“You move again, we’ll be moving all night,” Cheng Rushan’s sleepy voice sounded above her head.

Jiang Lin instantly froze.

He chuckled softly, patting her gently, “Go to sleep.”

Feeling that he didn’t have any further intentions, just holding her, Jiang Lin gradually relaxed and unknowingly fell asleep…

The next day, Jiang Lin was awakened by someone.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she found one big and two small heads above her.

She looked puzzled, “What are you doing?”

Cheng Rushan touched her cheek and bent down to kiss her on the nose, “I’m calling you to eat.”

Da Bao and Xiao Bao also came over and kissed her face.

Xiao Bao’s kiss was particularly wet, leaving saliva on her cheek.

“Eat?” Jiang Lin quickly sat up. “What time is it?”

Cheng Rushan said, “It’s around eight o’clock.”

Jiang Lin thought to herself that in the countryside during this season, even getting up at seven would be considered lazy.

She couldn’t believe she slept until eight.

Below, Yan Runzhi laughed, “Don’t worry, Baoniang, I just got up too. Dongsheng made breakfast.”

Da Bao and Xiao Bao giggled mischievously.

Yan Runzhi warned them not to tease their mother about sleeping late or the sun would catch them with their pants down.

Jiang Lin got off the kang. “Where’s Dad and Wensheng?”

Yan Runzhi said, “Your dad took him for a walk to get familiar with the area.”

Jiang Lin looked at Cheng Rushan. “Why didn’t you go with them? Dad just came back…” She figured he might not be very familiar with the village anymore.

Cheng Rushan said, “It’s fine. This is his home; he can wander around wherever.”

In fact, Cheng Yunzhi intentionally didn’t let anyone accompany them.

He wanted to take his nephew to see the ancestral grave, chat about old times, wander around the village, and see the changes.

Then they would visit the commune, discuss how land reform was carried out, how to reclaim family property, and arrange jobs for himself and his nephew.

He didn’t want to come back just to idle around; after all, he worked on the farm, so why should he eat idle meals at home? Both he and his nephew were big eaters, so their food consumption at home would double.

During breakfast, Cheng Yunzhi returned with Cheng Ruzhou.

Many people saw him—some hesitated before greeting him, some ran away when they saw him coming, and some were stunned, unsure whether to apologize or what else to do.

In the past, when they were confiscating property from landlords, everything from their family’s land, houses, furniture, belongings, and grain was taken out and distributed piece by piece.

Useful items were taken away, and useless ones were burned or smashed.

For example, many books were used as toilet paper, and porcelain vases were considered too feudal and were smashed to pieces…

Some things Cheng Yunzhi had thought he had forgotten had unexpectedly come back so vividly.

He had thought he didn’t harbor any resentment, but in reality, he couldn’t remain indifferent.

After this walk, he felt very tired.

Yan Runzhi and Jiang Lin had already set out the meal and asked them to wash up and eat.

Seeing Cheng Yunzhi’s low spirits, Jiang Lin said, “Dad, you just got back. Help us tidy up the east room first. I want to make it into a study. In the future, anyone who wants to read or write can use that room. Da Bao and Xiao Bao can study there too.”

Cheng Yunzhi nodded. “Okay, I’ll take a look.”

Jiang Lin continued, “Just got back, don’t think about going to work at the commune yet.

Get familiar first. Wait until the commune holds the land reform meeting and returns what’s rightfully ours.”