Early in the morning, the kids went off to school, and Su Xiangwan was about to lock the door.

The old lady, however, packed a small bundle and followed them out.

Today, Su Xiangwan had gathered the girls from the cultural troupe again and assigned them a new task: to go around the county and survey households with elderly, disabled, or sick individuals.

This was the Women’s Federation’s work, and the staff members had to go door to door, personally witnessing and verifying the information, and then provide assistance accordingly.

In total, they had to visit as many households as there were in the county.

Government work often involved situations where some elderly people had passed away, but their children secretly didn’t report it, still collecting subsidies each month. Meanwhile, some people were genuinely injured or sick, with no income, yet no one helped them—they were close to starving to death.

There weren’t enough people in the Women’s Federation, so the girls from the cultural troupe helped out.

Though they had to run around a lot, most of the girls enjoyed this kind of work.

By the evening, after the statistics were compiled, they found that over thirty elderly people who were receiving subsidies from the Women’s Federation had already passed away.

This meant that the subsidies needed to be recovered and redistributed to those who truly needed help, right?

Liu Minli, her legs swollen from all the running, angrily placed the results on Su Xiangwan’s desk and said pointedly, “We’re helping you out, but I’ll tell you, Su Xiangwan, when my brother comes…”

The cadres of the Women’s Federation smiled, watching Su Xiangwan and Liu Minli exchange sharp words.

“It’ll be good when your brother comes. We’re short on donations. I heard your brother has a lot of money. Tell him to donate some,” Su Xiangwan said casually, flipping her braid over her shoulder. She then tidied up her paperwork and added, “Alright, everyone, go home now. I still have to go back and cook for the kids.”

With that, she left the office.

However, when she stepped outside, the three eldest children were surprisingly waiting for her right at the entrance of the Women’s Federation.

Looking at Li Chengze’s expression, Su Xiangwan immediately guessed that the old lady hadn’t left.

Yesterday, the old lady had cried all night, refused to eat, and slept on her son’s kang (heated bed) without reaching her goal.

She certainly wouldn’t leave. Today, she had gone to Erhua’s house for a meal, then returned to the village head’s office, sitting outside again.

Well, this was the worst outcome that Su Xiangwan had expected.

But she hadn’t anticipated that the old lady would go this far.

The old lady, with her eyes squinting, was sitting cross-legged on the ground with a newspaper under her.

As Su Xiangwan passed by, she ignored her, but the old lady stood up. “Song Donghai, Song Xiling, can’t you see I’m still here?”

Lu Dan and Gou Dan were startled and shrank back.

When Su Xiangwan returned home, she was preparing to chop up a chicken and was discussing with the kids which chicken was the fattest to make into a hot pot.

But just then, Song Qingshan entered with his mother.

Lu Dan immediately stopped catching chickens and said, “Mom, I think we should let Dad go back to his hometown.”

“If your dad goes back to his hometown, who will take care of our house?” Su Xiangwan asked.

Lu Dan pointed at Li Chengze, then patted his chest. “We’ll take care of it. Besides, your salary is high enough now to support all four of us.”

The old lady collapsed onto the courtyard’s ground and burst into tears. “You didn’t give me food last night, and today you’ve even closed your door. The neighbors are all watching. This is how a division commander and the Women’s Federation director treat an elderly person.”

Song Qingshan came from the kitchen, bringing his mother a bowl of water, and sat down across from her.

Su Xiangwan thought he must be overwhelmed with trouble.

To her surprise, Song Qingshan said, “Mom, take some time and go back to Caojiazhuang. My uncle’s family is probably finished. You should go comfort my aunt.”

“Your aunt is the wife of the head of the Revolutionary Committee. What am I, that I should go comfort her?” The old lady’s chest swelled with pride as she mentioned Cao Jinwang. “By the way, people often say ‘family secrets shouldn’t be aired.’ The way you and your wife treat me, your uncle has already promised to help me. I think once he steps in, you won’t even be a division commander anymore.”

