Township Chief Han didn’t take the whip but instead said to Song Qingshan, “Give him a lesson right here. Let the villagers see that no matter what we lose, we should never lose our education. We can’t teach kids to steal.”

Just when everyone thought the situation was about to unfold, Song Qingshan took the whip but handed it to Township Chief Han.

“The child is not at fault; it’s the parents’ failure to educate him. I’m his uncle, and if I haven’t taught him properly, that’s my responsibility. Don’t punish the child, just punish me,” Song Qingshan actually said.

“Commander Song, this might not be appropriate,” Village Chief Han said, stunned.

Song Tingxiu also spoke up, “Brother, why are you doing this? What’s the relationship between you and this child that you’re helping him like this?”

Song Qingshan hadn’t mentioned anything about Li Chengze to Tingxiu before. He was a man of few words and never one for explanations.

At this moment, he didn’t say anything, but simply took off his military uniform and said, “Han Village Chief, go ahead and punish me.”

Underneath the uniform, Song Qingshan’s muscles bulged out, thick and powerful.

Su Xiangwan felt a surge of anger initially—angry that Song Qingshan treated Li Chengze so well, yet seemed indifferent to his own two sons.

But then, she suddenly remembered something from the book: once, Goudan had stolen apricots from the county magistrate’s house in the county town and got caught, being tied to a tree and beaten. When Song Qingshan arrived, he didn’t hesitate to untie Goudan, allowing the county magistrate’s maid to beat him instead.

In the book, Goudan resented him for that, which led to a series of rebellions, even plotting to kill Song Qingshan’s elderly mother in the streets.

On the other hand, Ludan loved his father but was too straightforward, always suffering and enduring. In the end, he was betrayed by his brother.

Song Qingshan was a filial son, deeply respectful to his parents.

However, when it came to his own children, he might overlook certain details, but his love as a father was always there.

However, it was clear that he was intent on raising Li Chengze, and that was something Su Xiangwan couldn’t let go of.

Village Chief Han couldn’t really punish Song Qingshan, but just as he was about to put down the whip, Song Qingshan urged, “A promise must be kept, to set an example. Han Yuejin, go ahead.”

Han Village Chief thought for a moment, then raised the whip and lashed out.

Song Qingshan’s words were true: as long as the child grew up, no matter what happened, it would be better than turning into a thief. People despise thieves more than robbers because a robber at least has some skill, whereas a thief is the lowest of the low.

If that whip could save a child from becoming a thief, then today Han Yuejin was like Zhou Yu fighting Huang Gai—both were in the same boat, doing what was necessary for the child’s education.

The whip cracked sharply against Song Qingshan’s bronzed back, leaving a clear red welt as it snapped back.

After three lashes, Han Village Chief put the whip down, shook Song Qingshan’s hand, and said, “Thank you for your sacrifice.”

Song Qingshan simply put on his clothes and calmly replied, “It’s nothing.”

The entire crowd was stunned.

Whispers immediately filled the air as everyone speculated: where did this child come from?

He must be close to Song Qingshan, since he called him “uncle.”

Some even praised Song Qingshan as a true man, someone who could take responsibility.

At that moment, Han Village Chief seized the opportunity and said, “Although we talk about new civilization and trends today, ‘Failure to teach is the father’s fault’ is an old saying passed down from the past. If you don’t properly educate your children and let them become thieves, then come to me, and I’ll punish them. You see, I’m the commander of the Qing Shui Gorge Reservoir. If you haven’t taught your children well, I’ll punish them as I see fit.”

With that, the whole room fell silent.

When Su Xiangwan turned around, she realized that Su Xiaonan had already slipped away unnoticed.

That woman, she had just left her godson behind!

“ Tingxiu, hurry up and go after Gu Nan! Tell her to take her godson with her!” Su Xiangwan still hoped to salvage the situation.

Song Tingxiu was still dazed. “Sister-in-law, who exactly is that child? My brother is willing to take his punishment for him?”

“Li Chengze, the grandson of Director Li of the Public Security Bureau. You’re in law enforcement, yet you didn’t know this?” Su Xiangwan shot back.

Song Tingxiu was even more confused. “My brother never told me about this.”

Goudan jumped up and said, “Second Uncle, Second Uncle, is that Director Gu going to marry you?”

Only then did Song Tingxiu realize that he was here for a blind date, and the person he was supposed to meet was Gu Nan.

He slapped his forehead and said, “I need to talk to Gu Nan about this.”

In reality, Song Tingxiu had been tricked into coming by his younger sister, Song Erhua.

He didn’t have any intention of getting married, nor did he want to lead Gu Nan on. He was prepared to be straightforward and clear with her.

If things didn’t go as planned, and Gu Nan left, it would be awkward, especially if Gu Bei, the director of the city’s Public Security Bureau, found out.

When Goudan saw his second uncle running off, he jumped up and told Su Xiangwan, “Mom, Mom, Second Uncle’s gone. He’s definitely going to chase after Gu Nan.”

Su Xiangwan gritted her teeth. “It’s his fate. Song Tingxiu, you’re doomed to be alone for life.”

