After Song Qingtuan left, Su Xiangwan had to care for four hungry mouths on her own.

The 200 yuan she had wheedled out of Su Xiaonan came in handy.

The rations provided by the commune weren’t enough to feed four mouths, so she bought additional supplies on the black market.

Eggs were essential for the children. To ensure each child could eat one egg a day, she even traded their remaining radio.

What gave Su Xiangwan the most headache, however, was Li Chengze.

To ensure he could study, she made a special trip to town to retrieve textbooks from Xiang Hong.

Initially, she thought of having him practice martial arts with Lu Dan, but he flatly refused. Cowardly and timid, he spent his days at home washing dishes and bathing.

After just a few days, Su Xiangwan understood why Su Xiaonan liked this child—he was diligent, capable, and very useful.

Although Li Chengze was obedient, he couldn’t withstand the mischief of Gou Dan and Lu Dan, who constantly tried to sow discord between him and Su Xiangwan.

One day, the commune distributed potatoes. With an abundance of potatoes in the village, people preferred to process them into potato starch for storage.

The machine for making potato starch belonged to the Hongxing Commune and moved from village to village, stationed by the Clear Water River.

When Su Xiangwan went to process her potatoes, the elderly lady and Song Qingyu were also there, handling the potatoes for the old house.

Although the old lady had mellowed and kept quiet, her hands were still remarkably nimble.

“Where did that child come from, sister-in-law? Why does your family suddenly have an extra kid?” The old lady remained silent, prompting Song Qingyu to question Su Xiangwan.

Su Xiangwan replied, “He’s my second sister’s child. What’s the problem? Is it wrong for him to visit us?”

“Sister-in-law, why are you always so prickly? I was just wondering. My elder brother’s monthly salary isn’t high, and now he’s away. Is it appropriate for you to take in a child from your maiden family?” Song Qingyu asked.

Su Xiangwan retorted, “Doesn’t that make us similar? Haven’t you been living off your maiden family all along? My elder brother has been sending money to the old lady, hasn’t he? He even secretly gave you a wild boar. Otherwise, why are Jin Gui and Song Fu always eating meat?”

Jin Gui and Song Fu nodded vigorously. “Uncle Qingshan is the best! He really gave us a wild boar.”

Casting a disdainful look at Song Qingyu, Su Xiangwan added, “If you can’t stand me, you might as well stop taking the benefits and subsidies from my family. Tonight, I’ll bring my kids to your house and move your jar of meat.”

Song Qingyu fell silent immediately.

While everyone queued up to process potatoes, the old lady couldn’t resist cutting in line.

Not only that, she secretly moved Su Xiangwan’s clean potato sack to the front of the line.

Su Xiangwan noticed and understood the old lady’s intentions—to curry favor and gain her help in finding a match for Qingyu in Song Qingshan’s team.

Naturally, Su Xiangwan had no intention of indulging her.

Song Qingshan respected his mother because she had given birth to him.

Su Xiangwan, however, didn’t feel obliged to show the old lady any kindness.

“Song Donghai, go bring our sack over,” Su Xiangwan ordered.

She wasn’t about to give the old house any opportunity to exploit her.

A sharp glance from her made the old lady flinch and step aside.

Lu Dan rushed forward, retrieved the sack, and carried it back.

“Look at my shoes! My mom made them. Aren’t they pretty?” Lu Dan showed off his shoes to Li Chengze. “You don’t have any!”

“Your mom is so fierce,” Li Chengze said. “It seems like everyone in the village is afraid of her—even your grandma.”

“Of course! My mom is the fiercest in the village, but she also cooks the best food and loves kids the most,” Lu Dan quickly added.

“I don’t see how she loves kids. By the way, is your strength greater than mine?” Li Chengze asked.

“Of course! I’m twice as strong as you,” Lu Dan bragged.

“Then watch the potatoes while I head home,” Li Chengze said.

He had ventured out to observe the terrain and plan his escape route but also wanted to explore other places.

Zhizi kept chasing him, sprinkling dirt on his head, much to his annoyance. He pretended to be a wolf cub, baring his teeth and growling to scare her.

Unexpectedly, she burst into loud wails, startling everyone.

Fearing Su Xiangwan would hear, Li Chengze quickly covered the little girl’s mouth, hoisted her onto his shoulder, and ran off.

Back home, after bringing in the processed potato starch, Li Chengze was tasked with the hardest, most tedious chores.

Making hand-stirred noodles wasn’t just about extracting starch from the potatoes. It required daily water changes and stirring, repeated over two weeks to remove the sourness before the noodles could be dried and eaten.

This young man gets up early every morning, takes a bucket, and goes to the well at the labor camp to fetch water.

After bringing it back, he pours it into the starch vat and keeps stirring.

Then, he waits for the water to settle before draining it.

To Su Xiangwan, he was the best laborer she could ask for, more useful than Song Qingshan.

However, Su Xiangwan had a habit of spending lavishly, and after about a month, she reached a point where she had to dip into her savings.

