Time flies, and the New Year is just around the corner.

A few days before the Lunar New Year, Song Ze returned to Beijing to spend the holiday with Grandpa Shen.

Although he was still somewhat angry about the series of shady things his grandfather had done, he couldn't really hold a grudge against his grandfather, since his grandfather had raised him since he was a child.

Xia Qingqing had no objection to this. Even if Song Ze stayed in Pingxi County, he couldn't possibly come to her house for the New Year. Rather than staying alone in the textile factory's employee dormitory, it would be better for him to return to Beijing.

Besides, considering their 20-year-long relationship, if they really break up because of her, their boyfriend of only a few months, then she would have to doubt whether Song Ze was truly sincere towards her.

There was no work to be done in the fields during this period, and Zhang Hongyan wouldn't let her do anything at home either, so Xia Qingqing had nothing to do but stay at home and read books.

That day, Gou Dan excitedly ran into the room, grabbed Xia Qingqing's hand, and started to walk out, shouting excitedly:

"Sister, hurry up! I heard the adults say that they're going to slaughter a pig for the New Year at the pigsty. Let's go watch the fun."

"Wait a minute, let me put the book down first," Xia Qingqing said, placing the book back on the table.

She didn't really want to go; what was so interesting about slaughtering pigs? It was too bloody.

Besides, she had personally fed those pigs for a period of time, so she had some affection for them, right? It was hard for her to watch those pigs being stabbed and killed.

But Xia Qingqing couldn't resist the little guy Gou Dan's insistence, and he dragged her out.

At this time, raising pigs required completing a quota. If you raised two pigs, you had to submit at least one to the food station. Only if the pig passed the quota test was the quota completed.

Of course, the pigs would also be paid for, according to the national standard pig price, and the money would then be distributed to the members of the production team.

When Xia Qingqing and Gou Dan arrived at the pigpen, they saw that the men in the team had already tied up three pigs, which looked to be about 170 or 180 pounds each, and were just waiting to stab them and collect their blood.

Gou Dan clapped and cheered happily. He didn't think there was anything cruel about it. He only knew that if the pig was killed, his family would get a share of the meat, and he would be able to eat meat.

Xia Qingqing turned her head away with some reluctance, and soon she heard the sound of pigs squealing.

Once both pigs have been slaughtered, the meat will be divided among the households.

The meat is distributed by headcount, with each person receiving one pound of meat, so their family would receive a total of four pounds.

At this point, the advantages of having a large family become apparent. Some families with ten or twenty members can share nearly twenty kilograms of meat. Of course, with more people, there are more mouths to feed; it's just a matter of how much to eat.

Even a pig has good and bad parts, so how should it choose first and who should choose last? No matter how it's distributed, it's unfair.

So the brigade leader simply had everyone draw lots to determine the order in which they would receive the pork. Each family selected a representative, and then everyone drew lots together.

Xia Qingqing was assigned the task of collecting pork by Zhang Hongyan.

There were 78 households in their production brigade. The result of the lottery showed that she was ranked 7th, which was pretty lucky. At least she didn't have to pick up scraps that no one else wanted.

Gou Dan was holding Xia Qingqing's hand, waiting in line to get their share of meat.

Suddenly, a little boy with a runny nose walked over and handed Xia Qingqing a small note, saying, "Sister Qingqing, Grandma wants me to switch numbers with you."

"Mao Dan?" Xia Qingqing looked at the little boy in surprise. This child was the son of her uncle Xia Hezhi. His full name was Xia Jiadong, and his nickname was Mao Dan. He was 6 years old this year.

Xia Qingqing looked in the direction he pointed and indeed saw Old Lady Xia standing not far away.

Grandma Xia looked at Xia Qingqing with obvious displeasure. In her mind, it was because of this granddaughter that her second son had broken ties with the family. Ever since the two families separated, she had never paid any attention to her granddaughter Xia Qingqing.

Xia Qingqing has been in this world for almost a year, and she has never spoken to Old Madam Xia. Even if she accidentally bumps into her, she only gets a cold shoulder from Old Madam Xia.

Of course, Xia Qingqing didn't care. Every time she saw Grandma Xia, she treated her like a stranger and never took the initiative to greet her.

At this moment, Grandma Xia actually had Maodan come over and talk to her. How could Xia Qingqing not be surprised?

Xia Qingqing reached out and took the note from Mao Dan's hand, and saw a big 78 written on it.

No wonder. Xia Qingqing smiled knowingly. He had drawn the last lot and wanted to exchange with her.

She handed the note back to Maodan: "Here's your milk back. Just say I'm not exchanging it."

"Okay," Maodan sniffed and then happily ran back to his grandma's side.

When Grandma Xia saw her grandson return, she quickly took the note from his hand and looked at it. She found that it was still 78, and her face darkened instantly.

"Grandma, Sister Qingqing said she won't change it," Maodan said, looking at his grandma with a simple expression, repeating what Xia Qingqing had said.

She had already suppressed her displeasure and sent her grandson to find that girl, but she didn't expect that girl to be so disrespectful to her. Old Mrs. Xia felt that her authority had been challenged.

But if there are 12 people in their family, and they are the last to choose the meat, wouldn't they only be able to choose the scraps?

After thinking for a moment, Grandma Xia drooped her eyebrows and compromised, saying, "Go tell her to change her number. After we get the meat, I'll give her family four catties of good meat. If she still doesn't agree, I'll go find your second uncle."

By doing this, they can still get 8 jin of good meat, which is better than getting scraps all the time, right? She was so worried about her family getting meat, and she even had to humble herself before a younger person. She felt a mix of emotions.

After listening to his grandmother's words, Mao Dan ran to Xia Qingqing's side and repeated what his grandmother had said.

Xia Qingqing's eyes flickered when she heard that Grandma Xia was going to find her father.

One reason the family was able to split up was that the two elders of the Xia family favored their eldest and youngest sons. Xia Heping, being the second son, was not particularly favored at home.

Xia Heping had only given birth to one daughter with Zhang Hongyan after more than 10 years of marriage, which made their family even less influential. Zhang Hongyan endured it all because she had not given birth to a son, swallowing all her grievances.

People either erupt in silence or perish in silence. As Xia Qingqing grew up day by day, she was treated like a maid by her sister-in-law, and the Xia family wouldn't let her go to school.

Zhang Hongyan was never a good-tempered person to begin with, and she finally snapped, causing a huge scene at Lao Xia's house.

Xia Heping was caught in the middle and had a difficult choice. He had his older brother and younger brother on his parents' side, and his wife and daughter could only rely on him. In the end, he chose to listen to Zhang Hongyan's suggestion to divide the family property.

Of course, nothing came of it; it was pretty much a case of the three of them leaving with nothing.

After that, Old Mrs. Xia looked down on Zhang Hongyan and Xia Qingqing even more, feeling that it was Zhang Hongyan's instigation that caused her second son to drift away from her.