“My uncle incited the villagers to blow up the reservoir. He has already been arrested by the county police and transferred to the provincial police,” Song Qingshan said, noticing that the children were all listening attentively to him, even though they were each busy with their own things.

He lowered his voice and continued, “He has a large stash of gold exchanged for weapons stolen from the provincial military district. Due to his deliberate intent to blow up the dam, his crimes are clear. He’s likely to be executed.”

Looking back at the three children, he added, “Don’t stretch your hand out, because if you do, you’ll be caught. Chengze, Xiling, Donghai, do you understand what I mean?”

To adjust the feng shui for his family, Cao Jinwang, who had grown increasingly power-hungry over the years due to the revolutionary committee’s power, went mad.

Even before he had a chance to back up his grandmother, he was arrested and taken to the provincial capital?

“That’s your uncle. He’s the most powerful person in the entire Qingshui County. Song Qingshan, stop talking nonsense. Whoever dares to arrest him will be going against the leader,” Song’s grandmother, who had acted timid until now, suddenly jumped up. “Qingshan, wait for me. I’ll go find your uncle and have him scold you.”

Song Qingshan replied, “The people who were arrested last night were taken to Qinzhu early this morning. I personally escorted them, along with the weapons. If you don’t believe me, ask Tingxiu.”

Song’s grandmother grabbed her basket and, not knowing whether the news was true or not, felt that it was always her daughter-in-law who was unlucky in the past.

Now, why was it always her misfortune?

Angrily, she picked up her basket to leave and turned to say a few words to Su Xiangwan, “I’ll see how long you can be smug about this.”

Unbeknownst to her, Su Xiangwan had been waiting for that very sentence.

“Ah, I just remembered the time when I drank pesticide! I can’t take this anymore, I’m going to chop someone!” As she said that, she grabbed a kitchen knife and rushed out.

The children screamed in fear, even Li Chengze rushed over to try and stop her. Song Qingshan quickly pulled her into his arms. “Xiao Su, listen to me, put down the knife, please.”

“No, I can’t. Every time I think about it, I feel anxious and upset. I remember when I was in the village clinic getting my stomach pumped, your sister was still applying lipstick, and grandma was cursing me, saying I should have died that time. Now she wants to eat from me, drink from me, and live in my house? I’m going to chop her up…”

Seeing that Su Xiangwan’s face had turned green with anger, Song’s grandmother rushed out, the kitchen knife clearly aimed at her head.

She grabbed her basket and ran away.

Su Xiangwan chased after her with the knife, relentlessly pursuing her.

In the end, it was Song Qingshan who held her tight, while Li Chengze lifted her legs, and the two of them carried her back inside.

Luckily, it was still early in the evening, and there weren’t many people returning home yet.

Only the guards at the gate and a few neighbors, like Aunty He and Chen Jie, witnessed Su Xiangwan’s fierceness.

Because of the scene, they certainly didn’t slaughter any chickens that night.

After dinner, the children tidied up—sweeping, washing dishes, and Goudan, for the first time, chased his chickens out of the coop, gave each one a bath, cleaned the chicken house, and then put them back.

Lu Dan even gave Da Shan a bath and took him out for a stroll afterward.

The kids were incredibly creative in doing the housework.

“How about I sleep with the kids tonight? You can calm down,” Song Qingshan asked as he got onto the bed, still afraid.

It was terrifying. He felt his mother would never dare to visit again in this lifetime.

He had washed Su Xiangwan’s underwear because he knew she liked cleanliness, and he even steamed them twice. They were cotton, and once steamed, they wrinkled into a ball.

Su Xiangwan sat cross-legged on the bed, stitching a pair of leg guards.

Of course, she didn’t pay any attention to Song Qingshan.

“Grandmother was wrong, but since she’s already left, it’s over. Besides, my uncle has been arrested, and if she wants support, she won’t find any. So why bother?” Song Tuan said gently, speaking softly as a soldier of the People’s Liberation Army should—gentle and not crude.

