The three brothers used to be inseparable.

Wensheng said, “Da Bao and Xiao Bao can be with Grandpa and Grandma. When they go to school and Mom needs to go out, I’ll go with her.” He thought for a moment and then said to Cheng Yunzhi, “Grandpa, I need a weapon to protect Mom in case of danger.”

Cheng Yunzhi asked, “What kind of weapon?”

Wensheng replied, “A sword! Our family has a sword. You can pass it on to me.”

Cheng Yunzhi thought about the sword that had been confiscated during the raids. “That sword was given to the Public Security Bureau to fight bad guys.”

Wensheng said seriously, “I’ll ask Dad to get it back for me.”

After Cheng Yunzhi took Da Bao and Xiao Bao to the nursery class,

Cheng Rushan returned from outside to have breakfast.

After breakfast, he needed to go to the county.

Wensheng said, “Dad, please get our family’s sword back from the Public Security Bureau for me.”

Cheng Rushan nodded, “Okay.”

After breakfast, Cheng Rushan went into the room to prepare his things, and Jiang Lin followed him to help.

She whispered, “Wensheng seems to have grown up overnight. Are you sure it’s okay to give him a sword? Maybe you should give him a wooden one.”

Cheng Rushan wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her, “Don’t worry. He’s as sensible as an adult now.”

Besides, he wouldn’t give him something that could cause harm.

The two went outside and saw Wensheng standing straight in the courtyard, almost like he was on guard duty.

Cheng Rushan patted him on the shoulder, “No need to stand guard. Just accompany her when she goes out.”

Wensheng nodded, “Okay.”

Cheng Rushan noticed that Wensheng no longer had the innocent and carefree demeanor he once did.

He didn’t have the childlike laughter and instead had a serious expression, much like Da Bao trying to act grown-up.

So, he wasn’t actually grown up; he was just trying very hard to act like an adult.

That was probably a good thing.

Yan Runzhi said to Jiang Lin, “Bao’er’s mom, you should rest at home instead of working.”

Jiang Lin replied, “Mom, I’m feeling great. I get restless if I just rest. Wensheng and I will go to the brick kiln and come back by noon. In the afternoon, I’ll come to see your embroidery.”

Yan Runzhi had planned to stay home with Jiang Lin, but seeing how she couldn’t sit still, she decided to go work on embroidery as well.

Jiang Lin looked at Wensheng standing there, straight and tall, not like a child who would occasionally laugh and play with her.

He stood firm like a pine tree and sat still like a bell, with a slightly serious expression instead of the naive and cute look he used to have.

He really looked like a quiet and handsome young man.

If he could maintain this demeanor as he grew, reaching eighteen would be great.

Even if his mindset stayed at eighteen forever, everyone would be satisfied.

She flipped through a few magazines but couldn’t find any explanation for his sudden maturity, so she gave up.

She called out to him, “Wensheng, let’s go to work.”

Wensheng immediately stood up and walked with her, but he no longer held her hand like before.

Instead, he kept an eye on her with his peripheral vision, as if she were a fragile old lady who might need his support at any moment.

As they left, they could still hear Ma Kaihua and Chang Jihong crying and causing a commotion, seemingly refusing to let Cheng Xinda be taken to the county.

“He’s still a child. What child doesn’t make mistakes? In our village, how many kids have been injured while playing or fighting? Why do they have to pick on my son?” Cheng Decai and Chang Jihong blocked the gate of the brigade, not letting anyone pass and threatening to cause a scene in the county.

Cheng Rushan coldly said, “Against those who play tricks, a fist works well.” He waved his hand, and Cheng Decai immediately stepped back in fear.

Cheng Rushan signaled for the others to take Cheng Xinda away.

They took the brigade’s mule cart to the county.

The security director, the brigade secretary, and Cheng Yulian all went along.

She was very concerned about the situation and insisted on going to clarify things and see how the county would handle it.

Otherwise, she would be anxious at home.

When they arrived at the county public security bureau, at first, the officers heard it was a juvenile who had set a dog to hurt someone.

They sternly said, “He must be detained and properly educated. Bring in his parents for education as well. Was anyone injured?”

Hearing that no one was hurt, the officers said, “Alright then, take him back and educate him properly. Don’t waste the public security bureau’s time.”

