In the afternoon, Liu Shitou went to Uncle Wei's house. Liu Shitou's family must be struggling financially; he arrived empty-handed at both of his uncles' houses. Knowing Aunt Wei's personality, she certainly wouldn't treat him well.

Not long after, Liu Shitou returned from Aunt Wei's house.

In the evening, her mother-in-law asked her to make something nice, so Xiaoxiao made sauerkraut stew with pork bones.

Aunt Wei, out of pity for Liu Shitou, allowed him to eat some meat.

Song Yan also saw her mother-in-law go into the storeroom.

After Xiao Hu recognized Cheng's mother as his godmother, he stopped living at the Cheng family's house. He built a wooden plank bed in the literacy class. There was a heated wall inside, so he could burn more firewood at night and it wasn't cold.

Song Yan thought that Xiao Hu stopped going to the Cheng family's house because of Cheng Youfu. That night, Liu Shitou stayed with Xiao Hu.

Before dawn, the family got up and ate breakfast.

It seems my mother-in-law is determined to go and come back on the same day.

Unexpectedly, Cheng Youfu got up early to see them off.

"Sister, I've prepared some things for you here." A sack filled with wheat straw was placed on the carriage. It wouldn't be cold sitting like this. Cheng Youfu lifted the sack, revealing two guns and a shovel underneath. "If I had gotten these from the militia, you definitely wouldn't have been back early that day. I haven't heard of any wolves over there in recent years. But it's better to be on guard. I taught you this in the fall, you still remember, right?"

In the autumn, Song Yan would often follow behind the militiamen. She was definitely very curious about guns. Sometimes, Song Yan would take the gun that Cheng Youfu was carrying and look at it.

Song Yan can shoot without any problems, but not with the techniques Cheng Youfu taught him.

Song Yan was a little touched. Cheng Youfu was only so concerned because he treated him like family. Cheng Youfu hadn't visited the Wei family since he returned home that day. Clearly, his mother disapproved. The boy had lost a lot of weight in just a few days.

"Don't worry, sis, you're very smart!" Song Yan patted his shoulder.

"Sister, is she alright?" Cheng Youfu asked with difficulty.

"Silly child, it's all wishful thinking on your part." Song Yan couldn't bear to tell the truth. "Silly boy, go back now!"...

By the time the car was harnessed and we set off, it was barely dawn.

It is said to be about 60 or 70 li in circa 100 kilometers.

When Song Yan came out, he was carrying two hot water bottles and a thermos.

Everyone took turns holding the hot water bottle for a while. The hot water bottle was kept in a basket. When the hot water bottle cooled down, the water in the hot water bottle was poured out and replaced.

I don't know how Liu Shitou got his position. He really suffered a lot.

Chang Xiaohu tried hard to remember the route so he could catch the bus back that evening.

It took the horse-drawn carriage nearly five hours to reach Daxiling Village.

The houses in Qingshan Brigade were all made of adobe, but at least they were neat and tidy. In contrast, the houses in Daxiling Village were scattered here and there, and there were significantly fewer houses than in Qingshan Brigade.

Liu Shitou's chickens roamed freely in the yard, leaving clumps of chicken droppings scattered about.

Upon entering the house, a very unpleasant odor hit him. Even Song Yan, who was used to seeing rural houses, felt extremely uncomfortable at that moment.

This must be the legendary north-south kang (heated brick bed)! Entering the room, you'll find the kitchen, which is locally called the outer room. Further inside, there's a kang on the south side and another on the north side. There's about two meters of space between them, just enough for a person to walk around. There are two cabinets on the kang, and a kang table stands against the wall. A stack of quilts is piled up at the end of the kang. A water basin is placed beside the kang.

There was nothing left in the room.

There was a woman on the south kang (heated brick bed), and another woman on the north kang. The woman on the north kang bore a striking resemblance to Wei An in appearance.

"It's his aunt! Cough cough cough!" said the older woman on the south kang (heated brick bed). She must be Stone's grandmother.

Her mother-in-law glanced at her. Just a glance, she didn't even look at her properly.

The woman on the north-facing kang (heated brick bed) had reddened eyes and her lips trembled slightly. After a long pause, she managed to utter, "Sister-in-law!"

Aunt Wei was also somewhat moved, "How did you end up like this?"

"I, I..." she said, looking back. "Where's my second nephew?"

“He went to join the army. This is his wife. Xiaoyan, come here and call her aunt. This is my godson.” Aunt Wei was originally full of anger, but now she couldn’t vent it.

Song Yan and Chang Xiaohu both obediently called out, "Auntie!"

Grandma Stone: "Your second son is already married! Cough cough cough! Our Stone is also of marriageable age. It's just that we're poor, and I don't know if I'll be lucky enough to see my grandson's wife..."

"Having done so many wicked things, it's hard to expect any good fortune!" Aunt Wei interrupted her without any politeness.

"Sister-in-law!" Wei Xiaogu was slightly out of breath from excitement. Her cheeks were purplish-red, her face was slightly swollen, and her lips were severely cyanotic. This was typical mitral facies of rheumatic heart disease.

Seeing sick people makes her overthink. Song Yan lowered her head, unable to look anymore. If Song Yan were to see someone and say, "You're sick, let me cure you," they would definitely call her crazy.

Always remember: practicing medicine is illegal.

Aunt Wei: What? Do you think I said something wrong?

Song Yan discovered that her mother-in-law would definitely be a formidable fighter if a war broke out.

"Sister-in-law is here!" an old man called out as the door opened.

Judging from his face, the stone resembles him.

"Yes! I'll come and take a look," Aunt Wei replied.

"Sister-in-law, you sit inside, I'll go kill a chicken." The old man seemed genuinely pleased.

"Don't go. I need to get back before dawn. Here's something ready, heat it up. Now sit down and let's talk," said Aunt Wei.

"If you're empty-handed, you'd be too embarrassed to eat someone else's chicken." Grandma Stone squinted, her face full of meanness.

"Now that you mention it, I really want to eat chicken." Aunt Wei rarely felt like this; this time, she broke her own habit again and again.

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