When she got home, even the courtyard was neat and tidy.

The water tank in the kitchen was full, so Ningshu quickly mixed some hot water and took a bath.

After taking a bath, she felt refreshed, but the room was a bit stuffy, and she couldn’t sleep.

So Ning Shu put the mat at the door where she could feel the breeze under the eaves.

Compared to the room, it was cooler there.

In the summer, many people in the countryside slept outside, in the eaves or in the courtyard.

Without a fan or air conditioning, the rooms in summer were too hot.

When Lin’s mother came over to check on things after tidying up, she saw Ning Shu sleeping under the eaves at the door of the room.

But Ning Shu didn’t fall asleep completely.

When she heard some noise, she opened her eyes, “Mom, why did you come over?”

“I came to see if you needed any help.”

“No, I’m a bit tired. I’ll take a nap first. Feel free to look around.” Ning Shu closed her eyes again.

“Alright, you sleep.” Lin’s mother also knew she was tired and didn’t disturb her.

Thinking that the sugarcane was ready to eat and there were no snacks in the countryside, she went to the backyard, cut a piece of sugarcane, peeled it directly in the backyard, and then fetched some water from the well.

After soaking the sugarcane in the water for a while, it would be cool.

After soaking the sugarcane, she went to the kitchen and washed a large basin of clothes at the door of the bathroom.

These were the clothes Ning Shu had changed out of, some from the car, and some from today’s shower.

With the good weather, they would dry by evening.

Lin’s mother washed the clothes in Ning Shu’s courtyard.

There was well water and a washbasin, making it very convenient.

While she was washing the clothes, Qian Aifen arrived.

Seeing Lin’s mother washing clothes and Ning Shu sleeping, she went up to help.

Qian Aifen came to give back some money.

Since they had received compensation from Zhuang Xiaopang’s mother, they could now repay the loan.

In fact, they could have repaid it last year, but at that time, it was troublesome to transfer the money back and forth.

Anyway, Ning Shu would return sooner or later, so they agreed to wait until she came back to repay it.

In addition to the money for Haicai’s medical expenses, she also prepared to cover Haicai’s expenses for the past year and a half in the military.

Seeing the condition of her son, she knew Ning Shu had spent a lot of effort on him.

If Haicai had stayed at home for the past year and a half, he wouldn’t have been taken care of so well.

For this, Qian Aifen was truly grateful.

But her gratitude wasn’t just talk.

During this year and a half, while her son was in the military, she had also expressed her gratitude.

They might not be able to provide money or food, but she had made shoes for the three children and Ning Shu and sent them to the military.

Ning Shu couldn’t make shoes herself.

While Lin’s mother and Qian Aifen were washing clothes, the main house of the old Lin family was also lively.

Haicai, after finishing his lunch, was rummaging through his luggage, while his three brothers and four sisters watched.

Although the Lin family had divided, the children from the main house and the second house were still quite close.

They grew up under the same roof, and the adults from the two houses had never quarreled.

Plus, the children’s nature was relatively pure, so they got along very well.

Haicai brought back a big package, which made his brothers and sisters very curious.

They weren’t interested in Haicai’s things; they just wanted to know what was inside.

No one made Haicai’s brothers and sisters wait long.

As soon as he finished eating, he went to open it.

Haicai’s spirits were quite good.

Although he and Ning Shu took the train together, Ning Shu was tired because she was taking care of the children and was more alert, guarding against the children being stolen, etc., so she was more tired.

But Haicai alternated between eating and sleeping, and his spirits improved a lot.

“Haicai, what’s in these packages? Open them quickly,” Lin Haiwu urged.

Like many children in other families, Lin Haiwen, as the eldest grandson, was more stable, while Lin Haiwu, the second grandson, had a more cheerful personality.

“Okay.” Haicai opened the package slowly.

Maybe it was because of his shy personality, so he was a bit slow.

Under the eager anticipation of his brothers and sisters, Haicai’s package was finally opened, with seven people and fourteen eyes all fixed on it.

They saw Hai Cai take out a bundle of newspaper from inside.

“Hai Cai, what’s inside here?” Lin Haiquan asked.

“It’s dried shrimp, very tasty!” Hai Cai replied.

He opened the newspaper, wrapped inside was another layer of oil paper, and when he unfolded it, there were the dried shrimps.

These dried shrimps were boiled and then dried in the sun, so they could be eaten directly.

Seafood was relatively cheap over there, and it’s good for strengthening bones, so Ning Shu would trade a lot back every month.

She used things purchased online through an app for trading, like snacks, apples, which were all very cost-effective.

She traded these snacks for her children, a few shrimps each day.

This time when Hai Cai came back, he brought all the leftovers with him.

Hai Cai said, taking out shrimps from inside, giving each older sibling one: “You can eat them directly.”

Everyone looked at the big shrimps in their hands, feeling a bit thirsty and wanting to eat.

But no one ate them.

Rural children cherish snacks very much, they like to eat slowly.

Hai Cai rewrapped the shrimp and then took out a cloth bag, which Ning Shu made for him using old clothes.

He opened the cloth bag and pulled out a handful of candies: there were fruit-flavored candies, White Rabbit milk candies, some nougat and peanut candies Ning Shu purchased from the app.

Some he kept for himself because he didn’t want to eat them, and some Ning Shu grabbed several handfuls for him before he left.

There were also some fruit candies and White Rabbit milk candies given to him by his friends in the army compound.

Hai Cai gave each older sibling one candy.

Looking at the shrimp and the candies, they all thought, following Third Auntie was indeed fortunate.

Nevertheless, despite this, none of them wanted to join the army.