Cheng Decai and the others were very smug, “We’ll take him back and educate him. No need to waste the bureau’s time.”

Cheng Yulian shouted, “Comrade Public Security Officer, we can’t educate him. This is a serious matter. He trained a big hunting dog to attack people by wrapping meat and bones in stolen clothes. He confessed to it himself.”

With so many witnesses, Cheng Xinda couldn’t deny it.

The public security officer asked, “Where’s the dog?”

Cheng Rushan said, “We ate it.”

“Ate…ate it?” The officer’s eyes widened.

It was the first time he had heard of a dog being eaten after biting someone.

Everyone says if a dog bites you, can you bite it back? Well, they actually did bite back.

Cheng Yulian said, “Comrade Public Security Officer, if you had someone like this around you, someone with malicious intentions who trained a big wolf dog to attack people, could you sleep well? We can’t sleep. Our children, our chickens, ducks, geese, and pigs are all in danger. We can’t stand it.”

Ma Kaihua and the others were about to start arguing with her, but the public security officers ordered them to be quiet.

Cheng Rushan added, “This is exactly the kind of tactic used by the bad elements like Zhao Farong and the puppet troops against the revolutionaries. Who would have thought a child like Cheng Xinda would know such methods? Doesn’t this indicate someone is behind him, instructing him? There must be a group of counter-revolutionaries hiding in the background. Comrade Public Security Officer, this is the key issue. It’s a serious matter.”

The officer was taken aback and quickly went to find the criminal investigation team leader.

Cheng Fuwan and the others never expected Cheng Rushan to accuse them of counter-revolutionary activities.

They repeatedly protested and shouted their innocence.

But threats meant nothing to Cheng Rushan; when he set his mind on something, he would achieve it no matter how much effort and time it took.

He never altered his goals due to external changes.

Soon, Captain Zhuang arrived to personally take over the case.

After understanding the situation and reviewing the brigade’s written joint complaint, he signed to accept the case.

Because of Cheng Rushan’s report, they decided to combine this case with the recent case involving Cheng Fugui.

Cheng Xinda was temporarily detained at the public security bureau.

Once the investigation was completed, there would be interrogation and trial procedures.

At this time, the smashed public security and judicial system had not yet been fully restored, and sentencing was decided by the revolutionary committee.

Cheng Rushan went to the transportation office to borrow the phone.

He dialed a number, and after it connected, he identified himself.

The voice on the other end was rich and magnetic, yet playful, “Little Shan, don’t rush. I’ve got a big gift for you!”

“Have you found evidence of Cheng Fugui’s crimes? I know it’s hard to investigate after so many years. If you can’t…”

“Hey, Little Shan, are you doubting your brother’s abilities? That’s not fair. Don’t you know how capable I am?”

“If you can’t do it, I’ll find someone who can…”

“Just you wait! I’m not dead yet, so it hasn’t come to that. Hang tight, I’ll have good news for you in a few days!”

Cheng Rushan heard the other person still wanting to talk, so he ignored the protests and decisively hung up the phone.

He then called Dr. Ju at the provincial hospital to discuss Wen Sheng’s situation.

Dr. Ju encouraged them to keep observing and testing, saying that maintaining this good state might bring hope for Wen Sheng’s improvement.

After the call, Cheng Rushan asked a staff member from the transportation department to get a blunt sword from the police station.

The sword wasn’t theirs but was collected during a crackdown on illegal groups a few years ago, and there were plenty stored away without any use.

Cheng Rushan took one and tied it to the crossbeam of his vehicle to bring back for Wen Sheng.

From then on, Wensheng never left home without the sword.

He took it with him everywhere and practiced sword techniques whenever he had time.

In the stories of Dabao and Xiaobao, besides Dongsheng and Linlin, there was now also Wensheng with his great sword.

In the following days, Cheng Rushan went to the county every day.

Regarding the incident where Cheng Xinda trained hunting dogs to plan a murder, the entire village had witnessed it.

Cheng Xinda himself confessed, and his family members also testified, making the evidence clear.

Cheng Fuqi and Cheng Fuwan tried to argue that the children were young and easily influenced, wanting to shift the blame and let them stay home for rehabilitation.

At first, the county revolutionary committee considered this opinion, but some leaders, like Cheng Yulian, disagreed, worried that Cheng Xinda might continue to harm others in the village.

