Song Yan sat on the bus, slowly sorting out what had happened that morning.

What's so special about today? Why is my body feeling different than usual, even though I was busy all morning?

The only special case was the woman who was faking her pregnancy.

The reason must be her.

Could it be because I changed her fate of committing suicide?

Could it be considered saving a life?

...

Now that the weather is warming up, the sun is shining brightly at midday. It's a good time to open the windows and let in some fresh air.

"...This article is really well written." Shen Changchuan's voice.

"If the article wasn't good, why would it be published?" Old Zeng's voice rang out.

Everyone's home today.

"Hey! What are you doing? Yueyue! What do you need? I'll get it for you!" Shen Changchuan said.

"Grandpa! Let me take it down and see!" Yueyue was being naughty again.

“You’ve filled my room with so many things, and you take them down to look at them every few days. Did you choose these things for me or for yourself?” Shen Changchuan said as he took things out for the child.

"Grandpa, I can do it myself! You continue reading Auntie's article!" Yueyue said.

It turns out they were commenting on Auntie's article.

My aunt lives quite comfortably off her royalties.

Song Yan doesn't need her to pay, but her third aunt certainly won't eat and live in this house for free.

She receives household allowance every month.

As long as my third aunt is happy, I'll let her have her way.

"Mom! Mom!" The second and third children ran outside as soon as they saw their mother return.

The two children couldn't speak much, but they could pronounce their names in two-word forms very clearly.

They pulled one leg up from each person.

Just like when Wei An and Wei Ping pounced on his second uncle back then.

The first thing Song Yan did was to breastfeed her two children.

Song Yan was in good spirits at noon today, so he ate lunch at the restaurant.

...Days passed by like this, and soon it was the weekend.

The first thing Shen Qian did upon returning was to ask Song Yan what he thought.

Song Yan didn't know if he had adapted or if the feeling of fatigue was lessening.

But Song Yan still had to go to the hospital on the weekend; she had to see patients. Otherwise, the day would feel like punishment to her, and the feeling of being exhausted all over was unbearable.

She felt that everything else was fine as it was.

Song Yan is safe and sound, and the couple is relieved.

The couple had important business to attend to on a weekend afternoon. They were going to visit another of Old Zeng's houses.

There are mezzanine levels in the side rooms of those two courtyards.

The guns in Song Yan's space cannot be exposed to the light of day. Today, they will hide the guns first.

With such limited space, we must make the most of it.

Song Yan wanted to plant something, but he hadn't had time to think about it before.

Shen Qian put away the guns, and Song Yan also neatly arranged the pots and pans in the space and placed them in the empty house.

After planting tomatoes in the space, Song Yan and his wife leisurely strolled home.

It has been more than a month since they last felt this relaxed.

Unexpectedly, they encountered two people on their way home that they never imagined.

Erzhuang is back, and Chen Xiaodong has come along too.

They arrived in Kyoto yesterday, and today Erzhuang and the others came to see Aunt Wei.

Erzhuang used to be a strong and healthy man, but now he's so thin he's just skin and bones.

Aunt Wei felt sorry for her.

How much suffering must have she endured to become like this?

My eyes weren't very big before, but now they seem exceptionally large. Fortunately, I'm in good spirits.

Watching the old lady bustling around getting him food, he felt a warm glow inside.

I'm just not lucky enough to have such a good mother.

Erzhuang pulled the old lady who was about to give him fruit, "Auntie, don't look at me as thin. I'm fine, I'll recover after a while. Please sit down."

Aunt Wei held Er Zhuang's hand, which was now just bones. "You child, what happened to you?"

Erzhuang: "Auntie, I'm fine."

My days are numbered! Be happy for me!

Aunt Wei and Shen Qian naturally didn't understand what he meant.

Aunt Wei busied herself preparing a delicious meal for him, and Erzhuang and his wife went out with Aunt Wei.

Chen Xiaodong told him about Erzhuang.

After Erzhuang's house burned down, their lives became increasingly difficult.

Erzhuang went back home wanting only to eat at home, not to do any chores.

After eating all the chickens and ducks at home, he started to wreak havoc on the crops.

Today a bundle of wheat, tomorrow a bundle of beans.

When it was time to harvest the crops, he had already ruined a large area of ​​wheat and beans.

After we hand over the grain for the mission, there won't be much left at home, and it definitely won't be enough to eat.

Aunt Wei has always been frugal; she certainly wouldn't eat when there wasn't much food available.

His family became the only one in Qingshan Brigade who needed to eat thin porridge to survive.

Dazhuang's family, along with his parents, felt that Erzhuang's behavior had reached its limit.

Actually, no.

Erzhuang waited and waited until the day when none of them were home. He took the last of their grain and sold it.

He took the money from the sale and went to Tugang Village, which wasn't far away.

This year, every household has enough grain, and their income has improved. Those with a little spare cash get together to play cards.

There are one or two groups in each village.

Erzhuang didn't play in Qingshan Brigade, but went to Tugang Village instead.

Erzhuang is from another village, and he's a novice who doesn't know how to play very well.

A little while later he said he had lost more than ten yuan.

He said he didn't want to play anymore and wanted to go somewhere else.

Playing cards is just starting to become popular, and no one is betting too much yet. Losing ten dollars at once is a huge amount.

There was this sucker who came here to play; he was from the Wei family of Qingda Brigade.

Back then, the two villages clashed, and although the people from Tugang Village were in the wrong, they were still the ones who got beaten and imprisoned. The one who beat them the hardest was the second son of the Wei family.

So they were even more eager to win Erzhuang's money. Erzhuang suggested going to another place, so they quickly found him a spot...

Erzhuang played until it was almost dark before going home.

Before he even stepped into the yard, he heard his mother wailing and howling.

They said things like, "I can't go on living like this," or "I can't live like this anymore."

Da Zhuang's wife stood there blankly, while Da Zhuang squatted in the corner, holding his head and not saying a word.

When Aunt Wei saw Erzhuang return, she rushed to him, but Erzhuang was no longer the same person he used to be.

He shoved his mother far away. "What are you doing?"

"Where's the grain? I'm asking you, where's the grain?" Aunt Wei said through gritted teeth.

"Sold!"

"How much did you sell it for? Where's the money?" Aunt Wei searched Er Zhuang's body.

Erzhuang didn't dodge. But he didn't have a single penny left on him.

"Where's the money? Give me the money!" Aunt Wei cried, tears streaming down her face.

"I lost all my money!"

Aunt Wei didn't find a single penny. "Lost it all? Who did you lose the money to? I'm going to get it!"

"I was playing in Tugang Village."

"Go on!" Erzhuang climbed onto the heated kang and lay down.

Dazhuang and his wife were eagerly hoping that his mother would take out the money.

Erzhuang's words, however, chilled them to the bone.