Once the food was ready, Dabao and Xiaobao couldn’t wait, standing by the pot, eagerly watching Yan Runzhi as she took out the steaming shaomai.

Wen Sheng, although still a bit reserved, also couldn’t help but lean closer, standing by and staring at the rising steam from the pot.

Jiang Lin served a few shaomai on a plate, gave one to Wen Sheng, and went to find Cheng Rushan.

He was outside talking to a police officer.

“After the meeting, Cheng Xinda suddenly went crazy, threatening to kill your whole family and making a scene. He almost injured someone. In the end, the county decided to send him to Yunye Lake Farm for reeducation through labor.”

Cheng Rushan remained calm and indifferent, saying, “That’s what he deserves. Thank you, Officer Zhang, for letting me know.”

Officer Zhang smiled and replied, “No problem, I need to visit your team as well.”

Jiang Lin quickly interjected, “Officer Zhang, you should eat before you go.”

Zhang waved his hand, “No, it’s fine. I can eat after finishing my work.”

Jiang Lin handed him two shaomai from the plate, saying, “They’re not hot. Just a quick bite won’t take much time.”

Officer Zhang initially wanted to refuse, but seeing the translucent wrappers with flower-like openings and the colorful fillings, he smiled, “Thank you, thank you.”

He took a bite, and the chewy skin was filled with the flavors of carrot, mushroom, and the aroma of cured meat, plus a delightful surprise of salted egg yolk!

“Wow, Jiang Zhiqing, these snacks are delicious!”

Jiang Lin laughed, “This is shaomai, made by my mom. You’re welcome to come by for a meal anytime!”

Officer Zhang finished the second one, asked how to make them, thanked them again, and rode off on his bicycle.

According to Zhang Gong’an, Cheng Xinda didn’t know why, but his temper was getting worse.

He even threatened to kill Cheng Rushan’s entire family.

In the end, the county made a decisive judgment.

Although Cheng Xinda was young, he posed a serious danger to society, had a malicious mindset, and showed signs of mental illness.

He was forcibly sent to the Yunye Lake labor reform farm, which had a special facility for treating mentally ill prisoners.

The term was ten years, and any protests were useless!

After Cheng Rushan finished speaking, Jiang Lin said, “He’s so malicious and has a dark heart. When he was younger, people didn’t pay attention to him, but now that he’s been exposed to stress, he’s gone crazy.”

Cheng Rushan wrapped his arm around her waist as they headed home. “Most boys his age can’t handle being provoked.”

Besides, Cheng Xinda had a short temper, and with his dark thoughts, it didn’t take much to trigger him.

He couldn’t allow such an enemy to live in the village, making his family anxious every day.

When they heard the news, Cheng Yulian, Old Lady Shang, and Yan Runzhi were the happiest.

With such a dangerous person in the village, the elderly and children were at the most risk.

Who knew what he would do when he grew up? If someone accidentally offended him, he could seek revenge in the cruelest ways.

Keeping a dangerous person nearby was a disaster.

Now that he was being sent away, they were ready to celebrate.

The next day, the village women organized a celebration ceremony and danced joyfully in the courtyard.

With Cheng Xinda dealt with, the village elders and children breathed a sigh of relief and returned to their busy lives.

Business was booming lately, with men from neighboring villages coming to make bricks and earn money.

Since the cold weather was coming soon and the brick kiln would have reduced operations, they needed to make a lot of bricks in advance.

Otherwise, if they didn’t dry in time, they couldn’t be fired and would freeze.

Twenty days passed in the blink of an eye.

Because of the leap year, by mid-October, the weather had already turned cold.

When it gets cold, certain illnesses become more likely, like bronchitis, frostbite, and infected wounds.

Cheng Fugui’s ear kept getting better and then worsening again, causing pain and itching, which was extremely uncomfortable.

The most frustrating thing was that he was suddenly being investigated!

After the four people were overthrown, the higher-ups started to restore order, and the local authorities began checking on those who were gaining power through the movement.

He considered himself not involved and thought he was safe, but there was one issue: at his age, he should have retired, yet he was still holding the position of commune secretary, which raised objections.