So, the county revolutionary committee needed to discuss further.

One day, Jiang Lin and Wen Sheng returned from the brick factory.

Yan Runzhi and his wife were preparing dinner, while Dabao and Xiaobao finished their homework and were playing games in the yard.

When they saw Jiang Lin and Wensheng coming back, they immediately ran over.

“Mom, let me test you on ‘Qinyuan Chun: Snow’,” Dabao said like a little teacher.

Jiang Lin replied, “I’ve memorized it, so it’s no problem.” She recited it smoothly.

Since she wanted to study, she started getting up early to memorize language lessons and poems from leaders.

While idle at the brick factory, she chatted with fellow youths like Sun Qinghui about learning.

Based on her experience in political classes, she knew that exams at this stage were similar; they mostly asked you to explain what something reflected, embodied, or praised.

If you grasped the essence, you wouldn’t go wrong.

In the afternoons or evenings, she would review her lessons and practice problems with Jiang Xinglei, competing to see who could do better.

It felt like a fun game, but she was learning much more solidly, so now she was great at memorizing.

Although Dabao didn’t fully understand the poem, he was clever and could memorize things faster than adults.

He listened to Jiang Lin without missing a word and nodded, saying, “Mom, you’re amazing! Here’s a little clap for you.”

He handed a red maple leaf that he and Xiaobao had picked up to Jiang Lin.

Jiang Lin accepted it, saying, “Thank you, little teacher.” She tucked the leaf into her textbook.

Xiaobao then showed them the story he and Dabao had created, titled “Dongsheng and Linlin Brave the Six-Fingered Demon,” and told them about it.

Just then, Cheng Rushan returned from the county on his bicycle, bringing the cured leather to Jiang Lin.

Jiang Lin said to Cheng Yunzhi, “Use this for Dad, it’ll be more comfortable for his legs.”

Cheng Yunzhi refused, “I have a sheepskin blanket and knee pads. It’s fine, you keep it.”

Yan Runzhi said, “Bao’er’s mom, use this, and you won’t have to worry anymore.”

So, Jiang Lin put it away on the shelf and went out to see Cheng Rushan and Wensheng practicing with the sword, while Dabao and Xiaobao cheered them on.

Cheng Rushan had learned a few sword techniques from a martial arts master, which looked impressive with the sword flashing and twirling beautifully.

Wensheng was captivated and wanted to imitate him.

Cheng Rushan stopped his flashy moves and told Wensheng, “This isn’t very meaningful. You should learn Tai Chi sword instead.”

It’s good for strengthening the body, and many older men on the farm practiced Tai Chi and Tai Chi sword.

Cheng Rushan had learned a few moves and decided to teach them to Wen Sheng.

Jiang Lin, Dabao, and Xiaobao all joined in to learn too.

Jiang Lin also called Cheng Yunzhi and Yan Runzhi over to learn together.

Practicing with sticks as a family every morning and evening was a great idea.

After they practiced and warmed up, Yan Runzhi asked Jiang Lin, “What are we cooking for dinner?”

Jiang Lin was startled by a dog, and Yan Runzhi spoke to her with an increasingly gentle tone, as if comforting a child.

Jiang Lin asked, “Is there leftover rice from lunch?”

Yan Runzhi replied, “Yes, should we make fried rice?”

Jiang Lin suggested, “Let’s make shaomai instead.”

Yan Runzhi agreed, “Shaomai is delicious, let’s do it!”

They didn’t intentionally steam glutinous rice; they just used the leftover rice they had.

Jiang Lin went over to help, taking a carrot from their stock, along with some dried shiitake mushrooms and cured meat.

They used whatever ingredients they had, chopping everything into small pieces.

They sautéed green onions in the pan, then added the chopped cured meat to render some oil, followed by the diced vegetables.

Finally, they added the scrambled leftover rice, frying it all together and setting it aside in an enamel basin.

Meanwhile, the dough was ready.

They kneaded it into small pieces and rolled it out into thin wrappers with ruffled edges, then filled them with the mixture, pinching the tops into little flower shapes.

Dabao and Xiaobao watched in awe, exclaiming, “It looks so beautiful!”

Jiang Lin noticed some pickled duck eggs they had made at home.

She had boiled a few in the morning, so she took some, scooped out the yolks with a spoon, and placed a piece inside each shaomai.