Suddenly, Su Xiangwan stopped stitching. “Do you know that in the previous world, you were supposed to bring your two children into the city, but because grandmother kept coming to the city, pretending to care for the children while beating them, Goudan was stubborn, and his studies weren’t good. He couldn’t take it anymore and scratched his hands and legs. He grabbed your gun, pointed it at your head, and ran away from home. Afterward, he became, aside from Fang Jinhua, the most feared yet helpless thief in the city.”

“You mean Song Xiling will become a thief?” Song Qingshan’s mind exploded.

Su Xiangwan replied, “But look at him now. In his final exams, he was first in his entire second-grade class. He only started writing two years ago, and his teacher said his handwriting is so beautiful, it’s like printed text.”

“In your eyes, it’s just a few harsh words from the elder, and you let it pass. The elder is a bit biased, and we just work hard on our own. When the elder grows old, can’t run anymore, is weak and soft, and clings to you, you’ll take care of them. It’s your wife and children’s issue, so what does it have to do with you, right?”

Su Xiangwan said, “But I can clearly see that my top-ranked son in the class is now a social cancer because of your mother. In this world, neither law nor morality allows you to speak ill of the elderly because they gave birth to you. But for me, if your mother dares to come here again, I’ll chop as many watermelons as I can, and I’ll chop her head off. Song Qingshan, I may seem carefree, but I have my limits. Your mother, your sister, and your third sibling are beyond that limit, and I will never forgive them.”

Song Qingshan stood there, hands in his pockets, feeling a chill run down his spine.

He looked at Zhizhi, the little girl, who was calmly helping her mother sort through scraps of cloth on the bed.

“Why are you sewing this?” Song Qingshan asked, looking around. Out of the five men in the family, none of them needed knee guards.

Su Xiangwan said, “Summer vacation is coming, and Lu dan’s legs and feet need to be trained more. This is for Old Shao. I need to bring him into the city to have him train Lu dan.”

One could only say, rough and meticulous, meticulous and rough.

Comrade Xiao Su, although busy with a multitude of tasks every day, no matter how complex the daily affairs, she always manages to sort out a clear plan and lead her life smoothly.

“So, in the world you’re talking about, what will happen to Donghai? What’s his future?” Song Qingshan asked again.

Just as Su Xiangwan was about to speak, she heard a noise outside. She quickly opened the window and saw Li Chengze standing there.

“I didn’t overhear your conversation, really. I just suddenly wanted to look at the moon,” Li Chengze said, before running off.

Back in their bedroom, Li Chengze slapped his chest and asked, “They’re arguing like that, do you think they’ll get a divorce?”

“No,” Lu Dan, still chewing on a pen and calculating, answered indifferently. “They argue every day. The more they argue, the better their relationship. It’s when they’re not arguing that it’s scary.”

The most timid, soft, and weak of them all, Dogdan (Song Xiling), had recently started playing with a new tool.

This new tool was a gift from Li Chengze.

By connecting a potato and an apple with two wires, a small lightbulb would light up.

He hid under the covers by himself. When he connected the wires and saw the light bulb light up, his big round eyes lit up too.

Li Chengze rubbed the sweat off the little guy’s forehead, thinking to himself, “Will he turn bad?”

I don’t believe that.

The little guy was a bit confused and didn’t understand what the adults were arguing about. He was so frightened by the sudden discovery that he quickly crawled between his two stinky younger brothers for comfort.

Though the two were arguing, Song Qingshan was not the same person he used to be.

At midnight, when it was time, he would still come crawling over. And when it was time to fulfill his duties, even if Su Xiangwan didn’t want to, he would find an excuse to do so.

As the time went on, Su Xiangwan, when getting annoyed and trying to push him away, couldn’t overcome his strength.