Cheng Fugui feared his political career was coming to an end and sensed it was connected to Cheng Rushan.

Recently, Cheng Rushan hadn’t been running long distances but had been frequently visiting the county and provincial revolutionary committees.

He realized that Cheng Rushan’s connections had grown many times wider than his, yet he felt powerless about it.

He decided to take the initiative and write a resignation letter, stating that he was too old and couldn’t continue serving the people.

He wanted to step back to a lighter position, like the armed department head of the commune, where he could still contribute while enjoying a quieter life.

He wrote a heartfelt resignation letter, recalling his contributions over the years and his dedication to the country.

Unfortunately, his arm had been hurting, making it difficult to write neatly, and the loud motorcycle noises outside were very irritating.

As he was preparing the letter, someone pushed the door open.

Cheng Fugui was about to scold whoever entered without permission, but then he saw two police officers in white uniforms and blue pants, and he was taken aback. “Comrades, what happened to my nephew Cheng Xinda?”

Since Cheng Xinda was sent to the Yunye Lake farm, things have been chaotic.

He went crazy, got into fights, and faced a lot of resistance, eventually being locked up with several severely mentally ill patients.

This situation was worse than when Cheng Ruzhou and Cheng Rushan were around.

Cheng Ruzhou might have been silly, but the kids liked playing with him, and even though Cheng Rushan got into fights, he had many admirers too.

One police officer said, “Cheng Fugui, we found out that over thirty years ago, you colluded with Zhao Farong to profit during a national crisis. We’re taking you back to the police station for questioning!”

Cheng Fugui was shocked and immediately protested, “This is unjust! Comrades, someone is framing me. I, Cheng Fugui, have nothing to be ashamed of…”

“Cheng Fugui, stop shouting slogans. We already have solid evidence. Let’s go.” Team Leader Zhuang walked in and waved his hand, and two police officers stepped forward to handcuff Cheng Fugui.

Cheng Fugui kept insisting he was wronged and asked Team Leader Zhuang what was going on and what evidence they had.

After more than thirty years, he didn’t believe there could be any evidence left.

Although he had connections with Zhao Farong’s men back then, he hadn’t really done anything wrong.

Thanks to Cheng Rongzhi, he had even exposed Zhao Farong’s stronghold, so he felt he was innocent and even had merit!

As he was being led out, he caught sight of Cheng Rushan standing under the poplar tree by the door, looking relaxed with a carefree smile.

Although Cheng Fugui was furious, he forced himself to stay calm upon seeing Cheng Rushan.

“You can’t harm me, you brat.”

Cheng Rushan raised an eyebrow slightly, “Cheng Fugui, even if you’re not executed, you’ll spend your life in prison. Yunye Lake welcomes you.”

Cheng Fugui wanted to say something more, but he was shoved onto the motorcycle.

Team Leader Zhuang turned back and waved to Cheng Rushan, “We’re leaving.”

Cheng Rushan raised his hand in acknowledgment.

Watching them drive away, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and slowly walked outside.

He strolled along the small river next to the commune, and in a few days, it would be the Winter Solstice.

The river was already frozen, with reeds swaying in the wind, creating a white expanse.

Although the cattails were dry, they still stood tall like swords piercing the sky.

Standing by the river, his thoughts wandered until they settled on the image of Jiang Lin playing in the water with Da Bao and Xiao Bao.

As the sun set behind the mountains, it cast a golden hue on the ice, and the slanted rays brought a sense of hope for tomorrow.

He smiled softly, eager to return home and see their happy faces.

When he got home, he found Jiang Lin and Wensheng returning together.

Wensheng was carrying his sword on his back, looking like a hero.

Jiang Lin wore a cotton coat with a chicken egg and tomato design made by Yan Runzhi, with a fitted waist, traditional buttons, and a right-side opening, warm and beautiful.

To avoid getting it dirty, she wore a gray-blue outer coat tied with a belt.

This was a design she created herself, tailored by Yan Runzhi.

Even in winter, her waist looked slender in the cotton coat.

Seeing Cheng Rushan return, Wensheng was also happy and didn’t disturb them, heading home to practice his swordplay instead.