They were all older children, and their sense of belonging to their family was stronger.

Then Hai Cai took out his little backpack, which Ning Shu made for him.

He opened it, and inside were children’s books Ning Shu collected, as well as exercise books and a pencil case.

Next, he took out two cans of fruit, and three apples.

Hai Cai didn’t divide these; they would eat them together later.

Underneath the fruit cans was a tin box. Hai Cai opened it, and instead of cookies, it contained sweet and salty twist snacks.

The sweet ones were made with white sugar, and the salty ones were made with seaweed.

Hai Cai divided half of each sweet and salty twist snack for each older sibling.

Lastly, he took out his clothes.

He had quite a few in the past year and a half.

When he left, it was winter, and Ning Shu made him three sets of summer clothes.

He wore one set of winter clothes when he left, and brought some with him, so Ning Shu only made him one set.

Finally, Hai Cai touched his neck.

There was a string around it, with a small cloth bag sewn onto it containing his money.

Hai Cai didn’t tell his older siblings that this was money he earned himself.

He was already a grown-up and knew he couldn’t talk about it.

Thinking of his money, Hai Cai remembered the Three Brothers.

It had only been three days since he left the army, but he missed them.

He even looked forward to the holidays, wanting to visit them and his buddies in the army.

Not only did Hai Cai miss the Three Children, but even Ning Shu, upon waking up and finding herself not in the familiar army family compound, she felt a brief sense of unease.

Even though she had been living here longer, these two and a half years had been spent in the family compound, so she had gotten used to it.

Ning Shu got up and saw the clothes drying outside.

She felt a bit embarrassed; these must have been washed by Lin’s mother.

She also noticed the washing basin next to the mat with peeled sugarcane in it.

She picked up a piece and started eating.

The sugarcane was quite sweet.

Although not as crunchy as the modern ones, it was still sweet enough.

After eating a piece of sugarcane, Ning Shu put away the mat and went to the storage room.

She opened the rice jar and found that the rice left untouched two and a half years ago was gone.

Making sure she wouldn’t be back soon, she wrote in a letter to be sent back with a package, informing them to eat the rice to prevent it from being infested with bugs.

Then Ning Shu went to Lin Xiaoshan’s house.

The door was open, indicating someone was inside.

Ning Shu called out, “Is Xiaoshan’s mom home?”

A figure rushed out from inside, saying while running, “My mom’s not here, she’s gone to work… Ah!, Aunt Ning?”

The one who rushed out was Little Shi. When he saw Ning Shu, he was momentarily stunned, then joyfully called out.

Even though it had been over two years, there was no hint of unfamiliarity in Little Shi’s eyes.

Little Shi wasn’t unfamiliar with Ning Shu because his mother and older brother often talked about her.

His family was saved by Ning Shu because she lent them money, and later, Ning Shu exchanged things with them, making their lives better.

They always remembered this kindness.

Moreover, every year when they dried bamboo shoots, they would sigh and wonder when Ning Shu would return.

They had been talking about her so much that Little Shi couldn’t feel distant from her. “Auntie Ning, you’re back? Did Yi Bao and Er Bao and San Bao come back?”

For kids like Little Shi, their biggest concern was naturally their buddies.

“Little Shi, I haven’t seen you in over two years, and you’ve grown so tall. Yi Bao and Er Bao haven’t come back. They’ve been talking about you and missing you,” Ning Shu smiled.

Little Shi also smiled shyly.

His father died early, and he had been oppressed since childhood, so he was introverted and shy, similar to Hai Cai’s personality.

But different, his introversion carried some timidity, while Hai Cai grew up in a harmonious family, introverted but not timid; when Er Bao and Zhuang Xiaopang fought, he could rush up without hesitation.

Hearing Ning Shu say that Yi Bao and Er Bao missed him, he was very happy. “I miss them too, but I’m going to school now and can’t play all the time. Are Yi Bao and Er Bao also going to school?”

“Yes, Yi Bao and Er Bao are also going to school. Then you all study hard and strive to become workers in the future,” Ning Shu encouraged him.

“Yeah, I’ll study hard.” Little Shi was precocious, knowing his mother had it hard, so he wanted to study hard to repay her.

“Little Shi, is your brother here?” Ning Shu didn’t mind talking to Little Shi about trading bamboo shoots if Little Shi’s mother wasn’t there; she initially traded with Little Shi.

“No, my brother’s not here; he’s gone to work.”

Lin Xiaoshan was 11 years old this year.

He couldn’t do adult work, but he could handle the tasks that earned two or three labor credits.

He was hardworking and didn’t want his mother to suffer alone.

Whenever he had time, he would go to work.

But he also went to school.

He didn’t have much time to work usually, only on rest days and holidays.

Sensible children always manage to find time to help their mothers.

When Ning Shu heard that both Little Shi’s mother and brother were not at home, she said, “Then, when your mother and brother come back from work, tell them what happened, and tell them I’ll come after dinner.”

“Okay, I got it, Aunt Ning, don’t worry, I’ll tell my mother and brother,” Little Shi said.

“You’re so good.” Ning Shu praised him and then went back home.

Back home, Ning Shu didn’t know what to do for a moment, so she took another piece of sugarcane and went to the backyard while chewing on it.

In addition to sugarcane, there were also vegetables in the backyard, lush and vibrant.

It was a pity that the sugarcane was too heavy; she couldn’t bring it to the army; otherwise, she really wanted to bring a few bundles back.

Around four o’clock, Hai Cai’s voice sounded outside, “Third Auntie , Third Auntie, my mother is calling you for dinner!”