Song Qingshan entered the yard and called out, “Guai guai.”

Little Zhi Zhi was sitting on a small stool beside the garden, munching on a piece of chicken.

Her cheeks were puffed up, and she chewed away like a little squirrel, with her greasy little paws reaching toward Song Qingshan’s face, muttering, “Eat, Daddy eat.”

“This house, you’re the only one who welcomes Daddy,” Song Qingshan said sincerely.

Compared to the two older children, who were waiting for their father just to eat chicken, this well-behaved little girl was always smiling at everyone and loving everyone.

She was so lovable that anyone who saw her would want to spoil her.

The whole chicken was a treasure.

After plucking the feathers, Su Xiangwan carefully laid them out.

Since Su Xianghong had nothing else to do, she planned to take a few of the feathers to the city to sell. Even at one cent each, it would add up to quite a bit.

The gizzards were separated, and Su Xiangwan planned to cook them, grind them into powder, and give it to Zhi Zhi to help her digest better, allowing the child to eat more.

Without a refrigerator and with the weather being hot, fresh meat couldn’t be stored for long.

It had to be eaten within one or two meals, so Su Xiangwan decided to stew the entire rooster in a big pot over an open fire.

While the meat was stewing, she also steamed a few cornmeal buns, which would make up the meal.

“Fang Jinhui and Song Laosan, now you can beat them to death, right? Especially Fang Jinhui, has he been beaten into a cripple?” Su Xiangwan asked on purpose.

Seeing his hesitant expression, Su Xiangwan knew he had a kind heart and had let them go.

Song Qingshan answered honestly, “Tingxiu grabbed him and gave him a good beating, then let him go.”

What she wanted was for Fang Jinhui to be fried a hundred times over, but in this law-abiding society, that was definitely not possible.

“Some people just won’t give up until they reach the Yellow River, won’t stop crying until they see the coffin,” Su Xiangwan said with a smirk. “These two phrases are for you and Fang Jinhui. Now, go ahead, eat your meal.”

Song Qingshan laughed, and Su Xiangwan was almost tempted to hit him two times.

The only basin at home was used for everything—washing vegetables, kneading dough, and even eating chicken.

Of course, just one chicken, cooked in an iron pot, wouldn’t have much to eat.

Xiaojinggui was already familiar with the household.

Quietly, she picked some tender Sichuan pepper leaves from the old house’s pepper tree and placed them on the countertop, watching Su Xiangwan with a tilted head.

The Sichuan pepper leaves were fresh and tender now. The leaves without thorns were picked, deep-fried in oil, then mixed with wild onion flowers, mashed garlic, and a little vinegar.

The smell was sharp and pungent.

When the dish was brought over, Gou Dan immediately reached out to grab it. He yelped, “Wolf can’t find a place to put its paws on the moon, Mom, it’s so hot it burned me!”

Su Xiangwan patiently taught Gou Dan, “You need to tear it slowly and dip it in before eating. What’s the point of just eating chicken?”

Gou Dan, watching his dad’s big mouth, said, “Dad, your mouth is really big.”

Song Qingshan, who was used to snatching food in the military, picked up a chicken leg and saw that both kids were staring at him.

Well, it seemed like there was only one leg left. He looked at Gou Dan, then at Lu Dan, and finally at Jinggui, who was proudly eating the chicken Jinhui had brought. He seemed to be thinking about who should get it.

Su Xiangwan snatched the leg away, tearing off a bite. “From now on, whoever grabs it first gets it. Don’t wait for me to give it.”

Immediately, Lu Dan became less docile, Gou Dan stopped hesitating, and Jinggui became bolder. The three of them immediately dove into the bowl.

This was the way Su Xiangwan did things.

She didn’t believe in equally balancing her love for them. It was better to teach them to fight for what they wanted.

After all, in the real world, there was no such thing as fair distribution. People had to fight for what they wanted.