But just like how no amount of money could escape the watchful eyes of the dog egg (Gou Dan), Li Chengze, a bigger troublemaker than the dog egg, noticed one day that Su Xiangwan secretly withdrew two hundred yuan from her savings.

The boy, taking advantage of the time when the two little ones were asleep, went into the living room holding the money and said, “Aunt Su, why don’t I write you an IOU? I’ll pay you back when I have money later.”

He knew that having one more person to take care of was costing money.

Zhi Zhi, who was playing with a doll that Su Xiangwan had sewn, suddenly looked up and said, “Bad brother.”

He was always good when people were around, but when no one was watching, he would bully her and make faces to scare her, completely unlike her real brother.

But the only one in the family who knew this bad kid still wanted to run away was Zhi Zhi.

Li Chengze was wearing clothes that were short, like a crop top, and after Zhi Zhi scolded him, his face turned even redder.

However, the young man was really handsome and full of spirit.

The book had said that after he took Zhi Zhi, Song Qingshan could have found him, but he and Zhi Zhi hid from Song Qingshan, refusing to show themselves.

As a result, although Song Qingshan often came close, he could never find them.

This heartless brat tortured Song Qingshan so badly that he turned gray before he was even forty.

Thinking about it, it was truly tragic.

In the book, Song Qingshan never saw what Zhi Zhi looked like in his lifetime. It wasn’t until after her death, when Lu Dan investigated her identity and found a photo of her, that he finally knew what his daughter looked like.

This heartless little brat seemed to get more obedient the more he was scolded, which made Su Xiangwan even angrier.

Every time she thought about these things, she would have to comfort herself, knowing that as long as she was there, none of this would happen. And Su Xiaonan’s book was definitely a form of social revenge.

Fortunately, Su Xiangwan had also given Su Xiaonan a dose of society’s rough treatment.

“Just forget about the IOU, but don’t bully Zhi Zhi in the future. We saved this money for emergencies, so go to bed now,” Su Xiangwan said.

She wanted him to know that she knew everything he did.

But him bullying Zhi Zhi? That was actually good.

Let Zhi Zhi hate him from a young age—it was a good thing.

Zhi Zhi waved her hand: “Bad brother, goodbye.” The little girl suddenly said five words, which was a big surprise.

“Don’t call him bad brother. He’s just like you, Lu Dan, and Gou Dan, he’s your brother too.” After Li Chengze left, Su Xiangwan gathered Zhi Zhi back and said.

Zhi Zhi, still reasoning, replied: “Belly button.”

It turned out it was because his clothes were too short, and the child didn’t like it.

“Mom will fix it for him tomorrow, okay?” Su Xiangwan kissed Zhi Zhi’s little face and said, “Tomorrow, we’ll make a shirt for Chengze brother that covers his belly. His old clothes are really worn out.”

Saying was easier than doing, but the next day, Su Xiangwan took Lu Dan, Gou Dan, and Li Chengze to the county town’s wool factory, driving the tractor with determination.

It was like the first time Song Qingshan took her there, stealing fabric.

This time, she had Lu Dan and Gou Dan jump from a tree into the fabric pile as soon as the door opened, each grabbing an armful of cloth.

That night, she started making clothes.

To accommodate Li Chengze’s height, she deliberately made the pants longer and even sewed him a pair of underwear. From then on, the little guy had his own underwear.

Although it wasn’t yet autumn, Su Xiangwan, using the skills she had learned from her past life at an interest class, even made him a suit.

In the countryside, this was considered a strange outfit, especially since Xiaosongzhuang was a village where even movies were rare.

Fortunately, Li Chengze couldn’t leave the house, so he could wear it in the yard. At least Su Xiangwan could enjoy the sight of a handsome boy in a suit.

“Don’t throw away the old pants; they’ll still come in handy. Do you understand? These pants are long now, but you’re growing fast, so you’ll fit them in no time.”

She rolled up the cuffs.

He was thin, so the pants fit well now, and when they get shorter, they could be lengthened.

Clearly, the little rascal was extremely excited, running to the neighbor’s house with his new pants and colorful suit.

When he came out wearing them, not only Su Xiangwan but even Lu Dan and Gou Dan were stunned: “This suit is really handsome, like someone from a movie.”

They were envious, jealous, and a bit resentful.

Li Chengze had once been a young master, able to wear suits and sit on a velvet cushion at the China-Myanmar border, listening to his grandfather and father discuss border security and national dignity, living a life of luxury.

Even this one suit meant dignity and face to him.

After a few months of getting along, Li Chengze suddenly remembered something his mother had once said: There are two types of people—those with sweet words but bitter hearts, and those with bitter words but sweet hearts.

The foster mother he had met was the first type, sweet in words but never letting him eat his fill or rest.

But Su Xiangwan was the second type—bitter in words but sweet at heart.

Of course, her words were still bitter: “Remember not to wear it when you go outside. Be careful not to get us into trouble. Hurry, all three of you go dig some earthworms. If you want to eat chicken, dig more earthworms.”

The three little rascals turned and ran, obeying orders more readily than Song Qingshan’s soldiers.