After everything was done today, Su Xiangwan was very angry: “Song Tuan, what you said about being gentle and not rough—was it all fake? You also said that this matter should be led by women. Didn’t you realize this time it lasted a full two hours?”

“You also enjoyed it, I could feel it.” Song Qingshan, having gotten what he wanted, was quite smug. “It was like the vast ocean. Don’t even say you didn’t enjoy it.”

“Song Tuan, are you getting a bit too cocky recently? Do you think I’m just some piece of meat in your pot, and all you’re here for is to sleep and help with the washing?” Su Xiangwan responded.

Song Qingshan, being honest, said, “Yesterday, I wasn’t running away. I led a team to the Revolutionary Committee and searched the place. Weapons, guns, and ammunition—my uncle’s got it all. We controlled him and sent him to the province. Otherwise, I would’ve helped you curse the old lady a hundred times. Maybe I’d even help you take a knife to her. As long as it makes you happy, I’ll do anything,” he said, gesturing dramatically. “Really.”

Of course, when talking to the old lady, he might say, “Wait for me, I’ll take care of Xiangwan when I get home.”

If Su Xiangwan were the original person, she might’ve been so angry she could’ve died from it. Fortunately, she wasn’t.

How should I put it? When they were poor, they didn’t care about much.

But now that life was relatively comfortable, at least they didn’t have to worry about food and shelter. She couldn’t help but feel that this man’s affection and romance seemed to be given only when pushed—if not pushed, he wouldn’t move.

“Don’t you think I’m pretty?” Su Xiangwan asked again.

She wasn’t giving up. She just couldn’t believe that in this whole county, even if she wasn’t the most beautiful woman of her age, she was definitely one of the top ones. Didn’t this man know how to compliment her?

Song Qingshan actually replied, “If you say that, I should turn on the light and look at you more carefully, but I can’t. Once I look, I’ll want more, and I can’t control myself. But I know you’re tired and uncomfortable. Let’s just sleep, okay?”

Su Xiangwan pursed her lips. In her past life, so many men had pursued her and spoken countless sweet words. She didn’t know how, but this simple line from him made her heart warm.

Men like him probably didn’t understand what love was, did they?

Life was just about having children, raising children, sleeping with family, and working.

However, he would soon feel a sense of crisis.

According to Su Xiangwan’s deductions based on the plot of the book, the first scumbag man in her life, who posed the greatest threat to Song Qingshan in every aspect, would soon arrive in Qing Shui County.

The man who had deceived the original character for several years, making her fall for him at first sight, was someone Su Xiangwan was curious about. She wondered what kind of appearance he had—whether he looked like a mule or a horse.

The matter of Cao Jinwang hiding and inciting the villagers to install bombs caused a huge stir throughout the county.

When Song’s mother heard the news from the Revolutionary Committee, she fainted on the spot.

Of course, with Song Tingxiu and Song Erhua around, at worst, it was just a matter of hospitalization. With so many children, as long as they were filial, it wouldn’t fall on Su Xiangwan.

One thing Su Xiangwan could be sure of was that she would never be bothered by them again in this life.

As the saying goes, “Some families are happy, while others are troubled.”

Liu Minli and the girls from the cultural troupe had been assisting and cooperating with the Women’s Federation for half a month.

The results were, of course, significant.

In this half-month period, the Women’s Federation had gained unprecedented control over the impoverished and extremely difficult households in the county.

They truly managed to get the subsidies into the hands of those who actually needed it. This was the real work of the Women’s Federation.

And yesterday, finally, Li Yifan had approved the plan for three new kindergartens in the county during the county committee meeting.

Of course, the plan could be approved, but the money would be something Su Xiangwan would have to figure out on her own.

Today, Liu Minli was particularly happy, wearing her brand-new green military uniform, her leader’s emblem shining brightly, and two glossy braids tied with red scarves, made into butterfly knots. She walked lightly, her steps full of energy.

Her brother is finally coming to Qingshui County to oversee the work!