For nearly a week, Su Xiangwan hadn’t allowed Song Qingshan into bed.

He lay on the two chairs he had brought from the military, his bones aching from the uncomfortable sleep. Tonight, Song Qingshan decided to create a bed for himself on the floor.

Of course, that was just for show. He only laid down two bricks before starting to complain about his aching bones.

Su Xiangwan noticed, and seeing that Zhizhi was still nursing, she understood that the child probably wanted to sleep with her.

She quickly wrapped the baby up, grabbed the bottle, and left the room.

On her way out, she called to Su Xiangwan, “Sis, you’d better stop. Look at my brother-in-law’s arms—they’re all bruised from sleeping on chairs.”

When Song Qingshan rolled up his sleeves to work, his arms were indeed covered in bruises from the chairs.

Su Xiangwan directly moved both chairs out of the room. “These chairs are for me tonight. If my brother-in-law can’t sleep on the bed, then he can sleep on the floor.”

Song Qingshan didn’t say anything, but in his heart, he silently awarded his little sister-in-law a red flower. This girl really had good judgment.

“My big sister doesn’t know what’s wrong with her. She absolutely refuses to divorce. Do you women have any advice?” Song Qingshan asked as he undressed.

Su Xiangwan replied, “My big sister’s matters have nothing to do with me. I remember she doesn’t really like me.”

The Song family’s women, once they had some success, were all dutiful children. Whenever the old lady saw Song Dahua, she would tell Su Xiangwan’s bad side.

Though Song Dahua didn’t speak harshly to Su Xiangwan, she didn’t pay much attention to her either.

They were the kind of people who, when meeting each other, would only casually call each other “sister.”

Su Xiangwan didn’t bother with such a relationship.

“By the way, I have to go to the city sometime. Can I ride with you?” Su Xiangwan asked.

Upon hearing this, Song Qingshan lay down and began stretching. “Just climb up and do it yourself.”

“Well, fine. I’ll drive the tractor, and you can walk to work,” Su Xiangwan replied firmly.

Song Qingshan suddenly sat up with a start. “Su Xiangwan, are you trying to provoke me? Do you know that you’re a woman, and my wife at that? Even if I hurt you, I promised not to touch you again. You can’t be angry forever. You can’t expect me to beg you every day.”

“Ah, I’m your wife, but I feel like I’ve hanged myself,” Su Xiangwan muttered with frustration.

Song Qingshan immediately lay back down. “Fine, do whatever you want. I won’t ask anymore. Is that okay?”

The many instances of attempted suicide in the original story, although not discussed in depth with Song Qingshan, were a significant mental hurdle for him. It was a matter that always affected him deeply.

Su Xiangwan thought to herself, Can’t I deal with you?

“Does it really hurt?” Song Qingshan asked again, unable to help himself.

Su Xiangwan, who was particularly sensitive to pain, admitted, “It really hurts.”

Not at all pleasant, Su Xiangwan had no more expectations.

“Today, I went to the county library to borrow a book on ‘Physiological Health,’ but all the books were burned,” Song Qingshan said, feeling frustrated.

After a pause, he added, “I wanted to ask my comrades, but how can you ask about such things? How about you ask the village women if they have any methods to reduce the pain?”

Su Xiangwan angrily replied, “No, and don’t think about it again. We’ll just live like this.”

Song Qingshan’s despair was something only he truly understood.

After singing the national anthem for a while, he fell asleep.

Su Xiangwan thought to herself, This man is like a stone. He doesn’t know how to adapt. He thinks not touching me is being good to me.

Although he was foolish, at least he genuinely wanted to treat her well, and in this day and age, that was rare and worthy of recognition.

If it weren’t for the fact that he hadn’t dealt with Fang Jinhui properly, Su Xiangwan would have been willing to guide him. But now, she didn’t want to. She needed to wait until her anger subsided.

Without the old lady around, Xiaosong Village was still a beautiful place.