As the family returned home, the tractor was filled with four children, one of whom was the same child who had falsely accused Ludan of stealing earlier.

Goudan and Ludan, for the first time, teamed up and hid in a corner, glaring at Li Chengze.

Su Xiangwan and Zhi Zhi sat on the other side, especially Zhi Zhi, who, though small and weak, was determined to get back at Li Chengze for being a “bad brother.”

She took the cookie her brother gave her, threw it at Li Chengze, and then grabbed a stone to throw at him as well.

The child used all her strength, wishing she could throw this “bad brother” off the tractor.

“Ugh,” she muttered. “dont like.”

Su Xiangwan remained silent throughout the ride. When they finally got home and it was time to cook, she still didn’t say a word.

As for Li Chengze, when he entered the house, his eyes suddenly lit up. He immediately grabbed Da Shan and buried his face in Da Shan’s fur, without saying a word.

“Dad, why is that little thief holding onto our dog?” Lǘ Dàn hurriedly came to report to Song Qingshan. “Dashan doesn’t even bite him.”

Song Qingshan replied, “Dashan is just a dog of his distant uncle. His uncle and his father were both border police. His father died two years ago while serving in the border defense in Yunnan, and his uncle is now assigned to work at our reservoir.”

Lu Dan pursed his lips, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. “I can’t call him brother. Also, we don’t have anywhere to sleep right now. Can you just hang him up on the door tonight?”

Having relatives come over and not having anywhere to sleep, and hanging them on the door, was a classic self-deprecating joke used by people from Qinzhou, poking fun at their own poverty.

Lu Dan was still young and took the saying seriously, thinking he could actually hang someone on the door.

“What do you mean, no place to sleep?” Song Qingshan pushed two 1.2-meter beds together and pointed at them. “You three can sleep on these. This bed is wide enough, won’t you fit?”

Lu Dan still didn’t think it would work. “He stinks.”

“Bullshit, he’s way cleaner than you two.” Song Qingshan knew his son was just being difficult on purpose.

Gou Dàn, curious, touched his father’s back and asked, “Dad, does it hurt where the whip hit?”

Song Qingshan shook his head. “No, it doesn’t hurt.”

“I won’t steal things, so you don’t have to get hit.” Gou Dan quickly added.

Lu Dan looked genuinely upset.

After all, Li Chengze seemed taller than him, had fairer skin, and even jumped higher than him.

He had stolen the wallet, falsely accused him, and ruined his mother’s chance to be selected as a cultural promoter today.

Most importantly, he had made his father lose face in front of everyone.

With a humph, he said, “Dad, just know that we brothers won’t let him off easy tonight.”

Song Qingshan finished setting up the beds, swept the kids’ room, and then went into the kitchen.

“What’s cooking? It smells so good,” he asked.

Su Xiangwan rolled her eyes at him. “Millet noodles made into sticks, you like them, so I’ll make them a few more times.”

Millet noodles were coarse, but when made into sticks and served with pickled vegetables, they tasted pretty good.

However, no matter how delicious the grain dishes were, they could never compare to meat, right?

“You didn’t make any meat for Chengze, though, did you?” Song Qingshan commented.

Su Xiangwan rolled her eyes again. “Do we even have any meat?”

“Wasn’t there the big goose from yesterday that we didn’t finish?” Song Qingshan remembered how they had all eaten that goose together the night before.

Su Xiangwan recalled how Li Chengze had hung that goose under her tractor yesterday.

The thought made her so angry that she slammed the knife down on the chopping board again.

By this time, Song Qingshan had already found the remaining goose meat, brought it out, and placed it on the steamer.

“Is he trying to get beaten?” Song Qingshan muttered under his breath, sensing the tension building.

Su Xiangwan made a pot of millet noodles for dinner, and at this moment, Song Tingxiu had returned.

“How did it go? Did you apologize to Comrade Gu Nan?” Su Xiangwan asked.

This time, Song Tingxiu was quite serious. Of course, not in a sudden situation; he wasn’t as confused as before.

Song Qingshan was serving rice, and Su Xiangwan was busy preparing food for Da Shan.

Song Tingxiu briefly explained that according to Gu Nan, since Qingshui was close to Qinzhou City, and now with both a water reservoir and nuclear power projects in development, the province would soon send a new county head to this area. In fact, due to the strong requests of some people in the central government, Qingshui County would be used as an experimental point for a five-year plan to see if a region could first lift itself out of poverty and solve the issue of basic needs.

This was similar to the well-known villages of Xiaozhai and Dazhai, but with one major difference: Xiaozhai and Dazhai were just villages, whereas Qingshui was a county.

Lifting an entire county out of poverty would be much harder now, but in the future, it might be possible.

So, Gu Nan had come with a mission.

Not only her, but in the near future, her sister-in-law, Li Yifan, might also come to Qingshui to be the new county head.

“So, what you mean is, I shouldn’t mess with Gu Nan because her family is powerful and we can’t afford to offend them, right?” Su Xiangwan asked with a smile.

Song Tingxiu responded, “It’s not about whether we offend them or not. We live our own lives, and Gu Nan lives hers. Isn’t that enough?”

He still didn’t want to cause trouble.