Jiang Lin’s eyes lit up when she saw Cheng Rushan.

She linked her arm with his and said, “You’re finally back, head of the family! It’s been a while!”

Cheng Rushan teased, “Director Jiang, are you missing me?”

He hadn’t been on long trips lately, and he had only been away from home for three or four days.

She probably preferred it that way, so he wouldn’t keep bringing up the topic of “embracing each other every day.”

Now that she was being so sweet, she must have an agenda.

Jiang Lin smiled and pulled out a list, leaning against him. “Yes, I’ve missed you.”

She was asking him to help transport coal and cement.

Cheng Rushan glanced at the list, looking at her with a playful smile. “Director Jiang, please be mindful of your influence; I might get shy.”

“You shy?!” Jiang Lin looked up at him and pointed with her chin at the sun in the west. “The sun can testify that you’ve never been shy!”

Seeing her playful expression, Cheng Rushan wrapped his arm around her waist and lifted her up with one arm. “Let’s go to the little forest and do something shy.”

Jiang Lin was startled and kicked her legs, playfully hitting his chest. “Stop joking! Put me down!”

Cheng Rushan laughed, “Oh, so you don’t miss me after all.”

Jiang Lin insisted, “I really do miss you!”

“How much do you miss me? Tell me about it.” He looked at her, and the golden sunlight bathed her face, giving her fair skin a warm, translucent glow.

It was incredibly gentle.

---

He quickly leaned down and gave her a kiss.

“Hey, that’s too much!” Jiang Lin jumped up and pulled his ear, since she couldn’t grab his waist.

Just then, Da Bao, Xiao Bao, and Cheng Yunzhi came running back from the east, shouting, “Dad’s home!”

They dashed over and jumped towards Cheng Rushan, who bent his knees and caught them, spinning around without stopping.

“Wow, this is so much fun!” Da Bao and Xiao Bao laughed joyfully. “We’re swinging around!”

After a few spins, Cheng Rushan worried they might get dizzy, so he set them down and went to talk to Cheng Yunzhi.

Jiang Lin immediately said to Da Bao and Xiao Bao, “Let’s go home and practice poetry for the competition! Let’s see who can memorize more, and the winner gets fruit!”

Da Bao protested, “Comrade Jiang Lin, you’re not that young anymore! You’re taking advantage of us!”

Xiao Bao added, “Lin Lin, you should compete with Dongsheng, not with us!”

“Now you see how awesome I am!” Jiang Lin laughed as she ran home, with Da Bao and Xiao Bao chasing after her.

Cheng Rushan and Cheng Yunzhi didn’t rush home; instead, they strolled around and talked about the news of Cheng Fugui’s arrest.

Cheng Yunzhi was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter, clapping his hands, “Great, great, great!”

Cheng Fugui thought he was in the clear because he never actually sold opium and didn’t join Zhao Faron’s criminal group.

However, he was too quick to celebrate.

Cheng Rushan didn’t pursue him directly but instead found friends to help track down the brothers who used to hang out with Cheng Fugui.

At first, these friends helped him, but when Cheng Rongzhi confined him at home, they switched loyalty to Cheng Fugui after he gained power and even raided Zhao Faron’s treasure vault.

They initially turned in silver dollars but kept the gold for themselves.

Unfortunately, they didn’t anticipate the new government and the upcoming movements, which required tickets and vouchers to buy anything, leaving them no chance to spend the gold.

So, the gold remained hidden in secret places.

Cheng Fugui had actually wanted to eliminate the others and keep the gold for himself but failed, and in the end, everyone took their share and went their separate ways.

Now, this issue resurfaced, leading to blame-shifting among them.

Even though he never officially joined Zhao Faron’s group, he still had many connections with him.

In the end, after consulting the local government, Cheng Fugui was sentenced to life in prison and sent to a labor reform farm at Yunye Lake.

He was arrested, and an investigation into his connections began—Cheng Fuwan was removed from his captain position, his family’s university qualifications were revoked, and jobs obtained through connections were terminated.

Additionally, a box of yellow fish hidden in his cellar was confiscated.