After the educated youth left, there was one person who was greatly affected: Ji Chunyang.

First of all, she can't raise that many chickens.

Chunyang didn't use Su Cuihua and Zhao Guoqiang's chicken-raising quota. As for Lu Guosheng's, he had only followed the crowd initially. Now that they hadn't passed the exam, they were very resentful. Chunyang wasn't going to bother with that.

Another question is where Chunyang lives.

Of the female educated youth, only Su Cuihua remained, and she wasn't easy to get along with.

When Fang Jinghua left, she gave Ji Chunyang many of her belongings. She felt that Chunyang had very few things. She could use almost anything. There was even a new military uniform among them.

Su Cuihua was green with envy. Because Fang Jinghua's things weren't cheap, and were things Su Cuihua couldn't bear to buy.

Xiao Hu was worried that Chun Yang would be bullied.

Song Yan and Jiang Xiaoxiao have both gone to school, leaving the three children at home to be cared for by their grandmother. Wei Aiguo is lucky if he comes home once every seven days; he can't be relied on for household chores. Wei Ping and Wei An are sensible; they're still children. Besides, they're too young to go to school in the commune, so they'd need someone to pick them up and drop them off. Xiao Hu is there for that.

But there are also a lot of chores like mending and patching children's clothes!

This is indeed a problem.

Xiao Hu stammered as he asked Song Yan, "Would it be alright if Chunyang came to our house? She could help out a bit."

I got a raise, and I'll buy grain from the production brigade in Chunyang's name. Enough for Chunyang to eat.

Starting in the summer, Song Yan let Xiao Hu manage his salary. He gave his family ten yuan every month for food.

This means Xiao Hu is planning to raise Chun Yang.

Now that Song Yan is gone, things at home will be decided by her mother-in-law. The key issue is that Chunyang still needs to continue her studies. She said she definitely has enough money to finish junior high. If she continues her studies, there will be limited ways she can help the family.

It depends on what your mother-in-law thinks.

Aunt Wei glanced at Xiao Hu. She knew the boy was probably interested in Xiao Chun. "Alright! Xiao Yan and Xiao Xiao are both gone, and the house is pretty empty. If you want Chun Yang to come, then let him come."

So Ji Chunyang dealt with his chickens and ducks first. Song Yan said the same thing, "Have you dealt with them all? The educated youth have left, and the number of chickens has exceeded the limit. It would be terrible if someone reported us."

Song Yan, get me a few more chicks. The chickens at home are getting old, so we'll catch some smaller ones to raise.

Song Yan went to school and was away for half a year at a time. So she tried her best to prepare more things for her family.

She would often take her bow and arrows out for a stroll. She would go out carrying a willow basket, and return carrying it back. No one could see what was inside. Everyone was perceptive enough not to ask. A few people wanted to ask, but dared not.

Aunt Wei was used to Song Yan bringing back pheasants and rabbits every day. She knew that Xiao Yan was preparing so that they would have meat to eat in the future.

The pheasants and rabbits are all prepared; some are frozen, and some are pickled. The weather's warming up, so the pickled ones won't spoil.

Song Yan not only prepared food for her family, but also for Wei Aiguo.

In the ginseng field, Song Yan irrigated a small patch of ginseng that was over a hundred years old. He then irrigated it with water from the second spring, watering it whenever he remembered. Song Yan dug up a few ginseng plants. This century-old ginseng not only had a very dark outer skin, but it also had a subtle luster.

After the ginseng was dried, its luster became more pronounced. Song Yan sliced ​​one ginseng.

When Song Yan went to the county to buy New Year's goods, he went to the county hospital and asked Nurse Ge for a lot of bottles. They were all different sizes.

There aren't many bottles that can be sealed and used to hold things these days.

Song Yan took a small medicine bottle, cleaned it, let it dry, and then put ginseng slices inside. Actually, it couldn't hold many slices. He put the rubber stopper on it and sealed it with wax.

Song Yan filled several of these small bottles.

It's really hard to say just how effective this ginseng is. Song Yan believes it could be a lifesaver in a critical moment!

When Wei Aiguo returned, Song Yan tied a bottle of ginseng slices to a thin rope and hung it around his neck.

"What are you doing?" Wei Aiguo asked.

"I dug up this ginseng while wandering in the mountains. I can't say exactly how old it is, but it's definitely quite old. Take it with you!"

This is valuable. Make sure you keep it safe; it could save your life in a pinch.

Song Yan looked at it and was quite satisfied. "In winter, when you wear thick cotton-padded clothes, you can hang this little bottle around your neck. When your clothes get thinner and you can't hide it anymore, take it off and make sure to keep it safe. Do you understand?"

"Okay!" Wei Aiguo would definitely listen to his wife. "Next time I come back, I'll have a vacation. I'll spend a few days with my wife."

Then, Wei Aiguo, in his capacity as a soldier, demanded that Song Yan study the rules of secrecy. He made her swear an oath in the name of the people, promising to protect the secrets that needed to be strictly guarded with her life…

…

After the Spring Festival, Song Yan and Jiang Xiaoxiao will be going back to school. Will they be able to eat as well as they do at home? Definitely not. Aunt Wei wants to cook delicious meals every day. So, the meals at home will become less varied.

Jiang Xiaoxiao was worried that if they continued eating like this, would there be any refined grains left in the house?

At home, we eat three meals a day, two of which include refined grains.

Don't worry about what Aunt Wei says. If she gives you food, just eat it.

Jiang Xiaoxiao was going home for the Chinese New Year, so she went straight to school from home. It was Aunt Wei who insisted that Xiaoxiao stay, wanting her to eat something good.

It was the 20th of the twelfth lunar month, and they couldn't keep Xiaoxiao any longer. Aunt Wei reluctantly saw Xiaoxiao off.

Xiao Hu took Xiao Xiao to the county to catch the train and check her belongings. He called the machinery factory; they would pick her up at the station. Xiao Xiao had too much stuff.

Besides her own luggage and clothes, she packed over twenty wild rabbits and pheasants. The weather was cold, so they wouldn't spoil. She also packed 50-pound bags of flour in one sack and 30-pound bags in another, all sealed tightly in burlap sacks so no one would know what was inside. Aunt Wei had asked Song Yan; most of these things were for Song Yan's parents, and a smaller portion was for Jiang Xiaoxiao's family.

Xiaoxiao doesn't want it. She's received so much care from Aunt Wei over the years!

Aunt Wei thought to herself, "This child does all the washing and cleaning every day, making my life so much easier. My family should thank her."

There's definitely no meat like this in the city, and there's also flour. Take it back with you.

Chang Xiaohu listened to his godmother, and Jiang Xiaoxiao had no choice but to take him along.

After seeing Jiang Xiaoxiao off, Song Yan felt a void in his heart. This void wasn't because he was uncomfortable with fewer people around; it was more like a feeling of unease.

As darkness fell, Song Yan's feeling intensified.

What happened?

That year in J City, before the incident at the Cultural Palace, Song Yan seemed to have the same feeling.

Chunyang moved in, and Yueyue, Weiping, and Weian played with her, so Yueyue didn't go back to her room to sleep.

In winter, around 8 p.m., most people lock their doors.

Song Yan's unease grew stronger.

After getting dressed, Song Yan wanted to go and stay with Lao Zeng for a while.

"Who's there? Step forward!" Song Yan sensed someone outside the wall. And it was definitely someone he knew. Neither Bai Shuang nor Hei Zai called out.