Fang Quezi, who had risen quickly, fell even faster.

First, there were reports from the people, then a public trial in Xinxing Township, followed by his transfer to the county’s revolutionary committee.

Once in the revolutionary committee, survival was no longer an option.

Fang Quezi was made an example of and sent across the county to undergo re-education by the poor and lower-middle-class peasants.

As the village party secretary, Su Xiangwan also went to witness a public trial.

Although only Fang Qianzi and his wife were interrogated, it was likely that Fang Gaodi’s days in the city wouldn’t be easy either.

Once the case reached the county level, the county committee had to expel him and clear his name.

Although Su Xiangwan didn’t agree with the collective punishment of the “heroic fathers and useless sons” or the similar “retribution for corrupt families,” she couldn’t help but feel happy thinking about how the whole Fang family was going to be in big trouble.

Since Fang Jinhui’s entire family was uprooted and their so-called “counter-revolutionary” activities had dissipated, Su Xianghong could now return to the city.

Su Xiangwan remembered that in the original story, Su Xianghong had a very tragic childhood and had to wait until the children like Donkey Egg grew up before she could finally fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor.

She hoped that by helping her sister with her education now, Su Xianghong would have a better future.

However, all the schools were now closed, and the only ones left were the Red Special School and the Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers University.

To get into Red Special, you had to come from a family with a strong political background, and the Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers University was even harder to get into. You either had to be outstanding or come from a very well-off family.

One day, after arriving in the county, Su Xianghong carried Zhi Zhi on her back while Su Xiangwan carried the other two children and they went to the Qing Shui County Red Special School to inquire about the admission process.

The Red Special School had a medical department, which not only didn’t require tuition, but also gave subsidies from the government.

But the entry standards were very high.

In this county, it was as prestigious as Tsinghua and Peking University in Beijing.

The principal, Gu Huaihua, first asked about Su Xianghong’s background. Since her household registration was under her second uncle, who was considered a poor peasant, there was no issue there.

Then there was the matter of her literacy. Su Xianghong was a middle school graduate, which at the time was considered a high level of education, so there were no problems there either.

Her acupuncture skills were well-known in the county health center.

Even Principal Gu’s mother had been treated by Su Xianghong, so Principal Gu’s suggestion was that as long as the higher-ups approved, he would accept her. He gave her an application form and told her to go to the county government to get it stamped.

“This matter is under the jurisdiction of the Women’s Federation?” Su Xiangwan asked while looking at the application form. Coincidentally, it needed approval from both the Women’s Federation and the county government’s Personnel Department.

Did this mean she had to deal with Fang Gaodi and Song Dahua too?

To keep things light, Su Xiangwan decided to start with Song Dahua.

Song Dahua had never been particularly warm to Su Xiangwan, and in Su Xiangwan’s previous memories, she was a cold and stern woman.

When they met this time, Song Dahua was still cold and distant.

After learning the purpose of the visit, Song Dahua quickly stamped the form.

However, she also said, “The former head of the Personnel Department, Fang Gaodi, was dismissed. The new head is still restructuring the department, so it might be difficult to get the stamp. Let me take care of it for you, and you can pick it up in the afternoon.”

“We’ll go ourselves to get it stamped,” Su Xiangwan said.

Song Dahua raised her eyes coldly. “You think you can get it stamped yourself?” Frankly, if they were to thoroughly review Su Xianghong’s file, it would never pass.

Song Dahua took Zhi Zhi in her arms and asked a few questions, like “Are you being good?” and “Are you listening well?”

Then she handed Zhi Zhi back to Su Xiangwan, didn’t say a word, and sent the two sisters out.

As soon as they left the Women’s Federation, Su Xianghong said, “Sis, your sister-in-law isn’t right.”

“What do you mean?” Su Xiangwan asked.

Su Xianghong said, “Her eyes are swollen, and there’s stagnation in her body. I’ve seen many patients, and her condition is quite serious.”