In the morning, they took Chang Xiaohu for a stroll in the woods. They encountered rabbits and pheasants, but they couldn't catch them.

In the afternoon, they went to the fields to help Fang Jinghua and Xiaoxiao with their work. These two women earned 12 work points for several days in a row.

After only a few days, Qiu Hai and his group got a little annoyed. What's the use of seeing pheasants and rabbits if you can't catch them?

Song Yan wanted to go out for a walk. In a few days, her belly would be even bigger, and she wouldn't be able to pick mushrooms anymore. Song Yan picked up her bow and arrows and went out for a stroll.

Aunt Wei really didn't want Song Yan to go, but Song Yan insisted on going, promising that he would come back immediately if he felt unwell.

Aunt Wei simply stopped trying to stop her. Song Yan's good fortune was beyond what most people could match; she was sure to be safe and sound. Besides, Xiao Hu was with her.

Aunt Feng was worried about letting Guo Gang go with her.

Song Yan told them to all carry willow baskets and pick some mushrooms if they came across any.

There are mushrooms and wood ear fungus, but not many. Is such a big basket really necessary?

Song Yan simply smiled in response to such questions. How could she possibly let the mushrooms and wood ear fungus be missing today?

Once inside the forest, everyone split up to look for mushrooms.

Sometimes you can find a whole patch of mushrooms in one go.

Seeing a few scattered mushrooms, Song Yan sprinkled some of the first spring water on them. "Come this way," Song Yan called out.

Qiu Hai and the others heard the shouts and ran over to see what was happening. Good heavens! Such a huge patch of mushrooms…

"Pheasant! I hit it with one arrow!"

Shh! It's a rabbit, isn't it?

Song Yan hit the target again with his arrow…

As they descended the mountain, the group, including Chang Xiaohu, all looked at Song Yan with eyes full of admiration.

They were all in their prime, so it was normal for them to be walking around in the mountains. But Song Yan was heavily pregnant! She showed no signs of fatigue. And she had carried so much stuff.

How could they possibly know how many steps Song Yan walks each day? She walks around the flower field in the space several times a day.

Guo Gang carried a roe deer on his back. After a simple treatment, he put it in a basket and carried it back. He also carried one pheasant and one rabbit. The remaining animals were also in the basket.

This is also based on the principle of keeping a low profile.

Aunt Wei quietly helped deal with the wild animals, remaining calm unlike Aunt Feng who was so surprised.

Aunt Wei: I knew Xiao Yan wouldn't come back empty-handed.

There's a lot of stuff. There are so many mushrooms too! And a whole basket of wood ear mushrooms.

But that's nothing. That day, when I ate a flatbread, almost half of the flour in the bag was gone, and it was still full the next day.

Guo Gang: He picked up Song Yan's bow and arrow and tried it out. He was alright at shooting, but archery…

well!

He's a grown man; he can't just go back empty-handed picking mushrooms! He caught a pheasant…

Li Yuanzhao sipped her chicken soup. She was only able to enjoy such a delicious soup because of Song Yan; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to drink it.

I went again the next day and naturally gained a lot again.

Aunt Feng calmed down this time...

It was holiday time again, and Wei Aiguo returned home. He didn't expect so many people to come to his house all at once.

Qiu Hai and the others all came from military families and knew what injury meant for a soldier. They felt a pang of sadness seeing Wei Aiguo, but Wei Aiguo himself remained remarkably nonchalant.

Fang Shengjie's feelings were the most complicated. He learned about Wei Aiguo's injury and demobilization from Xu Liangsheng. When his mother divorced him, she said, "Does Wei Aiguo still want a good future? She won't let him go."

Fang Shengjie then mentioned that Wei Aiguo had been demobilized due to a leg injury. His mother laughed, saying it was karma. Fang Shengjie felt a pang of unease at that moment.

He recounted everything that had happened to his sister, including this incident. His sister said that Wei Aiguo and his wife never initiated anything. So why should we resent them?

Fang Shengjie felt his sister had changed a lot. Before, even when she knew she was wrong, she rarely admitted it. To be like this… could this be considered admitting defeat?

My sister said that when Grandpa told me to get down, he said he wanted me to learn to have reverence. I learned that.

Fang Jinghua will never forget the way Song Yan broke someone's leg with a stick.

…

It was late at night, and Wei Aiguo told Song Yan to rest first while he went to check on Lao Zeng and the others. But it was too dark for Song Yan to go.

Wei Aiguo didn't go to the cowshed first after leaving the house. He quietly went to the brigade headquarters.

Everyone in the brigade knew this. Lu Xingtian didn't want to go home every day; he often stayed at the brigade headquarters for several days at a time.

With three short knocks followed by one long one, Lu Xingtian opened the door and let Wei Aiguo in.

Lu Xingtian: "How have you been these days? Has Jiang Hongwei been giving you any trouble?"

Jiang Hongwei was an employee of the arsenal canteen. He was the first choice for deputy director before Wei Aiguo went there.

Wei Aiguo: "Yes. He not only wants to cause me trouble, he also wants me to leave the cafeteria."

The deputy factory director was his cousin, and even the canteen manager treated him with deference. He tried to frame me for stealing, so he hid the grain under my bed. I was on guard against him at all times, which is why I didn't fall for his trick.

“That bastard is just a bully who uses others to intimidate others. I’ve already reported this situation. The higher-ups will try to find you a powerful backer so these small fry won’t dare to mess with you,” Lu Xingtian said.

"I've found out that Jiang Hongwei is targeting me because he was instigated by someone else. I don't know who instigated him yet."

I will try to find this person as soon as possible.

"If you're going to find me a backer, that backer has to be reasonable. It can't be abrupt, it can't be forced, it has to be natural, right?" Wei Aiguo asked.

Wei Aiguo is currently isolated, clearly because someone is targeting him. Therefore, his superiors want to give him a powerful background or status. This is also a form of protection.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!